The former café “Bread” is now know as Café Tartine, it is located a short distance from Ploen Chit Road on Soi Ruamruedee | 65 Wireless Road, Bangkok 10330, Thailand, Tel. 662-1685464. It is a very bright, relaxing place to spend some time “soft dining” meaning; indulging in some light dishes and drinks in a friendly atmosphere while avoiding more complex dishes such as Quiche Lorraine for instance.
After being closed for many months due to renovating the premises, Lake House reopens on November 1st, 2010 for the upcoming season.
I attended a tasting of Japanese Whisky at the Pan Pacific Hotel at the The Finishing Post Bar. The whiskies tasted and scrutinized were: Suntory whisky 10 year old, 12 year old Suntory single malt whisky, 17 year old Suntory hibiki whisky. All of these were excellent with the 17 year old displaying a great deal of caramel flavor.
The veteran restaurant Sorrento on Sathorn Road is replaced by another branch of the Thai-style sushi place, Honmono. The original location is on Soi Thong Lo 23, Soi 55, Sukhumvit Rd., Klong Tan Nua, Watthana, Bangkok 10110, which is frequented by local celebrities. A branch is also within the Central Chidlom department store.
Les Quatres Garçons (4 Garçons)
1/F, Oakwood Residence, 113 Thong Lor 13,
Sukhumvit 55, Wattana 10110 Bangkok, Thailand
Tel 66 (0)2 713 9547
Opening Hours: Lunch 11:30am – 2:30pm; Dinner 6 – 11pm; Open Daily
Website: www.4garcons.com
Prices: Moderate-Expensive
It comes as a pleasant surprise that the cooking at 4 Garçons is unexpectedly good, with only a few grumbles, especially as it is operated by four Thai business professionals, with no specific training in the restaurant trade, and a medical doctor behind the stoves to boot. Meanwhile, down the road at a French bistro with a professional French chef at the helm, I tried to have a meal that I could write about in a favorable light, and after several attempts it became apparent it was not to be, and for the present I have abandoned it.
Now back to the main subject of this post, 4 Garçons. It is quite normal in Thailand to find a restaurant bar with no bar stools and a bar top, so cluttered with non-essentials that it is difficult to find space enough to set a glass down, and the large bar at 4 Garçons is no exception. Why not put these service bars in the kitchen, or somewhere else outside the perimeters of the dining room, if customers are excluded from using them anyway? If a diner simply wants to have a casual drink before lunch or dinner while waiting for other guests, or for any reason at any time, they have no alternative choice but to sit at one of the large tables or on a banquette with a neatly arranged profusion of pillows which, quite frankly is a pain to get in an out of; while alighting from a bar stool is almost instantaneous. 
I have almost forgotten to mention a colorful character called Khun Pop, who you might spot walking around the dining room floor wearing anything from unconventional costumes to sometimes what can really be an outlandish getup, depending on the day, and mind you these are of his own choosing.
As for the decor, I enjoyed the clean open spaces and airy architectural lines of the dining room, in spite of comments from the odd diner who hinted to it being “too cold” or “impersonal”.
Bread was served very nicely on a small plate with a square of molded butter, however when broken apart the bread was so dried-out it shattered over the table. Frog legs were excellent, with the exception of crystals of rock salt sprinkled into the dish, they reacted similarly to a mine field, making for very salty explosions or large areas without any salt at all. The Navarin (lamb stew with vegetables) suffered from the same symptoms (overly salty) due to too many lardons that outnumbered the vegetables in this dish. Granted, I realize that most Asians probably would not find the amount of salt disagreeable, and I am most likely in the abject minority. However, every dish that I sampled from the à la carte menu: savory dishes were too salty and sweets were too sweet to my taste although, there again I am swimming against the tide as Thais love salt & sweet!
At 4 Garçons they offer a three-course lunch at THB 580:
A Choice of Appetizers: Pate de Campagne, Soup de moule au curry, Salade de Foies de Volaille, Roquette au Confit de Canard Rapé
A Choice of Mains: Beef Ragu or Lamb Ragu Fettuccini, Croque Monsieur/Madam, Tripes a la Mode Lyonnaise, Coq au Vin, Épaule d’agneau à la bière.
Summary: Overall, I liked this restaurant and anticipate returning. I can always ask for the rock salt to be omitted from the dishes that are made à la minute; for the many pre-prepared dishes I am out of luck.
For one night only, Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok and the Tedeschi Winery of Italy present a matching of superb Verona wines and Northeast Italian cuisine.
Tedeschi is one of the names rooted in the wine history of the Veneto region, with archive documents dating the first vineyards back to 1630.
Today, the winery is run by Renzo Tedeschi together with his children Antonietta, Sabrina and Riccardo. Sabrina herself will host the evening at Biscotti, with a five-course dinner created by Biscotti chef Danilo Aiassa.
The evening begins with a Soave Classico DOC 2009 served with canapés, followed by a Soave Capitel Tenda 2009 to accompany pan-fried Hokkaido scallops and celery root soup.
Quail breast with black truffle and poached egg is accompanied by a Valpolicella Superiore Ripasso Capitel San Rocco 2008, and risotto with mashed pumpkin is served with a Valpolicella Classico Superiore La Fabriseria 2006.
The main course of braised short ribs with Jerusalem artichokes will be accompanied by an Amarone della Valpolicella DOC Classico 2006. The meal concludes with an assortment of cheeses accompanied by a vertical tasting of three vintage Amarone wines.
The price for the evening is THB 2,900 per person, subject to 7% VAT and 10% service charge.
For reservations, please call (0) 2126 8866
The Vegetarian Festival is an annual event held during the ninth lunar month of the Chinese calendar. During this time, local residents of Chinese ancestry strictly observe a nine-day vegetarian or vegan diet for the purposes of spiritual cleansing and merit-making.
This is also the time for chefs to show just how wonderfully creative vegetarian cuisine can be, using the freshest vegetables along with mushrooms, tofu, fruit, herbs and spices to present nutritious, healthy, irresistible dishes throughout the festival period.
At Spice Market they have a vegetarian menu available throughout the festival, in addition to our usual a la carte menu. Even if you are not following a veggie regime, you have to give some of these dishes a try!
For full details of the Spice Market Vegetarian Festival Menu
please call (0) 2126 8866
Prices subject to 7% VAT and 10% service charge.
Four Seasons Hotel, Bangkok
