Travelogue: Spring Break 2009 -- Bangkok

[Peter Green]

My bags are packed, I'm ready to go........

This is going to be a long one. First, I have to change planes in Bangkok, and with about 16 hours between flights, there'll be some eating to do.

[Peter the eater]

My bags are packed, I'm ready to go........

This is going to be a long one.  First, I have to change planes in Bangkok, and with about 16 hours between flights, there'll be some eating to do.

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You go, Peter Green!

It's good to have Peter, Paul & Mary on the iPod -- if you forget where you've been, you won't know where you're going.

eta: Murray Head not so much

Edited March 13, 2009 by Peter the eater (log)

[OnigiriFB]

Yay! 16 hours in BKK can be dangerous on the soul, tummy, and pocketbook. Can't wait to see where you end up this time. Have fun, travel safe, and eat well.

[Peter Green]

I've got a plan.

Remember, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.

I flail when I plan.

I'm back in an airport lounge again, with hours of leisure stretching before me (up until the part in which I engage in the local equivalent of the running of the bulls, which is also known as boarding.

I've a glass of something red from France, and a bowl of very good olives, which I'll need to replenish. The blacks feel Egyptian (maybe Lebanese?) with a soft mush to them. The greens are crisp and airy, probably Turks. There are some Egyptian style pickles out there, too.

The BBC is running a very good program on Viktor ("'Bout time") the gun runner whom the Thai have as a guest of the state right now, so you'll pardon me if I divert my attention from time to time. They took him down on a sting involving the FARC, so this overlaps a number of my interests.

Anyways, a plan.

To start, as I've said, we'll do a quick drop in on Bangkok. I'll see FlyingRat and the usual suspects, and get in a couple of good meals.

The next morning, I should arrive in Seoul, with The Boy showing up some hours later. He, Jason, and I intend to do some serious damage for a couple of weeks.

After that, it will be back to Bangkok for an idyll (of sorts), to be joined by Yoonhi and Serena and sundry family members.

Then we'll be back to my beloved Luang Prabang for Pimai, the Lao New Year.

At some point I have to go back to work.

But, the good news (I think ) is that I'll leave on business shortly after that.

Will I ever manage to finish writing this up?

[Stupid_American]

If you find some time at the airport, why not check out it's food court. It would be interesting to find if it has anything good to offer.

[dockhl]

I love me some Peter Green travelogue !!! ...................

Carry on.................

[JTravel]

I love me some Peter Green travelogue !!! ...................

Carry on.................

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YES!!!! Some people do get to do lots of exciting things in lots of exciting places.

AND write about it well.

Carry on indeed!

[Domestic Goddess]

Peter - can't wait for you and the boy to be here. If you're planning to eat some grilled intestines, please do bring me along. I've never tried it and my korean friends still haven't gotten around to bring me to a grilled intestine restaurant. I, in turn, will bring you to our favorite grilled kalbi restaurant here in our town.

[eternal]

Enjoy! Last time I had a layover in BKK, I followed in your footsteps and hit the Four Seasons buffet (just two weeks ago). It was indeed amazing and I can't thank you enough for that tidbit of info. Looking forward to the info on Seoul.

[milgwimper]

Man I envy you! I cannot wait to see all the food from Korea and Thailand!

[Peter Green]

If you find some time at the airport, why not check out it's food court. It would be interesting to find if it has anything good to offer.

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I've come to rest in the KAL lounge, so my Scottish bloodline isn't likely to let me stray from free beer and wine.

However, I did notice in the central concourse that the sushi stand there in the middle of the passage had at least four, good looking big bottles of sake, and lots os shochu. If I was spending money to kill time, that's where I'd be.

I'll try to snag some shots when I come back through in late April. Right now I'll hang close to gate 7e.

Cheers,

Peter

[FlyingRat]

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!

[Dejah]

Now I'll be humming "Leaving on a Jet Plane" for the rest if the day!

Looking forward to more food!

[tb86]

peter check out bolan restaurant hearing some good stuff about it here in bkk

[FlyingRat]

peter check out bolan restaurant hearing some good stuff about it here in bkk

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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!)

[jasie]

Is it bad that I'm checking this thread a few times a day? I can't wait!! Looking forward to the blog~

[Peter Green]

It’d been a good start.

Okay, set the sleep deprivation thing aside. I don’t sleep on aircraft, so this was pushing into that 30+ hours of wakefulness to deal with.

But, I was able to drop most of my stuff at the airport, and then crashed on FlyingRat and her husband for a good morning of general discussion, covering such world-shaking topics as the rendering of food into other cultures, the quotes of Marie Antoinette, and a serious discussion of the Smurfs.

“They’re three apples tall.”

This is material you have to know.

I had a simple plan. Shower, change, rest, brunch, rest, dinner, go back to airport.

I’d accomplished the first three of these in the proper succession, and that led to…

March 15, 2009 – Comparative Brunchology

I have lapsed.

My original concept had been to descend upon the Four Seasons for my usual round of gorging, but, amongst my coterie, there was a call for some variety. A change of pace.

Being frail, I succumbed.

I’d heard for some time that the primary competition for the Four Seasons’ brunch was the Sukhothai. Flying Rat had made reservations for us, and she, J, M and myself all met there in the lobby, a few minutes short of their opening. (E would join us later that evening).

The brunch is effectively broken into two areas. The main food station is up front of the large dining area. The desserts are segregated in a side room, reached the long way of a U from the main foods, and up and down a couple of small risers.

Unfortunately, we were seated c loser to the dessert than to the main action, which, in this arrangement, means a negotiation of tables and chairs, with no open thoroughfare to facilitate the to and fro.

In contrast, while Madison can be a bit of twister to get in and out of the booths, it’s a fairly short course of hurdles, with only two or three tables to get around. Likewise, at the Four Seasons the food stations are distributed widely, so, wherever you sit, you’ll not be too far from things.

This means that one of the tactics of brunch becomes difficult to execute, which is “small plating”. At a good spread (and this is a good spread), I prefer to take smaller tastings, with limited amounts on my plate. This way the hot food doesn’t cool too badly, and the flavours are distinct, as opposed to the normal brutality of the buffet, where plates are piled high and portions commingled.

The other difficulty is that, while I did continue to small plate (and there is a benefit to the exercise this affords me in walking back and forth) I couldn’t avoid some cooling of the foods, with most everything luke warm by the time I was back at the table.

So, logistically, I would have to say that it was a more difficult arrangement. But you can’t fault the F&B for that, as they have to work with the space they have.

Approaching the food from the left flank, the table still not fully occupied, we encountered a selection of salmon.

A Norwegian smoked, a gravlox, and, what took my interest, a beet and vodka approach to salmon. I earmarked that for my attention.

Beside this was the salad station, with a nice set up for fresh preparation of individual servings.

But, I was more interested in the parma ham that was set up just after that, feathers of flesh floating down from the blades to be scooped up from below.

My only concern here is that the charming young lady who was doing the slicing was also doing aiding in the salad orders, and so couldn’t operate both stations at the same time. Having it fresh shaved like this is preferable to the presetting that is done at the Four Seasons, but if you have to wait, then you lose the advantage.

Having waited for it, I must say I did enjoy that ham. And the beat and vodka salmon was a treat. The gravlox were just there, and I prefer the Four Season’s house-smoked salmon.

I must say, the cold seafood spread was very good. On par with the Four Seasons, and superior in the range of oysters available. They had the fin de Claire, and in addition Tatten Virginica; Calm Cove; a larger, plumper oyster whose name I missed, but was surprisingly pleasant for an oyster this large – sweet and giving, without being mucusy; and kumamotos – small, plump little charmers that I’ve missed these last few months.

There was also main lobster, which I’d also seen on the Four Seasons’ table as a new item last time (and which seems to have come into season here in Bangkok, with several restaurants doing lobster promotions); King crab – which is something I haven’t seen elsewhere; and the usual assortment of prawns and such.

On a table beside this are a selection of Thai dishes – curries, rices, fries, and other such items to open your nose and make your mouth water. Their approach here is less labour intensive than the Four Seasons,and seems more focused on Central Thai dishes, in comparison to the sai krok Isaan and som tam offerings at the food stations in Spice Market. I’m more fond of sausages (as you know), but if your taste was more to the stews, then this was a very good selection.

Back at the main tables, there are two bbq’d ducks hanging and being carved, similar to what we have at the Four Seasons’ Chinese corner.

Just before the carvery, there was some very pleasant foie gras available for searing. They were doing this with pears and a sauterne sauce, to order at the ovens just behind.

The rest of the foie gras was arranged on a nearby table, with a straight torchon, and a pater with mushrooms. There were also some small terrines with the pate under jelly. There was also a good selection of other pates, but I had to move on.

The carvings were excellent, I will say. A prime rib that looked primordial, a very pleasant bit of roast pork, and a slow cooked lamb leg.

Limited in comparison to the Four Seasons’ choices in the kitchen, but all of good quality, and I would take the lamb leg done this way over the chops at Madison.

Fronting the meats were a set of casseroles, each containing small treasures, of which the coq au vin, and the paprikash of liver, tongues and hearts had me enraptured.

A bit jarring, on the same table and to the right was the “catch of the day”. Still, they were very pretty little things, and the smell of the pandan leave that were used to wrap the freshwater fish is not something I’d turn my nose up at.

Likewise, the minced shrimp on sugarcane is something I’ve loved since Vietnam days, and I’d be back for these.

Nearby was a shwarma, but that’s not something I’d use up my time on in this sitting.

Facing that was a large stack of steamers, all filled out with siumai, cha siu bao, and other dim sum.

Sushi and sashimi is, of course, de rigeur on a brunch menu, and I did feel the selection here was better than at the Four Seasons, with more fish and shellfish. Both hotels have fresh grated wasabi, which is a nice thing, indeed.

The ikura here was very nice, but then, so is the product at the 4S. And there you have the advantage of the ice block presentation, along with a wider selection of fish roe.

However, I did miss the grilled unagi station at the Four Seasons, and there was no hot pot for meats.

The cheese was across from sashimi, and this was a very good selection, much broader than the Four Seasons.

A solid selection of Old and New World cheeses, with my interest lying in the softer offerings. Some overlap here with what they have at the Four Seasons, but I’d say that there was close to triple the overall choice.

And, to the Sukhothai’s credit, there was a large hanging section of honeycomb accompanying the cheese.

Desserts were acceptable, but I would give preference to the Four Seasons, especially for their crepes.

The home made ice creams were obviously good, as the murmers of my brunch companions attested, and I was tempted, but I was slowing down by now.

And I’m always enchanted by these little faux fruit. The effort that goes into these never fails to amaze me.

And the chocolate fondue is a nice touch.

(As a note, I haven’t done it, but FlyingRat speaks highly of the chocolate degustation here in the afternoons)

Honorable mention must go, however, to this dish. Sticky Toffee Pudding. J’s eyes glistened at the sight of this, and I, who don’t often indulge in such things, even had some.

Passing through the lobby to our exit, we did have the opportunity to see the chocolate buffet underway, and, as had been said, it did look very good (and I was too sated to go to the exertion of taking out my camera…darn!)

So, the overall evaluation?

Both offer a very good spread of product. I have few qualms with either regarding the wealth (and I do mean wealth) of items they offer. But I would say that the Sukhothai leans more towards a traditional large-table brunch approach. Top-end, but more conventional. Against this, the stations at the Four Season focus very much on fresh preparation.

Table service was another issue. Here, as I said, there were the logistics of moving about the room. At the Four Seasons the staff are very good about checking with you to see if you’d like anything brought to your table, saving you the wear and tear of actually walking about.

Those two elements, combined, meant that the hot food is enjoyed to advantage at the Four Seasons. But the Sukhothai understands this, and much of what they offer is meant for room temperature (their seared foie gras suffers on this, though).

The big difference, and I suspect that you’d already noticed this, is that the drinks are not included in the brunch. Wine is available at a reasonable price, and they were kind enough to send around a champagne cocktail, but I much prefer to have the cost of alcohol included in the affair, and open the gates for a proper Bacchanal, making it easy to cheerfully drift through a three hour + eatathon.

Still that translates to a difference in cost, with the Sukhothai less than 2,000 baht on the card, although we came in around 2,500 baht with the usual ++’s. The Four Seasons is a fair bit more than that, so it would come down to the question of drinking or not. In our case we’d restrained ourselves, as we were planning another meal for the evening.

Maybe that’s part of how to compare it? Look to the overall experience of the day. If your purpose is to make the most of this one meal, then I’d say the Four Seasons. But if you plan to accomplish anything more concrete in your day (like dinner), then the Sukhothai may be a more appropriately restrained choice (restraint is not my strong suite).

There are advantages to both venues. I admit that I’m biased by that “everybody knows your name” element at the 4S, so I’ll leave you to make your own choices.

Next – Friends old and new

[Peter Green]

Is it bad that I'm checking this thread a few times a day? I can't wait!! Looking forward to the blog~

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My apologies to one and all for taking so long, but I was laid low by some viral passerby on the first day here in the next stop.

So, between sleeping and other things we won't go into, I've been away from the machines.

I'll try to catch up (but I've said that before).

[Hest88]

Be still my heart! Another travelogue. Mmmmmm....

[prasantrin]

My apologies to one and all for taking so long, but I was laid low by some viral passerby on the first day here in the next stop. 

So, between sleeping and other things we won't go into, I've been away from the machines.

I'll try to catch up (but I've said that before). 

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You should really rest a little more. Make sure you're 100% before you start again, lest you relapse! Maybe two weeks--that's how much time you need to recover!

I'm leaving the day after tomorrow, but I finally finished Cambodia!

[Peter Green]

My apologies to one and all for taking so long, but I was laid low by some viral passerby on the first day here in the next stop. 

So, between sleeping and other things we won't go into, I've been away from the machines.

I'll try to catch up (but I've said that before).  

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You should really rest a little more. Make sure you're 100% before you start again, lest you relapse! Maybe two weeks--that's how much time you need to recover!

I'm leaving the day after tomorrow, but I finally finished Cambodia!

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This time I'm claiming total victory if you haven't finished the PI before I finish this trip. Sheesh, that'll be May.

[milgwimper]

*sniff* I am undecided which looks better the raw ingredients for the sushi or the cheese platter...*sigh*

[judiu]

Oh, Peter, thank you! I'm in dire need of a vacation, if only a 'virtual' one! Safe travel, happy eatings and wonderful reunions!

[Pan]

Peter, you posted about "main lobster." Is that Maine lobster?

That buffet was an interesting and in some ways incongruous mixture of different styles. Very interesting. I hope you stay well, and I look forward to the next installment!

[Peter Green]

Peter, you posted about "main lobster." Is that Maine lobster?

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Maine it is. My fingers get lost at times.

Sorry, but I'm (as usual) behind in the posting.

I'm looking for that rare congruence of fate that has me awake, sober, and not busy in order to catch up.

Where's the makkeolli?