Madison Steakhouse at the Anantara Siam Bangkok Hotel will delight diners with a mild taste of white asparagus from May 4 to 30.
The tasty spears, which are grown underground so that they don’t produce the chlorophyll that would turn them green, will be prepared in a variety of ways ranging from soup, starters to main dishes and dessert. Sourced from France and Germany, white asparagus adds a refreshing infusion to simple dishes, enriching the flavour of salads and making a wonderful accompaniment to meat or seafood dishes.
The award-winning steakhouse will serve some mouth-watering summer menus including Warm White Asparagus Salad with Boston Lobster and Caviar, tender Wagyu Beef Sirloin served with Truffle Mash Potato and White Asparagus.
Finish off with Caramelised Rhubarb with Strawberry paired with White Asparagus Ice Cream. Book a table at (02) 126 8866 or email madison.asia@anantara.com
Popular Japanese restaurant chain Yayoi gives its patrons plenty to celebrate by launching the second edition of its “Loon Fin Kin Free”.
Running through June 30, the highlight is the “Free Tung Raan, Fin Sataan Muang” (“free meal restaurant-wide takes the town by surprise”) campaign, which sees a group of Yayoi Rangers randomly visiting Yayoi branches and paying the bills of every customers.
Another special offer is Natee Thong (flash offers). This allows diners to enjoy a selection of Yayoi’s authentic Japanese dishes free of charge and a ticket for a draw to win a minimum of Bt500, free dining for an entire year at Yayoi Restaurants to the value of 2,000 each month (30 prizes worth Bt720,000), a complimentary Internet package from TrueMove H worth Bt1,000 a month (60 prizes valued at Bt720,000) and free movie tickets for an entire year at Major Cineplex cinemas for up to 6 seats worth Bt1,200 per month (60 prizes worth Bt720,000).
Those paying for their food with a Krungsri credit cards have the chance to win a free package tour to Tokyo for two.
Find out more at Facebook.com/YayoiRestaurantThailand.
Banjoo BBQ offers Korean-style barbecue together with traditional and fusion dishes.
Rib eye
Kimchi Pancake
Cooking up a Korean storm
tasty April 23, 2017 01:00
By Khetsirin Pholdhampalit
The Sunday Nation
Fed up with being asked where to eat the best Korean BBQ in town, Lauren Kim decides to open her own eatery
A RESIDENT of Thailand for the last 10 years, South Korean Lauren Kim laughs as she recalls the constant questions from her friends about where they could find premium Korean-style BBQ with free-range meat in Bangkok.
“I couldn’t give them an answer,” she says candidly. “And while I had taken a course in Western cooking at Le Cordon Bleu and had no intention of opening a Korean restaurant, I could see there was a market and changed my mind.”
And so Banjoo BBQ was born. Located in Mille Malle community mall on Sukhumvit Soi 20, the restaurant offers grain-fed and hormone-free beef from New Zealand together with antibiotic-free pork and chicken from Betagro’s S-pure brand.
Rib eye on the grill
Kim is not a newcomer to the food business. Her parents have long run a Korean restaurant on Sukhumvit Soi 16, she is a graduate in French cuisine from Le Cordon Bleu Dusit Culinary School and worked as the head chef at Tribeca Restobar in Soi Thonglor, which is known for its Western brunch.
The 60-seat restaurant is decked out simply in black, grey and white, with a cement floor, unfinished concrete and rustic brick walls, exposed metal ducts and a cooker hood at every dark wood table. It all adds up to industrial chic, though there’s plenty of glass to let the natural light stream in. Most of her customers are Korean and the place is still less known among Thais.
“I carefully select premium Angus beef from Ocean Beef farm in New Zealand. The farm is on the shores of the South Island and the cattle have a GMO-free, high-quality grain diet and enjoy the salty sea air. The meat is thus packed with nutrients, is full of flavour and has a great texture,” she adds.
She does not, however, worry too much about marbling, preferring to wet-age the chilled beef herself for 20 days to ensure it retains its moisture before consumption.
A variety of beef cuts are available from rib eye (200 g/Bt620), short rib (200g/Bt650), intercostal (140g/Bt420), chuck roll (140g/Bt450) and wagyu tongue (100g/Bt390). Among the side dishes that can be topped up to order are kimchi, stir-fried Chinese spinach, cooked corn with butter, garlic, Chinese cabbage, egg roll and green salad.
Pork belly
Diners can grill the meats themselves or have the staff do it for them. Non-beef eaters can opt for pork belly (180g/Bt300) or chicken (180g/Bt280). Scallop, squid and prawn are also available and Banjoo offers three sauces –sea salt blended with garlic and curry powder, ssamjang (Korean spicy dipping sauce) and sweet & sour, a blend of soy sauce, garlic and apple cider.
Thais love Korean-style barbecue, but many people, especially women, are concerned about bad odours lingering in their hair and clothes after eating. At Banjoo BBQ, the hood solves the problem and removes all the odours though it is a little noisy.
Bibimbab
Restaurants offering both barbecue and traditional cuisine are rare in South Korea – most eateries specialise in a particular dish – but Kim knows that Bangkokians enjoy variety. Diners can therefore also sample traditional Bibimbab (Bt290), an all-in-one, highly nutritious meal, featuring rice topped with bulgogi (marinated slices of beef) and carrot, mushroom, Chinese spinach and bean sprouts. And on top of all that is a sous-vide egg and gochujang – red chilli pepper paste.
The bibimbab is served in a hot bowl imported from South Korea to help retain the temperature of the food and ensures the crust of the rice sticks to the bottom of the bowl. The ingredients are thoroughly mixed just before eating to harmonise the contrasting tastes. A dribble of sesame oil adds to the savoury taste.
Soondooboo soup
Also on the menu is Soondooboo (Bt280) – a spicy soup of soft tofu with shells and prawns. It’s traditionally made with fish broth and seasoned with chilli powder, and is served with hot steamed rice. Another pleasing dish is the pizza-like Kimchi Pancake (Bt290), a crisp pancake with kimchi and octopus.
Kim hasn’t let her training in Western cuisine goes to waste and she offers a variety of fusion dishes. They include Bulgogi Carbonara (Bt320), a white-cream spaghetti with Korean-style beef bulgogi.
Strawberry Tiramisu
To end the meal there’s Strawberry Tiramisu (Bt160) with layers of fresh strawberry slices, fresh cream and breadcrumb, and Waffle with berry compote and vanilla ice cream (Bt220).
HEALTHY EATS
Banjoo BBQ is on the second floor of Mille Malle community mall on Sukhumvit Soi 20. It’s open daily for lunch from noon to 3pm, and dinner from 5 to 11pm.
The newly launched Centerpoint at Siam Square mall is quickly becoming a popular dining spot thanks its wide range of mouth-watering sweet and savoury treats in several styles.
Among the resident cafes is Say Chiizu, which titillates the taste buds by using quality ingredients from Japan to rustle up Hokkaido Cheese Toast with a choice of three fillings – original cheese, chocolate cheese and charcoal cheese. They go for Bt69 a pop while the Matcha Almond Cheese, Nutella Almond Cheese and White Chocolate Almond Cheese slices are priced at Bt89.
Xugar patisserie is famous for its tantalising Spanish churros that go well with ice cream in different flavours or can be paired with toppings that include classic chocolate, green tea and Nutella for Bt29. Bon Gousse is a Korean-style burger cafe serving up Tuna Kimchi with Ham and Cheese alongside such side dishes as Chicken Karaage, Bon Gousse and Tokpokki. Prices start at Bt49.
Located on the fourth floor, Natural Rich is a hub for the health conscious with a menu of confections made from whole wheat and organic ingredients. The healthy bites include a Meal by Souk crepe made from egg white, a clean lunchbox, stay lean sandwiches and oat cakes. The white bean bread comes from Orachorn Be Slender and the shredded chicken from Lean & Clean.
Tom Tun Shabu eatery has Thai-style shabu with a choice of three soups – a clear broth made from corn and onion, suki, a mixture of fish and seaweed, and a smooth white soup with milk and broth. Pork, beef, squid and river prawn are served both a la carte and buffet style for Bt395.
The shopping mall is open daily from 10am to 8pm. Find out more by calling (02) 623 4100 or check out the Centerpoint of Siam Square page on Facebook.
The spirit, flavours and cherry blossoms that make spring such a romantic time in Japan inspire the seasonal menus at award-winning restaurant Kisso through June.
Taking Kisso’s guiding principle – “to everything a season” – to heart, the perfectionist chefs have selected cherry blossoms as the core ingredient of their Sakura Soba Noodles.
Homemade noodles become all the more appetising when blended with actual sakura petals. Adding a tantalising floral vibrancy and cute pink appeal to the bowl, the noodle dishes captures the fragile and fleeting essence of this radiant pink blossom from Japan.
The noodles are served chilled and hot, with vegetables and shrimp tempura, or with beef, or with the chef’s signature Sakura noodle dip, among others. Prices range from Bt250 to Bt320 per bowl.
All are served in Kisso’s strikingly contemporary atmosphere, contrasted with traditional earthenware pots and rustic wood flooring. With its open kitchen, there’s a finely calibrated buzz that resonates evenly throughout the main dining area, sushi bar and private tatami rooms.
Kisso is open for lunch daily from noon to 2.30 and dinner from 6 to 10.30. It’s on the eighth floor of the Westin Grande Sukhumvit Bangkok.
South Korean celebrities cash in on the hallyu wave by opening restaurants in Bangkok
THE SOUTH Korean wave that lapped cautiously at the world’s shores back in the 1990s and quickly turned into a tidal wave is showing no signs of ebbing. Proof of the popularity of all things South Korean can be found in Bangkok where more than 10,000 K-pop fans turned out last week for a concert by a handful of Korean artists as part of the grand opening of new entertainment complex Show DC.
Among those artists was Psy, who became a global sensation with his 2013 hit “Gangnam Style” and remains high in the hallyu hierarchy. The 40-year-old K-pop dance icon took the opportunity of his trip to launch his very own Bangkok restaurant, Psy-Mien.
“Ramen is a wellknown local delicacy and Koreans love it. I personally like my ramen spicy and always try and eat it when I’m on tour,” Psy told XP.
Psy-Mien is almost certain to be a hit with guests at the opening particularly taken by the spicy sauce made from lime and peach. The highlights are Blue Crab ramen, sausage ramen and, in this heat, the spicy cold ramen.
The ambience is well though out, giving off the feeling of being in a small street in South Korea though the tuk tuk painted on the wall adds an unmistakable Thai flavour.
And Psy is not the only one to be moving into food. All-time fan favourites Kim Sung Soo and Lee Seo Jin have also launched eateries in Thailand – Kim’s Full House and Samsicoco, respectively – and they, along with Psy-Mien, have taken their place in the K-District Zone on the first floor of the mega entertainment, shopping and dining complex alongside five other celebrity-owned concerns. There’s After the Rain by Rain, and By Grace, which is owned by “Coffee Prince” actress and former member of Baby Vox Yoon Eun Hye. Super Junior member Choi Siwon has Bugsy Dog, “Ballad Prince” Lee Seung Gi is the name behind Seung Gi’s Mill while Brick Life Cafe by BTS belongs to boy band Bangtan Boys. There’s even a Kimchi Bus stopping off, part of a 400-day global project that promotes Korean culture through free dishes as “Majangdong Taco” and “Bukhansan Fries”.
Samsicoco has a “Back to Nature” theme that replicates a scene in Lee Seo Jin’s “SamsiSekki” (“Three Meals a Day”). The South Korean reality cooking show sees the cast living in a small rural or fishing village for three days a week and using whatever food they find to create three meals a day.
“I would like to introduce people to traditional Korean cuisine with Samsicoco. Our fried chicken is served in a clay pot, which gives it a really good taste,” says the 46-year-old TV star, who is best known for playing King Jeongjo, the 22nd ruler of the Joseon Dynasty, in the 2007 TV series “Yi San”.
During the launch, Lee Seo Jin served fried chicken to guests and the media, and they were all impressed by the tender chicken cooked in a black sauce made from garlic and soybean. Wedge potato fries and coleslaw are served as side dishes.
Nearby is Kim’s Full House by Kim Sung Soo, who played Yoo Minhyuk, a director of a large media company, in the 2004 hit series “Full House”. A cosy little place, Kim’s Full House is a great place to feast on ‘khao phad kimchi, fried rice mixed with spicy fermented cabbage.
“Our concept is make our customers feel comfortable and relaxed. We also offer Bulgogi or Korean-style barbecue beef and I believe Thais will like it,” the 44-year-old actor said. “I really appreciate that fans here have supported me since ‘Full House’.”
The front of Kim’s Full House is decorated with a cabbage garden and models of jars used for kimchi-making while illustrations of how to cook kimchi fried rice cover the wall. Customers can choose their own topping from a selection that includes chicken, shrimp, tofu, spicy pan-fried pork (jeyuk bokkeum) and beef bulgogi.
The spicy pan-fried pork topping has so far proved the most popular thanks to a sauce that’s heavy on the garlic and ginger. Bulgogi too is selling well and features delicately sliced sirloin mixed with soy sauce, sugar and vegetables that’s stirfried with kimchi and rice.
– Show DC is open daily from 10am to 10pm.
– Find out more by calling the information counter at (02) 203 1890 or visit http://www.ShowDC.co.th.
Bangkok might be shooing its food vendors from the streets but U Hotels and Resorts is more than ready to compensate with a “Street to Table Food Festival” running from today until the end of June at all its properties across the country.
Bangkok might be shooing its food vendors from the streets but U Hotels and Resorts is more than ready to compensate with a “Street to Table Food Festival” running from today until the end of June at all its properties across the country. Traditional Thai street food is turned upside down with an avantgarde twist in a true treat for the senses through a menu that includes Sticky Rice with Pork BBQ (THB 180), Pad Kraprao with Scallops (THB 450), Thai Curry Fish Custard (THB 250) , Banana Roti (THB 150) and much more.
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