the house

The House. Mmmm.
Go after payday or when you have friends in town -- it's worth the splurge, trust me. Our group of 4 strategized our appetizers and entrees so we could all try each others' dish. For the sake of everyone's palate, go with friends who like to share. The menu changes seasonally (as we discovered a few weeks ago) but remains consistently delish. There are a number of vegetarian-friendly options, a tapas menu, and a nice selection of wine. It's very romantic, so enjoy it with someone you actually like. No one should experience such exquisite food in bad company.

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notables | due to the seasonal menu, I can't guarantee these will be available by the time you save enough baht (or your parents - biological or sugar - are in town to foot the bill).
Here's a sample of what we ordered: beef carpaccio with blue cream cheese, crisp parmesan, mini herbs and truffle cream. spicy grilled prawns marinated in chili paste, coriander, lemongrass, pomelo, mint salsa and basil. five-spice crusted tuna served on polenta and spinach with red capsicum sauce (sooo good). roasted salmon with black olive crust, red chili potatoes and semi dried tomatoes. eggplant gnocchi wrapped with ricotta cheese, pine nuts, raisin, and tomato herb sauce (also, sooo good).

dessert notable | chocolate ganache served with raspberry sorbet while sipping a neat Grand Marnier.

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199 Moonmuang Rd - north or Thapae Gate, inside the moat
tel. 053.419.010

shangri la

The regular price for the dinner buffet in Shangri La's Kad Kafe is 500 baht ++. Decent if you are on vacation and on a so-called "western" salary. Borderline highway robbery if you are on a local salary - which is my case. Yesterday, we lucked upon a group rate of 350 baht per person. The discount made this visit a reasonable [but not regular] treat.
On-site, culinary stations await ravenous buffet-goers. Chefs prepare maki sushi, made to order pastas and brick-oven pizzas, shiumai and salapao. Thai and east-west fusion salads, token western fare, bulbous grain breads, and a modest cheese spread are among the mix. Strategically centre is a dessert island, definitely worth a few trips from the table.

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savoury notables | fresh-made mini margarita pizza. cheese [namely brie and blue]. flaky breadtwists. paperthin baked flatbread. baked salmon with cream sauce. roasted asparagus and red bell peppers.

so-so | dim sum. japanese maki was fairly basic [tuna, salmon, or crab].

not so | the pasta tomato sauce was a bit too sweet.

sweet notables | marshmallow squares and chocolate fondue. tiramisu [light cream and fresh espresso. mmm]. any ice cream flavour drizzled with chocolate fondue sauce [more enjoyable as it hardens]. a layered rectangle of peanut butter, wafer, and cream.

so-so | pumpkin pie.

not so | a pot of hot peppermint tea cost 140 baht. always ask before you order. especially in a big name hotel restaurant.