Giraffas is a fast food operation that has been around about 30 years in Brazil and is about to make an entrance into the American market soon – Miami first. Yes, they do have hamburgers, salads and the like with additions that are not so familiar to the American fast food scene: The Brazilian Selection which includes a steak, black beans, rice and a sauce piquant, also Stroganoff. Brazilians dislike eating with their hands so the dishes are always served with utensils so that they won’t have to use their hands, and they also frown on boxes, so plates are the thing!

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IN-N-OUT

In-N-OUT Vs 5 Guys

LATEST UPDATE Mar. 22 2011

The Leek terrine accompanied by a marmalade of onions and a container of vinaigrette was delicious and beautifully presented

The Navarin was a larger portion than I could handle, and possibly a side plate would have been helpful to dish out some of the contents of the bowl. I dislike eating directly from a bowl in the first place, no matter how inviting it looks

UPDATE We were right, they were in between chefs on the last visit, Paris Bangkok now has a new chef called Eloi, who evidently had cooked in some capacity at Drouant, Le Doyen and Jules Verne in Paris.  I sampled his new lunch menu (the new à la carte menu starts next week) and everything came out quite smoothly, considering he is acclimatizing to the new surroundings, even though I found the starter of herring a bit too sweet for my taste.

When I recently visited Paris Bangkok, someone in our party about the chef, and we were told that the chef was in France. When asked when he might return, they replied that they did not know. We got the impression that they were in between chefs. When I ordered rabbit terrine that I really enjoyed on my last visit, they said they were out of it. With these circumstances freshly in mind, I proceeded to order carefully and settled on fresh Marenne oysters from France, which were accompanied by some really good, dense rye bread, shallot vinegar, a half lemon . . . and a dish of mayonnaise?  The main dish, a steak with gratin potatoes arrived and was properly cooked (rare). The preparation of both dishes, although extremely simple, were properly executed. How could they go wrong with such a simple order you ask? It can happen, as simple things can sometimes be the most difficult to get right! Compliments to the staff!
A minor point: the dining room, at least for lunch, is quite dark in contrast to the bright daylight shining through the transparent cover above the outdoor terrace, and it is uncomfortable to adjust the eyes for such glaring differences. I would suggest that they raise the level of light in the darker dining room during daylight hours to balance the light; I am certain that this problem does not exist at night.
The service was prompt and very attentive throughout the lunch.

The dining room looking on to the covered terraceRabbit terrine with figs, from a previous visitA photo of a croque-monsieur taken on a previous visit

Beef Stroganoff without noodles, as served at Paris Bangkok

The covered terrace

Profieteroles

The attractive spout and basin in the men’s toilet