SALA
RIM NAAM (*****): Our first great tourist
and gastronomic experience in Thailand. Still under the jet lag, we booked
our diner at the Meanwhile, we were entertained by dances from old Siam court, and episodes of masked Ramakian performed by "katoeys" (transvestites) any honest man would feel ready to marry on the spot... discovering quickly the sad reality ! Royal treatment, indeed. We left the Sala Rim Naam little bit dizzy with nostalgia, sweet music, great spicy food and cool Singha beer. A servant (we say: there is no common waiter or waitress in this SALA fitted for lords only...) gave us back our shoes, delicately polished. Was it a dream ? No: this was Thailand, Sala Rim Naam, and the superlative luxury of THE ORIENTAL. We recently heard that the SALA RIM NAM was also serving lunch. In a quiet and very local atmosphere -lots of guests were upper class Thai residents- we experienced their sumptuous buffet: lots of crispy, chewy, spicy, sour and sweet delicacies! This was on June 2003, and there was still that unique quality in term of food, beverage and service! Booking is essential. SALA
RIM NAAM (THE
ORIENTAL HOTEL): 48 Oriental Avenue, Bangkok 10500
THE
MAYFLOWER (****):
Decoration is very plush: successful mixture of European and Oriental designs. This is the perfect place to enjoy the famous Dim Sums: they have been making the reputation of THE MAYFLOWER for more than 15 years. The Andaman Sea's Lobster came to us from its aquarium , fresh and cooked like we wished. The Consomme with Soya and Black Mushrooms was little bit too light , missing a "je ne sais quoi". Though a very popular specialty , we enjoyed the way they cooked Fried Noodles with Shrimps and Black Mushrooms. Dessert was Tropical Fruits served with Coconut Creamy Milk. A very good quotation goes to this exquisite restaurant , which doesn't need our recommendation to be fully booked both for lunch and dinner. We just realize we were about forgetting the most important: the very nice hostess at the entrance door , whose long dress opens a little bit too high on her long and beautiful legs , attracting the male guests perhaps even more than the food does... THE
MAYFLOWER (at DUSIT THANI ):946
Rama IV Rd, Bangkok 10500
LE
NORMANDIE (*****): You are both gourmet
and rich ? You like superlative French wines and Thai service ? LE NORMANDIE
is THE We particularly enjoyed the duck liver served with an excellent Sauterne, the supreme of lobster and the "filet mignon" (juicy and tender) with vegetables strudels. Most of ingredients are freshly imported from France: only two or three REAL French restaurants can afford it in Bangkok. Cheese is wonderful, with a great
variety from not so common Murol to popular Bresse Bleu, and from aristocratic
Roquefort to Brie de Meaux, generously served on a trolley. As a dessert,
we took a "creme renversee". This was more than a delight: a real
dream. You have till october to try it... and to economize in order to
pay the bill, if you are not a Sino-Thai millionaire or a state president.
LE
NORMANDIE (THE
ORIENTAL HOTEL): 48 Oriental Avenue, Bangkok 10500
DICK'S
CAFE (***): All the Thai delicacies are in the menu of this cute
cafe, located We loved its colonial atmosphere at first sight. It displays a fresh and convenient design: reminiscent of days gone by and, in some way, quite Parisian with lovely girls (look: it's not that gay!) chatting at the open air terrace over a walking street. We sat at a corner table, in front of the animated bar. Enjoying the cool air braced by a ventilator fixed on the original wood paneled roof. Fresh is the appropriate adjective to describe the cafe: cool, clean, even immaculate, extremely relaxed with a most friendly and efficient staff who knows that Cointreau is served with ice and Cognac without (Thai tend to do the contrary!). This is a place fitted for quiet pleasure. Listening to Louis Armstrong glamourous melodies, we opened the menu. Good surprise, it starts with a drink list one could usually only find in a deluxe hotel bar: from the Russian Stolichnaya vodka till the French Benedictine or the distinguished Spanish Tio Pepe, we found it a real Heaven in a district more or less managed by Mister Heineken (though they also serve that kind of blend beer)... Low price of the beverage (THB 80/US$ 2 for a Johnnie Walker Black Label) is generously extended to the food. We tried first the both crispy and smooth Chicken Lemon: deep fried mashed chicken bites with a strong lime savor. This is one of the chef's specialty. Some guests come only for it. That's great! We had then a Tom Ka Kai (on the menu: Spicy Chicken Soup with Coconut Milk): not as famous -though superior according to our taste- as the world famous Tom Yam, this is one of the richest and tastiest soup available on Earth. At DICK'S CAFE we found it superlative. They put a lot of coconut and mushrooms inside it: as without those ingredients generously mixed, this can't be an authentic Tom Ka Kai. Fried Rice with Beef, Crab, Shrimps or Squids is also unbeatable. A Pad Thai came then on the table: on a big portion, just like the rest of the meals. It was done like Thai cooks do it upcountry: with that undeniable taste fresh noodles develop in the palate. As a desert, all the combinations are available: from the strange at first sight, though actually sweet, Three Colored Vermicelli with Coconut Syrup, till the Sticky Rice with Black Beans in Coconut Syrup or the more international Milk Shake. Believe it or not: in that classy place, in the whole center of the most highly touristy area of Bangkok, fare scarcely go over 60/70 THB (US$ 1.5) per course!!! The management, also running the excellent TARNTAWAN PLACE hotel, is too generous! It's time for now well informed gourmet travellers to take profit! After peeping into their guestbook, we saw that those sitting here before us came to a same conclusion. Unbeatable and warmly recommended! DICK'S
CAFE: Duangthawee Plaza, 894/7-8 Soi Pratoochai, Surawong Road, Bangkok
10500
DOC
CHENG'S (***): Paying tribute to once legendary
Singapore Raffles hotel's doctor, DOC CHENG'S is not a Chinese restaurant.
We As a starter, the now world fashionable Spanish Tapas looked like our favourite choice: the Wok-Fried Calamari with Chilli Dressing, marinated, with an appetising golden crisp, were excellent. Wise alternatives, the Lobster Summer Rolls, with succulent chunks of lobster, wrapped with crispy fresh vegetables in soft rice paper, are a delicacy. Classy dinners will prefer the rich Szechuan Smoked Salmon with Oscietra Caviar: imported from Iran, which is the world best caviar provider, it is served with blinis and sour cream. Note that we found the price quite affordable, at THB 750; while others Tapas are in the THB 200/300 range. Herbal teas and soups were a Doc Cheng's speciality. The Herbal Beef Soup has been partly inspired by his original receipts, with chef's addition of some tasty elements: like the toasted lotus flower croutons. The soup was THB 230. Main courses include Crisp Sea Bass Fillet. The fish was delicate, lightly seasoned and delicately deep-fried: with a shattering crispy skin, but with a warm and tender flesh. At THB 320, this is a warmly recommended speciality. Quite in the Singaporean style, the Indochine Duck, smooth pieces of breast marinated and cooked in its own juice, then laid on a bed of aromatic rice and garnished with a tasty coconut-pineapple sauce, was like a masterpiece of that inventive cuisine displayed at DOC CHENG'S. THB 270 buys a course that would cost at least five times more in a Michelin star restaurant in Paris! As a dessert we have been wisely suggested the Composition of Crème Brulées. This symphony of five crèmes -sago, banana, coconut, red bean and pandan-, glazed with sugar and arranged around a tuile biscuit, was light and palatable. More inventive desserts, like the astonishing Warm Langra Mango with Glazed Frangelico -served with a banana-tofu ice cream- are available for gourmets looking for testing deeper and deeper the subtlety of flavours. All those sweet marvels are on the THB 150-200 range. We enjoyed the all lunch with chilled local Singha beer; though sophisticated dinners will certainly prefer to choose some more accurate beverage in the wine list... whose unique default is to be more oriented on the "new world" vineyards (California, South Africa, Australia...) than on the French vintages. But if you like Dom Perignon, it is available for THB 11,000/bottle. Without this bubbling treasury, DOC CHENG'S is the dreamed place for an unforgettable meal for less than THB 1000. Warmly recommended. DOC
CHENG's (AT LE CONCORDE SWISSOTEL): 204, Ratchadapisek Road, Huay Kwang,
Bangkok 10320
TRADER VIC'S (***): Chains of restaurants are not our cup of tea, as standardization in both food and design doesn't match our Epicurean tastes. The real exception remains TRADER VIC'S. The style is upper-class , though relaxation is encouraged to taste top quality food. There are two TRADER VIC'S in South-East Asia: one in Singapore the other in Bangkok at the BANGKOK MARRIOTT RESORT & SPA . Here we enjoyed a romantic view on river Menam Chao Phraya , a warm decoration , a friendly service , and a reasonable bill for such an honorable restaurant. The food is Polynesian, Chinese, and more generally tropical. Specialties include delicious Pressed Almond Duck Lomi-Lomi (marinated Norwegian salmon Tahitian style), and really succulent Indonesian Rack of Lamb ,grilled in a Chinese wood fired oven giving the meat an extraordinary taste. Desserts with fresh fruits, and refreshing tropical drinks are worth being enjoyed. This is a restaurant we feel like visiting again and again: which is not so common in Bangkok , where the multiplication of good places serving great food involves versatility. TRADER VIC'S
at MARRIOTT ROYAL GARDEN RIVERSIDE
FOCAZZIA
(***): This trendy trattoria at the
NOVOTEL BANGKOK (on Siam Square) is successfully packed every
night with Italian food connoisseurs. This is actually not only We started our dinner with a SELEZIONE D'ANTIPASTI MISTI DEL GIORNO, featuring a selection of daily prepared appetizers, for two. Including: PAN BRUSCHETTA (fresh oven-backed bread, with diced fresh tomatoes, Mozzarella and oregano), AFFETTATI MISTI (Italian cold cuts) and GRIGLIATA DI VERDURE (selection of grilled vegetables in aromatic olive oil). All came freshly delicious. Most of the ingredients are imported: we therefore found the price (THB 310) much affordable. Still as an appetizer, another good option would be the great GRIGLATA DI FRUTTI DI MARE: that rich selection of grilled fish, seafood and vegetables featured some samples of CARPACCIO AI PESCI DI MARE (raw marinated sea bass and tuna, with lemon dressing), and TOTANETTI BALZI ROSSI (spicy-sour marinated grilled baby squid on tomato sauce). Same range of price as the previous course (THB 340). PASTA is also much palatable. WE enjoyed the classical LASAGNE BOLOGNESE: well oven backed, creamy, with first choice meat. Their TAGLIONI PRIMAVERA are also first rate, and not expensive al all: only THB 150 for a most generous portion. The SABAIONE was slightly too sweet according to our taste, but many people like it that way. The TIRAMISU is much recommended (THB 130). For such a good value for money, nobody would believe it, but there is live guitar music till 10pm; then a curtain opens in the back of the room which, in a minute, becomes part of the CM2 : one of the most popular night club and entertainment complex in town ! Don't go there: just rush ! You will like it at first sight. FOCAZZIA
(NOVOTEL
BANGKOK ON SIAM SQUARE) :
OUR SELECTION OF DELUXE HOTELS IN BANGKOK OUR
SELECTION OF CHEAP HOTELS IN BANGKOK
|
||||||||
 FIRST
CLASS AROUND THE WORLD |
Sala
Rim Naam in 
Restaurants
in 
place
for happy few like you. Their French chef supervises this panoramic restaurant
on top of the lavish 
found
the dinning room very much in the western design. Trendy, comfortable,
with enough distance between each table to preserve intimacy or have a
discreet business discussion, it is complemented by cozy private lounges
for VIP dinners, families and small groups.
a
pizzeria, thought they prepare the best PIZZA (THB 160-290) in town: a
wide selection of Mediterranean specialties is also available on the menu.
