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.Art of meatArtur 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++)
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.Affordable luxury lunch deal
Madison is the steakhouse in the Four Seasons Hotel, which offers luxury beef cuts such as Matsuzaka and Kobe to Wagyu and USDA Prime, prepared in an American twist. It is one of the most luxurious steakhouses in Bangkok, and arguably the best in the 90's when the Four Seasons Bangkok was the Regent Hotel.
A meal for two at Madison may cost a local junior manager a month of his salary, say THB 20,000 with a bottle of nice wine, or half of the price without wine. Luxury does sometimes come with promotions, during weekdays Madison offers a tempting sixty-minute business luncheon deal, which is a 2-course lunch set below the mark of one thousand Thai baht, including Madison's renowned all-u-can-eat salad bar. It is a good chance for non-regular customers to sample Madison food and decide if it is justified to pay a luxury price for a-la-carte or dinner on another occasion.
Two weeks ago I revisited this once talk of the town steakhouse in Bangkok with an American foodie friend during lunchtime. The 3-course lunch set, THB 890++, consists of a soup or the all-u-can-eat salad bar, a main course with choices, and a desert with choices. It is a fairly good deal at this classy grill room. However the food didn't live up to expectations; the salad bar isn't as 'wow' as before, choices cut back and quality declined, for instance, scallops in one of the salad dishes had an artificial texture and tasted bland. Imagine the taste of an eatable rubber or Japanese fake scallops those kids eat! For mains I opted for pan-fried sea bass and it was quite good; but my friend wasn't as lucky as me. His grilled sirloin steak in black pepper sauce didn't have a decent beef flavor and was not tender, though not over-cooked. He described it as coffee-shop quality. The dessert, a creme burlee, was fine.
The food quality and taste aren't as good as last time I visited Madison, which was two years ago.
Madison ***1/2
Four Seasons Hotel, Bangkok
155 Rajdamri Road
Pratumwan, Bangkok 10330
Tel.: 02.126.8866
Open daily : breakfast 6 - 10:30 am, lunch 12 noon - 2:30 pm, dinner 6 - 10:30 pm, Sunday brunch 11:30 am - 3 pm
Pay (3-course lunch set without drinks): THB 890++
(a la carte 3-course around THB 8,000 without drinks)
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.Modern French power lunchHow much do you think this superb 3-course lunch set at one of Bangkok most exquisite and prestige French fine dining restaurants shall cost?
It is THB 380++. A steal of the century for the connoisseur.
1st course (choice of appetizer)
potato leek soup, crispy bacon infused with fresh herbs and garlic cheese tortellini
/or smoked red snapper salad, with herbs, aging white balsamic & shallot vinaigrette
2nd course (choice of main course)
milk fed lamb shoulder, five-hour braising, served with baby veggie and natural jus; or/
poached ox tongue in aromatic broth, potato moussline garlic with herb infused pan jus
0r/ pan roasted pompano, with white bean puree and baby squid
3rd course (choice of dessert)
roasted pineapple, with dark rum sauce & pineapple cream cheese
or/ canel mint ice cream, in a pool of white chocolate carrot cream soup
complimentary mocha and bread
Le Vendome ****
267/2 Soi Sawasdee (Sukhumvit Soi 31)
Wattana, Bangkok 10110
Tel.: 02.662.0530Le Vendome
Open daily : lunch 11:30 am - 2:30 pm, dinner 6 - 10:30 pm
Pay (food only for two): around THB 6,000 (lunch set THB 380++)
BANGKOK AMAZING GOURMET
.French into Pan Asia affairsI confess. I almost forget a review on one of Bangkok best wine and dine venues, Reflexions. There we expect innovative French cuisine with intense flavors and the use of finest seasonal produce from talented young chef de cuisine Thibault Chiumenti.
The French moderne Reflexions is an exquisite combination of nouvelle cuisine and traditional French fare, with unusual fun on-the-wall and transcontinental vibes as the addition. I enjoyed my evening there with delectable cuisine in a romantic ambiance and incomparably attentive service.
If one feels that French cuisine is insipid in Bangkok, prepare to have ones taste-buds evolve at Reflexions.
1. amuse bouche; 2. sea urchin cream soup with poached oyster and truffle
3. degustation de hors d'oeuvre - sea bass carpaccio, duck raviole, foie gras terrine, roasted frog leg, and sea urchin cream with poached oyster
4.complimentary tequila vodka sorbet on ice
5. roasted pigeon breast and leg in duck liver pastilla, and black truffle
6. grilled Andaman tiger prawn, Sardinian couscous, fava beans and lobster sauce
7. freshly baked French bread variety; 8. desserts samplerReflexions ***1/2
Plaza Athenee Hotel Bangkok
(a Royal Meridien hotel)
10 Wireless Road
Lumpini, Bangkok
Tel.: 02.650.8800
Reflexions
Open Tuesday - Saturday : 6 pm - 11 pm
Pay (food only for two): expect THB 6,000
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The passion of contemporary French cuisine is limitless; my food is a culinary journey to discover. Thibault Chiumenti
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.Fine dining by Jacques and Laurent PourcelI was told that fine dining is the combination of arts through opulent or hip decoration with higher cost material, elegant ambiance, use of selective fine china and glassware, impeccable service and of course dedicated cuisine.
Therefore we should not see dinnerware bought from a weekend market, lamp and lighting from a local night market, uncomfortable chairs made by low-cost material, decoration that one may feel 'cheap', and unqualified service staffs in a fine dining restaurant.
Proclaimed as a fine dining venue, D'Sens at Dusit Thani Hotel makes no mistake. Stepping out of the lift (elevator) we float on the sea of elegant custom knitting carpet and were ushered by beautiful receptionist with smile to our table, sit comfortably. Despite the breathtaking panorama view, ambiance in the restaurant is relax and elegant. Dinnerware is by Rosenthal. Wait-staffs are attentive, the restaurant manager hovers between tables to ensure diners of utmost pleasure dining at D'Sen, and the chef is listening to feedback.
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Although the Pourcel brothers seldom do the cooking, but dishes are prepared by D'Sens highly-talented team of chefs. We have heard that the former sous-chef now opens his own restaurant on Soi Thonglo, and after his departure D'Sens delivers better quality dishes to diners. A re-visit to D'Sens prove that the food is exquisite!
D'Sens French Restaurant ****
Dusit Thani Hotel
946 Rama 4 Road
Bangrak, Bangkok 10500
Tel.: 02.200.9000 ext. 2499
D'Sens
Opens Monday - Friday : Lunch 11:30 am - 2:30 pm
Opens Monday - Saturday : Dinner 6 pm - 10 pm
Pay (food only): expect THB 6,000 for two (lunch set 2-course B590++ each, 3-course B770++ each)
174
.Bangkok's Best Lunch Buffet It is rare that I repeat a review. Forgive me that I have to. Lord Jims just worth for more credit after I enjoyed so much during last week Festive Sunday brunch with friends from four nations.
To run a buffet, they don't need to offer an army of junk instead some quality food people really want to eat. Like lobster, rock lobster, crab claw, prawn, river prawn and crayfish are all available in Lord Jims' last week Sunday seafood brunch, happened to be what I am so crazy about. The regular selections of just-arrived oysters from France, US water and Australia, ultra fresh sushi and sashimi are of course the all time favorites among Lord Jims buffet.
The roasted meat, I used to complain about now has great improvement. Pan fried fioe gras, grilled rock lobster, meat stew, tenpura and Thai delicacies are still available.
Desserts in Lord Jims buffet is always on the winning position so there is nothing to worry and to write about. Just eat! And eat more!
Lord Jims Festive Sunday brunch doesn't force you to drink, price is Baht 1,800 net (regular lunch buffet Baht 1,220++ during weekdays and brunch B1,350++ during weekends)
Lord Jims Seafood Restaurant ****
Mandarin Oriental Hotel
48 Oriental Avenue
Soi 40, Charoen Krung Road
Bangrak, Bangkok 10500
Tel.:02.659.9000
MO-BKK Lord Jims
Open daily:
Lunch (buffet and a la carte) 12 noon - 2:30pm; Sunday brunch 11:30 am - 3:30 pm;
Dinner (set and a la carte) 7pm - 11pm
Pay (food only for two): expect THB 7,000 (a la carte)
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.Au Revoir to All That The name Alain Ducasse, a celebrity French chef who is behind over a dozen of award winning haute cuisine restaurants in the world, took me curiosity to (finally) visit the almost one-year-old Bonjour on Sukhumvit Road.To be precise, Alain Ducasse has nothing to do with Bonjour. It is chef Thierry Enderlin, who is responsible for Bonjour's kitchen, gave interview to local media that he used to cook alongside with the double three-star chef.
Bonjour is a fine dining French restaurant. So it is wise not to do the walk-in.
The receptionist who took my reservations, couldn't handle it in English so I switched to speak my clumsy Thai and spell my name to her letter by letter in English.
The dining area for this proclaimed fine dining venue is bravely paved with PVC tile flooring, with 'matching quality' furniture probably bought from a night bazaar.
The ingredients, claimed the use of quality free range meats and line-caught fish from France happened to be true. Finished products, eatable though we found no shadow of Alain's on any of our orders. The ingredients were satisfying but the food quality (esp. sauce) not on par with other fine dining French restaurants. So we wondered who did the cooking that night!
Unless you open a bottle, the house wine sold here is of very cheap quality. The owner (claimed to be a wine merchant and sommelier) shall stock better house wine for choices. Indeed, who minds to pay a little more if the quality matches the bill.
-amuse bouche and bread(suppose a chef to show off his culinary skill and enthusiasm on cooking at the begin of a gastronomic journey, our amuse bouche was something without efforts)
-organic green salad Baht 380++
(weird presentation we ever got from any fine dining French restaurant)
-mushroom soup infused with truffle oil Baht 890++
(most pricey soup in BKK, even Reflexions of Plaza Athenee and Normandie of M.O. no soup over Baht 700++; mushroom soup is nice, but no trace of any aromatic from truffle; so we paid $32 for just a bowl of mushroom soup without truffle? crazy!)
Gl. Alexis Merlot
- roasted duck breast with confit of its leg Baht 1,350++
(quality duck, breast nicely prepared, confit of leg & sauce didn't live up to expectations)
- slow cooked Bresse pigeon Baht 1,980++
(Bresse pigeon, good preparation, nicely slow cooked, good flavor, best shot that evening)
- chocolate fondant Baht 290++ vanilla ice cream Baht 180++
(chocolate is of so-so quality; ice cream not Bonjour's home-made)
-petit four (complimentary)
(something anyone can get from the Siam Paragon)
The restaurant, gave us absolute privacy to enjoy our meal, as we were the only table served on a Tuesday (whole) evening. Service (by a junior waitstaff and a busboy; as the waiters and manager maybe busy in the office making calls, and sommelier was not on duty) is sincere and friendly though not professional.
Thanks to Bonjour! Now I may reconfirm that the Normandie is consider a bargain in fine dining, making the rest in Bangkok not comparable. Of course for a bit informal yet romantic choice I always buy Le Banyan, and for home-style cooking that shall be Le Bouchon.
Bonjour French Restaurant ** 1/4
1217/2 Sukhumvit Road(behind Fullerton Condo)Wattana, Bangkok 10110Tel.: 02.714.2112BonjourOpen daily: 11am - 10 pm (lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner)
Pay (food only for two): expect THB 7,000
