Le Lapin

Dear Readers,

It has been a while since my last post and the reason is that I was working with some friends on the creation of a sandwich delivery company.
You know my passion for food so I guess it was only a matter of time before I was going to try something of the sort.

We had a lot of fun working on the recipes, finding the best suppliers, designing the website and so on.
It really is a lot of work but I am proud of the result and we have many ideas to keep improving.

Obviously me telling you those sandwiches are delicious will no sound very objective but I really believe it. We found great bread suppliers and our sauces and preparations are all home made.
If you have the opportunity please try them and let me know what you think.

The company is called, Le Lapin, and we deliver from 9AM to 2PM, Monday to Friday for the moment.

Wine Connection

Wine Connection is quite well known in the wine business in Bangkok as a wine importer for more then 10 years. They supply many hotels and restaurants and have developed a huge network in Thailand and other parts of South East Asia.
Quite surprisingly they decided to open a Wine Connection restaurant, that they brand as a deli-bistro. It opened beginning of 2010 at K. Village, Sukhumvit 26, next to the Carrefour on Rama 4. The atmosphere, the layout, and most of the dishes they propose have a French influence. The place is really nice and cosy although quite noisy.

It is often packed and it can be hard to get a table so I recommend to make reservations. The staff is professional and efficient but they can be quite annoying when they refuse to give you a table because everything is reserved even though half the restaurant is empty. If this happens you’ll have to find the “farang” manager and get his help. Usually it will take him 30 seconds to get you a table.

Wine Connection offers simple and classic food from France and Italy but this is exactly what most people want and what was missing in Bangkok. They cleverly managed to get good quality ingredients at the cheapest price, to create a coherent menu and to gather a good crew. The result is excellent, I particularly recommend the pizzas, the salads (but not the goat cheese salad which is disappointing)and the cheese platter. As you can imagine they have good wine to go with it and at a good price. They also have affordable Belgian and German beer.

I have rarely seen a place where you get your orders so quickly. Each time I am amazed to see how fast they work in the kitchen. Another good point are the prices. They are as low as you can get for food of this quality. I wonder how they do it and hope they aren’t cutting corners somewhere.

This place is definitely a success for the moment and I hope the management problems they seem to encounter in the wine business (from what I could hear from some of their customers) will not impact and ruin this project in the long run.

Le Blanc

Le Blanc, Sukhumvit Soi 39, is a must try for all the pastries and bread lovers in Bangkok. It seems to be working quite well and has a lot of regulars, once you tried the delicious home made bread and “croissants”, “petits pains au chocolat” etc. you are very likely to ask for more. However I have the feeling that it isn’t very well known among the expat community and this is another reason why I decided to blog about it.

It is owned by a Japanese couple who really knows how to run a bakery and to satisfy the most demanding customers. I would say that 40% of the customers are Japanese and another 40% are French and this is a sign that the place deserves your attention.

Behind the counter you can watch the crew prepare the dough and the various pastries and even more impressive you can spot the massive ovens on the opposite wall. They make everything on site!! When the bell rings it means you are lucky because some fresh made and still hot bread or sweets are ready to be served. To be able to get home-made, 1 minute old, hot and dense ‘petit pain au chocolat’ (with still melted chocolate) or crispy bread in Bangkok is just pure bliss.

Those guys could open a bakery in France I guarantee it would be a success. I am not that surprised because I know that many Japanese people have developped a sweet tooth and that there are more and more good bakeries there. They also have Japanese style desserts and even one inspired from the famous dish Okonomyaki that I’ll have to try some day. Of course the traditional Japanese sandwiches are available (my favorite is the Egg Sandwich). For me it is the best of 2 cultures in one place.

You can have your breakfast at Le Blanc, enjoy the multicultural crowd, the relaxing music, the delicious smells coming out of the ovens and find yourself hoping that the bell will ring and thus let you know that a new round of fresh pastries is ready.

The prices are reasonable especially the breakfast or lunch sets. For example, 2 pastries of your choice, a coffee and an orange juice for 140TBH.

Give it a try, enjoy and let me know what you think about Le Blanc!!!

Noni Juice

The Nono is a tree in the coffee family. The most famous growing location for this fruit is Tahiti but it is also grown in Thailand. The term noni is quite recent and designates the fruit’s juice. They had to change slightly the name because No-no wasn’t a good name for the business.

I heard of Noni for the first time when a friend of mine who lives here (in Thailand) since 25 years gave me some Noni oil he made by himself. According to the Ayurvedic tradition and medicine the Noni has many virtues. It is considered a sacred plant in Ayurveda and is mentioned in ancient texts as Ashyuka, which is Sanskrit for “longevity.”
I use it for my daughter. When she falls I apply some noni oil on her skin and it seems to prevent bruises.

When I saw they were producing and selling 100% natural and organic Noni juice in Thailand I decided to give it a try. I am fairly convinced after some research that it is beneficial for health to drink noni juice but you have to get past the taste and the smell especially at the beginning. I think it is worth a try considering the tremendous benefits that are traditionally associated wit that plant and that are slowly confirmed by modern science.

You can find noni juice in most of the health stores in Bangkok, like the lemon farm on Sukhumvit soi 39.

Organic and raw food in Bangkok

Do you know of a place serving organic and/or raw food in Bangkok? If so please let me know, I’d like to check it out and review it.

Also where do you buy organic food in Bangkok? Many stores have a few organic products but not enough to go around and make descent meals out of it.

Thanks,

Jay

The Red Pinn

Following a comment from Benny on the blog I decided to check “Red Pinn” out and I can tell you right away that I am glad I did.

The place has recently been acquired and renovated by Peter who comes from Latvia. His idea was to offer something very simple yet almost unavailable in big cities around the world: traditional home made, peasant food.

I wondered many times why I could never find anything like my grandparents or parents food in a restaurant? Why I couldn’t find the daily Japanese food I enjoyed so much in Tokyo in a Japanese restaurant? There are so many everywhere but still most of them always propose the same classic dishes. Most of us remember a few simple but fabulous dishes we loved when we were young and that we can’t get anywhere anymore. For me it was the food cooked by my grandfather: his potatoes where amazing and could never find that taste ever since.

Peter was annoyed by that also so he decided to make something about it and armed with his mother’s authentic recipes from Latvia, Russia and Scandinavia he took the Red Pinn over. It was about time because the place was becoming a disgrace.

I went there with my wife who also comes from a former Soviet Union bloc country and she was amazed and delighted by the Borsch and the Katleta (meatballs) that taste just like the ones from her mother back home.
I was stunned by the quality of the ingredients and the taste of what I ordered. It is what I call real food, and there is plenty of it for a very good price. Not only does Red Pinn do us a favor by bringing delicious food from home back on the table but it is also food from Eastern Europe which is so rare in Bangkok. You can find the full menu here

It is without a doubt my ‘coup de coeur’ of the month. This place deserves a visit, it is really different from the rest of the food scene in Bangkok. Peter is out of personnel at the moment so he will be the one cooking for you until he finds a good chef that will respect the spirit of his mother’s recipes. You might need to wait a little bit but it is worth it. The beer is cheap so you can enjoy your time there. There is also a pool and nice music.

The atmosphere might be the weak point. The place is quite recent so I have the feeling it is still looking for it’s identity, hesitating between a pub and a restaurant. You might have an influence there.

A few notes:
At the moment the place opens from 11AM to 10PM. On Saturday and Sunday it starts at noon.
Good news for our Scandinavian friends: Red Pinn sells ‘SNUS’.
The map to go there

Food worth the trip:
- Katleta
- Borsch
- Tuna Bruschetta
- Greek salad (great feta cheese)

Anna and Charlie’s Cafe

I moved recently to Narathiwat. Compared to Sukhumvit it is like relocating in a new town. I like it and it means I have a lot of new places to check out. One that I immediately spotted is Anna and Charlie’s Cafe which is located at the corner of Narathiwat Ratchanakharin and Ratchadapisek.

The place looks great, spacious and very friendly so since I moved I wanted to give it a try. I went there twice already once around noon and once for diner. The place is huge which I immediately liked. A restaurant offering so much space is quite rare. There are no steps, everything is on the same level which is great if you have kids. You can just let them explore the place without having to worry.
The menu offers a large choice of Thai and Western Dishes. It is well made, easy to understand and contains a lot of pictures for those who don’t like to order only based on a small description.
The chef and his team do a solid and efficient job. They perfectly master Thai and Western dishes that arrive at your table shortly after you ordered them. The dishes are well presented and there is no doubt only good and fresh products are being used.
I liked the Salmon Steak with the home made mashed potatoes (delicious) as well as the Fettuccine with Cream Sauce and Salmon (there is almost more salmon than there are pasta on your plate). On the Thai side i was a little disappointed by the Shrimp/prawn cake. You get a lot of them and it is good but not as refined as what you could expect from this restaurant.For the rest the Pad Thai or the Khao Pad Seafood Special Anna are a safe choice. I heard the curries were delicious but I didn’t try them myself yet.

Don’t leave without ordering a dessert. The place is famous for its Coffee Banoffee cake (95TBH). I tasted it and it is up to its reputation, a must try. The chocolate cake is also a delight. The other good news is that for your birthday the cake is offered…and my birthday is coming soon

Regarding the prices expect at least 300TBH per person but it can quickly reach 500TBH or more. The drinks are a little bit overpriced in my opinion and I didn’t spot anything special on the drink list.
For the dishes the price is reasonable considering the products used and the quality of the food produced. This is especially true for Western dishes because well executed or not a Khao pad or a Phad Thai charged 160TBH or more isn’t really worth it. So you better try something else in my opinion.

The service is very professional and it seems like all the staff received a good training. You can feel that the place is well run and that people there are doing their best. At the same time I had the feeling that the waiters were under more pressure than they could handle and some of them don’t feel really at ease and relaxed. It is not easy to get the best service to its customers and having a happy and joyful staff at the same time.

Anna and Charlie’s Cafe definitely deserves a visit. Lots of light, space, a professional team at your service, well executed dishes prepared with fresh products and excellent desserts. Too bad they open at 11AM and don’t “offer” breakfast or brunch.

The picture of the logo and the Coffee Banoffee are from this site and the excellent review you can find there

Kuu

I am always looking for nice and affordable Japanese restaurant in Bangkok and this year Central World increased its exposure to Japanese food especially around the Japanese Kinokunya bookstore that has opened at the 5th floor I believe. So I started to look for a good place there.

I decided to check out a place called ‘Kuu’ that looked promising and is located at the 7th floor.
The atmosphere seemed appealing and it was packed.

I wasn’t really hungry so I ordered Ebi korokke and Agedashi Tofu. Both dishes were delicious and I promised myself to come back which I did a week later. I tried the Matcha ice-cream and it was a good surprise even more so when I saw the price: 50TBH
Both times everything went well. The service was good, the dishes were arriving fast and were delicious, the value for money was good and the place was packed with happy customers.

I decided I could bring my family there was a nice Sunday lunch. I was looking forward to it and told my wife she wouldn’t be disappointed. We arrived and had to wait for about 5 minutes to get a table even though it wasn’t fully packed. The staff seemed to be busy or a little slow.
We sit and we order the drinks (by the way 45TBH for a hot green tea seems exaggerated) and a tempura curry rice, a tempura mori set and an Agedashi Tofu again. I wanted my wife to try the korokke but unfortunately they didn’t have any that day. We waited for quite a long time and then we received the Tempura Mori Set. It was really good and the tempura were well executed and light. However the portion was really small. 2 prawns tempura, a sweet potatoe, a carrot and a corn tempura for 190 TBH. Only after that we received our drinks. A few minutes later came the Agedashi Tofu, delicious as usual. When I had finished my meal my wife finally got her Tempura Curry Rice.

We ordered a Matcha and an Azuki ice-cream to finish. The Matcha ice-cream is not my favorite in Bangkok but it is close. Really creamy with a powerful taste but a little bit too soft maybe.
The Azuki ice-cream was really interesting but I am not an Azuki ice-cream specialist so I have to try this more before to give an ‘objective’ opinion.

We didn’t order any Ramen or Yakitori but from what I could see in the kitchen which is partly open it looks really good.

So to summarize I would say that this is definitely a place you have to check out if you like Japanese food. The food is yummy and the prices are reasonable. The atmosphere is not cold but not cosy either, maybe because of the vibes coming from the staff who seems to hesitate between being happy to work there and friendly or not to give a damn.
I was never disappointed by the food but there seems to be a lack of constancy in the service and the speed at which the kitchen can deliver the dishes. Also, coming all the way there to enjoy a specific dish and discover it is not available is quite upsetting. So for me there is still room for improvement but I’d still recommend it.

Food worth the trip:
- Ebi Korokke
- Matcha and Azuki icecream

Matcha Ice-cream in Bangkok

Matcha (抹茶, pronounced [mat.tɕa]) is a variety of finely-powdered green tea. It is the one used for the tea ceremony in Japan and to make the best green tea ice-cream.

For those who read my previous posts this won’t come as a surprise, I am a big matcha Ice-cream fan.
I have always loved ice-cream and sorbet especially for as long as I can remember. I guess it is the same for you as I only met a handful of people in my life who didn’t like ice-cream
My favorite flavors were Pistachio, chocolate, coffee, strawberry sorbet (the strawberry ice-cream is disgusting in my opinion). As you can see it was quite classic. At first to think about eating and enjoying a green tea ice-cream seemed crazy to me and I didn’t see the point to even try it. Hopefully I was forced to while visiting Kyoto in Japan.
It was in the middle of August 1999 and it was terribly hot in the streets of the old Japanese capital. With my friend Jane we were walking from temple to temple and exploring the Gion area for a couple of hours. My face was already red because of the sun and we were at the brink of dehydration. We could see people selling ice-cream at every corner and desperately wanted one. I could already picture myself eating a strawberry sorbet with coconut ice-cream, maybe some melon sorbet as well. We reach the counter and then to my amazement I see they only have 2 flavors to offer. Azuki Ice-cream (red bean!!!) or green tea (matcha) ice-cream!!! I stared blankly at the teller, in complete amazement and disbelief. I wanted to shout “what’s wrong with you!!!” but instead politely nodded and decided to go buy ice-cream somewhere else. I had no doubt this guy was nuts and than the others would have all the flavors we were craving for. I was wrong all stores selling ice-cream had only 2 flavors, Azuki or matcha.
We had to admit our defeat, there was no way for us to walk another minute in this sun like this anyway. So from two devils I chose the lesser and picked matcha.
I was in for a shock, this wasn’t simply good it was delicious. So creamy and refreshing that I ordered a second one right away. For the rest of our trip we ate a few matcha ice-creams. Since that day I look for a good matcha ice-cream wherever I go. And it is quite hard to find. Most of the time when you can find a place that offers this delicacy it is quite disappointing. Bad taste, bad texture, not balance not worse to try. In Strasbourg (France) where I come from I found only one place who makes (or made) matcha Ice-cream but luckily it was delicious and I easily converted some of my friends to it.

In Bangkok the choice is much larger but I had to wait to discover the Vanilla Cafe to find a well made matcha Ice-cream I thought it was the only place to get a descent matcha ice-cream but I was wrong.

I discovered recently that the Zen Restaurant (you can find them in the Central Stores) makes a good one too. In Siam there is a small cafe at the 4th floor I think, called something like “matcha” that serves mainly dishes and drinks made with matcha. I tried the ice-cream a few days ago and it was great. Very creamy, not too sweet and with a quite pure taste of the matcha green tea.
I would also recommend the one from Kuu, a ‘new’ Japanese restaurant located at the 7th floor of the Central World.
Finally there is a company maybe linked to the Vanilla chain that sometimes has a stand in Siam or Emporium that make a good one. It is a bit different and they prepare it under your very eyes. Really interesting but you have to be lucky to find them.

If you have other recommendations regarding Green Tea Ice-cream please let me know, in the meantime, Itadakimasu!!!

Pineapples

Everybody who’s been in Bangkok knows it is a paradise for fruits. You can find fruits everywhere and there are many people selling fruits on the street.

One of my favorite fruit available here are pineapples and you can get half a pineapple for 10TBH.
Unfortunately I have the feeling that their quality is going down since a year or so.

If anyone knows please tell me what’s wrong with pineapples in Thailand lately?