2012 Spring Review: Falling favour with the Flavors, Cafe of Renaissance Ratchaprasong

While La Tavola and Fei Ya are still in good shape for delivering excellent food quality (service is still good in general for all the restaurants here), the Flavors disappointed me pretty much at my latest visit. The green salad and Thai beef salads are at average. The roasted spring chicken (photo 5) is very disappointing. It's about THB680 (half cut) but it's pretty dried out and the sauce is a bit heavy. The Pad Thai is another 180 degree turn around. Some marinated small shrimps were used and the stir fried isn't aromatic. It turned out it's just a stir and mix noodle with some soda-baking-feeling shrimps, which is so different from what they used to serve with nice fresh prawns and authentic tamarind aroma.

Penguin Likes Chocolate, Rain Hill mall, soi 47, Sukhumvit BKK

We went in this shop but then got hesitant if we should withdraw after we see some Lindt choco. bars in the fridge display. Though that's nothing wrong about Lindt, we expected something different as the shop deco. is in a different way. The good thing is that they serve the choco. drinks upon our request for less sweet. The brownie isn't too bad either. This place can be a choice if you are around this area and look for a choco. or coffee.

Bangna Central & Seacon Square, Greater Bangkok

Bangna Central has meant so much to me as I brought my friends and families to try their rooftop water park in the late 90's and early 00's. Later on, the park was not maintained well, and that we found the hotels much better for water fun.

Recently I came back to this place and also to Seacon Square where I brought my other friends for crazy shopping. Seeing all these places means seeing all my friends. P.S. Bangna is about 20 km south east of downtown Bangkok.

我們香港這一家 之 冇眼睇

The recent political scene of our cute HK Government petit crown seat dancing chair quest - 3 nostalgic words we seldom say now "冇眼睇 (No eye see)"

Rain Hill community mall, Sukhumvit soi 47, BKK

Hotels and malls in various sizes and in every corner of Bangkok city have been vividly growing. This mall Rain Hill is right on the soi 47 of Sukhumvit Road between Phrom Phong (Emporium) and Thonglor BTS stations. As you walk in, some water thin lines are around like you are in the rain. Apparently the green makes it like a hill.

2012 Spring review: La Tavola, Italian restaurant, Hotel Renaissance, Ratchaprasong, BKK

Visited this Italian restaurant in the summer of 2011, and already got impressed with their service and food quality. Somehow the restaurant hasn't had a higher flow of customers on my recent visit, almost only 1 table of mine. However, the chef didn't get loose but delivered some very excellent dishes from pizza bread to the fruit salad dessert. La Tavola offers an incredible low price lunch set at THB350++, covering appetizer, main course and a dessert. On this lunch set I tried their sauteed mushroom, parma ham with baby rocket leaves salad as the appetizer, deep fried pork loin with french fried as main course and fruit salad with lychee sorbet as the dessert. The chef is very thoughtful in this arrangement for something refreshing as the dessert to offset the greasy flavour of the deep fried food from the main course. In fact, the pork loin and the french fried were handled so well that they taste very light and of course very crispy outside and moist inside. This lunch set really deserves a two-thumbs up!

Radisson Suites, soi 13, Sukhumvit BKK

This hotel is quite inside the soi 13 and offers complimentary tuk tuk shuttle service to BTS Nana station. It takes about 10 on foot to Nana station and 15 minutes to Terminal 21 (Asoke).

Right behind it on soi 11, are the Citadines soi 11, Aloft (a Starwood hotel) and the Bed club.

Overall, the hotel is pretty nice and the sound proof is excellent, same as Park Plaza soi 18 (under the same chain of Carlson). There was a construction site next to the hotel and very low level of noise can be heard in the room. On top of the hotel, there is a gym, a long swimming pool and a big jacuzzi. Good for those who enjoy a half day of working out, swimming, sunbathing or soaking in a spacious jacuzzi.

2012 spring review: Minibar Deli, Emporium, BKK

I guess I am getting a Minibar poisoned syndrome. Quite some friends told me they don't like their signature red velvet cake (photo 5), but I kind of like it as it has some kind of a fruity and nut flavour (from beetroot and cocoa). Besides, I like the raw pound cake texture of it. The meat balls and in fact the ground meat (their pie) are very nice in texture and rich in fresh meat flavour. So if you like some light meal, this is a good place for a small portion of meat balls and a side salad. Then a small piece of cake to go with a coffee, or simply get a penna cotta (photo 1).