Tokyo Shokudo

476
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The falling sun 

Tokyo Shokudo is another fast food style Japanese restaurant that serves mediocre food, of which there is already an over-supply in Bangkok.

Tokyo Shokudo Japanese Restaurant **1/2
B1 Floor, United Center
Silom Road
Bangrak, Bangkok 10500
Tel.: 02.237.6717

Open daily : 11 am - 9 pm
Pay (food only for one): around THB 300

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Yes Tubtim

470
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Follow the bait

Yes Tubtim is a newcomer to the Silom restaurant scene, serving tourist-palate-friendly Thai cuisine without the lack of authentic Thai, that is good for both tourists and locals.








Yes Tubtim Thai and Seafood Restaurant ***
2/3 Soi Convent
off Silom Road
Bangrak, Bangkok 10500
Tel.: 02.635.5445

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




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vistacafe

463
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The healthy way to tea

The country's first spelt flour specialty bakery, vistacafe by Verasu, offers trans-fat free pastries to Bangkokians; of course, available in C.B.D.




vistacafe by Verasu ***

United Center branch
Basement, B1, United Center
323 Silom Road
Bangrak, Bangkok 10500
Tel.: 02.631.1001

Empire Tower branch
1/F, the Empire Tower
195 South Sathorn Road
Sathorn, Bangkok 10120
Tel.: 02.670.4084

Open daily : 9 am - 7 pm
Pay (food only for one): around THB 350




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King Kong Yakiniku buffet

454
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Eat like King Kong at a small cost

One of the youngest yakiniku chains in Bangkok, King Kong, gains momentum to be Bangkok's most popular Japanese BBQ restaurant!

King Kong Yakiniku Buffet Restaurant ***1/2
Silom branch
3/F United Center
323 Silom Road
Bangrak, bangkok 10500
Tel.: 02.238.1877
* more branches at Ekamai, Rama 9, Mengjai and Langsuan

Open daily : 11 am - 11 pm
Pay (all-u-can-eat yakiniku for one): THB 470 net (incl. free-flow drinks)



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Lieo Lieng Seng @ United Center

452
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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.


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Hai Somtam Convent

411
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Convent's pok-pok

Hai Somtam Convent Pochana stands on Soi Convent for decades, used to serve good quality som-tum (spicy raw papaya pok-pok salad) and gai-yang (grilled chicken); still serves these Thai Issan delicacies, but not as good as before. In my recent revisit to Hai, I found that its grilled chicken is of cheap quality while the papaya pok-pok salad and other yum (spicy salad) dishes are still delightful to eat.



Hai Somtam Convent Pochana ***
2/4-5 Soi Convert
off Silom Road
Bangrak, Bangkok 10500
Tel.: 02. 631.0216

Open daily : 10 am - 8:30 pm (Sat 10 am - 5 pm)
Pay (food only for two): around THB 400

Bua

BANGKOK AMAZING GOURMET
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A taste live in memory

Thai jumbo prawn (a.k.a. river lobster) from the upstream of Chaophraya River is one luscious river species on earth. Its flesh tastes like lobster while its creamy roe spills out from the head is heavenly delicious. My first bite of the prawn from the River of the King was at Bua, next to the Bangkapi Land Division on Sinarkarin Road, probably twenty-five years ago.

My first bowl of hearty gaeng-som (orange curry in gaeng-som paste, tamarind and chilies) was also being sampled at Bua. Since then, I realized that Thai curries are fruitful, not just limited to gaeng-kiao-wan (green curry) or tom-yum (sour and spicy soup).



Bua Thai Restaurant once took the top fame in Bangkok culinary business, but the glory doesn't pass on to its second generation of management.

Bua on Soi Convent may not deliver a decent grandma recipes to diners, but it is an ideal eatery to begin with Thai food lesson one, for the foreigners.

Bua Thai Restaurant **1/2
Silom branch
1/4 Sriboonrueng Building, Soi Convent
off Silom Road
Bangrak, Bangkok 10500
Tel.: 02.237.6641

Open daily 10:30 am - 11 pm
Pay (food only for two): around THB 800

Carlton

108

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Carlton Restaurant 高樂大餐廳

Each year, the first quarter is the most difficult time for restaurants even before the worldwide credit crisis and economic meltdown. On Silom/Sathorn (Road) this year, the challenge raises. There are a lot of restaurants dotted around the Central Business District (C.B.D.) that are beneficiaries to the culture of expense account dining now suffer; as, companies cutting entertainment expenses and employees with little job security dwindling the spending on meals. Today the best selling lunch option among Silom/Sathorn white-collars maybe Mama instant noodles.

I see the closure of restaurants on a weekly basis. The glory of Silom/Sathorn restaurants bloom is fading into memory!

Grandmas like to talk about the old good days they spent at the Carlton Restaurant. True that Carlton did draw Bangkokians lots of memories. Whether you are grandmas in your 80's, you are daddy and mammy in your 50's, you are big brother in your 30's, or kids like me (don't laugh!) in our 20's; we all spent a tremendous happiness moment celebrated our birthdays, graduation parties, promotion parties, anniversaries, proposing, friends gathering or just after-school hang-out at Carlton.

Opened in the 60's, Carlton was the first high-class Thai cum French restaurant on Silom Road and almost an institution in the unique, famous or infamous Hong-Kong-style-Western-cuisine culture in Thailand following the trend of Western food bloom from Hong Kong. As the pioneer in foreign cuisine adjusted to the Thais palate, Carlton maintains its unique culinary characteristic for years.

In my memory, Carlton’s Rock Lobster Thermidor (Baht 495++) served with lots of lobster meat and rich in Parmesan cheese with sherry and bechamel sauce stuffed into a rock lobster shell, baked. This French dish since 1894 was one of Carlton's popular dishes. The Fondue set (Baht 550++), consisting of tender beef, pork and chicken cubes, fresh salmon and vegetables with the running oil dip always steal the show. The French Onion Soup (Baht 120++) with caramelized onions, reduced beef stock covered with gruyere cheese, baked, was one of my favorite dishes. And my other favorite dish was the Roasted Chicken with Rosemary Sauce (Baht 295++); the chicken was tender and aromatic. Carlton also offered the world cheapest Kobe Beef Steak (Baht 350++); of course for Baht 412 it was not real Kobe beef, but tender enough and good for value. On the Thai menu, what I really appreciated was (only) the Fried Noodle with Shredded Chicken and Chinese Mushroom in Brown Sauce (Baht 250++), probably the most expensive fried chicken noodle in a non-hotel establishment but it was simply delicious.

The last fort of Hong-Kong-style-Western-cuisine presence in Bangkok is completely vanished by the farewell of Carlton on December 31, 2008, giving us a chance of evolution to authentic French cuisine appreciation!!

Our Ratings (1 to 5 the higher the better): Carlton has [3.1]
(Ratings are based on Food, Service and Ambiance, with Price taken into account in relation to Quality) Food =3, Service=3, Ambiance=3, Money Worth=3.5

Details: closed (*Business ceased from 01/Jan/2009 onwards.)
Carlton Restaurant, Sriboonrueng Building, 283 Silom Road, Bangrak, Bangkok 10500, Thailand; Tel.: 02.234.7793