Cafe Chilli

214
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Heat in your wallet

Cafe Chilli, a mall-attached Thai restaurant delivers earthy Issan delicacies in Siam Paragon, for the deep pocket high-so diners and tourists. Food quality and taste do not justify with the bill I paid.

If Kum Poon @ Cental World Plaza is still there (CWP were burnt by red-rioters on 19-May), I wouldn't have revisited Cafe Chilli yesterday.



Cafe Chilli **
Ground floor, Siam Paragon
991 Rama I Road
Prathumwan, Bangkok 10330
Tel.: 02.610.9877
Cafe Chilli

Open daily : 11 am - 9:30 pm
Pay (food only for two): around THB 2,000

CWP dog day

213
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Gone with the blast

A few nice restaurants only available at Central World Plaza (except Nara Thai) still in my memory. Will they be back?

Oyster Bar

212
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Oyster king arrives to Bangkok

American biologist turned international seafood distributor Bill Marinelli opens his own restaurant in Bangkok, on the back yard of the Kingdom's main financial district, Narathiwas-Rajanagarin Road (a.k.a. New Sathorn Road).

At Bill's Oyster Bar and Seafood Restaurant we sample the same seafood and quality of those Bangkok's 5-star hotels are on offer, only price tagged in half.



Seafood and oysters shipped (from around the world) to the restaurant twice a week, on Tuesday and Friday. The seafood platter at THB 2,000 is a treat, consisting of six fresh oysters of the day, portion of Alaskan king crab legs, scallop ceviche, portion of Dungeness crab, little neck clams, Skookum clams, mussels, tiger prawns and more.

Beef eaters, sorry, Oyster Bar does not serve food that doesn't swim.

Oyster Bar and Seafood Restaurant ***1/2
395 Soi 24 Narathiwas-Rajanagarin Road
opposite Chatrium Residence (formerly Oakwood City Residence)
Yannawa, Bangkok 10120
Tel.: 02.212.4809
Oyster Bar

Open daily (except Monday): 6 - 11 pm (Sunday 10 pm)
Weekend brunch available between 12 - 3 pm (THB 1,680++)
Pay (food only for two): around THB 2,500 (incl. fresh oysters)

Cherubin

211
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A climb to the blue blood

It is a trend that some high-so food lovers took a course or two at Le Cordon Bleu (where-ever-campus) with dream for securing a ticket to the Kingdom's top chef membership. Unfortunately not all of them climb to the top seats. It is easy to receive ones Le Cordon Bleu's diploma (and to show it in ones restaurant) but it is not necessary customers love the food. Except chocolate connoisseurs Pat and Pin, they got the ticket.



Their cake shop named after famous 1905 opera, Cherubin. But decor of the shop trace no shadow of the opera, instead it is a house for teddy bears. An army of teddy bears there to watch customers eating the shop specialty brownies cheesecakes. For me, the treat is her French chocolate cake.

Cherubin Chocolate Bakery ***1/2
5/2-3 Soi Sawasdee
Sukhumvit Road Soi 31
Wattana, Bangkok 10110
Tel.: 02.260.9800

Open daily (except Monday) 10:30 am - 7 pm
Pay (cake only for two): around THB 200

Mousses & Meringues

210
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Hero in a meringue specialty shop!

I don't eat meringue often. To me, eating meringue is like eating baked sugar in bulk. Besides, I don't enjoy its chewy texture.

I like mousse. To me, eating mousse is like eating the combine of foam and air bubbles, it is playful. Most important is that mousse will not hurt my teeth.

At Mousses & Meringues, my favorite item is neither meringue (of course) nor mousse, it is her strawberry short cake, only available during weekends.

Once try, you could not get away from her, never!



Mousses & Meringues ****
Sukhumvit main branch
245 Soi Sawasdee
Sukhumvit Road Soi 31
Wattana, Bangkok 10110
Tel.: 02.662.1290

Open daily : 10 am - 7:00 pm
Pay (food only for two): around THB 220

Also branches at J-Avenue Thonglo (Mousses and Berry, Thonglo Soi 15) and Crystal Park Mall Praditmanutham Road

Boon Tong Kiat

209
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The drowning of chickens

On the radar of many guide books including the Lonely Planet, Boon Tong Kiat (a.k.a. Singapore Chicken Rice) earns credit for its Singapore style Hainanese chicken rice of which the chicken had a firm but tender texture. It was!

I didn't visit this once marvelous small eatery for a while (seven years perhaps) after the departure of both of its Singaporean partners. Until recently, I switch my hang-out pleasure back to upper Sukhumvit area without a choice as long as I am off-limits to downtown Bangkok due to those 'red-shirts' (ooops now they are no-color-shirts) chaos; somehow I revisit Boon Tong Kiat.

This chicken rice shop just doesn't cook chicken and BBQ pork right following the Singapore recipe anymore!



Boon Tong Kiat Chicken Rice Restaurant 滿堂吉 ***
440/5 Soi Thonglo
Sukhumvit Road Soi 55
Wattana, Bangkok 10110
Tel.: 02.390.2508
Open daily : 10 am - 9 pm
Pay (food only for two): around THB 150

Chester's Grill

208
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Shiny chicken sunny days

I am not fancy into fast food dining due to their nutrition facts; however, Thai native Chester's Grill is one exception.

First time I encountered the irresistible Chester's Grill succulent grilled chicken was twenty years ago, at MBK Centre in downtown Bangkok. Since then, I am one of her big fans. It is definitely the pride of Thais to gain success in the Western dominated battle field of fast food industry.

While the global largest fried chicken fast food chain is always on the spotlight of animal rights and welfare activists in recent years, why not sample the healthier grilled chicken at Chester's Grill as soon as fast food dining is in mind!


the real finger licking Chester's Grill grilled chicken pieces

3. a bowl of shrimp wonton soup is the highlight after some chicken wings
4. hot dog that tastes exactly like On-Lok-Yuen's

Chester's Grill Chicken Restaurant ***
Major shopping centers in Bangkok
Chester's Grill

Pay (food only for two): around THB 150