Hana Yakitori – Bangkok
March 23rd, 2012
The “smoking section”
Hana
2/10 Sukhumvit Rd. Soi 41,
Klonton Nua, Wattana,
Bangkok 10110
Tel/Fax: 02 662 4632
email: junichinen@jp.bigplanet.com
This small twin-floored restaurant has a yakitori counter on the lower level and table seating upstairs; the room sends out the right message—warm, comfortable and strikes a good balance between lively and peaceful. The cooking is all right too, however where I have a bone to pick is about the pours of Sake or Shochu, which by any standards are unreasonably puny and left me wanting to ask, “If we like this taste, will you serve us a real drink?” That quibble aside—and by the way, is also easily fixable by management if they wish to do so—everything went smoothly.
Le Jardin, A Garden Bistro – Bangkok
March 19th, 2012
Le Jardin
138/1 Thonglor Soi 11 Sukhumvit Soi 55
Bangkok 10110
Tel. 02 381 2882
www.lejardinbangkok.com
After a few mistrials over a couple of years I was beginning to think it would never happen, and then, voila, thanks to the newly installed Belgian chef, this small garden bistro has evolved into a more than adequate bistro. The cooking, if not brilliant is at least consistently and eminently edible, and this is a very welcome surprise after such a long, long wait.
Bar Su: Yering Station, Victoria, Wine Tasting, 22 Mar 2012, Thursday,19:30-22:00 hrs. – Bangkok
March 14th, 2012
The Los Angeles Times Has Dropped Its Star Rating System – Los Angeles
March 13th, 2012
Culinary Tidbits . . . As of this week The Los Angeles Times will no longer use the star rating system when critiquing restaurants. Due to the wide differences between various venues today; from Food Trucks to Fine Dining. It is no longer possible to use a stars rating system to assess such a vast array of different dining styles, they stated. I think it was the right decision!
Barbican 15th Birthday Bash, 9 March 2012 – Bangkok
March 8th, 2012
Olive Oil Is Healthy! But Here Is The Revealed Truth About Olive Oil That You May Not Know
March 8th, 2012
The Revealed Truth About Olive Oil
Following are a few of the pitfalls you must be aware of when purchasing olive oil:
- A high percentage of olive oil is adulterated by blending with other vegetable oils.
- It is a common practice to use “Made in Italy” on labeling even though foreign oils have been blended in.
- Flavoring low-grade canola oil, or soy oil with beta-carotene and coloring it with industrial chlorophyll, or doctoring it with hazelnut oil and deodorized lampante olive oil.
- For the past ten years, Spain has produced more oil than Italy, but much of it is shipped to Italy for packaging and is sold, legally, as Italian oil.
- Recently there have been mass-market price wars and a flood of low quality olive oil — much of it falsely labelled extra virgin.
- Australian olive oil may be on average the highest quality on earth.
- Fraud is widespread throughout the industry.
Article: Slippery Business by Tom Mueller, New Yorker, August 13, 2007
Links to: Quality Olive Oil Producers:
List of Quality Olive Oil Producers
Extra Virgin Olive Oil Producers (Italian)
Other Interesting Stories:
