Pirrera Bakery Cafe Bar and Mor See Seafood @ Phuket - พีเรร่า เบเกอรี่ คาเฟ่ บาร์ และ ร้านหมอสีซีฟู้ด @ ภูเก็ต

Here are another two places in Phuket that we visited during our visit in late 2013. Pirrera Bakery Cafe Bar is pretty much in the city center and is so close to the famous restaurant Raya. The other one is Mor See Seafood which is, I would say, near city center but a little bit further only. In brief, I would recommend any visitor to give Mor See a go.

Cuisine: cafe food / bakery

Map: Pirrera Bakery Cafe Bar @ Dibuk Road, Phuket - พีเรร่า เบเกอรี่ คาเฟ่ บาร์ @ ถนนดีบุก จังหวัดภูเก็ต

Price: THB150 per person without alcohol (what we paid for)

Visited: 20 December 2013

Food: 3/10

Atmosphere: 5/10

Value for money: 3/10

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

Pirrera Bakery Cafe Bar is located right at one of the corners of the famous junction where Dibuk Road and Yaowarat Road intersect in Phuket. This place is simply cafe and bakery that is decorated in an old fashion / retro way. For those who drive, you will have to find a parking space along Dibuk Road as Pirrera does not provide any parking lots.

This retro cafe is quite lovely to sit around in fact. The place is spacious and there are 2 storeys. Here they provide those simple Western food like sandwiches and the rest would be pastry and beverage such as basic cafe latte, iced chocolate, brownie, and even Thai dessert.

Pirrera Bakery Cafe Bar @ Dibuk Road, Phuket

The famous junction where Dibuk and Yaowarat intersect

classic name card

the retro fashion interior

a comfy corner

large space on upper level

As we only popped by to kill our time before dinner, we only had three things here: crispy chestnuts (4/10), brownie with vanilla ice-cream (3/10), and iced chocolate (3/10). To be honest, crispy chestnuts seemed to be in a more acceptable range that the western choices. Brownie and vanilla ice-cream was ways too sweet. I cannot not see how brownie here can be a signature dish at all. Pricing wise is also over the top. THB139 at Phuket for a piece of brownie and a simple scoop vanilla ice-cream. I was mad surely to pay for it. Iced chocolate was as well just a standard chocolate. I would even think somehow iced chocolate / milo / ovaltine from street side trolley is more enjoyable. But I paid THB100 for this glass to kill the time.

Well, it was just an experience anyway. We don't think that we would ever return to this place. Unless you really have nothing to do or find a way to kill your time in the centre of Phuket, Pirrera may be a choice as the atmosphere is not bad.

Crispy Chestnuts - ทับทิมกรอบ (THB40)

brownie with vanialla ice-cream (THB139)

iced chocolate - ช็อกโกแลตเย็น (THB100)

Pirrera Bakery Cafe Bar @ Dibuk Road, Phuket - พีเรร่า เบเกอรี่ คาเฟ่ บาร์ @ ถนนดีบุก จังหวัดภูเก็ต

39/1 Dibuk Road

Taladyai, Muang

Phuket 83000

Thailand

Open Hours: daily from 09:00am - 08:00pm except Wednesday

Tel: +66 (0) 76 214 558, +66 (0) 92 497 8953
FB: https://www.facebook.com/PirreraBakeryCafeBar

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Benjamin Leroux Bourgogne Blanc 2011

Date of Tasting: 16 January2014

Wine Type: White

Grape Varieties: 100% Chardonnay

Alcohol: 13.5%

Origin: Burgundy, France

Appellation: Bourgogne Controlee

Expect to Pay: ~ THB1,200 - 1,700

Web: n.a.
Chubby Score: 90/100
Value for money: 6/10
Professional Rating: CT - 89/100

Appearance: light yellow

Aroma: grapefruit and citrus on the nose

Palate: light and thin with touchy stony edge. fresh peach and citrus fruits. nice and pure acidity.

This is a lovely and light Bourgogne Blanc from Benjamin Leroux. It is more on the side of purity and bright fruit. This elegant and aromatic Burgundy is from vineyards near Meursault and Puligny Montrachet. Light dishes such as white fish and non-cream base pasta should go pretty nicely with this Chardonnay. However, it is made for early consumption. So drink it up.

The Myth of Mahanaka @ Sukhumvit 29, Bangkok - เดอะมิธ ออฟ มหานากา @ ซอยสุขุมวิท 29 กรุงเทพฯ

Cuisine: Thai (contemporary)

Map: The Myth of Mahanaka @ Sukhumvit 29, Bangkok - เดอะมิธ ออฟ มหานากา @ ซอยสุขุมวิท 29 กรุงเทพฯ

Price: THB650 per person without alcohol (what we paid for)

Visited: 5 January 2014

Food: 4/10

Atmosphere: 7/10

Value for money: 4/10

Services: 3/10
Scale: [ 1=poor ----- 5=average/standard ----- 10=outstanding/exceptional ]

It was a while back, just after 2014 New Year, when we visited The Myth of Mahanaka at Soi Sukhumvit 29 (right at the entrance to the Soi). The Myth of Mahanaka serves kind of contemporary Thai food, meaning not really traditional style nor fusion nor modern but somewhat in between. However the style of the place is more like Arab, from the name to the decoration. What I like about the place is the atmosphere. The place is spacious and rather private with nice music background.

The Myth of Mahanaka @ Sukhumvit 29, Bangkok

antique decor al fresco

a more comfy seat

sofa seat corner

The Myth of Mahanaka is not just a restaurant but also a bar / lounge. There are various types of beverage available for those who just wanna hang out and chit chat. Despite rather good ambient, we were not so impressed with taste of dishes here. At least the pricing is not too excessive for these days. On the service side, we would say it towards negative side, just felt like staffs somehow were ignorant. Never mind that anyway.

the bar/lounge

flatware setting

the menu

The menu consists of quite a number of dishes to be selected. The very first thing I had noticed was the price of boiled jasmine rice which costed THB50 per portion. That was ridiculously expensive for just a plate of boiled rice in Thailand. Anyway, we did have a few choices of starters to kick off our meal. The price range was not cheap either. The one we rather enjoyed was Yam Som O, otherwise just ok to eat. Below is the list of starters we had.

Yam Som O - ยำส้มโอ 
Poh Piah Ped Krob - ปอเปี๊ยะเป็ดกรอบ 
Tao Hoo French Fries - เต้าหู้เฟรนช์ฟรายส์ 
Yam Phak Boong Krob Goong - ยำผักบุ้งกรอบกุ้ง 

Yam Som O - ยำส้มโอ (THB220)

Poh Piah Ped Krob - ปอเปี๊ยะเป็ดกรอบ (THB240)

Tao Hoo French Fries - เต้าหู้เฟรนช์ฟรายส์ (THB160)

Yam Phak Boong Krob Goong - ยำผักบุ้งกรอบกุ้ง (THB240)

Moving on to heavier dishes, we had Satay Ruam - สะเต๊ะรวม which was basically mix of Satay : i.e. pork, chicken, and beef. I promise that any satay on street stalls are ways better than this one. Not to be harsh but I gotta say that it tasted somewhat like it was cooked from those ready-to-cook paste. Then we had Phad Phak Boong Fai Daeng - ผัดผักบุ้งไฟแดง and Phad Phak Ruam - ผัดผักรวม. Did not expect much about fried vegetable. At least, there was nothing horrible.

Satay Ruam - สะเต๊ะรวม (THB220)

Phad Phak Boong Fai Daeng - ผัดผักบุ้งไฟแดง (THB160)

Phad Phak Ruam - ผัดผักรวม (THB180)

As for heavier dishes, we in fact appreciated these more. We had Chu Chee Pla Hima - ฉู่ฉี่ปลาหิมะ, Panaeng Gai Lychee - พะแนงไก่ลิ้นจี่, and Tom Kha Gai - ต้มข่าไก่. The Chu Chee Pla Hima or snow fish in curry sauce was nice. It at least brought us back some liveliness. The Panaeng Gai Lychee (a kind of red curry with chicken) was as well not bad. Just the fact that breast chicken meat was selected for the dish which gave somewhat dry touch on the palate. I believe this might not be a favourite choice for Thai but perhaps tourists.

Chu Chee Pla Hima - ฉู่ฉี่ปลาหิมะ (THB650)

Panaeng Gai Lychee - พะแนงไก่ลิ้นจี่ (THB300)

Tom Kha Gai - ต้มข่าไก่ (THB180)

For desserts, we say they were weird. Understand that The Myth of Mahanaka is trying to be creative. But we feel that sometimes the traditional choice was do much better job.  For examples Rose Apple Tart Tatin - ทาร์ตชมพู่ which was not so weird but somewhat not so balance both flavour and texture and Gluay Buad Chee - กล้วยบวชชี which was surely not Gluay Buad Chee from my sense. It looked more like pancake wrapped with mashed banana served with coconut sauce from my point of view. I personally do not like this dish. Setting aside Khao Niew Mamuang - ข้าวเหนียวมะม่วง which they cannot really go much wrong with one of the most famous dessert in Thailand. Thai Influenced Trio Creme Brulee - ครีมบูเลสามชนิด (ginger, pandanas, and coconut cream) and Kalameur Banoffee Tart - บานอฟฟี่กาละแมร์ทาร์ต surprisingly turned out to be better than expected. The texture of creme brulee might not be so perfect but I rather like the way the 3 flavours were presented distinctively and in a good way. The ginger one was outstanding for me. The Kalameur Banoffee Tart was a good idea to substitute the typical condensed caramel in banoffee with the local alike thing "Kalameur". It showed chewy texture with the unique sweet flavour and scent.

Well, we were not really impressed with the overall picture of The Myth of Mahanaka. To return here is indeed still far from being in the list of things to do. Trying not to be harsh though but this is what we really experienced.

Rose Apple Tart Tatin - ทาร์ตชมพู่ (THB150)

Kalameur Banoffee Tart - บานอฟฟี่กาละแมร์ทาร์ต (THB150)

Gluay Buad Chee - กล้วยบวชชี (THB150)

Thai Influenced Trio Creme Brulee - ครีมบูเลสามชนิด (THB150)

Khao Niew Mamuang - ข้าวเหนียวมะม่วง (THB150)

The Myth of Mahanaka @ Sukhumvit 29, Bangkok - เดอะมิธ ออฟ มหานากา @ ซอยสุขุมวิท 29 กรุงเทพฯ
2 Soi Sukhumvit 29
Sukhumvit Road
Khlong Tan Nuea, Wattana
Bangkok 10110

Thailand

Open Hours: daily from 17:30am - midnight

Tel: +66 (0) 2662 3060
Web: http://www.themythbangkok.com/
FB: https://www.facebook.com/themythofmahanaga

Elvio Cogno Cascina Nuova Barolo DOCG 2007

Date of Tasting: 31 January 2014

Wine Type: Red

Grape Varieties: 100% Nebbiolo

Alcohol: 14.5%

Origin: Barolo, Piedmont, Italy

Appellation: DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita)

Expect to Pay: ~ THB1,800 - THB2,500

Web: http://www.elviocogno.com/
Chubby Score: 92/100
Value for money: 7/10
Professional Rating: WA - 92/100, WS - 95/100, WE - 95/100, JS - 92/100, ST - 90/100, CT - 92/100

Appearance: brick red

Aroma: spices, floral, rose, earth, and hint of vanilla

Palate: sweet red fruits. round, silky, and exciting medium body that shows depth and length. complex and balance. tobacco and cedar on the background.

I love this well integrated red wine from Piedmont. I does not just show liveliness, vibrant, and sexiness, it is also elegant. A good example of fine wine from great producer, top vineyards, and excellent year. Despite its rich aroma characters, this should well be enjoyable with roasts and flavourful dishes for a decade to go. I shall revisit this awesome in 2016. Let raise many more glasses.

Sushi Hana @ Bangkok Square, Rama 3 Road, Bangkok - ซูชิฮานะ @ บางกอกสแควร์ ถนนพระราม 3 กรุงเทพฯ

Cuisine: Japanese (sushi)

Map: Sushi Hana @ Bangkok Square, Rama 3 Road, Bangkok - ซูชิฮานะ @ บางกอกสแควร์ ถนนพระราม 3 กรุงเทพฯ

Price: THB700 per person without alcohol (what we paid for)

Visited: 22 February 2014

Food: 4/10

Atmosphere: 5/10

Value for money: 3/10

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

At the time of writing, it was around the end of 1st quarter of 2014. Sushi Hana was recently launched in early February. By chance, it is located near where we live so we decided to give it a try immediately upon having heard of its presence (there was also 20% off for launching period). The community where it is sited is called "Bangkok Square" which is on Rama 3 Road. The place is not large which is probably capable of accommodating around 40 guests. The sushi counter is, however, rather spacious for its size, with around 12 seats. There are a number of sushi chef working at the counter.

Sushi Hana @ Bangkok Square, Rama 3 Road, Bangkok

sushi counter

the place is rather small

The place is of course specialise in sushi. What interesting was the wasabi thing. Here they give you a fresh wasabi to grate yourself instead of using packed wasabi like in many other places. Nevertheless, we could not find how it was more special. Anyway, we started out dinner with akami sashimi - ปลาทูน่าสด (4/10). Well, this was not that good quality tuna. It lacked off firm texture that should balanced with natural fattiness. At least, it was acceptable and not icy like not quite well defrosted. For tuna tartufo sauce salad - สลัดปลาทูน่าซอสเห็ดทัฟเฟอร์ (4/10), it was simply akami sashimi with the sauce that tasted like ponzu. Despite the sauce was called tartufo sauce, we could not tell the presence of any sort of mushroom at all.

complementary appetiser

freshly grated wasabi

akami sashimi - ปลาทูน่าสด (THB310)

tuna tartufo sauce salad - สลัดปลาทูน่าซอสเห็ดทัฟเฟอร์ (THB280)

Moving on to sushi, we ordered a la carte this time instead of set menu. Our selections for the night was: itoyori nigiri - ข้าวปั้นปลาอิโตโยริ (3/10), aji nigiri - ข้าวปั้นปลาทู (5/10), salmon toro aburi nigiri - ข้าวปั้นปลาแซลมอนช่วงท้องเผา (3/10), chutoro nigiri - ข้าวปั้นปลาทูน่าช่วงท้องมันน้อย (2/10), and negi tuna - ข้าวปั้นหน้าทูน่าสับ (3/10).

Honestly, I could not see great quality of ingredients from Sushi Hana. It was simply just ok. Chefs' skill was as well still far from being called highly regarded. For rice, the texture was not bad but still lacked of sour from vinegar. The overall impression of sushi here, I would say aji was simply better than the others. It was fresh and had the tenderness but some chewy texture. Just the natural sweetness that could not be found. Itoyori was a weird one for us, so we gave it a try. I do not prefer it that much. It was somewhat plain and flat. By the way, itoyori is threadfin bream.

The not so pleasant part was salmon toro aburi, chutoro, and negi tuna. The chutoro was surely not the chutoro. Where was the fattiness and melt in mouth kind of thing. I simply thought it was akami. Negi tuna, on the other hand, was not well flavoured and the seaweed was not at all crisp. For salmon, I never quite get the way some restaurant put mayonnaise on top of aburi sushi like salmon aburi. It is just overwhelming and break the balance of flavour.

Well, I don't think I would go back again to Sushi Hana. They need to be more professional on what they are doing perhaps: ingredients, technique, and etc. I am not saying it is bad but it is just ok to have for a meal that is simply just a meal. Confuse eh?

sushi selection

itoyori nigiri - ข้าวปั้นปลาอิโตโยริ (THB40)

aji nigiri - ข้าวปั้นปลาทู (THB40)

salmon toro aburi nigiri - ข้าวปั้นปลาแซลมอนช่วงท้องเผา (THB90)

chutoro nigiri - ข้าวปั้นปลาทูน่าช่วงท้องมันน้อย (THB250)

negi tuna - ข้าวปั้นหน้าทูน่าสับ (THB60)

Sushi Hana @ Bangkok Square, Rama 3 Road, Bangkok - ซูชิฮานะ @ บางกอกสแควร์ ถนนพระราม 3 กรุงเทพฯ

Bangkok Square
Rama 3 Road
Bang Phongphang, Yannawa
Bangkok 10120
Thailand

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

Tel: +66 (0) 2295 2380
FB: https://www.facebook.com/SushiHanaThailand