Ho Kitchen

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Ho Kitchen 釆華軒

Sometimes I crave for roasted suckling pig (real week-old baby pig but not those small pigs presented in most Thai-Chinese eateries) and rare seafood, eating them may simply make my day. Good seafood restaurants accommodate chefs with decent culinary skill aren't being seen everywhere though Bangkok is the center of seafood trading in Thailand. Frustrated isn't it?

Nesting in the humdrum Bangkapi residential community, Ho Kitchen Meng-jai branch came to my rescue.

Occupying two rais of land with spacious parking, this two-storey club-house-look seafood restaurant with the Cantonese accent is easy to be mistaken as a fancy seafood joint without true enthusiasm in the feast if we neither try once nor hear of the restaurant's what-about. Behind Ho Kitchen is a celebrity chef Mr. Ho once mastered the China House @ the Oriental Hotel Bangkok and the same man who made the Shang Palace @ the Shangri-la Hotel Bangkok shone in the 90's before he ventures into his own restaurant business in the entrance to the 21st Century. In Bangkok, Chef Ho believes a feast after authentic and quality Cantonese dining shouldn't be the privilege of those rich tourists and the few well-off Bangkok elites. Thus in contrast to many celebrity chefs tend to open fancy and high-end individual restaurants, Chef Ho aims to the plebeian. With highest quality on an easy pricing in mind Chef Ho opened his first wallet-friendly Ho Kitchen around 10 years ago on Rama 3 Road, soon a second branch opened in Bangkok seaside Bang-khun-thian, and the latest Meng-jai branch is the sign showing to Thais how much he is devoting to the country's restaurant business he found in love with.

In Ho Kitchen Meng-jai branch, a chilled-water fish tank system is being introduced to the country. Imported live seafood enjoy the nursing in some very cold (some even icy) water fish tanks with adjusted temperature for those seafood came from the cooler water region, such as lobster, abalone and barramundi cod (pla-karang-naa-ngon) from Australia, geoduck clam from Canada, and king crab from Alaska. They swim in a similar environment (in term of water temperature) therefore result in the seafood live happier and the meat stay fresher with a firmer texture and a (naturally) sweeter taste. The handling costs increase, but the price doesn't. Instead it is slightly cheaper than those prominent seafood joints even without having such chilled-water fish tank system installed to keep seafood live longer and stronger.

Knowing to keep live seafood happier is one point but having patrons eating happier is even more important, now the responsibility of those Chef Ho trained chefs. To kick off the dinner we had Live Geoduck Clam (Baht 3,100) prepared in sashimi with a hot pot on the side. Need not to describe the geoduck clam was ultra fresh with a hints of crunchy texture thanks to the icy-water tank, the taste was so naturally sweet yield a full flavor of the clam without any help of seasoning. Bravo! The best live geoduck clam I have sampled in Thailand. I remember once I paid for a dish of overpriced stiff and frozen-tasted stir-fried geoduck clam in a Rajprasong area five-star hotel's outlet; therefore, some of those so called 5-star-hotel Chinese executive chefs may have better knowledge in golfing (if not mahjong playing) than cooking!

Our second dish, my favorite, the Roasted Suckling Pig Hong Kong style. Two dishes namely roasted suckling pig HK style and pigeon HK style are among my most wanted list on the dinner table. However, in Bangkok having a good HK style pigeon (you get one in Roselamoon) and roasted HK suckling pig are as difficult as you want some traditional pasta prepared with Abla white truffle flake! Lucky, suckling pig in Ho Kitchen was marinated and roasted the Hong Kong way without any mistake, crispy on skin with thin layer of aromatic meat attached. Critical notice - only her Meng-jai branch has good suckling pig, not the branch in Rama III Road (that one sucks as they deep-fried it). Why one restaurant group has two standards? Maybe Chef Ho has learned from China one country two standards, ooops, it is one country two systems indeed.

Followed was soup to do the cleansing. I had Bird Nest Soup with Minced Chicken (Baht 550) while my friends took the Braised Shark Fin Soup in Supreme Brown Broth (Baht 800) and Monk-Jump-Over-the-Wall (Baht 1,200). Except the monk-jump-over-the-wall, my bird nest soup and the braised fin soup were pleasant.

To go with some rice we ordered the Roasted Pigeon, Stir-fried US Scallop, Yum Sea Conch (boiled sea conch in Thai style spicy salad), and Stir-fried Pak-waan Vegetable (local watercress). They were acceptable though not outstanding.

For a Cantonese dinner we never missed out the fish. Although Ho Kitchen has a wide range of fish to offer from the five continents, but we still stuck to our favorite Steamed Coral Trout in Warm Soy Sauce (Baht 1,600). The fish was steamed to perfection, 90% done with the center of the fish (attached to the bone) left sightly in pink-red. Don't be scare! This is the way a well prepared steamed fish supposed to be.

Although we have heard that the Snowy Taro (puak hima) and Ginkgo Nuts in Roasted Coconut are outstanding desserts in Ho Kitchen but we had to save them for next visit as we were very full by now.

Authentic Cantonese cuisine tends to be on the bland side in tern of seasoning. Real gourmet relies on the freshness and the natural taste of the ingredients instead of the seasonings. Since Ho Kitchen tends to taking care mostly local customers with stronger palate, some Cantonese-cum-Thai dishes were added to the menu. For most dishes original taste couldn't be adjusted due to authentication, house-recipe dipping sauce on the helping hand. Chef Ho trained a team of hotsy-totsy chefs benefited from the state-of-the-art fish tank system, best to keep all seafood live healthier, did prepare us a feast of freshest tasting and quite delicious seafood dinner at Ho Kitchen Meng-jai branch.

Ho Kitchen (Meng-jai branch) 釆華軒 ***3/4

510 Prachauthit-mengjai Road

(off Pradit-manutham Road),

Wangtonglang, Bangkok 10310;
Tel.: 02-934 7723
(Ho Kitchen Rama 3 branch not recommended)

Open daily : lunch 11:30 am - 2:30 pm; dinner 6 - 10 pm

Pay (food only for two): lunch around THB 600; dinner around THB 1,000 (or around THB 3,000 for live seafood dining)

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Roselamoon

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Roselamoon 喜臨門飯店

If we want good food, then we always have to explore for it and for more. Like I went to a private kitchen hiding in a dilapidated wet market alley found out to be a stunning Thai-Chinese seafood specialty in China Town, the Jok Kitchen. Like I went to a superb Euro-Thai garden eatery in an old apartment where I need to overcome a fear factor to enter the rundown building and took the shabby lift before I found the paradise for both my soul and my palate, the Garden.

Today I have another mission, to take my friends to sample nostalgic Cantonese dishes with a real 60's Hong Kong tone in downtown Bangkok's Asok area. Before I dance with Roselamoon, a self-claimed Cantonese cuisine specialty, it took me a decade of waiting to sample her dishes where the restaurant is just opposite to my old office but I was hesitated to give it a try due to her dim and out-fashioned facade. I used to think Roselamoon maybe another Chinese eatery for the fat-pocket Japanese clientele (yes this area used to be the site of the Japanese Embassy and a major Japanese community in Bangkok) with inflated price but loose the authentication for a native Cantonese feast.

As twelve years go by, on one night I couldn't hold my curiosity longer to see why this die-hard restaurant can survive for decades in the even heavier competitive retail food market if she is no good! Took a deep breath I pushed the door only to stunt a few minutes with hesitation to move forward. In front of me a 60's look dining hall with almost empty tables (at 7pm!) covered with plastic table cloth in subtle flora pattern, the decoration is glittering (the 60's kind I mean) and look like a New Territories (part of Hong Kong) kind village restaurant in my childhood. On my left were two customers in one table, and to my right were a series of obsolete fish tanks only to accommodate lichen. No pain no gain! Go go go! Anyway it was still early, if the food was wrong then I could go cross the street for my favorite steak at Neil's Tavern.

The menu is as minimal as a single page laminated sheet, with around 50 items to offer. Browsed the whole menu the Roasted Pigeon Hong Kong Style caught my attention, as this is a simple dish but really hard to please gourmet. I am a pigeon eater. I like pigeon whether it is Chinese style or French style; and whether it is braised, drunken, or roasted. However, after sampled most prominent individual and hotel restaurants in Bangkok there is no one came close to those quality I used to eat in Hong Kong. Without high hope I still took the pigeon as my only attempt, if it was no good, then I could move to Neil's Tavern to continue my dinner; therefore, I even called to secure a table at 8.

The Roasted Pigeon Hong Kong Style arrived to the table, my eyes opened, hey she looked okay! At least from the appearance of the bird's color and the aroma from the pigeon I was convinced that the bird was deep-fried in a pool of fresh frying oil, not recycled oil that many restaurants do without any shame. I held the pigeon with my fingers to deliver the first piece for tasting, then I experienced the love at first bite! The skin was so crispy while the meat was moist and tender with a subtle seasoning not overpowered the natural flesh taste of the bird. Then the table at Neil's Tavern was canceled and more dishes were ordered at Roselamoon, and more revisit since that day!

Of course Roselamoon's menu isn't only about pigeon. The owner keeps the menu small to ensure offers in Roselamoon were all specialties. Tonight our appetizers were Roasted Pigeons Hong Kong Style (Baht 350 each), one for each person. In Hong Kong, there are a few pigeon specialty restaurants and we really take roasted pigeon as an appetizer. Followed were Stir-fried Iceberg Lettuce in Oyster Sauce, and Quick-boiled Hong Kong Kale in Oyster Sauce. They were ideal to clear some grease if we ate too much deep-fried food. The Stir-fried Curry Crab (Baht 780 for our crab/ Baht 1,000 per kilogram) was so marvelous in overall it yielded a well balanced taste from Indian curry and spices incorporated well with the crab meat itself, not overwhelming by the spicy taste from chilies as some famous seafood joints do. This is real Hong Kong style curry crab though it is not the Thai-Chinese kind. The Deep-fried Sand Goby with Soy Sauce (Baht 650 for our fish/ Baht 850 per kilogram) was one of the best selling dishes of the restaurant. Roselamoon refuses farmed sand goby in the result with better texture and taste, the natural way. Fried E-fu Noodles and Wok-fried Flat Noodles with Beef were the other Stars of the night alongside with the pigeon. To conclude the dinner we had Home-made Black Sesame Paste Desserts, home-made?

I was filled with nostalgia by dining at Roselamoon with my favorite childhood dishes namely the roasted pigeon, the curry crab HK taste, and the quick-boiled kale in oyster sauce, as well as the wok-fried flat noodles with beef. Not only these dishes were some of my childhood favorites but Roselamoon also cooked them the nostalgic way, those same culinary skill in the 60's - 70's of Hong Kong. For example, in the very old days boiled kale in oyster sauce should incorporate with fried lard to unlock the aromatic flavor of oyster sauce, nowadays due to healthy concern lard had been abandon in the kitchen. To bring back some good old days' memory once in a while by eating this kale in oyster sauce with lard at Roselamoon is acceptable. If you really don't want lard and MSG, tell the chef to avoid them.

I am delighted to narrow down Roselamoon as a roasted pigeon specialty in Bangkok rather than a broad Cantonese cuisine specialty though overall most dishes were delicious. Roselamoon also retraces my memory of those bestsellers juicy and tender roasted pigeons in Lung-wah Restaurant and Fung-lam Kitchen we enjoyed so much with my family in the 60's to 70's of Hong Kong.

Listen to mammy said not to judge by one's appearance (in this case a restaurant) may save myself twelve years of wasting of time until I sampled my favorite roasted pigeon in Bangkok. Be a good son/daughter then!

Roselamoon Chinese Restaurant ****1/4
165/5-6 Asok Road (Sukhumvit Soi 21)
Sukhumvit Road
Wattana, Bangkok 10110
Tel.: 02.258.3406

Open daily: Lunch 11am - 2pm; Dinner 6 - 10pm
Pay (food for two): around THB 800 without seafood (or THB 1,500 with them)

Lord Jims summer menu

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summer promotion menu 2008
Lord Jims @ the Mandarin Oriental Hotel



4-course set dinner including coffee or tea dug us only Baht 2,000 net ($59) per person and a complimentary bottle of wine when two sets were ordered. In the line with the Oriental kind of service and standard. It was a steal from Lord Jims.

* Summer promotion menu did return in 2009! I wish the summer promotion menu may return again in 2010! (updated 2009-10-05)

Our Ratings (1 to 5 the higher the better): LJ summer menu has [4.9]

(Ratings are based on Food, Service and Ambiance, with Price taken into account relation to quality) Food=4.5, Servie=5, Ambiance=5, Money Worth=5

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)

Best dishes: summer menu - crayfish

Wine list: extensive selection of wine

Best Table: riverside table

Details: Open daily - Lunch 12-2:30pm (Sunday 11:30am-3pm), Dinner 6-10:30pm

Lord Jims, the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, 48 Oriental Avenue (Charoenkrung Soi 40), Bangrak, Bangkok 10500; Tel.: 02.659.9000
Lord Jims

Jok Kitchen

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Jok Kitchen 私家菜館, Chinatown Bangkok

A friend from Taiwan visited Bangkok for his first book on the City of Angel after his nine successful series for France, Mainland China, Macau and Hong Kong. I felt obliged to bring him to an eatery a little special than anyone may reach. Accompanied by good friends from Hong Kong, five of us marched to Yaowaraj Bangkok's China Town, through maze-like lanes and alleys, we arrived to a sidewalk market in a wet and dirty alley with rundown shop houses on two sides. One of my friend stopped and asked me with doubt " Were we lost?" with his mind puzzled 'Hope this is not the place!'. Another friend asked if the special lunch meant we actually do the cooking so we were brought to a wet market for ingredients! Owing them answers, I took them to a small room in one of the shop houses without a proper restaurant facade. The zero-decorated room has two tables covered with fancy Chinese tablecloths and few folding chairs. My other friend asked, "Oh, confirmed so we are eating at your house?" I wish that is my house, as anyone owns a property in China Town means they maybe a 9-digit millionaire.

We were at Jok's place, or the owner/chef Mr. Jok called it the Jok Kitchen.

To introduce Jok I have to rerun history of a boy growing up in a seafood wholesale and export Thai-Chinese family in Yaowaraj (Bangkok's China Town), who has the chance to stay with best seafood material since born. Jok's family were one of Thailand big time crab farmer cum exporter for years, then little boy Jok always followed his father to restaurants in Bangkok and Hong Kong for business, where he learned culinary skills from top chefs since young. Until now Jok's elder brother is still exporting crab and seafood to countries around the world, while Jok enters to retail restaurant business with passion to cook. Friendly and party animal Jok started cooking for his friends, through word-of-mouth more friends requested to sample his culinary skill, led Jok to begin the one-table eatery in his shop house's home in the middle of Bangkok's China Town few years ago, while expanding to four tables today. Jok has no plan to expand further as he believes mass production will only ruin the quality of the food.

Since it is a home kitchen, just like we eat at a friend's house, so we don't order food and eventually menu was absent in Jok Kitchen. Correct, no menu to order food. Our lunch was like a game show guessing what was the first and what was the next!

Our 6-course lunch were,
1. Quick boiled wonton Cantonese style
2. Smoked duck and pork meat in thin slices
3. Steam medium size Surat-thani sea crab (3 crabs) shelled
4. Spicy lemongrass salad with prawns
5. Vegetables (Chinese baby kale) in oyster sauce with canned abalone
6. Taro mousse with ginkgo nuts on the bed of sweet sticky rice a.k.a. ow-ni

Cost was Baht 3,750 (the crab was B800 each)

Chinese cuisine is known for its subtle blend of spices, flavors and textures and Jok exemplifies the very best in Chinese cooking, with a wide range of classic Chinese delights to stimulate your palate and satisfy your appetite.

I think my friend will include Jok Kitchen in his latest collection the Bangkok Swing, the book is scheduled to launch during December 2008 in Taiwan.

Jok Kitchen ***1/2

23 Trok Issaranuphap

Phiap Phia CHai Road

Pom Prap Sattru Phai, Bangkok 10100

Tel.: 02.221.4075, 02.623.3921

Open daily: Lunch 11am - 3pm; Dinner 6 - 11pm

(by reservation only, for lunch 2-3 weeks in advance, for dinner 2 months in advance)

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