Le Bua Hotel; Bangkok; Thailand 2012

We stayed in Bangkok for the following three days at the Anantara Sathorn hotel. The difference between a 4 star hotel and 5 star hotel was huge. Huge. It was our most luxurious hotel, but the most inconvenient as we had to catch a cab everywhere. Bangkok was more of a shopping paradise (for the girls) because of its huge shopping centres and cheap prices (some). The only tour we did there was the floating market tour - which was the worst tour we had to endure AND the most expensive. Beware.


I found the shopping in Bangkok awesome. There were huge shopping malls such as Siam Paragon, Central World Plaza, MBK and Platinum Mall. The markets were also quite big. There were the night markets which opened daily and closed at 11pm and the weekend markets which closed at 7pm but was only opened on the weekends. We were lucky enough to make the weekend markets after checking into our hotel. I found a few items of my haul there; but wished for more time as that place was like a huge maze. The weekend markets was pretty good as well - it too was like a huge maze. There were about 9 huge blocks filled with food, clothes, luggages, bags, souvenirs and it didn't seem like it was going to end. A mate of ours found these bad boys at the night markets. Mochi with icecream...They were sah good!!! And there were many assorted flavours.


 The boys found paradise at Siam Paragon because of the H&M they had and the girls found solace in Platinum Mall where everything was cheap (compared to Australia). There were 3 buildings of Platinum each with 6 levels or so to explore. I got lost walking around that huge maze. Everything was pretty much under $15. You could buy shorts that are found in general pants or glue for less than $6 and nice dresses and skirts for less than $10. They also had a variety of shoes and winter wear as well. And usually, if you buy more, they will give you a bigger discount. Bargaining is essentially hopeless in there, unless you go to a store that looks empty.

 Snagging some hot heels and flats from Zara in Siam Paragon

During our stay, we had the chance to dine at one of Bangkok's finest hotels. The restaurant was booked a month prior to going and was located on the 63rd floor of The Dome at the famous Le Bua hotel; where the Hangover II was filmed. The rooftop dining experience was seriously amazing.




 We were greeted by a live show as we walked in as our music for the evening. 

 The perfect candle lit dinner

  The Dome

 Our range of assorted bread; topped whenever it looks empty - my favourite: the olive bread. Love~

Po and I decided to get the Chef's Tasting Menu ($140) along with a few others from the a La Carte menu, just to try a bit of everything as we were there. The waiter asked us a few times if our order was correct - probably because it seemed a bit unnatural for two little people to eat so much. HA! I was wrong though, because the servings in Thailand were pretty generous; and one tasting menu can fill two people up quite well. I found the service there to be amazing as they tended to every little thing.

 The hangovertini ~$17                                                                      Lobster Chivaz 

Lobster Chivaz or shall I say a 'yucky shot with a slab of lobster' in it. This was so bad. I don't even know what can be good about it. It was fishy and reeked of alcohol. Soz.

Oysters from France~$100 a dozen

These oysters were hands down the best oysters I've ever eaten. At first, I was thinking, honestly, how good can oysters be, from 'France' and all. But they were seriously good. We bought a dozen and shared it between four. We also asked the waiter about the best way to eat the oysters - which sauce to mix - since we were given 4; and he suggested mixing all four. Mixing the four sauces allowed for a multitude of flavours to dance around in your mouth. Love.

 House Cured Tasmanian Salmon - Herbs, black sesame emulsion and lemon gel 

I was warned not to eat salmon in Thailand, but because it said 'Tasmanian', I felt a little bit safer eating it, knowing that Tasmania gives the best produce. This was part of the chef's tasting menu. The lemon gel and black sesame emulsion gave the salmon a burst of tang and sweetness. Loved the salmon slices. My last salmon experience in Thailand looked like this:


 Porcini Mushroom - Risotto, essence, parmesan craquelin, garlic scent

I loved this dish. It was so cheesy and creamy and mushroomy. My fav. The flavours were very rich and striking. Despite its miniature appearance, the bowl went quite deep; and had us filled up pretty quickly.

Alaskan Diver Scallop - Crispy sugar snaps, squid ink sauce, ossetra caviar

We were served one plump little scallop on a huge plate; the scallop itself was probably as big as a 50c coin. It was cooked to perfection being so tender and moist. The squid ink on the other hand, had a funky taste.

Bresse Chicken - Roasted breast, corn variation- puree, crisp, popped and jus

The chicken was alright. Maybe I found it a bit dry, but Po seemed to enjoy all that protein. There were also pieces of popcorn with the chicken; pretty interesting combo. 

Wagyu Beef Sirloin - Slow cooked, confit pork belly & skin, porto sauce

This was also part of the chef's tasting menu. I can never say no to succulent wagyu slices. They were so juicy and moist.

Chilean Seabass - Sweetened with white miso, seaweed, candied walnuts

Another part of the chef's tasting menu. By now, I was falling into a food coma. Too much food. I don't remember this dish being that special. Tasted like a fish cocktail without the batter in a miso soup.

Canon of Australian Lamb - Garlic & thyme brûlée, potato mille-feuille, Noilly Prat jus

Another Australian produce! Go Aussies~ This was my friend's dish, which was pretty good as I managed to snag a slice. The lamb didn't have that distinct lamb smell as most do, and it was cooked to perfection. Mmm.

Maine Lobster - mushroom crumble, tarragon flavored crustacean bisque

Another of my mate ordered the lobster from the menu. To my knowledge, he was very satisfied.

Warm chocolate cake

No matter how full we are, desserts always manage to find its way into our second tummy. This warm chocolate cake was hands down, the best chocolate cake ever. As you break into it, a molten lava of chocolate oozes out and coats the inner layer into warm chocolate goodness. A dessert to warm the heart. It was ridiculously moist and just melted in my mouth.

Chocpop

This came with our tasting menu, and incorporated a wide range of fancy techniques. The jelly like log was really interesting to eat. The concoctions of flavours and textures were intriguing as you have popcorn, icecream, a jelly/mousse, chocolate with a hard biscuit and crumbs. I still preferred the simple warm chocolate cake though...

Mango and passionfruit sorbet 

Tasted like how a Calipo would in scoop form.

Honey Parfait 

Pannacotta 

Our warm citrus scented hand towels 


Our bill came close to about $1150 including VAT + service charge (17%) and drinks for 8 people. Service was attentive and diligent. Ambiance was good; with a live band playing and an amazing view to the beautiful city. It was seriously a one in a lifetime treat in Bangkok.

The awesome Thailand 2012 crew!

The view from the sky bar 

So pretty


Bye Sirroco

Apart from fancy food street food was ridiculously cheap in Bangkok. Pad thai noodles and paw paw salad were only 20baht each. Other things were around the 50 baht mark as well. However, there wasn't much time to eat in Bangkok apart from the night we saved for Le Bua, as we mainly shopped. It was maccas and noodles from then on.

Tour:

Floating markets: 

There are heaps of tours in Bangkok, but we decided to go to this one. I had expected it to be more lively and that, but was disappointed. Apparently, if you want to go to the floating markets, it's best if you go during the early mornings where everyone will be about. Had we known...




I found Thailand a beautiful country to have a nice, cheap holiday. It wasn't as dangerous as people say it is either. As long as you stick together in a group and avoid doing silly things, then you will be fine~ It definitely took away all the stress of uni and work. Would definitely go there again as there are a lot more things to see and do.

Cheers~

2 comments:

  1. Le Bua Hotel is one of the great hotel in Bangkok where we can enjoy more and also we can enjoy good and tasty food.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Beautiful hotel view. Its real luxury Hotel. Food is fantastic. I love to eat. Thanks for sharing.

    Accommodation in Thailand

    ReplyDelete

 

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