Baan Ice Restaurant Thonglor @ Somerset Sukhumvit Thonglor, Bangkok - ร้านอาหารบ้านไอซ์ ทองหล่อ @ อาคารซัมเมอร์เซ็ท สุขุมวิท ทองหล่อ กรุงเทพ

Cuisine: Thai (Southern)

Map: Baan Ice Restaurant Thonglor @ Somerset Sukhumvit Thonglor, Bangkok - ร้านอาหารบ้านไอซ์ ทองหล่อ @ อาคารซัมเมอร์เซ็ท สุขุมวิท ทองหล่อ กรุงเทพ

Price: THB350 per person without alcohol (what we paid for)

Visited: 26 October 2014

Food: 5/10

Atmosphere: 6/10

Value for money: 5/10

Services: 4/10
Scale: [1=poor ---- 5=average/standard ---- 10=outstanding/exceptional]

As one who enjoy Southern Thai food a lot, Baan Ice Restaurant at Thonglor has long been in the list of must try destinations. Baan Ice is sure a famous restaurant and reservation is highly recommended during weekends and public holidays. When I had made a reservation, I have to admit that I was kind of excited and eager to try this place. Words have been flying around about how delicious this place is. However, I, personally, was not so impressed with dishes here. Overall, they were on average and can be enjoyable but not fabulous.

Baan Ice is located on the ground floor of Somerset Sukhumvit which is pretty close to Soi Thonglor 5. The place is rather spacious and there are 2 floors. However, I did feel somewhat uncomfortable because the way they arrange tables that are so packed and close to each other. Honestly, I try to understand the commercial side of any restaurant but they will also need to understand the little privacy point of some customers too. The most disappointing part of this place is probably service; management within the kitchen to be more precise. Ok, staffs were trying to be helpful during a busy lunch of a Sunday. However, there were a few times during our visit that our order got wrong or even forgotten. Not really sure when happened in the kitchen. It must be chaotic perhaps.

Baan Ice Restaurant Thonglor @ Somerset Sukhumvit Thonglor

rather crowded but easy enough ambient

Well, most of dishes are priced moderately and the menu does come in wide range with probably most of Southern dishes that you can think of. The overall taste is very hot and spicy. I found that the spiciness is overwhelming even though I can take hot and spicy a lot.

The first range of the meal comprised of Moo Hong - หมูฮ้อง (4/10) which is steamed pork with pepper and garlic, Khua Kling with Soft Bone Pork - คั่วกลิ้งกระดูกอ่อนหมูสับ (5/10) which is stir-fried pork with turmeric and chilli, and Stir-fried Sataw and Shrimp in Shrimp Paste - ผัดสะตอกะปิกุ้ง (3/10). Moo Hong was not impressive really. Peppery note overpowered other aroma and it was too salty. Pork was not tender enough. Khua Kling was one of the dish that turned up a little wrong. Instead of minced pork, we did get soft bone pork. This dish was ok but too spicy to be delicious. Stir-fried sataw was another too salty dish and we were disappointed.

Moo Hong - หมูฮ้อง (THB160)

Khua Kling with Soft Bone Pork - คั่วกลิ้งกระดูกอ่อนหมูสับ (THB180)

Stir-fried Sataw and Shrimp in Shrimp Paste - ผัดสะตอกะปิกุ้ง (THB220)

The second in the range is deep-fried dishes. Deep-fried Pork with Salt - หมูเค็มก้นครัว (4/10), the dish they had forgotten (T_T)", is probably one of the favourite menu for many people. Not really Southern Thai dish in my opinion but always enjoyable to eat. Deep-fried pork with salt here was too hard on the texture. I presume that pieces of pork were cut to largely. The next one was Deep-fried Silver Whiting with Turmeric - ปลาทรายทอดขมิ้น (6/10). This was a more savoury dish. I always enjoy the aroma and taste of turmeric. Decent deep-fried skill to crispiness. Would not mind to order again if have a chance to revisit.

Deep-fried Pork with Salt - หมูเค็มก้นครัว (THB160)

Deep-fried Silver Whiting with Turmeric - ปลาทรายทอดขมิ้น (THB200)

Lastly, we had some curry dishes and they are sure something not to be missed when having Southern Thai food. Kanom Jeen Khun Ya - ขนมจีนคุณย่า (6/10) in which I believe it is fish based curry served with vermicelli, boiled egg, and fresh vegetable. This was a rather nice dish here. It can be very spicy but still at acceptable level (for me). Eating Kanom Jeen with fresh vegetable is such a compliment. The last of the meal was Beef Curry with Garden Chilli - แกงเนื้อพริกขี้หนูสวน (7/10). It was spicy definitely but I did enjoy it. Beef was tender. Curry was rich and flavourful. This is a dish to enjoy with nice jasmine rice. Additionally, just to mention that beef was Australian beef as emphasised in the menu, probably local beef would do similar job in my opinion. No need to put higher cost of imported beef in the menu really when there are decent local beef around.

Kanom Jeen Khun Ya - ขนมจีนคุณย่า (THB120)

Beef Curry with Garden Chilli - แกงเนื้อพริกขี้หนูสวน (THB300)

Australian beef!!!!

Baan Ice Restaurant Thonglor @ Somerset Sukhumvit Thonglor, Bangkok - ร้านอาหารบ้านไอซ์ ทองหล่อ @ อาคารซัมเมอร์เซ็ท สุขุมวิท ทองหล่อ กรุงเทพ
Floor G Somerset Sukhumvit Thonglor
115 Soi Sukhumvit 55
Sukhumvit Road
Khlongtan Nuea, Wattana
Bangkok 10110

Thailand

Open Hours: daily from 11:00am - 10:30pm

Tel: +66 (0) 2381 6441-2
FB: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Baan-Ice-Restaurant-Thonglor/439210452804120

Pio Cesare Barolo Ornato 2009

Date of Tasting: 9 October 2014

Wine Type: Red

Grape Varieties: 100% Nebbiolo

Alcohol: 14.5%

Origin: Piedmont, Italy

Appellation: Barolo DOCG

Expect to Pay: ~ EUR90

Web: http://www.piocesare.it/
Chubby Appreciation: 95/100
Professional Rating: WA - 93/100, AG - 92/100, WS - 92/100, JS - 96/100, ST - 92/100, JR - 17/20, CT - 91/100

Appearance: bright and dark red

Aroma: white truffle, cherry, menthol and spices, floral hint

Palate: Rather full and thick body but silky texture with smooth integrated tannins. Soft and fine mouth feel. Sweet and ripe plum and red cherry. A touch of oak. Long finish.

Modern style Barolo with dark and structured framework. An opulent and expressive wine it is. However, the oaky mouth-feel could be a little overwhelming. The primary aroma of truffle was beautiful. I had this along with risotto cooked with Barolo at Le Torri in Cuneo and they went along each other beautifully. This is pretty much ready at this age and should be enjoyable for a decade to go. If you like concentrated and full Barolo, here is a choice for you. Sante!!!!

La Cucina della Marianna @ Griante, Como, Italy

Cuisine: Italian

Map: La Cucina della Marianna @ Griante, Como, Italy

Price: EUR30 per person (what we paid for)

Visited: 4 October 2014

Food: 7/10

Atmosphere: 6/10

Value for money: 5/10

Services: 6/10
Scale: [1=poor ---- 5=average/standard ---- 10=outstanding/exceptional]

Visiting Lake Como can be a really good vacation with those beautiful view and landscape. However, it can be tedious sometimes to find proper non-tourist type restaurants. Here is one for you. La Cucina della Marianna, which is a part of Alberghetto della Marianna, is a local joint in Griante with good local food and friendliness. The alberghetto part is a kind of decent place to stay in which Paola, the owner, manages almost everything. On the other hand, the restaurant part is run by Chef Ty who is Paola's husband. It sounds more interesting when it comes to family run kind of place, right? By the way, both Paola and Ty are so lovely, friendly, funny, and helpful.

The place is not big but cosy and comfortable. There are probably around 10 tables only and during the night of our visit there were around 4 or 5 tables. Ty only serves 1 set of dish per day, meaning a choice of starter, first course, second course, and dessert per day. So you won't stand a chance to repeat the dish you may have on a previous day of the same week. Basically, there is no need to choose what to try and let Ty improvises for you. All you need to think is how full you would like to be.

La Cucina della Marianna @ Griante, Como, Italy

the family run hotel and restaurant

local and warmly welcome atmosphere

small dining room but with comfort

As mentioned, there is only one set of menu a day. However, you do not have to eat the all 4 courses. For us, we went for medium menu (EUR35) which comprised of first course and second course. Pricing seems high but if you are a guest of the alberghetto, you do get 25% off. As for the wine, there are a selection of decent list as well as wine by glass (all Italian of course). You may just tell Ty your preference and he can make suggestion. For me, Ty recommended La Brugherata Rosso di Alberico Merlot 2013 (88/100) which is a local wine in the Lombardy region. It has fruity character of Merlot but rather lively acidity and medium body. Good table wine to enjoy young.

bread basket

amuse bouche

La Brugherata Rosso di Alberico Merlot 2013

For the night of our meal, the first course was Chestnut Spatzli (7/10). This egg based soft pasta was so simple, so local, but so delicious. There are always some kinds of magic in good pasta dishes and this one was no exception. The soft and tender texture of pasta blended so well with natural sweetness of chestnut. With an addition of good grated cheese on top, this was delicious. For the second course, it was Mushrooms Pork Cheek (7/10). Ok, it was tender, it was juicy, and it was yummy. We liked the strong mushroom flavour of the sauce. The mash alongside was smooth and nice too. We were not disappointed at all.

Well, let me tell you one thing. If you are thinking to visit Lake Como during the next few years and would happen to be in Griante area, do not miss this place. There is a high chance that both Paola and Ty might retire in the next few years after their decades of services. Why not at all stay Alberghetto della Marianna and have a meal there if you really have a chance. Thank god we found this place.

Chestnut Spatzli

Mushrooms Pork Cheek

La Cucina della Marianna @ Griante, Como, Italy
57 Via Regina
Griante
Como, 22011
Italy

Open Hours: Sat to Sun for lunch 12:30pm - 02:00pm and Tue - Sun dinner 07:30pm - 09:30pm

Tel: +39 0344 43111
Web: http://www.lamarianna.com/
FB: https://www.facebook.com/pages/la-Cucina-della-Marianna/138362439527105

Duca di Salaparuta Corvo Bianco IGT 2013

Date of Tasting: 5 October 2014

Wine Type: White

Grape Varieties: Insolia and Grecanico

Alcohol: 11.5%

Origin: Sicily, Italy

Appellation: Terre Siciliane IGT

Expect to Pay: ~ EUR5

Web: http://www.duca.it/
Chubby Appreciation: 88/100
Professional Rating: n.a.

Appearance: bright yellow straw

Aroma: delicate fruity bouquet with minerality

Palate: Fruity notes of green apple and lime. Fresh, lively, refreshing, and lingering from acidity. Dry in style with medium bodied.

I had this simple Corvo Bianco 2013 along with fish dishes and they went pretty well with each other. Fruity and refreshing are the main characters. Though it pairs well with light dishes, I would presume that it should also work well as an aperitif due to its low in alcohol level and lively style. This is sure a nice table wine with good value for money. A wine to be consumed within a few years of its vintage, it is.

Ristorante Silvio @ Bellagio, Como, Italy

Cuisine: Italian

Map: Ristorante Silvio @ Bellagio, Como, Italy

Price: EUR33 per person (what we paid for)

Visited: 5 October 2014

Food: 7/10

Atmosphere: 8/10

Value for money: 8/10

Services: 6/10
Scale: [1=poor ---- 5=average/standard ---- 10=outstanding/exceptional]

Bellagio is without doubt a very beautiful small town in the Province of Como. Being so famous does of course come with difficulty to spot non-tourist kind of restaurants. We were no exception and were in the search of good restaurant. At the time of our visit, I have to say we were lucky enough to discover this fabulous restaurant which is just a few kilometres from the centre of Bellagio. It is Ristorante Silvio which is a part of hotel Albergo Silvio.

Ristorante Silvio is located right by Lake Como on the West side of Bellagio and facing Tremezzo. The dining room is spacious with around 20 tables. There are also outdoor seats for al fresco dining on a good weather day too. In fact, windows in the dining can be lifted down which is splendid. At the time of our arrival, there were only a few tables around but the place was packed with local within 30 minutes. At this point, we were at least sure that we had been in the right restaurant.

Ristorante Silvio @ Bellagio, Como, Italy

moderate size dining room at the time of opening

It was crowded when we walked out

alfresco here at Ristorante Silvio should be fabulous too

nice view from the dining room

Ristorante Silvio is well-known for its fish dish and local cuisine. It is believed that fish are caught fresh daily here. Scanning through the menu, it is parted into 4 main sections as usual: starter, first course, second course, and dessert. Unsurprisingly, most of dishes are fish menu. Pricing was the surprise, it is kept in line with most of local restaurants and we would say that it is a good value accounting its location and quality. For wine list, it is ranged from table wine to the high end side. The list is not extensive but at its modest choice. for me, Corvo Bianco 2013 from Sicily did its job pretty nicely with fish dishes. The fruity aroma character with crispiness did the job rather well. This is a decent table wine definitely.

the menu

rather nice bread

Corvo Bianco Terre Siciliane IGT 2013

a nice corner with greet

For us, the first two dishes were Homemade Stuffed Ravioli with Savetta Fish and Butter (8/10) and Homemade Tagliolini with Fresh Lake Fish Ragout (8/10). The ravioli was excellent. Texture was great. I just love the word al dente really. It is a word that comes with deliciousness. The filling was smooth fish mousse. Cooked with butter, herbs, and topped with sage. Delicacy in local style, it is. For tagliolini with fish ragout, this was somewhat strange. I normally would see ragout of lamb or beef. But it was fish in such a case. Just by looking, you would not believe it was fish. Having tasted, I still hardly think it was fish. Hardly any trace of fishy scent. This is a fabulous ragout dish in Silvio style. A must try dish, I would say.

Homemade Stuffed Ravioli with Savetta Fish and Butter (EUR9)

Homemade Tagliolini with Fresh Lake Fish Ragout (EUR8.5)

For the main courses, the first one was Fried Pike with Onion Cream (6/10). An enjoyable fish dish with a little firm texture of pike pairing with savoury onion cream and lemon. I would not say this dish is as wow as those aforementioned pastas but still a good one to enjoy. The second one was Boneless Grilled Lavarello (7/10). Lavarello is a local lake fish. The texture was low in fattiness. Firm but not hard. Somewhat thin fillet. This was fresh and delicious. Simple grilled fish with lemon was sure enough and satisfy. For both dishes, there were potatoes and zucchini along side to accompany.

Well, we have to say that we really this restaurant. Nice view. Good food. Good wine. Not overly priced. What else should I demand more???????

Fried Pike with Onion Cream (EUR17)

Boneless Grilled Lavarello (EUR16)

Ristorante Silvio @ Bellagio, Como, Italy

12 Via Carcano
Bellagio
Como 22021
Italy

Open Hours: daily from 12:30pm for lunch and from 07:30pm for dinner

Tel: +39 031 95 03 22
Web: http://www.bellagiosilvio.com/
FB: https://www.facebook.com/HotelRestaurantSilvio

Elvio Cogno Barolo Cascina Nuova 2010

Date of Tasting: 26 October 2014

Wine Type: Red

Grape Varieties: 100% Nebbiolo

Alcohol: 14.5%

Origin: Piedmont, Italy

Appellation: DOCG

Expect to Pay: ~ EUR40

Web: http://www.elviocogno.com/
Chubby Appreciation: 91/100
Professional Rating: WA - 92/100, AG - 93/100, WS - 94/100, JS - 93/100, JR - 17/20, CT - 91/100

Appearance: bright garnet

Aroma: elevated red cherries with refreshing herbs, mushroom, and mild flowers

Palate: Medium bodied texture with some fine grained particles but silkily smooth. Sour and concentrated cherry as the primary taste. Cool mint and spiced notes. Long on the finish.

Another interesting Barolo from an interesting vintage of 2010. This is a production of elegance and pleasure. At this stage, the sour taste of cherry seems to dominate and there were some fine particles, though nose perfume is already awesome. Perhaps a few years in bottle to soften down and balancing would do it better. I had this with Chinese food and they seemed to play their roles nicely. Surely, meaty dishes and game should be awesome too. Looking forward to the next bottle (perhaps 2018). Cheers!!!!!

Sushi Cyu (鮨忠) and Carnival Japanese BBQ Restaurant @ All Seasons Place, Bangkok - ซูชิชู แอนด์ คาร์นิวัล @ ออลล์ซีซั่นส์เพลส กรุงเทพฯ

Cuisine: Japanese (sushi / yakiniku)

Map: Sushi Cyu and Carnival Japanese BBQ Restaurant @ All Seasons Place, Bangkok - ซูชิชู แอนด์ คาร์นิวัล @ ออลล์ซีซั่นส์เพลส กรุงเทพฯ

Price: THB2,000 per person without alcohol (what we paid for)

Visited: 23 September2014

Food: 7/10

Atmosphere: 6/10

Value for money: 7/10

Services: 6/10
Scale: [1=poor ---- 5=average/standard ---- 10=outstanding/exceptional]

Sushi is something that has been in the high popularity in Thailand for quite a period of time. Recently, the trend of sushi omakase, meaning "leave it to the chef for the choice of sushi", has increase its footmarks rapidly for examples Sushi Kanda at Thonglor, Yashin by Tenyuu at Thonglor, Fillets at Portico, and Sushi Ichi at Erawan. Most of them, indeed, come at very high price tag that would cost around THB5,000 per person. I am, personally, not a fan of such "low value for money" fancy thing, apart from when visiting Japan.

Nevertheless, a good friend of mine had visited Sushi Cyu at All Seasons Place and it reminded me to give it a visit and review. I kind of recall that I previously had tried it before but that was many years back and it was not that impressive. However, the story of this visit was different and it was delightful to be more precise. Of course, I made a reservation a few days in advance. When I arrived at the sushi counter, there were around 5 customers during the meal (10 seats counter). Staffs were nice and polite throughout the course and sushi chefs were taking care well of their customers. By the way, there are 2 parts for this restaurant: one is sushi and the other side is Japanese BBQ.

Sushi Cyu (鮨忠)

Sushi Cyu and Carnival @ All Seasons Place, Bangkok

Japanese atmosphere

season for shells

Sanma or Pacific Saury (秋刀魚)

At the time of visit, it was September and September is the season of Sanma. In addition, 2014 is the year Sushi Cyu celebrates its 10th anniversary and they had sanma promotion. It was, hence, just why not. We went straight for both nigiri and sashimi: Sanma (Pacific Saury) - 秋刀魚 (7/10). In short, they were fatty and sweet, and pair pretty lovely with ponzu sauce.

While I usually opt for sushi, with rice to fulfil my appetite, Deadly Bunny would normally chooses to have sashimi. Once again she did miss to go for Omakase Sashimi (7/10). It comprised of 10 different kinds and they were pretty good. A particular attention should be paid to uni or sea urchin for the course. It was creamy, sweet, and fresh: pleasant quality indeed. If uni is not something you dislike, I would see no reason for ones not to like it. I wish the quality would be like this when I next visit.

Sanma Sashimi (THB120)

sanma dipped into ponzu

sanma nigiri (THB120)

Omakase Sashimi (THB1,300)

uni sashimi

For Omakase Nigiri (THB1,580), I would say that this was a rather good one. Knife skill and selection of sushi choice were good. Rice was at enjoyable temperature and texture. Sour taste from mixture of vinegar was balance, I would describe. It was milder than many top sushi places in Japan but at noticeable on palate. Below are what were served for the course in sequence.

Hirame (Flounder) - 平目 (7/10) : Mild and light with additional dimension of chewiness

Hirame (Flounder) - 平目

Aji (Horse Mackerel) - アジ (8/10) : Fatty, tender, and sweet. I just love it.

Aji (Horse Mackerel) - アジ

Koban Aji (Pompano) - 小判鯵 (6/10) : I am sure it was pompano but not sure whether the Japanese name was right. Anyway, I had tried this once a while back and absolutely love it but not so sure where. This time, it was still lovely, medium fatty, and savoury. However, I could still get a bit of fishy scent though.

Koban Aji (Pompano) - 小判鯵

Ikura (salmon roe) - いくら (7/10) : Darker in colour than usual. Sweet with mild natural saltiness. Like it.

Ikura (salmon roe) - いくら

Toro (fatty tuna) - とろ (7/10) : Ok, this was some good toro but not excellent. Flavour from fatty layers did not explode quite well as expected.

Toro (fatty tuna) - とろ

Uni (Sea Urchin) - 海胆 (8/10) : Once again, so good and in line with sashimi one.

Uni (Sea Urchin) - 海胆

Akami (red fillet of tuna) - 赤身 (6/10) : Marinated in mirin + shoyu, I suppose. Good flavour with sweetness balancing saltiness. But texture was too soft.

Akami (red fillet of tuna) - 赤身

Negi-toro Temaki (fatty tuna hand-roll) - ねぎとろ手巻き (7/10) : Delicious minced toro with chopped spring onion. Classic hand-roll definitely.

Negi-toro Temaki (fatty tuna hand-roll) - ねぎとろ手巻き

Anago (Sea Eel) - 穴子 (6/10) - Served with salt and a touch of lemon juice. Good flavour of salt but a little over grilled to my liking: i.e. lack of tenderness.

Anago (Sea Eel) - 穴子

Tamagoyaki (Japanese Omelette) - 卵焼き (7/10) : Good creamy tamagoyaki. Nice sweet palate but not overly sweet. A very good one in Thailand. But don't expect to see the level of those famous joints in Japan.

In short, I do like it and will sure return.

Tamagoyaki (Japanese Omelette) - 卵焼き

miso soup with clam

Sushi Cyu and Carnival Japanese BBQ Restaurant @ All Seasons Place, Bangkok - ซูชิชู แอนด์ คาร์นิวัล @ ออลล์ซีซั่นส์เพลส กรุงเทพฯ
Fl. 3, CRC Tower, All Seasons Place
87 Wireless Road
Lumphini, Pathum Wan
Bangkok 10330

Thailand

Open Hours: daily for lunch 11:30am - 02:00pm and for dinner 06:00pm - 10:30pm (05:30pm - 10:00pm for weekends)

Tel: +66 (0) 2251 1995
Web: http://www.sushicyu.com/