Lord Jims summer menu

90
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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

Le Normandie

50
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Le Normandie @ the Oriental Hotel Bangkok

The top of the Oriental Hotel’s garden wing houses the Le Normandie serving Southeast Asia's best haute cuisine in French accent. Overlooking the Maenam Chao Phraya with the stunning panorama river view, with its exceptional quality of food, attentive service, and reasonable price keep paging gourmet connoisseurs back for the restaurant’s 2-star Michelin chefs recent creation. Indeed its set lunch is a steal from the scene of the gastronomical community.

Today, a good friend form Hong Kong would like to see how Le Normandie compares to Pierre (Mandarin Oriental Hotel HK) and Gaddi’s (the Peninsula HK) the two celebrity eateries in the once British colony. I brought him to the lunch, simply he didn’t put his suit in the luggage (jacket and tie is the dress code for dinner, as any prominent French restaurants do).

To pamper my throat, I ordered the Mango Tango, a well balanced non-alcohol cocktail with fresh mango, orange and even lime juice. It was refreshing after I was so rushed to the appointment. My friend took the Clablis ler Cru “Vaillons” Maison Verget, Burgundy 2004 (B650++ per glass).

The lunch kicked off with Amuse-bouche, delicious tidbits complimentary from the restaurant.

For appetizer, I took the Noix de coquilles Saint-Jacues marinees, while my friend had the Fricassee d’Escargots. They were hand dive marinated scallops served with soft boiled egg with Parmesan cheese; and sautéed snails served with salad and vegetables crumb.

Before our main course being served, my friend ordered the Chateau Camensac, Grand Cru Classe, Haut Medoc 2004 (B1,000++ per glass) to accompany his beef dish.

The main course, I had Cassolette d’lerevlsses, while my friend took Hampe de Boeuf Braisee. They were sautéed prawn (substituted from the run-out crayfish), potato fondant and tarragon tomato petals; and braised beef flank served with cabbage and Jerusalem artichoke, sage sauce.

Don’t forget to leave room for desserts, they are an art form here, so does the wine list. Le Normandie offers superb vintages from every corner of the world, stocks in the mini cellar enclosure to the restaurant. While waiting for our desserts Baba a la liqueur de fraise (baba with strawberry liqueur, sautéed berries and orange blossom caviar), the waiter rolled the desserts trolley toward us, having us to choose a piece of cake (I got two instead) or some fruits to compensate our patience for waiting.

Our scrumptious lunch concluded with a cup of Cappuccino and Petits Fours de Normandie. We paid B1,050++ per person for the 3-course set lunch (including tea or coffee) in this famed French restaurant. So I said it was a steal!

If you wonder that I forgot to tell you how they taste, I didn’t. Simply ask your own participation at Le Normandie, and you will tell.

Le Normandie French Restaurant *****
Mandarin Oriental Hotel
48 Oriental Avenue
Charoenkrung Soi 40
Bangrak, Bangkok 10500
Tel.: 02.659.9000
Le Normandie

Open daily: Lunch 12:00 - 2:30pm, Dinner 7 - 10:30 pm
Pay (food only for two): lunch around THB 2,500, dinner expect THB 7,000