Brownies, cream pies, and chocolate cakes are rich, but wonderful, though they deliver extra sinful calories, more than I ever needed.
Penguin Likes Chocolate, run by a local chocolate enthusiast, is a recent addition to the crowded Sukhumvit gourmet strip. While there, I found that their cakes and drinks are modest in sugar, meaning sweet patrons may have less of a chance to visit a diabetes doctor in the future. Glad that now there are more local bakeries (finally) that offer real pastries, but not sugary condensed products!
Penguin Likes Chocolate *** 1/F Rain Hill Community Mall 777 Sukhumvit Road (at Suk Soi 47) Wattana, Bangkok 10110 Tel.: 02.261.7115
Open daily : 10 am - 10 pm Pay (pastry product only for one): around THB 160
Bekku, probably the first, and the best tonkatsu (Japanese deep-fried battered pork cutlet) specialty eatery in town; recently relocated (yes, again!) to Sukhumvit Soi 22, which is a short walk away from its old President Park's location, has lost its original charm and characteristics as a Japanese salaryman hangout and tonkatsu heaven. Now the once famed restaurant is looking more like a Beijing dumpling eatery than a Japanese tonkatsu joint. Food wise, the deep-fried battered pork cutlet is still 'eatable' but the tidbits (side dishes) that come with it (optional, at extra charge) both looked and tasted like some leftovers. I doubt that if the original owner (Khun Mitsutoshi Bekku) still runs this place!
yucky side dishes set, Yuushoku (large) THB 160+, Nagomi (small) THB 120+ tonkatsu curry rice, THB 240+; not-as-good-as-before sauce tonkatsu set (incl. side dishes, rice, soup, and desserts), THB 499+ for two tonkatsu filet THB 200+ (with side dishes, rice, soup and ice cream THB 320+) Tonkatsu Bekku Japanese Restaurant *** 318/1 Sukhumvit Soi 22 Klangtoey, Bangkok 10110 Tel.: 02.663.0318
Open daily : lunch 11:30 - 2 pm, dinner 5:30 - 10 pm Pay (food only for one): around THB 300
Time honored hole-in-the-wall grows bigger! A hole-in-the-wall, secret foodies joint, Lieo Lieng Seng recently opened a canteen-like branch at United Center, right at C.B.D.'s Silom Road; now everyone can have easy access to Lieo's Thai-Chinese time tested menu, though the ambiance is (still) not 'on the menu'.
Lieo also owns the Kingdom's oldest ice cream recipe. Lieo's 555 Ratchawong Ice Cream was the first ice cream vendor in Thailand (yes, more than a century ago); the recipe passes on to Lieo's third generation, with the use of the best ingredients, is also available at Lieo Lieng Seng @ United Center. dried fish maw in supreme broth, THB 100 wok-burnt tofu with bean sprouts and preserved sour veggie, THB 100 stir-fried kale, THB 100; fish maw in supreme broth, THB 100 oysters casserole, in Lieo's secret sauce, THB 300 fried bamee boran (literally ancient egg noodle) with chicken, ham, or crab meats, THB 100 Lieo Lieng Seng @ United Center **** Basement, B1 #103, United Center 323 Silom Road Bangrak, Bangkok 10500 Tel.: 081.827.6512 Lieo Lieng Seng
Open daily : 11 am - 9 pm Pay (food only for one): around THB 300 ** update: sadly this branch is now a history; its original branch at Galaxy Square (off Rama 4 Road) is still serving old-school Thai-Chinese at present. * To follow Bangkok closely, please 'friend' Thaisclub in Facebook!
Xin Tian Di is the Chinese cuisine arm of the Crowne Plaza Bangkok Lumpini Park (formerly Pan Pacific Hotel), located twenty-two stories above the ground, and it is advertised that it has 'a stunning view of the Bangkok city skyline', and the fact is, patrons will only 'enjoy' a panorama hospital (Chula) view.
Last year, when IHG's Crowne Plaza took over the management of this former Pan Pacific's property near Saladaeng intersection, they also re-branded the Chinese restaurant; though the team of chefs (including the head chef) and the team of service staffs remain retouched; probably the (Crowne Plaza) executives realized that Hai Tien Lo (the name when it was under Pan Pacific's umbrella) didn't earn a good reputation among epicures. Now, Xin Tian Di (literally new sky earth, or the new era), does enter into a new era. Under the new management, the restaurant and the kitchen team are being revitalized, and the food enters into a new chapter of gastronomic journeys.
The restaurant now serves one of the city's best Peking duck (THB 1,100++), and Chef Lam's home-made tofu is a must-try; otherwise it will be like leaving a treasure hut without digging up a few gold nuggets to take back home with us!
double-boiled conch soup with black chicken, THB 300++; double-boiled grouper filet soup with century eggs, THB 220++ Chef Lam's home-made fried tofu with XO sauce, THB 160++; portion of Peking duck Peking duck, wrapping and ready to eat roasted Peking duck with condiments, half order, THB 650++ Chef Lam's home-made tofu and seafood casserole, THB 320++ roasted marinated pigeon, THB 600++ stir-fried grouper filet with ginger and green onion, THB 350++; veggie with golden & silver eggs (salted & century eggs) in broth, THB 280++ sweet and sour pork, THB 300++; stir-fried kale with preserved veggie, THB 280++ yang-chow fried rice, THB 300++; chilled lemongrass jelly, THB 150++ Xin Tian Di Chinese Restaurant 新天地 ***1/2 Crowne Plaza Bangkok Lumpini Park 952 Rama IV Road Bangrak, Bangkok 10500 Tel.: 02.632.9000 Xin Tian Di (Please don't mix up with that Xinn Tien Di at Gaysorn Plaza, which has been heavily presented in free guidebooks!)
Open daily : lunch 11:30 am - 2:30 pm, dinner 6 - 10:30 pm Pay (food only for one): around THB 900
The Panorama at the Crowne Plaza Hotel rolled out a Brazilian BBQ promotion on top of her usual buffet offer in June; a friend and I went there to sample the South American churrasco during lunch; it was a pleasant gathering and good eating, in an ambiance which was laid-back and relaxing.
Brazilian BBQ lunch buffet *** @ Panorama Restaurant Crowne Plaza Bangkok Lumpini Park Hotel 952 Rama IV Road Bangrak, Bangkok 10500 Tel.: 02.632.9000 The Panorama
Open daily : 6:30 - 1 am Pay (food only for two): around THB 2,500 Brazilian BBQ lunch buffet THB 700++, dinner buffet THB 1,500++
