Bangkok Grazing part 1

Maybe this should be in the Travel forum as well but double posting is too technical for me. We were hot in Bangkok...and then someone told us it was the cool season ....hurrah for Singha beer! The local brew is quite palatable when served ice cold; especially after WALKING for 3 hours in traffic fumes and dust had rendered my throat as dry as a Welsh village on Mothering Sunday. ORIENTAL HOTEL A couple of light dishes to welcome us to the Land of Smiles on the river Menam Chao Phaya...... Pad Thai: fried thai noodles with blue river prawns, beansprouts and banana blossom. Yam Som-O: Pomelo salad with chicken & prawns accompanied by fragrant steamed rice. Pomelo is the world's largest citrus fruit with sweet or sour varieties. The cool sweet juice is perfect counterpoint for the chili and fishy dressing. A crisp Californian sauvignon blanc helped the sun go down over the river. I am sure that Sol would have gone down all the same but every bit helps the Chaos theory go on. ********************************************************************** SALA RIM NAAN is a restaurant on the river built to look like a Thai pavillion. Cultural shows accompany the set menu. As our Thai advisors intimated, the food is well executed Royal Thai cuisine but nothing to rave about (see Bangkok Grazing part 2 later). Royal Thai cuisine only became public in the 1960s. It is reminescent of an elaborate Japanese kaiseki meal and can be summed up in three words: "presentation", "presentation" and "presentation". Steamed Thai dumplings filled with crab meat grabbed our interest by daring to be blue SALA RIM NAAN is a restaurant on the river built to look like a Thai pavillion. Cultural shows accompany the set menu. As our Thai advisors intimated, the food is well executed Royal Thai cuisine but nothing to rave about (see Bangkok Grazing part 2 later). Royal Thai cuisine only became public in the 1960s. It is reminescent of an elaborate Japanese kaiseki meal and can be summed up in three words: "presentation", "presentation" and "presentation". Steamed Thai dumplings filled with crab meat grabbed our interest by daring to be blue We sat low-down Thai style. At this point, a waiter stepped on my spectacles and my outlook for the evening was changed forever....hurrah for Canon PowerShot autofocus. Clockwise (of course) from the rice bowl were: Khow hommali; Steamed fragrant jasmine rice. Panaeng ped gub linchee; Creamy duckling curry with lychees. Yaam nuea yaang gub a-ngoon; Spiced grilled beef salad with grapes. Phad phag; stir-fried vegetables in oyster sauce. Tom kha ghoong naang; Herbed prawn coconut milk soup. Moo sannog ob gathiem prig thai; roast pork loin with garlic pepper sauce. Dessert was carved tropical fruits. Maybe this should be in the Arts forum Tea was accompanied by minature "fruits" which are actually rice and coconut cakes. We were amazed by the colour and lustre which replicated that on the real fruit in the markets. Look at the pear-shaped sliced fruit at 3 o'clock in the previous photo and you can see the similarity. To be continued............. MTF ThePuristS.com Wine and Food Discussion Forum  |  ThePuristS.com Home Page We welcome comments, suggestions, and corrections. Copyright January 2003 - MTF and ThePuristS.com - all rights reserved