Shabu Shi by Oishi, Bangkok, Thailand

Watch Thai tv and before long you'll hear the cute "shabu shi" squeal of this buffet chain's advertising.  The squealing must be working because customers are lining up for over an hour for the experience.

Shabu Shi is owned by the Oishi group that is best known in Australia and 7-eleven's in Thailand for their very popular ice tea drink.  This buffet combines so many concepts, all you can eat, sushi train, except this train takes around raw ingredients to put into your hot pot (shabu), sushi, all you can drink oishi and all you can eat oishi ice cream.

And yes, you can hear the squeals of delight from the lunch time punters, many of whom were school children, at the prospect of so much all you can eat and drink.

The quality of the food is neither here or there, but it's certainly not bad either.  I appreciated the bottomless glass of oishi drink, well actually, I love it.

The amazing this is that the cost is 290 baht per person or around A$10... truly astounding value, with a two hour limit on each visit.

Shabu Shi !
Union Mall
Phaholyothin MRT Station

S&P Restaurant, Silom, Bangkok, Thailand

S&P is a Thai food restaurant chain that serves up decent quality food, it's a chain so there are compromises, but the food isn't bad.  The tom yum above was very edible and well presented.

As was the grilled chicken, tender, I especially liked the hot sauce.

The fresh roll, I find challenging because I couldn't help but compare with Vietnamese fresh rolls. The wrapping here was more substantial, hoisin sauce a little too salty.

Grilled fish and wild rice was tasty, but didn't have the punch I was expecting.

Overall, not a bad experience, good food, lovely air-cond, reasonable chain restaurant prices.

Eating near Wat Po, Bangkok, Thailand

Across the Golden Buddha temple, Wat Po is a series of stalls that sell linament oils and lotions, blessed by monks, they come in all sorts of garish colours, orange, yellow, green.  In their midst was a cute restaurant where we ducked in for lunch.

I ordered the closest thing I could find to a dish that I had once, an omelette wrapped around fried rice.  Still can't find it.  But this was kinda close, or sorts, a fried egg on fried rice.  Delicious, especially with fish sauce and chilli.

Walter had the pad kha prow, which I didn't taste so I can't really comment, it looks very generous in terms of meat portions.

We shared some fish cakes, which was crispy outside not the type I'm used to.  But doesn't mean it wasn't nice.  The fish inside was fleshy and soft.

Haagen Dazs, Siam Paragon, Bangkok, Thailand

What possesses someone pay 290 Baht, or almost 10 times a dish of street food for three scoops of Haagen Dazs?

After a week of hectic, noisy Bangkok life, Haagen Dazs provides a perfect escape, artic air-cond, no queues (in fact there's hardly ever anyone inside), and rich, creamy flavoursome ice cream.

Le Meridien Bangkok, Thailand

For the past few years, Le Meridien in Bangkok has been our favourite hotel in the land of smiles. We originally selected it because of the handy Patpong location, we soon discovered there's so much more to love about Le Meridien.

Part of the Starwood group, Le Meridien's customer segment is the sophisticated, creative, hip and younger world traveler, they seek to create a unique experience for their guests, helping them to discover and explore our wonderful world.

The 360 experience starts a the front foyer with a visual feast of a giantic photograph/mural by American photographer, Ralph Gibson. For me, it perfectly captures the spirit of the sophisticated world traveler.  Step inside and you're greeted warmly by staff in distinctive and stylish black suits, on your way to the lift you smell a very subtle scent - LM01 created for Le Meridien by Le Labo.

Step into the lift and your ears are greeted by the distinctive and haunting music of Henri Scars Struck, commissioned especially for Le Meridien.  Each of the four lifts play a different Struck composition.

Inside, the room is not large but well organised, with one of the most comfortable bed and pillows I've slept in, as well as a wonderful rain shower and bath.  From our 16th floor the view of a major Bangkok temple was stunning.

I particularly like the 'service' button on the phone system, you don't have to work out what number to ring from a bewildering series of options like laundry, housekeeping, operator etc.  At Le Meridien it's just one button. 

And after a long flight, the fitness centre and pool was a god send.  The pool isn't large but perfect for relaxation and the plunge pool staff were very warm and efficient but unobtrusive.

In the afternoon, after the pool I'm usually checking emails at Latitude 13, the lobby coffee shop.  I alternate between a short black, cappuccino and latte.  The staff always brings out something extra, like a slice of biscotti.

It's the restaurants that's restored my faith in five star hotel eating.  Le Recipe buffet breakfast serves up the best quality food with not a bad choice either.  You have to try the complimentary eye openers as well as signature breakfast dishes created by three Michelin star chef, Jean-Georges Vongerichten especially for Le Meridien.

Latest Recipe - eye opener

Bamboo Chic serves up great pan Asian five star fare with a choice of buffet or a-la-carte and also some wonderful cocktails to boot - all in an alluring environment.  Bamboo Crush is a must try cocktail, but be warned, it's strong and very addictive.  And their dessert is not bad either.

Bamboo Chic - dessert

Should you want to discover more art, your room key, a piece of artwork by Michael Lin, also gives you complimentary entry to the Thailand Creative and Design Centre, described as 'theatre of the mind' in Sukhumvit Road.

No wonder the hotel has been at 100% capacity recently.

Le Meridien Bangkok
40/5 Surawong Rd, Bangrak
Bangkok, Thailand
+66 (0) 2232 8888

New Year's Eve in Bangkok, Video Post

I'm staying at Le Meridien Bangkok which is on Surawong Road just across from the Patpong markets.  Everyone around the street stalls be it food or clothing or souvenirs, foot and other massage places work so hard every day and I can see them very ready to wind down and celebrate new year's eve.

From about 6pm the foot massage place people had started playing wonderful folk music and dancing on the street, albeit helped by a 1 litre bottle of 100 Pipers scotch, ice and soda water.

In fact the 100 Pipers or Johnny Walker bottles were in plentiful supply, some of the stall holders also started cooking food or grilling prawns early into the evening.

By 11pm most have started to pack up, this is a ridiculously early time to pack normally and, at midnight, Patpong erupted, the footage here is of Soi Twilight a small lane off Surawong Road.

Everybody was having a great time.

Latest Recipe, Le Meridien, Bangkok, Thailand

They say breakfast is the most important part of the day, it's especially so where we're staying because there's not too many options at 7am in the morning.  Latest Recipe breakfast buffet is a new concept that was launched at Le Meridien in Bangkok, where the focus is on quality and not necessarily quantity.

The first thing that greets you is a choice of eye openers created by three Michelin star chef, Jean-Georges Vongerichten.  They're a test tube shot of flavour to wake you and your taste buds before enjoying breakfast.  Pictured above is the raspberry-pineapple-clove eye opener, but there are six in total including my favourite, mango-chilli-lime.

Buffet breakfast is a competitive field amongst Bangkok's five star hotels, each claiming enormous more buffet choice than the other.  Le Meridien is refreshingly different, Micheal Hoevel, the hotel's Director of Food and Beverage proudly claims while his hotel also provide a good selection, the emphasis is unashamedly on providing it at the highest, consistent quality all year round.

It's a brave call, but I'd have to agree, we were here 13 months ago and I remembered it was one of the best buffet breakfast I've had and I'm glad to say the quality is just as good this time around.

Quality: fresh is best - Dragon Fruit

There are two things which distinguishes Latest Recipe from the others, a world-wide relationship between Vongerichten and Le Meridien which means a series of signature dishes by the world renowned chef, prepared especially for the breakfast menu.

One of which is the smoked salmon and silken tofu.  As you can see it's presented wonderfully and the thin slices of salmon subtle and strong works amazingly well with the thick block of tofu.

The spiced oatmeal souffle is a twist on breakfast oatmeal.  It's superb, wonderful fluffy texture and rich raspberry topping.  The souffle is changed every 5-10 minutes to make sure guests are enjoying it the way it should taste.

But for the the main point of difference is the interactive, customer-centric culture created by Hoevel.  Chef Thanavoot Srilardlao actually roams the entire restaurant to talk to guests and asks for their feedback.  He notices guests who have been here for a while and offers suggestions or cooks up a different dish for them, sometimes doing it himself.  It's common to see both Hoevel and Nicolai Mitchell, Senior Guest Relations Manager striding around Latest Recipe and getting their hands dirty, Mitchell picking up a napkin I dropped in my rush to get a custom cooked omelette.  This sets a wonderful example for the staff who do seem to genuinely want you to have a wonderful experience.

Of course Latest Recipe has the hot food section, the custom cooked noodles, egg, pancake section, congee and Asian breakfast, fresh fruit and fruit juices, it also has frozen yogurt for dessert (see video above) and it has a three Michelin star chef signature dishes as well as a wonderful customer-centric culture.

Noodlies dined as a guest of Latest Recipe.

Latest Recipe
Le Meridien Bangkok
40/5 Surawong Rd, Bangrak
Bangkok, Thailand
+66 (0) 2232 8888

Hai Nam Chicken, Street Food, Bangkok, Thailand

My love of hai nam chicken is legendary. I love it and it's available just about any where in the world thanks to the Chinese diaspora. Simple and delicious. The secret is in the dipping sauce, which is also the delight because it changes in different countries.

I had this at a street stall on Surawong Road, Bangkok outside the Montien hotel under soft neon light.  The chicken perfectly boiled, soft and tender, the sauce a dark, thick and chilli hot, effort was put into the accompanying soup, no tasteless boiled vegetable broth here, it was alive with spices, fish sauce and meat broth.  Utterly delicious.

Hai Nam Chicken - 30 baht, or roughly A$1
Street Stall Outside Montien Hotel
Surawong Road, Bangkok, Thailand.

Street Food, Bangkok - Coc Fruit

Coc is a tropical fruit that I love so much from Vietnam and is now sold in Cabramatta.  Apparently the English name is ambarella or otaheite apple (whatever that means).  It's a crunchy flesh and slightly bitter green skin, size of a peach and has a hard seed in the centre.

I bought these recently on a street stall outside my hotel in Bangkok.  The Thais have gone over-board with salt and chilli paste, making the whole thing even more delicious.  This bag cost me 10 baht - A$0.30.

Bamboo Chic, Le Meridien Bangkok, Thailand

A hotel restaurant is always challenging - they're usually stuffy, over priced and the punters (generally rightly) believe they'd get a better dining experience outside.  It's particularly challenging in Bangkok because the hotel is right in the heart of pulsating Patpong, where you can get great food, especially Thai and Japanese at most times of the day.

Bamboo Chic started in Le Meridien Bangkok to tackle these challenges.  It actually is a chic experience, using greens, blues and wood tones to create an upmarket atmosphere that's subdued but exciting, a contrast to the stuffiness associated with other 5 star hotels and bars.

Bamboo Chic Lounge is the official name and sums up the new concept which captures both restaurant and bar.  There are two signature cocktails which is really worth a try:

Bamboo Crush is dangerously hypnotic, made from chivas regal, ginger ale, apple juice, sugar syrup and fresh mint.  Be warned it's strong, very strong and very addictive.

 

Kyoto Martini made from vermouth, gin, midori and lime juice, is dry and constantly chilled thanks to the simple but very effective stylised martini glass in a round glass bowl designed by the hotel's Food and Beverage Director, Michael Hoevel.  The design is now replicated across other Le Meridien's around the world and I've even come across it recently in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Hoevel was charged with the responsibility of implementing the first Bamboo Chic in the world for Le Meridien and by all accounts it has been successful. It's now rolled out progressively and you can sense the pride Hoevel takes in his baby, his eyes light up when he describes how he came up with the unique martini glass and bowl concept and how he sourced local makers to turn his ideas into reality.

Oh and double kudos to the table munchie surprise of dried ochre as a cheeky play on Japanese edamame, also served in Hoevel's unique glass.

I turned my attention to the food. Bamboo Chic is both a-la-carte and buffet and specialises in pan-Asian food, with particular emphasis on Thai and Japanese - tourists from Japan make up a significant customer base for both Le Meridien Bangkok and Patpong in general.

I tried two of their signature dishes, the Snowfish and Wagyu Beef.  The fish was nicely steamed for dipping into the ying yang sauce of flower bean on one side and hoisin on the other.

Coming from a country that exports beef I was sceptical but this execution is superb; melt-in-your-mouth tender and medium rare (just how I like it), the beef works so well with the nicely flavoured bed of Japanese rice.

Now turning to the buffet. The sashimi was particularly fresh, well prepared, actually better than Hokkaido restaurant just down the road, a real surprise because the other restaurant has a Japanese chef.  The oysters at the seafood section was not very fleshy but fresh and had great flavour.

At the buffet you can also select your ingredients and the chef will fry/combine them for you, I had to test it out, while I can eat, I'm no cook or selector of ingredients.  I picked Hokkien noodles, prawns, an egg (that will challenge him), cabbage, onion and mushroom and asked for a spicy interpretation.

The chef delivered the finished dish to my table, to which he added fish sauce, lemon and dried shrimp, a particularly ingenious addition that really lifted my bland choice of ingredients.  You can see in the video above the chef cleaning the frying surface in spectacular style and also the stunning Bamboo Chic atmosphere.

The final experience for the night was dessert, a petit four of sorts consisting of earl grey pudding, green tea mousse, chocolate ice cream and selection of seasonal tropical fruit.  The mousse was less successful, while the pudding and in particular the rich chocolate, which was restaurant made, took me to heaven.

To me, Bamboo Chic tries to break the conventional mold by marrying different things, sometimes complete opposites: bar and restaurant, buffet and a-la-carte, soft lighting but energetic atmosphere, attentive/welcoming but unobtrusive service, relaxed but upmarket, rounded organic shapes with hard angular lines.

Bamboo Chic works particularly well with contradiction, which in a way, mirrors the contemporary Bangkok just outside the hotel doors.  And it seems to work, on a Tuesday evening, the place was almost full.

Noodlies dined as a guest of Bamboo Chic.

Additional photos supplied by Le Meridien, thanks Kanchalikar (the low light is too much of a challenge for this photography novice).

Bamboo Chic Lounge
Le Meridien Bangkok
40/5 Surawong Rd, Bangrak
Bangkok, Thailand
+66 (0) 2232 8888

Nahm, Bangkok, Thailand

...there is always a place - a corner or two, a few blocks or a square - that is brightly lit well into the night.  These are the night markets of Thailand and they are filled with people, food and noise, as flames lick around woks and wood smoke fro charcoal grills lingers in the still night air... They contain everything that lures a Thai out: good food, people, atmosphere and laughter - the Thai world on a plate. It really is all about food... David Thompson, Thai Street Food.

Noodlies caught up with David on 23rd December to talk about Nahm, his new Bangkok restaurant, a personal homage to the street food of the people that he loves so much.  And I'm surprised, Nahm seems to be on everyone's lips.  Our hotel concierge gave us a nod of approval and seemed genuinely surprised we got  a reservation on the same day we arrived in Bangkok, ''it's always booked out" he said.

Cosmopolitan Hotel's stunning lobby: bright and airy

Nahm is located in the Metropolitan Hotel a hip, modern, urbane Bangkok 5-star.  The restaurant is only a few month's old, opened on 2 September.  The design is striking, warm from the wooden floor, screens and tables with a honey glow from clever use of spot lighting.  It's designed by award winning architect, Koichiro Ikebuchi.

The Celadon plates, produced by a local Thai manufacturer, Mengrai Kilns, are simple and functional respecting the Thai street food tradition.

But what about the food?

We sampled every canapes on the menu, chilli relish with pork scratchings and quail eggs (above front), crispy grilled noodles with prawns pickled garlic and bean sprouts (above back), grilled mussels (immediately below), pomelo grilled prawns wrapped in betel leaves (further below).

They were all fascinating, small bite sized pieces that packed so much flavour and texture, crispy in the case of the noodles, smoky in the case of the mussels.  But my favourite was the prawns in betel leaves (below), such wonderful complex flavours that worked so well together, fresh tartness of pomelo, sweetness of the palm sugar and of course the complex punch of the betel leaves.  Everything left you wanting more.. I guess that's intentional.

We also had two soups, which reminded me so much of home cooking in Vietnam, there would always be a soup served with dinner.  The crab and snake gourd soup with egg tasted simple at first, but then comes the intense flavour that is unlocked after the first second. 

Of course, I was expecting the clear soup of roast duck to be strong, roast duck always is. But it's the intensity which bursts forth but then is contained by the shitake mushroom and basil that is so exhilarating.

Don't underestimate David Thompson's dishes, they may not be plated a-la MasterChef, but that's intentional, this is painstakingly prepared home-style Thai food and here, love goes into the preparation and cooking, not presentation.  The stir-fried bean curd with prawns and pork below might look straightforward enough, but the silky, sensual taste and texture of the bean curd is heavenly.

The coconut and tumeric curry of blue swimmer crab, you won't find on the menu in Australia.  I'm particularly fond of the consistency which is not too dry nor too watery, this one is subtly but incredibly rich at the same time.

The spicy shrimp paste relish with assorted vegetables, sweet pork and deep fried mackerel is food the way many Asians have at home, mixing several dishes and together with fresh greens.  The fish was oh-so crispy.

It's so hard to nominate a favourite dish from this stunning menu, but on the night there were two for me. Firstly the lemongrass salad of prawns, crispy squid and pork with toasted coconut. It just tastes so fresh with the lemongrass and then unlocks so many other different vibrant flavours. A must have!

I couldn't find this on the menu, I think it's a special which David kindly sent from the kitchen, fish innards simmered with chilli and our waiter warned us that it's "nuclear" hot.  Yes, it was but it was also incredibly complex in flavours, smells, texture balanced so wonderfully with our jasmine rice.

Everything went down wonderfully with a glass of Grosset 'Springvale' Watervale Riesling suggested by our helpful sommelier.

And then there was dessert.  David wouldn't let us leave without sampling all the desserts on the menu.  And these were as home made as you can get, admittedly with much more wonderful flavour.  But be warned Thais like their desserts sweet!  But first some rose apple to prepare our taste buds for dessert.

Then jackfruit simmered in coconut cream with steamed sugar palm pudding, classic Thai dessert.

Sapodilla steeped in coconut cream with yellow bean and cashew nut pudding and deep fried shallots.  This dessert is interesting in so many ways, firstly you won't be able to get it in Australia because sapodilla is a fruit that hasn't gained popularity outside south east Asia, shallots might sound weird in desserts, but it's very common in Asia, and finally the white/clear strips you see below are lightly candied paw paw, utterly delicious.

But again, there can only be one dessert favourite, and I must admit I'm swayed because it's David's favourite dessert as well.. durian in white sticky rice might not be everyone's cup of tea, but it's not as pungent in this dessert as you would find eaten fresh but it still maintains a wonderful creamy, heavenly consistency.

David Thompson clearly loves Thailand and Thai food and you see it here in classic home-style cooking that is honest, faithful and utterly delicious.  It's brave and gutsy for a farang to open an upmarket Thai restaurant in Bangkok and he's copped a bit of flack for it.  I really think the critics should reserve their judgement until they've experienced Nahm, Bangkok.

If you're coming to Bangkok, Nahm is a must, the Nahm set menu consists of a selection of canapes, your choice of a dish from each section of the main courses and dessert is an incredibly reasonable 1,500 baht (a little over $A50.  But here's a tip, it's regularly booked out, so make sure you make a reservation. 


Australian David Thompson is a Michelin awarded chef and has been cooking for almost 30 years. But it was living in Bangkok in the 1980s that spurned his love for the country, its people and food. He returned to Sydney and fell into a restaurant in Newtown, which was renamed Darley Street Thai. That restaurant moved to the Cross, where it stayed for 10 years.  Around that time he opened another restaurant called Sailors Thai down in the Rocks. In 2001 he moved to London and opened Nahm. It’s still operating. In September this year, he opened a restaurant in Bangkok, also called Nahm.  He's the author of two highly successful cook books, Thai Food and most recently Thai Street Food.

Noodlies and guest dined as guests of Nahm and the Metropolitan Hotel, Bangkok, thanks David, Arlada and Kantarit.

Nahm
27 South Sathorn Road
Tungmahamek, Sathorn
Bangkok, Thailand
+66 (0) 2 625 3388