Ma Maison
Nai Lert Park Hotel
Wireless Road
Tel: 02 253 0123

This location, right at the top of Wireless Road, I sense is not that wonderful. The hotel is barely visible from the street and my taxi driver managed to pass the entrance, leaving me with a nasty little walk up the ramp to the hotel entrance, then a nasty climb down to this restaurant on the garden floor. So I was not in the best of moods when I finally got to my table, but truth be told, I was already put off by even more that my taxi driver. This is a Raffles hotel, one of the grand hotel operators of the world and legend in more than this region. This hotel lacked anything that looked in anyway grand. There was a distinct lack of attentive personnel around in the lobby and I could not get directions to this restaurant. The décor is square sixties with a few big flowers about, and the odd piece of furniture. This hotel lobby shouted 3 and a bit -star.
But to the restaurant I was going and I am afraid the ambience was far from zappy in any way. The waiting staff were difficult to fault, yet lacked enthusiasm. The menu itself was quite interesting and the wine list not over priced.

For starters I had seared pepper salmon and avocado. The dish itself was very good and the salmon not cooked to death, thus tasting of salmon. I thought the presentation could have been improved, whereas the other starter of soft shelled crab brioche looked and tasted good.
For mains I had what was described as 'Citrus infused calf's sweetbreads, corn polenta cakes, roast monk fish tails.' They also offered 'roasted lamb with lobster tails' so somebody likes the idea of fish and meat. I certainly enjoyed my sweetbreads and it is a while since I had monk fish and that is always a treat. The other dish was described as 'melo milo of Duckling' and was another interesting dish.
As a pud I went for fantasy of apples with a sticky Calvados sauce. I was warned it would take twenty minutes and I got the feeling my decision to have it any way was not the most popular. We were the last in the restaurant but it was nowhere near late. The dish was basically a slice of apple strudel and a baked apple – presumably it must have been the baked apple that took the time.
I think I have no real need to sum up my visit. The food was well thought out, well cooked and on the whole well presented. It was five star standard. The service was correct rather than anything else, but the atmosphere was well – completely lacking. Maybe it was because it was a Sunday night, but I just think it is the hotel. There seems to be no zip in the operation and even getting a cab to leave was a drama. Definitely not the Raffles standard with which I am familiar.