Saturday, October 17, 2009

Kinniku Gyudon

Kinniku Gyudon
Room 307, 3rd Floor, La Villa,
356 Phaholyothin Road, Bangkok
Tel: 02-613-0516
Open daily: 11.30 a.m.-10.00 p.m.

First of all, I have to tell you that i'm the big fan of Yoshinoya, the famous japanese gyudon(beef bowl) brand which has branches in many countries, e.g. Singapore. When I go to Singapore, I have to visit their shop for at least 2 times, for the 3 days trip :)

I found this place by accident as my iphone's headset got some problems, so i needed to go to istudio to get the new one after work. After reaching La Villa, I walked around to find the place for dinner and found this!!!

Kinnikuman!!! (Sorry for the bad photo quality but i really like their name card holder.) For Manga lovers, you must know Kinnikuman better than me for sure. I just know that he's a wrestler who loves gyudon. You will find Kinnikuman models around this shop!

I ordered Ice Green Tea (Baht 45).

Here they come! Gyudon Set (Baht 165 for Gyudon and you can order as a set and they will also provide you miso soup and salad with the extra charge of Baht 40). For your information, they also do the pork version and have other menu, such as Curry Rice , Tempura, Salmon Teriyaki and Hamberg Steak, not just Gyudon.

Top view of the beef bowl. From what they told us, they use Karubi (beef short rib) beef and slice the beef at 1.5 mm thickness.

Zoom! Such a very big bowl! I can't finish all rice (but definately finish all beef as i'm a carnivore, lol.)

Got the professional photo from my friend's camera, much better than mine :)

I don't know how to describe all the taste. so tender, so soft, not too much seasoning so you can taste the real taste of the beef. Have to tell you that my brother and my mom opined that it gonna be better if it is more tasty but in my opinion, i love it as it is. (still believe that if you get really good ingredient, you don't have to season it much, just cook it properly and go for the real taste!)

Hamberg steak. From my opinion, I think they still keep high quality of the meat using in this dish. Good actually, but Gyudon is the best!

Dessert time!!! Green tea ice-cream with red bean paste (Baht 80). Look great but too sweet green tea ice-cream to my like (i love the bitter green tea ice-cream with loads of greentea flavor), so my mom helped me finish it :)

This week, i went there twice now (Gyudon in both visits). Think it already proved how much i love it. Really recommend you to go there and give it a try!

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Ohana Cafe

Ohana Cafe
50/4 Sukhumvit Soi 24,
Bangkok 10110
Tel 02 661 1930
Fax 01 661 1931
Open daily 9 a.m.-9p.m.
(Parking at Sakura Restaurant available 9 a.m.-6 p.m.)

I heard several persons talked about this place (including my dad), so I asked my dad to bring me here.

Opening hours.

Menu outside the shop. Cute, isn't it?

The place. I like that they keep the big trees which growing at the venue by building this glass house with the hole for them. and the glass makes you be able to sit in the sunlight (while we need to be in the office on weekdays and can't relax in this atmosphere; sunshine and blue sky) while being in air conditioner room.

My cafe latte and croissant (Baht 120). Look at the latte! i don't have latte served with beautiful latte art like this for at least 6 months...with silky, creamy froth...another favorite cafe found!

My dad's Matcha Latte (Baht 90)

After stirring and adding syrup.

As we went there for lunch, my parents ordered the Set Menu (Baht 200) which consists of Soup, Pasta, Salad, and Dessert.

Their soup came! I can't remember what they ordered as I was busy photos taking, running around the shop to check out things, and read one interesting coffee book and cookbooks provide, lol. Think they ordered Carrot Soup and Spinach Soup.

Pasta! My dad's was Fettucini Alfredo.

My mom's was Spaghetti Bolognese.

The dessert on the set today is Brownie. I i stole one bite from my mom, yum!

My lunch coming! I ordered Vanilla Waffle with Strawberry, Fresh Cream, and Vanilla Ice Cream (Baht 150). As you may know that i'm sweet tooth, i can have sweets as a meal, lol.

Show you the filling. I think the stew inside is rhubarb and strawberry.

My dad's Ice Espresso Latte (Baht 90). Made with Espresso ice and cold milk with milk froth, so the more the ice melts, the more coffee flavor.

My dad drank it too fast, so i can show you the ice.

Highlight of the day! After i talked with the owner of the shop and know that he had Jamaica Blue Mountain, I can't resist to ask him to if i can order some and he said yes :)

Show you the coffee.

Crema!!!!!

This is the second time of the year i tried Jamaica Blue Mountain. (one of my friends told me that it tastes different each year.) Surprisingly good with French press (as recommend by the owner that it's better than espresso).

Overall, Ohana is much better than i expected. so it becomes my new favorite place :)

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Japanese Restaurant Erawan

Japanese Restaurant Erawan (next to Crystal Jade)
Urban Kitchen
Basement Floor, Erawan Bangkok
494 Ploenchit Road,
Bangkok 10330
Tel 02 250 7890, 02 652 1295

I walked pass this shop for many times and always think that Urban Kitchen has no place to eat (apart from Amaltery, the liquor icecream). but i just realized that it's because i did not explore everything properly.

Inside the shop, it's on Saturday Lunch and there are only 3-4 tables (weekdays dinner is always so private) but this cannot use for judging the quality of food here.

Our first order arrived, Zaru Soba-chilled buckwheat noodles with dipping sauce. Quite good. (but we found the next orders are better and better) If you like chilled noodles, Somen is also good.

My friend's Sushi. One is Hamachi (Yellowtail fish), but i cannot remember the other one. (Note: We are informed that the fish just delivered last night, we went there on Saturday, my friend's eyes were sparkling when she heard this, haha.) My friend told me that it's the highlight of her week and she can come drive all way long from her place just because of this, lol.

From the professional camera, to show you the quality of the fish!

The rib sausage, look normal but so tasty, quite a must to order.

This is the real MUST!!! Fried rice with pork or beef (the choice of beef are:normal beef, wagyu, or matsuzaka) on hot pan. This time we go for just normal beef, but it's sooooo good and we promised to ourselves that we must come back to try matsuzaka one. I tried the pork one and it's also good, the different is the juicy fat, which the beef one doesn't have. If you order the pork one, when you bite into the fat, it explodes. While the beef is more flavor. Have to choose though.

Dessert time!!! Kakigori-shaved ice flavored with syrup, they got 2 choice; green tea or strawberry. We go for green tea. If you expect for the sweet green tea syrup, you will be disappointed. But if you expect for the REAL green tea flavor (think they use matcha, this is what you are looking for, a bit bitter, with the read bean. Sooooo good. Perfect end of the meal.

Normally, Kakigori is served with Mochi, but as we don't like Mochi, we asked them to change it to other thing, and we got green tea jelly.

Another to die for, Green Tea parfait, contains green tea ice cream (bitter, love it!), vanilla ice cream (also good), green tea and white (not sure what the white jelly made of) jelly, mochi, edamame in jelly (hiding at the bottom of the glass), syrup, and brown sugar! (do i miss anything? quite lots of ingredients here)

As you may notice that the quality of most photos are much improved, it's not because of me, lol, special thanks to Oh :)

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Shark Fin Soup@ChinaTown

Tae (ร้านตือหูฉลาม)
In front of Bank of Ayudthya, Yaowarat Branch
437, Yaowarat, Sampanthawong Subdistrict,
Sampanthawong District, Bangkok

Our today's dinner plan is that we would like to have street food. and one of the best street food in Bangkok is at China Town, or Yaowarat.

The menu is on the board, and this is the real street vender. but as you may see, it's quite a pricy street vender though.

Bean sprout and coriander to eat with shark fin soup.

Start with stir-fried noodles, Hong Kong style first

and here it is! the shark fin soup!

We ordered 2 pots. this is when we nearly finish the meal.

HoyJor (the best definition i can think of is deep-fried crab sausage)

Best thing of the meal. "Guaitiao Rad Na" (A wide rice noodles in a creamy sauce with porks). [not sure if the owner normally provides this or not, so ask first. but if he doesn't there is the shop nearby which is his sister's shop.) they use the crispy chinese kale and the fried noodles. Yum!

Give you another pix!

Sorry for the quality of the photos and sorry that I can't give any opinion as i ate here since i was so young and get use to the taste already. but one thing i can tell you is, when my family thinks of shark fin soup, we will definately call him to check if he opens his shop on that day or not! and another thing is my dad keeps going to this shop to bring back at least 5 serves of Rad Na!

Friday, October 2, 2009

Kuppa (Sukhumvit Branch)

Kuppa
39 Sukhumvit Road Soi 16,
Klongtoey, Bangkok
Tel: 02-663-0495, 02-663-8806, 02-663-0450-4
Opening hours: Tue-Sun 10.30 a.m.-10.30 p.m.

My first memory of Kuppa is not at this branch. it is at another branch on Thonglor which is already closed. at that time, i went to Kuppa for semi-dried tomato and chicken (if my memory is right) sandwiches and seafood angle hair pasta. (by the way, they already changed the menu.)

Then, i read from somewhere that Kuppa tends to be coffee place. The name 'Kuppa' came from the sentence that you asked your friends/guests if they would like to have a cup of coffee-a 'kuppa' coffee (cute, isn't it?). And you may notice at the original branch (this one, Sukhumvit 16), that they got their own coffee roaster and import coffee bean from all around the world. They have at least 5 single origins and 5 house blends (can't remember the exact number).

As usual, as I am the milk-in-coffee lover, for i love the creamy-milky taste and will do espresso or french press if i would like to taste the real flavor, i go for flat white (Baht 120) (yes, i finally found flat white here as the owner of this shop lived in Australia and be inspired by cafe there.). Flat white is similar to cafe latte but with more milk and less froth. It is famous in Aus and NZ.

I forgot to ask of which blend/single origin beans they normally use. the coffee is average good (will buy beans to taste at home soon) but the milk froth here is to die for. creamy, silky, and milky...with the perfect amoung of milk+froth pouring.

This is flat white on another visit, just to show you the consistency of how good their milk froth is! (for your info, the book besides my flat white is Tender at the Bone: Growing up at the Table from Ruth Reichel, the editor-in-chief of Gourmet Magazine)

Kuppa also provided All-day-breakfast (love it-love it!). I ordered Egg Benedict (Baht 295). Normally, Egg Benedict consists of English muffin, topped with ham or bacon, poached egg, and hollandaise sauce. Kuppa version consists of English muffin, ham, spinach, poached egg and hollandaise sauce.

A must-shot for poached egg! Tada!

For me, i like it to be more liquidly on the egg yolks and more moist on the hollandaise sauce (think it's because of baking too long tho.) but anyway, this is my favorite coffee place now :)