Crepes Village (Phuket)

Another lovely long weekend in Phuket. Beautiful sunny weather. Another place to for breakfast. Very close to our home; another breakfast place opened (they also serve lunch & dinner). We decided to try it. The place is called Crepes Village and as you may have guessed by now; their specialty is crepes.


The restaurant is in someone's garden. The set up is an eclectic bunch of tables and huts for the customers to sit. Since it was very sunny, we decided to sit inside a cabana.


One of the unique tables to sit and eat. Crepes Village had a lot of breakfast menus to choose from. My friend chose the egg breakfast set and I chose the crepe breakfast set.


We both first received our orange juice and coffee. I have to say; awful! We are in Phuket, where I am sure you can get plentiful of oranges to make fresh orange juice for their customers. At Crepes Village; they decided to use 'fake' orange juice. I am not sure if its from concentrate or a powder, but that was not a good experience. Then; to our horror, the coffee was equally bad. We noticed that they had a nice espresso coffee machine; but our coffee was either instant or something that was brewed earlier and has been sitting in the pot for hours. On top of this; they gave us packets of powdered creme for the coffee. This is where, I had to put my foot down and asked the waitress for fresh milk for the coffee.


Then we received cheap toast, cheap butter and cheap jam. I know; as a restaurant they want to save money by buying the cheapest products and try to make the price of the food as cheap as possible for their customers. But; when cheap equals bad quality, they might as well not do it. Because most customers will not enjoy the experience and not come back again. There are times when people are willing to pay a bit more or better quality.


The egg breakfast set. The eggs were cooked as asked and it tasted pretty good. The 'one' slice of bacon was horrible. It was mostly fat and cooked in a way that the bacon was not crispy but limp and oily.


The crepe breakfast set. The crepe was the only good thing I had the entire breakfast. The crepe was nicely made; fluffy and moist. I asked for honey instead of maple syrup and the combination of the honey and the crepe was nice.


All the cabanas in the garden for the customers to enjoy. Crepes Village has all types of crepes for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert. I would recommend anyone; if you decided to go here, stick with only the crepes. I noticed the owner was a French man. He really should know better than to serve such bad quality food & drink items. As an owner of any restaurant; you just simply have to ask yourself: "Would I eat this kind of food when I go out?" I really hope, he soon decides that the answer should be 'NO' and upgrade the quality a bit.


Please click here for directions to Crepe Village

The China House @ The Oriental Hotel (Bangkok)

Once in a while a group of my friends gather to have a wine dinner; where everyone brings a bottle or bottles they want everyone to taste. It can be a wine we never had before or a wine that we had and liked before. We chose to go to The China House Chinese restaurant at The Oriental Hotel.


The Oriental Hotel is the most famous hotel in Thailand and one of the best in Asia. The China House is in an old colonial style house. After the renovations, the 'new' China House looks stunning. We rarely come to the China House because it is a bit far from where we live; so we finally had good reason to do so.


The first dish we had was caviar. I know, its not Chinese. A friend brought this for all of us to taste. It was brought from Iran and it was about 8 ounces. We could not resist trying it. As usual, the service at the Oriental was amazing. They took the caviar and put it into a bowl of ice. They brought freshly made blinis and complements of minced boiled eggs, minced onion, chives and lemon. I do not like adding all those extra stuff on the caviar, it ruins the taste. Maybe a bit of lemon is all I add. The caviar was not pasturised; so it had a unique texture and taste.


We first had a bottle of champagne; Francoise Bedel, 'Entre Ciel et Terre', Brut. A nice champagne with delicate and small bubbles. As usual, its always nice to start the evening with a glass of good champagne.


The first dish was deep fried string beans with sesame seeds and chili. Nicely deep fried to a golden brown, a nice thin coating to give the beans a good crunch and the bean had a very nice taste. A very nice starter and it went well with the champagne.


The next starter was a vegetarian spring roll. Instead of having rice paper as a wrapping, the chef used cucumber. A refreshing dish, but actually had no taste to it. Lots of crunch from cucumber, carrots, lettuce and sprouts. The ginger and soy sauce on top of the spring roll was the only touch of flavour.


The next dish was glazed chicken with glazed peanuts for extra flavour and texture. A very nice dish. The glaze was subtle and not overly sweet. The meat was tender and juicy.


The next bottle opened was a 2002 Juve y Camps Cava Reserva de la Familia. I am a big fan of Cava, especially after taking drinking so much of it in Spain. So, I was disappointed that the Juve was a bit strange tasting. I could not really say why or what was disturbing, but it was not a good addition to this dinner.


The next dish was Peking Duck. One of the deadliest dishes on earth for the heart and cholesterol. But, it happens to be one of my favourite dishes as well. I cannot resist a couple pancakes stuffed with the peking duck. It is always fun to watch the 'duck expert' artfully carve the duck skin off the duck.


The 'duck expert' preparing the pancakes after carving the duck skin.


The pancake was also stuffed with a slice of cucumber and green onion and a dash of hoisin sauce. The combination of the tastes and textues are amazing.


The next dish was sauteed beef filets. Absolutely delicious. This had to the be star dish of the night. It was so good that we ordered another one. The beef was so tender. We were not sure how 'chinesie' this dish was, but we gave them the benefit of the doubt. It could have been fusion. But, we did not dwell on it too and enjoyed it fully.


The next dish was chinese spinache with out garlic. We have a friend who is allergic to garlic. Chinese spinache always has a nice flavour with a hint of bitterness. This was a good dish because the chef did not over cook the spinache and it was not overly oily as well.


The next wine was Brancaia Ilatraia (forgot the vintage). Nice aromas of blackberries, raspberries and hints of tar, was followed through to a full-bodied palate with good tannins and a long finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese and Petit Verdot. But it was way too oaky for our taste. Over whelming the drinking experience.


The next dish was a fish lightly steamed with light soy sauce, ginger and green onion. We have friends who are very sensitive to the way a fish is cooked. It better be a bit raw in the center of the fish near the bones. Many restaurants still over cook the fish and boy does that irritate my foodie friends. Luckily for the China House, they did not disappoint. The fish was cooked nicely and the sauce was light and full of flavour.


The next dish was noodles with seafood. An ok dish; but, I thought it was lacking something. Spiciness was missing as well. A bit bland for my taste. I had to ask for chili oil to add some uummph to the dish.


The last dish was the duck meat de-boned, chopped into small bite sizes and stirred fried. The duck meat was layed on top of a lettuce leaf. A very nice dish. The flavour from the duck was lovely. The lettuce added freshness and extra texture.


The next wine was L'Esprit de Font Caude 2002. 70? Syrah/ 30% Mourvedre; long maceration and 34 months in barrique. Seductive, herby, liquoricey nose with some sweet fruit and a bit of spicness and earthy complexity. Slight tannic, in a rich a savoury style. Quite a big wine with a touch of alcohol on the finish. This is quite a serious wine.


For dessert, a lovely bowl of fresh seasonal fruit. The presentation of a large bowl full of ice and fresh fruit laying on top of it was lovely. Fresh fruit is always a nice way to end a wonderful meal.


I really like what the Oriental did for the renovations to the China House. It's a retro/ Shanghai in the 2o's feel and decor. Modern, moody and dark. Colour theme throught out is Red, Black and Gold with a dash of White. Great lighting, so everyone looks good. The volume of the bar/ lounge area is amazing and the private dinning booths and dinning rooms are intimate well thought out. The service at the Oriental is always perfect.


Please click here for directions to the China House @ The Oriental Hotel

Keyaki Japanese Restaurant (Bangkok)

A friend of mine wanted to take me out to lunch. So, we decided to have Japanese food near his office on Silom Road. We decided to go to the Japanese restaurant of the Pan-Pacific Hotel which is around the corner to my friend's office. I always forget that the Pan-Pacific Hotel even exist. So, it was nice to hear that they have a very good Japanese restaurant.


The Keyaki Japanese Restaurant in on the 22nd floor of the the hotel. It is a very large and elegant room with about 165 seats. Due to the huge windows, the restaurant is very bright with sunlight shinning through. The decor is very simple with a few hints of something Japanese. You would never know it was a Japanese restaurant if you just took a glimpse at it.

Keyaki has many business lunch menu sets at very reasonable prices. That is the reason the place is packed during lunch time on week days.


My friend ordered the set with salmon & tofu suki. As any Japanese restaurant, the presentation was beautiful. The broth of the suki was very tasty. The dish had lots of textures due to lots of vegetables like cabbage, mushrooms and leeks.


I ordered the largest set lunch (my friend promised to help me eat it; which he did not, I had to eat it all). It had to come in two trays because there was so much food. The first tray had complements like the rice, the sauce for the tempura and the amuse bouche of salmon & tuna sashimi.


The second tray consisted of the main dishes such as shrimp tempura, egg custard and braised pork shoulder. I have to admit that all the dishes tasted wonderful. Not only were the dishes beautiful to look at, but each individual dish had its own characteristic flavour.

With good ambiance, delicious food and intereresting conversation; this was a very good lunch.

Click here for direction to the Pan-Pacific Hotel & Keyaki Japanese Restaurant

Chaan Suay (Bangkok)

Even though my colleagues and I work in the same office, we never seem to have time to eat lunch or chat with each other. So, we decided that every month we would eat dinner together to have a gossip session with good food and wine. This time we decided to try a very unique restaurant near our office.


The restaurant is called Chaan Suay (Pretty Plate) This restaurant has only four tables. The owner used to be a musical composer. After retirement, he and his wife opened this neighborhood restaurant (they have another branch in Hua-Hin where they cook on weekends).


We started our evening by opening a bottle of prosecco to celebrate that we actually made it to the dinner. The prosecco was just ok, nothing outstanding. But since we were all in the mood to just catch up and gossip, we did not mind.


The first dish was a mix salad with Italian sausage. A very nice salad. but the star of the dish was the Italian sausage. Slightly spicy and full of flavour.



The next dish was sauteed mushrooms. A very simple but great dish. The mushrooms were very fresh and they still had a slight chewyness to the texture.


The next dish was baked spinach with Parmesan cheese. The combination of spinach and Parmesan cheese were made for each other. Though, the spinach taste was diluted due to the Parmesan cheese, it still was a nice side dish.


The next dish was mixed salad with smoked salmon. Since we had a vegetarian friend, we ordered a lot of salads and seafood. The smoked salmon was good. I have had better but this dish was not bad.


The next dish was lasagna. Not bad at all. The meat sauce was very good and thick, the pasta was not overcooked and the dish had a very nice taste.


The white was Vision from Australia. I was not very impressed with this wine. A bit over worked and a bit on the oaky side.


The next dish was baked chicken Provencal style. The chicken was baked was tender and juicy and the sauce was light but tasty.


The next dish was pork ribs. I was not happy with the amount of ribs that was served. The portion that was offered was more for an appetizer. Pork is very cheap in Thailand, so there was no reason to be stingy. However, the ribs were very tender and tasty (for those who like garlic).


The next dish was fish (sorry I have forgotten what type of fish this was). A lightly baked fish with garlic. The fish was fresh and tender. But, I thought there was too much garlic, which overwhelmed the taste of the fish.


The red wine we had was Le Volte 2006 from Tuscany. An amazing wine from Italy. For the price and quality ratio, this is one of the best you can find in Bangkok. Assemblage of 51% sangiovese, 34% merlot, 15% cabernet sauvignon. The aromatic and structural components of the wine display perfect balance, with fresh, lightly spiced red berry fruit notes, and smooth fullness on the palate, where the soft Merlot tannins combined with the structure of Cabernet and the classic liveliness of Sangiovese.


The next dish was baked shrimp and macaroni & cheese. As you can see, my friends like baked cheese dishes. This dish was unique since they added shrimp. Another nicely baked dish, the sauce was light and tasty and the shrimps were plump and had a nice flavour.


The next dish was spaghetti bolognese. A very good dish where the sauce was light and tasty.


The next dish was fettuccine with pesto. I do like pesto and they make a very nice pesto dish here. Loads of flavour.


The first dessert was baked apple crumble. This dessert was rich and tasty. Just the right spices to add life to this dessert and another good aspect is that it was not too sweet.


The second dessert was fruit tiramisu. A very unique interpretation of the classic dessert. This was more exotique due to the fresh trpical fruits. The whipped cream replaced the cheese and the sponge cake on the bottom added more texture to the dessert. This dessert was much lighter than a tiramisu but still had a good taste.


For a simple neighborhood restaurant ambiance, this is a great place to go. It almost seems like you are eating in your own home due to smallness of the restaurant and the home cooking. The prices are very affordable for the very good quality of the food.

Som (Bangkok)

It is very rare that I have a bad experience and on top of that bad food in Bangkok. Well, we just experienced it. A new som-tum restaurant opened on soi Thonglor last year around September. We tried it and it was not bad. So, we decided to try it again.

To our surprise, the restaurant changed. It had the same name, but I think it must have changed management or owners. The prices increased. The decor was changed; not to our liking. The restaurant before had an easy going and comfortable atmosphere to it. A som-tum restaurant does not need to be fancy. Well apparently, the new owners of Som think it does. The new furniture was too massive for such a small space and the mix of styles was also a strange.


The first dish was Thai som-tum. This dish was ok. There was nothing wrong with the raw materials. But they added too much fish sauce, which made the dish too salty. There was no balance in flavours from the ingredients.


The next dish was minced pork with sweet basil (phad krapow moo). Actually, there was a slight confusion on this dish. On the menu, it was listed as curry pork fried rice. So, you can imagine our surprise when this dish arrived. There was nothing wrong with this dish. I think the reason for not enjoying it as much as we should have was that our expectations of something else.


The next dish was chicken coconut palm salad. Oh my; just Awful. This normally is a very nice dish. We even had a discussion what on earth could be wrong with this dish. My friend said that the chicken and coconut palm were not fresh. I thought they were ok, but I thought there was something very wrong with the sauce. I cannot even explain to you what it taste like. Just believe me something very bad.


Not only was the food mediocre, the owners were not acting properly as well. The owners were lounging on the sofa, like it was their living room instead of making sure their guest were happy. They were sitting on the sofa and constantly switching the channels on the television. On top of that, they were playing awful music, re-makes of famous songs like 'Over the rainbow'. Very scary indeed.

But, what really confirmed to us that the owners did not care anymore about the quality of food or the ambiance for their guest. We noticed a sign on the window; 'Restaurant for Sale or Rent'. That explained everything.

No need for direction or the address to this restaurant.