Man Ho Chinese Restaurant
JW Marriott Hotel Bangkok
4 Sukhumvit Road, Soi 2
Bangkok, 10110 Thailand
Phone: 66 2 6567700

I am always a bit suspicious of Dim Sum. Probably because in my time I never have eaten that much of it and all those little baskets suggest the contents may not be what one really wants to eat. Of course that just is my perception and I know I routinely eat things that others shudder at!
I was invited to lunch at the Marriott where they have an all-you-can eat Dim Sum menu on Saturdays and Sundays in the Man Ho Chinese Restaurant. As you would expect in an opulent hotel, it is an elegant restaurant and is located on the first floor overlooking the busy Sukhumvit Road.
The concept is really quite simple and in preference to all those other “you can eat ” deals at least here there is no wandering off to the buffet. The menu has 37 Dim Sum options. They are: Steamed (16 options); Deep Fried (7); Baked (2); Special (6); and Vegetarian (6). In addition there are five soups and six rice and noodle options. And if you still have any room at all, there six desserts to choose from. The price for this vast array is 670 Baht plus plus.
With only two of us, the selection was a question of us both ordering items that we fancied, making certain we did not duplicate our choices. I ordered deep fried spring rolls with shredded chicken and they brought that as a starter. At that moment I realised I was really going to enjoy my meal. Clearly too much of my time has been spent in the wrong kind of Chinese restaurants! Everything was very good, from the steamed Phuket lobster dumpling to the poached egg noodles with barbequed honey pork. However the dish I enjoyed the most was the deep fried prawn dumpling with mayonnaise; clever because it was crisp on the outside with a soft centre. We had that in our second selection or I would have reordered it. I finished off with the Mango pudding.
The food arrived reasonably quickly bearing in mind everything was cooked to order. I really do want to go back but next time take a few more people and start a little earlier: the finish time is 2.30 pm. That is a pity because I can imagine nothing better than having that menu in front of you all afternoon. A little food, a little wine and a little conversation. That could go on for ever! So finally, maybe I am beginning to appreciate Chinese culture just a little, the old clichè being “the way to a manlsquo;s heart is through...!”