Archive for the ‘Bangkok’ Category

BBQ Carnival & Sushi-Cyu – Bangkok

Friday, May 23rd, 2008

Sushi Bar

3rd Floor,CRC Tower#303-4
All SeasonsPlace.87/2
Wireless Rd., Phatumwan, Bangkok 10330
946 Rama IV Road
Bangkok 10500
+66 (0) 2 251 1995
FAX.(66)02-251-1996
e-mail:tomithaibkk@yahoo.co.jp
Website: http://www.sushicyu.com/english.htm
Opening Hours: Lunch: 11:30 am – 2pm
Dinner: 6pm – 11pm (Weekdays)
5pm – 10pm(Sat, Sun & National Holidays)
Henmi, Executive Chef (Mobile):085-142-5149
Tomizawa, Manager (Mobile):087-064-1887
Credit Cards: All Major
Prices: Moderate

As you enter the two restaurants, which are side by side, the sushi bar is off to the right and the Japanese-style BBQ is at the back and on the left.
Sushi-chu imports fresh seafood that is transported from Tsukiji, the best fish market in Tokyo, three times a week by air. They are able to do this since their head office is located in Chichibu, Japan and overseen by General Manager, Fukushima.
Henmi, the Executive Chef and Shimizu, Chef are serving you at the sushi counter.
The sushi is absolutely fresh; they do not depend on anything else to embellish the taste.
The Japanese BBQ restaurant follows the original recipes from Tokyo Calbi House using special Calbi sauce. The Japanese BBQ chef is, 26 years old, Sutsakrn Wongtakee he has had 13 years experience in preparing meat.

It is also very pleasant that in this combo of restaurants you have the opportunity to start with sushi or sashimi as an appetizer and then follow with Japanese BBQ.
Carnival has a broad selection of Japanese Sake and Shochu.
The Japanese barbecue is certainly the best quality you can find in Bangkok and the sushi that is imported from Japan is fresh and excellent as well.

Two very good glasses of Shochu that I tried, although quite different in style, were Kurokirishima and Tekkan both made from potatoes, and both priced at 220 Baht.

No Robuchon in Bangkok

Saturday, May 17th, 2008

A rumor was circulating a few weeks ago that Joël Robuchon would open a restaurant sometime this year in Bangkok. This has been denied by his assistant?

Manuel Martinez, Pullman Hotel, Déjà Vu Restaurant – Bangkok

Friday, May 9th, 2008

Wine Storage at the Bar8 Rangnam Road, Ratchathewi, Thanon-Phayathai, Bangkok, Thailand 10400
Tel. +66 (0)2 680 9999 – Fax. +66 (0)2 680 9998
www.pullmanhotels.comwww.accorhotels.com

I attended a promotion tonight at the Pullman Hotel at Déjà Vu Restaurant featuring the cuisine of Chef Manuel Martinez who was the head chef at La Tour d’Argent in its three-Michelin star days. After a disagreement with owner Claude Terrail regarding a modernization of the menu, he left and opened his own restaurant, Relais Louis XIII that has now attained two-star Michelin status, while La Tour D’Argent has dropped to only one-star, however it should be mentioned that Claude Terrail is no longer in charge, as he passed away two years ago.

Lamb ChopAs far as the dinner is concerned there is not much point in going into great detail, as things on the service side did not go well from the onset. For example, one of the bartenders in the bar next door when asked where the Sauvignon Blanc was produced, he answered, “Russia”. I knew that was not possible and it turned out to be South Africa. The waiter took so long to bring the wine, which had to be requisitioned from this same bar, I could not help but mentioned to my friend who was dining with me that I was certain the first course would arrive before the wine. When, indeed this happened, I told the waitress to send it back to the kitchen, although just at this moment the wine appeared. The Chef, who is a very personable fellow, performed as well as could be expected using products from a foreign country; I understand that the food products were obtained from local or Australian/New Zealand sources and as I heard, he did not bring many products from France with him.

Quenelle soufflé de brochet, pike dumpling and mushroom mousse with champagne sauce came off well (I have not had this dish for many years) as did the Côte d’Agneau, lamb chops, spring onion ragout, garlic bulb and potato confit (photo on left).

The prices of the set menus were reasonable as were the French wines on the hotel’s wine list and it would be worth the effort to go to the hotel, located near Victory Monument, for that reason alone. The explanation why some wines were priced so well is most likely due to the ownership of one of the partners, KIng Power (for those who are unfamiliar, King Power has the monopoly on duty free goods at the airports and shops throughout Thailand. Directly next to the Pullman Hotel they have constructed a huge complex where buses bring thousands of tourists every day to buy duty free goods).

Le Bouchon – Bangkok

Saturday, April 26th, 2008

37/17 Patpong soi 2, Surawongse Road,
Bangkok 10500
Tel. 02-234-9109
Credit Cards: AE, MC, V
Open for Lunch and Dinner Noon-midnight, Mon-Sat; 7pm-midnight, Sun
Prices: Moderate

The Dining roomLe Bouchon restaurant is located in the heart of Patpong, the famous entertainment area in Bangkok.
It is located in a one floor shop-house with a large bar, small dining room, and an even smaller kitchen and toilet.

Seerge behind the BarThe amicable owner, Serge Martiani, is usually at the bar and you may have a chat with him. It has been very popular over the last ten years especially with the French crowd, and the main draw is not the menu but the real bistro feel of the place, it seems that everyone feels comfortable here and I would advise advance booking, due to the popularity and limited seating. You can always eat at the bar, if you can find a spot to squeeze in.

During a recent lunch and after looking at the very extensive blackboard menus, which are propped-up in front of you by the friendly tri-lingual waitresses, I chose to start with what turned out to be a very fresh tomato salad drizzled with vanilla scented, olive oil and sprinkled with pink peppercorns from Madagascar, and my dining companion ordered lentil soup for the first course. I followed with lamb shank with white beans while my friend had duck confit. It was all washed down with a good bottle of red Cahor wine.
This was followed by a couple of eau-de-vie Poire William to finish.

Indigo – Bangkok

Saturday, April 26th, 2008

P4040045

Open: Daily from 11:30 lunch dinner 5:30pm
6 Convent Road
Bangkok, 10500
Tel: 02-235-3268
Owner: Alain Le Roy
Credit Cards: All major cards
Prices: Moderate

A couple of minutes walk from the BTS Saladaeng station and hidden at the end of a small soi off Soi Convent directly across from Molly Malone’s Irish Bar you will find this delightful French restaurant in a converted Thai house. It has a large bar with French doors that open out onto a courtyard where umbrella covered tables make a nice place to be seated in good weather. Snoopy the resident bartender is a friendly sort who is willing to entertain you with some magical tricks or prepare an excellent cocktail, he performs both equally well. The bar is a meeting place for French ex patriots and others who are informed enough to find this obscure location in the first place.

P4040047Khun Nok (Snoopy)P4050004Bigorneax

P4050005Bulots

In season they import fresh oysters, bigorneax, bulots and shrimp from France. Overall, I really like the place and I always feel comfortable having a drink at the bar or a dinner in the dining room with friends. The rooms are laid out well, with tables not too far apart to kill energy levels and not too close that you feel that you are almost sitting in your neighbor’s lap.

The cooking tends to vary from good to acceptable depending on, I have not figured out exactly what, during the reign of several chefs over quite a few years.

Oysters from France

Jidori-Ya Kensou Yakatori – Bangkok, Thailand

Friday, April 4th, 2008

Best Yakatori in Bangkok

10/12-13,
Soi Sukhumvit 26, Sukhumvit Road,
Klongton Klongtoey,
Bangkok 10110
Tel. 02-661-3457
email: kenzobkk@hotmail.com
Open 5:30pm – 1:00am
Specialty: Yakatori (chicken skewers)
Prices: Moderate

Jidori-Ya KensouI can easily say that this is my favorite Japanese restaurant in Bangkok. It has the feel, flavor and lighting that reminds me of Japan. It got off to a rough start, due to the Thai cooking staff’s inexperience with rotating the skewers. They had to get the timing right, as even 15 seconds without rotating the skewer can scorch it and if the charcoal is not hot enough, the skewers will not be evenly browned and will be dry instead of juicy inside. Within a short time the owner trained them “on the job” and now things are working perfectly. That is why never rush in too soon to a newly opened restaurant, give it a month or more to find its pace.

I regularly order Ginko nuts, acclaimed to be good to prevent memory loss, (I can certainly use as much protection against that as I can find) pumpkin salad, an extraordinarily innovative dish that I have not seen anywhere else in the world, lightly cooked Japanese pumpkin, tossed with ground chicken, thinly-sliced Gobo root (burdock) deep fried and sprinkled on top of lettuce dressed with a sweet-sour vinaigrette. Natto, (fermented beans) mixed with fresh avocado and soy sauce and placed on top of a shiso leaf that is seated on top of a piece of fried tofu, which resembles a piece of toast. Another new creation you do not find elsewhere!

Ginko NutsAt this point you can order a variety of chicken skewers, which encompass every part of the chicken. I really enjoy the chicken meat ball (pictured in More Photos below) and also chicken skewer with Shiso leaf.
My daughter, really enjoys the caramel pudding to finish things off.

On the drinks side, they have a large selection of Sho-Chu and Sake that may be ordered by the glass or bottle. The sake by the glass is presented in an attractive pouring bowl and accompanied by sake cups. The beer on draught is very cold, as Japanese prefer it, and Asahi and Heineken are on offer. A good selection of wine is also available.

 

 

Biscotti Restaurant – Bangkok

Monday, March 24th, 2008

Biscotti Restaurant
Four Season Hotel
155 Rajadamri Road, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
Credit Cards: All Major
Expensive

BreadWhat better restaurant to celebrate Easter Sunday lunch than the lovely dining room of Biscotti Restaurant located in the Four Seasons Hotel, which in my opinion, is the most tastefully decorated hotel in the city, and if that were not enough they provide excellent service staff to go with it and in the most easily accessible location in this city. It is a duplicate of the Peninsula Hotel in Kowloon, and in fact the Peninsula Group built it but experienced various problems that required them to sell. It was bought by the Regent Hotel Group that was subsequently merged into the Four Seasons Hotels chain. The ceiling in the lobby is magnificent and was painted by an Italian artist who died before finishing it, although I believe, his daughter completed it.
I ordered a magnificent Spring lamb, so fitting for Easter and what an excellent dish Chef Danilo constructed. Succulent lamb set on a bed of semi-bitter greens sprinkled with almonds, pine nuts, white beans and a sauce made from a reduction of lamb and almond essence, which was magical.
Other noteworthy dishes to try are: Cavatelli with porcini mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, and basil and Trofie with tomato couli, Yellow Tail and green beans. More Photos

D’Sens at the Dusit Thani Hotel – Bangkok

Friday, March 21st, 2008

Lumpini Park946 Rama IV Road
Bangkok 10500
+66 (0) 2200 9000
Credit Cards: All Major
Prices: Very Expensive

Over the last couple of years I have indulged in many excellent dining experiences sitting on the top floor of the Dusit Thani Hotel overlooking the lake at Lumpini Park, most especially gibier in the autumn season, which have included: wild boar, hare, venison, pheasant, partridge, and grouse.
Today I have just finished a very delicious business lunch consisting of two courses, I was on good behavior and passed on the dessert course, terrine of foie gras and lobster was the first offering, followed by a small tasting portion of the lamb parmentier graciously offered by the management, ending with scallops in a saffron foam 550 baht. There is only one suggestion, in an otherwise constantly improving restaurant, and that is that the wine by the glass and house wines could be improved.Foie Gras and LobsterD’Sens is a branch of the French company owned by the twin brothers Jacques and Laurent Pourcel who have been awarded two stars in the Michelin guide for their famous restaurant “Le Jardin des Sens” in Montpellier, France. Philip Keller is resident chef at D’ Sens at the Dusit Thani and the front of house is managed by Jean-Yves Francois. More Photos