Torajiro

37
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Izakaya Torajiro 寅次郎

Until it opens a branch at Central World Plaza, Torajiro was one of Bangkok’s best kept gourmet secret. I still prefer its hide-away main branch in Thonglo Nihonmaru (Japanese Village). The night I revisited the restaurant was 6:30pm on a weekday, packed with Japanese salarymen giving me an impression of eating-after-work in Tokyo. Reasons Torajiro attract such a numerous of Japanese expats not only because the fare is authentic and the dining room is filled with romantic Japanese atmosphere, but also the price is easy.

Its assorted sushi rice bowl is the best shot in Bangkok if not in the world, for Baht 390 ($12) we got assorted ultra fresh slices of raw fish, sweet shrimp and salmon roe topped on rice, with expensive uni (sea urchin roe). Therefore, each of us ordered a bowl of Kaisen Chirashi Sushi (assorted sushi rice bowl) to start the dinner.

As an izakaya (drinking restaurant), Torajiro offers wide choices of sake (清酒 , a brewed (un-distilled) Japanese rice wine) as well as shochu (焼酎 , a distilled alcoholic beverage from barley, sweet potato, or rice); and yakitori.

Yakitori (barbecued chicken meat on skewers) is one of the specialties in Torajiro, goes best with Sake, so we had both. We also ordered Takuwan (pickled radish), Mozukusu (seaweed vinaigrette), and Omusubi Mentaiko (rice balls) together with other homely dishes such as Okonomi Yaki (pan-grilled Japanese batter pizza), Yaki Mochi (grilled stick rice rolls), and Atsuage Yaki (deep-fried tofu); forming a good combination to drinking-sake eating-yakitori.

One more specialty in Torajiro is the tempura, a dish using of only fresh ingredients, precision cooking and artful presentation, one of the triumphs of Japanese cooking. This deep-fried delicacy is a popular street food evolved to a completely Japanese cuisine all over Japan, but not with an accent of Japan. Tempura was introduced to Japan by the visiting Portuguese missionaries of the sixteenth century. Today peixinhos da horta is a dish similar to tempura in Portugal. Like many imported ideas, such as ramen from China, gradually adapted itself to Japanese tastes and specialties. We ordered the Tempura Mori (assorted deep-fried battered prawn, fish and vegetables) to add some more pleasure to our dinner. In Torajiro, they were light and fresh rather than heavy and greasy. We owed the chef to eat them while hot, dipped the fritters quickly in the dipping sauce with grated radish (not entirely soaked them in the sauce). For me, I even eat them naked without dipping sauce to yield the maximum benefit from the freshness of the ingredients. Tempura shall be a must order in Torajiro.

Desserts in a Japanese meal are always boring. At Torajiro, we had the Macha Ice Cream (green tea ice cream) and Koori-Azuki (red bean paste atop shaved ice). Better than none.



Our Ratings (1 to 5 the higher the better): Torajiro has [4.1]
(Ratings are based on Food, Service and Ambience, with Price taken into account in relation to Quality) Food=4.5, Service=4, Ambiance=3.5, Money Worth=4.5

Price range for two without drinks (incl. local water) in Thai Baht = BBBB
(B=below 200, BB=201-500, BBB=501-1,000, BBBB=1,001-2,000, BBBBB=over 2,000)

Details: Open daily 5:30pm – 12:00am
Izakaya Torajiro Japanese Restaurant, 87 Thonglo 13, Sukhumvit 55 Road, Bangkok 10110; Tel.: 02-3814100, 02-3822237 http://www.torajiro.net (also a branch on Sukhumvit Soi 26)
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Bangpoo Resort Seafood

BANGKOK HIDDEN GOURMET
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Bangpoo Resort Seafood Restaurant
@ Royal Thai Army Recreation Centre

My friends were satisfied with the riverside dining at SamSenSoiSam, today they asked for another restaurant where locals eat. Of course I have more than a few dozens to show them, including eating in an army recreation center compound distanced from Bangkok that tourists hardly found their way to.

Bangpoo, in Samut Prakarn Province, is 20km or an hour's drive (don't forget, traffic jam is a gift to the city of angel!) from Bangkok city center in the Southeast, stretching to the Gulf of Thailand, where the river meets the sea. So today is about seaside, not just riverside. Bangpoo Resort is not a new establishment. It was popular in the 70’s where Bangkokians fond of spending their holidays at the seaside, went to Samut Prakarn especially the Bangpoo Resort run by the Royal Thai Army Quarter-master General’s Department. The resort attached seafood restaurant on the edge of the Sukta Bridge became famous since then.

It is advisable to dine (at Bangpoo Resort) during lunch, because after dark I see nothing from the sea, just dark, completely dark. The ambience during lunch can be relaxing, cool breeze from the sea and seagulls sing in orchestra (only from November through February while seagulls come down from Tibet and Mongolia to escape from the winter there) give us an extra dimension to our culinary experience.

We went there on a weekday to avoid the weekend crowd, but on arrival we found that the 300-seat restaurant was packed (even on a weekday!) with governmet employees and local families, thus romantic dining is not the option at Bangpoo Resort Seafood Restaurant. We waited for a while at the restaurant entrance until a helpful receptionist found us a table and ushered us to it. We were seated on the open-air terrace. Although we didn’t see any seagulls but cooling from the breeze with panorama sea view, were pleasant enough. Our waitperson was helpful too.

Our first dish was the Sea Asparagus in Oyster Sauce. It was briny, fresh with a flavor of the ocean in my mouth; could be the right choice to start our lunch by the seaside. Followed were the Stir-fried Curry Crab Meat and the Goong Ob Wensen (prawn baked on a bed of glass noodles). They were tasty without fail, prefect choices to accompany with a bowl of hot plain jasmine rice.

Tomyum Talay Nam Khon (spicy and sour seafood soup with coconut milk) shone and lifted our palate to the ultimate pleasure. Followed were Grilled Sea Bass in Salt Wrapper, and Stir-fried Kanar Veggie. The fare was quite Thai-Chinese accent wasn’t it?

With a spectacular sea view and delightful selection, Bangpoo Resort Seafood Restaurant is a feast for eyes as well as the palate. Reservation is advised for both weekday and weekend dining, esp. for lunch.

Our Ratings (1 to 5 the higher the better): Bangpoo has [3.9]
(Ratings are based on Food, Service and Ambience, with Price taken into account in relation to Quality) Food=4, Service=3.5, Ambiance=3.5, Money Worth=4.5

Price range for two without drinks (incl. local water) in Thai Baht = BBB
(B=below 200, BB=201-500, BBB=501-1,000, BBBB=1,001-2,000, BBBBB=over 2,000)

Details: Open daily 11am – 9:00pm
Bangpoo Resort Seafood Restaurant, Sukhumwit km 37 (in front of Bangpoo Industrial Estate), Bangpoo Mai, Bang Pli, Samutprakarn; Tel.:02-3239911
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Samsensoisam

35
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Samsensoisam

I recently visited one of my favorite riverside restaurants, SamSenSoiSam, next to the Rama IIX Bridge in Samsen area of Bangkok. It is a sin if I covered up this restaurant in my closet.

My visiting friends requested authentic Thai dinner where middle-class locals ate, added a bit of seafood, and must be along the riverside. Therefore, time to unfold SamSenSoiSam to them. I took them to the restaurant by boat from the Taksin Pier (besides Shangri-la Hotel) to avoid traffic jams during the evening in Bangkok’s Banglumphu area. Yes, Banglumphu, you are familiar with the name because of Khao San Road!

The restaurant decoration is simple and minimal, promoting a relaxing and ‘resort feel’ in the premises. People don’t care if the restaurant shall be decorated with more pops like a beautiful girl needs no extra jewelry to stand out the natural beauty of her; we come for the stunning view and the food. I shall confess that I was on edge having missed this gorgeous restaurant; as, at first I thought it was another pub cum restaurant for the teens without sincerity on serving food. Well, the DJ playing soft and house music is there, the live band is there, the teens (like me) are there, and the good food is in place too.

A glass of iced cold beer (or chardonnay) should be appropriated to kick off the dinner in such ambience. With Yum Hed (spicy assorted mushroom salad) leading, Yum Pla Tok Foo (deep-fried minced catfish with raw mango dip), and Deep-Fried Chicken Joint followed. They couldn’t be better starters to go with beer.

There are three must try dishes in SamSenSoiSam, first the house specialty Goong SamSenSoiSam (fried prawns in spicy red sauce). The prawns were split into half each, fried until the meat was done and dressed with the house spicy sauce. The coral in the heads of prawns were great together with the help of the house spicy sauce, the prawn tasted creamy, spicy, sour, salty and heavenly delicious.



Another must try at this restaurant is the Tomyumgoong Nam Khon (spicy and sour prawn soup with coconut milk). The perfectly balanced broth was enriched with the coral from the prawn heads and enhanced by the aroma of galangal, kaffir lime, lemongrass, and coconut milk. Truly aromatic spicy and great!

The third must order dish shall be the Two-Taste Grouper. Fresh grouper cooked two ways, first half the chef deep-fried it with pouring sweet and hot sauce on the fish, the other half steamed with lime juice and bird eyes chilies; it was pungently hot. In one fish we sampled the sweet, sour, bitter, and spicy 4 basic tastes, and 2 textures, in their good balance. For those who are afraid of spicy food, there came the Stir-fried Mixed Vegetables and plain jasmine rice.

The chef must be a southern Thailand native if not the owner, or both! He was in good control of chili (hot) and lime (sour) alongside with different Thai herbs. After the three extreme spicy dishes my friends’ tongues were burnt and sweating like waterfall, but worth that for a gastronomic journey. Weren’t they asked for authentic?

For those who are afraid of spicy food, there came the Stir-fried Mixed Vegetables and plain jasmine rice.

From a Singaporean travel forum, a member commented SamSenSoiSam is pricey and foreign-tatse Thai food. Expensive? I do not want to counter this guy as everyone's living standard (and stingy standard) maybe different. However, I would like to state that in SamSenSoiSam half of the dishes are below Baht 100 while almost other half is slightly above Baht 100 with few dishes at Baht 250. It is much below the average cost in major riverside restaurants. Foreign-taste Thai food? Maybe he is right! Thailand is a foreign country to Singapore, so authentic Thai food becomes foreign-tatse Thai food to him, if not he thought his Thai cooking is better than any Thais.

SamSenSoiSam is an ideal hangout for the newly dated, dating couple, romantic dining for all, or even friends gathering. Panorama river view is available free of charge. Reservation is a must for an al fresco riverside table.

Our Ratings (1 to 5 the higher the better): SSSS has [4.4]
(Ratings are based on Food, Service and Ambience, with Price taken into account in relation to Quality) Food=4.5, Service=4, Ambiance=4.5, Money Worth=4.5

Price range for two without drinks (incl. local water) in Thai Baht = BBB

(B=below 200, BB=201-500, BBB=501-1,000, BBBB=1,001-2,000, BBBBB=over 2,000)

Details: Open daily 5pm-12am (midnight)
SamSenSoiSam Pub and Restaurant, 10 Samsen Soi 3, Samsen Road, Pranakorn, Bangkok 10200; Tel.: 02-6288362

Update on 01-May-2009 : SamSenSoiSam Restaurant closed its door to the public, sad!

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Suan Thip

34
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Suan Thip

I seldom read food review for this garden restaurant in the suburb of Bangkok. Simply because it is not a 50 Baht taxi ride away or we are not angels?

Suan Thip, literally means Garden of the Angel, set in the midst of an enchanting tropical garden landscape with traditional Thai houses on the bank of the Chao Phraya River in Pak Kret, Nonthaburi, Bangkok, away from the hustle and bustle of Bangkok city scene.

Suan Thip Baan Chao Phraya Thai Cultural House (yes, this is its full name) is divided into 3 parts, the Garden they grow herbs and vegetables, the Main Thai House with air-conditioned section for comfort dining and outdoor terrace seats overlooking the lush garden for scenic dining, and the Sala Thai (Thai Pavilions) dotted around the sprawling tropical garden for al fresco dining by the river for a memorable special occasion. There is an additional option to dine under the shade of the leafy canopy or under the stars on a moonlit night on the lawn. From dawn to dusk, the sound of rustling leaves is punctuated by cheerful bird song, while cicada serenade fills the night. No matter where chosen to sit, we are dining in heaven on earth.

The food is authentic with the feature of many unique signature recipes from their homemade-cuisine collection with herbs and vegetables grown in the garden as well as traditional Thai dishes.

On our revisit to Suan Thip one afternoon, we started with Suan Thip Appetizer (pork satay, spring rolls, minced pork in flour shell, and khao tan) and Pomelo Salad with Prawn, followed with Somtum Thai (green papaya salad) set with Grilled Chicken. The Appetizer was so-so but my friends liked the khao tan (crispy rice cakes with shrimp paste) and pork satay. The pomelo salad with pungent heat from the chili and balanced sour and sweet taste from the pomelo was a nice starter. I prefer restaurants fried the prawn of which promoting better aroma and Suan Thip is one. Somtum Thai is my friend must-eat dish in Thailand, it is a dish of salad with raw papaya slice, small dried shrimp, tomato, roasted peanuts, flavor with dried chilies, bird eyes chilies, fish sauce, lime juice, garlic and sugar. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes was what I think of eating somtum in Suan Thip.

For something a bit more filling, we had Deep-fried Prawn Cakes, Fried Garlic Prawn, Deep-fried Pla Samlee (king fish), accompanied with Pineapple Fried Rice. The prawn cakes were as good as the first time I sampled them, almost 10 years ago, and became my must-order dish in Suan Thip. The fried prawn in garlic yield a strong and welcoming aromatic garlic scent with the prawn firm (not hard) in texture, naturally sweet in taste, while the deep-fried samlee king fish was tender and delicious with the help of the slightly spicy and sweet mango dip.

I don’t have praise in Thai desserts as they always over emphasize in coconut cream and palm sugar. I am in weight control! My friends did try the Herbal Jelly and Ice Cream. Same quality you can easily find some on the street.

Service was attentive and prompt even waitpersons had to run a distance from the kitchen/main house to our pavilion. Overall my friends were impressed having lunch in Suan Thip especially while the ambience was taken into account. There is no comparison to Suan Thip, at least in Bangkok.

After lunch, we went to the Koh Kret (Kret Island) where we observed the ancient pottery making by the master artisans and experienced craftsmen, visited the ancient temple ruins, a 70-year old Thai traditional house overlooking the river and to a fruit orchard. Khao chae (chilled jasmine-scented rice soup) ethnic Mon people style shouldn’t be missed on the island, try them near the Paramaiyikawas Temple.

From the city (Bangkok) access to Suan Thip is easy, by Expressway Stage II exit on the Chaengwattana Road, heading toward Pak Kret. Suan Thip shall be the one-in-a-lifetime dining experience in Thailand for tourist and an ideal venue for memorable banqueting functions, special events and Thai theme parties.

Our Ratings (1 to 5 the higher the better): Suan Thip has [4.1]
(Ratings are based on Food, Service and Ambience, with Price taken into account in relation to Quality) Food =3.5, Service=4, Ambiance=5, Value=4

Price range for two without drinks (incl. local water) in Thai Baht = BBB
(B=below 200, BB=201-500, BBB=501-1,000, BBBB=1,001-2,000, BBBBB=over 2,000)

Details: Open daily from 11:00 am - 11:00 pm (last order 10:00 pm)
Suan Thip Baan Chao Praya (Restaurant), 17/9 Chaengwattana Pakkred 3 Road, Bangpood, Pakkred, Bangkok; Tel.: 02-5834540, 02-5833748 http://www.suanthip.com
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Angelini

33
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Angelini @ Shangri-la Hotel

Food is essential, gourmet is indulgent. When the opportunity does arise to indulge, do it in style!

When my friends come to visit Bangkok, I like to take them to the Angelini, a top Italian restaurant in Bangkok. Angelini will undergo a thorough renovation soon, leaving us memory and memories we shared precious moments there in the last 12 years. New face will be launched during X'mas 2007.

Our Ratings (1 to 5 the higher the better): Angelini has [4.1]
(Rating are based on Food, Service and Ambience, with Price taken into account in relation to Quality)
Food=4, Service=4, Ambiance=4.5, Money Worth=4

Price range for two without drinks (incl. local water) in Thai Baht = BBBBB
(B=below 200, BB=201-500, BBB=501-1,000, BBBB=1,001-2,000, BBBBB=over 2,000)

Details: open daily 11:30am - 1am
Angelini Restaurant and Bar, Shangri-la Hotel, 89 Soi Wat Suan Plu, New Road, Bangrak, Bangkok 10500 Thailand; Tel.: 02-206 8677

http://www.shangri-la.com/en/property/bangkok/shangrila/dining
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Great Shanghai

32
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Great Shanghai 大上海

With 25 years of reputation in preparing Peking duck and Shanghainese Chinese cuisine, Great Shanghai not only earns the heart of local but also the Japanese expatriates. I was brought to this once brilliantly decorated restaurant almost 17 years ago when I asked for my favorite stir-fried Chinese eel with garlic.

Tonight the restaurant was crowded as usual, but some of their best selling dishes were missing due to lack of ingredients from Mainland China. With fewer service staff on duty therefore the Great Shanghai was in good position to promote the time consuming of slow eating. We waited for 10 minutes before a waitress was willing to pass us the menu and another 20 minutes when our order was (finally) being taken. Food didn’t take too long to arrive but some dishes arrived chilled, probably were dispatched from the kitchen long enough. This is a proof of inefficient management of the restaurant.

Waiting at the table for 30 minutes begging for service, acid started to overflow from our stomach. Without hesitation we asked the waitress (of whom at least gave us a glance) for the (1) Whole Roasted Peking Duck served with traditional condiments, a specialty of Great Shanghai. The Peking duck also came with the (2) Steamed Flour Wrappers and Condiments to go with the duck skin, the (3) Stir-fried Duck Meat, and the (4) Duck Soup with Chinese Preserved Vegetables. All for B850 (US$24). The size of the duck was medium. Waitress peeled the duck skin paper-thin into two big plates making it enough for a group of 8 persons, and sent the meat back to the kitchen for the stir-fried duck meat, then the bones for the duck soup. Frankly speaking, the Peking duck was not as good as many years ago when it was at B450 (US$13) both the quality and price; oh, service too!

The second must eat dish for us was the (5) Wok-fried Chinese Eel. The fresh river eel was cooked with overpower of garlic, seasoning and oil, an extremely oily dish. It was the best prepared wok-fried eel dish in Bangkok I have sampled, as well as in Asia outside Shanghai. Another specialty of the eatery was the (6) Stir-fried River Shrimp, river shrimp cooked with Chinese wine and green peas gave our taste buds a boost that night, it was palatable and with strong taste of the river shrimp unlike sea shrimp. The eel and shrimp dishes together became the real reward for us to wait for 30 minutes like a mummy.

When Shanghai cuisine was mentioned, it would be a sin not to try the (7) Xiao-Long-Bao, or the steamed little rice flour bun filled with minced pork. However, the Great Shanghai’s version was less than impressive. Another must order side dish that always goes well with the meal was the (8) Silver and Golden Bun, it was actually a roll of steamed plain rice flour bun and deep-fried plain rice flour bun. This was a good substitute for rice therefore we ordered many of them during our dinner.

Further we had the (9) Fish Head Stew Shanghai Style, a bowl of fish head stewed in an army of heavy Chinese herbs and spices, good for people that love fish head and useful to comfort headache and common cold; the (10) Braised Sea Cucumber in Thick Brown Sauce, a dish known to be friendly to our kidney; the (11) White Cabbage With Ham in Creamy Gravy, a very popular vegetable dish in Shanghai and it was doing well in Great Shanghai; and the (12) Pork Chop Noodle Soup. Pork chop was deep-fried to golden in color and crispy in texture, meat was tender and natural sweet taste of pork locked in the juicy piece of pork chop. Yummy!

Desserts were not our favorite as we tend to keep our devil body in shape. Drinks during the meal were hot Chinese tea, a ‘friend’ to clean the grease for such oily food, and beer. Wine was not popular there.

Our Ratings (1 to 5 the higher the better): Great Shanghai has [3.1]
(Ratings are based on Food, Service and Ambience, with Price taken into account in relation to Quality) Food =4, Service=2.5, Ambiance=2.5, Money Worth=3.5

Price range for two without drinks (incl. local water) in Thai Baht = BBBB
(B=below 200, BB=201-500, BBB=501-1,000, BBBB=1,001-2,000, BBBBB=over 2,000)


Details: Open daily Lunch: 11:30am - 02:30pm Dinner: 6 - 10pm
Great Shanghai , 648-652 Sukhumvit Road (corner of Sukhumvit Soi 24 next to the Emporium Mall), Bangkok; Tel: 02-; Opens daily from noon to 10pm
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C Jade Lain-Mian Xiao-Long-Bao

31
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Real Northern Chinese cuisine in Bangkok



Crystal Jade Lain-Mian Xiao-Long-Bao ***3/4
Lower Ground Floor, Urban Kitchen
The Erawan Bangkok
Ploenchit Road
Pratumwan, Bangkok

Open daily : 10 am - 9 pm
Pay (food only for two): around THB 1,500
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Tang Jai Yoo

30
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Tang Jai Yoo Restaurant 陳再裕酒家

Nested in a number of "tourist-friendly" shark fins soup and bird nest desserts joints, the almost seven decades old Tang Jai Yoo (Chen Joy Yue) is considered a gem of eatery in the messy and shabby Bangkok's China Town - Yaowaraj. Its no-frills seafood and original Thai-Chinese dishes are the magnet of drawing low profile tycoons and foodies as her regulars. The princess visits here once a year during the Chinese Lunar New Year to sample Tang Jai Yoo's gourmet, during that time the soi was sealed. By night in Yaowaraj, only two restaurants I am willing to sacrifice my sweat and mood in exchange for my taste-buds pleasure; Tang Jai Yoo is one, the other is a fish khao tom shop. None of those famous or infamous (thanks to advertorial from guide books editors!) shops selling low-grade cum semi-artificial shark fins soup and bird nest desserts are on my China Town agenda whenever it is day or night.



In Tang Jai Yoo, live ocean species brought to the kitchen and transformed as an ultra fresh and tasty seafood dish. The roasted suckling pig, real baby pig, was roasted to its perfections. The shark fins soup, best value in town. For taro lover, don't miss the baked taro rice. Wanna hear more or you owe a trip to Tang Jai Yoo today?

Tang Jai Yoo Restaurant 陳再裕酒家 ****
85-87 Soi Yaowa Phanich
off Yaowaraj Road,
Sampantawong, Bangkok 10100

Tel.: 02.224.2167

Open daily: lunch 10:30am - 2pm, dinner 4:30pm - 10:30pm
Pay (seafood dinner for two): around THB 1,700
(non-seafood around THB 800)

*Reservation is highly recommended



* (updated on 2009-Dec-30, Tang Jai Yoo opens its first branch in C.B.D.'s Wall Street Tower on Surawong Road. The better decorated downtown branch suggests a 10-15% price different from its Yaowaraj mother shop, of course on the high side. Tel.: 02.632.7292)
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