UCC Cafe

388
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Comfort of fusion

UCC Cafe, a Japanese brand, is probably Thailand's first foreign coffee chain established in Bangkok, long before Starbucks landed in the Kingdom. Besides coffee and drinks, UCC Cafe offers neo-Japanese cuisine, with selective Thai dishes in addition, and choices of classic comfort food for the high-so(ciety) Siam kids, but not for foodies.

Before Starbucks existed, UCC Cafe (Siam Center branch) was my regular 'meeting-point' with friends, due to its very convenient and visible location in Siam Center.








UCC Cafe' City 21 ***
Shop H6, 1/F Siam Center
989 Rama I Road
Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330
Tel.: 02.658.1716
UCC Coffee

(and branches throughout the Kingdom)

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

Secret Recipe

387
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Sweet tooth express

Secret Recipe, a chain cafe for casual dining and cake shop from Malaysia, has food of television-meal standard and their cakes were not great when they launched in 2004. Over time, the big-cut cakes have had nice improvements, though the food is still served as a punishment for my taste buds.



Secret Recipe ***
G/F Siam Paragon Shopping Center
991 Rama I Road
Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330
Tel.: 02.610.7626
Secret Recipe

and in major shopping centers in Bangkok and upcountry

Open daily : 10 am - 9 pm
Pay (cakes only for two): around THB 250

Baan Khanitha

386
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Nice food, the look only!

Baan Khanitha, a Thai restaurant in the heart of Bangkok, where no Thais will eat there with their family, except for entertaining overseas guests for expense-account dining purposes.

I found Baan Khanitha and Gallery (on Sathorn Road) served as an overpriced canteen (very noisy) for tourists; service and food were poor, as well as the wine list. Baan Khanitha may be a major sponsor for MSG, salt and soy sauce as they were the taste I found in my dishes sampled; not a trace of the harmony of the five tastes in a Thai cuisine found.



Baan Khanitha and Gallery **
69 South Sathorn Road
Sathorn, Bangkok 10120
Tel.: 02.675.4200

Baan Khanitha Thai Cuisine ***
36/1 Soi Shukhumvit 23
Sukhumvit Road
Wattana, Bangkok 10110
Tel.: 02.260.9601

Open daily : 11 am - 11 pm
Pay (food only for two): around THB 1,400

Sansab

385
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A Thai-Issan treat in San Francisco

Few years ago Sansab was quietly tossing its somtum salad and roasting Issan chicken on Ladprao Road; I have no idea, but since when this neighborhood Issan somtum joint felt too lonely to stay in Ladprao, it branched out to Bangkok's major shopping malls, in Central, in Siam Paragon, and now has landed in the Terminal 21 Mall at Asok Intersection.






Sansab Thai Restaurant ***
The Terminal 21
San Francisco Zone, 5/F
288 Sukhumvit Road
(at Asok Intersection)
North Klongtoey, Bangkok 10110

Open daily : 10 am - 9 pm
Pay (food only for two): around THB 600

Omurice & Cafe

384
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Dine in a nest

Omurice, rice in an omelet wrapper, is one the very popular fusion menus in Japan, and, the trend travels South to Thailand as well.





Omurice & Cafe ***
Park Land Bangkok Community Mall
18 Soi Ekamai
Soi 63 Sukhumvit Road
Wattana, Bangkok 10110
Tel.: 02.382.0138

Open daily : lunch 11 am - 2 pm, dinner 5:30 - 9:30 pm
Pay (food only for two): around THB 500

Singapore Pochana

383
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Singapore in Yaowaraj

One of the desserts that Thais love is lod chong Singapore, pandan leaves infused with tapioca worm-like noodles in coconut milk, and topped with shaved ice when served. In Thailand people believe that the green color lod chong Singapore is a dessert that originated from the Lion City - Singapore. I found, it is not exactly the case. A similar dessert is very popular in Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and even Hong Kong, called cendol (or chendol); it probably originated from Indonesia instead of Singapore.

The Thai version of cendol, lod chong Singapore, was introduced by a local dessert vendor near the former Singapore Theater a few decades ago. Today the original lod chong Singapore shop is still there, in Yaowaraj, and it had a representative name, Singapore Pochana. Lod chong Singapore is probably a native Thai dessert with the influence of South East Asia, just as in part of the Thai cuisine there is a trace of Myanmar, Chinese and Vietnamese influence lingering.






My glass of lod chong Singapore, the 'green worm', was lacking in texture, and the coconut milk was not aromatic, with the only taste was so sweet and very sweet. My chance to return for its lod chong Singapore is thin, even if I don't mind the shop hygiene issues.

Singapore Pochana ***
680 Charoenkrung Road
Samphanthawong, Bangkok 10100
Tel.: 02.221.5794

Open daily (except Thursday) : 10 am - 10 pm
Pay (lod-chong Singapore for one): around THB 20

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yumcha @ Silk Road

382
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Drinking tea eating dim-sum

Chinese Cantonese yum-cha (drinking tea, and eating dim-sum, bite-sized food in small portions, usually served in a small bamboo steamer basket, or on a small plate), was listed as #7 of the World's 50 most delicious foods from readers' picks (2011) by CNNGo. So recently I have gone for yum-cha more often, to sample those highly rated Cantonese bite-sized dim-sum treats.

One restaurant I visited lately was the Silk Road, a small Chinese restaurant in the luxurious Plaza Athenee Hotel Bangkok. I eat at the Silk Road quite often for dinner, but for yum-cha (dim-sum lunch), this was my first time.

I found, that the barbecue pork bun (char siu bao) at Silk Road is a must try, above average, while the rest of the dim-sum being (just) average. Besides dim-sum, I also ordered the Peking roast duck three ways, THB 1,200++. Duck skin was so crispy and aromatic, fried duck meat in sweet and sour sauce was superb, while the congee with minced duck meat was disappointing and the chef put too much shredded ginger in it.



Cantonese yum-cha lunch ***
Silk Road Chinese Restaurant
Plaza Athenee Hotel Bangkok
(a Royal Meridien Hotel)
61 Wireless Road
Lumpini, Bangkok 10330
Tel.: 02.650.8800
Silk Road

Open daily : lunch 11:30 am - 2:30 pm, dinner 6 - 10:30 pm
Pay (a la carte dim-sum lunch for two): around THB 1,600
(All-you-can-eat dim-sum lunch is THB 950 net per person)

Espresso Restaurant

381
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Quality buffet to enjoy with friends

Since 2001, the Espresso Restaurant's renowned buffet meal has never let me down.

Friday and Saturday seafood buffet dinner ****
Espresso Restaurant
The InterContinental Hotel Bangkok
973 Ploenchit Road
Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330
Tel.: 02.656.0444
Espresso

Open daily : 6 am - 10:30 pm (dinner buffet 6 - 10:30 pm)
Pay (Fri & Sat seafood buffet dinner): THB 1,499++ per person

BonChon

380
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It's lips licking good!

What do Samsung, Wonder Girls, and BonChon have in common? Besides they are native Korean subjects, and, like most Korean products, they aggressively invaded into every corner of America with no mercy. And BonChon, the fried chicken that "it isn't merely today's best chicken; it's perfect, the best fried chicken that I've ever had", landed in Bangkok.





BonChon Chicken ***1/4
2/F Seenspace 13
251/1 Soi Thonglor 13
Soi 55 Sukhumvit Road
Wattana, Bangkok 10110
Tel.: 02.185.2361

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

*(Update - 2011 December: Korean finger licking fried chicken is now also available in Bangkok's biggest mall - the Central World Plaza)