Nuer Koo

499
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Double happiness  

For high-so(ciety) figures who would like to sample a bowl of hearty beef noddles but couldn't stand for the heat by the sidewalk or worry about the hygiene for dining roadside, Nuer Koo at Siam Paragon Shopping Center is the answer for them! This new additive to the Siam Paragon's Food Passage on the 4th floor is a nice beef noodle joint in an unpretentious comfortable ambiance, and its premium beef noodle selections are the best way to help well-off shoppers to solve the problem of where to spend money wisely. As it labeled herself as using premium beef, therefore we can expect to contribute more cash to the owner's bank account.

Nuer Koo Premium Beef Noddle Bar ***
Food Passage, 4/F, the Siam Paragaon
991/1 Rama 1 Road
Patumwan, Bangkok 10330
Tel.: 02.610.9773

Open daily : 11 am - 10 pm
Pay (food only for one): around THB 400

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Coffeol

496
.

Mr. Bean failed to be reborn

In Bangkok, coffee specialty cafes tend to focus on coffee only (whether good or not, while the taste of food is subjective to diners), but most of them fail to deliver it with an 'ambiance' and good service.  If a cafe doesn't convince me that it is comfy, cozy and commercially homey (where service counts), but just looks like a part of my kitchen and served by my buffalo-like maid at home, than why do I spend my money there instead of just getting my brew at home. For chain coffee specialty cafes in Thailand, by far, I only see that Starbucks passes the mark.

Though ASIATIQUE the Riverfront doesn't count Starbucks in, lucky that I didn't see Tom n Toms and Coffee World there. Coffeol, I am okay with it though not in my routine. (p.s. I miss Mr. Bean, as there it delivered an "ambiance" and service.)

Coffeol Coffee Shop **3/4
Shop E07, Warehouse 10
ASIATIQUE the Riverfront
2194 Charoenkrung Road 
Bangkolaem, Bangkok 10120

Open daily : 5 - 11:30 pm
Pay (drink and pastry only for one): around THB 250

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Piranya

461
.

Balls in a bowl

Siam Square has so many small eateries, and most of their food is friendly to our taste buds, including Piranya.





Piranya Noddle Shop ***1/2
Siam Square
Soi Chulalongkorn 64
Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330
Tel.: 02.252.7195

Open daily : 9 am - 8 pm
Pay (food only for one): around THB 80



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Ban Khun Mae

437
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Back to a mom's kitchen!

Bangkok city Thai food restaurant - Ban Khun Mae (literally House of Mother), is always the rescue when diners are lost in the transition of the fusion and confusion food scene at the Siam area (Siam Square, Siam Center, and Siam Paragon).

During the late 90's, this mammy's canteen was a popular after-work beer-and-dine shelter for local white-collars, and also a temple for foreign Thai food enthusiasts due to its very convenient access for tourists. As time goes by, the glory might be faded, but the foreign visitors, many of whom made the restaurant enjoy a nightly full-house, are still the pillar of support for the restaurant.


somtum Thai (shredded raw papaya spicy salad) THB 70;
yum wunsen (bean threads/glass noodles spicy salad with minced pork and prawns)

sakoo sai moo and khao kriap park mor (tapioca pearl balls with minced pork
stuffing, and traditional steamed rice flour wrapper with stuffing) THB 120

tord mun goong (deep-fried minced shrimp and pork patties) THB 170;
phad pak ruam mit (stir-fried mixed vegetables, oyster sauce) THB 90

steamed local sea bass on herbs and lime broth, with chili sauce served
separately for non-spicy eater) THB 280+

pla kapong neung manao (local sea bass on herbs and lime spicy broth) THB 280+;
tomyumgoong nam khon (hot and sour soup with prawns, w/ kati coconut milk)

Ban Khun Mae Thai Restaurant ***1/4
458/6 Siam Square Soi 8
Rama I Road
Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330
Tel.: 02.250.1953

Open daily : 11 am - 11 pm
Pay (food only for two): around THB 700

Fai Sor Kam

426
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When aroma not aromatic

Fai Sor Kam refers to a Lanna style home textiles, scented candles and fragrant products manufacturer, with showrooms at Siam Paragon and Siam Discovery Center for over a decade. They recently extended their business ambitions to a culinary business, with the debut of Fai Sor Kam Thai Restaurant, adjacent to the original Fai Sor Kam Home Collection Store at the Siam Paragon.

The food, however, is not as commendable as their home collection products. I find that her Northern specialty dish - khao soi (Northern curried noodle) is ranked top, counted from the bottom, from my list. All dishes at Fai Sor Kam are mono-taste, pungent hot, and lacking of the essential balanced taste of the famous Thai cuisine. Maybe the existence of Fai Sor Kam Thai Restaurant is only to help those restaurants which serve mediocre food look smarter!



khao soi gai (fried & soup noodle with chicken in curry broth), THB 160++

khanom-jeen nam ngeow (rice noodle with pork in fermented soy bean curry), THB 160++


Fai Sor Kam Thai Restaurant **3/4
Food Passage on 4th, the Siam Paragon
991 Rama I Road
Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330
Tel.: 02.415.6605

Open daily : 11 am - 10 pm
Pay (food only for two): around THB 1,100

T Lounge afternoon tea

408
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Tea time in the supreme comfort

The T Lounge, closeted in the opulence and elegance of the Siam Kempinski Hotel, offers businessmen immediate privacy to hold a brief meeting in the hustle and bustle of the Siam area, and Paragon shoppers a real nook to relax after their exhausting shopping agenda.

I went to the T Lounge for her signature afternoon tea set with true Kempinski's European flair, and there is a pleasant surprise that her tea list (mainly by Ronnefeldt) covers selections from around the world, includes some pretty rare choices. Of course the T Lounge also serves cocktails, champagne and nice snacks to go with the booze.



T Lounge ***1/2
Siam Kempinski Hotel
991/9 Rama I Road
Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330
Tel.: 02.162.9000
T Lounge

Open daily : 10 - 1 am
Pay (afternoon tea for two): around THB 1,100
* afternoon tea set per person THB 720++

Sucre

403
.

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

T42

395
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Tea for two

For over a decade T42 at Siam Discovery Centre (moved from its former location in the Siam Centre few months ago) serves Thai and international menu on the home-cooking approach, and its cakes have been claimed to be its strength. I found that the food is not great but a fair life-saver feast for shoppers after a day of Siam hopping and the nearby school kids. But the cakes, forget about it!


pak boong tord, THB 90, deep-fried morning glory

gaeng keo waan, THB 90, green curry with roti

tord mun pla, THB 90, deep-fried spicy fish patties

kuay teow kua gai, THB 90, stir-fried flat rice noodle, chicken & eggs

T42 (Tea for Two) ***
4/F Siam Discovery Centre
979 Rama I Road
Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330
Tel.: 02.251.6197

Open daily : 10 am - 9 pm
Pay (food only for two): around THB 400