Youngone

ShyguyUK and myself had our traditional New Year's lunch this Friday at Artur, a very traditional steak house with a lot of classic French dishes on the menu such as frog legs, burgundy snails, sole meuniere, pan fried foie gras, bisque d'homard, home made sauces such as an excellent Bearnaise etc etc. The last few years we had always opted for Le Normandie, but we decided to mix it up this year around and we sure as hell didn't regret that decision. The food was more than excellent! Artur ( https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Restaurant/ARTUR-Restaurant-330562996849/ ) is located in Soi Ton Son, in between Phloenchit and Chidlom BTS stations. I exited at Chidlom and it took me about 5 minutes on foot to get there. I had the Bisque D'homard ( lobster soup), sole meuniere and tarte tatin accompanied by some wines recommended by the Thai female chef ( who speaks fluent English and French). Full marks all around and the return factor is very high! Very quiet for lunch, for a more lively atmosphere it is recommended to go for dinner. Amuse bouche, very tasty! House white wine Bisque d'homard A light red recommended by the Thai female chef. Sole meuniere, the beurre blanc and the home made bearnaise that came with it were more than excellent. A glass of the recommended red wine and a glass of Sancerre to go with desert. A raspberry bavarois on the house. Tarte Tatin The least pleasant bit of the afternoon

I've stayed there many times and have always found it good value for money. Rooms are spacious, beds large and extremely comfortable, bathrooms adequate. Below some pics of the room featuring Ming as a willing participant to brighten it up a little If I stay in the soi 11 area my preferred hotel nowadays is Fraser Suites. Large modern rooms, decent swimming pool, great rooftop bar (Above 11) for only a little bit more money than the likes of Mercure.

Considering 6 months had passed since our last culinary excursion to Le Normandie, Shyguyuk and I decided last week that it was high time to once again make our way to the Oriental Hotel and indulge in Le Normandie's 8 course Menu Gastronomique accompanied by a Wine Arrangement. I'll let the pics speak for themselves, save to say I needed a nap after this lunch!

No updates to this thread for a while so high time for some new pics For the Ramen lovers amongst you I can wholeheartedly recommend Mensho Tokyo, located on the corner of Sukhumvit road and soi 31. I had the Tori Taipan: a very rich chicken broth, pork chashu, duck chashu, green onion, marinated egg and lemon grass. Outstanding and at 320b not bad value either!

Great recommendations above from the guys! Just to make your life a bit more difficult here are a few more suggestions from a fellow non romantic software guy Uno Mas, 54th floor of the Centara. http://www.unomasbangkok.com/ Above 11, top floor of Fraser Suites on soi 11. https://aboveeleven.com/bangkok/ Sala Rim Naam, riverside dining at The Oriental ( far from cheap). https://www.mandarinoriental.com/bangkok/chao-phraya-river/fine-dining/restaurants/thai-cuisine/sala-rim-naam The Horizon Cruise from the Shangri-La hotel ( she will absolutely love this). http://www.shangri-la.com/bangkok/shangrila/dining/restaurants/horizon-cruise/ Nahm at the Metropolitan Hotel in Sathorn. https://www.comohotels.com/en/metropolitanbangkok/dining/nahm

ShyguyUK and myself had promised ourselves to start 2019 with a culinary feast, so to that end we made lunch reservations at Le Normandie; the Mandarin Oriental's flagship restaurant. https://www.mandarinoriental.com/bangkok/chao-phraya-river/fine-dining/restaurants/french-cuisine/le-normandie The restaurant has great views over the Chao Praya river and has been awarded 2 Michelin stars 2 years in a row. In the past the dress code was quite strict with compulsory jacket and tie for men, but luckily they have relaxed their dress code a bit; business casual for lunch and just jacket for dinner. Anyway, we ordered the 8 course Menu Degustation together with the wine arrangement ( 5 glasses) and what followed was exactly what we had in mind: a culinary feast . I'll let the pics speak for themselves

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Last night a non BM friend, Shyguyuk and myself made the pilgrimage to Savelberg ( https://www.restaurantsavelberg.com/ ) on Wireless ( Witthayu) road. The restaurant is located about a 10 minute walk along Wireless road from Phloenchit BTS station on the side of the US embassy and is within the compound of the Oriental Residence. Plush surroundings but the staff were quite relaxed and were not overly formal as can happen in Michelin starred restaurants ( Le Normandie at the Oriental Hotel is a good example of that). The place is owned by Henk Savelberg ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henk_Savelberg ) , a relatively famous chef in The Netherlands who has relocated to Thailand to start a restaurant here. All 3 of us were well impressed with the quality of the food which by western standards is very good value, the only dish I found overpriced and disappointing was the cheeseboard. The wine list is extensive, not cheap but I wouldn't say overpriced either due to the high import duties Thailand charges on imported alcohol. Return factor: High. A look inside the kitchen from the table. Amuse 1: the silver ball was filled with crab meat. Amuse 2: a very light foie gras mousse My non BM friend was keen on the caviar dish so we asked if we could share a portion: no problem the waiter said, instead of 30 grams you'll get 15 grams each . It was served on crème fraiche and surrounded by a potato mash. Most excellent! Starter: Lobster, tasted very light and refreshing. Main dish: Veal & Foie Gras, very delicate and an outstanding combination. The let down for me was the cheese board: 700b for 4 tiny pieces of cheese is terrible value for money when compared to a place like No Idea where 8 large pieces are charged at 590b. Mango dessert, again very light and refreshing. We had 3 bottles of wine with the meal: a terrific Chablis ( 4500b) to accompany the caviar and lobster, an outstanding Saint Estephe (5000b) to accompany the veal & foie gras and we treated ourselves to an unbelievably good Chateau d'Yquem (15000b) as a dessert wine. Both the Chablis and the Saint Estephe were recommendations of the sommelier and he was spot on.

You're welcome guys, it's actually fun going through these pictures and remembering the good times had... Here are a few more Zuma Bangkok is located on the ground floor of the St. Regis Hotel, right next to Ratchadamri BTS station. Zuma has branches in 14 locations worldwide, some of which are notoriously hard to get reservations at; particularly the ones in New York and London come to mind for me. The Bangkok branch thankfully does not have such issues, in fact chances are you can get a table when you walk in without reservations such as I did on the 2 occasions I had lunch there. It is by no means a cheap restaurant but when compared to the branches in the West it delivers good value for money. The atmosphere is pleasantly informal and the food is excellent, particularly the duo of salmon & tuna tartar with Oscietra caviar and the Wagyu beef gyoza stood out for me. Will I return a 3d time? For sure yes. https://www.zumarestaurant.com/zuma-landing/bangkok/en/welcome A Japanese restaurant that is consistently highly rated on TripAdvisor is Tsu Nami in the basement of the JW Marriot on Sukhumvit soi 2. Nami is the Teppan Yaki side of the restaurant where I have never dined, whilst Tsu on the other side of the restaurant serves more traditional Japanese food. It's a very large restaurant so showing up without reservations should generally speaking not be an issue. Service is attentive without being too formal and the food is of very highly quality. Sadly this restaurant lets itself down for me on the pricing level. Whilst I do not mind paying over the odds for high quality food I do object to a restaurant 'taking the piss', which in my opinion Tsu does. It is for that reason I will not be returning in a hurry... http://jwmarriottbangkok.com/dining/tsu-japanese-restaurant/ Brasserie Cordonnier is conveniently located on soi 11, more or less right across from Insanity. It is a French Brasserie style restaurant that serves classic French dishes such as snails and steak tartar. The atmosphere is informal, the food is good and well priced for this part of town. The only thing that needs improvement in my opinion is the selection of wines by the glass. Great place to go with a group of friends prior to a night on the town. https://cordonnierbkk.com/

If I'm in the mood for a simple and quick lunch I like to go to Ippudo for some of their excellent Ramen. There are a number of Ippudo restaurants across town, I like the one on the 5th floor of the Emporium Mall best. The spicy gyoza is fantastic and the Tom Yum Ramen is memorable... http://www.ippudo.co.th/en/ If you like Spanish food and you like dining with a view than look no further than Uno Mas. It's located on the 54th floor of the Centara Grand hotel at Central World ( BTS station Siam Square). They have a stunning array of tapas and a Spanish wine selection that is more than excellent at very competitive prices. Best is to order 5 or 6 different tapas as the portions are quite generous and forget about the main dishes. I dined here just last week with Shyguyuk, a fellow foodie, and we were both more than impressed http://www.unomasbangkok.com/ Probably my favourite restaurant in Bangkok is No Idea in Sukhumvit soi 22. It labels itself as a 'gastro pub' but I reckon they're too modest with that description. The place is run by owner Dave, a Kiwi who is a retired 747 captain with Cathay Pacific, and his wife who does the cooking. The atmosphere is very relaxed, the food is outstanding and the selection of wine is one of the best in Bangkok. They have great wines by the glass like Alexana, an excellent Pinot Noir from Oregon, as well as a huge bottle selection of both New World and traditional wines. The cheeseboard here for me is the best in Bangkok, 590b for a selection of 8 different cheeses is truly great value for money. http://www.noideabkk.com/

You're welcome Privateluca. One of the reasons I love living in Bangkok, besides obviously the nightlife, is the fact that there are excellent restaurants galore for very affordable prices when compared to the West. Here are a few more One of the best coffee's in town in my opinion can be had D'Ark, located on the ground floor of the Emquartier. It's a good place to relax, watch the world go by and try one of their delicious coffee's or simple dishes. http://www.darkoffee.com/ Michelin brought out their first Bangkok guide earlier this year and awarded a number of restaurants with 1 and 2 stars. One of the restaurants awarded 1 star is Joel Robuchon, located in the Mahanakhon Cube right next to Chong Nonsi BTS station. There is an open plan kitchen where you can see the chefs at work and seating is either at the counter or at a table in the back. If you're going there alone or with just 1 friend it's fun to sit at the counter but if there are 3 or more of you that makes for awkward conversation and a table would be better. The food here is more than excellent, but it does come at a very high price; especially by Bangkok standards. Where this restaurant lets itself down for me is with their wine list. The selection of wines by the glass is very limited and too expensive, whilst it is virtually impossible to find a decent bottle on their list for an affordable price. It is for that reason that I am not too keen on returning. http://robuchon-bangkok.com/

Personally I'm not a huge fan of Indian food but I did like Charcoal Tandoor at the Fraser Suites in Sukhumvit soi 11. Not cheap, but they serve high quality food in very nice surroundings... http://charcoalbkk.com/ If you like Barbeque and ribs look no further than Le Cochon Blanc on Sukhumvit soi 31. There's a very relaxed vibe about the place and the prices are OK for the food they offer. I particularly liked the sweetbreads ( ris de veau ). https://www.lecochonblanc.com/

When it comes to restaurants Bangkok wins it from Pattaya by a country mile in my opinion. Pattaya for me is a bit of a culinary desert whilst the possibilities in Bangkok are endless, from simple inexpensive food to Michelin starred restaurants. Recommending restaurants is always a bit tricky though as different people value different things, but I'll take a stab at it... Since we're in Thailand I'll start with a Thai restaurant. Osha on Wireless Road offers terrific Thai dishes in a very pleasant setting and is surprisingly affordable. Great place to take a date with a good value for money factor. http://www.oshabangkok.com/osharestaurant/ Masu Maki on Sukhumvit soi 39 is a very simple little restaurant that serves high quality sushi for very reasonable prices. Perfect for a quick lunch or simple dinner, not so perfect to bring a date though. You'll struggle to spend more than 1000b here which for Sushi is a great deal.

I have only stayed there once, back in December 2008, so my info is far from recent. At the time the rooms were very spacious, quiet and clean. The hotel/serviced apartment is definitely girl/Lb friendly, they did not take ID at reception. As far as I'm aware the hotel rooms have since been renovated. There are several good restaurants and coffee shops around the corner. My issue was the distance from the hotel to Sukhumvit/BTS station (Phrom Phong) which is a good 15 minute walk on dodgy pavements full of potholes. Taking a taxi could take even longer as soi 24 is a very busy soi...

I tried Sushi Masa out today for the 1st time and must say I agree with you about the quality of the food. It's a simple restaurant in an unassuming local neighbourhood not far from Siam Square but in my opinion the sushi is on par with the much more fancy Japanese restaurants in places like Siam Paragon etc. I also spend just over 2000b, which for me is quite acceptable for high quality sushi. The Unagi was also my favourite Spicy tuna was good but next time I'll try something else on the menu The toro was sublime Water was cheap 555