Quite possibly Bangkok’s finest Indian restaurant the Rang Mahal offers superior cuisine in a warm setting. Ken Pearce enjoys an evening in the Rembrandt Hotel’s flagship restaurant.

We must eat to live, that’s stating the obvious. But we require more. We need to eat, relax and above all enjoy that experience. It is insufficient simply to pay to eat what is put before you. Other senses must be satisfied: taste, texture, presentation, service, ambiance, all should play their part in providing that gratifying culinary experience offered with great cuisine. In today’s stress filled world, be it business or hectic multi-country tourist travelling, it is insufficient to present great cuisine if the other requisites are absent.

The Rang Mahal Restaurant amply meets those demands. The words that come to mind on reaching the 26^th floor of the Rembrandt Hotel, Sukhumvit Soi 18, and entering their renowned Indian Restaurant, The Rang Mahal, are “elegant” and “grand.”  The same can be said of the Rembrandt Hotel itself. The Indian influence is, indeed, authentic. The hotel is independently owned by Thais of Indian origin. The Rang Mahal is a genuinely “grand” and “authentic” Indian restaurant whose ambiance is definitely elegant and emphatically Indian. One enters a large, deeply carpeted space with seating for about two hundred guests. Its size, however, is not overpowering because the carpets, fine furnishings and table placements are designed to give a sense of intimacy, and because a good proportion of its tables are arranged so diners will enjoy the spectacular views of Bangkok along two fully plate-glassed walled sides. In the evenings those diners whose tables are placed in the centre of the restaurant can view the Indian musicians who are flown over from India and who provide very relaxing, genuine Indian music throughout the meal.

The Rang Mahal’s extensive menu offers food from various regions of India; Kerala, Goa, the Punjab, the North West and Delhi, Hyderabad, the North East and Bengal. But I fancy the greatest influence is that from North India and the Punjab, with rich curries such as Rogan Gosh and many tandoori kebab dishes, uniquely marinated and cooked in the clay “tandoor” oven so popular in that region. Indeed the delicious house speciality, Raan-e-Khyber – tender lamb leg, marinated in rum, exotic herbs and spices then barbequed on charcoal, is ample evidence of that influence.

The Rang Mahal has been a flagship restaurant of The Rembrandt for over 16 years. Jovial Chef Rajan Mishra has been in residence for seven of those years. He hails from Delhi. His pedigree as a chef is impressive, having worked for very many years at several of the renowned Taj Group of Hotels in the sub-continent and also at the prestigious Bombay Brasserie in London. His menu is very attractively designed, although I imagine it might be a bit difficult to read at night if seated on the terrace outside – yes, there are a few tables to allow diners to eat al fresco if that is their wish. It is presented on a wooden base and features a picture of the Palace of the Winds in Jaipur. The leaves fold back to reveal a very wide range of dishes: meat, chicken, fish and vegetarian with accompaniments and sides and a large selection of sweets. My fellow guest and I wished to sample as wide a variety as possible. We chose one of the three special menus of convenience designed to satisfy those who might otherwise be bewildered by the variety.

Each special menu had a name: The Maharani, The Maharaja, and The Rang Mahal Special. We chose The Maharaja. First came a plate of pappadoms with three pickles: baby mild pickled onions, mango chutney, and a mint dipping sauce. To follow that there was marinated boneless fish kebabs, chicken tikka tandoori and a delicious small vegetable samosa accompanied by a tamarind sauce. Next, a presentation of three very tasty ‘curries’: Rogan Gosh Kashmiri (tender pot roasted mutton cooked in thick onion gravy with selected Indian spices), Murgh Makhanwala (succulent chicken simmered in a creamy fenugreek flavoured tomato gravy; I was particularly attracted to this dish)! Vegetable Jaipuri (mixed vegetables in a yellow curry), Dal-Maa-Rang Mahal (black lentils simmered slowly and laced with cream) accompanied by Basmati Rice Pulao, flavoured with cumin, and an assortment of Naan bread and Parathas. The desert on this menu was Gulab Jamun (cream cheese dumplings in almond flavoured sweet syrup) for the dieter it is “naughty but nice!” Khun Shubhangi Bhaisare, the Restaurant and Indian Banquets Manager also persuaded us to try a small portion of Rasmalai (a divine tasting kind of Indian cheese cake served in sweet reduced milk, topped with pistachios, and then some Kulfi (a delicious Indian Ice cream made from reduced milk and tasting of almonds and pistachio).

The wine list must be given a mention. Besides the usual selection of Old and New World wines, most originally, and very successfully in my opinion, the list includes Indian wine from Maharashtra under the, “Ivy,” label. There were a couple of whites on offer – a Chardonnay and a Sauvignon Sémillon; A Sparkling Brut méthode Champagnoise; A Shiraz and a Cabernet Sauvignon. Based on our bottle of Sauvignon Sémillon they are well worth a try. Not cheap, (but what wine is in Thailand!) but they would be a successful introduction to Indian wines.

Rembrandt Hotel – Rang Mahal Restaurant

19 Sukhumvit Soi 18, Sukhumvit Road, Klong Toei, 10110 Bangkok, Thailand
Phone +66 (0) 2261 7100 — Fax +66 (0) 2261 7017

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Rang Mahal – An Indian Feast

This enchanting restaurant in the compound of the Rose Hotel is housed in a delightful golden teak wood building constructed over 100 years ago during the reign of King Rama V. Origi­nally it was the home of a herbal medical doc­tor whose name has been lost in the dusts of time. Today, as a nod to its heritage some of the medical herbs once used by the doctor are used in some the dishes.

The Rose Hotel was acquired by the Vitayakul family in 1960’s and then a decade later they purchased the adjacent plot of land where the golden teak house stands. In its day it was used as a storeroom and housed exclusive guest accommodation on the first floor.

A couple of years ago the teak house was completely renovated to make it into a Thai restaurant. Guests have a choice of dining on two floors. The ground floor is air conditioned with floor to ceiling windows allowing an open view of the swimming pool and gardens. The feel is contemporary with clusters of dark wood tables topped with lime green cotton placemats and lounge areas tastefully woven together to create a residential feel. Up­stairs the setting is more formal, classical Thai with a collection of antiques and classical paintings. As it was a cool balmy winter’s night we decided to dine al fresco on the first floor terrace – the tranquil environment adding to the dining experience.

The taste of the food is modern Thai, designed to be an authentic Thai taste balanced and not overpowering. The introduction of non-traditional Thai ingredients such as salmon, soft shell crabs, scallops and broccoli doesn’t mean fusion food. This is simply taking advantage of what’s now available in the market to improve the quality. The cooking technique adheres to tradi­tional Thai methods.

All of the furniture dates back to the 70’s. Some sets of chairs are Chinese style from the middle of the decade, others are heavily carved teak from Chiang Mai, all had been originally used in the main hotel building and have been restored for their new role in this restaurant. The cutlery is con­temporary western with simple cotton placemats and napkins on dark wood tables.

The first dish we tried was a crispy seafood crepe, a modern Thai dish with an authentic taste. This was followed

by a selection of appetizers; among them spicy shredded chicken and giant prawn cakes with a superior texture. Dipping sauces to match were served in small round bowls.

It seems that almost every restaurant these days are using white chinaware to showcase their food but here the colorful Thai food is served on black chinaware, a presentation decision that works very well.

The soft shell crab was deliciously light with the perfect crunch to the taste-again not the purest of traditional ingredients but another example of how new ingredients are being successfully integrated into the Thai menu.

The lemongrass infused chicken with a delightfully unique and subtle Thai flavor was refreshing and light. Again there was balance in the taste allowing the guest to enjoy the freshness of the ingredients used. I appreciated the fact that burning chili wasn’t the dominant flavor.

Tom Som is one of the lesser known Thai soups but has a delightful taste. Their version was served with small cubes of fresh salmon, with the sweet taste coming from tamarind sauce used in the preparation. It didn’t smell fishy due the amount of fresh ginger that had been used together with shal­lots and Kapi, a Thai shrimp paste. It is very refreshing and wonderfully fragrant.

The queen of Thai desserts is mango with sticky rice garnished with flakes of gold leaf to enhance the presentation.

The contemporary residential setting blended modern paintings with Asian artifacts and was complimented by a selection of light instrumental music with a slight Asian twist. Dining at Ruen Urai isnt just about eating food – it’s a complete dining experience, feeding the need of all the senses.

The dinning experience is superb, to describe it as fine dining would create the wrong impression of too much stiffness and formality. This is not the case. Its best described as elegant casual, something stylish yet comfortable that just feels right. A small sanctuary of calm in a sea noise and chaos, proof that small is beautiful.

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The Doctor’s Former Golden Residence: Ruen Urai

Face Bar is non-conformist dinning con­cept created by a multi-racial, multi cul­tural group of entrepreneurs. Something to appeal to those with an intellectual cu­riosity in culture, are well informed and appreciate quality without pretense.

It started in Jakarta with the opening of Hazara, their In­dian restaurant in 1993 followed four years later with the opening of Lana Thai; the two dining concepts con­stant to the Face philosophy. The following year they opened branches of these two restaurants in Shanghai where they conceptualized Face Bar.

In 2003 Eric Perez the former pastry chef and chocolatier at the French Embassy and Ritz Carlton joined Face to open Visage, their patisserie and chocolate shop in Shanghai with branches in Beijing, Jakarta and Bangkok. The same year face opened a branch in Bangkok.

In a perfect world it would be nice to be able to replicate exactly the same restaurants in four cities in Asia but the reality is local tastes are always exactly the same. Thai and Indian restaurants work in all four cities but each has their own unique restaurant appropriate for their location. Japanese sells better in Bangkok than chocolate. Eric decided he would open his own pastry training school Macaroon in Ekamai on the site where Athena the Greek restaurant was once lo­cated. What was Visage in Bangkok has been converted to Misaki, the Japanese Sushi Bar and restaurant.

“I keep a traditional Japanese taste to my food,” he explains, “but here I can give it a modern twist that I can’t do so easily back home.

When Visage first opened there was direct street access but now customers have to go inside Face Bangkok’s main entrance and climb the wide wooden staircase to the restaurant reception. From here they will be directed down the narrow staircase to Misaki, the name means ‘beautiful sake’

Behind the glass front façade is the modern cosmopolitan interior, the main dining area is divided into a series of booths by sa paper lined glass panels and the sushi bar is at the far end.

What attracted Chef Nakamura to come to Bangkok from Japan was that he would have the freedom to try something new with his cooking style. “I keep a traditional Japanese taste to my food,” he explains, “but here I can give it a modern twist that I can’t do so easily back home.

To start with he served a selection of four sashimi. “With this dish I have taken from a traditional Japanese dish of tuna, yellow tail and mackerel,” Chef Nakamura explains, “but I have added fresh salmon from Norway. This would not be popular back in Japan, but it is here. I chose Norwegian salmon as it’s the best quality I can find here. Traditionally, sashimi is simply sliced raw fish but I like to marinade the mackerel in vinegar and suki yaki sauce to enhance the flavour.

For a soup he served a subtle and light egg custard with a clear soup below. I enjoyed the crisp crunchy freshness of his prawn tempura.

With his main course his creative touch of modern Japanese became ap­parent. First he served grilled free-range chicken breast, sliced into strips topped with very tasty green onion sauce. Before grilling this Australian beef tenderloin he marinaded the meat in Sukiyaki sauce with a splash of red wine.

I make no secret of the fact that wine is my beverage of choice with food but when it comes to Japanese it’s hard to find a wine to match nicely chilled sake, and by price it is more affordable. They carry three labels and I enjoyed Hokkaisan Honjiyo with the meal.

Visage may have moved out to make way for this restaurant but fortunately Eric is still responsible for the desserts available in all three restaurants at Face Bangkok. His chocolate bomb is decadently laden with endorphin re­leasing flavors while his passionate fruit sorbet is for me the ultimate tropical taste experience.

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Misaki The Face of Japan

The old favorites are still part of the menu: Chorizo, Angulas, Paellas, the Sisig made from suckling pigs. There is an obvious effort to evolve. Aside from an assortment of Tapas and Paellas, the menu has been up­dated to offer Mediterranean specialties: Grilled U.S. Angus Rib-Eye with Shaved Parmesan and a Balsamic-Shallot Glaze; Pan Fried Fillet of Apa­hap with Asparagus, Capers and Lemon Buerre Blanc, Foie Gras served “3 Ways. Bacalao, Len­gua and Lamb star in other dishes. The signature dishes of the moment are the Slow Roasted U.S. Beef Belly with Horseradish Cream Sauce and the Paella Montaña with Portobella Mushrooms, Whole Roasted Garlic, Truffle Oil and Aspara­gus.

With the parade of tapas, freshly baked ba­guettes, salads prepared in the dining room and wide array of entrees, saving room for dessert is a major challenge at Cirkulo. The pastry kitchen offers Warm Dark Chocolate Truffle Cake with a Liquid Center, Warm White Chocolate Bread Pudding with Bourbon crème sauce, home­made super premium ice creams in flavors such as fresh banana, mantecado and Spanish nougat.

The interiors designed by Vickie and Luigi Antonio may be described as cosmo­politan and warm at the same time. The restaurant showcases design elements from the original restaurant, such as the matador hat lighting fixtures and ‘tore­ro’ collages by National Artist Arturo Luz. Evident is the use of clean geometric lines, as opposed to the bold and original design by Ramon Castellanos that revolved around the circle for the original restaurant. One immediately notices how bright the room has become with full views of Arnaiz Avenue. The floors are 50-year old supa wood restored from old bowling lanes. The lounge, with its deep armchairs and sofas, and the dining room with red and navy chairs, are distinctly separate. The function room has been designed for intimate meals for up to 16.

The restaurant has evolved into a true dining establishment, ideal for lunch meetings, family dinners, and intimate celebrations. With today’s Cirkulo, one will find a fine union of old and new.

Spanish and Mediterranean Cuisine
900 A. Arnaiz Avenue (Pasay Road) cor. Paseo de Roxas,
Makati [Since August 1995]
Tel. 632.810-8735/810-2763  www.elcirkulo.com

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Circulo Restaurant

The Restaurant is housed in a cluster of Thai-style, striking teak pavilions set in a garden next to the Chao Phraya River. Bensley Design Studios recent ren­ovation of Salathip at Shangri-la Bangkok has given it a contemporary neo­classical feel with the over structure remaining unchanged.

The décor is a combination of tradi­tional Thai blended with contem­porary elegance and simplicity. A stricking feature is in the ceiling design of the individual salas where they have cleverly used gold leaf stenciling of Thai inspired designs set on a back­ground of dark wood – subtle yet effective.

Chef Tussamee has a traditional, Thai based style of cooking to which she adds a creative twist us­ing the finest ingredients and products from the Royal projects. As the ideal Thai meal consists of a mixture of flavours and textures, to help guests get the right balance to their meal the menu in­dicates whether the predominant taste in each dish is spicy, sour, sweet or salty.

Salathip is more than just about eating; they have carefully paired some of their dishes with an individual wine to elevate it to a dining experience. Their recommendation is to choose wines from the list of Pinot grapes as they believe that wines from this family are less tannic and softer making them very suitable for Thai cuisine.

Pinot Noir is the mother grape of the Pinot family, Pinot Meunier, Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc are some of the more successful mutations of Pinot Noir and produce distinct and unique wines on their own. Each differs from its parent Pinot Noir, in the colour of their fruit and possesses a different char­acter of its own, but will not over power the flavour of their dishes.

The first dish I tasted was deep-fried ‘Tub Tim’ Fish, side-served with kale leaves and its condiments of diced lime, diced shallot, diced ginger, roasted coconut, roasted peanut, and roasted diced chili. The wine they chose to pair with it was a Leon Byer Pinot Gris from Alsace that is crisp and me­dium bodied and contains a suitable level of acidity that went well with the gingery flavoured appetizers. Serving wine at the correct temperature makes all the difference to the structure of the taste and I appreciated them serving it very cold.

Next, they served Southern style crispy pork leg with Thai herbs accompa­nied by fresh vegetables such as cucumber, eggplant, snake beans and green salad which they had paired with Sileni Estate Pinot Noir from Marlbor­ough, New Zealand. This very versatile wine complemented the crispy pork,and did not take away any flavour from the Thai herbs. The acidity of the Pinot Noir complements the fattiness of the pork. There is sweetness to the wine that bal­ances the taste of the sauce and enhances the overall flavour of the dish.

Then they served Salad of Grilled Austral­ian Strip loin with Thai Aubergine with Pi­not Nero Castello della Sala as they wanted a stronger fruitier wine with the beef. Pi­not Nero is the Italian version of the Pinot Noir varietal found mainly in the north of the country. While the wine is strong it didn’t overpower the grilled strip loin – in fact it balanced with it nicely.

We then moved onto Banana blossom salad and Artichoke with Roasted Cashew Nuts and Chilli Jam which they choose to pair with Pinot Grigio Castello Banfi from Tuscany Italy. The intense fruit aroma of the wine com­plemented the spiciness of the salad as well as the roasted flavours from the nuts.

To conclude the meal they served their signature dessert of sweet, sticky rice with custard and Thai tea ice-cream that they paired with Leon Bayer Pinot Blanc – again from Alsace. This wine is less dry, and contains a good balance of softness, that will go well with the Thai tea ice cream. This dessert is rather light in texture and flavour, therefore Pinot Blanc’s complexity balances the aftertaste. A dessert wine at the end of the meal nicely rounds off the dining experience.

The new look Salathip is chic, elegant and trendy taking fine Thai dinning to the level where it belongs. The palm trees lining the walkway give the es­sentially luxurious, tropical touch to set the right tone.

Salathip
Shangri-La Hotel, 89 Soi Wat Suan Phu, Charoen Krung (New Rd.), Silom, Bangkok

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Salathip: Elegant Riverside Thai Dining

“I drink Champagne when I’m happy and when I’m sad. Sometimes I drink it when I’m alone. When I have company, I consider it obligatory. I trife with it if I’m not hungry, and drink it when I am. Otherwise I never touch it – unless I’m thirsty.”

So said Madame Bollinger, but as the one time owner of some of the finest vineyards in the Champagne re­gion of France such excess is hardly surprising.

For most of us, alas, champagne only flows on special occasions. One such was a recent visit to check out the new champagne cocktail menu at the Marriott Hotels New York Steak House on the Sirkumvit Road. Dark wooden beams and pillars frame the interior of this dimly lit and stylishly adorned restaurant while the black upholstered chairs are large and luxurious enough to engulf a Texan rodeo and tame his raging bullock.

Hanging from the wall above our table is a sepia tinted photo of early 20th century construction workers toiling on beams hundreds of meters above New York cities skyline.

Down below on the other side of the world things are looking up. The man­ager emerges from the shadows of our black upholstered chairs. Settles us down and spreads out the large white napkins. Meanwhile, the waiter intro­duces the champagne cocktail list.

My saliva almost bubbles with anticipation as I cast my eye over the drinks menu whilst Robert takes time to explain the various cocktails on offer. Pausing; I rub my chin in an attempt to look sophisticated before the waiter comes to my rescue and suggests the Belini, orange juice and champagne, otherwise known as Bucks Fizz.

This one is a hit. The orange juice seems to improve the taste of the cham­pagne whilst the champagne most certainly improves the taste of the orange juice. It’s so good I decide to try another. The second glass of Belini imparts a feeling of exhilaration. The nerves are braced; the imagination is agreeably stirred; the wits become more nimble.

I fling it back perhaps a little too hastily before looking up in a jealous fit of intrigue to see my partner beaming over a glass of… “ce qui?”

“French 75; Champagne and gin – keep away!”

Snarling and dejected I turn to the waitress to save my life with another glass of liquid stars; French 75. Tasting like an apple peeled with a steel blade and shot with ten thousand effervescent bullets this one is near perfect. The ami­able waitress recognizes the bubbles rolling in my eyeballs and reminds me that the New York Steak house also serves pretty ‘darn good’ food.

By now my attention has long been diverted from those emaciated workers toiling above the New York skyline to focus on the epicurean offerings down below.

The waitress wheels in the starter; a succulent slab of Norwegian smoked salmon accompanied with an array of flavor enhancing extras. As she skill­fully slices strips off this Nordic delight I continue my ‘tour de Champagne Cocktails’ with a Flirtini; vodka pineapple and lime forming a perfect pool for the salmon to slip into.

The atmosphere at The New York Steak House is both bold and serene. The tables are spread far enough apart to offer a sense of privacy. The music plays low but the large wooden plates decorated with huge chrome bull horns on their northern edge speak loudly of American symbolism. At one point I half expect to see George W Bush and his cronies stagger in to sodden their sorrows.

There’s more than steak on offer at this restaurant but both my partner and I opt for a slab Texan bullock. All the steaks arrive chilled (not frozen) and are flown in fresh from Australia and the US. Steak and red wine, both the color of blood seem made for one another. A smoky Chilean red served in glasses large enough to swallow a bottle provide the perfect culinary and aesthetic accompaniment. Even the cutlery is bold and fearsome enough to give the diners a sense of power as they cut into the huge and succulent slabs of steak which are, needless to say at around 1,500 Baht, delicious.

With the meat fest over we slow down the pace with another Champagne cocktail. Robert returns to recommend a Champagne de Menthe; a perfect accompaniment to a dessert of warmed chocolate and cream cake that melts in the mouth.

“Once, when the manager brought me dinner all I ate was the chocolate des­sert because it’s so delicious,” the waitress guiltily confesses.

If anything were to unite the revolutionary zeal of the champagne guzzling French with the ‘bring ‘em on’ fury of the steak chomping Americans it would be such a suggestion. But at the New York Steak House I believe even the most macho of those New York construction workers and Madame Bol­linger herself may be inclined to forgive her. It really was that good.

New York Steak House
Marriot Hotel Bangkok : 4 Sukhumvit Soi 2
Bangkok  Tel: (66-2) 656 7700

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Champagne Supernova

This grand, two storey restaurant in Pattayaland Soi 2 was opened in February 1998 by American restaurateur and Pattaya businessman, Steve Burke and his former business partner. Its heritage can be traced back to a five star restaurant of the same name in Bonifacio High Street, Manila; in fact that’s where the chefs come from.

But why is there a Philippines connection with New Orleans? The answer, I discovered, was that both had been influenced by Spanish culture and thereby share a similar food style. Then what’s the link between Pattaya and New Orleans? The connection lies in a section of New Orleans, Bourbon Street, which houses a thriving gay community and atmosphere similar to that found in Pattayaland, Soi 2.

The architectural style of the building could have been lifted from the fa­mous Bourbon Street. The interior has been decorated in old Louisiana Creole style, with rich colours and low, elaborately designed ceilings. With cool jazz setting the mood, one could easily believe they were dining in the French Quarter of New Orleans, the birthplace of jazz. On the walls of the two dining rooms hang many portraits and original posters depicting fa­mous jazz players.

The extensive menu, created under the expertise of Chef Albert, concen­trates on serving the best of American Cajun and Creole recipes. The house speciality is a slab of succulent baby back ribs with the chef ’s secret recipe BBQ sauce. There are no ribs to compare with these anywhere in Pattaya.

I tried their Pork Saltimbocca, pan seared slices of marinated pork tenderloin that have been rolled and stuffed with ham and cheese. This delicious tenderloin was served with a cauli­flower mousse and baby asparagus tips that have been wrapped and baked in filo pastry, with a raspberry saltimbocca sauce. Steve, the owner, himself a professionally trained chef is pas­sionate about how the food is presented on the plate – first, we devour the food with our eyes and then with our stomach. The rolls have been sliced at 45 degrees and arranged verti­cally to give height to the dish.

My dining companion opted for the Seafood Fantasy; a hearty dish comprising a wide variety of seafood piled high. At New Orleans they serve generous sized portions to assure no-one goes home feeling hungry. They also offer a very pleasant house wine by the glass at B150.

In addition to the Cajun and Creole dishes there is a great se­lection of steak and beef, seafood, pasta and vegetarian dishes to be found on the extensive menu.

As the customers know, the chefs are from the Philipines and Filipina food isn’t available elsewhere in Pattaya; as such, Fili­pina specialties are gradually being added to the menu.

When it comes to time for dessert there is a tempting, exten­sive range of American classic puddings; such as Mississippi Mud cake, apple pie á la mode and pecan pie.

Finally, when the meal is over, one can sit out on the terrace, sipping an espresso while watching the party creatures rev it up in the streets below; just like New Orleans itself, the spirit of Mardi gras can be felt every night in Pattaya.

With cool jazz setting the mood, one could easily believe they were dining in the French Quarter of New Orleans, the birthplace of jazz.

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Modern Eateries: New Orleans

It recently closed for renovation and has just re-opened with a softer, warmer more approachable feel. The glass fronted restaurant al­lows maximum light and visibility yet is sufficiently set back from

the pavement to allow some element of privacy. The new interior is matt polished chrome columns, caramel illuminated glass panels all nicely balanced with subtle lighting. Not only does it have a new look but also a new restaurant manager Kaseman Satayrak, who was most recently at Harvey but has a pedigree of having worked in most of the top restaurants in Bangkok. He understands the fine dining crowd in Bangkok and will be instrumental in growing this great restaurant into a successful business.

As with the sister restaurant in Singapore, Ember in Bangkok focuses on contemporary European cuisine complimented by a burst of local fla­vours and draws heavily on local ingredients.

The kitchen is overseen by muscular Chef Haikal Johari who previously before moving to Bangkok has worked in some of Singapore’s top restaurants such as Les Amis, Pierside and Raffles Hotel and has also short periods of time worked alongside the likes of Joel Robu­chon and Laurent Gras from San Francisco.
Chef Haikal is renowned for his tasting menus, reg­ular customers coming back time and time again; they aren’t specific about what they eat as long as it wasn’t the same as last. This involves complex guest history records but so far he has excited every time and never once re­peated.

We were eager to see what he wanted to serve and left the meal selection in his capable hands.
To start the meal they poured a glass of Hob Nob Chardonnay and to awaken our palate served Lang­oustine with Avocado ice cream, the combination may sound a little unusual but the combination produced a beautiful taste and flavour. Chef Haikal has a very indi­vidual and elegant style of cooking.

Next to the table came deep fried tofu, sautéed scal­lops and a wonderfully subtle tasting shitake-foie gras sauce. This combination was packed with powerful fla­vours yet the dish was beautifully light. The portion sizes are perfect for this style of multiple dish tasting menu.

Then arrived herb crusted frogs’ legs with spinach and porcini cream. For this dish Kasemsan felt he should pour the Hob Nob Shiraz and we agreed with his choices.

For his pasta dish he served tortellini stuffed with spinach, fricassee of leek with bacon and a veloute of fruits de mer. A simple dish yet with wonderfully complex flavours.

It was then time for some soup, roasted crab bisque with cognac and smoked paprika, a light foam style amaz­ingly packed with multiple flavours.

For his pan roasted foie gras he intro­duced some unusual flavours that worked exceptionally well together, lavender jelly and pineapple granite subtle ye effective.

Before progressing to the main course a mango passion fruit sorbet was served to cleanse the palate ready to ap­preciate what was to follow. A Japanese influence came with his aka miso glazed cod, again the flavours had a powerful “wow” but expressed with the subtlety of a whisper, so light and easy to digest.

Victorian field rack of almond crust­ed lamb was perfectly cooked, served with perfectly balanced unbelievable flavours of lavender- orange jus.

To finish the meal the house speci­ality, warm Valrhona chocolate cake with vanilla bean ice cream.
This was a perfectly balanced din­ning experience with a chef in kitchen a committed perfection with a front of house team who deliver with equal profes­sionalism to the guest.

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Ember

During the Moghul period the Rang Mahal was the  part  of  the  Indian  Palace where  the  Kings would relax and enjoy the fnest Indian cuisine. Te grandeur and lavish style was the inspiration for this restaurant, Fine Dining Indian style.

Add to that the roof top view from 26th floor of Rembrandt it’s easy to see why this is constantly being voted the best Indian restaurant in Bangkok. The tables are set with white linen, tasteful silver wear, silver goblet for drinking water, crystal and bone china, a royal touch that s subtly stated.

Shortly after we were seated at our table fresh popadams were served enveloped in a white linen napkin to keep accompanied by mint chutney, deliciously smooth mango chutney with the consistency of a thick home­made fruit jam, and red pickled onions.

The first starter to come to the table is a signature of the restaurant, Tandoori Prawns, jumbo prawns that have been marinated in exotic Indian spices then finished in a charcoal oven. The taste is exotically spicy the result of the synergy of an array of multiple spices, a totally different taste to Thai spiciness which is purely chilli driven.

Then came the house specialty Raan-e-Khyber a Punjabi dish from the northwestern part of India. The word Raan means thigh, and this dish is a whole leg of lamb that has been marinated over night in rum and exotic spices then slowly cooked so that the meat becomes so tender that it melts n the mouth.

Then comes the curries each brought to the table in brass bowls with individual burners to keep the dishes warm. Murgh Makhanwala, known either as butter chicken or chicken Tikka Masala, the best selling dish in the restaurant. Succulent pieces of chicken that have been simmered in creamy fenugreek flavoured tomato gravy. Masi Masala boneless fillets of red snapper tempered with onions, tomatoes and spices. For the vegetable dish Palak Aap Ki Pasand creamed spinach with cottage cheese. The curries were served with steamed saffron basmati rice. A spoonful of each of the curries was carefully served for us by our waiter, who would add a little more to the plate when needed.

During September the restaurant has a Dakshin promotion serving dishes from the south of India. We tasted their mutton pep­per Masala, pan-fried lamb with onions, tomatoes and flavoured with freshly crushed black pepper. There is a very pleasant smell of the herbs floating up from the plate. The initial taste is gentle with the effect of the peppercorns only kicking in with the aftertaste.

After the main course the table completely cleared, the wait­er delicately scraps any crumbs from the table and finger bowl is served.

To finish the meal Gulab Jamun a deliciously sweet dessert of cream cheese dumplings flavoured with cardamom, saffron and topped with roasted almonds and good strong cup of Masala tea.
We had been treated to a royal fine dinning experience, spice with style.

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Rang Mahal: Dining Like A Maharajah