im Thai Ramen

481
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I am full

A sibling of See Fah Restaurant, im Thai Ramen is a Thai-Chinese style noodle bar at Life Center, serving street-stall noodles at a restaurant price, and in the comfort of air-conditioning. It is good for a fix of a quick meal or light meal before going to the gym upstairs.

 















im Thai Ramen ***
G/F Life Center, Q House Lumpini
1 Sathorn Road
Sathorn, Bangkok 10500
Tel.: 02.677.7244

Open daily : 8:30 am - 8:30 pm
Pay (food only for one): around THB 100

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China Dumplings

BANGKOK AMAZING GOURMET
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China Dumplings House 中國水餃
(formerly Sun Moon House)

Every countries shall have some hold-in-the-wall kind of nice eateries, so does Bangkok!

China Dumplings House under same management of the two-decade dumplings paradise Sun Moon House 日月樓 still serving Bangkokians a choice on authentic Chinese dumplings as well as Chinese northern provincial delicacies.


1. stir-fried string beans; 2. fried marinated pork dice

3. mabo tofu (bean curd in spicy minced pork sauce); 4. fried CN eggplant

5. boiled pak-choy & minced pork dumplings; 6. noodles in minced pork sauce

China Dumplings House 中國水餃 ****1/2
15 Soi Ngam Duphli
(off Rama 4 Road)
Sathorn, Bangkok 10120
Tel.: 02.000.000

Open daily 11am - 9:30pm
Pay (food only for two): around THB 500


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Gai-tord Soi Polo

122

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Gai-tord Je Keey (Polo Fried Chicken)

Je Keey's gai-tord (fried chicken), somtum (raw papaya spicy salad) and Issan food are decent northeastern gourmet serve in Bangkok C.B.D.

It was almost 10 years ago I sampled Je Keey's fried chicken and raw papaya spicy salad, at that time in her non-air-conditioned shop. A revisit to Je Keey yesterday found that Je Keey had moved few meters closer to the main road (still on Soi Polo) in a modern decorated shop house, this time with air-conditioning facility.

Taste was very different in comparison to ten years ago. The yum (spicy salad) and soup (namely tom-zaap the Issan style spicy and sour soup) were not as spicy as before. Somtum pla ra (raw papaya spicy salad with fermented fish and crab, Baht 60) was decent but not outstanding. The gai tord (fried chicken, Baht 80 for half chicken) of which made Gai Tord Je Keey appears on Lonely Planet and a few foreign tour books, was a little disappointed on our table. The once frozen AA fryer chicken was well marinated on the skin, crispy, but loose in texture and no taste in its meat. We ate with Je Keey house sauce (pretty good, though) to enhance the taste of that bland chicken meat. Our dessert, lod-chong (green glutinous rice flour stripe in coconut milk, Baht 30) was not better than the fried chicken. No taste, no texture, just powder mixed with water and coloring.

However, all the yum dishes (Baht 50-80) were pretty good although heat index laying on the mild side but all ingredients and seasonings held a good balance to taste. The tom-zaap (Baht 60) was on the acceptable sour side though not too spicy, good to lift our appetite, and good for beginners. We will avoid fried chicken and concentrate on yum dishes if we shall return to Je Keey in the future!

Je Keey (Polo) Fried Chicken ***
137/1-2 Soi Polo
off Wireless Road
Lumpini, Bangkok 10330
Tel.: 02.655.8489

Open daily 7am - 10pm
Pay (food only for two): around THB 500

(Delivery available)

Saffron

48
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Happy New Year Bangkok
Saffron @ Banyan Tree Hotel

There is a hidden Thai treasure on the 52nd Floor of the Banyan Tree Bangkok.

Banyan Tree's signature restaurant, Saffron, offers Thai-inspired flavors. Located on the 51st and 52nd floor, the views are fantastic, the furnishings eclectic, and sophisticated live entertainment plays into the night.

The menu at Saffron is comprehensive containing the Kingdom’s most popular dishes. Food is not as outstanding as the view and service, but it is fair and not bereft of the spices and flavors making Thai food unique.

The restaurant’s complimentary snacks were Soft Shell Crab Puff and Khao Tan (seasoned crispy rice cake with crab meat curry dipping) came after the lemongrass scented hand towel and a glass of chardonnay was definitely pleasant to start the dinner. They were good.

Our appetizer served on expensive celadon earthenware, was the Kanom Bueng Chao Wang (traditional Thai egg crepe served with shrimp roe, roasted coconut, peanut, bean sprout eaten with tamarind palm sugar dressing). Followed was Yum Makhua Yaoo Goong Maenam Pao (spicy eggplant salad with grilled river prawn), the presentation of this dish was not good but the taste of the grilled eggplant and river prawn was yummy.

Gaeng Keao Waan Khai Kem Look Chin Pla Kray (green curry with salty egg and fish ball) was an innovative green curry dish. Gai Hor Bai Toey (crispy fried marinated chicken fillet wrapped in pandanus leaf) was outstanding and Pla Hima Neung Manao (steamed snow fish with coriander and chili lime sauce) was somehow bland.

For desserts, we had Woon Matoom Loi Kaew (bale fruit jelly in sweet iced syrup) and Fresh Ripe Mango, followed by the Whole Coconut Juice.

The service is good and the waiters hover, waiting for our every request. It was cheerful to start our 2008 New Year’s day with a superb dinner with a view at Saffron. Cheers!

Snugly conjoined with Saffron, the Latitude Lounge & Bar is the ideal haunt for an after-hours fix of fiery cocktails and chilled down tempo grooves. Lounge outside among the stars at 51 floors above the steaming bowers of 'the city of angels.' A must for those who love being at the top.

Our Ratings (1 to 5 the higher the better): Saffron has [4.1]
(Ratings are based on Food, Service and Ambience, with Price taken into account in relation to Quality) Food =3.5, Service=4.5, Ambiance=5, Money Worth=3.5

Price range for two without drinks (incl. local water) in Thai Baht = BBBB
(B=below 200, BB=201-500, BBB=501-1,000, BBBB=1,001-2,000, BBBBB=over 2,000)

Details: Open daily Lunch: 11.30am - 2.30pm; Dinner: 6.00pm - 11.00pm (Latitude Lounge and Bar 5pm-1am)
Saffron, Banyan Tree Bangkok 52nd Floor, 21/100 South Sathon Road, Bangkok 10120; Tel: 02-6791200
http://www.banyantree.com/bangkok/facilities/dining/saffron.html

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Saladaeng Cafe

7
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Cuisine of Jim Thompson

Saladaeng Cafe, a Thai restaurant operated by the Thai Silk Company better known as the Jim Thompson after the name of the co-founder American merchant James Harrison Wilson Thompson who promoted Thai silk to the whole world after WWII while the then government was yet aware of this piece of great national treasure. Jim Thompson was also a prominent figure behind the reorganization of the Oriental Hotel Bangkok during that time. After Jim Thompson had mysteriously disappeared in the Cameron Highlands, Malaysia in 1967, the Thai Silk Company is managed by a foundation with various investors and sponsored by the Royal Thai Government.

James HW Thompson had a reputation as 'Bangkok's leading farang (Western foreigner) host', during his time in Bangkok James entertained countless of noble guests in his charming house by the Klong Maha Nag Canal (known as the Jim Thompson House), his guests enjoyed a delightful evening by the feature of savoring Thai cuisine of a classic feast. Those once talk of the town evening events at the Jim Thompson House were now recreated in Bangkok. Today Jim Thompson has four commercially operated eateries in Bangkok, while Saladaneg Cafe is settled in a historical house in downtown area that seats more than 150 diners inside and outside. Both the decor and the culinary creations tend to preserve the glory of the Jim Thompson House and the guests in the old days with a modern twist. The restaurant features both open-air and enclosed air-conditioned elegant dining room decorated in heavy Indo-Chinese influence while the fare serves authentic Thai cuisine the classic way and essential Western selection plus the mouthwatering pastry as some bonus to the patrons. Top quality ingredients packed in small bag or jar, for anyone would like to try of Thai cooking at home, from lemongrass to brown rice was on the shelves for sale.

Thai food at Saladaeng Cafe is truly superbly delicious, especially to a foreigner palate. I started with the Thompson sampler plate consisting of prawn spring rolls, chicken spring rolls, and shrimp paste cakes; also well worth trying were the lemongrass salad, of which the strong aroma of lemongrass that dominated the salad was a mouthwatering treat, and the namtok moo yang (grilled pork with fresh mint in spicy Issan namtok sauce) one of my favorite appetizer dishes was doing quite well there. Since the deep-fried shrimp cakes in the Thompson sampler plate were so good therefore I opted for a full order of the tord mun goong (deep-fried shrimp paste cakes) for my friends to eat some more of them and that didn't let us down either.



Gaeng or soup was essential on a Thai or Chinese dining table. For soup I ordered the tom yum goong (sour and spicy prawn soup), and tom khai gai (chicken soup in coconut milk with galangal root) to share with my friends. They were both prepared in an authentic way that a Thai grandmother would agree with.

Main dishes I sampled were the grilled chicken set, the steamed cotton fish with herbs, the stir-fried mixed vegetables, and the stir-fried cauliflower with shrimp. The grilled chicken and the cotton fish were less impressive than I had sampled two years ago. The vegetables had a generous use of MSG. Eaten them with plain rice may dilute the overwhelming taste of seasoning, and we did.

My friends and I ordered whole coconut juice and beer to accompany our dinner. The host also offers a wide selection of fruit smoothies and wine from around the globe but wine was not popular among diners here. Home made cakes and desserts were highly recommended after meal and a cup of infusion tea or coffee was also a wise choice.

Saladaeng Cafe by Jim Thompson ***1/4
120/1 Saladaeng Soi 1
off Rama IV Road
Sathorn, Bangkok 10500
Tel.: 02.266.9167
Saladaeng Cafe

Open daily : 11 am - 11 pm
Pay (food only for two): around THB 800