Writes of Passage

13/3 S Sathorn Road
Bangkok 10120, Thailand

… more pix & videos on Google Maps; TA

Michelin star

Will return.

We’ve their family tasting menu, which is less than the full tasting menu: but its still bit too much for me to stomach.

This Michelin 1 star restaurant is in the Sukhothai (site), a few steps from our hotel COMO.

Location 地点: 4
Ambieance 气氛: 5
Service 服务: 5
Food 食物: 4
Tableware 餐具: 5
Stems 酒杯: Riedel

The story of Thai celadon: “Behind this modern stoneware from Thailand is a story that goes back more than two thousand years in time. Celadon 青瓷 is known as the aristocratic oriental ancestor of the pottery family and takes its name from the elegant glaze developed by the master potters of the northern China to duplicate their beloved opaque jade. …”

Coming off a busy street, the lotus ponds put you in a serene mood. The high-ceiling interior is tastefully decorated. Orchard at the entrance and a single lotus flower at each bare table, beautiful and straightforward. The glass partition makes the two areas spacious.

Their service is good. Well-trained staff are around but not intrusive. 

The food: from crabmeat-filled dumplings to grilled chicken (free-range) skewers, to big river prawns, … I find the veggie Morning Glory with garlic and red pepper the most interesting: it’s the 通心菜, the most ordinary veggie in Hong Kong, that I love. Not that I mind, but I’m a little surprised to find it served the way an ordinary restaurant on Main Street does. When I’ve guests over, I always put the veggies in a bowl, then flip it onto a serving plate to give it a slight shape.

Coming down a high horse, is pretty adorable.

THE STORY OF THAI CELADON

BEHIND this modern stoneware from Thailand is a story that goes back more than two thousand years in time. Celadon is known as the aristocratic oriental ancestor of the pottery family and takes its name from the elegant glaze developed by the master potters of the northern China to duplicate their beloved opaque jade. The stoneware that arrived in the Near East was credited with miraculous powers. In this ever-turbulent part of the world where violence was a part of daily life, it was believed that poisoned food would change color when it was served on Celadon…

LONG before this happened, however, around the 14th century, a King of Siam visited China and brought back some 300 potters. Kilns were established and from them emerged the fabulous Siamese Celadons that were known as “Sankaloke”. For several generations, large quantities of “Sankaloke” were shipped to the Philippine Islands, Borneo, India, Persia and Egypt. But the Kilns of Siam had to be abandoned, too…at about the time that potters of China were destined to give up their craft. For some 600 years, not a single piece of the famous Celadon stoneware was produced.

ONLY recently, this ancient art was revived in Thailand…with a duplication of the old methods using the same raw materials. No synthetic, commercial dyes or clays are used in the production of modern Thai Celadon. All of the elements needed for this stoneware are from the earth and the jungles, and each piece is finished by hand.

This is how our Thai Restaurant became CELADON

Lumphini, Pathum Wan
Bangkok 10330, Thailand

… more pix and videos on Google Maps & TA

Will return.

A well kept park sits in the middle of Bangkok, 15 minutes walk from COMO Metro. It’s Bangkok’s Central Park.

It has many monitor lizards, a recreation center (members only) with two hard tennis courts. A library – the first public library in the nation, all the books I saw are paperbacks. Chinese pavilion (red).

• monitor lizards
• the park
• 25th Longevity Pavilion 万寿亭
• tennis @ the recreation center
• dancing girl
• a pavilion
• the library

Bangkok, Thailand

… Google Maps

Patpong (Thai: พัฒน์พงศ์, RTGS: Phat Phong) is Bangkok’s red distrcit. It’s in Bangkok’s Bang Rak District, Thailand, catering mainly to foreign tourists and expatriates.

• more here
• red-light district
• working girls

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTULfnGrJsU

^{from the stand by the pool: Xi Jinping: The Goverance of China.} 

27 S Sathon Rd, Thung Maha Mek, Sathon,
Bangkok 10120, Thailand

… more pix & videos on Google Maps, TA

Will return for service and the swimming pool.

The slim male staff by the pool, all dressed in white, gives off a colonial feel.

This is one of the better hotels we stayed in Thailand. Hardly seeing any other guests, even during breakfast.

The location is great, having nahm on site, and Celadon next door. It’s also close to Central Park.

The swimming pool is large enough for me to do laps, and the water is cold – thank you!!!

To my surprise, I found Xi Jinping: The Governance of China (习近平谈治国理政 … apparently, it’s one of the five volums of his speeaches and writings that published in 2014, 2017, 2020, 2022 and 2025), laying on the stand/chest by the pool entrance. I sure did study it -:)

• breakfast & more
• pool

1111 Sam Sen Rd
Thanon Nakhon Chai Si
Dusit District
Bangkok 10300, Thailand

… Google Maps

The third parliament house of Thailand: The Sappaya-Sapasathan Parliament House, replacing the original building Parliament House of Thailand near Dusit Zoo.

The photo is taken from our lunch spot Ekkrik Rimnam Shop, across Chao Phraya River.

โรงแรมโคโม เมโทรโพลิแทน กรุงเทพฯ 27 S Sathon Rd, Thung Maha Mek, Sathon,
Bangkok 10120, Thailand

… more pix n videos on Google Maps, TA

Definitely will return.

This Michelin star restaurant is indie the Como hotel where we’re staying.

It has clam ambience and the thin crystal stems. Dark lattice wood made the room feeling cool, especially when one comes in from the hot weather, and the hustle and bustle of Bangkok.

Good service and great food, too much of it – we’ve their tasting menu.

I particularly liked the stir-fried young fiddlehead ferns and Wagyu beef. Two soups, one pungent which I like and the yellow cream was sweet, which I don’t like: pretty extreme.

The outdoor section of the restaurant is on the narrow side of the rectangle pool. At night, the pool looks equally beautiful.

Our executive chef Pim Techamuonvivit, who took the helm of nahm in 2018, calls herself a cook first and foremost. She sees herself as a link in a long chain of Thai women, who have long been the cooks, teachers, and keepers of our culinary heritage. Her food is a melange of family recipes, the taste from her childhood, and her research in antiquearian cookery books written by aristoccrtic Siamese women, some of these books can be dated back to the late 19th to early 20th century.

Having been awarded a Michelin star for our excellence for eight consecutive years, nahm has made it our mission to support local formers, producers, and artisans. It is our belief that our cuisine can only exists of part of this sustainable culinary ecology. We showcase products from local farmers and makers we are proud of from, the rice to the plate we serve it on.

Our tasting menu invites you on a journey into Thai cuisine. We begin with a selection of canapés, your choice of two shared entrees, a personal choice of soup, and your choice of a dish from each section of the main course to share.

We invite you to finish your meal with the final course, a personal choice of dessert.

113 Soi Charan Sanitwong 92, Bang O, Bang Phlat,
Bangkok 10700, Thailand

เอิกเกริก ริมน้ำ Ekkrik Rimnam Shop by Amdang typhoon

… more pix and videos on Google Maps

Definitely will return: one of the better Thai food I’ve had so far, thank you.

It’s across Chao Phraya River from The third parliament house of Thailand.

It’s on the water; an early afternoon, on the last Friday of November. Coming out of car, I thought we could sit outside under the shade. But the young server suggested inside. And we did: he knows better because it was pretty hot.

Airy space, industrial decor; half the room has second floor.

We ordered three but got two and both are delicious:

• Retail catfish – very pungent
• Fried tofu – oh so soft

Clams didn’t come unfortunately but I didn’t push either.

198/23-24 Rama 6 Road, Phayathai
Bangkok 10400, Thailand

… more pix vid on Google Maps, TA

Totally a destination for tourists. Nothing serious (even the special room in the back with doors), but isn’t cheap so you’d splurge freely.

We started by watching a short video, about 8 minutes long, giving an overview of Thailand’s place in the world of gemstones.

The store is neat with clean display, and staff is helpful, not pushy, at least the lady who follows me around and only steps forward when I have a question, thank you.

There is a certificate in a gold-colored frame on the wall, written in Chinese and Thai, that reads 金银珠璇同业公会 (I’m not sure if I’ve got 璇 right). Gold, Silver, and Jewelry Trade Association: It appears to be a Chinese association that the GG is a member of.

I like one amethyst (I think) bracelet that costs ฿55,000 (about $1,700), which is a zero too many, imho -:).

78, 12-16 Ratchaprarop Rd, Thanon Phaya Thai, Ratchathewi,
Bangkok 10400, Thailand

… more pix n video on Google Maps.

Will return for food.

During a Thursday lunch hour, we’re the second table there.

The decor and menu books show their 60 plus years in business. The seafood tanks are indoor, most of them are empty except the crabs. The wine cabinet is dusty, and totally devoured of any trace of wine.

I picked a crab (as if I know which one is good or better than the rest) and have it done in pepper. Very yummy but the skinny legs, which are my favorite, are hard to eat because most of the meat are hardened by the burn. If you like to pick a crab clean, don’t choose this method.

I’ve to ask for seafood forks.

The oval shaped clams are tender and clean.

The salt baked grouper is meaty.

All of them are fresh and yummy.

Bathroom and the small hallway have no a/c.

Pannarai Hotel 9 Floor 99/8 Ratchaprarop Rd, Makkasan, Ratchathewi,
Bangkok 10400, Thailand

… more pix n video on Google Maps

Will return.

Roof top hot pot, on top of Pannarai Hotel, entrance is in the garage.

Spacious. Good service. Good food.

The space between tables is very large. When we arrived, a small group German tourists was there, debating if to stay but ultimately against it, leaving us the only diners there.

Shabu-shabu is Japanese name for hotpot, a meal where you dip your food into the boiling pot on the table yourself, piece by piece. The ingredients are (in general, it varies by region …) thin sliced meat, seafood, veggies, tofu, taro, and anything you desire.

Although Japan had invaded China twice in the near past, 1894 and 1937, she was a vassal state of China during the Tang Dynasty, and tributary as late as Qing dynasty. They might have invented the term ‘shabu’ in 20th century but the cooking method is ancient in China, where we call it hotpot.

I’ve hot pot almost weekly at home. The heart and soul of hotpot is the boiling base soup and the sauces on the side, such as soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, scallion, etc., you mix it yourself to your liking.

This restaurant serves side dishes, which in my view is unnecessary but maybe a thing the locals enjoy. They offer a la cart or buffet, which we chose.

Due to communication and darkness, I picked four side dishes (the middle age staff encouraged me to pick more…) but I only ate edamame, which is really good. The sliced meats are good, and the vegetables are fresh. Their sauces are not to my taste – I generally don’t like Thai cuisine due to its sweetness. But the boiling soups are flavorful and salty enough that I don’t really need the dipping sauce. Overall, I enjoyed it.