My Cherry Picks 2011

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My Dozen of Cherry Picks

In 2011, I posted more than one hundred and twenty Bangkok's restaurant reviews here, from a selection of around five hundred restaurants when I dined out. Some restaurants offer mouthwatering treats while a very few eateries serve eatable rubbish.

During this festive season, I would like to conclude with a list of a dozen of restaurants that have been reviewed in 2011 and I am delighted to eat there everyday - if possible.

1. Krua Apsorn / Thai / Dusit / 02.241.8528
What: This is a pioneer eatery in Bangkok serving authentic and impeccable old-school Thai cuisine with a bit of Thai-Chinese dishes to offer. Clientele from the likes of royalty, high-ranked civil servants, politicians, foodies to all of us who cherish real (Thai) food; oops, also residents in the Samsen neighborhood when their housewives want to have a day off!
Why : The food is solid. Simple menu and basic dishes; they just make my mouth water. It's hands down one of the best Thai restaurants in Bangkok.
Krua Apsorn

2. Khao-tom Pla Ha-Dao / Thai-CN / Yannawa / 02.675. 2598
What: A rice soup (khao-tom) specialty eatery, with good quality fish (or seafood) khao-tom at reasonable price. The eatery enjoys a mixed customer base; they are from all walks of life, whether they arrive in their Mercedes-Benz sedans or alight from a public bus (also a Mercedes-Benz), a bowl of running hot rice soup is a treat.
Why : The MSG-free scrumptious slow-simmered broth and ultra fresh seafood ingredients made this hawker style dine-in khao-tom joint shines. Very reasonable price too!
Khao-tom Pla Ha-Dao

3. Tab Chang / traditional Thai / Ladprao / 02.530.7002
What: Tab Chang tends to offer retro Thai cuisine with an ancient royal count recipe, and use fine ingredients with traditional charcoal stove cooking techniques in the kitchen, that will make our familiar Thai dishes taste better. According to the owner, food served at Tab Chang is a combination of "sumptuous, fragrance and design".
Why : And it is! Plus stunning ambiance and good service. Only we need to bring a bottle of mosquito repellent before we head there!
Tab Chang

4. Yoo FishBall / Thai-CN / Samphantawong / 089.782.7777
What: Compared to other renowned gourmet joints in Yaowaraj that have a reputation for at least half a century, Yoo, a fish ball specialty cum noodle house, is a newbie indeed. But Yoo has been very busy since the first day the eatery has been opened, due in thanks to the inherited (home-made fish ball) recipe from her grandparents, a century-old fish ball specialty vendor in Yaowaraj.
Why : So it is about a bowl of hearty soup with bouncy fish ball on bed of silky rice noodle (or other noodle choices), served in the comfy air-conditioned canteen.
Yoo FishBall Yaowaraj

5. Boon Restaurant / CN-Cantonese / Silom-Chongnonsi
What: This is a noisy CN Guangzhou (formerly known as Canton) style kitchen offers authentic Cantonese cuisine; thus Boon promises diners a chance to rerun the taste of Hong Kong's dai-pai-dong (open-air cooked-food stall) eating just like in the old days. Eating there we expect real Chinese Cantonese dishes, if we are willing to sacrifice a nice ambiance and decent service.
Why : Not just the food is very Guangzhou but also the ambiance, thanks to Boon's clinetele and its location in a shabby sub-soi off Bangkok's main road in the C.B.D.. Of course people come here solely for the (good) food, but not to greet friends who are frequently being reported in the Thailand Tatler.
Boon

6. Hi-Chin Yentafo Noodle Shop / Thai-CN / Samyan
What: A noodle specialty shop with home-made fish balls and rice noodles to offer. Hi-Chin claimed that her fish balls are made from a mix of three kinds of sea and fresh water fish ordered directly from the Mahachai Market (a major fishermen port in the Central region), that yield a texture of depth and naturally sweet taste of the fish in her fish balls.
Why : People come here for the bouncy fish balls and aromatic yentafo soup noodle. Whether the soup noodle comes in a clear broth or yentafo (fermented bean curd paste), they are both a treat by the sidewalk, at a very cheap price.
Hi-Chin Yentafo Noodle Shop

7. Grossi / Italian / Rajprasong intersection / 02.656.0444
What: This restaurant, named after Australia's celebrity chef Guy Grossi, is no stranger in Melbourne. Not only have his restaurants have received numerous gourmet awards in Australia, but also was awarded in Italy. In 2009, InterContinental Hotel Bangkok teamed up with Guy Grossi and brought in Grossi Trattoria to Bangkokians; soon this unpretentious Italian trattoria became Bangkok's wine & dine canteen for the foodies.
Why : Some award-winning restaurants only 'cook' for the members in a (award) judge panel or VIPs but ignore their customers who are everyday supporters. We are lucky that the food at Grossi Trattoria Bangkok is solid; so far I couldn't find a dish that didn't justify the bill I paid for.
Grossi Trattoria and Wine Bar

8. Sai Nam Phueng / Thai-CN / Asok / 02.258.1958
What: Sai Nam Phueng Chicken Wings Noodle Shop, at the beginning of Sukhumvit Soi 20 (Soi Sai Nam Phueng), is a noodle joint renowned for her braised chicken wings and soup noodle in nice broth. Budget 'white collars' with their offices in the vicinity, Sukhumvit's high-so(ciety) residents, our big-wig aunties (and our uncles), and foodies are the regulars there.
Why : The open-air, cheap-eat, small eatery with street-side tables setting may easily lead people to misunderstand that it is just a place for a quick bite; eventually it is a gourmet noodle house for our ultimate palate enjoyment. For me, one bowl is never enough, and not even two; each visit to Sai Nam Phueng I eat (at least) three bowls of her soup noodles, fish balls and of course chicken wings!
Sai Nam Phueng Chicken Wings Noodle Shop

9. Espresso / Int'l buffet / Rajprasong intersection / 02.656.0444
What: Espresso is the coffee shop of the InterContinental Hotel Bangkok; besides a regular a la carte menu just like any hotel's coffee shop does, the Espresso also serves three buffet meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) a day. For their dinner and Sunday brunch buffet, the chefs intend to lure diners into a carnival of a scrumptious feast through the wide selections of quality food.
Why : These days, many hotel buffets have shrunk their selections and quality, but raise the price. For many years, from Le Meridien (formerly) to InterContinental (present), Espresso is one of a very few restaurants where their buffet has always lived up to expectations and the price is justified as to the bill. For instance, the roast prime rib there is arguably the best in a regular buffet deal (in Bangkok).
Espresso buffet

10. St. Regis Bar / afternoon tea / Rajdamri / 02.207.7777
What: The St. Regis built a hotel in the heart of downtown Bangkok, with a refined atmosphere and gracious service, it made the St. Regis Bangkok the ideal venue to dine and to meet friends. It has one of the best hotel restaurant line-ups in town, among them the St. Regis Bar which serves the world's first Siam Mary, the Thai version of St. Regis' own Bloody Mary, alongside with premium spirits, Champagne, classic cocktails and fine snacks.
Why : Although the St. Regis Bar is renowned for her booze and caviar, the bar with a soaring ceiling, floor-to-ceiling window wall, and a panorama racecourse and Bangkok skyline view that is twenty-three stories above the ground level tempted me to settle for her afternoon tea set in this relaxing ambiance, though afternoon tea (normally) serves at the Drawing Room adjacent to the St. Regis Bar.
St. Regis Bar and the Drawing Room

11. Artur / steakhouse / Chidlom / 02.658.6288
What: With a career background from the Ritz of Paris, Artur Kluczewski relocated to Bangkok in the 90's; from Ma Maison (Nai Lert Park), New York Steakhouse (J.W. Marriott), Prime (Millennium Hilton) to the Pacific Club, Artur is now a household name (in the high-society community) equal to fine steak. After building a solid reputation in the higher-end culinary scene, two years ago the veteran restaurateur Artur opened his own steakhouse - the Artur.
Why : I still enjoy a piece of excellent steak prepared by Artur and his kitchen team, but for the first time I don't have to pay a five-star hotel dining cost for it. Especially during lunch, the good value lunch set is a steal for gourmet lovers. Even if one doesn't eat (red) meat, Artur has very nice protein selection from the ocean to offer (that is cooked to perfection), so there is no reason not to love Artur and his steakhouse.
Artur Restaurant

12. Ruea Thong / Thai / Thonglo / 02.185.2610
What: This is one of a few very small Thai restaurant that has been honored by time; in the Bangkok east high-so(ciety) Thonglo community, Ruea Thong does not have a fancy facade and interior, but the home-style cuisine served from the kitchen kept this old name standing strong in the area for decades.
Why : While the mid-Sukhumvit section's restaurant scene is dominated by hip restaurants and foreign cuisine, old gun Ruea Thong is the last fort to preserve old-school Thai cuisine in the area. The food is the down-to-earth kind, yet classic, and the price is very affordable for all walks of life.
Ruea Thong Thai Restaurant

Those are my twelve picks from Thaisclub's 2011 posts, and no doubt I will continue to eat there frequently in the Year of the Golden Dragon.
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Le Dalat

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Where French meets Vietnamese, Bon Appetit!

Le Dalat, offering Vietnamese cuisine with a little French accent, was founded by a Viet-French owner with her family recipes to offer. This is one of the fanciest stand-alone Vietnamese restaurants in Bangkok.

For a meal at Le Dalat I (usually) only order its traditional Vietnamese fare and skip the French-Vietnamese selections. It is a guilt not to mention Le Dalat's pho. At Thai Baht 180++ the beef pho comes with cooked beef in full flavor soup and raw beef with a separate running broth for dipping, and fresh vegetables to go with them. A bowl of pho at Le Dalat can give my blue day a lift, and followed by a serving of old-school flanc burlee may shine my day!

If one can afford (and willing to spend) the fine dining price (for Vietnamese food), dining at Le Dalat is definitely an exceptional experience. For most patrons this is not the place for frequent dining, so let's reserve Le Dalat, the restaurant, for dining on a special occasion.



Le Dalat ***1/2
57 Sukhumvit Soi 23
Sukhumvit Road
Wattana, Bangkok 10110
Tel.: 02.259.9593

Open daily : lunch 11:30 am - 2:30 pm, dinner 6 - 10:30 pm
Pay (food only for two): expect THB 3,000

Italian Tomato

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Bona fide fusion cuisine

When Italian meets Japanese, the cuisine becomes exciting. Italian Tomato, the decades old Italian restaurant and bakery chain with a Japanese twist, is renowned for its Italian + Japanese bona fide fusion cuisine in Japan, has also gained a certain popularity in Southern California with branches in food centers and supermarkets. Before I relocated to Bangkok, I used to visit an Italian Tomato cake shop at least once a month for her cakes, they are fluffy and soft, light and flavorsome, and it is the kind of cake I (exactly) like; but the food, is not on my 'like' list.

I always wish that Italian Tomato may (sooner or later) come to Thailand, and a long wait for more than a decade had become reality since last year. The first Italian Tomato cake shop has landed in Bangkok's Central World Plaza, followed by the Italian Tomato Restaurant & Cafe, a latest addition to the Central Plaza Ladprao.


gateau aux fraises THB 110++

chocolate cake THB 100++; fruit cake THB 110++

fruit cocktail tart THB 110++


bolograise THB 150++

tortilla chips (complimentary), chicken & mushroom salad THB 100++

curry rice with omelet THB 160++

Italian Tomato Restaurant and Cafe ***1/4
1/F Central Plaza Ladprao
Paholyothin Road
Jatujak, Bangkok 10900
Tel.: 02.541.1882

Open daily : 10 am - 9:30 pm
Pay (food only for two): around THB 700

Italian Tomato Cake Shop ****
7/F Central World Plaza
4 Rajmadri Road
Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330
Tel.: 02.646.1017

Open daily : 10 am - 10 pm
Pay (food only for two): around THB 300

Flavour Food Court

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Cheap eat with a view

Hiding inside the Central Food Hall (seventh floor) of the Central World Plaza, has Bangkok's best view food court in town - the Flavour Food Court, though food is mediocre.

Flavour Food Court ***
7/F Central Food Hall
The Central World Plaza
4 Rajdamri Road
Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330
Tel.: 02.613.1629

Open daily : 10 am - 9:30 pm
Pay (food only for one): around THB 100



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Sucre

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On the hand of clowns

After the opening of a few restaurants around the world, including one in Bangkok - the Hyde & Seek at Athenee Residence (oh I love the burger and cocktails there), celebrity chef Ian Chalermkittichai and his business partners opened Sucre in the Siam Paragon, to cater a younger crowd of movie goers and the nearby Siam high-so(ciety) school kids for the restaurant's specialties, which are crepes, cakes and light meals in a fusion twist. The circus vibe and colorful hue promote fun and dine-in concept, but Sucre's clowns are probably in immediate training mode and mood!






Sucre Cafe ***
5/F Major Paragon Cineplex
The Siam Paragon Shopping Centre
991 Rama I Road
Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330
Tel.: 02.610.9556

Open daily : 12 - 9 pm
Pay (food only for two): around THB 700

MoMo Cafe

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Back to the future

Recently I went to La Tavola, the luxury Italian restaurant of the Renaissance Bangkok Ratchaprasong Hotel, there I found a surprise. Compared to a year ago, the menu had been 'upgraded', and the culinary outcome has also been 'upgraded', but the good price withstands.

I eat at Marriott Hotels' restaurant outlets quite often, they include the New York Steakhouse and Tsu Japanese Restaurant of the J.W. Marriott, Fei Ya and La Tavola of the Renaissance, and MoMo Cafe of the Courtyard. A recent visit to the Courtyard Hotel on Soi Mahalekluang 1, I ate at the hotel's MoMo Cafe with my friend. The first impression was that the service is as good as before, they are attentive and enthusiastic. By browsing the menu, both selections (of food) and the price had been revamped. For instance, the fish n' chips and wood-roast chicken 'enjoyed' a 50% price hike to THB 230++ and THB 260++ respectively, as well as most of the dishes in the menu, including the wood-fired pizza, all 'enjoyed' a new tag with 50% price hike. As for the taste of the food, no hike in quality and culinary skill though, and in contrast, the 'your-own' pizza (THB 380++) was quite awful in its crust and texture, very disappointing!

MoMo Cafe used to be Bangkok's most cherished hotel dining at mall food price, but the glory is definitely fading away!



MoMo Cafe ***
Courtyard Hotel by Marriott
155/1 Soi Mahalekluang 1
Rajdamri Road
Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330
Tel.: 02.690.1888
MoMo Cafe

Open daily : 6 - 1 am (all-day dining)
Pay (food only for two): around THB 1,200
(weekdays lunch set THB 240)

Ruea Thong

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Meal on the golden boat

Bangkok's hip and chic Thonglo area is growing at light-speed in recent years. On its restaurant scene, we witness the never ending opening (and never ending closing down) of fancy newbies, and boring chains, sprawl into Thonglo soi by soi for the pre-partying clubbers and the high-so(ciety) hipsters. Nevertheless foodies in the neighborhood still stick to a few trusted old names, like Ruea Thong, which is a small shop-house eatery (on corner of Thonglo Soi 17) that is honored by time, the food there made her standing strong in the area for season after seasons.

For a place that Thais will find their grandmas' recipes and to please the palate throughout a meal, Ruea Thong is always one of the top choices in Thai cuisine; Ruea Thong (literally boat golden) is one of my favorite restaurants to crave for scrumptious home-style cuisine.


nam-prik ong makam, THB 100, fresh vegetables with tamarind relish dipping
pla salid tord, THB 130, salid fish, deep-fried to perfection, crispy but moist

yum makheua yao, THB 100, eggplant salad with spicy fish sauce dressing
pik gai tord, THB 90, deep fried chicken wings, crispy, light and aromatic

gaeng khua hoy khom, THB 90, red curry with small sea cockcle
(classic curry dish, easy to cook, difficult to have it good, key is in the paste, eight
out of ten restaurants in Bangkok do awful gaeng khua, but Ruea Thong's is superb)

phad yod fak meaw, THB 90, stir-fried chayote leaves, young and crispy
a portion of Thai pomelo, complimentary

gaeng som cha-om-tord, THB 90, sour curry with fern-leaves omelet, yummy!

Ruea Thong Thai Restaurant ****1/4
351/2 Soi Thonglo (corner Thonglo Soi 17)
Sukhumvit 55 Road
Wattana, Bangkok 10110
Tel.: 02.185.2610

Open daily : lunch 11:30 am - 2 pm, dinner 5 - 11 pm
Pay (food only for two): around THB 400

Artur

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Art of meat

Artur Kluczewski, the person who is responsible for a few successful restaurants in Bangkok, now runs his own steakhouse in the heart of downtown Bangkok; yes, it is that talk-of-the-town Manhattan style steakhouse with a Parisian touch on Soi Tonson - the Artur. Someone called it a retro French restaurant that serves excellent New York style steak. Either way, Artur is the rare culinary gift to Bangkokians.

Just like most luxury restaurants will do a budget luncheon to keep epicures aware and to lure non-regulars to their dinner, Artur offers two lunch sets, a weight-watcher lunch set at THB 290++, and a 3-course business lunch set at THB 490++. Both are great value for money. And the food, impeccable!



Artur Restaurant ****1/4
G/F Bliston Suwan Park View
9 Soi Tonson
Ploenchit Road
Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330
Tel.: 02.658.6288

Open daily : lunch 11:30 am - 2pm, dinner 6 - 10 pm
Pay (food only for two): expect THB 6,000
(weekdays lunch set from THB 290++)