COA - Cuisine of Asia, Frankfurt International Airport Terminal 1

While we were connecting in Frankfurt for our flight to Munich and from there to Dubai, we had late lunch at Cuisine of Asia, short COA.

The restaurant offers pan Asian cuisine and is decorated in contemporary Asian design. We felt immediately attracted to it.

There was also an open kitchen, where Asian chefs prepared the dishes.

Floor to Ceiling Window tables gave views over the runway. They were already occupied, so we took a seat at the communal table.

The attentive staff brought the menu. They spoke fluently English.

We chose an Apple meets Carrot and one Thai Art Mocktail, Gado Gado chicken and Vietnamese stir fried noodles. The portions were big, tasty and fulfilling, so there was no room for dessert.

The meal cost 37.60 Euro (ca. 48.70 USD).

We would return any time, when we fly from Terminal 1 in Frankfurt.

 ©2014

The Kitchen Table @ The W Hotel Bangkok

Before going to Bangkok we planned also to try out The Kitchen Table at the W Hotel Bangkok.

Having good experiences with the W Istanbul, where we have stayed, and the W Hong Kong, where we stopped for a snack, we were looking forward to the sister property in Bangkok.

We were impressed by the grounds, the former Russian Embassy, which is now used for events, and the newly built tower containing the hotel.

The lobby was bright and modern and the lady of the gift shop was so nice to direct us to the elevators and the right floor.

The decor and design is stylish and contemporary. We liked it.

Unfortunately our dining experience wasn't exactly what we imagined.

We were warmly greeted and brought to our table. The restaurant was already buzzing.

Soon the menu arrived. There were a la carte choices or a two course or three course lunch with a soft drink included.

Having had two course options previously it meant for us either a starter/main course or main course/dessert combination.

Not so at the Kitchen Table. The waitress explained to us we had to order an appetizer and a main course or take the three course to have dessert.

In the end we decided to have the three course, even so we already knew we weren't that hungry. Thinking about it now, it would have been better to forgo the set menu completely and order a la carte.

We ended up with one mocktail (The Conscious), a mango juice, a large bottle of Voss water and two Sprite, one Caesar Salad, one paprika corn soup, two gnocchi in tomato sauce and goats cheese, one espresso tiramisu and a plum tart with vanilla ice cream.

The Caesar Salad, tiramisu and The Conscious were the best.

The salad was made with anchovies, which my better half and I love. It added a nice flavor to the salad.

My soup was good, but got a bit too one flavored after a few spoons. I was only able to taste the paprika.

The gnocchi were fresh, the sauce and the goats cheese tangy. Overall we were happy, but it was slightly too salty.

While his dessert was excellent, mine wasn't perfect. The plums and vanilla ice cream were in fact outstanding, but the tart crust was very hard and had been spiced with anise and wasn't what I really liked.

The staff was very friendly, efficient and concerned, because we couldn't finish our meal.

The price for the lunch was 1989 THB (ca. 46.60 Euro or 62.40 USD).

Considering our experience we wouldn't go back to The Kitchen Table for lunch, but instead go to the Woo Bar, enjoying cocktails and the dessert buffet instead, or enjoy coffee.

©2014 

GOBO Upstairs @ The Traders by Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Before travelling to Malaysia we reserved a table for two at GOBO Upstairs. It was our second visit to the Traders Hotel by Shangri-La, Kuala Lumpur. During a previous holiday we've been to the SkyBar with stunning views over the PETRONAS Twin Towers.

This time around we decided beforehand we wanted lunch at one of the Traders' restaurants. Studying the menus online we picked GOBO Upstairs. Setting on a date we heard it was a bank holiday in Malaysia and the restaurant hadn't open, so we had to book our reservation for a different day. It wasn't a big problem, because we were flexible. It worked out for our second date.

The interior was modern and had high ceiling windows.

The staff was attentive and friendly.

The polo shirt I was wearing was a talking point.

It was newly bought at the DoubleTree by Hilton (see also review) and since the Traders is a competitor to the DoubleTree it garnered attention.

We were joining GOBO Upstairs during the week for lunch. We weren't the only ones. GOBO was buzzing with a large mixed business group (some were Malay others were Chinese and Thai), a few couples and a lonely business man.

There were different set menus and an a la carte menu available.

We chose a la carte.

Our drinks were a large bottle of Acqua Panna to share, a mango lassi and a Thai Collins Mocktail.

A fresh bread selection was also served.

The main courses were cod and sea bass with a side dish of green asparagus and parmesan cheese for both of us. We love this combination and the flavors. 

The desserts were of course the highlight. The presentation of each dish was done beautifully, but the most interesting was the berry sorbet. It was shaped like a cone. The tiramisu was also very good.

We were happy with the ambience, the staff and the quality of the food. There's is no reason why we shouldn't go back yet again when in Kuala Lumpur.

 ©2014