February « 2011 « Restaurant-Dining Critiques

Archive for February, 2011

Thai Rock Restaurant & Live Music House, Rockaway Beach – New York

Monday, February 28th, 2011

GiftCard-lg

375 Beach 92nd Street Rockaway Beach, NY 11693
Tel. (646) 455-3991

robert@thairock.us www.thairock.us

An exciting new Thai restaurant and live music house is to be located at the site of the Rockaway Lobster House on beautiful Jamaica Bay in Rockaway Beach, New York.

Robert Kaskel, is aiming to revive the spot as a Thai restaurant and music venue, Thai Rock. He and his wife Metta, who owned a similar spot in Thailand and is now a bartender at Dojo, hope to open in late April or, more likely, in May (tomorrow they’ll start the process of giving the space a “beachy Thai” look). Kaskel says he plans to offer “real Thai cuisine, not watered down, Americanized Asian cuisine,” with dishes in the $8 to $18 range, and to ensure the food is literally home-cooked, he’s renting the apartments above the restaurant to three cooks who used to work in Manhattan. Four menus will change with the seasons (soups and stews during the winter, lighter fare during the summer): There’ll be lunch, brunch, dinner, and a “drinking menu” at the bar.

Tags:Jamaica Bay, Live Music, Robert Kascel, Rockaway New York, Thai Cooking not Americanized, Thai Rock
Posted in New York | 9 Comments »

“Breast-Milk” Ice Cream Served at Covent Garden Restaurant – London

Saturday, February 26th, 2011

Culinary Tidbits . . . Breast-Milk Ice Cream is being served at Icecreamists in the Convent Garden section of London and is being called “Baby Gaga”. The human milk is Pasteurized before being churned into the dessert and donated by a local mother, Victoria Hiley, with each serving costing £14. UPDATE: BREAST-MILK SEIZED BY LONDON POLICE due to complaints by the public. UPDATE II: LADY GAGA’S LAWYERS intend to sue breast-milk ice cream makers.

Follow the link below to see a photo of the ice cream:

http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/51412000/jpg/_51412467_breast.jpg

Tags:Breast-Milk Ice Cream, Covent Garden London, Icecreamists, Pasteurized before churning
Posted in London | Comments Closed

Riedel Comparative Tasting, 4 April 2011, Grand Ballroom, Mandarin Oriental Hotel – Bangkok

Friday, February 25th, 2011

Riedel

Tags:Comparative tasting, Mandarin Oriental Grand Ballroom, Monday 4 April 2011, Riedel Glassware
Posted in Bangkok | Comments Closed

Tropical Wine Making: An Insight into Handling Temperate Zone Viticulture on a Warming Planet

Wednesday, February 23rd, 2011

Thai and other Southeast-Asian vineyards located only a few degrees north of the equator with only 12 hours of sunlight and hot climates all year long, would certainly not be thought of as ideal place to cultivate grapes for wine-making. Of course it’s a given, that production will never reach levels of traditional old world or new world vineyards within the temperate climate zones. In spite of this, a few brave viticulturists’ and winemakers are breaking the mold by doing exactly what textbooks have said not to do. By doing so, they are not only enlightening themselves and producing wines worthy of notice from around the world; but they are collecting valuable information and techniques that might be very helpful to winemakers faced with warming temperatures in the usually cooler temperate growing zones.

Among the leaders of this movement is Kathrin Puff, a German viticulturist and head winemaker at Thailand’s Siam Winery who is responsible for the really well-made cuvée and single grape wines coming out of the Monsoon Valley brand http://www.monsoonvalleywine.com. According to Ms Puff, “We are extreme winemakers here,” and she went on to say, “we are the future consultants for all the other wine countries because there is desertification in Spain, drought in France and heat waves in Italy. We are pioneering new developments in grape-growing.”

Kathrin Puff

Ms Kathrin Puff as Siam Winery’s resident winemaker, oversees production of Monsoon Valley Wines, the leading premium Thai wine brand, as well as other products under Siam Winery – Mont Clair, Kookaburra, Chateau Vendome, and Peter Vella.

Kathrin studied viticulture and oenology in Udine (Italy) and Geisenheim (Germany) acquiring double diplomas from both institutions in 2004. She began her career in the wine industry as a Cellar Hand and Assistant Vineyard Manager at Winery Villa Gutenberg, in Germany, in 1999.

In 2001, she moved to Italy and had the chance to work at several wineries including Laboratory Dottore Diust as Assistant Wine Consultant and Laboratory Technician; Assistant Winemaker and Assistant Vineyard Manager at Azienda Borgo del Tiglio; Assistant Winemaker at Azienda Pighin in Udine; and she was then promoted to become Chief Winemaker at Azienda Dievole, reknowned producer of prestigious Chianti Classico. Her expertise in wine is not limited to the European wine industry. In 2005 and 2007, she had the opportunity to participate as associate winemaker during two vintages in New Zealand.
These outstanding experiences and her intimate knowledge of wine, led to her appointment as Siam Winery’s Winemaker in 2007. She is responsible to guarantee the best quality possible in every bottle of Siam Winery premium wines.

Tags:Insight into Temperate Zone Climate Changes, Kathrin Puff Winemaker, Monsoon Valley Wines, Siam Winery, Tropical Wines
Posted in Bangkok | Comments Closed

Le Vendôme Restaurant – Bangkok

Monday, February 21st, 2011

Le Vendôme – Set Lunch Menu – 380 baht

267/2 Sukhumvit 31 (Soi Sawasdee)
Klongton-Nua, Wattana
Bangkok 10110, Thailand

Tel.: +66-2-662-0530-31, 02-285-7028
Fax: +66-2-662-0529

Email: phannawan@levendomerestaurant.com
Website: www.levendomerestaurant.com

Set Lunch le Vendome

Set Lunch Le Vendome

Tags:Bangkok, Le Vendôme, Set Lunch 380 baht, Thailand
Posted in Bangkok | Comments Closed

Shanghai Restaurant Week, by DiningCity.com, Mar. 7-13, 2011 – Shanghai

Sunday, February 20th, 2011

Shanghai Restaurant Week – Winter Edition 2011 set to launch for March 7-13

Online bookings go live on February 22

Are you ready to try some of Shanghai’s finest dining experiences?

Shanghai Restaurant Week – Winter Edition 2011 Edition returns with more incredible restaurants, menus and experiences for the Shanghai dining community, bringing a much-needed ray of culinary sunshine during the cold winter months.

Returning restaurants include The Peninsula’s Sir Elly’s and Yi Long Court, M1NT, Moonsha, as well as the winners of previous Restaurant Week Awards: Palladio and T8. These favorites will be joined by Table No. 1, Isola and Danieli’s, with many more restaurants to be revealed when bookings open on February 22.

The concept, wildly popular around the world and now an established experience in Shanghai, now features two categories of Shanghai’s top restaurants serving a special 3-course dinner at 168 or 248 RMB, and a 3-course lunch for 78 or 118 RMB (check shanghairestaurantweek.com for menus and pricing). Chefs go out of their way to create unique and memorable menus exclusively for the Restaurant Week diners – a chance for them to impress both new and old customers.

Organized by DiningCity.com, a worldwide dining guide, the first two Shanghai Restaurant Weeks met with outstanding response, with many restaurants fully booked within minutes of the online real-time reservations system launch.

Siem Bierman, Managing Director of DiningCity.com for China, talked about Shanghai Restaurant Week’s second year, “The Restaurant Week concept is perfect for Shanghai – with so many restaurants and so many choices, it is a real chance for Shanghai diners to get out and try something new. We were amazed by how much effort the chefs and managers at the restaurants went out of their way to create very special menus just for Restaurant Week diners. We think it brings the Shanghai dining scene closer together.”

Shanghai Restaurant Week is proud to partner with San Pellegrino/Acqua Panna, and Moët Hennessy Estates & Wines, who will be offering renowned wines such as Cloudy Bay, Cape Mentelle, Chandon, Lapostolle and Terrazas at selected restaurants during Shanghai Restaurant Week.

All bookings can be made online only from February 22, via www.shanghairestaurantweek.com, a dedicated website with unique technology for online, real-time reservations. Restaurants that are interested in participation can contact the organizer at wiwi.cao@diningcity.com.

Dates: 7-13 March 2011

Online booking: www.shanghairestaurantweek.com

Bookings available from February 22, 2011

# # #

About the Organizer

DiningCity started in 1998 and is the leading worldwide dining guide. Currently operating in 35 cities around the globe, DiningCity cities include Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong, Berlin, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Rotterdam, Dubai, Madrid, Geneva, Rome, Vienna, New York and Singapore. In cooperation with DiningCity the event Restaurant Week was born.

Visitors of the website can search for a restaurant via the following criteria: price, cuisine, location and extras. Every restaurant has its own unique profile and high quality photos, so visitors can have a good impression of the interior and the atmosphere. Menu information, a virtual tour, and online reservations make it easy for diners to choose a restaurant to fit their mood and taste.

Don’t know where to go? Via the “Dining Suggestions” section the DiningCity team will help you select the perfect restaurant for your dinner, your event or your meeting. The DiningCity website distinguishes itself by the interactive opportunities and clear information, and no distracting advertisement. Hungry or just curious? Go to: www.diningcity.com/shanghai

Organizer contact

Mr. Siem Bierman, Diningcity.com/shanghai

siem@diningcity.cn

Media contact

Ms. Audrey Du, Adsmith China

audrey@adsmithchina.com

(21) 6083 1177

Tags:DiningCity.com, Mar. 7-13 2011, Shanghai Restaurant Week
Posted in Shanghai | Comments Closed

La Chanteuse de Jazz, March 10-12, 2011 – Vientiane

Saturday, February 19th, 2011

La chanteuse de jazz

Tags:Kounboulom Rd., Laos, Loft Lounge Wine House, Tel 021 242991, Vientiane
Posted in Vientiane | Comments Closed

39 Restaurant – Bangkok

Friday, February 18th, 2011

Exterior 39 Restaurant

39 Restaurant
32/1 Manor Complex A1 81
Sukhumvit 39 (Prompong)
Klonton-Nua, Wattana,Bangkok 10110
Tel. 02 662 5427
email: nkreynard@gmail.com

39 Restaurant by Nicolas Reynard . . . I had lunch at the pleasant cafe downstairs, it is for all intent, open all day. Chef Reynard’s “Fine Dining” restaurant located directly above on the 2nd floor is open for dinner only, with seating for about 25 persons, more or less. Reynard was the former chef at the Maduzi Hotel where I dined quite a few times during his tenure. A large bowl of plump Tasmanian mussels arrived at the table after a brief wait, accompanied by a salad 490 THB, and a glass of cold Cinsault Rose 250 THB, which seemed to be the right choice from the wines-by-the-glass list.

I look forward to sampling his “Fine Dining” Restaurant upstairs.

Exterior shot of 39 Restaurant