Consume of shark fin soup used to be the privilege of a Chinese Emperor for a century, later spread to banquet tables in weddings and all exquisite dining parties for the Chinese communities in modern days.Shark fin soup is made with fins obtained from a shark.Frankly, shark fins are the pectoral and dorsal fins of shark species, with flexible soft tissue known as cartilage which contains nutrition and even medical goodness.Shark fin has almost no flavor of its own but has an amazing ability to absorb and enhance the flavor of other ingredients cooked with it, such as hen, pork ribs, dried black mushroom, Yunnan ham, and even expensive dried abalone, simmered for enough hours in preparing of the hearty superior broth for the shark fin soup.Best serve with aged Chinese black vinegar or even a drop of brandy to add the zest in eating pleasure. By now you can figure out why shark fin soup cost so much money for a little serving.
Many people believe shark fins have the benefits of retarding aging, improving sex life (for men), and even curing cancer?On the other hand, academic report of shark fins probably contains high levels of mercury maybe harmful to consumers’ health!
I was told that consume of shark fin soup was cruel and it was against the animal rights.Then some people raise another question about eating foie gras if it is relatively cruel as method of raising goose for the foie gras is more controversial than catching shark.Personally I neither eat shark’s fin as a habit nor particularly enjoy this expensive food (yes it is expensive if you get the real fins and it is even very very expensive if you get the top grade fins); but, some customers and friends from Japan and Greater China region (China, HK and Taiwan) are fans of this delicacy popular in China since the Ming Dynasty.Like it or not, my duty to show them where to eat delicious and real (yes there are many fake fins out there in Yaowaraj and other parts of the country) shark fin soup in Bangkok.
If you are a bit hesitated to eat shark fin soup because of its controversial fining method, but eventually might enjoy a bowl of shark fin soup due to the hearty broth, then rescue came to your palate enjoyment.You may get your bowl (of shark fin soup) in Yaowaraj, Bangrak, Klong Tan or any roadside shark’s fins hawkers, browse the giant tin pot they do the broth, if you find pork ribs and chicken bone in the giant pot, then your bowl of shark fin soup probably is well prepared.How about the killing shark part?Don’t worry, for Baht 300 you don’t get real fins; they are vegetarian fins a.k.a. artificial fins.
Below are my picks for the best shark fin soup in town, either the fins were superior (under the Baht 1,000-2,000 mark), the soup prepared the superb way, or it was environmental friendly vegetarian fins.Please bear in mind in Thailand chefs are better off to prepare Thai-Chinese style braised shark fin in brown soup, not the Cantonese or contemporary Tiew-chew one people eat in Hong Kong and in the US Chinatown.In Greater China region people more opt for the consommé one that require a full day to prepare the broth simmered with pork ribs and chicken (hen) together with expensive ingredients such as Chinese Yunnan ham and even dried abalone without a drop of MSG, rather than the Thai-Chinese style of so-called brown soup based on heavy use of oyster sauce, soy sauce and MSG.
My cherry picks (4 categories):
Category I - Shark fin specialty, the winner is,
Bangkok Shark Fin(曼谷魚翅)
Why? Here they have better broth though oyster sauce and seasonings are not avoidable in all shark fin soup specialties across the nation to prepare the famous (or infamous!) Thai-Chinese style ‘brown’ soup.Taste good with better value than the rest in Thailand!
Food: The braised shark fin soup, Thai-Chinese style ‘brown’ soup base, flavorsome chicken and pork broth, soup not too thick has a nice balance in texture and taste even with the presence of oyster sauce and slightly salty; braised fins so tender!(Besides braised shark fin soup, the restaurant also offers stir-fried shark fins, braised fish maw soup, stir-fried sea cucumber, vegetables, fried noodles to even steam fish.)
Service: Friendly and helpful
Ambiance: Minimal decoration with a nice fish tank for our appreciation during wait for the soup to be arrived, air-con a bit too cold.
Shark fins: Real fins.
Value: From Baht 800 per clay pot; the Baht 1,000 one fins were plentiful in portion; arguably Bangkok best Thai-Chinese style ‘brown’ broth fins soup in term of both quality and quantity.
Address: 218/3-4 Siam Square Soi 1, Rama I Road, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330; Tel.: 02-2510987; open daily 12pm – 12am.
Runner-up: 1) Hock Shark-fins (福魚翅) on 167/2 Surawong Road, Bangkok; Tel.: 02-2335939 2) Nam Sing (南星)* on 231/19 Pattaya 2nd Road, Pattaya, Chon-buri; Tel.: 038-711221 * not Yaowaraj branch
Category II – Shark fin soup hawker, the winner is,
Tai Tong Bangrak(大中魚翅)
Why? Tai Tong Bangrak was chosen because it is safer to sit on the pedestrian footpath in a less traffic lane and probably with less pollution.
Food: Nothing good, just the vegetarian fins may be good for animal rights supporters.The broth had one taste, as, extremely salty.You will love the soup if you are fans of MSG and oyster sauce.
Service: Prompt and friendly
Ambiance: Set inside a lane off the main road better than sitting on the Yaowaraj roadside, still it is roadside ambiance, don’t expect comfort and hygiene.
Shark fins: Vegetarian fins
Value: From Baht 400 per clay pot; my Baht 500 one was overpriced for such quality of broth with vegetarian fins.
Address: Charoen Krung Soi 46, Charoen Krung (New) Road, Bangrak, Bangkok 10500; Tel.: not available; Open daily 5pm – 12am
Runner-up: 1) Sing Shark Fin Hawker, roadside Yaowaraj Road, China Town, Bangkok 2) Klong Tan shark fin soup hawkers, Klong Tan, Bangkok
Category III - Chinese restaurant, the winner is,
Lieo Lieng Seng (廖兩成酒家)
Why? Broth was authentic following Hong Kong’s Tiew-chew recipe, fins are tender and the portion was a steal for Baht 400 a pot.
Food: The braised shark fin soup, broth is rather quite Hong Kong Tiew-chew than local Thai-Chinese one although oyster sauce was on the call.The broth had an obvious taste of dried seafood, pork bone and chicken, not artificial seasonings.Fins were tender. No more extra seasonings to go with the soup, just some Chinese vinegar will enhance the taste and made the fins easier to be digested in our stomach.(The restaurant has a selective Chinese cuisine menu, food quite good!)
Service: Average service with prompt response, friendly recommendation on order.
Ambiance: Minimal decor and small dining hall poses a warm atmosphere for diners. It is bright and clean.
Shark fins: Real fins
Value: From Baht 500 per clay pot; our Baht 1,500 large pot was generous in portion (good for six servings) with relatively good quality of broth.It was a steal of the day.Excellent value!
Address: 802-804 Rama IV Road (behind Montien Hotel), Bangrak, Bangkok 10500; Tel.: 02-2345791; Open daily - 11am-10pm
Runner-up: 1) Tang Jai You (陳再裕酒家) 85-87 Soi Yaowa-Phanich, Yaowaraj; Tel.: 02.224.2167 2) Crystal Jade Golden Palace Restaurant (翡翠金閣酒家) at Siam Paragon Mall; Tel.: 02.129.4343
Category IV - Hotel outlet, the winner is,
China House(中茗閣) @ the Mandarin Oriental Hotel
Why? Soup was hearty, fins were tender, the whole thing was heavenly delicious, and it is the Oriental!
Food: Their braised shark fin soup, broth took a day of work to simmer with expensive ingredients such as Yunnan ham, dried seafood, pork ribs, hen (not any chicken) and Chinese mushroom.The broth didn’t need any more artificial seasonings as the Yunnan ham did the job.Fins in decent portion were tender.Broth was aromatic with the goodness of full-day simmered pork and hen soup, good in nutrition though.I put some aged Chinese malt vinegar to go with the fin soup.(The restaurant offers a full menu for Chinese cuisine.)
Service: The Oriental Hotel kind of attentive service.
Ambiance: Sip your tea and enjoy your bowl of fin soup in an opulent ambiance.
Shark fins: Real fins
Value: Expensive in terms of the Baht, but well worth the bill if no compromise of quality and service is your main concern.
Reopened before Christmas 2006 after months of renovation, I couldn't waste a minute to see her face-lift with a friend, also a food critic, to eat there right after New Year’s holidays.I was so exciting at the beginning until I realized my only reward was a big shock against the totally revamped outline.What I saw was the then elegant century-old colonial house (I miss that house now!) in cream paint had gone completely, in exchange was the murky old building (newly revamped into a old-looking building) painted gray on concrete wall with red light emitting from all windows available on the edge of the hotel property having my imagination linked to a graveyard.And in harmony, the restaurant sign set at the entrance happened to have a great look of gravestone, coincidentally.If it was my first time to this restaurant, I would think this is the first Disney theme park incorporated with the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, a Haunted Mansion!And I am talking about the Mandarin Oriental Hotel's China House, arguably the most prominent Chinese restaurant in Bangkok.
The relatively modern glass portico at the entrance is an addition adhered to the building in a result of the definitely damage to the original look of the traditional house.Step inside.Don't expect there a big well-lit dining hall with round tables outfitting like any other prominent Chinese restaurant across Asia.Thanks to Neri and Hu Design hands on destroying the century-old antique house, brought China House in a dark and mysterious tone.Walls painted in black and ceilings in red, designers were intended to deliver a feeling of dining in an ambiance of the 1930's Shanghai.Small booth and isolated tables divided by the center bar into left and right zone, giving patrons maximum of privacy.Having us feel like being in an opium den in the 1930's Shanghai perhaps!While restaurants in China and Hong Kong always moving forward, seems the China House enjoys a backward in time.I believe it is neither traditional Chinese nor contemporary setting, but a mess-up to the Chinese culture.I am not being snobbish here, if China House is a fusion or Asian specialty restaurant but not focus on authentic Cantonese cuisine with a bit of provincial dishes then I would not feel the eyes sore.
No matter how much I don't approve the revamped China House in terms of interior, the food always brings me back.
On my revisit to the China House with a friend from Hong Kong tonight, we were warmly welcomed and ushered to a booth with good privacy, seats upholstered with horsehair and cowhide were not only comfortable but also opulent.A sip on refreshing chrysanthemum tea started the dinner.
Kicked off with the Stir-fried Shark fin with Eggs Baht 800, consisting of small fin, bean sprout and eggs stir-fried with a hint of Yunnan ham yield an aromatic taste to rescue the naturally tasteless shark fin. Unlike mistakes some Thai-Chinese restaurants repeat, oily and juicy with excessive of sauce; chefs here implement the quick wok-fried technique having (only necessary) sauce absorbed into ingredients to give proper moisture and flavor to the shark fin.The stir-fried shark fin with Eggs was good, but their Vegetables You-mak Sauce Baht 200 was the star of the show.This is a common Northern provincial appetizer in China.The China House version (, instead of having sesame sauce pour onto a bed of greens,) having celery and veggies folded inside a crispy cucumber wrapper, one piece one bite, with the sesame peanut sauce ties it all together.It really gave my taste bud a lift.Now we believe simple is best!
Followed was soup for us.I had the Fish Maw Soup with Shark Cartilage Baht 450 while my friend took the Seafood Soup in Whole Pumpkin Baht 380.Both were seafood soup, both with prawn, and both boiled with Yunnan ham to enhance the taste.Using fruits and sweet vegetables as ingredients are pretty challenging in a kitchen, it is not easy to balance the sweet tastiness of the fruits/sweet veggie with spices and seasonings without the overpowering in one side.At China House, chefs did the balance well.Freshness and naturally sweet of seafood with a hint of sweet from the pumpkin went well under the help of some Yunnan ham to substitute seasonings and MSG, the soup tasted heavenly refreshing.Look simple but eventually lots of work, bravo China House!
To go with fragrant jasmine rice (served warm but not hot, China House shall look at details too!), we had the Pan-fried Xin-jin Style Lamb Chop in Cumin Baht 500, I like cumin a lot since it has a strong scent yield a magical therapy to my appetite.The lamb chop was tendered with the aroma of strong herbs made the dish another star of the night. The Deep-fried Bamboo Fish in Sweet and Sour Sauce Baht 900, the fish was moist but its skin too, we wish the skin could be a bit crispy and the fish bathed longer in the fry oil, with well balanced sweet and sour in good command of julep and wine seasoning earned the mark.The Amaranth with Minced Pork and Dried Fish Flake in Broth Bath 280, broth was good thus helping to lift the appreciation on amaranth a bit but dried fish flake certainly lacked some wok-burnt aroma.So-so!In between main dishes and desserts, we opted for an order of Yi-fu Noodles in Abalone Sauce Baht 280.E-fu (as yi-fu in China House) noodles are also a popular rice/noodle dish in Hong Kong, it should be wok-fried to a dry texture but at China House it was pretty moist. The noodles didn't live up to my expectations.
By now we were pretty full, but without some desserts wouldn't make our China House experience complete.My friend chose the Chilled Pomelo and Sago in Mango Cream Baht 220, and I took the Baked Rice Dumplings with Sesame Fillings Baht 200.The chilled pomelo and sago in mango cream is a popular dessert in Hong Kong, first introduced (if not invented) in the late 80's by Chef Wong of Lei Garden Restaurant (利苑酒家), soon spread to every eateries from prominent hotel restaurants to roadside tea stands, so you feel the allure of this dessert by now.At China House, the mango cream was a bit (too) sweet due to the natural sweetness of Thai mango but the little sour of pomelo solve the gap, and it could be better served chilled than just cold.For my baked rice dumplings with sesame fillings, a kind of dessert like heaven on earth, get my meaning?
The Cantonese feast with a bit of provincial gourmet added at China House was quite enjoyable thanks to the appointment of celebrity Chef Jereme Leung of the Whampoa Club as the China House consultant chef, who in turn brought in one of his brightest protégés Chef Kong Khai Meng to lead the restaurant culinary team.
After dinner there were options to immerse yourself through out the night at the restaurant's two-storey bar decorated in Macassar ebony with blinking lighting system for the bronze, or step into the Tea Apothecary for some Mariage Freres teas.Giving us more time to figure out what part of Shanghai in 1930's Neri and Hu Design would like to interpret!
Our Ratings (1 to 5 the higher the better): China House has [4.0] (Ratings are based on Food, Service and Ambiance, with Price taken into account in relation to Quality) Food =4, Service=4.5, Ambiance=3.5, Money Worth=4
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: braised shark's fin soup, Bi-fong-tong style stir-fried crab (/mantis prawn) with spiced garlic and shallots, deep-fried bamboo fish in sweet and sour sauce, Yangzhou fried rice, bake rice dumplings Wine list: extensive selection of wine Best table: window side booth Details: Open daily - Lunch 11:30am-2:30pm, Dinner 7-10:30pm China House, the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, 48 Oriental Avenue (Charoenkrung Road Soi 40), Bangrak, Bangkok 10500; Tel.: 02-659 9000 http://www.mandarin-oriental.com/bangkok/dining/Restaurants/China_House/default.aspx
Sometimes I crave for roasted suckling pig (real week-old baby pig but not those small pigs presented in most Thai-Chinese eateries) and rare seafood, eating them may simply make my day.Good seafood restaurants accommodate chefs with decent culinary skill aren't being seen everywhere though Bangkok is the center of seafood trading in Thailand.Frustrated isn't it?
Nesting in the humdrum Bangkapi residential community, Ho Kitchen Meng-jai branch came to my rescue.
Occupying two rais of land with spacious parking, this two-storey club-house-look seafood restaurant with the Cantonese accent is easy to be mistaken as a fancy seafood joint without true enthusiasm in the feast if we neither try once nor hear of the restaurant's what-about.Behind Ho Kitchen is a celebrity chef Mr. Ho once mastered the China House @ the Oriental Hotel Bangkok and the same man who made the ShangPalace @ the Shangri-la Hotel Bangkok shone in the 90's before he ventures into his own restaurant business in the entrance to the 21st Century.In Bangkok, Chef Ho believes a feast after authentic and quality Cantonese dining shouldn't be the privilege of those rich tourists and the few well-off Bangkok elites.Thus in contrast to many celebrity chefs tend to open fancy and high-end individual restaurants, Chef Ho aims to the plebeian.With highest quality on an easy pricing in mind Chef Ho opened his first wallet-friendly Ho Kitchen around 10 years ago on Rama 3 Road, soon a second branch opened in Bangkok seaside Bang-khun-thian, and the latest Meng-jai branch is the sign showing to Thais how much he is devoting to the country's restaurant business he found in love with.
In Ho Kitchen Meng-jai branch, a chilled-water fish tank system is being introduced to the country.Imported live seafood enjoy the nursing in some very cold (some even icy) water fish tanks with adjusted temperature for those seafood came from the cooler water region, such as lobster, abalone and barramundi cod (pla-karang-naa-ngon) from Australia, geoduck clam from Canada, and king crab from Alaska.They swim in a similar environment (in term of water temperature) therefore result in the seafood live happier and the meat stay fresher with a firmer texture and a (naturally) sweeter taste.The handling costs increase, but the price doesn't.Instead it is slightly cheaper than those prominent seafood joints even without having such chilled-water fish tank system installed to keep seafood live longer and stronger.
Knowing to keep live seafood happier is one point but having patrons eating happier is even more important, now the responsibility of those Chef Ho trained chefs.To kick off the dinner we had Live Geoduck Clam (Baht 3,100) prepared in sashimi with a hot pot on the side.Need not to describe the geoduck clam was ultra fresh with a hints of crunchy texture thanks to the icy-water tank, the taste was so naturally sweet yield a full flavor of the clam without any help of seasoning.Bravo!The best live geoduck clam I have sampled in Thailand.I remember once I paid for a dish of overpriced stiff and frozen-tasted stir-fried geoduck clam in a Rajprasong area five-star hotel's outlet; therefore, some of those so called 5-star-hotel Chinese executive chefs may have better knowledge in golfing (if not mahjong playing) than cooking!
Our second dish, my favorite, the Roasted Suckling Pig Hong Kong style.Two dishes namely roasted suckling pig HK style and pigeon HK style are among my most wanted list on the dinner table.However, in Bangkok having a good HK style pigeon (you get one in Roselamoon) and roasted HK suckling pig are as difficult as you want some traditional pasta prepared with Abla white truffle flake!Lucky, suckling pig in Ho Kitchen was marinated and roasted the Hong Kong way without any mistake, crispy on skin with thin layer of aromatic meat attached.Critical notice - only her Meng-jai branch has good suckling pig, not the branch in Rama III Road (that one sucks as they deep-fried it).Why one restaurant group has two standards?Maybe Chef Ho has learned from China one country two standards, ooops, it is one country two systems indeed.
Followed was soup to do the cleansing. I had Bird Nest Soup with Minced Chicken (Baht 550) while my friends took the Braised Shark Fin Soup in Supreme Brown Broth (Baht 800) and Monk-Jump-Over-the-Wall (Baht 1,200). Except the monk-jump-over-the-wall, my bird nest soup and the braised fin soup were pleasant.
To go with some rice we ordered the Roasted Pigeon, Stir-fried US Scallop, Yum Sea Conch (boiled sea conch in Thai style spicy salad), and Stir-fried Pak-waan Vegetable (local watercress).They were acceptable though not outstanding.
For a Cantonese dinner we never missed out the fish.Although Ho Kitchen has a wide range of fish to offer from the five continents, but we still stuck to our favorite Steamed Coral Trout in Warm Soy Sauce (Baht 1,600).The fish was steamed to perfection, 90% done with the center of the fish (attached to the bone) left sightly in pink-red.Don't be scare!This is the way a well prepared steamed fish supposed to be.
Although we have heard that the Snowy Taro (puak hima) and Ginkgo Nuts in Roasted Coconut are outstanding desserts in Ho Kitchen but we had to save them for next visit as we were very full by now.
Authentic Cantonese cuisine tends to be on the bland side in tern of seasoning.Real gourmet relies on the freshness and the natural taste of the ingredients instead of the seasonings.Since Ho Kitchen tends to taking care mostly local customers with stronger palate, some Cantonese-cum-Thai dishes were added to the menu.For most dishes original taste couldn't be adjusted due to authentication, house-recipe dipping sauce on the helping hand. Chef Ho trained a team of hotsy-totsy chefs benefited from the state-of-the-art fish tank system, best to keep all seafood live healthier, did prepare us a feast of freshest tasting and quite delicious seafood dinner at Ho Kitchen Meng-jai branch.
If we want good food, then we always have to explore for it and for more. Like I went to a private kitchen hiding in a dilapidated wet market alley found out to be a stunning Thai-Chinese seafood specialty in China Town, the Jok Kitchen. Like I went to a superb Euro-Thai garden eatery in an old apartment where I need to overcome a fear factor to enter the rundown building and took the shabby lift before I found the paradise for both my soul and my palate, the Garden.
Today I have another mission, to take my friends to sample nostalgic Cantonese dishes with a real 60's Hong Kong tone in downtown Bangkok's Asok area. Before I dance with Roselamoon, a self-claimed Cantonese cuisine specialty, it took me a decade of waiting to sample her dishes where the restaurant is just opposite to my old office but I was hesitated to give it a try due to her dim and out-fashioned facade. I used to think Roselamoon maybe another Chinese eatery for the fat-pocket Japanese clientele (yes this area used to be the site of the Japanese Embassy and a major Japanese community in Bangkok) with inflated price but loose the authentication for a native Cantonese feast.
As twelve years go by, on one night I couldn't hold my curiosity longer to see why this die-hard restaurant can survive for decades in the even heavier competitive retail food market if she is no good! Took a deep breath I pushed the door only to stunt a few minutes with hesitation to move forward. In front of me a 60's look dining hall with almost empty tables (at 7pm!) covered with plastic table cloth in subtle flora pattern, the decoration is glittering (the 60's kind I mean) and look like a New Territories (part of Hong Kong) kind village restaurant in my childhood. On my left were two customers in one table, and to my right were a series of obsolete fish tanks only to accommodate lichen. No pain no gain! Go go go! Anyway it was still early, if the food was wrong then I could go cross the street for my favorite steak at Neil's Tavern.
The menu is as minimal as a single page laminated sheet, with around 50 items to offer. Browsed the whole menu the Roasted Pigeon Hong Kong Style caught my attention, as this is a simple dish but really hard to please gourmet. I am a pigeon eater. I like pigeon whether it is Chinese style or French style; and whether it is braised, drunken, or roasted. However, after sampled most prominent individual and hotel restaurants in Bangkok there is no one came close to those quality I used to eat in Hong Kong. Without high hope I still took the pigeon as my only attempt, if it was no good, then I could move to Neil's Tavern to continue my dinner; therefore, I even called to secure a table at 8.
The Roasted Pigeon Hong Kong Style arrived to the table, my eyes opened, hey she looked okay! At least from the appearance of the bird's color and the aroma from the pigeon I was convinced that the bird was deep-fried in a pool of fresh frying oil, not recycled oil that many restaurants do without any shame. I held the pigeon with my fingers to deliver the first piece for tasting, then I experienced the love at first bite! The skin was so crispy while the meat was moist and tender with a subtle seasoning not overpowered the natural flesh taste of the bird. Then the table at Neil's Tavern was canceled and more dishes were ordered at Roselamoon, and more revisit since that day!
Of course Roselamoon's menu isn't only about pigeon. The owner keeps the menu small to ensure offers in Roselamoon were all specialties. Tonight our appetizers were Roasted Pigeons Hong Kong Style (Baht 350 each), one for each person. In Hong Kong, there are a few pigeon specialty restaurants and we really take roasted pigeon as an appetizer. Followed were Stir-fried Iceberg Lettuce in Oyster Sauce, and Quick-boiled Hong Kong Kale in Oyster Sauce. They were ideal to clear some grease if we ate too much deep-fried food. The Stir-fried Curry Crab (Baht 780 for our crab/ Baht 1,000 per kilogram) was so marvelous in overall it yielded a well balanced taste from Indian curry and spices incorporated well with the crab meat itself, not overwhelming by the spicy taste from chilies as some famous seafood joints do. This is real Hong Kong style curry crab though it is not the Thai-Chinese kind. The Deep-fried Sand Goby with Soy Sauce (Baht 650 for our fish/ Baht 850 per kilogram) was one of the best selling dishes of the restaurant. Roselamoon refuses farmed sand goby in the result with better texture and taste, the natural way. Fried E-fu Noodles and Wok-fried Flat Noodles with Beef were the other Stars of the night alongside with the pigeon. To conclude the dinner we had Home-made Black Sesame Paste Desserts, home-made?
I was filled with nostalgia by dining at Roselamoon with my favorite childhood dishes namely the roasted pigeon, the curry crab HK taste, and the quick-boiled kale in oyster sauce, as well as the wok-fried flat noodles with beef. Not only these dishes were some of my childhood favorites but Roselamoon also cooked them the nostalgic way, those same culinary skill in the 60's - 70's of Hong Kong. For example, in the very old days boiled kale in oyster sauce should incorporate with fried lard to unlock the aromatic flavor of oyster sauce, nowadays due to healthy concern lard had been abandon in the kitchen. To bring back some good old days' memory once in a while by eating this kale in oyster sauce with lard at Roselamoon is acceptable. If you really don't want lard and MSG, tell the chef to avoid them.
I am delighted to narrow down Roselamoon as a roasted pigeon specialty in Bangkok rather than a broad Cantonese cuisine specialty though overall most dishes were delicious. Roselamoon also retraces my memory of those bestsellers juicy and tender roasted pigeons in Lung-wah Restaurant and Fung-lam Kitchen we enjoyed so much with my family in the 60's to 70's of Hong Kong.
Listen to mammy said not to judge by one's appearance (in this case a restaurant) may save myself twelve years of wasting of time until I sampled my favorite roasted pigeon in Bangkok. Be a good son/daughter then!
Roselamoon Chinese Restaurant ****1/4 165/5-6 Asok Road (Sukhumvit Soi 21) Sukhumvit Road Wattana, Bangkok 10110 Tel.: 02.258.3406
Open daily: Lunch 11am - 2pm; Dinner 6 - 10pm Pay (food for two): around THB 800 without seafood (or THB 1,500 with them)
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
Jok Kitchen私家菜館, Chinatown Bangkok A friend from Taiwan visited Bangkok for his first book on the City of Angel after his nine successful series for France, Mainland China, Macau and Hong Kong. I felt obliged to bring him to an eatery a little special than anyone may reach. Accompanied by good friends from Hong Kong, five of us marched to Yaowaraj Bangkok's China Town, through maze-like lanes and alleys, we arrived to a sidewalk market in a wet and dirty alley with rundown shop houses on two sides. One of my friend stopped and asked me with doubt " Were we lost?" with his mind puzzled 'Hope this is not the place!'. Another friend asked if the special lunch meant we actually do the cooking so we were brought to a wet market for ingredients! Owing them answers, I took them to a small room in one of the shop houses without a proper restaurant facade. The zero-decorated room has two tables covered with fancy Chinese tablecloths and few folding chairs. My other friend asked, "Oh, confirmed so we are eating at your house?" I wish that is my house, as anyone owns a property in China Town means they maybe a 9-digit millionaire.
We were at Jok's place, or the owner/chef Mr. Jok called it the Jok Kitchen.
To introduce Jok I have to rerun history of a boy growing up in a seafood wholesale and export Thai-Chinese family in Yaowaraj (Bangkok's China Town), who has the chance to stay with best seafood material since born. Jok's family were one of Thailand big time crab farmer cum exporter for years, then little boy Jok always followed his father to restaurants in Bangkok and Hong Kong for business, where he learned culinary skills from top chefs since young. Until now Jok's elder brother is still exporting crab and seafood to countries around the world, while Jok enters to retail restaurant business with passion to cook. Friendly and party animal Jok started cooking for his friends, through word-of-mouth more friends requested to sample his culinary skill, led Jok to begin the one-table eatery in his shop house's home in the middle of Bangkok's China Town few years ago, while expanding to four tables today. Jok has no plan to expand further as he believes mass production will only ruin the quality of the food.
Since it is a home kitchen, just like we eat at a friend's house, so we don't order food and eventually menu was absent in Jok Kitchen. Correct, no menu to order food. Our lunch was like a game show guessing what was the first and what was the next!
Our 6-course lunch were, 1. Quick boiled wonton Cantonese style 2. Smoked duck and pork meat in thin slices 3. Steam medium size Surat-thani sea crab (3 crabs) shelled 4. Spicy lemongrass salad with prawns 5. Vegetables (Chinese baby kale) in oyster sauce with canned abalone 6. Taro mousse with ginkgo nuts on the bed of sweet sticky rice a.k.a. ow-ni
Cost was Baht 3,750 (the crab was B800 each)
Chinese cuisine is known for its subtle blend of spices, flavors and textures and Jok exemplifies the very best in Chinese cooking, with a wide range of classic Chinese delights to stimulate your palate and satisfy your appetite.
I think my friend will include Jok Kitchen in his latest collection the Bangkok Swing, the book is scheduled to launch during December 2008 in Taiwan.
Jok Kitchen ***1/2
23 Trok Issaranuphap
Phiap Phia CHai Road
Pom Prap Sattru Phai, Bangkok 10100
Tel.: 02.221.4075, 02.623.3921
Open daily: Lunch 11am - 3pm; Dinner 6 - 11pm
(by reservation only, for lunch 2-3 weeks in advance, for dinner 2 months in advance)
Use of top grade and freshness of ingredients, stick to the preparation a Cantonese dish should be, and taste of authentic are appropriate terms to describe the Crystal Jade Golden Palace Restaurant.
The interior of the restaurant is on the contemporary side, smart and elegant. The restaurant was divided by a wine cellar wall into two dining section. One section with 6-12 persons tables attached to a big fish tank with live seafood order-to-cook while the other section with 2-4 persons small tables attached to a stairway to the mezzanine private rooms.
On our recent revisit to Crystal Jade, we treated ourselves a table of banquet although we were only five. We started the feast with the Peking Duck B850++, crispy Duck Skin were skillfully peeled fat-free in front of us and we were served the peeled skin with the condiments, which were celery, green onion and small rice flour wrapper together with thick brown house sauce. Waiter took the meat back to the kitchen and returned with the Stir-fried Duck Meat with Fried Garlic. Followed the duck were our favorite soup in Crystal Jade, the Almond Soup with Pig Lung B650++. The soup is complicated to prepare even in Hong Kong nowadays only very few eateries can do this soup right.
Although we had the Peking duck, the lure of scrumptious roasted food in Crystal Jade tempted us for a portion of Roasted Duck together with a portion of Suckling Pig. Both were roasted follow to strict Hong Kong recipes and came out so crispy in skin as well as so moist in meat, yummy! In Bangkok many eateries claimed themselves are roasted duck specialists but I found out fewer of them do the duck right, they only use the sauce to enhance the taste but fundamentally the duck was not that well prepared.
Dishes to go with jasmine rice we ordered the Stir-fried String Bean in Mild Garlic Sauce, Braised Bean Curd with Seafood in a Clay Pot, Baked Frog Leg Gluten in a Clay Pot, Steamed Minced Pork with Preserved Salty Egg, and Steamed Chicken with Cloud Ears (black fungus).
A feast without a steam fish wasn't a feast, so we took the Steamed Coral Trout in Warm Soy Sauce, the steam fish in Crystal Jade has always lived up to my expectation.
Before our dinner concluded we had the Amaranth with Silver and Golden Eggs to clean our taste buds for the desserts. The 'silver eggs' were preserved salty duck eggs while the 'golden eggs' were actually preserved duck eggs wrapped in mud and ash mixed coating. Amaranth soaked in a broth with fried garlic and cooked silver and golden eggs.
Our desserts, the Mango Pudding and Double Boiled Hashima in Whole Grilled Coconut were never better choices to wrap up our delightful dinner.
Crystal Jade is my most favorite non-hotel Chinese restaurant in Bangkok.
Our Ratings (1 to 5 the higher the better): C J dinner has [4.1] (Ratings are based on Food, Service and Ambience, with Price taken into account in relation to Quality) Food =4.5, Service=4.5, Ambience=3.5, Money Worth=4
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)
Last week we went to Grill Tokyo in the Siam Paragon Mall we promised a revisit to the Crystal Jade situated at the next door. Crystal Jade is a famous Chinese restaurant chain in Singapore and also with extension to Hong Kong by offering Chinese Northern provincial cuisine such as xiao-long-bao (steamed mini rice flour bun with minced pork filling), dumplings, noodles, and authentic Northern provincial dishes. Crystal Jade Chinese Restaurant in the Siam Paragon instead offering Cantonese (Canton is a province includes Hong Kong in Southern China and better referred as Guangdong in today’s knowledge) fine dining while the sister Crystal Jade Lai Mei Xian Long Bao (in the Erawan Plaza) offering a more casual array of Chinese Northern bistro delis.
Like most Chinese restaurants catering Canton specialty, Crystal Jade Chinese Restaurant offering us a yum-cha (drinking tea eating dim sum ready in a small bamboo basket) experience during lunch. The yum-cha culinary arts of Chinese Cantonese cuisine are unique and practical. A decent basket of dim sum requires the preparation and expertise of a dim sum chef with matching high quality of tea to become a treat. It is a routine eating habit for Hong Kong people going yum cha during lunch, or foreign visitors to Hong Kong will be advised to copy so.
In Bangkok, there are handsome amount of Chinese restaurants do the dim sum right, mostly in hotels’ outlets. Stand-alone likes Crystal Jade Chinese Restaurant, the quality was among the top three that we have sampled in Bangkok. Here was the treat we had.
A complete yum cha experience should start with the roasted dishes, such as a portion of Roasted Duck, Soy Sauce Chicken, Suckling Pig, and Roasted Honey Pork Ribs. Those roasted dishes were among the best we have sampled in Bangkok.
Followed by bowls of Canpoy (dried scallop) Soup Dumpling with Shark’s Fin or Meat Fillings, and Cheong-fun (Rice Roll filled with Prawn or BBQ Pork) enhanced our yum cha pleasure. In Crystal Jade the cheong-fun skin was too thick and sticky, but the fillings had the right taste. Not the best but definitely above average.
On the dim sum part we had a real treat that day starting with Har-gau (dumplings of shrimp wrapped in a thin wheat starch sheet), Siu-mai (dumplings of shrimp and pork fillings wrapped in a thin wheat flour wrapper), and Char-siu-baau (steam buns of BBQ pork fillings). These dim sum trio were the most popular dim sum choices in the Cantonese yum cha culture. In the old days a dim-sum-lady carrying the trio would announce in loud ‘har-gar, siu-mai, char-siu-bauu’ together to attract awareness while cruising around the restaurant. We also picked a basket of Rabbit Dumpling with Vegetable Fillings.
Further we sampled the Steam Spare Pork Ribs, Steam Beef Meat Balls, a popular dim sum item in Hong Kong but hardly found in Bangkok, Foo-pae-gheun(deep-fried bean curd sheet wrapped in prawn fillings), Lo-bak-go (daikon radish cakes), Ham-sui-kok (deep-fried salty meat puff), and Durian-sou (pastry filled with durian).
Also served were the Wok-fried Vegetables (Tong-O) with Garlic, and the Fried Rice Yin-Yan (fried rice of tomato sauce with meat and cream sauce with prawn). Although the fried rice wasn’t impressive but we appreciated that Crystal Jade include this once popular fried rice in the menu. Maybe it was the first fusion offer in the Cantonese culinary history.
We ended the scrumptious yum cha journey with some sweets. They were Dan-ta (egg custard tart), and Mango Pudding.
In Hong Kong, quality dim sum served everywhere; however, in Bangkok please make sure only enjoy yum cha or eat dim sum in a 4 or 5-star hotel or a prominent Chinese (Cantonese) eatery otherwise you may never want to eat dim sum again. Avoid Thai-Chinese eateries and local small vendors as they don’t provide authentic Cantonese dim sum and lack of using fresh ingredients unless you would like a round of Thai-Chinese version.
I had an appointment with one of my associates, a Sukhumvit guru, at the Emporium Shopping Mall for dim sum lunch. He kept asking did I mean the Imperial Queen's Park Hotel or the nearby Novotel as within the shopping mall there shall be no decent Chinese eatery. Well my Sukhumvit guru was half wrong and half correct only have to blame local media low attention to the Emporia, a Chinese restaurant in the Emporium Building occupying on the hotel wing. I walked him to the entrance for the Emporium Suites, a serviced apartment cum hotel, through Starbucks Coffee on 2nd floor of the shopping mall to the Emporium's office lobby. There we took the hotel lift to the EL floor, only to sample Emporia's all-you-can-eat dim sum lunch in this luxury version of the city's hole-in-the-wall.
The Emporia is run by the Bangkok Club, a Bangkok Bank's private club for fellow tycoons of which membership by invitation only (of course), has one of Bangkok's top Chinese eateries head by Chef Fong from Hong Kong. When the Emporium Suites decided to put an exquisite Chinese restaurant in the hotel property to replace the unwelcome coffee shop, they had Bangkok Club's Ivory Palace (a Cantonese restaurant) to help building a solid foundation for the Club sponsored Emporia Chinese Restaurant in the Emporium Suites. Five years have passed, although the Emporia doesn't fly high, but it does well in her low profile presentation.
Emporia, with modern interior featuring contemporary Asian in green, brown and gold color scheme, it is surrounding elegant and quiet, with a sense of tranquility and style rarely found in a downtown Chinese restaurant. During lunch, both a la carte and all-you-can-eat (Baht 499++) dim sum were offered. We picked the all-you-can-eat dim sum offer. Started with a bowl of soup (with choices), followed by hau-gar (dumplings of shrimp and bamboo shoot wrapped in a thin rice starch sheet) and siu-mai (dumplings of pork and shrimp fillings wrapped in a thin kansui flour wrapper), a must. Also delighted were the lo-bak-go (pan-fried daikon radish cakes), though less impressive than fu-pae-gheun (deep-fried bean curd sheet wrapper in shrimp paste fillings). I also took the cheong-fun (steamed rice roll filled with BBQ pork), steamed fish fillet, and the e-fu noodles. They were steamed-to-order and kept my mouth busy most of the time.
No one would describe the food as outstanding, but it is good having Cantonese yum cha near the cloud with the hustle and bustle Sukhumvit Road beneath. In terms of service, you can expect no less attention from Emporia's service staff compared to what you could get at a five-star hotel, but without any trace of pretentious. This is an excellent place to entertain visiting guests, or even dine-with-a-view alone to cheer up the mood.
All in all, Emporia's all-you-can-eat Dim Sum Lunch at Baht 499++ is a venue for value-for-money fare and is recommended if you are in and around the Emporium Shopping Mall. Stunning panorama view is complimentary from the restaurant.
Emporia Chinese Restaurant猷茜樓 ***1/2
EL Floor (25/F), the Emporium Suites 622 Sukhumvit Road Klong Toey, Bangkok 10110 Tel.: 02.664.9999 ext.1608
Open daily : lunch 11 am - 2:30 pm, dinner 6 - 10pm Pay (food only for two): lunch around THB 1,300, dinner around THB 2,500 .
Coffee Bean by Dao @ Grande Centre Point Hotel and Residence
This family restaurant and cake shop first appeared in the Ekamai Thonglo neighborhood 11 years ago. At the beginning I was not quite aware of this wonderful eatery even I am one in the neighborhood, because Coffee Bean by Dao is hiding itself in a sub-soi (small lane). Even the location is not convenience to all, but its business is busy. People go there for the white chocolate cake and scrumptious western and Thai dishes.
I met the owner, Dao (Susri Pangputhipong), first time I visited her first branch on Ekamai Soi 12 wondering if she can run a restaurant and do the cakes, since Dao is an elegant lady dressed a bit fashionable, one of those who never-go-to-the-kitchen-before type high-so(ciety) figures. I can find ‘noble’ on her. So I had enough ground on the doubt if she can survive from the restaurant game or she just wants a toy to kill time. And as time goes by, she proofs to us that she does it well. Now she owns 5 branches and some cakes corners.
Last week I visited to Coffee Bean by Dao’s new branch at Grande Centre Point Hotel off Rajdamri Road with friends from the hotel. We began with the restaurant’s all time favorites Nachos and Vol-au-vents in Tuna Mousse. The soup I ordered was the Asparagus and Carrot Soup in tai-chi look, aroi (delicious). My friends preferred the Seafood Salad, Pork Satay, and Baked Baby Clam. For main courses we took the Fish and Chips, Spare Ribs, Wok-fried Flat Noodles, and my favorite Inked Spaghetti in Crème Sauce with Tiger Prawn. Our lunch rounded up with some cakes, including the restaurant renowned White Chocolate Cake. To me those cakes were too sweet but it is not her problem as Thais like sweet to very sweet, and my palate is tended to be on the mild side. When I visit Coffee Bean by Dao I adjust my sweet gauge upward, therefore I enjoy the desserts so much alongside with my Thai friends.
Coffee Bean by Dao is now a symbol of quality cakes, esp. white chocolate cakes and cheese cakes, and east meets west cuisine among Bangkokians.
Coffee Bean by Dao ***1/2 @ Grande Centre Point Ratchadamri 153/2 Soi Mahatlek Luang 1 Ratchadamri Road Lumpini, Bangkok 10330 Tel.: 02.670.5000 Coffee Bean by Dao
Open daily : 6:30 am - 10 pm Pay (food only for two): around THB 1,000
* Coffee Bean by Dao also has branches at Central World Plaza, Siam Paragon, and the Ruamrudee Village; while its main branch is on Ekamai Soi 12
* (update on 2011-05-10: its Grande Centre Point Ratchadamri branch had been closed) .
On a sunning-shine-up afternoon we went to Laem Chareon Seafood with friends from Hong Kong to sample their famous seafood dishes prepared from only the freshest ingredients mainly from Rayong, that admired by the locals.
Laem Chareon Seafood is originated from Rayong (a seaside province southeast of Bangkok), with its first Bangkok branch opened few years ago in Meng Jai intersection of Bangkok’s Huay Khwang district, where we visited yesterday.
This three decades famous seafood restaurant drew my attention since the first time I went to Koh Samed passing by Rayong, my local friends brought me there for lunch before we boarded the ferry to the island; since then, I never complained again that along the Rayong coastline was lacking of a decent seafood restaurant to allow food connoisseurs like us to enjoy the seafood caught fresh by fishermen in the area.
One of our friends at the table is a super fan of cockles, so we started with the Hoy Kraeng Lua (quick-boiled cockles) and the Yum Pla Khao-san (spicy silver rice fish salad with Thai herbs). These ultra small fishes known as pla khao san (or silver rice fish) are a harvest off Rayong beaches, fishermen usually sun-dried them to sell near the fishermen pier. At Laem Charoen the tiny fishes were being deep-fried and dressed with yum sauce made of fish sauce, chilies, lime juice and cashew nuts together with mint, onion and tomatoes. They promote a taste of little spicy and hint of sour in good balance, and the mild salty and natural sweet of the fishes themselves weren’t overpowered by the sauce, an ideal dish to start the meal with a glass of beer. The cockles were delicious. They were fresh and naturally sweet in taste working out in harmony with the house’s sauce; we ordered another round of the quick-boiled cockles and also the Yum Hoy Kraeng (spicy cockle salad with Thai herbs). In a Thai restaurant, almost every dish (except the soup) has its own sauce/dip to enhance the taste. Sauces in Laem Charoen made from her own recipes, with special care of fresh ingredients included lime juice, chili and herbs having Laem Charoen’s taste different. In another word, the sauces/dips were marvelous.
To have my friends evolved their palate from tumyumgoong to chao-baan’s (villagers) tastes, we took the Gaeng Kua Poo Khai Nor Mai Dong (spicy & sour soup in preserved bamboo shoots and coconut curry with blue swimming crab and crab roe). My friends were lucky to sample this popular Eastern seaboard specialty while even many Thais have not. But not all of them like it. The soup was pungent hot with a strong smell of fermented shrimp paste and bamboo shoots, if you like it, it tastes aromatic or if you don’t then your taste buds sting. So for beginners to Thai food I do suggest you may keep a distance from the gaeng kua poo khai nor mai dong and stick with the commonly welcomed tumyumgoong (spicy and sour prawn soup).
One of the house specialties is the Pla Kapong Tord Nam-pla (deep-fried Thai white sea bass marinated with fish sauce). Our fish was fresh, crispy on the outside and tendered inside getting along perfectly with the sugarcane thickened fish sauce, without the unwelcome smell of aged fried oil like many other seafood restaurants do by saving cost.
More dishes to go with rice were, the Goong Pad Phong Karee (wok-fried prawns in yellow curry sauce), Hoy Chen Pad Kaphrao (wok-fried sea scallops with holly basil in hot and sweet sauce), Pad Yord Mara (stir-fried bitter gourd leaves), and Pad Pak Todmea (stir-fried snow pea sprouts). The prawns were CP grade but the curry was really good, not too thick and creamy, also yield a rich taste of the yellow curry instead of taste of a mixed-of-everything like some other seafood restaurants do. The sea scallops with holly basil was pungent hot and well done although the scallops were below my expectations, and not recommend to people with a tourist palate.
To conclude our lunch, we ordered the Seasonal Fruit Platter (water melon, pineapple and tangerine). Usually I don’t take desserts in Thai restaurants as they are always too generous for adding sugar and a lot of sugar. But at Laem Charoean, I had to order the Sala Loy Kaeo (sala fruits in syrup) not because at Laem Charoean the mentioned desserts were not sweet, but because sala fruits are famous crop from Rayong so I would like my friends sampling them.
Laem Chareon doesn’t require our sponsorship to its decoration; instead, we were convinced almost every penny was paid for the food and service. The shop layout is simple but clean, nothing fancy but bright as we opt for the goodness of Laem Charoen’s fresh seafood. Surprisingly services were attentive and prompt in a local-level managed restaurant. Our meal ended up was a pleasant one!
Laem Chareon Seafood Restaurant ****
577 Prachautit Road
Huay Khwang, Bangkok 10310
Tel.: 02.274.3619
Open daily: 11am - 10pm
Pay (food only for two): around THB 1,000 with seafood
* Update on 04-October-2008 > Now Laem Chareon Seafood has a city branch, right at the Central World Plaza. I haven't tried the food in this new branch yet. Honestly, I don't quite trust those branches in a shopping mall. So I will still support Laem Chareon's Huay Khwang or Ramintra branch if not the Rayong main branch. .
Thien Duong @ the Dusit Thani While TAT (Tourism Authority of Thailand) promotes Thailand as the World’s Kitchen in its recent years campaign, Bangkok gradually became a worldwide gourmet capital, gourmet from around the globe must be able to be well prepared in local eateries. One of four major Asian cuisines is Vietnamese, besides Chinese, Japanese and Indian. Vietnamese cuisine has planted a long root in Thai food culinary arts; while some Thai dishes may be influenced by the Vietnamese, some may be familiar to each other. Without a meal of Vietnamese food couldn’t make my gourmet tour in the gourmet capital, Bangkok, with satisfaction. Luckily we were therefore arranged to sample one of the best hotel’s Vietnamese food in Bangkok, at Thien Duong in the renowned 5-star Dusit Thani Hotel. Classic and classy a mix of French and Vietnamese was the first impression when I entered the restaurant, so I expected the price was not easy. Browsing at the menu the food variety was essential and surprisingly the price was much below a 5-star hotel restaurant should have charged. One of the friends on our dining table had extensive knowledge in Vietnamese food as he had 2 Vietnamese (ex)girlfriends in San Francisco for a total of 10 years. So we let him decide our dinner that night.
Before any eating action, a chilled Fresh Lemongrass Juice couldn’t be missed, but my friends preferred some Red Wine. Well it did make good sense to have red wine to accompany a journey of Vietnamese dining as taste was quite strong since heavy use of herbs, deep-fried onion flakes, and spices were popular in Vietnamese cooking.
The first order was the Thien Duong Khai Vi B260++ (a 4-kind hors d’oeuvre of Goi Cuon or fresh spring rolls, Bo La Lot or beef wrapped in Good King Henry leaves, Chao Tom or fried minced shrimp on a sugarcane skewer,Nem Nuong or charcoal grilled pork balls). It was wonderful to have these combination to start the dinner.
Further we had Cha Gio B210++ (deep-fried spring rolls stuffed with crabmeat, shrimp, and pork), eating them wrapped in lettuce with more vegetables and Dipping, therefore there was a big bowl of Fresh Vegetables (Thai basil leaves, holy basil, mint, fitweed, lettuce, and cucumber) being served; the taste was aromatic enough but the freshness of meat was not overpowered by the seasoning, the chef simply made a good balance in the ingredients and her skill.
Came after cha gio were, Goi Ngo Sen B170++ (budding lotus stem salad with shrimp), taste was difference from the yum (Thai salad) with inviting taste of sour and sweet; Banh Cuon Thit Lon B250++ (steamed Viernamese rice flour sheets filled with minced pork and shrimp), a popular dish on Vietnamese dining table; and (5) Bun Hoi (grilled pork marinated with lemongrass and herbs served on a bed of steamed vermicelli), pork was so tender and tasted good with full aroma from the herbs, however, Thien Duong version did not serve with Cha Gio of which usually included on the dish. Followed were the waitperson's recommendation, Thit Thien Duong B360++ (lemongrass skewered beef tenderloin with green peppercorns) and Chim Bo Cal Chim Goin B550++ (deep-fried pigeon dipped with black pepper salt and lime juice); however, not impressive. The supposed to be tendered beef tenderloin turned out a bit hard-to-chew, and the pigeon had lost the taste of the naturally sweet of the bird instead full of a deep frozen accent and seasoning.
Pho, the Vietnamese flat noodle in soup, is always my favorite dish when dine in a Vietnamese restaurant. So I didn’t miss the Pork Pho B170++ (Vietnamese rice noodle soup with pork meat) and theChicken Pho B170++ while beef pho may be more popular among Vietnamese diners. Canh Chua B195++ (Vietnamese fisherman's soup with prawns, mussels, fish and mushrooms) was a delightful substitute for something other than pho.
For desserts we ordered Banh Dua (green tea custard with sesame wafer), and Cheo Thong (mung (green) bean with tapioca). Both were not outstanding but good point was they were not too sweet compared to Thai desserts.
Thien Duong and the Dusit Thani have an extensive selection of wines for diners.
