The buzz: Judging by the crowds, Paradise Dynasty is a strong new contender for hottest Cantonese cuisine in town. Set in the spot formerly occupied by the perpetually deserted Orangery, they take no reservations and are always crowded, just like their branches in Singapore. It will be intriguing to see how regular customers of Din Tai Fung take to the place since many dishes sound pretty similar.
While traditional Thai products often rely on the country’s silk, ceramic and whicker craftsmanship, local designers are increasingly looking to blend modern materials with local sensibilities by bringing a touch of humor to their design rationale. To stock up on good vibes and good design, head to Propaganda (pictured here), the brand that’s led the city’s product design scene for more than a decade.
You know how we feel about chains (Amici belongs to the Pomodoro group), and dining in malls (in this case, Paragon). But Amici’s prices seem to hark from five years ago, the seats next to the glass bay or on the elegant mezzanine feel very un-mall-like and the food packs some nice surprises. To begin with, we’re partial to the dual menus, a concise illustrated catalogue of signature dishes and a fairly brief selection of Italian classics.
Elegantly decorated in contemporary Northeastern style with a lovely outdoor seating area, the café serves up luxurious Isaan dishes with larb salmon and grilled lamb with jaew sauce as hot favorites. By street standards, the servings are small for what you’re paying, but the kitchen does a solid job, the service is smart and the ambiance is oh-so-cool.
Elegantly decorated in contemporary Northeastern style with a lovely outdoor seating area, the café serves up luxurious Isaan dishes with larb salmon and grilled lamb with jaew sauce as hot favorites. By street standards, the servings are small for what you’re paying, but the kitchen does a solid job, the service is smart and the ambiance is oh-so-cool.
There are three branches of the Four Seasons Restaurant (all completely unrelated to the high-end hotel chain) in London, and just one abroad, here in Bangkok. And judging by the long queues that form outside, local Thai-Chinese taste buds concur with the Four Seasons’ “best roast duck in the world” spiel. The exact recipe’s to Four Season’s roast duck is all very hush-hush, but we do know the ducks are stuffed with herbs and spices then marinated in vinegar and maltose syrup before roasting.
Some say the best Peking duck is in London, not Beijing, and that Four Seasons (completed unrelated to the hotels) is the place doing it. Judging by its Bangkok branch's instant popularity, our Thai-Chinese taste buds concur. We'll spare you the tales of Siberian ducks, treadmills, Scottish spring water or whatever magical secret is applied to their succulent, crispy-skinned birds but it's always a good sign when something is good enough to inspire conspiracy theories--too bad the location is in a mall.
