Category — Bangkok

Name: Drinking Tea Eating Rice
Cuisine: Japanese, All types specializing in teppanyaki
Location: Conrad Hotel, Wireless Road, Bangkok
Contact: +66-2-690-999
My Rating: 8.75/10

My Thoughts:

As soon as you walk into this very chic and sophisticated, dimly lit Japanese pearl in the CBD of Bangkok, Thailand you know that excellence will follow.  While there are numerous traditional tables, the restaurant possesses private party rooms with the traditional Japanese seating style.  Most notably there is a centrally located, dual-sided teppenyaki or Japanese barbecue-grill as the center point of attention.  Here two master chefs prepare your food much in the fashion of the less serious Benihana chain, but without all of the silly flair and comedic moments.  These guys are good at what they do, they do it with grace, silence and the end result is perfection.  They’ll even present to you the meat before the begin their culinary quest to cook you your custom tailored order to your specification.

The wait staff and manager are very attentive to your needs and while I don’t like the multiple employees staring at me while I eat, it wasn’t overboard like some places.  My water was always filled and all of the spices and intricacies we specified (no oil, no butter.. steamed vegetables, extra zucchini and eggplant) are always on target.  They remember you and the next time you come by for a splendid Japanese meal in the style an international traveler is accustomed, they will often need no further clarification as to your special needs.

On this instance a member of the Thai Royal Family was present eating in one of the private rooms, and there  was security all over the place but somehow it didn’t effect the atmosphere one bit.

The clientele here consists mainly of affluent Thais with a good amount of higher-end business travelers.

The menu at Drinking Tea Eating Rice at the Conrad in Bangkok, Thailand runs the gamut.  In the mood for some Japanese wagyu?  They have it.  Only the best ingredients are used and it shows in the rich tasting end result.

Overall an absolutely splendid spot in the Japanese food scene of Bangkok and one I highly recommend visiting.  I’ve discovered my sparkling nook of premium Japanese cuisine and they can count me as a new, regular patron.

Reservations are rarely necessary.  Their hours are 11:30am – 11:30pm.  If arriving by taxi just tell him ‘Con-rad Witthayu’.

Name: Peperoni (Narai Hotel Silom)
Cuisine: Italian-contemporary
Location: Narai Hotel, Silom, Bangkok
Contact: +662 237 0100
My Rating: 9/10

My Thoughts:

This is hands down one of the best values on Italian restaurants in central Bangkok.  The food is absolutely awesome and you can see it being prepared in the totally open kitchen area.  This restaurant is located on the ground floor of the Narai Hotel (tell a taxi drive, Na-Lai, Si-lome) and the ambiance is contemporary and cheery.  The staff is attentive and while sometimes the food takes a couple minutes longer than I’d like, the range of flavors available easily make up for it.

They make many types of pizzas with their own touch (for instance, the pepperoni pizza has some red peppers sprinkled on top).  They have perhaps the meanest seared Ahi-tuna salad with balsamic dressing (pepper crusted) I’ve ever had.  This is not only uber-healthy it also doesnt break the bank for a great lunchtime, under 300bht for the salad.

Peperoni has pure gastronomic bliss, cover to cover in its menu.  It has things I’ve never even heard of before and when I went out on a limb and gave these ‘different’ dishes a try I was consistently amazed.  From their triangle, tasty deep fried bread, to the rustic pizzas, meat(liver) ravioli, baked tortellini Alfredo topped off with some chestnuts (waternuts,walnuts?) down to the tiramasu and espresso.   Magnificent!  One of my favorite places to eat in Bangkok, bar none.

The clientele is predominantly farang tourists, but I’ve seen a good deal of local Thais there as well.  Trust me, this place is all that and then some.

*oh, and I don’t know why they spell Peperoni like that, it must be the proper Italian spelling, shrug.