Fine Dining in Bangkok

[kai-m]

Hi all,

I will be in BKK at the end of july. And apart from lots of street food I would like to try "refined" thai food that is still "authentic"...I read somewhere that BHAAN KANITA (spelling??) is such a place - but I can't find anything about it on the net...

Any other reccomendations??

Also, I would like to give "fine dining" in BKK a try. On my last (short) visit I went to SCIROCCO at "The Dome" - amazing view, but the food was just "good" for european standards (and the wine&champagne-prices were downright obscene...).

What about VENDOME?

Thanks!

best

kai

[Peter Green]

The "authentic" part is tough. Most of the "nice" Thai places aren't places Thai would go unless they were chaperoning foreigners.

Typical conversation: "Where do you go for good Thai food?" Answer: "my mom's place".

The waiters at Baan Khanitha regularly advise me that the food is touristy, and isn't hot enough. The clientelle, given the location, is pretty heavily Japanese at lunch, and farang at night.

However, they do enough things well that I don't mind too much. In particular, I like their yam som o (pomelo salad), which has the arguable reputation of being one of the best in town. Likewise, I've always enjoyed their sai eua.

I would go to the place on soi 23. There were a couple of outlets on Ruam Rudee, but the one place was too modern looking (and with poor acoustics) and the Curries by Baan Khanitha I found just plain disappointing.

Another place I can't vouch for firsthand, but is frequented by some friends of mine, is Kinnaree. It's on soi 8 Sukhumvit. They've been well written up.

Cabbages & Condoms (or is that Condoms & Cabbages) on soi 14 is an old mainstay, and can appear a little gimmicky, but they do well with their appetizers. These little stuffed Thai dumplings are way too much work for me to make at home. Their curries are pleasant, and their crispy duck salad is excellent.

I've also enjoyed my meals at Baan Laos, way down Silom past the Hindu temple (I won't use the local name, it's somewhat rude). A nice restored house.

For Vendome....I love what Nicolas can do. Depending on your timing, lunch is a very good deal. But dinner in the new location is very, very elegant. I should post my shots of our last meal there........

Also, I enjoyed my dinner at Beaulieu....you can check out the write-up here from last October.

I also like Giusto (just a bit before Baan Khanitha on soi 23). Fabio does a very nice risotto with foie gras that I always try to fit in.

Hmmm.....what else? D'Sens did a nice meal for me, but that was a set piece with Chapoutier. I like Biscotti in the Four Seasons.

Oh, check to see if Jan Ganser is doing any wine dinners. In fact, check for any wine dinners, period. Wines are prohibitively taxed in Thailand (a sore point) but these dinners are a good opportunity to have well paired dishes put on at a less exorbitant price.

I really should post those January dinners........

[kai-m]

Thanks a lot for the detailed reply, Peter!

If VENDOME is "very, very elegant" in the evening, does this mean it is a stiff/overly formal place (tie required??). 'Cause I don't like that kind of atmosphere at all (and my experience is that in europe an all too formal atmosphere is way out of fashion...thankfully!!).

And, yes,*please*, post your pictures of VEBDOME...!

As for the other fine dining options, Iam not a big fan of "hotel restaurants" (for the atmosphere)

Thanks!

best

kai

PS: how is the BED SUPPER CLUB?

[Peter Green]

I don't think you need to worry about a suit and tie in many of the good dining spots in Bangkok, particularly Vendome. Smart, casual is more the norm (although I like wearing a tux from time to time).

Biscotti is in the Four Seasons, but it's a nice room all the same, with a great buzz when things click.

Not all hotel restaurants should be discounted, and many are just renting space in the hotel premises. Beaulieu is one example, and I admired what Herve was doing.

Oh, and a place I haven't tried yet, but people recommend, is Maru over on Thonglor for Japanese.

Bed Supper can be fun, but check out what their menu is like on-line before you go. I'm on their mailing list, so I'll see what I can dig up in my in-box. It's got a more notable rep as a club, and is admirable for having survived this long in a town where most clubs have a very short life span. Just remember to bring your passport, otherwise they may not let you in with the current rules.

More news as it happens.

[kai-m]

Hmm, couldn't find a website about Beaulieu (Sofitel's is crap).

Anyway: can you tell me about wine and champagne prices at those places?

At Sirocco it was a bit of a shock for me to pay around 40 dollars for a glass of (standard) champagne...(and around 15$ for a glass of mediocre red wine).

best

kai

[prasantrin]

Re: Cabbages and Condoms, the food we had there was OK, but like Peter said, they have a good selection of appetizers. It's one of the few restaurants (or maybe the only restaurant?) I've been to that has both khao tang na tang AND krathong thong on the menu! (Though I didn't really like their krathong thong, I was just impressed that they had it.)

We went to a very good high-end Vietnamese restaurant somewhere around the lower end of Sukhumvit--in the same area as Shinawatra (the silk place).

And while not really high-end, but with high-end clientele, is Klang Soi which is, not suprisingly, on Soi Klang near the Smitivej Hospital. The first time I went there, I thought it was great. The last time was so-so, but they also have krathong thong (and yum pla dook foo).

[Peter Green]

Rona,

What were the purple things they had on the appetizers at C&C? Little dumplings glistening with a sheen of fat and stuffed with minced meat and pork. They changed the food colouring to blue a couple of years ago, but I still call them the "purple things" (which is why I can't for the life of me remember the name).

Kai,

Expect that you'll be paying that $10 or more for a glass of wine, what with the baht skyrocketing lately. $40 is painfully abusive for so-so champagne, though.

One option that many places will work with is they'll do corkage. Paying for corkage is painful at first, but once I became aware of the overhead on wines that the restaurants have, I don't mind so much. I'll usually load up on good wines before going into Thailand (but not too loaded, as they're keeping an eye out at the airport). Phone ahead, and ask! Vendome had no problem. At Beaulieu I raised the question (I hadn't brought anything, but was curious), and Herve was a mixed bag. Basically, he wanted to 'vet the wine before he'd say anything. His position was that he didn't want junk wines being brought into his restaurant.

And, like I said, start scanning for wine dinners. I'll email Jan and see if anything's on the horizon. (and I still need to find that last email for BedSupper)

Cheers,

Peter

[ImportFood]

Hi,

Bangkok is so big and there are loads of places to find great food of all sorts. Hard to give much specific advice because I don't live there any longer, but some places I enjoy going back to are:

Landmark Hotel. Thai owned and operated hotel with classic elegance and Thai style, 3 star hotel I think (?) with great food in their Thai restaurant! Not outrageously-priced either. I know they have a cooking class as well, never tried it but I read about it, and looks good. Love the Landmark.

Seems like a lot of high-end food is Chinese or a mix of Thai/Chinese. We used to find a lot of good food on Thonglor, Sukhumvit 55, but it's been a long time. I know that area is still very popular but have no specifics.

Recently I found so much good food in the Siam Paragon shopping complex, basement floor. I think locals will certainly regard this as a great food destination, though not particularly fancy. This is easily accessible by skytrain or taxi. One place is called "Spices" and they have good flavorful food, very fresh and delicious. But there must be 20 different small restaurants there and I think all of them offer good quality. Just skip wine in Thailand is my advice, though I am not a big wine drinker anyway. It's not something a lot of locals drink. Have one shot of Johnny Walker over ice, in a tall 12 oz glass balanced with the soda water everyone offers. Or beer with ice.

My father in law used to take us to Goong Luang, found info online: 1756 Pinklao-Nakorn Chaisri Road, Telephone: 02-423-0748. Quite good Thai food of all sorts and a bit of a "fine dining" place.

A really tasty restaurant chain, I believe at least 70 years old, is See Faa (in Thai it means Blue Color). They have a distinctive logo of a blue pot, and very good food. Love See Fah, never miss it.

Personal favorite for Thai food was at Bang Saen, right on the beach and just 1-2 hours from Bangkok. They have so much good food there, and great nightlife right on the beach. I used to stay at Bang Saen Villa Resort, now it has a new name but still there as of last month when I was in town and drove by. At the very northern part of Bang Saen, between Bang Saen and the next village to the north, there is a string of very famous Thai seafood restaurants which are usually packed with Bangkokians every weekend. If you have an extra day to go out of your way I'd suggest Bang Saen but there are likely other places outside of Bangkok with equally good food.

Street food I was always a bit leary of, probably more than most. On one hand in US we have strict enforcement of every possible circumstance that may cause foodborne illness, and the Thai street scene offers no enforcement of anything including dust, soot and filth which would form 1/4 inch thick every day on my balcony. But I found one place where every street vendor is different--the food, floors, tables and everything else very clean! I posted a separate report about that in this forum a few threads down. Be sure to try that area and let me know what you think.

What about your name--Kai, it means egg in Thai. You are khon Thai or not?

One other thing, if you have a lot of money and some time to travel outside of Bangkok, checkout Chiva Som Resort over by Hua Hin, I have heard from a good source that the food is very, very exclusive, quality out of this world. Most or all of it grown at their organic garden. Along the same lines but far more reasonable in cost is Comsaed Resort, though this is also at least a 2 hour drive outside of Bangkok.

Hi all,

I will be in BKK at the end of july. And apart from lots of street food I would like to try "refined" thai food that is still "authentic"...I read somewhere that BHAAN KANITA (spelling??) is such a place - but I can't find anything about it on the net...

Any other reccomendations??

Also, I would like to give "fine dining" in BKK a try. On my last (short) visit I went to SCIROCCO at "The Dome" - amazing view, but the food was just "good" for european standards (and the wine&champagne-prices were downright obscene...).

What about VENDOME?

Thanks!

best

kai

←

[kai-m]

Thanks a lot!

No Iam not Thai at all...but good to know that my name must sound kinda funny for Thai people...

Anyway: I'll be in town for the BKK Film Festival, which takes place at "Central World"...so I guess my hotel will be in this area as well...

Where exactly is that "street food area" you liked, ImportFood? Usually Iam a bit wary of that kind, too, for the same reasons as you are...

By the way: a couple of years ago we had dinner at "Blue Elephant"...what a disappointment that was (my hometown Thai around the corner is better...)

Peter: who is Jan Ganser?

D'Sens seems like a good place to go - given the background of the french owners, at least...

If you find the time, it would be great if you posted your thoughts and pictures of Vendome (and others...).

And compared to european prices, french-restaurant tasting menus in BKK are still a pretty good deal...

Thanks a lot!

kai

PS: how far in advance does one need to place a reservation for dinner for 2 at places like Vendome and Baan Khanita etc?

[Peter Green]

Kai,

Import also has a really good piece on eating in the area around the Giant Swing area. I intend to try and eat through part of this in September.

For the high-end places, if you're dining on a the weekend, try to get a reservation set up a week in advance. That's usually okay. Most work nights there's never too much of a press, unless some big wig has shown up with his entourage.

Jan Ganser has a company called FIN. They set up wine parties with the hotels (among other functions). I was at a good Austrian meal they'd coordinated last October with Jorg Worther and Dr. Salomon from Salomon wineries. That was held at the Meridien, the Royal Plaza Athenee. (you can find it without pictures in this thread as post #8. I missed their last one, an interesting event they did tying in wines with new Thai cuisine back in April. (I've emailed Jan, so we'll see what he comes back with).

The price differential is a great draw for me dining in Bangkok. While not "free", I find it's good value for money in comparison to the major world centres.

And sorry for not getting up last January's meals yet. It's been a hectic week over here.

Cheers, and I'll add more soon.

Peter

P.S. - I think the "purple things" were called "chaw muang" (or some spelling similar to that).

[kai-m]

The march 2007 issue of *the* german gourmet magazine (Der Feinschmecker) reccomended the following restaurants:

TO DIE FOR

BASIL

SPRING & SUMMER

MAHANAGA

Any opinions? (Sometimes they are way off base in that magazine...)

best

kai

[Peter Green]

Isn't Basil the restaurant at the Sheraton Grande?

[rmillman]

We were in Bangkok for three nights last month.

1) Basil in the Sheraton is very nice for fine Thai dining, an alternative is Celadon (?).

2) the BEST food we had was the two afternoons we spent in the Or Tor Kor Market public market across the street from the Chatuchak Market. It is open during the week and has the cleanest food areas I have seen in most of asia. Many places sel prepared foods and there are stalls that cook just about everything Thai. (see http://www.bangkok.com/shopping-market/local-markets.html)

3) Shopping I have found is fairly "fair traded" for luxury goods world wide so we tend to look for local/regional designers. We enjoyed Suam Lum night markert: if you avoid the cheap knock off and wantabe brands you will find one area of local designers with very interesting clothing designs that are well priced.

[Peter Green]

Lunch at the “new” Le Vendome

This is something I should have recapped several months back, but coming off the tail end of the Lao vacation, I was somewhat drained (and we were getting ready for China).

One of my favourite restaurants in Bangkok these last couple of years has been Le Vendome. I’ve written of meals there elsewhere, so I’ll leave it to you to hunt down the details of Nicholas Joanny’s pedigree. The short version is that he had come to Thailand via Singapore, taking up an offer from the Four Seasons. For various and sundry reasons, this did not work out, but while he was there I was quite happy to enjoy his food – both at the WGF, inside Maddison’s kitchen (don’t ask – you run the risk of me boring you with an answer) and at private dinners.

From the Four Seasons he moved to Le Vendome, a new restaurant inhabiting an old space, that being the area in the Conrad’s All Seasons where Luca’s used to be (which, again, is another story). Luca’s had put together a very nice space, with a kitchen that afforded the chef a clear view of the tables so the that timing of the dishes could be well monitored (timing in many places is one of my big gripes)

The business towers of the All Seasons Place provided a good lunch crowd, and Nicholas’ lunch menu, a three course (with coffee) prix fixe for 480 baht was the talk of the town as simply “a no-brainer”.

My only quibble with this was the All Seasons Place.

One concern was sitting in a lovely restaurant with beautiful atmosphere and detail, but having a view of the Burger King across the way. There is something generally Josephine-ish about dining well while watching the poor people eat, but I find it can detract a bit from lunch.

Another problem is the taxi ride. The cabbies are working on improving their English, just as I try to improve my Thai. And both of us tend to latch onto one (or fewer) words that we recognize and go from there. So, consider the case......a few years back, the Four Sesasons was known as the Regent. It’s a big hotel, well regarded in the city, right? Get in a cab, ask for the Regent, take a nap, and next I know I’m by Pratunam market and he’s pulling up by the Indra Regent. Then the Regent changed the name to The Four Seasons to take advantage of the branding available. Fair enough, it’s the higher end of their offerings. Now I ask for the Four Seasons. Next I know I’m being dropped off at the Conrad at the All Seasons. Ask for a taxi to take you to the All Seasons, and you’ll probably end up at the Four Seasons. (The trick I’ve learned is to ask him to take you to the Erawan shrine, and then just keep gesticulating until you get where you need to be).

Anyways, I’m getting off topic.

When I was in Bangkok in October last, I’d dropped in for lunch (having visited the Four Seasons en route thanks to my cabbie) and in talking to Nicholas I confirmed that they were moving shop. Their plan was to take up a lease on a house on soi 31 up on Sukhumvit. As I generally stay in that area, this was good news.

So, just back from Laos and luxuriating in the Emporium, I felt it was time for a lunch. I phoned Le Vendome and confirmed the new location, and then took the family off to a short stroll to their new location.

This did not go well.

Soi 31 is a trifle odd. You follow it down and away from the bustle of Sukhumvit. After a few blocks in stifling heat you find that the street bears away to your right. You follow this some more, and you find yourself in a claustrophobic alleyway, with you, two walls, and a number of reasonably homocidal drivers.

After a good stretch down here, I realized that we were about to come out on the far end near to Phetburi, not far from RCA. This was not a good thing. I had unhappy kids and a grouchy wife, all of whom were on the verge of heat prostration. We stopped in at one health center and made a heart-rending request for them to look up the address proper for Le Vendome.

“Mineral water! Mineral water!” croaked Serena.

“A baguette! Or even a brioche!” whispered Scud, on the verge of passing out.

“Just ask her if she knows where the damn restaurant is,” said Yoonhi.

This was the problem. Le Vendome had just moved, and was too recent to have settled into common knowledge in the neighborhood. I kicked myself for not having mapped it out better.

In disarray, we fled back to the air conditioning of the Emporium for some Thai food, in much the way Napoleon must have retreated from Russia (except different).

However, like Napoleon, I would not rest content in my Elba of the Emporium. The next day I talked to Nicholas on the phone, took directions, and tried again.

While shorter than the 100 days, this was far more successful.

For those of you trying to recreate my historic trek (okay, you just want to get to Le Vendome) the trick is in realizing that, for some bizarre reason I cannot fathom, soi 31 bends to the left at the Euro Inn. If you follow this around, and make another right, you’ll find yourself first at the beautiful Eugenia Hotel with their fine collection of vintage autos, and then at Le Vendome. There is a map up on their website, but it doesn’t show how the road goes straight through. Still, if you ask for the Sawasdee school, you’ll get close enough.

You enter through a pleasant garden, approaching the house from poolside. Inside the main room is large windows and light. Perhaps a little harsh at times from the Siamese sun on the pool’s water, but it feels very clean.

Nicholas met me, and I complimented him on the move, and cursed soi 31. It was early, and we were the first customers. When I’d called earlier I’d asked about corkage, and he was happy enough for me to bring a bottle. I had a 2002 St. Emillion I’d brought from Vientiane, and he had the staff take this off to open and breathe.

For lunch today we started simply. Nicholas had an Iberica ham, which he deftly sliced for us and plated with some balsamic.

After a couple of weeks of fairly tough pig meat up North, this acorn fed cured ham was….well….really good. Soft, fatty. Dab a bit of balsamic to perk things up, and you’re in a very happy place.

The bread was a good companion, matching the fat of the ham with an infusion of butter. A gerkin on the side for a sour bite to complement the balsamic and …..then they cut us some more ham.

For starters we had langoustine tartare, nicely minced crustacean under cover of some alfalfa sprouts. The taste of the sprouts dominates at first, and then you pick up the saltiness of the ikura just underneath, which then sets off the jelly-like langoustine on the bottom.

And then the main courses. The tortelline was Serena’s choice. It was good. Nicholas’ sauces can always work me up a bit.

Scud had the prawns. Two large ones pan fried up with garlic and herbs, and then nestled on a bed of smoothly whipped and truffled ratte potatos, carried just above the mash by mangetouts and spring onions. (Unfortunately, the photo of this failed me).

For these they poured out the St. Emillion they’d decanted.

This shot – besides showing that they know how to handle a bordeaux– does give an idea of the room. It’s not over-large, perhaps only eight or ten tables. But I’ll speak later of the private rooms.

Yoonhi ordered the duck breast. Crispy skin, tender meat, the foam was very nice. Yoonhi, in looking at this photo, has decided she must have liked it. Hidden from view beneath is a foie gras ravioli that I tried to sneak away from her (unsuccessfully).

I couldn’t pass up the chance to have pig trotters. These came with the trotter skin crisp fried, and stuffed with the mince and chanterelles. The smell of the rosemary and the crunch of the skin still stay with me. The lentils they were served upon were creamy and smooht.

Dessert was, as expected, a pretty little thing. I wish I could remember the proper name for the yellow item on the left, but my notes and memory fail me. The chocolate was referred to a “tiara”.

The reason I failed on this was that we were all hyped up over marshmellows. These home made variety had a coarse, sugary granularity, with a slight crust to the outside.

They met wholeheartedly with Serena’s approval. (with some hot chocolate for her, and espresso for us).

Once fed, they took me on a brief tour of the house. Besides the main dining room we’d seen, there is another private room on the ground floor, along with the wine cellar. Upstairs they have two more private rooms, the one offering what would be a wonderful pool-lit view at night.

The private rooms have become almost a requirement, I was told. On the one hand, they provide the proper discretion for those using the venue for sealing business deals. On the other hand, the private rooms, by their nature, have become the havens of the smoking crowd, as Thailand has made smoking in public extremely difficult. I don’t smoke myself (having grown up with smokers), but I wouldn’t begrudge someone a cig as long as it doesn’t interfere with my meal.

We took our leave with that, pleasantly fed, and splurged on a taxi to take us back up to the mouth of the soi, from where we could walk back home.

The verdict? Now that I know just how soi 31 falls, it’s not that difficult to get to (although I’ll take a cab next time the temperature breaks 40 C). The feel is good, and I like the pool side ambience. The lunch menu has climbed up to 550 baht, which along with the baht’s recent climb does raise the price, but still, for around $19 (or less) Canadian, I’m still not going to complain. But there was a change. Before, Le Vendome felt very much a place for long lunches, but not a dinner destination. Now it’s switched around, and while lunch is important, it gives me the feel that it would be most excellent as a dinner destination.

And there are those new tasting menus…….

I’m hungry again.

For more on Vendome, including maps, try their website

http://www.levendomerestaurant.com/about.htm

[NickLam]

Just a shot on street food, which featured largely in my diet in Thailand for a year!

First off, street food there is pretty safe, but try to avoid the bbq squid from the streets. Ate it twice and went down with food poisoning. Not saying all of them are like that, but its better to err on the safe side.

Famous street food at night can be found at Soi 38 Sukhumvit.

Right at the entrance, you will see a whole row of street vendors. On your right will be a small brightly lit 'alley' with seating.

First shop on that 'alley' serves up really good stuff, order their specialty just by pointing at the newspaper cutting they have there!

Or, try the bhen mee kiow, haang from the stall next to it. Thats just noodles with wantons. Haang means 'dry', so you will get a tasty seasoning on it of oil, soy sauce, pepper, fish sauce, etc...

Along the road, find a stall with a tiny bathtub as a shop decoration out front. This is not for the faint of heart, as you can have a taste of noodles made with the private parts of the cow.

Good Casual Style Chinese Restaurant with GREAT Seafood

Have eaten in many supposedly 'top' places in Bkk, but nothing compares to this one in both taste and bang for the buck. The restaurant's name is called Sohrn-Thorn, and finding it is easy. Sohrn can rhyme with "Fawn" or "Dawn" with a throaty emphasis on the 'hrn' part.

Cabbies should know the place, just say Rama 4 and Sukhumvit Soi 24. Sorn Thorn.

If a blank stare follows, just follow these directions.

Take a cab to Sukhumvit Soi 24 and tell the cab to take you to the end of the road.

The end of the road is a T-Junction of Sukhumvit Soi 24 and Rama 4 (Pharam Sii) Road.

You will see a huge gas station on your left and a BMW showroom on your right.

Once off the taxi, cut across the gas station and walk towards the Golden Arches (YES, McDonalds). It is safe to walk, so don't worry. Many expatriates walk there for dinner.

On Rama 4 road, standing at McDonalds and looking down the street, you will see the doors of 4 to 5 shophouses (It will be slightly dark as they will be closed at night).

From here, you will be able to see bright lights and probably parked cars parked outside this chinese restaurant.

This shop has fish tanks filled with seafood out front and it will be the first restaurant you find after McDonalds. You can't miss it.

They have an english menu and staff speak english. Menu's have prices, so its not a rip-off joint. This is the best seafood joint I've been to....and cheap too!

Specialties:

(1) Fresh BBQ Mantis Shrimp (You will see them swimming in the tanks...wierd rectangular prawns)

(2) Raw marinated crab (Very spicy!)

(3) Deep fried pork neck in sauce

(4) Fresh raw marinated shrimps (Eat it with the garlic!)

(5) Fish Maw Soup

(6) Deep fried fish

(7) Bbq fresh giant prawns.

Ok.....so raw crab and prawns may be a bit adventurous. However, their business is so good that their live seafood gets turned over everyday. Its all fresh from the tank. Can't really go wrong with the seafood here. And, the green chilli sauce is simply amazing.

If there is any place worth seeking out, its this one.

Amazing Thai Style Pork Satay

Its called Moo Peing and this is on Silom road, just opposite Patpong on Soi Convent. You cannot miss this guy, he is on the entrance of Soi Convent right outside the 7-11. The best satay EVER....and that is no mean feat as it beats any satay I've had in Singapore or Malaysia.

He is only open at night, and its the luck of the draw as he may sell out fast. So, if you find yourself in Patpong at night, do not miss this guy.

While you are at Soi Convent, look for street vendors nearby and look for sausages...tiny sausage droplets. These are sausages from the Issan province, or "Sai Grog Issan".

They are fermented sausages and sourish in nature, quite similar to Nam in Vietnam. However.....they are tons MORE flavourful, with a porky kick. It is an acquired taste....but so typical of Thai street food.

There are other places of note in Bkk, mostly simple restaurants and street food and most likely holes in the walls that a tourist will not be able to find or menu items so obscure you won't be able to order it correctly.

Fine dining is good for entertaining business clients or impressing in-laws. But personally, Thai street food reigns supreme as since you are already in Thai, you might as well eat Thai food! Not touristy versions or costly upmarket ones found in fine dining establishments, but those that everyday people eat.

Hope you will try some street food in Thailand and come to love it as I have! Have a great trip.

Edited July 17, 2007 by NickLam (log)

[Peter Green]

A quick note......

The Dusit Thani in Bangkok is doing a Printemps Gourmand

A Celebration of French Cuisine and the Arts

Jacques Pourcel is coming in from Le Jardin des Sens in Montpellier, and will be working with the chefs of the Dusit, and with Sebastien Bonnefoi (founder and director of Urban Bar Bartending School, Shanghai) in putting on a four day celebration of Spring in Bangkok.

If you're interested, it looks fun:

Thursday 21 May

9.30 - 2 pm Cooking class by Chef Jacques Pourcel followed by lunch at D’Sens at THB 1600 net

12 - 2 pm 4-Course Gourmet Luncheon at D’Sens by Chef Jacques Pourcel at THB 990 net

6 - 8 pm Happy Hour, with 2-for-1 on classic and creative cocktails mixed by Sébastien

Bonnefoi and Surasak Pantaisong at D’Sens Bar. Tapas by Chef Jacques Pourcel.

Live jazz music

6 - 10 pm 6-Course Gourmet Dinner at D’Sens at THB 2,000 net

Friday 22 May

9.30 - 11.30 am Cooking Demonstration by Chef Jacques Pourcel at Le Cordon Bleu Dusit

Culinary School

12 - 2 pm 4-Course Gourmet Luncheon at D’Sens at THB 990 net

5 - 6 pm Cocktail Demonstration with Sébastien Bonnefoi and Surasak Pantaisong at MyBar

6 - 8 pm D’Sens Bar Happy Hour; cocktails by Sébastien Bonnefoi and Surasak Pantaisong

6 - 10 pm Gourmet Dinner at D’Sens featuring Chef Jacques Pourcel’s Mediterranean

Specialty Menu at THB 1,800 net

10 - 2 am French Kiss Party at MyBar featuring an exciting bartender show and DJ Greco

providing funky grooves. THB 450 cover charge, Ladies Complimentary.

Saturday 23 May

10 - 12 pm Cooking Demonstration by Executive Master Chef Fabrice Danniel at Le Cordon Bleu

Dusit Culinary School

12 - 2 pm 4-Course Gourmet Luncheon at D’Sens by Chef Jacques Pourcel at THB 1,200 net

3 - 4 pm Macaroon Demonstration by Executive Master Chef Fabrice Danniel at Dusit

Gourmet

3.30 - Afternoon High Tea at the Lobby Lounge,

5.30 pm featuring French pastries by Executive Master Chef Fabrice Danniel and teas from

Ronnefeldt, at THB 350 net

7 pm Festival Gala Dinner at D’Sens. All participating chefs express their talents to create an

unforgettable 6-course dinner at THB 4,000 net

Sunday 24 May

12 - 2 pm Sunday Lunch at D’Sens featuring menu by Chef Jacques Pourcel at THB 1,200 net

3 - 4 pm Macaroon Demonstration by Executive Master Chef Fabrice at Dusit Gourmet

3.30 - Afternoon High Tea at the Lobby Lounge,

5.30 pm featuring French pastries by Executive Master Chef Fabrice and teas from

Ronnefeldt at THB 350 net

5 - 7 pm Gourmet Cooking Demo by Chef Cédric Maton at Le Cordon Bleu Dusit

Culinary School

6 - 10 pm 5-Course Gourmet Dinner at D’Sens by Chef Jacques at THB 1,800 net

Why am I not in Bangkok right now?