FlyingRat

I just picked up the latest (May 1st) issue of BK Magazine, and they have an article on yaa dong-- including a recipe for Bo.lan's version! You can find it online as well.

Just popping in to say that J and I arrived back in Bangkok safely (it seems it was a good week to be away). I second what Peter said: things get better. (Including the marvels of Not-Tacoes.) (Now to fall over for a couple days, until our next trip!)

We did get to bo.lan and it was quite interesting (I mean that only in a good way). I'll let Peter blog it in sequence, since this is his thread. (Hijack: Tim, could you tell us more about your latest projects? I for one would love to check them out!)

Bravo for being such a faithful poster (I'm frankly surprised you're even a bit vertical after being up for so long). And thanks for a couple of fun food experiences yesterday!

Two places-- awesome! I've been in the US for the past month (and in Japan before that...was supposed to come back to Bangkok, but the airport closure put an end to that) and my husband and I are looking forward to stopping in sometime soon. I'm really glad things are going so well! - Ellen

I don't remember which type of curry roux I usually use (one of the Japanese brands) but one of the things I like best to do is add some shredded mozzarella cheese just before eating. It's really mild and creamy and enhances the flavor just perfectly. I also really like eggplant as a main ingredient, especially with the cheese! ETA: Man, now I am REALLY jonesing for some curry-- the pumpkin and bacon one sounded really good! I think it's one of the things I will teach our housekeeper how to make (planning for the future!)

OMG, I was already kicking myself for having missed Michael Ginor's dinner, and now I am kicking myself double-time. Next year... As Jayne from Firefly said, "I'll be in my bunk."

On the subject of preserved lemons, I just became aware of a great use for them the other day. At Michael Laiskonis's Afternoon Tea at the the 2008 World Gourmet Fest here in Bangkok, one of the savories was a Smoked Salmon Croque-Monsieur. Cold-smoked salmon and Swiss cheese (I think) on thinly-sliced bread, toasted-- but what pushed it over the top were the finely chopped preserved lemons hiding inside! It was a really marvelous taste combination, and one I'm going to try at home.

September 27 - Afternoon Tea Since Peter's not much of a dessert guy, he asked me to do the pictures for Michael Laiskonis's Afternoon Tea, for which I joined Yoonhi, Serena and three others in the lobby of the Four Seasons. (This will be out of order, but Oh Well! ) (BTW, all of my photos are up at our Flickr account. Apologies for the crappy pictures...my husband has our good camera with him in Australia, and I have to make do with our old one. Yeah, that's my excuse.) The menu, as sent to me by Peter a few weeks ago, was as follows: Savory Smoked Salmon “Croque Monsieur” (Warm/Live) Spicy Chilled Tomato Water Consommé Scallop Ceviche Mushroom Tart, Parmagiano Reggiano Prosciutto/Iberico Wrapped Melon/Fig, Balsamico Cauliflower Panna Cotta, Oyster Gelée, Caviar Torchon of Foie Gras, Dashi Gelée, Hijiki Seared Beef Roulade Roasted Shrimp, Mango, Cilantro Entremet Caramel (Almond Sponge, Caramel Marmelade, Almond Nougatine, Caramel Glaçage) Passion Fruit (Citrus Sponge, Ginger Vanilla Cream, Passion Fruit Gelée, White Spray) Rose (Pistachio Biscuit, Raspberry Gelée, Fresh Raspberry) Chocolate (Chocolate Sponge, Feuilletine, Dark Chocolate Glaçage) Milk Chocolate (Chocolate Sponge, Cinnamon Caramel Cream, Dark Chocolate Spray) Coconut (Chestnut Biscuit, Lemon Cream, Meringue) Individual Desserts Chocolate Caramel Peanut Tart Vanilla Olive Oil Parfait, Avocado, Grapefruit Strawberry Consommé, Tapioca Pearl, Basil Seed, Basil Gelée Gianduja Parfait, Banana, Hazelnut, Honey Yuzu Cream, Green Tea Biscuit, “Faux” Meringue “Egg”: Milk Chocolate Pot de Crème, Caramel, Maple, Maldon Sea Salt Soft Chocolate Ganache, Sweet Corn Cinnamon Beignets, Apple “Shot” Tea Cake Olive Oil Financier Lemon Cake Carrot Cake Banana-Walnut Cake Chocolate Bonbons Milk Chocolate-Star Anise Dark Chocolate Sesame Praline Cream White Chocolate-Banana Rum Salted Caramel Palet d’Or There were also ice creams, as well, which I didn't see on the original menu: a green tea (served with anko and palm sugar syrup), a coconut (served with caramelized pineapple and banana, I believe), and a vanilla, if I remember correctly. The layout was very nice, with multiple smaller stands decorated with vegetation floating in big glass cylinders. Very elegant! We scored a table close to the buffet, right next to the display for the "Egg" dessert: These were individual blown-out eggshells, filled with a chocolate cream. The chef would finish filling them with a caramel mousse, drizzle on a bit of maple syrup, then finally add a few sprinkles of Maldon sea salt. Delicious! The savories (clockwise from top): Prosciutto-wrapped Figs, Salmon Croque-Monsieur, Roasted Shrimp, and Cauliflower Panna Cotta. All four were excellent. Yoonhi commented on the shrimp in particular-- the rich mango coulis was extremely mild (we thought it was egg yolk at first) and perfectly complemented the succulent shrimp. My personal favorite was the croque-monsieur: thinly-sliced smoked salmon, a mild cheese, and-- the perfect topper-- very finely chopped preserved lemon! The rest of savories: Scallop Ceviche (off in the top left corner), then (clockwise from top) the Tomato Water Consomme, Torchon of Foie Gras, and Mushroom Tart. Again, all very good. Of these four, the tomato water consomme was my least favorite-- tasty, and good for cutting the richness of the foie gras, but nothing that special. The scallop ceviche was served in scallop shells atop a pile of salt mixed with star anise and pink peppercorns. On to the sweet stuff! Cinnamon "Beignets" and Apple Shot: Strawberry Consomme, Tapioca Pearl, Basil Seed, Basil Gelee: It's amazing how well strawberries and basil go together. The addition of the gelatinous sweet basil seed here (a local favorite) was a nice touch. Vanilla Olive Oil Parfait, Avocado, Grapefruit: This was my favorite of all the desserts on offer: the three flavors tasted great individually, but all went together so well that the entire thing just made me smile. Assorted small bite-size things: On my plate (the above picture) are a lemon cookie, a macaroon, an olive oil financier, a dark chocolate bonbon, an apple/lychee jelly, and some redcurrants just for fun. All were very pleasant to nibble on-- but the bonbon, which was filled with a black sesame praline cream, was quite possibly the best truffle I have ever tasted. The use of sesame complimented the chocolate perfectly. I could have eaten a couple dozen of these... And, of course, you can't have a tea without scones and clotted cream! (With some Chocolate + Sweet Corn Ganache, rhubarb preserves, and lemon curd on the side.) The scones on offer were of two types, candied cherry + ginger or chocolate. They were dense, moist, buttery and perfect. I do confess that with everything else on offer, I never got to the large-scale items, such as the "Chocolate" and "Rose" confections. But I certainly didn't go hungry!

If you're talking about the "Shields Tavern Syllabub" from the Colonial Williamsburg Tavern Cookbook, I've made it-- yes, it works, and yes, it's good...VERY good (one of my favorite desserts, as a matter of fact). The ingredients for this one include dry white wine, dry sherry, lemon peel and juice, sugar, whipped cream, and berries/mint leaves for garnish. It's poured into wineglasses (or, ideally, shrub glasses) and left to separate overnight.

Any other eGulleteers going to make it? I can make some of the events, and I'd love to maximize familiar faces!

Okay, so I'm here now, and enjoying the city! I got in late Tuesday night, and my husband had to work late on Wednesday, so we haven't had a whole lot of opportunity to get out and about yet (although I did take a stroll down Orchard Road on Wednesday, and had chicken rice from a food court-- yum!) Last night we did try a place that we were rather pleased with: Oomphatico's in the Tanglin Mall, next to where we are staying. I understand it's a new restaurant, and we really enjoyed the food-- a big emphasis on organic, gluten-free and other healthy "hippy" foods (their words), but with a big range of other stuff as well, and a creative twist. What we tried was very tasty (I had an open-face ham and Swiss sandwich with white sauce, served on a savory waffle, and my husband's dessert, a "Floating Island"-style meringue with caramel sauce, was to die for) and rather reasonably priced. It was rather raucous when we first entered, thanks to a child's birthday party, but after that cleared out it was a lot more pleasant. Tonight I think we may head down to Clarke Quay to walk around (touristy and overpriced, or so I've heard, but we figured what the heck) and we'll definitely be hitting the hawker centres and such in the next few days.

I know it's been ages, but I just came across this thread and had to add my love for all things A & J. I used to live in Annandale and their restaurant there (right next to the big Chinese supermarket) was one of my favorite places to grab a cheap, tasty meal. Last time I ate there (back in December or thereabouts, before I moved to Thailand) the menu looked almost identical to the one posted above! They did start serving brunch/breakfast foods on Saturdays and Sundays: warm soy milk (savory or sweet), fried breads, sticky rice with pork floss, etc. (Sorry, I don't know all of the proper Chinese names). They also had bubble teas of various types. One of my favorite meals was the Vegetarian Delight "set" served with rice and a bowl of broth-- a perfect amount of food for me. It did have its ups and downs a bit, but it was the only restaurant of its type that I was personally aware of, and I really miss it. (Note: the use of past tense above implies that *I* am gone from Northern Virginia, not A & J!)

Yep, I've been looking at some of the other threads and getting some ideas together (thanks for your recent recommendations in the master thread). We're living in Thailand at the moment, and will probably be back in Singapore more than once in the next 2.5 years or so...so whatever we don't get this trip, we can come back for! For street-side eating, I'm fine with it as long as it conforms to the basic "common sense" stuff (the important bits on ice, turnover is high, etc.) So "sanitized" is okay with me, as long as the taste is good! We haven't done as much street-side eating here in Thailand as we have intended to, but that's mostly because we're not used to the hot climate yet and don't often feel like staying outside! I intend to pick up a copy of Makansutra ASAP. Thanks!

The husband and I stopped by Gaysorn this evening to see if Butler's was open for general business yet. We were in luck, in more ways than one! I hope to do a bigger review later, but WOW. We were very, very impressed with the concept, the food, and the setting. The "three-course" dessert selection, in particular, is a great idea. My husband had the two desserts above (Thai tea and chocolate banana) and raved about both of them. Tim was kind enough to stop by our table so we could chat with him. We plan to stop in at least once a month, and are really looking forward to seeing how the place develops. Next on the list: Shunbo (it's right around the corner from us, and across from Katsuichi, an excellent tonkatsu restaurant frequented by the Japanese community here). Thanks again for the great writeups-- we are discovering so many good places thanks to you!

Hey, sorry, I haven't checked the boards in a while either! It looks like we will be there from about the 19th to the 26th of August (leaving early morning on the 26th. Getting together would be cool!

Peter, The husband and I ended up trying Kinnaree last week. Hot damn! Thanks for the recommendation! We also have a car now (and a Garmin nuvi), so if I end up feeling sufficiently masochistic, I may try to find my way back down to Jok's some night. Can't wait until you're back so we can dive headfirst into the culinary underbelly! - Ellen

So it looks like the Mr. and I will be going to Singapore in the second half of August, possibly for as long as a week and a half. This will be our first trip, but I'm sure we'll be back later as well. We're not sure yet where we will be staying. I've been checking out the many fabulous threads on dining possibilities, but it's always more fun to visit with a crowd, in my opinion...so, is there anyone who would potentially be up for a meetup or several?

Hey, go easy on us! We've only been living in Bangkok for a couple of months now! I DID have dinner at an Indian friend's house the other day, and her food was so incredibly good that I'd probably turn to her instead of Dosa King if given the choice. But it's good to have a backup!

YAAY Dosa King! Thanks for the great experience, not to mention the fantabulous pictures and write-up. I'm hooked on the place now; I actually went back there on Sunday night... The wet, tangy red stuff is actually the "sambar" (as in "idli sambar"). The white stuff was a coconut chutney, and I think the green stuff was too (at least it also tasted coconutty, with a hint of some kind of herb...not mint, as I would have expected). Actually, this was the rava masala dosa, the masala part being the spiced mixture of potatoes and onions (served on the side) and the rava part being the fact that the dosa was made out of semolina, not gram flour (I hope I have that right, anyway). There were also onions and such in the dosa itself. I think this was my favorite of the two dosas. I believe the "boondi" were the little crunchy cracker bits mixed in. Really, really good! This was actually the paneer dosa-- it was filled with a mixture of paneer and spices. Aww, shucks. Thanks for inviting us along, and for listening to us blather on about Japan! We'll see you (and the rest of the family) in September!

Wow, I am really going to have to check out Kinnaree soon. (There's another Kinnaree near us on Soi 11, but it's just a straight coffee shop, hence my confusion when you mentioned it yesterday...)

Peter, Sorry I missed your PM...been bad about keeping up with the Gullet recently! I second Dosa King (it's just around the corner) so if you want to do that at any point, let me know (or other options too!) - Ellen

Funny-- I remember commenting to my husband at the time that it was one of the first meals I can remember since arriving in Thailand where the timing/pacing of the meal was spot on, instead of like "waiting for the bus to arrive" (everything comes in the wrong order and at random intervals)! We found service at the D2 overall to be excellent-- attentive but not obsessively so (which can be the case in other places here). The one thing I'm not as sure about would be servers' in-depth knowledge of the menu, but we really didn't test that. Moxie also does a very nice breakfast buffet (included with the room, but about 350 baht otherwise, I believe, and I consider that a fair price for the range/freshness of stuff on offer). Geesh, I sound like a commercial! (ETA: I should also say that I heard Moxie's Thai food is not that memorable, with the exception of the khao soi, which is supposed to be a very fine example of the dish.)

Sorry about the late reply-- we just got back from Chiang Mai after our 10-day trip (April 7th to 16th). Things were definitely a bit dead around the Night Bazaar during Songkran proper, but a lot of the tourist stops did remain open: we went to Baan Tawai (the wood-carving center) on the 13th, and did the Elephant Nature Park on the 14th (HIGHLY recommended!) A friend also took us to the Khum Khantoke, which was definitely kitschy and touristy, but enjoyable all the same. We found the food to be tasty and a good value at 300 baht per person (excluding drinks). The quality of the dancing was a bit lackluster, but we were spoiled by having seen a Khon performance in Bangkok a week or two before... Other places we ate and can recommend are as follows: - Whole Earth, an Indian/Thai restaurant which specializes in vegetarian dishes. We didn't go veg but really enjoyed the meal, and the setting (upstairs in an old teak house-- you remove your shoes before entering) was nice. - The Antique House, a restaurant between the Night Bazaar and the river, serves good Thai food for very good value in a beautiful garden. (The house is evidently on the Register of Historic Places, or the Thai equivalent.) - Moxie at the D2 Hotel. WOW. We'd heard good things about this place and were very, very pleased-- Thai and Western food served in a very contemporary atmosphere (the entire hotel excels on design, quality, and customer service). I had a passionfruit margarita, and for my meal the papardelle pasta with a ragout of wild boar and vegetables; both were some of the best examples of their kind that I had ever tasted. My husband had lamb shanks with a massamun curry sauce and also proclaimed them to be excellent. For dessert I had a "warm cappuccino with cookies" that I think is the single best drink I have ever experienced, rich and creamy like a chocolat chaud, but not at all cloying or heavy. (Sorry about the hyperbole, but this place was a revelation-- and we probably paid about one half to one third of what a similar meal of this quality would have cost back in the US. The total bill was around 2000 baht.)

Coincidentally, my husband and I will be in Chiang Mai all next week and half of the following, for a business trip + Songkran (April 7-16th). We'll be staying at the D2 Hotel near the Night Bazaar...and I had seen a couple of reviews saying that their restaurant, Moxie, is quite good. Any experiences with it? Of course we are also looking forward to eating some proper Thai food, khao soi and the like...