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Posted by - ® JohnB on June 3, 2006 at 2:57 pm:
In Reply to: ahhhh you have emdee's reviews? posted by barebear on June 3, 2006 at 12:03 pm:
GUIDE TO EATING OUT IN BANGKOK
THAI
I could write a book on Bangkok’s Thai food. I’m also conscious that if I make this post too long, the readers will start falling asleep before they are half way through.
Therefore I am going to break it down into three categories: Expensive Thai Cuisine, moderately priced Thai Cuisine and then reveal my “secret” street of Thai restaurants, something that I have wrestling with all week re to publish or not publish, and finish with words of warning regarding the roadside stalls in Bangkok and elsewhere. Finally, in Part VI, I will pass on a tip given to me by a naturopath many years ago, that will assist you as greatly as it has me during my travels throughout Asia over the past 35 years.
EXPENSIVE THAI CUISINE
BASIL (The Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit)
In part I you may recall that I gave a high recommendation to this establishment’s buffet, which I rated the best in Bangkok.
The SGS’s Thai restaurant, Basil (not named after the infamous hotelier Basil Fawlty, but in reference to the aromatic Thai herb), I would rate amongst the best half dozen Thai restaurants in Thailand. It is expensive, but it is good, unlike a lot of other restaurants, where the fare doesn’t match the prices.
The décor could be described as modern or contemporary and the ambience is peaceful. This hotel has won several awards and deservedly so.
As a “farang” the wait staff will tell the kitchen “narn Prik” so that you will not be calling for a fire hydrant to be parked next to your table.
The soft shell crab with coconut and lime is exquisite and a true signature dish of this outstanding restaurant.
All of the traditional Thai favourites are here, but at elevated prices and superb cooking techniques.
This place is easy to find. Just get off the BTS at Asoke and there before your eyes on the right hand side (if you are coming from Siam) is the SGS.
Don’t bother about ordering wine here, despite the lavish surroundings and stratospheric prices. Wine with Thai food is not really compatible. Just order a beer, or if you don’t like beer a G&T, both go well with the rumbustious and bucolic flavours of Thai food and it will make the tab just that bit easier to justify as you wind your way out of the hotel.
So, if both of you can stick to beer and G&T or fruit juices, and order an entrée each followed by a main course each, and maybe a cooling dessert, expect the bill to be an Amex Gold Card job, coming out at around 2500 baht++.
There are many “splurge” Thai restaurants in this category, almost all of them located in Bangkok’s five star hotels. Some almost equal Basil, but none surpass it for the big “Thai” night out.
MODERATELY PRICED THAI
CABBAGES AND CONDOMS
This venerable Bangkok institution continues to roll along year after year, packing in visitors regularly every night of the week. I say visitors, because locals are notable by their absence, possibly because the prices are more than they can reasonably afford, but also I suspect, the food is not spiced to the extreme levels that they are used to.
It might be my imagination, but every time I dine at this restaurant, there seems to be more fairy lights than the time before.
On the night we dined there, the place was 60% full, which for a Bangkok restaurant, with so much stiff competition in the immediate vicinity, is a testament to its name and fame.
We sat upstairs on the verandah and had a lovely view of the proceedings and of the diners below, and watching the misty spray illuminated in the fairy lights, keeping the ambient humidity bearable.
The young man who served our table spoke excellent English, and soon we had the menus in our hands while quenching our thirsts on a large bottle of Singha and a Singapore Sling.
We ordered a serve of deep fried spring rolls which cost 150 baht, which came to the table on a little oval dish, with a dipping sauce consisting of chilli sauce, fish sauce, and light soy.
They were lovely and crunchy, and had been well made, with a nice tasty filling.
The spring rolls were followed by a tureen of Tom Yoong Goong which produced four serves from its steaming vessel, and was a particularly good example of one of the national dishes of Thailand. The cost of the soup was 180 baht, which worked out at 45 baht per serve, representing very good value indeed.
For our main courses we ordered deep fried pork with deep fried garlic and black pepper, which was priced at 180 baht. The pork, cut into ribbons was succulent and the vegetables in the mix complemented the richness of the pork beautifully. The sauce was piquant and spicy and overall we gave this dish high marks for its composition and presentation.
Next on the table were the prawns with sweet basil, stir fried in garlic and fish sauce, priced at 250 baht, accompanied by one serve of jasmine rice, and one serve of red rice.
The prawns were of medium quality, however, once again they had not been shelled, making for a rather messy eating experience, but a finger bowl and cloths had been provided for the repaste.
This dish was not as enjoyable as the earlier pork dish, and neither of us were fans of the red rice, much preferring the jasmine variety instead. It was the first time we had encountered red rice, and it will probably be the last as well.
The beer was cold and was accompanied by a frosted glass, but sadly, the Singapore Sling was only a pale imitation of the real thing, and at 130 baht was not good value for money. Instead of the expensive ingredient of cherry brandy being used, pink colouring had been substituted. That was very naughty!
Overall we enjoyed a relaxing meal in a terrific ambience, with good service, nice food if slightly overpriced and as always, we were presented with two condoms when we paid the bill (Thai sized ones!!!!!!)
SUMMARY: Food, 6/10; ambience 10/10; hygiene 10/10; service 8/10; value for money 5/10. Score: 39/50.
BAN CHIANG.
I got this one originally from Nancy Chandler’s map. I wasn’t disappointed; it is located in an old teak home in Srivieng Road in the Silom area. Good Thai fish cakes, great duck green curry, nice olde worlde ambience. Expect to pay around 400 baht for two.
BAN KANITHA
Another olde worlde Thai restaurant, with an extensive menu. Not many Thais here though, as I think the food has been “fired down” to suit farang palates. Sweet and sour soft shell crab is good, as are the Thai fish cakes in sweet chili. Priced at the same level as the Ban Chiang. Sukhumvit Soi 23.
BUSSACARUM
This place offers “Royal Thai Cuisine” so called because it was the fare served to the Royal Family of a bygone era. The offerings are good quality food, good techniques, OK ambience and reasonable prices for the Royal Cuisine. Expect to pay around 700 baht with beer and soft drinks.
The following are all good Thai restaurants, in the range of 350-650 baht.
Anna’s Cafe (Silom)
Lemon Grass (Sukhumvit Soi 24)
The aforementioned are but a few of the dining experiences in Thai cuisine in Bangkok. I could list hundreds, but I won’t prevaricate.
I would simply ask those who have been to Bangkok previously to list their favourite Thai restaurant and why they thought it was so good, its location and the best way to get to it and in that way, first-timers will have an extensive list to choose from, no matter where their lodgings are located. Also, for those of us who are “old Bangkok hands” we will have some recommendations to try, as going to a new restaurant is always an anticipated delight.
MY SECRET STREET
This is maybe not so much of a secret for locals and old Bangkok hands, however, for the tourists, or more particularly first timers, you won’t have heard of it, and it is not mentioned to the best of my knowledge in any tourism books on Bangkok.
Many refer to Silom Village or Convent Road as prime examples of places where good Thai can be experienced, and for the most part they are right. However, you will pay “tourist/farang” prices in these areas.
No, my tip is Pramuan Road which runs from Sathorn Tai to Suriwong Road in the Silom area.
Take the BTS on the Silom line and watch all the tourists alight at Sala Daeng for the Silom eateries, but you will stay on and alight at Surasak, which is two stations farther on. Take the exit on the right hand side and walk back towards Pramuan Road which is on the left some 200 metres or so from the station.
This road is favoured by the Thais, and features many elegant Thai restaurants, all of them priced lower than Silom Village/Convent Road.
There are so many eateries that to mention any would be an injustice to the unmentioned. This then is “my secret street”, and I promise that you will not be disappointed. You will eat some of the best Thai cuisine in the Kingdom and you won’t pay a king’s ransom for it either.
Just walk along Pramuan and also down the side Sois, look through the windows of the various restaurants and if the scene looks good, just poke your head inside the door and inquire about the availability of a table. The most popular eateries will be packed every night, so going to Pramuan early, rather than later is also a good tip.
Owing to the fact that this particular road is popular with the locals, the food will definitely be authentic in all ways, including the incendiary devices also known as bird’s eye chilli.
Just tell the waiters “Porn kin aharn pet mai dai, krup” which is Thai phonetic for I can’t eat hot food, and the food will be modified accordingly.
Stick to the beer as previously advised or G&T and you will be able to dine in this road of superb eateries more than onceduring your sojourn in Bangkok. But don’t spread the word too far, or it will end up like Silom Village!!
ROADSIDE STALLS
The hygiene at these places is non existent. Eventually you will contract a disease from one of them if you eat at them regularly. One such ailment, caused by lead deposits emitted from the vehicles on the clogged Sois of Bangkok, leads to the lining of the stomach being etched away so that eventually, one will start bleeding from the anus.
Diarrhoea is always a resultant condition from dining at roadside stalls. The locals seem to get away with it, but the farang has a different constitution and will soon become ill.
However, if you insist on having your Son Tam at the roadside stall opposite your hotel, the following will protect you as it has me for the past 35 years.
I always ended up ill on my Asian journeys, until one day I came in contact with a great naturopath here in Melbourne. She put me onto a substance call ACIDOPHILUS.
Taken in pill form, it consists of “good bacteria” to fight the bad bacteria that will eventually enter your body after a length of time in Asia. You are advised to take one pill a day 14 days before your journey, usually first thing in the morning before having food, then one pill every morning during your holiday, and finally, one pill for 14 days after your return.
If you follow that regime, you will not become ill, and the memories of your holiday will be pleasant ones to reflect on in later years.
Acidophilus can be bought in health food shops and some chemists also stock it. There are several brands, none better than the others.
However, I have found it hard to buy in Thailand, in fact I haven’t found it anywhere, so make sure you bring plenty of Acidophilus with you before your departure.
This then is the penultimate part in this unplanned series. Tomorrow I will post the final chapter, that being on Seafood Restaurants, and their tricks, scams, ploys and downright dishonesty, but also with some recommendations.
CHINESE
The Mei Jiang Cantonese Restaurant, The Peninsula Hotel, Bangkok.
The Mei Jiang restaurant, which is one of several high class eateries at the world renowned Peninsula Hotel in Bangkok deserves, I believe, a singular review of its own, as to bundle its review with a number of other restaurants would be doing a disservice not only to the Mei Jiang and its wonderfully skilled chefs, but also to you, my devoted readers on the Thailand Travel Forum.
On the penultimate night of our last visit to Bangkok, we decided to forget the expense and dine out “flash”, and in so doing, after much debate between my wife and myself, we concluded that we would venture across the Chao Phraya to the Peninsula Hotel’s Mei Jiang restaurant.
A journalist friend of ours told us some years ago that if we had the opportunity to dine at the Mei Jiang, he would be interested in my opinion of how it stacked up against the world famous Flower Drum Cantonese restaurant in Melbourne.
Somewhat disappointingly, the Mei Jiang is located on the ground floor of the hotel. I was hoping that it might have been located in a more lofty position in order to encapsulate the aquatic views of the river below, and the middle distances of both Bangkok and Chonburi.
However, as we were to discover, the ground floor location was the only drawback in what turned out to be a sublime dining experience.
The décor of the restaurant is both elegant and restrained, featuring what I would describe as teak screens, lattices and boxes, with subdued lighting and with the added beauty of an interior pond which in turn provided a peaceful and relaxing ambience.
The waiters were outfitted in penguin suits and black waist coats, and occasionally someone from the kitchen would swan into the dining area, replete in chef’s toupe to enact the theatrical sequences of carving up a Peking Duck.
From the initial glance at the menu, which was both long and offered some unusual choices, it was clear that dining in such a place would not come cheaply.
We started with a platter of cold degustation. Amongst several delectable items I can recall goose breast incased in rice flour pastry, prawn balls, sour Chinese cabbage, brindled mushrooms, yellow chives with chiang zhee, and a cold deep fried fish of undetermined variety that was absolutely delicious. The degustation was accompanied by several dipping sauces, one of which was unmistakedly Worcestershire sauce.
Upon inquiring with the head waiter as to my conclusion about the latter, he confirmed it was indeed the famous sauce of the English county, and discerning my bemused look, he explained that it was a recent discovery by mainland Chinese chefs who have introduced the unbiquitious sauce to their patrons, and hence, onwards to Bangkok.
The cold starters were followed by a soup that I have not had or for that matter heard of previously. It was billed at Eight-Treasure Soup, and it came to the table in a lovely ceramic tureen, with a number of ingredients swimming in a clear, tangy chicken stock.
Amongst the ingredients I discovered char sieu (BBQ red roasted pork), segments of chicken breast, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, lotus root, Chinese mushrooms and bean curd.
It was a lovely soup, and I took my timing consuming the beautiful stock and its equally lovely ingredients, all the while making notes of how I thought the dish had been put together, so that I could experiment with the dish upon our return to Australia.
Our financial recklessness continued into the main courses with the choices of fried lobster in five spice powder and the Peking Duck. By the time the main courses had arrived at our table, our imprudence had transferred to the stratospheric wine list, where we ordered a bottle of Te Kapaha Gurtztramminer from the Wairarapa Province of New Zealand.
This particular grape variety I have discovered over the years blends in seamlessly with the piquant flavours of Chinese cuisine, particularly the delicate tastes of Cantonese cooking.
However, a word of warning: the wine list has been carefully chosen with a number of boutique offerings, and concomitant prices to match. Our bottle Te Kapaha Gurtztramminer was priced at 2390 baht (approx. $77.50 AUD), and it was one of the cheaper choices on the wine list. By contrast a bottle of Dom Perignon vintage 1988 champagne cost a mere 17,640 baht ($560 AUD).
The Peking Duck was one of the best of this famous signature dish that I have had the pleasure of tasting. The skin was brown, almost bronze, it glistened, the meat was moist, and it was accompanied with the traditional celery matchsticks and scallion brushes and hoi sin sauce, wrapped in very light pancakes, and expertly folded and served on our plates, by Zho Khang, one of the assistant chefs in the remarkable kitchen.
The Phuket lobster in five spice powder was a culinary triumph. A whole lobster, de-shelled, lightly rolled in the aromatic powder, and wok fried, then re-shelled and plattered onto a beautiful ceramic plate was accompanied by light brown sauce, that I discerned contained sesame oil, light soy, lobster stock, and a hint of Szechuan peppercorns.
Whilst eating this memorable dish, we couldn’t help but notice a series of photographs being taken with various diners standing next to a rotund man with a nicely trimmed grey beard.
We came to the conclusion that he must be famous, but we didn’t recognize him. Upon inquiring later, we were told he was one of the “Moody Blues”, a famous band from the 1960s, 70s, and onwards.
We took our time with lobster, hoping that it wouldn’t end, but like all good things in life, it came to its conclusion, and we found ourselves perusing the desserts menu.
There were several unusual choices on the desserts lists, which is an area, that from a Westerner’s perspective, that Chinese cuisine does not excel.
My eyes fixated on the black sesame seed ice cream, which our erstwhile journalist friend had spoken of so highly.
When it arrived, it was presented on an oval dish, with two mounds of kitchen-made ice craeam with streaks of black running through it, with a soft white sauce floating underneath.
It was absolutely delicious, and if we hadn’t been so acutely aware of the mounting cost of the Bacchanalian feast we were engourging, we would have ordered and encore of the ice cream dish.
Throughout the meal our tea pot was refilled several times with the refreshing Jasmine tea, and we had cold towels offered to us at the beginning and end of the feast.
The service throughout was professional and was both of the highest order and peerless and the food - and indeed the entire dining experience - will be remembered by Emdee and Mrs Emdee forever.
How did the Mei Jiang stack up against the famous Flower Drum? In fact, very well. If the Flower Drum is 49 on Emdee’s Scale, then the Mei Jiang comes in at an impressive 45.
Of course dining at this level never comes cheaply, whether it is in Melbourne, Bangkok or Hong Kong.
The bill for the food was a whopping 4550 baht, the endless supply of tea cost 190 baht, and the wine as previously mentioned came in at 2390, making a total for 7130, plus a 10% service charge, and 7% VAT to arrive at a grand total of 8342 baht.
Let me say in clonclusion that two could dine here for much less than we paid, simply by not having wine, and choosing beer instead, and not opting for high end dishes such as Peking Duck and Phuket Lobster. By my reckoning a twosome could walk out of the Mei Jiang perfectly satiated and paying little more than 3500 baht.
Were we mad? Were we imprudent? Yes we were, but one can throw out piety and caution when dining at this level. After all, how much do you expect to pay for a dining experience that you will remember for the rest of your life?
SUMMARY: The Mei Jiang Cantonese restaurant, Peninsula Hotel, 333 Charoennakorn Road, Chonburi. Reservations advised. High class Cantonese cuisine in beautiful surroundings and in a romantic location. The place for those who don’t care about the final bill, but are intent on celebrating a special occasion.
Food, 9/10; hygiene, 10/10; ambience 9/10; service 10/10; value for money 7/10. Score: 45.
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