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 

Haagen-Dasz near the Amarin Plaza, Bangkok, Thailand

During our time in Bangkok we went twice to the Haagen-Dasz Cafe near the Amarin Plaza on Ratchamdari Road.

The interior is modern with a few tables. Staff is plentiful and they even recognized us on our second visit, remembering what drink we had wanted, but had been unfortunately not available during our first visit.

We had orange juice, Iced Milk chocolate, Banana Crepes and Hello Jello (vanilla ice cream with strawberry jelly, topped up with milk).

We were very happy. The Banana Crepes were on each occasion sumptuous, while Hello Jello was refreshing and light.

When we ordered two drinks and two dishes, we paid 754 THB (ca. 17.70 Euro or ca. 23.65 USD).

When we are in Bangkok again, we will go there for our ice cream fix. 

©2014

Blabbing

"It has come to my attention that some of you are talking to persons outside the department to discuss our day to day security operations..." The words of their boss were still ringing through Ty Hansen's and Adrain Stanford's minds. If Sammy Metz hadn't blabbed it left only Aurelio Stansfield.

There wasn't much discussion needed between Ty and Adrain. They cornered Aurelio and menacingly played with their hulking muscles. "Hey, stop that!" Sammy pushed between Adrain and Ty. "He hasn't talked..." "No, who was it then?" Adrain asked. "I can show you."

Sammy showed them CCTV images from the previous night. At 23.40 hours Rory Rosales, the head of the HR department arrived, parking his car near the entrance. He was followed seventeen minutes later by Ty, who had agreed to meet Rory at the CFO's office.  At midnight the CSO Coldham Fintan Noose III, their boss arrived.
He talked briefly to one of the janitors and headed straight to the CFO Trace Unger's office. Ty blushed furiously, when he realized Mr. Noose had heard everything Rory and he discussed. He was embarrassed.  The CCTV footage showed more. Mr. Noose hid in the office opposite, but kept the door a bit open to see when the other two were leaving, but didn't re-emerge for another twelve minutes. He went into Trace Unger's office for a few minutes. He did the same
 in Rory's and the meeting rooms. Mr. Noose's team was puzzled, because they couldn't make sense of it. What had their boss been up to? He didn't take anything. Sammy had been able to think longer about head of security's behaviour and came to the conclusion he had been looking for something. What would a security guy check out? Sammy believed Mr. Noose had been searching for listening in devices and had wondered why he hadn't been at the security department or the CEO's office. He wrote down what he thought Mr. Noose had found out and confirmed. Aurelio frowned, Ty scowled and Adrain looked still puzzled. They scribbled their agreement to search for bugs in their office, the CEO's and the current auditor's. It confirmed what Sammy thought had happened and they were disgruntled somebody listened in to their conversations.
When Mr. Noose had left for the day they also checked out his office and found one listening in device. They were very unhappy and decided on the spot to support their boss in the future.


©2014

Thann Cafe at Gaysorn Plaza, Bangkok, Thailand

During our time in Bangkok we went to the Gaysorn Shopping mall. Strolling around at Gaysorn we were pleased that Thann, a local spa and shop operator, had opened a new cafe opposite their store. We like Thann and their products, so we were sure the cafe would be also a hit. We weren't wrong.

The design is ultra-modern and there is some creative artwork above the counter.

The seats were comfortable and the staff quick and friendly.

I wanted the afternoon tea set, while he felt more like ordering something light from the a la carte menu. The afternoon tea set was very generous and even so it was meant for one person it was ideal to share.

He had the Lemongrass Mint Iced Tea, a hot chocolate and a carrot tomato soup.

My set came with a traditional tower, but was a bit unusual, because the top tier was a tea cup, filled with sweet goodies.

I chose Vanilla Ginger Tea. There were ham and cheese sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam, chocolate dulce de leche cake, cherry panna cotta, macaroons and short bread.

I liked the flavor of the tea. It was just right - fragrant, sweet and spicy -, while his iced tea reminded me of the exotic east. 

The hot chocolate was light and deemed one of the best he had.

The sandwiches were delicious and the panna cotta and dulce de leche cake moreish.

I left the scones to him, since he is a bigger fan than I am. According to him they were very tasty.

The macaroons were delicate and the short bread excellent too.

When we arrived we were the only customers, but when it was time to go nearly all tables were taken by locals.

We enjoyed our time and thought 869 THB (ca. 20.35 Euro or ca. 27.25 USD) was very good value.

When in Bangkok we will back for more and can highly recommend it.

©2014

Mocha & Muffins @ The Four Seasons Bangkok, Thailand

During our stay at the Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok (please see review) we went to Mocha & Muffins, their bakery and gift shop.

Mocha & Muffins is located in one of the courtyards, which I think is very romantic. The interior is colonial style.

Originally we wanted the chicken curry puffs, but they were already sold out, so we had to rethink our choice and had two Cappuccinos, two smoked salmon bagels and choux pastries.

We took a seat at the back of the bakery and could overlook Rajadamri Road, the BTS Sky train to the outside and Mocha and Muffins seating and counters to the other.

Soon our meal was served.

The staff was very friendly and efficient.

The Cappuccinos were strong, creamy and smooth. The bagel came with cream cheese, roasted peppers, smoked salmon and capers. It was delicious. The choux pastries weren't a disappointment either.

When we had finished we went to the till to pay. All came in at 1.107 THB (ca. 25.90 Euro or 34.80 USD).

It's one of our favorite places in the hotel, so we will return for sure.

©2014

Bai Yun Restaurant @ The Banyan Tree Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand

During our stay at the Banyan Tree Bangkok - we booked a package including a dinner at the Vertigo and one at the Bai Yun. Please see separate reviews for the hotel and Vertigo Grill and Moon Bar.

Bai Yun serves nouvelle Cantonese cuisine and is located on the 60th floor. There are huge windows, offering stunning views over Bangkok.

When we arrived we were welcomed and brought to our table. When we made our reservation we also stated our allergies, but the staff wasn't aware of them. It wasn't a problem. The restaurant manager organized a tailor made menu for us with the chef, because the set menu was based on seafood and mushrooms.

Our table was set with a red table cloth, a mat and cutlery. We also received refreshing towels. Our first course was roasted duck, followed by corn soup with chicken, beef, cod, egg fried rice and sago, vanilla ice cream and cantaloupe melon.

Everything was very good and we enjoyed our meal. The highlight for us was the dessert. It was a palate cleanser, refreshing, sweet and had a nice texture.

The staff was attentive and we appreciated they went the extra mile by creating a meal especially for us.

Of course we would return again if we're looking for beautiful Chinese cuisine in Bangkok.

©2014

Moon Bar & Vertigo Grill @ The Banyan Tree Hotel Bangkok, Thailand

During our stay at the Banyan Tree in Bangkok (see also review) we went to the Moon Bar twice and the Vertigo Grill once.

The restaurant and bar are co-located on the rooftop on the 61st floor. There are a number of stairs to climb up and down, so I wouldn't recommend it for people with walking disabilities.

We had heard many good things and were looking forward to our experiences. We arrived on both occasions shortly after the Moon Bar opened at 17.00 hours and hadn't any problems finding a seat.

The cocktails were very delicious and made addictive as did the stunning views over the city.

On one occasion we had the Chao-Pra-Ya and the Vertigo Sunset, on the other the Catalyst and the Saffron Sunrise. Prices were identical at 1280 THB (ca. 29.50 Euro or ca. 40 USD) for two cocktails. Snacks came with the drinks and were a nut and dried fruit mix, kale chips and spicy nuts. I liked especially the chips. They had an unusual flavor.

It was nice to see the sunset; first Bangkok was bathed in golden light, then the Blue Hour arrived and soon afterwards only the twinkling lights of the city and the moon were visible. It was romantic.

The staff was attentive and made sure they took the order correctly each time.

Dinner at Vertigo was included in our "Taste the Delights of Bangkok" rate, so we had to pay only for the drinks. We had reserved a table for the very first seating and it wasn't busy yet, but the restaurant was full when we left.

We were brought to our table and handed the menu. We could choose from three starters, three main courses and one dessert. Our waiter advised us if we didn't like the dessert it could be exchanged with others. He also checked for any dietary requirements. Most of the dishes didn't contain anything we were allergic to, so we didn't have to have it tailor made for us.

As drinks we had a bottle of water, an Apple Spritzer and mango juice. We both decided to go for the tuna ceviche. He had the wild salmon trout with Moroccan salsa and I the spiced aubergine with saffron rice. As dessert we enjoyed the mango cheese cake.

The most interesting dish was the tuna ceviche.

When it was darker a lamp in the shape of a mushroom was placed on our table and a photographer from the hotel made the rounds to capture all customers. A memento of our visit was given to us later in the form of a framed portrait photo, what a wonderful idea to really capture that special moment here which we enjoyed so much.

Time was flying by and our evening on the top of the Banyan Tree was very memorable.

We enjoyed the responsive and attentive service, the excellent food, the atmosphere and the views.

The drinks came in at 880 THB (ca. 20.25 Euro or 27.40 USD).

We recommend to go at least to the Moon Bar, but if you can, splurge on a Dinner at Vertigo. Costs should be around 100 Euro / 140 USD per person for a three course meal and alcohol free drinks.


©2014