A couple of months ago I received an email from Flavio the chef patron suggesting I visit his new restaurant, Il Tartufo. I finally managed to get there the other evening and as ever I did not introduce myself, nor did I see Flavio. That is my usual modus operandi; as I always say I pays my way and says what I think. In my opinion that is the only way a restaurant reviewer can operate; I do not write fluff. However I welcome invitations such as the one I received from Flavio.
The building is impressive; I thought the place would be upmarket but not in the manner it is. There is plenty of parking in the garden and drive so first impressions shout class and upscale. I did find a little on the net about Il Tartufo in what looked like an official review (if you get my drift) and it told me that Flavio has been flitting around between restaurants of late, probable trying to get the spondoolics together to create this palace.
There is an outside bar area that looked quite jolly and inside a good space with glass walls and a bar. I had not booked, it being a Tuesday, and was surprised to see how full the downstairs was. However there was more room in another area a few steps up. It is a comfortable room with nice crisp white table cloths, decent chairs and some modern impressionist paintings in the mode of naive is how contemporary menu speak might describe what was hanging on the walls!
The wine list had good range of Italian wines with a section dedicated to premium wines as well as to Magnums. The prices ranged from 1,000 Baht upwards with not many below 2,000 Baht. Sadly the price of wine in Bangkok is one reason I spend less time in the city. The government's vindictive taxation of wines may be the main reason for the prices but the restaurateurs do not help by insisting upon their full pound of flesh. With the plus plus (service and VAT) the wine I chose, a very ordinary Piedmont white, Langhe Bianco, came to the best part of £50 - in London I could get something a bit special for that and in Piedmont for 57 Euros it would be approaching the best.
The food menu seemed to rely heavily on the specials as there were 15 in that section covering appetisers, first courses and mains alone. On the main menu there were eight appetisers and nine second courses (mains). My personal feeling was the menu lacked choice but I am probable being picky because nothing grabbed my attention to the point where I said I must have that! Fish certainly featured strongly in the specials section and in the second courses it had four listings of mainly European fish. The whole French turbot on the specials menu might have attracted more attention if I was not about to get on a plane to France! although at 1,200 Baht it was not an insignificant option. In the event I had rack of lamb with mint pesto at 750 Baht and that was the most expensive in that section. The specials were more expensive. My companion had chicken breast with ham and smoked cheese. For the starters we did choose off the special menu with a plate of Artisan cold cuts.
I am not sure why my cold cuts were special, not that there was anything wrong with them. It was a good selection of salamis, hams and mortadella. All were cut very thin which I know is the right way although I prefer something I can get my teeth into. It was good plateful for two.
Both the mains were beautifully laid out. As can be seen in the pictures precise and carefully thought out garnish and vegetables set off the meat. The rolled chicken breast looked almost like a large scampi but to me the piece de resistance was the potato pillars that the lamb sat on. I will illuminate because it was a clever piece of culinary art. I think, upon checking Larousse Gastronomique, that the potatoes were a la crème in style. They were very thinly sliced potatoes in pillars. I assume they made a large dish of potatoes a la crème but sliced them exceedingly thinly; I suspect the meat slicer that produced those thin wafers of cold platter was used. The thin slices were then finished off in a casserole with cream. They were lightly browned then cut with something like a pastry cutter as the circles were perfect. So upon each circle of potatoes a lamb chop rested. In addition the minimalist garnish included asparagus that had been scraped to make the stalk white while the tip was green. I was less impressed with the lamb that had had all the fat trimmed of it. Flavio has obviously spent too long in the land of bankrupt motor manufacturers. I did try the chicken and found it fairly bland but then I would. And I have to say my dessert of Marsala poached pear with gratinated zabalon looked great but exactly what the strange idea of grantinating zabalon was about I am not sure.
Clearly the food scores very highly on presentation and concept. As to the content, well it did not really kick my butt but there was nothing wrong with it. The service was good except for serving the amuse bouche after the starter had arrived, and I was really hungry and could have done with a nibble whist waiting. I think this was a little hiccup by some keen but inexperienced staff. The surroundings and decor are great if you want to impress the boss, or anybody else for that matter. Il Tartufo is a very serious restaurant. I probably should have tried one of the several dishes with truffles and instead of being mildly disappointed I would doubtless be singing in praise. But as I said, I pays my money and etc. etc. Try it and let me know!

Peter Street is a well know pub manager having run such landmark institutions as Bobby's Arms in Patpong, in the 80's & early 90's it is now a dump but back then it was the talk of the town. After that he moved to Chequers in Sukhumvit Soi 4, also once a pivotal Bangkok pub.
His tenure here has seen some real improvements and they are still coming, and required. However his pate, terrine to the French, is just about as good as any in town. It is more Ardennes than 'de compagne' as it is smooth. Also he is trying the classic dish of ham with parsley sauce: the sauce is a bit thin but is being worked on!
Peter is an old friend so I am breaking a rule in recommending something that still has a little way to go: but it is worth a try and I am qualifying my usual position.

Cy'an is a place I have missed on my travels and therefore I was eager to be there when the Bangkok B & B (Beefsteak and Burgundy) announced their next lunch was there. I had a heard talk of Cy'an and fellow members assured that this lunch is one of the year's highlights.
The Metropolitan Hotel sets itself out to be oh so trendy. My 30 something cousin stayed here with a group of London's hippest last year and that is the crowd that is aimed at. As a result everything is understated. Uniforms look like they are jeans and certainly need a press!
The Cy'an restaurant may be upmarket but it has a definitive canteen feel about it, but it is light and airy looking out onto the swimming pool. But after two hours in one of their designer chairs I needed to go for a walk to get some feeling back into my legs: deep vein thrombosis from a decent lunch would have been a careless option.
We had some interesting canapés before the meal as well as a couple of excellent glasses of Prosecco. Of the canapés the little mushroom tarts were, for me, the highlight: delicate pastry and an excellent mix of baby mushrooms and subtle sauce.
However it was once we sat down and I got my hands on the menu I was able to fully appreciate the lunch we were in for: it was a seven course menu degustation. Maybe this is the wrong menu with which to review the restaurant because it was set for us, but it does show the capabilities and direction of the cooking which is described as 'Mediterranean cuisine enriched with Moorish accents.' And you might well say what the hell does that mean: to me it says fashionable or whatever is cool today!
The first four courses were seafood in some form or the other. The first was 'Raw flavours of the sea' and was described as black king fish in the style of crudo. In other words raw fish fillet which I found pretty tasteless despite all the elaborate garnish including foam. The next course featured an oyster and was titled 'Pearly Shells' (sea scented salad of chilled oyster, tapioca and seaweed). The smeared green garnish stole the presentation show and, of course, the oyster was the taste supreme. We moved on to 'Oceans and Gardens' (warm salad of artichokes and sea scallops with Arbequina olives). To me this was the first really balanced dish with strong taste coming from several parts of the dish, the sauce, made with those olives, being particularly tasty. But upon reflection putting these first three dishes together would have made a really exciting starter.
The fourth offering was entitled 'Land and Sea' (monkfish accompanied by a rich saffron stew of mussels, chickpeas and tomato) and for me was the course of the meal. I am always partial to monk fish whilst mussels and chickpeas really set the whole concept off. A decent portion of this would have been a great restaurant dish.
The reason I rated the fourth so highly was that I was disappointed in the meat dish described as 'Wagyu beef "Tongue to tail"' (Wagyu beef grilled, braised and seared with sweet onions and aniseed flavour). The problem was not the meat which means not the great oxtail that fell apart, nor the carefully cooked tongue nor the nice cooked rare beef sirloin, nor, for that matter, the carefully thought out garnish, but the sauce. It was for me too sweet and tasted like a Chinese style sauce: I suppose it was the aniseed. I would have preferred a sauce a little less expansive, or a sauce 'on the side' allowing me to decide how much and where.
We then had a pleasant portion of four cheeses with some excellent homemade biscuits and jam followed by 'Sweet Treats.' The first sweet was lychee jelly with old fashion shaved ice which I thought was little insipid but the lemon tart with red wine macerated strawberries was excellent and a suitable end to an interesting meal.
Being the B&B we had some excellent wines (supplied by the club) with the meal including some rare Borasso shiraz and some interestingly named, as well as special, Nine Popes: an Aussie version of that well known Rhone wine. The other not insignificant wines included an Italian Chardonnay and two wines from Torbeck (Australia), a Semillion and delightful dessert wine called The Bothie.
The chef, Daniel Moran, came out and joined the party after he had finished. The meal, in particular the presentation, undoubtedly involved a considerable effort on his part so I do not want to be churlish with my comments. I could argue it was pretentious mucked about food. But having said that, it was an interesting meal, it was different and of course it was a fixed menu so I got what I was given and I ate it without complaint. I have no doubt those of less traditional and more adventurous taste would have thoroughly enjoyed the whole meal. So it proved once again there is an awful lot you can do with food; it may not please all the people all the time but that does not mean it was bad food or bad cooking.

This a large operation that has been now judiciously adorned to provide a convivial atmosphere. Located between the dross of Soi 4 and the Marriot hotel it seeks to attract family and a genuine pub crowd as opposed to those searching for company in Soi Nana. The outside displays a mass of beer signs but the real identifier is the large metal bull that stands guarding the entrance. Inside there is much memorabilia on the walls and even strung to the ceiling. One side at the far end features a few pool tables but there is plenty of seating in the first two thirds of the space and a long bar.
This is an American owned and managed business so the menu veers in that direction as opposed to the traditional British style pub menu. Thus the menu includes plenty of burger style options and the likes of 'sloppy Joe 's ' and tex mex items as well as some more traditional options of fish and chips and pies. There is a limited range of wines available and a proper wine list would help as the staff want to sell the stuff by the glass. The food is of a good standard as there is decent kitchen, on top of that the manager Ed is a Chef by trade.

From a very dubious operation called Corleone's to very worthwhile boozer called Soi 8. The man behind it is Kiwi David who spent his formative years flying for Cathay. David's very much hands on approach has seen this operation seriously blossom and is now one of the top pubs in the Sukhumvit area. His emphasis is on families and sport: this is undoubtable somewhere you take Mum and Gran to watch the Rugby, but only if you can get a seat!
The food menu is long and comprehensive with the usual mix of breakfasts, sandwiches and pub dishes. David once recommended to me 'Rigatoni with Parma ham, feta cheese, black olives, tomato sauce and extra virgin olive oil' so I took up the challenge and despite not being a great pasta man I enjoyed it. It is something different. Decent lamb and steaks, as well proper Kiwi cod, in the fish and chips, round out the section of 'stuff that walks and stuff that swims.' There is also a Thai section. So as you would expect in a decent pub menu there is lots of choice without going over the top. David has worked to get the food standard up and is constantly on the prowl to make certain it stays that way.

L'Opera has a wonderful reputation among Italians as a home from home, not just because it serves great food but because it was one of the first quality Italian restaurants to open in this town.
Original owner Gennari Rossano sold up and went into retirement. Then, as so often happens to those who have had such a full life working the 100 hours a week that is required to successfully operate a good restaurant, he got bored.
So welcome to Rossano's, a purpose-built Italian restaurant on Asoke Soi 3 (the very end of Sukhumvit 19). The building is set well back from the road with a car park in front and the bespoke nature of the building is advertised by the leaded bay windows and the imposing front door: guarded by an impressive pig decked out with a chef's hat, holding a ham and a decent-sized knife.
Through this door is a small but adequate bar area ideal to meet friends for a quick aperitif. I had arranged to lunch with an august member of Bangkok’s culinary circle and was a few minutes early. I was briefly greeted by Rossano before sitting at the bar and summoning a wine list.
In recent years I have travelled to the Langhe (about 100 kilometres south of Turin) where the wonderful rolling vineyards of Piedmont are situated. In the wine town of Barberesco I was introduced to Roero Arneis, a local wine made with the Arneis grape. Roero is the DOCG. Go to any wine bar or restaurant in the Alba area and Arneis will be one of the house wines: everybody drinks it. I have heard two reasons why you seldom see this wine outside Italy: the locals drink it all and that it does not travel. Well, the bottle I had at Rossano’s had survived the journey, so the locals must be drinking it all!
For a red, I once again looked to Piedmont and my eye fell on La Spinetta Pin. La Spinetta nudged a memory cog from my Barberesco trips. I was told by the helpful manager that it was Cabernet Sauvignon, which upon reflection is unlikely in the land of Nebbiolo and Barbera. It was a very good choice and by stint of a few minutes on the net I found out my memory jog was not wrong. The winery near Neive is in the Babareresco DOC. The website, www.la-spinetta.com, will provide those interested with a lot more information. And yes, the grape blend was 65% Nebbiolo and 35% Barbera.
With the all-important task of wine selection over, it was time to get down to the menus. We moved through to the restaurant, which has been carefully thought out to provide separate areas, with typical red-arched windows, vaulted doorways and low and high ceilings. Nicely understated decorations with crisp white table cloths and gleaming glassware completed the ambience. I could have been in Tuscany and the decor would have been about the same.
We did briefly look at the lunch menu, which at 320 baht for two courses and 390 for three courses looked very good value with loads of choice. However, we were there to review the place and thought we should be a more adventurous. As ever, I studied the specials menu first: there were 12 items on the printed menu, so I suspect that menu lasts for a month or so, and then, on the main menu, there was the full monte of appetisers, soups, salads, home-made pasta, dishes from the volcanic stone grill, meat main courses, fish and seafood, and finally the inevitable pizza. It sounds a lot larger than it was: none of the sections was over done and you would have to be a very picky eater not to find something you wanted.
I made a pick from the first section of the main menu entitled, in an all-encompassing way, Italian cold cuts and others. The unpronounceable Italian name of sfogliatalla (al prosciutto e funghi) caught my eye. Sfogliatalla seems to interpret into puff pastry. So puff pastry with ham and mushrooms is what I thought I had ordered and indeed exactly what I received. Light, freshly cooked flaky pastry was the base with decent mushrooms in the middle and prosciutto on top: a pleasant, comparatively simple appetiser.
For mains, I went to the specials menu, where I spotted ‘braised oxtail terrine in its own sauce, celery puree and cornflower polenta’. I was not sure what this would be like: it is common practice these days to use such unlikely terms when describing recipes. To me terrine, which is the French word for what we Brits call pate, is akin to a cold pie-style dish. In fact, this was a stew-like dish piled up in two layers with a slab of polenta between them. As one would expect with oxtail, it was a flavoursome offering and it went well with the polenta. The celery puree was pretty tasteless because it was local celery. The baby carrots, spinach and broccoli were fine.
My dining companion started with capriccio of beef, which looked high-quality. His comments were that it was very good and that they used decent olive oil. As a main, he had cotolette de Milanese, breaded veal chop to the uninitiated. As anybody who dines out regularly will tell you, this is a dish that is often totally screwed up, with the chop being pounded to a thinness that ensures it is overcooked and lacks flavour, simply because all the moisture has been beaten out of it. However, cooked properly so the meat is thinned but retains both thickness and consistency, this is a delicious dish. This submission was the latter.
Up until they cleared the plates from the main courses, which was at about 2.15pm, everything had gone swimmingly. Now it started going downhill as the service declined. We had to grab a reluctant waitress to get us dessert menus and then seek another to order. The farang management disappeared into the woodwork. In fact, because of the service, or lack of it, it took until after 3pm to get dessert for my guest, a very ordinary cheese plate for myself and finally two espressos. No suggestion was made that we may require a digestive, although once we offered to pay the bill, a complimentary Grappa was served to each of us.
It is a great location and the food is of a high standard. I did have a meal here one evening a few moons back and I was not that impressed: so unimpressed I did not think it good enough for a write up but after this visit I have revised my opinion upwards. Except for the loss of service and being told a wine, as good as it turned out, was Cabernet Sauvignon when it was Nebbiolo, it was difficult to fault.

This article was first published in Sukhumvit Eye

Occasionally somebody gets on my website and suggests I visit their establishment. I have no objection to this; in fact, the converse. I positively encourage people as it often lets me know about a new restaurant or one I have overlooked.
So when I received a note about Palazzo Ristorante & Wine Bar, I was immediately interested in what and where. I was marginally put off by the company name of Pasta-Pasta Co. It seemed a trifle incongruous to call a place a palace and then talk about pasta. However, a glance at the website was enough to tell me I would get something more than pizza and pasta.
The Palazzo is only a few steps down Soi 17 from Thonglor and one glimpse will confirm it is indeed of palatial size. My Bangkok limo, for a change conventionally yellow and green, swept me into the drive and up to the front door. We trundled across the footbridge over the moat and the front door was thrown open by a smiling greeter who I recognised but as ever could not place. In fact, his name is Singh and he was a manager at Beccofino, one of my favourite eateries and not far away on Thonglor, near Soi 4.
Singh positively oozed greetings and wanted to rush me round this large operation. First he showed me both restaurants, then he wanted me to inspect the upstairs rooms and the downstairs rooms and the terrace. But I said no. I liked the smaller first restaurant by the entrance near the pizza oven rather than the larger front restaurant and that is all I wanted to see until I had a drink in my hand and my bottom on a seat.
The wine list was good and had a decent range of wines including a few Romanian wines that come with a sensible 900-baht price tag. I have had some good Romanian wine, particularly their Cabernet Sauvignon, so I know they are not to be looked down on. On this occasion, we had an Italian white and a Romanian Byzantium Cabernet as the red. I would not describe it as a great example of that varietal, but it was pleasant enough and came at the right price.
For the mains, I was tempted by a number of items that were not part of the usual local Italian restaurant fare, including melanzane all’ amalfitana (sliced eggplant with anchovy in mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce), cozze gratinate alla pescatore (gratinated mussels butterfly, caper, olive, mozzarella, potato and spinach) and gunghetti trifolati (sautéed mixed fresh mushrooms and parmesan cheese). However, at that moment, Pepe, the Italian chef, appeared and we seemed to get our wires crossed as I thought antipasto misto palazzo (plate of Italian delicatessen) would be a selection of starters. Instead it was an antipasto carne with cheese. It was a very good plate of mixed meat and one that I can only praise, but it was not what I was hoping for. So I never tried those interesting-sounding starters.
There were plenty of options on the mains front, with pizzas aplenty and varied pastas, somewhat unusually divided up between olive oil, tomato, cream and seafood bases. But we were interested in more meat and opted for charcoal grills in the form of steak and lamb chops. My lamb chops were nicely charred and cooked pink. They looked good on the plate served with a bundle of vegetables neatly tied together as well as some decorative saucing, but the chops had been trimmed so that the fat was missing. That is something I would expect in a PC trendy restaurant in London with several female chefs, but not from an Italian man. Surely he would know, as we all know, that it is the fat what makes the meat taste. I know Thonglor is trendy but not – please, please – to the point of removing the fat from my meat. I did moan to both the ever-present Singh and Pepe, but they seemed surprised at my unhappiness. Her Indoors had a perfectly acceptable steak, which she enjoyed.
As a dessert, I had a slice of ricotta and pear cake. This was different and in some ways good as it was not too sweet, but somehow it did not quite work for me. But I stress I think that was me, not the dish.
I suppose at the end of the day the strangest point about this Italian restaurant is that it is Indian-owned. I am told the guys that set it up regularly haunted the Italian restaurants in Thonglor and clearly one day said: "Eureka, let’s open our own restaurant." My experience suggests that is normally a recipe for disaster, but they have clearly made a very serious investment and employed professionals to run Palazzo. I am told that the owners, when they were customers elsewhere, liked to bring their own booze. Now if Palazzo starts filling up, and I see no reason why it should not, then it will make lots and lots of money – providing, of course, the customers do not all bring their own refreshments.

This revue was first published in Sukhumvit Eye

There are two interesting restaurants side by side next door to the now-defunct Silom Village. I never quite understood the logic of calling a Sukhumvit shopping mall (be it open-air) Silom Village and know there is a Silom Village in Silom, and I know all about branding, but why not Sukhumvit Village? I digress. The Silom Village bit is being redeveloped across the road and another condo block is also going in where the original market was. This is on the green route where the numerous arms of Soi 31 connect to the various arms of Soi 23. This is on the road that mates the two multiple sois and is still technically part of Soi 31.
Inevitably, as they are in similar shophouses, Antonio's and Sonie's have a similar layout. They both have a small downstairs restaurant with a bar and kitchen, while upstairs there is a larger mezzanine restaurant. I have already covered Sonie's see article.
Antonio Armenio, an Aussie with clear Italian background, is the inspiration at Antonio's. Tony has plainly set his stall out to run a proper restaurant and in the blurb at the front of the menu he promises the freshest produce, the most delicate of preparation and truly personal service. Last time I read such an offer to personal service it was not in such an altruistic establishment. However, I think I got the gist. In addition, Tony refers to his family background in Puglia in southern Italy. Tony cares and it's all very personal. In other words, if it ain't right, just say 'fix it again, Tony' and he will.
The last time I visited, it was a Sunday evening and Tony was not at home. However, the black-and-white-clad staff were more than keen and were most definitely on the case. I had phoned ahead, mainly to check the restaurant was open on a Sunday, and therefore a table had been set aside. In fact, it was what I suppose is the most sought-after place in the house: the table in the window bow. Unfortunately, it is a trifle tight for a proper-sized person and instead I elected to move to the other downstairs table. There are only three and one was occupied.
The moment we were seated, the staff positively flapped around us, bringing water and bread with nibbles as well as offering drinks. As ever, I requested the wine list. I was disappointed that it was a very short list and on the whole expensive. We had two wines that I know well from other restaurants: Banfi la Rima, a Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay blend from Tuscany, and Mandrarossa Merlot, from Sicily. Both were priced at 1,500 baht, which was more than I normally pay for these wines.
The menu was not long, but then why should it be? It is a small restaurant. However, before we could get to the menu, the waiter flashed clingfilm-covered seafood in front of us so that we could 'ooh' and 'ah' at the selection. And then with a great flourish that would have impressed Tommy Cooper, he revealed a Maine lobster under a cloth. It was unsurprisingly dead. Now I like lobster but if I am going to meet it pre-pot, I would rather like some proper communication. A waved manacle claw is a good start. Once in Croatia this process ended up in disaster as the lobster jumped free and attacked a fellow diner, but that is another story. I am not keen on inspecting the beast before I eat it. Some Italian restaurants, including some very good ones, have a glass display fridge that allows customers to see the food rather than having it stuffed under their noses. It also normally produces a wonderful aroma. But on plates at the table? It could be construed as a little naff, but others may like it.
The most important section of the menu is 'Antonio's famous top five house dishes'. The first dish is home-made ravioli filled with porcini mushrooms, topped with a cream of truffle sauce. This is very much Antonio's signature dish. I had it for the second time and it is well worth a decent detour just to taste it. The other starter we had was garlic prawns off the main menu. On's dish looked good with plenty of juice and she really enjoyed it.
For On's main, there was much banter in Thai that kept me out of the loop, but she ended up with another top-five dish: whole 'live' mud crab with angel hair paste agio olio. I reasoned it should have been wallowing in a gold mine at 1,200 baht, but it certainly was appreciated by the receiver as opposed to the payer. And I certainly did not get to greet said crab before its final journey in the eco-cycle, but I will assume it was indeed alive.
For my main course, I opted for yet another top-five dish, this time Australian veal rack pan-fried in breadcrumbs (alla Milanese). I did ask exactly what it was before I ordered. Rack to me means three ribs as in a rack of lamb. Three baby cow ribs would make a hungry lion happy. In fact, it was a single thick chop butterflied. It was delicious with plenty of meat. As with Vienna schnitzel, it came with lemon and it had a good slug of sage in the cooking: lots of flavour and some nice pink meat in the middle.
I resisted a pud but On had her usual ice cream before we summoned the bill and each received a complimentary lemonchello.
I think you will understand from my description that the food was fabulous, but some things irritated me. I found the service slightly condescending and thought the pricing was slightly optimistic. However, I must add that this is a popular restaurant and on that basis it is clearly charging what people will pay. Antonio's is certainly worth a visit: maybe on that special night out or just when you are feeling flush and want a special meal.
So two eateries: both successful and with two totally different styles sharing the same wall. Proof again, if it was needed, that there is no fixed formula for restaurant riches.

This article all was first published in the Sukhumvit Eye.

The story of the lobster attack is here

I make no pretence of knowing much about non-European food. That does not mean I do not like it; it means that I have no in-depth knowledge and as such do not feel competent to write about it in detail. But I do know what I like.
Recently, Beefsteak and Burgundy Club lunched at Monkeys Chinois. One or two members were not excited by a trip to the Chinky but I looked forward to it and got something different. Monkeys is owned by Eddie, a Thai restaurant entrepreneur who already operates the well-known Witches – Witchs Oyster Bar in Ruamrudee Village on Ploenchit Road and the Witchs Tavern in Thong Lor.
Monkeys, according to Eddie, is a modern restaurant with contemporary decor and food served with a modern interpretation. My lunch with B&B certainly tickled my appetite but what really impressed me was that, at the end of the meal as conversation turned to the usual banter, Eddie gently withdrew to a comfortable sofa and went to sleep. I had all those years running restaurants, being bored out of my mind by groups who hung around after a meal chatting and drinking, and hard as I tried I could never quite get myself to nod off.
After this introduction, I wanted to go back and try Monkeys out as a normal customer and duly took Her Indoors along the following Sunday.
The restaurant has a minimalist decor with big lampshades, comfortable chairs and, rather oddly, Formica bonquet seating. There are several big windows, a central bar-type area and a tiled floor. The staff are well dressed, with the girls wearing long dresses. Overall, I thought the message from the decor was slightly confusing. In European terms, it was cafe meets Chinese without the flock wallpaper. But this is Bangkok and Asia and it did work. I was less convinced about some of the muzac, which might have been better reserved for nearby discos, but some of the jazz was quite pleasant.
I was agreeably surprised by the wine list: it was not only extensive but very realistically priced. There were several bottles under the 1,000-baht mark and I had a bottle of Macon Villages at 1,400 baht and a bottle of good Aussie Merlot for 1,100.
The menu starts off with a large dim sum selection that is sensibly always available as opposed to being considered just a lunchtime dish. We started with dim sum in the form of the Emperors Dumpling selection; the other option was Rainbow Dim Sum. I like these options as I really do not know what I am ordering. This way, the restaurant makes up my mind for me and presumably they know enough to pick a sensible range of dumplings. They took a bit of time to arrive but were obviously cooked to order and were very good indeed.
My problem with Chinese food is that I always order too much. So we were being cautious, although the prices meant that ordering a number of dishes would not break the bank. There were expensive dishes such as abalone steak at 2,200 baht and suckling pig at 1,200, but that was a lot of pig and for a lot more than one. Most dishes were in the 200-300 baht range.
So next we ordered a small portion of Cantonese roast duck, which came interestingly served with sliced ginger and peanuts. It was very good. For our B&B meal, we had the whole duck served with pancakes and plum sauce as in Peking duck, but we got the meat as well as the skin. On my second visit, the Cantonese duck had the breast skin and meat but no pancakes, etc.
Next we had crispy roast rib of pork with special monkey sauce. It was a good slab of ribs with the meat suitably soft with a sweet and sour sauce.
We now had a problem in that a little more was called for but not too much. I was keen for On to try the crispy prawns with sweet mayonnaise and wasabi, which I thought was the truly memorable dish from the B&B lunch. This comprises large prawns in batter with a mayonnaise including a good slug of nice hot wasabi horseradish. Apart from the wasabi mayo going so well with the prawns, the batter was truly crisp and, more importantly, clean. All too often, batter is spoilt by used oil. To an extent, that is inevitable because oil deteriorates as it is used and, frankly, it is not cheap: replacing the fryer oil weekly is no small overhead and, even with filters and skimming, it is bound to get dirtier by the day. So these prawns in nice clean batter with this wonderful hot mayonnaise were a joy indeed.
Regrettably, the other dish we ordered was almost the opposite because of one of my pet hates. It was sizzling beef tenderloin with black pepper sauce. The problem was that it was covered in diced capsicum (pepper), which I dislike. The beef was nice and tender but, as hard as I tried, I could not get that distinct capsicum flavour out of it. There was no mention of capsicum on the menu, which only mentioned black pepper. But others may have been more than happy with the capsicum infusion. On certainly was not bitching and enjoyed her piece of steak.
We needed a couple of desserts as final palate cleaners before heading home replete.
Monkeys is a pleasant change: it is not a traditional Chinese restaurant but is, as it says, a modern restaurant serving traditional Chinese food in a contemporary way. The food standard is high and staff attentive.

This review was first published in Sukhumvit Eye see website

Even though I live virtually next door to Koi, it has taken me some time to get to it. I got a whiff of Koi when I trundled past one night and there was a happening party going on. But the slightly obscured sign and the two doormen standing in the drive of this modernistic house did little to persuade me I needed to come back.
Then a 30-something relative who works in the City (London) turned up in Bangkok with some friends. They seemed to be 'doing' Bangkok in style before moving to the beach. 'Where are you dining?' I asked, half-expecting the usual questions about what and where. 'Koi,' was the answer. 'Do you know it?' I felt rather stupid saying 'No, I only live next door!'
The next day I was on the net finding out about Koi. The cuisine is described as 'Japanese inspired with Californian accents'. The website told me Koi came to Bangkok in 2005 and seemed to win every award ever awarded by a Thai magazine. Big PR budget, I concluded. Then the web informed me there were three other Kois: in Los Angeles, New York and Las Vegas. Why on earth did Koi come here? If it had to come this way, Singapore or Hong Kong seemed more in line.
Or was it another case of Thailand attracting business because it was the place somebody wanted to go? I still do not know why, but I do know from the website that in 2006 there were parties and model nights, though nothing seemed to happen in 2007: not even a miserable award. Clearly, the PR budget was exhausted.
Then there was a quantum change at Koi: a bloody great illuminated sign appeared saying 'Avenue on 20' and listing three operations: Koi, The Bridge (an Italian restaurant) and the Fashion Bar. It was almost as if Koi had come out! All this had happened to me within a week, so when I was having a quiet evening I thought I would try the Italian, but as I was about to be the customer in this pointed-cube glasshouse, I declined and trundled down the road to the ever-reliable Bie Otto.
However, a few nights later, I decided to try Koi proper, taking 'her who is seldom obeyed' with me. We caterpillared up a few steps to the reception area and were escorted to the restaurant, which involved going down steps and then over a series of small steps, both up and down. It was almost as if the designers had decided they wanted to make sure any shuffling old or disabled person tripped on the way in or way out. Was this feng shui or a dastardly plan to keep the wrinklies out?
In the restaurant, there is a good view over the courtyard complete with a fine old tree and mosquito-breeding ground (pond) as well as the reception area. Apart from the steps, the design of the entrance was very clever and from the restaurant it looks impressive. The reception desk is a red cube of light, while the walls on the internal side are glass. The first area has lighting on the wall opposite the desk, but the second area has lighting the other side. So as people move from one area to the other, they are in full view and then in silhouette.
I asked for the wine list and immediately realised why we were then the only customers. They seemed to be LA prices*. As I recognised some of the wines, I realised that whilst many high-end restaurants may seek to triple the cost of wine between purchase and sale, here it looked like the multiple was four or even five. There was little wine under 2,000 baht a bottle. I chose a bottle of Pinot Grigio at 1,960 and Argentinian Malbec at 1,750. And do not forget the plus plus!
The menu is mainly Japanese with a big sushi and sashimi list of options as well as salads, hot and cold mains and tempura dishes. I must admit I am not knowledgeable about Japanese food. I knew I wanted sushi as starter but which fish and how was another issue. So I consulted the maitre d' who then supplied a combo menu: this seemed to offer sushi options for groups and legions. However, I picked the smallest, featuring seven fish, and hoped for the best. In fact, it was a decent portion for two and was good except for the insistence that I use two sticks to eat it with. The fork was first introduced to Western Europe in the 10th century by Theophanu, Byzantine wife of Emperor Otto II, so I would have thought it could have got to Sukhumvit Road by now.
Needless to say, that darn Japanese cow (wagyu) was all over the menu offering parts of its anatomy for sums in excess of 2,000 baht. So we settled for more modest fare. On had grilled duck breast on top of wasabi-scented potato cake and ginger plum sauce, whilst I opted for miso-bronzed black cod and a harlequin of vegetables. I thought On's duck looked a mess: the presentation was far too busy. However, she enjoyed the meal. The trouble with my cod was that the first aroma that hit me: was of cooked peppers (capsicums). Now I do not like cooked peppers as the taste seems to permeate into everything that gets near it, so whilst it was good chunk of cod and the vegetables were cooked al dente, I was put off by the capsicum infusion. If On's duck was over-produced, my cod was almost the other way and I could have done with a little potato, or similar, to round the dish off.
For pudding I had a machimisu, which was described as green tea mousse and was surprisingly good. It had a sponge base and structure with layers of cream-like sauce that had a delicate but not sweet taste.
By the time we got to pay the LA-sized reckoning, the place was filling up. The paying customers were all farangs and farangs with multinational-funded jobs, I concluded. The man me behind was telling his companion about his BMW and driver. If price is not a problem and Japanese cuisine is your thing, then there is much to recommend Koi. If you are a English teacher, there must be worse places to sit outside with a begging bowl. I suspect the mini-rebranding to Avenue on Soi 20, the addition of the Italian restaurant and giving the bar a separate name are indicative of success, or lack of it. Moving what works in LA and NY to BKK is a big move, especially if the pricing is brought as well. It looks like a leap too far.

*Tom Finn - our LA correspondent writes: 'At a decent restaurant in LA, $50 to $60 would be the cheapest bottle on the list. To get anything worth drinking, you're looking at $80. Most wines in LA are $80 to $120 per bottle. Usually there are a couple of bottles in the $60 range, but how you determine what a 'decent' restaurant is will determine what that bottle will taste like!'

Note This article was first published in Sukhumvit Eye. Website

I had missed Sergio from his perch outside Basilico (Soi 33) where I often pop in for a quick evening feed. So I was pleased when I was told he had opened his own spot in Soi 53. It did not take me long to find myself outside the doors of this impressively sized restaurant and find myself being greeted by Sergio. I suppose it is that greeting that is the main loss that Basilico has suffered with Sergio's departure. Even when I first went there and had never met the man he always behaved as though he was pleased to see me. He is one of the better greeters around town with a slightly scruffy look, but always a broad smile. It says you are welcome and yes I am working hard to make your visit worthwhile!
Bacco is a large restaurant divided into two by the bar and pizza kitchen. The back area is somewhat quieter and it was this area that Sergio took me to. The decor is fairly basic but this is set off by some large colourful paintings that are naive - futuristic as well as a few bright modern copies of classics. It all produces that bright open look and feel that gives the typical Italian pizzeria feel to the place.
The wine list is very extensive and generally well priced, for this town, with several wines under a 1,000 Baht. As a result of this pricing I decided on slightly better wine and ordered a bottle of Gavi. I later had a Sicilian red at Sergio's recommendation.
I had no sooner picked up the stiff card menus than I was reminded of Basilico; this was, of course, set up by Sergio but there the similarity ended. I was particularly interested to see pizza variations in the form of panzerotti (4 options), piada (5), and cassoni (4). They are all slightly different and I did try a few which were first rate: a kind of pizza sandwich with nice warm bread. The great advantage is the dough is so thin in piada al crudo that the Parma ham tasted, and the unlikely stracchino e ruccola (cheese and rocket) really worked well, which I doubt it would have done between two slabs of normal bread. I had these because the enthusiastic Sergio took on the job of ordering the starters and what a feast we had!
After the very pleasant selection of panzerotti, piada, and cassoni we were treated to a plate of Sergio's favourite antipasto dishes. We had six dishes including a little nicely pink goose liver with a raspberry sauce, slices of Italian sausage, a large mussel enveloped in tomato sauce, parma ham with melon, a small edible cheese basket filled with rocket, and finally tuna tartar that had pomelo in it. They all were good and the pomelo (Thai grapefruit style fruit) in the tuna tartar was a new idea for me and worked well. Okay, Sergio was on the case and he was making certain that what we had was first class but nothing took very long which suggests the kitchen has all these dishes covered and knows what to do.
For mains we were feeling slightly bloated after Sergio's starter feast and I shied away from the more substantial offerings of steaks and chops and all kinds of grills and settled on Involtino al san Daniele (roasted chicken breast with ham). I gave the order to a waiter and seconds later Sergio was back. I was not allowed chicken because Sergio cannot find good chicken in Thailand. Plenty of chicken he said but none that was good. In other words no nice corn fed fat chicken from Bresse. So I had duck a la orange instead. On proved who the real trencherman was and demanded a tenderloin. My duck tasted good and was presented nicely on mash with sauce and a ramekin portion of spinach; the garnish was three segments of orange. On’s steak has a similarly sparse presentation and she declined a sauce. The mains were, taste wise, well up to standard even if they did not have the arty tarty bits that high end restaurants tend to spend time and effort delivering.
Sergio told me he was keen to make Bacco primarily a restaurant, unlike Basilico which is mainly a pizza parlour. He does still own a sizable chunk of Basilico and does not want to compete head on. Well, on greeting alone, he is way ahead of them, and yes Bacco's food is much better. It is first class fare without the frills: white table clothes, and fancy garnishes. I shall undoubtedly go back.

I had heard about Tapas for a long time but as I understood it was open all day I had been intending to try it out one lunch time, when I wanted to get a late lunch. However it never happened and finally I trundled in on a Sunday evening. I knew Vaughan had fled Melbas (formerly Alex's) deciding the high-so-ness was all too much for him. He had just started here with a nice normal English owner with no pretensions!
This side soi is strangely reminiscent of a London mews and many will have visited the strange bar on the corner know as Cheap Charlies. However the main sign on Soi 11 is to the Sabai Sabai massage parlour. Also in this small soi is the Pickled Liver pub, dedicated to George Best, and the doctor used by many to get a medical certificate to say they are alive! But all in all this is a good central location close to the Sukhumvit Road but away from the traffic and bustle thus a pleasant back water. There is a move afoot to pedestrianise this small street in the evening and that would improve it more, not that, I might add, there are many vehicles anyway!
I have to say I found the decor had a distinct unfinished look with concrete floors and the building skeleton very much in evidence. Then the tables and chairs are very much cafe style. However on the other hand the bar positively shone and there are some big original oil paintings that really stand out and show some real class; designer unfinished could be the style description!
I had booked, which I seldom do on a Sunday evening, and although there was space Vaughan told me that a short while earlier the place had been packed and no seats available! We were given the window seat at what can only be described as a cafe style table. Perfectly comfortable and no table clothes and napkins for hovering waiters to grab and stick on your lap for them to fall off and hit the floor minutes later. So from that point of view I was more than happy!
The wine list is very interesting because it contains entirely Spanish wines, but that should not suggest it is anything other than adequate. There were seven whites, two rose, fifteen reds and surprise surprise sherry, including Tio Pepe, an aperitif that was very popular in the fifties and sixties in England. Well so I am told! We settled for a Muscat-Chardonnay, described as gentle quaffing wine which it was, and a Tampranillo-Cab. Sauvignon-Merlot blend to follow which could have been similarly described.
Now to the food which is generally Tapas style dishes. I do like this food because it encourages picking and sampling different tastes and presentations. There were plenty of such dishes and all priced in the 100-150 Baht range, the exception being special ham from the Pata Negra, the black foot pig! Also there was a small selection of Paellas, which were the sole specific main courses and were produced for two and up. They took half an hour to cook, which is a good sign.
The two of us munched our way happily through nine tapas dishes and felt more than full at the end. Our dishes included tortilla, garlic prawns (gambas), two different croquettes, aubergine with ham, mussels, and meat balls. The dishes were ordered in two tranches; a very comfortable meal with interesting food.
Tapas Cafe is not fine dining by any means but it is good basic food served in suitable surroundings with good wine options and the staff proved to be more than up to the job. If you not trying to impress visiting firemen, or some hi-so princess, I can think of few places that are more amiable.

When I first heard about this restaurant I was a tad confused as it refers to itself as stylish Italian! Well I had heard of stylish Italian clothes, stylish Italian furniture and even stylish Italian hairdressing (although I hasten to add that did not refer to the hair slaughter house I recently ventured into in Alba), but never stylish Italian food. This description may have had something to do with the stylish German cars sold downstairs; yes, modern Minis are considered stylish although the first one I owned with a waggly long gear lever and a floor starter was considered more practical that stylish. I suppose we could blame it all on the 'Italian job, ' the first one of course with the cameo by the ever stylish Noel Coward now stylishly back in fashion thanks to one half of the Pet Shop Boys.
On a wet Monday my defiantly un-stylish Bangkok taxi weaved me through the typical Bangkok traffic to this location amid the trendy bits of Ekamai. The location is easy to find as the Mini building stands out on Ekamai and the entrance is just round the corner in soi 7 with a car parking area that can be driven into. Thus, customers are deposited directly at the stylish lift that whisks them directly to the oh so stylish bit on the 6th floor. The large restaurant is stylish in a modern minimalist sort of way with dark colours, white table cloths and bright flowers. Stylish décor, I decided, as I looked forward to the food.
As ever I wanted to start with a bottle of white wine which would be both an aperitif and the wine for the starters. The list was decent length with several more interesting wines including some good Alsatian wines from that region’s premier négociant, Hugel, as well a good selection of white Burgundies. However the prices were fashionably, or should I say stylishly, on the high side. So as I intended to drink two bottles, I opted for house wine and selected a French blend Sauvignon Blanc and Semillion. I must admit to being a little concerned when I saw the bottle and realised it was from Bordeaux and my worst suspicions were confirmed when I tasted it; it took me back to that era in the UK when everybody demanded, and got, dry white wine. I spoke to the waiter and there were no problems in changing it for the house Pinot Grigio, which I also thought was very dry for that wine varietal. Maybe somewhat un-stylishly, I like my white wines with a bit of fruit and some subtle body. The American Merlot I had after was very good for a house wine.
So onto the food and we were given two menus, the regular and a decent list of Chef's recommendations. It was the first item on this second list that caught my eye as it was Tasmanian Wagyu Lamb! Of course the reason I was confused was the lamb bit. I checked it when I got home and yes I was right: wagyu literally translated means Japanese cow (see Wikipedia and search " wagyu"). Maybe this was a cow that had stylishly turned into a sheep thus giving a new meaning to a wolf in sheep's clothing. Maybe the wolf was a Wagyu bull all along!
Between the menus there was an impressive range of options with soft shelled crab, French calamari, and even Maine lobster getting in on the act as well as various beef variations from steaks, Black Angus as well as that darned Japanese cow, plenty of lamb recipes, and an abundance of seafood. There was also an impressive menu of pastas and in particular risottos. However I rather copped out on the starter as there was an appetizer described as Antipasto Fuzio. It was for two and I rather hoped we would get a selection of those special starters as happens in many of the better Italian eateries around town when that choice is made. Somewhat disappointingly this was little more than Antipasto carne with a variety of cold meats; nothing wrong with it and it went down well
For mains On wanted duck and selected ' crispy duck breast with wild berry sauce' which she enjoyed. From the specials menu I had ' Australian Portobello mushrooms stuffed with Italian sausage and mozzarella cheese'. This I would have enjoyed more if the chef, in his infinite, or was it stylish, wisdom, had not used a spicy chilli sauce to complete the garnish. Mushroom is a subtle taste and I am surprised that an Italian chef did that! I did point out this problem to the manager when he asked about my meal; lamentably we did not finish the conversation as his mobile rang!
To finish off I had the pear poached in red wine. The pear was fine and this is a dish I enjoy. Sadly on this occasion somebody had smothered the pear in hot chocolate sauce, an addition not mentioned in the menu description.
All in all an interesting evening perched in this airy loft that looks down on Ekamai as well as across Bangkok. The manager implied that the lack of customers was due to the newness of the business as it has only been open for a few months. Maybe that was also the reason for the little glitches. It is certainly an appealing location. The decor is certainly stylish. On that basis Fuzio probably deserves to do better.

October 2007
Also published in Sukhumvit Eye

I was on a flying visit to Patong when I suddenly found myself confronting a cut out image of Keith Floyd. Floyd was one of the first British celebrity chefs, although I notice he does not like that word. He came after the Craddocks and before the current hoard of chefs who hog the TV screens in the UK. He had lots of style and always had a glass of wine to hand. Of course he is much older now but the image of him in a white jacket saluting passers by with a wine glass is the image I remember. Seeing this cut out I recalled that I had read about his new restaurant at the Burasari Resort and suddenly all my dining plans were changed; I had to try Floyds.
The restaurant is called Floyd's Brasserie, which suggests something other than a top class restaurant. Not that I am knocking brasseries, far from it. But a brasserie suggests an emphasis on speed and to an extent cramming them in. I would have thought that that was not Floyd's style, I do not think that anybody intended to make this anything other than a top restaurant, and therefore I wonder why it is called a brasserie.
The restaurant itself is divided into an aircon section, an outside, but covered, eating area as well as a large public kitchen area that is also outside. The outside is attractive enough with trees mingled into the setting. The problem with the aircon bit is that the doors are usually open and I did not find it very efficient.
When we arrived we were greeted by a pretty looking girl with a deep voice, an interesting choice of employee to meet and greet! The next problem was getting wine on the table. The wine list was very interesting as it included some genuinely different, for Thailand, wines and thus I selected an Austrian white. In the white section there were also unusually wines from Portugal and Germany, and in the red section Uruguay was an unusual call as well a single Thai wine from Chateau des Brumes. I must admit that since Floyd has put his name and image all over the restaurant, I was surprised how difficult it was to get wine. Floyd's trade mark was that he would not do anything without an open bottle nearby. He would have got very frustrated if he had been a customer here! I had a feeling that the problem was that the single wine waiter was doing all the showing and opening and quite frankly did not have a hope in hell of keeping up! However once we got into the system it all worked well and we had a Barbera d'Asti as a very drinkable red. This I thought was well priced at 1,000 Baht.
Now to the food. I must admit the menu did not immediately light my fire. Since the dishes were all numbered I can tell you there were 18 mains and starters, and one of the mains loin of pork with apple and calvados sauce was off. I find it hard to believe that Phuket island was out of pig that day! Again I get back to my brasserie comment: this was neither that kind of menu nor a top end restaurant menu. I had Poached eggs Burgundy style, which disappointed me. It was not as described liquid ham and eggs, but it was something different and I am glad I tried it. I suppose it was a brasserie dish in the end! One of my companions had prawn cocktail that looked good but tasted very ordinary and another had lobster and fish soup, which he enjoyed.
I found the main course selection uninspiring so I opted for tournedos Rossini, and both my companions had lamb. It would be hard to criticise either dishes as the standard was high as was the presentation. I suppose I was expecting something let's say more flamboyant! The one thing that really did grate was the service. Our waiter was perfectly polite but he really did not know when to shut up. We ordered the meal then he went into a great spiel about how it would be priced as there were various set options which depended upon the menu choice and having bored us with that then checked our orders again!
Finally we got to desserts and I was interested by a savoury offering; an unusual section although in effect it had two items, namely cheese and the interesting sounding glazed pear Welsh rarebit, which I opted for. Only to be told it was off! So since I had my mind set on Welsh rarebit I ordered one. Not exactly the best I have ever had and the problem finding some Worcestershire sauce was massive, mainly because the waiter did not understand what I wanted and did the usual Thai trick of guessing. His first offering was honey! Finally somebody understood and went to the bar (my suggestion) and found some L&P!
To summarise the meal is a little tricky in that I was disappointed by various aspects, mainly of the service. In addition two items out of 28 on the farang menu were off, although there was to be fair an extensive Thai menu as well. There was nothing wrong with the food and the problems with the service were almost because they were trying too hard, or else it was organisational. An example was we planned to be three and one person was late. I think every staff member in turn tried to clear the extra place off the table (that was about 5 or 6), and I got fed up with saying go away.
I was also disappointed because I was hoping for something different. There are some good restaurants in Patong already offering this standard of food, with good service and a spectacular sea view! This is a courtyard in the middle of town. I suppose I should not have believed the hype. Floyd's is after all just another hotel restaurant: difficult to fault but nothing to write home about!

Japanese cuisine is a style I have really not got into. I have the occasional sushi dish and I certainly like some fish tartares. But my experience of that gastronomy is strictly limited. So when a friend said, try Sonie's, it is a sort of farang Japanese fusion style and I am sure you will like it, I was immediately inclined to do so. I like different food and different styles and Sonie sounded a guy with an interesting attitude to it.
In fact Sonie describes his food as Italian Japanese fusion and it has proved immensely popular over the years with a highly successful restaurant in Soi 39 that has morphed into a Thonglor restaurant as well as this small place adjacent to Silom Village, Sukhumvit soi 31. The downstairs looks more like a cafe than a restaurant and even upstairs (mezzanine level) has only seven or eight tables. The downstairs clue to restaurant status is the wine fridge, more than the sushi counter, as well as a few subtle decorations; I liked the elephants!
After getting a sensibly priced bottle of wine on the table I sat down and studied the menu. At first sight I was thinking mostly Japanese but once I had studied the offering, the more diverse I realised the dishes were. I think my friend's description of farang Japanese was more accurate that Italian Japanese.
There was a wealth of appetisers augmented by a big section of Sonie's special rolls. The appetizers included tar tar tuna, yaki gaki and shrimp cocktail. But the Sonie roll section included oh my god roll (tuna, chilli, green onions and avocado), caterpillar roll (eel, avocado topped with teriyaki sauce) and Sonie sushi pizza (shrimp, tempura batter, with avocado and baked); a wealth of choice and some suitably weird names as well as ideas. In the end I had a couple of rolls, one off the special menu that included rock lobster, avocado, gobo, ebiko and green seaweed and Queen roll (fresh salmon, avocado and salmon roe). Both rolls were good and fresh in addition to being well presented, but I suppose my main impression was the size of the portions. There were two of us so I presumed two rolls would be a reasonable starter, and I nearly ordered more. In fact these two rolls would have almost passed as a main course.
We did however wait until after the arrival of the starters before we ordered mains. There was a section clearly marked mains which seemed to owe more to New Orleans influences than Italian with three Cajun styled dishes and the ubiquitous Hamburg steak with melted cheese and Japanese sauce.
However there was also a pasta section that included a wafu pasta sub section. In the main part I was interested to note an anchovy and garlic olive oil sauce among the more normal cabonaras etc.
On wanted beef so she had Argentine rib eye and I had pork fillet from the specials menu. Again good sized portions and nicely cooked and presented.
The rather sparse decor and entrance to Sonie's belittles the interesting and varied food that is served inside. The clientele seemed to be mainly Japanese, however the food range is suitable for all tastes and for the adventurous this is a positive playground.