Culinary Tidbits … Any extra food that you might have stocked in anticipation of Hurricane Irene being a “screamer” but fortunately, it fell a bit short of the mark, please donate any food items you may not be able to use to the needy and hungry here.
The beautifully appointed dining room
Complimentary Amuse – Beautiful and delicious assortment of tastes (including frozen Mojito-Screwdriver Baja Shrimp cooked sous-vide with piquant chile, Carrot Soup with foam)
Presenting the Australian Black Winter Truffles
Complimentary Dessert Bites
Culinary Tidbits . . . The U.S. government has detained all papayas coming from Mexico after testing showed high rates of salmonella contamination, which were linked to more than 100 cases of salmonella poisoning in 23 states earlier this summer. They found a 16% contamination rate in papayas from all over Mexico.
Tavern Tipples . . . Saveur’s Helen Rosner knows how to handle a hurricane. She sent this tweet: “Bars are sending hurricane-related drinks specials pitches. As if we haven’t all already made runs on the liquor store” 
I recall being a guest at a very special dinner given for the anniversary of a Chinese company in Jakarta, Indonesia. As far as beverages were concerned they offered selections of either tea, soft drinks, beer or cognac. A bottle of Hennessy XO was placed on each large, round table. Along with my two friends, both Scotsmen, we managed to commandeer unwanted bottles from surrounding tables occupied mostly by ladies who did not drink it. We collected three or four bottles and polished them off by the end of the evening. With so many courses, and so much food over many hours I soon began to notice that the cognac was becoming more wine-like (it is made from grapes after all) as we paired it with the lavish Chinese food, while vaguely-listening to boring speeches as the evening wore on. This was my first experience to attend a long formal Chinese dinner and consume food accompanied by their favorite beverage cognac. As a Westerner, I was used to drinking cognac in a snifter after dinner, and I thought at the time, how upset the cognac makers would be if they knew how their prized bottles were being drunk. Not so as it turned out, after talking to a few knowledgeable cognac distillers, they said that they rather not know how the end-consumer dealt with their product.
Today, nothing much has changed since that dinner 25 years ago, as far as the Chinese love of cognac is concerned. These days some clever entrepreneurs are trying to introduce caviar to wealthy Chinese, by way of pairing it with their favorite spirit—cognac; it seems as if Chinese diners will devour anything if it is accompanied by fine brandy.
In the past and to this day the most extravagant dishes to offer honored guests by Chinese standards are: abalone, sharks fin, and possibly bird’s nest soup, although these days Shanghai’s wealthy, young crowd are beginning to crave Chinese-branded caviar from Tianxia sturgeon; but don’t tell them it is “Made in China”, as Chinese products have a bad reputation even in China, not to mention the rest of the world!
Inedit Beer packaged in a black, type of wine bottle and suggested to be served in a white wine glass has been especially created by el Bulli & Ferran Adrià to be paired with food. It was introduced to Bangkok by Comte de Sibour Limited on August 25, 2011 at Aldo’s Mediterranean Bistro and paired with these dishes: Confit of Smoked Salmon Flavor; Asparagus Espuma with Poached Quail Eggs; Paella Modern Style; Marinated Artichokes with Ham Emulsion; Jelly of Gaspacho Tagliatelle of Squid; Feta Tomato Chips. It is similar in style to a Belgian witbier, and is aimed at the high-end restaurant market where it most likely will carve out a niche of devoted fans. Whether it goes mainstream as a standalone beer is anyone’s guess. Inedit is arguably Spain’s best beer although, I have read comments such as: this is “a beer made by people who clearly don’t like beer”.
Pouring the beer into a white wine glass, you are greeted by a distinct aroma of fresh yeast and the visual appearance is not overly cloudy as some wheat beers tend to be
Baan Khanitha
31 Soi Sukhumvit 53, Sukhumvit Rd.
Klongton Nua, Wattana, Bangkok 10110
Tel. 02259 8530-3, 08 8249 8191, 08 4929 4123
email: info@curriesandmore.com
website: curriesandmore.com
Pleasant and comfortable dining created by famed designer Pierre Maciag. The cooking is fusion so if you like this style you will be pleased. Personally, I prefer to have one cuisine at a time with out mixing it up.
A more formal dining area and private rooms are located in this building
The bar, terrace in front and upstairs a dining room with adjoining open air terrace. Baan Khanitha is a fusion of Thai, Italian and Continental dishes.
The bar with informal dining area
Outdoor dining area under the Banyan tree
Two glass-enclosed areas serving sweets and coffee
Oskar Bistro, 24 Sukhumvit Soi 11, Tel. 02-255 3377, Opening hours: 6-11, website: www.oskar-bistro.com
Oskar Bistro is a large bar with a small bistro attached and a terrace in front overlooking the street, mainly populated by smokers. Oskar has a nice layout with plenty of room around the bar area as it gets packed later in the evening, it attracts mostly European foreigners, and because a few of the partners are French, expect a French crowd. Nirut is the main bartender and you can ask him to help you with the long list of exotic, tall drinks. Ten wines by the glass include (135-265): Lungarotti Pinot Grigio 195 baht, Rose Cinsault 145 baht, Ch. Malbec (Bordeaux) 265 baht. Free Tapas 4:30 – 7:30 pm (counter only). A few selections from the French influenced menu: Oskar Burger 320 baht, Club Sandwich 240 baht, Croque Monsieur 210 baht, Quiche Lorraine 190 baht, N.Y. Caesar Salad 210 baht, Duck Parmentier 250 baht, Ratatouille 220 baht, wood-oven pizzas (195-325).
By Carole Chung
Le Midi Restaurant Lot T3
3rd Floor Bangsar Shopping Centre
Jalan Maarof, Bukit Bandaraya
59000 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 03-2094 1318
Website: http://www.lemidi.com.my/
This is definitely out of my usual loop, but I have really been enjoying KL, as this is only my third visit here. What could be better than to start out with a French/Italian menu, really it is simply Mediterranean and goes with the climate! A very attractive part of the decor (and I mean that literally) is an amazing jellyfish aquarium, that I could not take my stare away from, as it changes every second. My friends had to keep reminding me to pay more attention to them. I chose a classic soupe de poisson with rouille and croutons that was quite fitting, and followed with a grilled fish topped by an olive tapenade. It is an easy-going restaurant that has a very presentable decor and efficient service. I think that even though things are not 100% perfect, they are working out the kinks, and I would expect an upward curve soon as the staff are friendly, and really good at what they do, which is to try to make people have a good evening.
