During the red shirt protests about a week ago, when Rajprasong intersection was still blocked by the demonstrators, I paid a visit to Central Rama III road to watch a movie and noticed that they also have a branch of "Aka". I knew this name already from Central World top floor which was always excellent (but as most people know, we probably won't be visiting the Central World branch for a while).

Aka has Japanese Yakiniku, Shabu, and Teppanyaky style dished on offer. It is not one of those cheapo all you can eat BBQ places such as Daidomon or BBQ Plaza. It is also not one of the places you will spend 2000 Baht per head. It lies somewhere in between. The quality of meat is very good. On average, if you order a la carte, a dish costs between 80 and 200 baht. But this time I tried the all you can eat buffet offer, which I didn;t remember being an option last time I went. They are probably folloing the trend. For 359 Baht, you get a selection of beef, pork, chicken, and squid dishes. There is 3 different meat types (the slice Australian striploin being the best from my point of view), 2 different pork meats, chicken and squid only has one choice.

The buffet at Aka also includes potato salad, mixed vegetables for BBQ, Goyza... thats all I remember. You just keep ordering from the waiters what you want and they will bring it to your table. One thing I have to say though. At least at the Rama III branch, service was slooooooooow. Had to wait 10 minutes sometimes to have one small order of meat delivered. Second time they forgot our order. So this was not really satisfying.

Overall, for 359 Baht, the Aka buffet is recommended because the price is still cheap but the quality of meats is much, much better than other comparable places such as BBQ Plaza. And the a la carte dishes are even better, so if you dont wanna have the buffet, for a little bit more cost you can choose from all dishes (and the selection is huge).

View Larger Map

Even though this restaurant calls itself a Pizzeria, there is more than Pizzas here at “Big Mama”. This is because there are salad, soup, pasta, pizza, grilled and baked dishes from the oven, a mixture of original Italian dishes fused with Thai essence in them. That’s why Italian food in “Big Mama” is rather more tasty than normal (traditional) Italian food anywhere else.

The chef has mixed and matched to create his own recipes. “Big Mama” provides Italian Food with the expectation that it could serve customers likes a Mama would do: delicious home cooking in big sizes. Also, for your entertainment, plain white paper with crayons are provided for each table. You can draw anything you want waiting for your food and many of the drawings actually can be seen hanging at the walls at the restaurant!

Prices are very reasonable:

Pasta: between 170 – 220 Baht
Pizza: between 180 (normal ingredients) – 285 Baht (for imported items)
Salad: 155 – 210 Baht
Bread: 30 – 80 Baht (home-made)
Business Lunch Set: 85-220 Baht (2 dishes 1 drink)

Big Mama Pizzeria was reviewed by Lolo.
For more info and pictures of Big Mama Pizzeria, please visit Lolo's food blog.

This is a great little "Noname" Thai food shop on Charoen Wiang Road which is close to the Thaksin bridge off Charoen Krung Road. Check it out if you are in the area if you are looking for a cheap but good Thai food place. The map below is probably not 100% accurate but should be close enough to find it, maybe it is off by 10-20 meters or so but not more.

View Larger Map

The fact that the Tuba experience is defined by more than its food is a good thing too, because given the quality of the food, one would not want Tuba to stand on that alone. It is not that Tuba’s food is downright bad. In fact, some of it is good: The rocket salad (120b) had slivers of almond that gave the salad a lovely flavor, and the Yam Goong Fuu (180b) – a beautifully arranged fluffy fried prawn and mango salad dish – was delicious with large pieces of flavorful prawn and a delicate sauce. However, for every good dish there was one that simply didn’t measure up. The Foie Gras Salad (590b) was overcooked and overpriced; the baked spinach suffocated under piles of under-salted cheese (120b); and the “Tuba special” (grilled seafood in what tasted like basil) should have been called the “Tuba Pedestrian,” as it was simply unremarkable. The Pizza Mexico (270 Baht) was great. Tuba’s hit-or-miss quality may be attributed to an overly ambitious menu, with pages and pages of Thai, Italian, and Californian fare – and even a section devoted to German sausages. This is not to say don’t eat here – rather, understand that Tuba is meant to go beyond the food.

The most important aspect of Tuba is the atmosphere. The owner, Khun Tong, runs a sister company as well – a furniture warehouse called Papaya, located nearby on

Read the rest of this post »

So is it really that good? First time I was there maybe around 6 months back all was excellent. This time it was a bit more mixed: I ordered Fried chicken, Som Tam, Muu Nam Tok, and a coke to drink. The Som Tam was average, the meat used for the Muu Nam Tok was of low quality and a bit chewy, and the coke I ordered had absolutely no gas left. Just the chicken was delicious as always. So the conclusion is that maybe at times Fun Talob can be a bit of a hit and miss but if you go there on a good day the food is excellent.

View Larger Map

Last visit we sampled the Chicken Massala, chickpeas Houmus with Nan bread, lamb kebab, Basmati rice and some pickled vegetables. All of the dishes were excellent except maybe the pickled vegetables that came free with the Houmus dish we ordered, as the pickled stuff was a bit too sour. But this is just a small complaint as the rest was very good and I think Nefertiti is one of the best restaurants on that soi. All mentioned dishes are pictured below.

Address:

Nefertiti Egyptian Restaurant
4/8 Sukhumvit Soi 3/1
Tel: (02) 655 3043

View Larger Map

I've seen the Ice Monster places around for a while but never tried it until today at the branch at Siam Square.

It's a bit similar to Red Mango as you also have a lot of fruits and other stuff that is added on top of your ice cream (or yogurt in case of Red Mango). For my taste, I didn't like the texture of the ice as it is more like real ice with a sweet milk taste. What I mean is that it feels more like you are chewing on an ice cube than it feels like ice cream... But I guess that is the concept and you have the fruits and other sweets added on top to add taste. I ordered peach which was good and refreshing. The pricing is low. I paid 55 Baht for a small cup. The same amount at iBerry would set you back about twice that amount.

View Larger Map

Forgot to note down the name of this Japanese restaurant across from Emporium. It is in the soi where the Robin Hood pub is at the corner. Walk into the soi past a Ramen shop on your right (also an excellent place, pictures will follow after my next visit), the walk past the Bulls Head pub and the Japanese restaurant comes right after that.

The Nigiiri Sushi set on the picture was a very decent 170 Baht. Taste was great. The place was 90% Japanese clientele and 10% Thai, so seems to be a place that is favorited by Japanese expats, normally a good sign.

View Larger Map

Crepes and Co is an old favorite in Bangkok. A cozy European restaurant settled in a quiet tropical garden atmosphere on Sukhumvit Soi 12. The restaurant is complete with a lounge, terrace and both indoor and outdoor dining areas, complimented by stylish tropical furniture. From the name, you can guess that their specialty is a wide variety of crepes from around the world. Dinner for two will cost around 700 – 1000 baht, depending on your tastes. Heineken is priced at 100 baht or you can enjoy the delicious house wine for 140 baht/glass. This restaurant makes for a perfect hideout location that anyone would appreciate. 

No 18/1 Sukhumvit Soi 12, Asoke
+66 2 251 2895
info@crepes.co.th
www.crepes.co.th

American Ribs Company Picnic tables, gingham table cloths, outdoor settings…it’s a little bit country, but that is far from keeping the customers away. On the contrary, you might have to make a booking on weekends to get a seat at the American Rib Company. Monday also hosts an all-you-can-eat Mexican night for just 199 baht. Like Americans, everything comes big and greasy. It’s not hard to see why the 80% Thai clientele keep coming back for the meat fests. You can feed a small Isaan village for less than one meal at Bed Supperclub. The American Rib Company is likely to remain an all-time favorite for years to come.

Prices:

Appetizers: 95 – 285
Mains: 185 – 1095.
Cocktails: 120
Beer: 95-155

32 Sukhumvit 36
+66 2 661 38 01

View Larger Map