The set have been designed based on creative recipes using premium raw materials Chef Ian Pongthawat Chalermkittichai and the auspicious meanings have been carefully checked and guaranteed by Master Chang, aka Tossaporn Sritula.

The Ngoh Sae set for the Chinese New Year comprises five types of meat – Chicken stuffed with black winter truffle, Cherry duck baked in orange sauce, Honey baked Natural pork loin, TaoTeoi fish in saffron and Lobster in butter sauce and wine

Sah Sae set comprises Chicken stuffed with Shitake mushroom, Cherry Duck baked in orange sauce and Honey baked pork sirloin.

According to Chinese beliefs, chicken means diligence and career advancement; duck symbolises dynamic ability and purity; pork represents prosperity; fish means affluence with more money for the new year’; shrimp means supremacy and the red shrimp shell is the colour of good fortune. The orange sauce represents big blessings and truffle means compliments and a good name.

The Ngoh Sae set is available at Bt9,888 and the Sah Sae set goes for Bt1,999. Pre-orders can be made at http://www.Tops.co.th between February 7 and 9 or at Central Food Hall and Tops markets.

Find out more at the Tops Thailand Facebook page.

It’s billed as value-for-money cuisine with a refined yet relaxed atmosphere and warm, friendly service.

Guests will be spoiled with succulent hot-plate pasta, stone-baked pizza, Italian vegetables and side dishes of ravioli, flatbread with smoked salmon, fresh salads and ice cream, tiramisu and gelatos.

Sync your Sundays to the tunes of a DJ while sipping traditional Italian beverages outdoors. The brunch features a self-serve zone, signature dishes and live stations featuring foie gras, Italian cheeses, cold cuts, risotto, barbecued meats and seafood.

It costs Bt1,250 and is served from 11.30am to 3pm.

Find out more at (02) 261 7100 or http://www.RembrandtBkk.com.

The Zoom Sky Lounge in a swanky urban setting with cosy booths and glittering city views. Diners can indulge in an innovative six-course tasting menu of surprising Eastern and Western flavours crafted by executive chef Gibb and his culinary brigade, enhanced by tableside finishing flair.

The highlights are raw Wild Cobia with Rice Paper, Sea Urchin, Caviar and Oyster Emulsion, a succulent Slipper Lobster with Basil and Lemongrass, and rich Pork Belly with Potato, Pickle, Coriander and Orange Jus.

The meal costs Bt4,999 per couple, including a glass of sparkling wine for each diner.

The Zoom Sky Bar & Restaurant will be hosting a Romantic Rooftop Dinner & Tunes. Seduce your taste buds with a five-course feast of Diver Scallop with Foie Gras, Smoked Duck, Pink Ginger, Crispy Quinoa, Shallot Infused Apple and Vanilla Oil and Lobster Agnolotti with Celeriac and Tarragon Butter, and dessert is Strawberry, Pink Guava, Plum and Sangria.

Sensual music lifts the mood. Enjoy a soothing jazz duo from 7 to 9pm and then the pulsing beats of Resident DJ Thomiz until late.

The five-course dinner set menus cost Bt6,999 per couple with a glass of Prosecco and Bt9,999 with a bottle Champagne.

Make reservations at (02) 210 9000, extension 4304, or fb_co@anantara.com.

The festive buffet will feature fresh seafood on ice along with numerous stations for grilling, carving and steaming as well as speciality stations serving up dim sum, a duck and pig roast and Chinese crepe (jian bing). It’s priced at Bt2,100-plus inclusive of free flow soft drinks, juices, coffees and teas. Add an additional Bt900-plus per person for free flow cocktails, wines and beers.

“W Does Street Food”, meanwhile, is being offered on February 17 from 12.30 to 3.30pm only. Expect Chinese street food in live cooking stalls featuring dim sum, noodles, mini baos, BBQ skewers and much more. Desserts include traditional Chinese desserts such as sweet sago pearls in coconut milk. W Does Street is priced at Bt1,800-plus per person inclusive of free flow soft drinks, juices, coffees and teas. Add an additional Bt600-plus per person for free flow cocktails, wines and beers.

Book your table at (02) 344 4000 or email bf.wbangkok@whotels.com

A boutique hotel that claims history, elegance and river serenity all in the heart of Bangkok, Praya Palazzo is offering a “Month of Love Special Menu” throughout next month as well as a selection of dishes prepared from recipes by ladies of the royal palaces dating back to the days of King Rama V and King Rama VI on its the main menu.

Amongst the enticing selection featured in the “Month of Love” a la carte menu are the hotel’s signature spicy seared scallops with crispy betel and pomegranate salad, seafood tower with traditional Thai seafood sauce, and sweet and sour river prawns.

The dishes inspired by the hard-to-source recipes of the court ladies include kaeng runjuan (a traditional spicy beef or pork soup with shrimp paste) and moo pud som siew(stir fried pork with yellow chilli paste).

Love birds loath to leave such a romantic setting on Valentine’s Day can take advantage of the hotel’s distinctive rooms and suites exuding an ambience of the bygone days and romantically ancient Siam . Rates start from Bt4,200-plus or Bt4,943 nett inclusive of breakfast for two persons.

Praya Palazzo is the only hotel by the Chao Phraya that boasts a unique arrival by boat. For reservations or further details, call (081) 402 8118 or email to reservation@prayapalazzo.com.

Guests arrive around 6pm at The Plantation Club colonial-style restaurant in the resort grounds. After they enjoy a welcome cocktail, the resort’s gardener shows them the vegetable garden while explaining the various herbs. Taking advice from the gardener, guests pick an assortment as ingredients for their dinner.

The guests then sit back on the simple wooden tables outdoors and enjoy impromptu Mauritian creole light bites, as chef goes to work using traditional utensils such as old-style cauldrons, pans (called tawa) and wooden ladles. The meal is prepared on a wood fire.

“There is no fixed menu,” says Vaartjes. “But chances are we will create a vibrant creole garden salad for starters and then a chicken or fish curry main course. It depends on our guests’ curiosity, passion and culinary interests. Rest assured, it will be delicious because it’s from the heart – and the garden.”

Around the allotment beside The Plantation Club Vaartjes says that freshly picked vegetables and herbs such as lady fingers, beetroot and sorrel are his favourites. The rustic dinner will be served with faratha flat bread and local condiments such as coconut chutney, dried shrimp chutney, chilies and local achaar (pickles).

As it’s Mauritius, to accompany the experience, guests will be served barbecued banana marinated in local rum.

Drinks are served in a copper mug in the outdoor garden setting with log furniture. Old style lamps are used for light as the twilight thickens. To add to the atmosphere, the hosts are dressed in local creole and Sega attire. A singer-guitar player entertains guests throughout.

The garden-to-table experience at The Plantation Club costs 1,800 MUR (US$52) per person and 900 MUR (US$26) for children under 12. Further information and bookings, please call +230 623 5000 or email: fbsec.mauritius@outrigger-mu.com.

On February 14, the Tables Grill offers a six-course Valentine’s menu featuring fresh Hamachi with smoked butter vinaigrette, Quail with truffle and lentil, Ocean Trout, as well as Crispy Skin Pork Belly, and Slow-Cooked Iberico Lamb. The meal ends with Lychee Cremeaux. The dinner is priced at Bt3,200 per person.

Spasso creates romantic moments by serving a special four-course menu created by chef Roberto Parentela. Guests can start with Carpaccio di Mare, and choose from Ravioli or Risotto before moving on to trout or braised duck and finishing with Dark Chocolate Semifreddo. It’s priced at Bt2,500 per person.

The Dining Room offers delightful Thai and Asian dishes together with a fresh seafood bar in the acclaimed international buffet. A full a la carte menu is available and the outstanding open display kitchen allows you to watch as the expert chefs prepare dishes. Guests will enjoy appetisers and salads, assorted sushi and sashimi, Australian Prime Rib, Roasted Lamb Rack and Fresh Herbs and pan-fried Foie Gras.

Also on offer is a variety of soups and Valentine dessert selections including Heart Pistachio, Chocolate Praline Kiss and much more also on offer. The buffet costs Bt2,500 for adults and Bt1,250 for kids.

Book a seat at (02) 254 6250 or email restaurants.bangh@hyatt.com.

The restaurant will be serving a 6-Course lunch Menu at Bt3,800-plus (plus Bt2,500-plus wine pairing) and the 8-Course Dinner Menu at Bt5,800-plus (plus Bt3000-plus wine pairing).

Jeffroy earned his first Michelin Star back in 1984, as chef of the restaurant L’Europe in Morlaix, and won immediate recognition and acclaim for his revolutionary recipes. In 2001, he received the first Michelin Star for his restaurant in Carantec and a second the following year, for both his classicism and ingenuity.

“I have kept my childhood memories of a simple, rustic Brittany, and reinvented them with my passion, inspirations and journeys,” he says.

Jeffroy’s cooking style is both audacious and evocative, garnered over a long and experienced career and an insatiable desire to travel and explore the globe. He is simultaneously a staunch defender of his region, and a fearless traveller, all clearly evident within his cuisine, where he skilfully blends ingredients, without losing the integrity of each.

For The St. Regis Bangkok, Chef Patrick has menus that begin with celeriac and lemon blinis, with seabream, celeriac remoulade and green apple gelee. A taste of Brittany is found in his mussel soup with saffron and salmon roe, while evidence of his travels are witnessed in his pressed crab with coconut milk, curry, artichokes and wakame. Returning to France, guests experience his turbot and herb butter with a delightful potato candy. His duck supreme is to die for with daikon, vegetables and wine-laced pear. The dinner menu also sees lobster colluding with dashi and parsnip cream for a decadent interlude, as well as chef’s version of Champagne and caviar, by way of a scallop tartare.

Book your table at (02) 207 7777 or e-mail fb.bangkok@stregis.com.

Fashion and food have long gone hand in hand in Thailand, with several of the kingdom’s leading designers bringing their talent for style from the catwalk to the kitchen – think Bhanu Inkawat of Greyhound. Now it’s the turn of Polpat Asavaprapa, founder and designer of Asava, who opened his Sava Dining restaurant at EmQuartier two years ago and has been attracting hordes of stylish diners every since.

Located on the sixth floor of the Helix Building, Sava Dining Restaurant proudly bears the blue-and-navy palette of the fashion brand and reflects its owner’s passion for combining the classic with elements in vogue. Indeed, Polpat says he treats his restaurant in much the same way as he creates clothes for the Asava line.

“The appearance of the restaurant gives off a luxury ambience but in fact it’s all about comfort food. In fashion I don’t like anything that is showy, and in food I prefer authentic tastes for every day. In short it is simple but not easy and there’s that element of fascination that is our signature,” says Polpat.

“For example, Thai people like noodles, I also like noodles, But instead of serving simple Pad Se-Aew or fried thin noodles with soy sauce, I turn the dish into Sen Yai Pad Kua Kling (Bt320) using our home-made spicy southern style Kua Kling chilli paste. We pound fresh, large green and yellow chillies with Thai and foreign herbs to create a special aroma. This is our dish of the year.”

The Kua Kling chilli paste is also served with roasted lamb (Bt850) and the two go together surprisingly well. The roasted Australian lamb is presented in the traditional Western style but served with a spicy gravy that is very different from the typical mint sauce. It’s accompanied by fresh herbs and vegetables and Khao Ji – fried sticky rice with egg.

The Sava Dining Tuna Salad (Bt290) serves up a surprise of its own too, combining crispy iceberg lettuce, tuna in oil, anchovies and ham with a blend of Thai vinegars and chilli that give it a tasty sweet-and-sour flavour with a spicy kick.

Another recommended appetiser is Crispy Deep- fried Chicken Skin with spicy Tom Yum dip (Bt160), which uses the leftover chicken skin from other dishes. This is then marinated, deep fried until crisp, and served with a dip made of cream sauce mixed with tom yum chilli powder.

Crispy chicken skin also gets another outing – as the topping for the wok-fried thin noodle dish known as Kua Kai (Bt220).

Another Sava Dining favourite is Spicy Deep-fried Fish Fillet with Sour Green Mango Salad (Bt210) made with river fish from Suphan Buri province and nam dok mai mango.

Last year’s favourite dish, Khao Pad Pla Khem, fried rice with salted fish, is back on the menu along with a new version, which replaces the rice with spaghetti and is priced at Bt270. The spaghetti is cooked al dente then fried with dried salted fish and white wine and served with

extra dried chilli for those who like it hot.

Also new on the menu is a hybrid rice menu Khao Kai Kon Moo Kurobuta with Kimchi and cheese (Bt350). While the combination of kimchi and cheese is a little heavy, the dish is interesting thanks to its unique taste and contrasting aromas.

The dessert list has coconut ice cream pudding, Bael fruitcake with ice cream, and Milk tea ice cream served with toast. All are refreshing and bursting with flavour.

Asked why so many Thai fashion designers are turning to food, Polpat says the two are all about taste and lifestyle. “Kloset or Sretsis now have their own restaurants too and these convey the very distinct personalities of the brands and their designers. Food, leisure and decoration are in our blood but obviously they have to be managed differently. When you run a restaurant, you can’t truly be yourself as you can in fashion design. You have to remember food is for the masses and not just fashionistas. I’ve learnt to adapt my style because I want customers to enjoy their meals and come back for more,” he says.

SPICE IS NICE

•   Sava Dining in the sixth floor of the Helix Building, The Emquartier and is open for 11 to 10 Monday to Friday and until 11pm on weekends. Book a table at (02) 003 6208.

On Valentine’s Day, the Michelin-starred Sra Bua by Kiin-Kiin offers an eight-course Valentine’s Day Thai menu along with a bottle of Louis Roederer Champagne of hot and cold variations of the same dish such as warm red curry with lobster (him) and frozen red curry with lobster (her), and tom kha snow with mushrooms and pickled lemon (him) and warm tom kha with baby corn and Chanterelle mushrooms (her).

The dinner begins with oysters for two and concludes with cherries marinated with sticky rice for him and mango with sticky rice for her. The passion fruit souffle with sorbet is for him and the passionfruit with vanilla ice-cream in coconut dome for the ladies is served with red roses as the perfect conclusion to a truly romantic evening in this newly appointed Michelin one star restaurant. The dinner is priced at Bt10,900-plus per couple.

Book your table at (02) 162 9000 or email: srabua.siambangkok@kempinski.com