Shore Restaurant and Bar (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

The two-storey Shore Restaurant and Bar first opened its doors at The L Place back in September 2010. Driving an onshore (dining room) and offshore (bar and terrace) concept, the restaurant quickly creates a buzz in the culinary world.

Shore takes a lot of pride in the making of their own in-house dry-aged beef. They even went the extra mile to prepare their own "Meat Bible" detailing the choice cuts from around the world.

The modern chic interior design provides the perfect environment for a social gathering or romantic dinner.

Pan-seared scallops with cauliflower purée, 7/10
I don't know why steakhouses always have some of the best scallops and crab cakes but that was again the case here.

Five pieces of fresh scallops, perfectly seared, were served with a smear of smooth cauliflower purée along with pine nuts and bacon.

Vegetable Soup, 5/10
Another starter was a creamy vegetable soup made with assorted vegetables and beans. Unfortunately, this mild-tasting soup was too dull for our liking. 

Grilled striploin, 5/10
You can't dine at a steakhouse without trying one of their patented cuts, right?

Our choice cut was a striploin grilled to medium rare. The thick slab of steak which came almost without seasoning, however did not  do enough to impress.

The "Little Piggy", 7/10
On the other hand, the "Little Piggy" turned out to be a winner.


This thick slice of famed Kurobuta pork chop was one of the best pork I have tasted in recent memory. Its natural rich and heavy flavor was nicely offset by a bed of refreshing apple and rocket salad.

Food Rating: 6/10

Price: $$$

Address: 3 and 4th Floor, The L Place, 139 Queen Road Central, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Central
Website: www.shore.com.hk

g.e (Gastronomy Extra|Ordinaire) (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★☆☆☆

Executive Chef Gianluigi Bonelli made a much anticipated return to Hong Kong this month. The seasoned veteran who has worked previously for some of the biggest names in the business including Don Alfonso, Le Calandre, El Bulli and The Fat Duck takes the helm at g.e (Gastronomy Extra|Ordinaire), a brand new concept at Luxe Manor and promises a cuisine that is exciting, different and unpredictable.

When we paid our visit to g.e, it was still in the first week of its soft opening. There were only two pre-fixe menus available at the moment including the six-course surprise menu we have chosen.

Photo-taking was strictly prohibited according to the staff, that including the menu as well as the food we ordered. We were a little surprised (and shocked) with that policy. I am sure it won't sit well with many of the diners here (although I did secretly took a few. Sorry!). 

Italian zucchini, 4/10
Dinner officially started with a zucchini themed salad alongside some tomatoes, rocket leaves. The ingredients were arranged quite randomly giving us a very special and unique visual effect. It was certainly a very refreshing start but definitely not the flying start we'd expect from Chef Bonelli to begin our surprise menu.

Gnocchi, 3/10
One of my least enjoyed dish of the night was next - a homemade gnocchi with the usual suspect of fresh tomato, cheese etc. Not the most innovative nor tasty gnocchi I have had.

Crab done four ways, 6/10
This was a crab-inspired dish with crab meat prepared in four different ways including a crab meat salad, fried soft-shell crab etc. What I enjoyed most was the emulsion of crab giving the dish a great deal of depth and flavor.

Dover sole asparagus roll, 6/10
Next up was a fillet of dover sole wrapped around by thin slices of asparagus, poached and atop with some delicious caviar. 



Lamb, 5/10
Our meat course was a nice fillet of lamb, slow-cooked to near perfection. The supporting cast was a combination of Western and Chinese ingredients including cheese, carrots and choy sum.

I thought the lamb was quite tender and juicy though slightly lacking the natural flavors. 



Mango, 3/10 
Different textures of mango including ice-cream, pudding and jelly made up this dessert but it was a rather disappointing effort and easily the worst dish of the night.



Only time could tell whether g.e would be a winner in the ever-changing dining scene of Hong Kong.



Unfortunately we didn't find the elements best known from Chef Bonelli's brand of "Progressive cuisine".


Food Rating: 4.5/10

Price: $$$$$

Address: 2/F The Luxe Manor, 39 Kimberley Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Tsim Sha Tsui
Tel: +852 3763 8803  
Website: www.gedining.com



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Tables Restaurant (Bangkok, THAILAND) ★★★★☆

If there is a "Best value for money" award for Bangkok restaurants, I will definitely give it to Tables Restaurant without reservation. The last time we were there, we were pleasantly surprised to learn that their set lunch was offered at around Baht 600 only. Not bad for a hotel restaurant, let alone a five-star hotel.

The set included an appetizer platter and a main course out of 3 to 4 choices. We almost fell off our chair when our appetizer platter arrived. The size was very generous and it could very easily accommodate 3 to 4 people. Apart from quantity, quality was equally impressive. The platter consisted of caesar salad, cocktail shrimp and smoked Scottish salmon, all of which used only the best quality ingredients. That was mouthwatering!

For main course, the first one up was a duck leg confit and it was just okay. Less successful was the second main course which was a risotto with chopped porcini mushroom.

We had a great time at the Tables. The service was flawless, which came expected from any top notch hotels in Bangkok. The food is never going to win any Michelin star but it gets the job done. The most amazing thing of all was the price - for around Baht 600, we got served like kings and that sort of bargain is very hard to find these days!

The main lobby of Grand Hyatt Erawan seen from first floor of the hotel where Tables Restaurant is located.

Inside the restaurant

Appetizer platter

Duck leg confit with mashed potato

Risotto with porcini mushroom

Dessert plate was just average.

Food Rating: 4/10
Price: ฿฿฿
Address: 494 Rajdamri Road, Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel 1/F, Bangkok, Thailand
Closest BTS Station: Ratchadamri
Website: www.bangkok.grand.hyatt.com/en/hotel/dining/Tables.html



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Biscotti (Bangkok, THAILAND) ★★★☆☆

Once upon a time, Biscotti was my "go-to" restaurant in Bangkok. I would always make the effort to at least pay one visit whenever I was in Bangkok. But in recent years, a steady decline in the quality of food ended any hopes of further visits.

We visited Biscotti again during our recent trip trying to re-kindle that fire. The ambiance and atmosphere were still excellent as always but the taste of food was a bit of a let-down once again.

Red lanterns, wooden floors and open kitchen provided the perfect setting for a wonderful dinner.

Their signature bread with roasted garlic.

Amuse bouche

Started off with an appetizer portioned squid ink angel hair with seafood and broccoli. A thin layer of garlic cream placed on top. Unfortunately the angel hair was slightly overcooked and got this very soaky texture.



Squid ink angel hair with scallops, shrimps, broccoli and garlic cream 



Then we were presented with a badly overcooked hazelnut crusted tuna. The tuna steak was probably in the freezer for a bit too long and complicated by the overcooking part, making it difficult to even tell it's tuna.

 

Hazelnut crust tuna with sauteed zucchini, mushrooms & shallot dressing 

The only consolaton appeared to be our dessert, tiramisu. We would like a bit more rum to add to the flavour but nevertheless, the overall texture was appealing enough.

Tiramisu

We overheard another couple having a chat with the restaurant manager and the manager admitted that there's been a change of guard (the head chef). That probably explained why the quality of food has gone south. It's really a shame because we expected more from a hotel with such rich tradition.


Food Rating: 4/10
Price: ฿฿฿
Address: Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok, 155 Ratchadamri, Bangkok, Thailand
Closest BTS Station: Ratchadamri
Website: www.fourseasons.com/bangkok/dining/restaurants/biscotti/

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Viu at St Regis Hotel (Bangkok, THAILAND) ★★☆☆☆

Perhaps we have picked the wrong time to visit Viu which along with St Regis Hotel was just recently opened for business. The kitchen and waiting staff looked a bit unorganized and the menu selection was rather limited.

Located on the 12th floor of the hotel, Viu provides a unique panoramic view of the Royal Bangkok Sports Club and specializes in international cuisine with a bit of a Thai twist.


 

Our business lunch started off with a small bowl of caesar salad which I felt was just average. Tiger prawns with red curry and quail breast with chili were our main courses and both were overwhelmingly spicy. It was a shame that these were the only two options available in terms of main course.





To sum things up, the service seemed to lack the proper training and the result was a friendly but error-prone showing by the staff. The portions were also disappointingly small. Let's just say there are a lot of catching up to do.




Food Rating: 4.5/10
Price: ฿฿฿Address: 159 Rajadamri Road, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
Closest BTS Station: Ratchadamri
Website: www.starwoodhotels.com/stregis/property/dining/index.html?propertyID=3199

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Bangkok Shark's Fin (Bangkok, THAILAND) ★★★★☆

I have been visiting Bangkok Shark's Fin for more than a decade now. Their decor (or the lack of it) has remained the same all these years.



As a Shark's fin restaurant, of course their shark's fin should be the highlight of the menu.



But for whatever reason, I actually enjoyed their other house specialties a bit more.

One of the must-try here - braised crab and vermicelli in a hot pot. They were not using the traditional clay pots as they were supposed to but still it's delicious. One of the best in town.



Crab+vermicelli and rice, you can't go wrong with that combination. Try their fried rice with crab meat. Another amazing dish here.



Check it out across the street from the Siam Square Shopping Mall.




Food Rating: 5/10
Price: ฿฿฿
Address: 218/3-4 Siam Square Soi 1, Bangkok, Thailand
Closest BTS Station: Siam
Tel: +66 (0) 2251 -0987

Nara Thai Cuisine Erawan (Bangkok, THAILAND) ★★★★☆

Today, we had lunch at Nara Thai Cuisine which was conveniently located at the Urban Kitchen on the lower ground floor of the Erawan Shopping Centre right next to the Grand Hyatt Hotel. It's certainly a nice choice if you are bored with the traditional Thai dishes and ain't afraid to be a little more adventrous.

Honestly I didn't know how I missed this place having stayed at a nearby hotel and walked by many many times.



I often liked to start off a Thai meal with an iced Thai-style milk tea. Silky smooth and very milky, that's how I liked it.



The restaurant offers the usual tom yum soup, satay etc but what really put it over the top are some of the more innovative dishes.

The fish noodles with tom yum paste was a great way to start lunch off. The noodles were made the same way as fish balls but in the shape of noodles. Very nice texture!



This looked like a plate of grapes but in fact they were tapioca balls with minced pork filling. That was another popular choice here.



One of my all-time favorites, omelettes with lump crab meat. You could find this dish almost anywhere in Bangkok but this one was less oily than the offerings from other restaurants.



Finally, if you like a little spicy, try one of their curry out. We picked the rice noodles with green curry and chicken and it was quite a knock-out.



The food here is simply amazing and on top of that, the prices are extremely reasonable. And it's in the heart of the shopping area. What more can you ask for !?




Food Rating: 6/10
Price: ฿
Address: Lower G/F, Erawan Bangkok, Bangkok, Thailand
Closest BTS Station: Chit Lom
Website: www.naracuisine.com  

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Courtyard by Marriott Bangkok (Bangkok, THAILAND)

I'm getting a little lazy finding hotel accommodation for our BKK trip this time around so rather than trying some place new, I decided to go back to Courtyard by Marriott for the third time.

One thing I can always count on with this hotel is the incredibly centralized location. It's right in the heart of the city and within striking distance to most of the city's attractions. 

But what a difference a couple of years made. Once we checked in, I began to spot the wear-and-tear from difference parts of the premise. The room in particular could definitely use a facelift.

The carpet, furniture and TV have all seen better days.

The bathroom was clean but count it in for the facelift too.

We didn't have a very busy itinerary for this trip so surprisingly, we had some time to use the swimming pool.

No one else was here this early. Perhaps all the guests were still enjoying the breakfast!

When I said the hotel was close to many attractions, I was referring to places like Siam Paragon, CentralWorld and our favorite spa Lavana which was just a stone's throw away.

Courtyard by Marriott Bangkok remains a very good option for accommodation thanks to its amazing location and the complimentary breakfast buffet is still more than serviceable. Would there be a fourth stay in the near future? I am curious to find out....

Rating: ❤❤❤

Price: ฿฿฿

Address: 155, 1 Soi Mahadlekluang 1, Khwaeng Lumphini, 10330 Bangkok, Thailand

Closest BTS Station: Chit Lom

Tel: +66 2690-1888