Port Wine Dinner At Benjarong Thai Restaurant In Bangkok

Billed as Bangkok’s “first-ever” port wine dinner, an event on April 9 at the Dusit Thani Hotel will feature the Royal Thai cuisine of the hotel’s Thai restaurant, Banjarong, and port wine from the W & J Graham vineyards in Portugal. The five-course dinner will be prepared by the hotel’s Executive Chef, Erwin Eberharter and Benjarong Chef Surasak Kongsawat. And Mr. Jorge Nunes will be on hand from the winery to provide information about the ports that will be served that evening.

Pairing Thai food with any type of wine is a daunting task as the varied flavors in most Thai dishes, as well as the spiciness that is usually present, present real challenges to anyone attempting to come up with the perfect wine for a particular dish. Adding to this challenge is the sweetness that is associated with ports so it should be very interesting to see what the chefs come up with to make this combination work.

The main point of interest is whether or not the recipes of Chef Surasak will have to be altered to accommodate the flavors of the port. As a matter of principle the chef is very strict about only cooking his dishes according to quite traditional recipes. I purposely did not contact either of the chefs or Food & Beverage Director, Mohamed Elsayeh in advance to find out what will be done with the food as I prefer to be surprised on the night of the event. It may be that the chefs will create some dishes that are not on the regular menu of Benjarong – or not. We’ll just have to wait and see what they come up with.

In any case, it will be an interesting evening and it will even be topped off by an after dinner cigar and port session in the open-air area right outside the restaurant’s glass wall that borders the inner courtyard of the Dusit. Two things are definite about the evening, however. The first is that it will be a very high-quality affair as are all the Dusit wine dinners. The second is that the reasonableness of the price – 1,000 baht plus tax and service (about $30) – is bound to attract a good crowd to experience this culinary first in Bangkok.

White Cafe Catering Has Deep Roots In The Food Business

White Cafe Catering is one of Bangkok’s premier quality catering companies and its owners have a long history in the food business, stretching back over 20 years. This solid base of experience helps explain how the company has built an extensive business in the catering industry, with over 600 events every year that range from weddings and private parties to large public events of up to 4,000 people.

Top-Name Clients

There are also product launches and fashion shows and many other types of catering events that involve clients such as Chanel, Christian Dior, Mercedes, Toyota, Lancome, M.A.C., Central Pattana, Central Trading, ICC, Sansiri, Martha Stewart Furniture, the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra, Adidas, Reebok, L’Oreal and many more. Although these demanding, high-profile clients hold events that vary greatly in terms of scope and theme there is always one element that they value above all else from White Cafe Catering – reliability. The events are always produced on time and as promised and that is something that is vital to anyone responsible for any kind of event.

There are other things that set White Cafe Catering apart from other caterers and that is their approach to selecting just the right food for any event. As Benya Nandakwang, co-owner and chef says, “If you tell me who you are, I can cook for you.” This is why the company’s team of account executives collects as many details as they can about the client and their wants and needs. With this information they can better design a menu and setting that will give the client exactly what they want.

Top-Level Quality

The food that White Cafe can deliver covers just about any type of cuisine that you could want and it is all prepared using only the finest of ingredients. This is another underlying philosophy of the company – quality is important. As Benya says, “Choose the best ingredients.” This is why their client roster is so impressive. Their clients are people who demand quality and depend on White Cafe to deliver it again and again since many of the company’s clients are regular customers and have been for years.

Another factor that has made the company so successful since its inception in the year 2000 is an intangible one that nevertheless may be as important as anything else these talented people provide their customers. That’s the element of creativity and as Benya puts it, “daring,” that the company thrives on. They love to try something new and different, something they’ve never done before and it’s this intangible yet vital element that helps set White Cafe apart from many other catering and events companies in Thailand and makes their events just that much better than their competitors.

A Great Time

So if you’re thinking about how to make your event be a memorable one your first call should be to White Cafe Catering. And not just for the food either. They can help plan all aspects of the event including the theme, and with their huge variety of props and decorations they can create just the right atmosphere for your guests to enjoy great food and drink. Don’t provide your guests with a good time; call White Cafe Catering and provide them with a great time.

D'Sens Wine Dinner At Dusit Thani Hotel In Bangkok

Wine dinners are tricky affairs from the perspective of an attendee. You never know exactly what to expect unless you have an intimate knowledge of a particular winery and its products as well as some idea of what the hosting restaurant is like. So you often have to take things on faith, which makes the decision on whether or not to attend the dinner based a great deal on the credibility of the establishment hosting the event. It seems obvious that the Dusit Thani Hotel in Bangkok has quite a bit of credibility in this regard because their latest wine dinner on March 20, featuring Chateau Ste. Michelle winery from the U.S. state of Washington, resulted in a full house at the hotel’s top-floor French restaurant D’Sens.

Not knowing what to expect from the winery, but knowing the restaurant, I wasn’t sure what to look forward to but knew that at the very least I would experience a great dinner since the restaurant has a reputation for top-quality nouvelle French cuisine, having been originally created, along with the hotel, by the Michelin award-winning Pourcel twins from France. It was a pleasant surprise to discover that the wines from Chateau Ste. Michelle were as delightful as the food and were expertly paired with the dishes by the hotel staff – probably F&B Director Mohamed Elsayeh, Chef Julien Lavigne and D’Sens manager Thomas Delledalle.

Whoever was responsible, the end result was very enjoyable and the wines themselves were certainly the best I have ever tasted from the state of Washington. Many people think of Washington and have visions of an eternally rainy Seattle in their heads but Chateau Ste. Michelle is located in the eastern half of the state where the annual rainfall technically qualifies it to be a desert. This means that irrigation allows the winemakers to give the vines exactly as much water as they want and makes controlling the growth of the grapes much easier, the same advantage that California and Australian winemakers have.

In fact, the style of the wines that were served at this dinner reminded me of these other two wine producing regions with great fruity reds in the form of a 2004 merlot and a 2005 cabernet sauvignon and a 2006 chardonnay that was crisp, smooth and refreshing. Also served was a 2007 riesling which went well with the first course of various crab concoctions and a methode champenoise sparkling wine that was poured during the cocktail period before dinner. And a blanc de noir rose finished off the evening with the chocolate-based dessert and its restrained sweetness perfectly complemented the confection of the dish.

All of the pairings, as mentioned, were successful and this is the real test of any wine dinner. The chardonnay was matched with turbot ravioli accompanied by a coco bean puree and chorizo cream and this versatile wine with a citrus character balanced the cream sauce well. The cabernet offered a nice counterpoint to the earthy, slightly salty taste of crispy frog legs with wild mushrooms and the merlot was well-suited to the seared lamb and seared foie gras that it was served with, the strong fruit flavors and licorice undertones accenting the richness of the foie gras.

The restaurant itself contributed to the success of the evening, perched on the top of the hotel and providing panoramic views of downtown lights and activity. Together with the muted shades inside the restaurant and the plush surroundings it created the perfect atmosphere for a night of hedonistic pursuits. Taking things on faith can sometimes end up with less than stellar results but the Dusit Thani proved again that it is a place to be trusted when it comes to fine wines and food and the wonderful interaction that can be created between them.  

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Tags: Style | bangkok | Cuisine | restaurant bangkok | french restaurant bangkok | chateau ste michelle

ITB Berlin Offers Little Near-Term Solace For Asian Hoteliers

The recent ITB travel show in Berlin, the largest in the world, ran from March 10 to 14 and provided Thai travel industry analysts and experts with conflicting signals as to what the future holds in store for the country’s beleaguered hospitality sector. On the one had it appears that the short term picture looks bleak but on the other hand the long-term prognosis is tending towards the positive. At least that’s the impression that can be gleaned from reading quotes from the head of the Thai Hotel Association (THA) and the Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA) along with thoughts gained directly from Greg Duffel, the CEO of the Pacific-Asia Travel Association (PATA), both of which are located in Bangkok.

Mr. Prakit Chinamourpong, the president of the THA, was one of the more pessimistic of the industry leaders in regard to the reception that Thai hotels received at the show from European buyers stating that, “Buyers were asking some Thai travel agents and hotels to revert to 2008 rates and hold them until March 2011. Some five-star hotels faced the prospect of selling a room at Bt400 per night, down from what they thought was a bargain Bt1,400 a night.”

ATTA president, Mr. Apichart Sankary added that European travel agents were asking for bigger discounts to stimulate bookings, but in the case of the UK market there is evidence that tour operators are cancelling summer programs to Thailand as the numbers have dropped below breakeven. He also suggested that the government should focus its tourism marketing efforts on local media in each targeted country and concentrate on niche segments such as the family market. He recommended cuts on regional media spending, citing wasteful advertising in CNN and other TV channels that spread across continents but lack depth in individual country markets.

Mr. Duffel of PATA had similar thoughts in regard to the marketing efforts that should be adopted by Thai hotel operators stating that niche marketing will be very important this year. He also felt that repackaging of the hotels’ products was something that should be done and that a more forceful sales effort in general was going to be needed. He noted the increased recruiting of hotel sales people as a positive sign that hotels were aware of these factors and willing to do something to address them.

In the short term Mr. Duffel also felt that while the numbers do not look good now that could change as the year goes on, one reason being that travelers are now booking their holidays in a much shorter time frame with many now waiting until only a couple of months at the most before making a commitment. Traditionally, travelers book much further in advance especially for long-haul destinations which is what Thailand is for European tourists. He felt that there were several reasons for this, including currency fluctuations which might cause people to wait for a better exchange rate as well as overall fears about the economy.

However much doom and gloom has been forecast for the immediate future the long-term outlook for travel in general is good and for the Asia-Pacific region it is very good. Mr. Duffel also attended the recent International Hotel Investment Forum in Berlin which ran from March 9 to 11 and there were some positive indications from that gathering. Most importantly, the ongoing hotel projects in the region are almost all proceeding as planned although some projects have been slowed to a small degree. New projects are a problem as bank financing is difficult to arrange but this is not affecting the ongoing developments.

Additionally, although RevPar is down in the region by 30-40% right now it is matching 2006-2007 levels so overall profits should not be greatly affected. Another positive sign in the region is the growth of low-cost airlines which will spur intra-region travel and is what is generally agreed upon as being one of the most necessary elements that is needed to offset the large losses being suffered in the European markets.

So the way forward looks to be one of some difficulty but with a light at the end of the tunnel. More hard work will need to be done in the sales arena, more niche markets will have to be discovered and exploited, hotels will have to repackage their offerings and re-energize their sales forces and government agencies will have to work more closely with hotel operators and national airlines. If all of these efforts can be maximized then 2009 will not be a disaster and 2010 should be a solid year for the Asia-Pacific hospitality industry.

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Tags: World | asian travel | travel industry | itb berlin | pacific-asia travel association

Madison Changes Focus For Seafood Promotion In Bangkok, Thailand

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Madison is a restaurant in the Four Seasons Hotel in Bangkok that is known for great steaks but an upcoming promotion that runs from March 20-29 will shift the focus to seafood imported from Europe and Australia. This is not something completely different for the restaurant since there are eight seafood dishes on its regular menu ranging from Canadian lobster to Tasmanian salmon but the promotional menu created by chef Anchalee Ponrungsit presents dishes that are quite a bit more elaborate than the regular offerings which tend more to simpler grilled preparations.

A week before the promotion I was able to sample a representative selection of the dishes that were to be served on this special menu and came away with a new sense of respect for Chef Anchalee’s abilities and the restaurant’s attention to detail, the driving forces behind this consistently superior dining spot.

The regular seafood menu contains some appetizing dishes but as mentioned above, in a much simpler vein than the creations that will be served during the restaurant’s promotion. Creativity seems to be the main theme that guided the chef’s preparations for this special offering and it came through in a number of the dishes we were served during this special tasting. It was evident from the first dish we were presented with – three shot glasses that contained sea urchin in various sauces. The ingredients of these silky smooth shooters varied from champagne to a Tabasco-based red sauce and a vegetable-laden concoction and provided a very intriguing start to the evening’s menu.

Two salad-like dishes followed, an oyster and black mussel combination that contained crunchy white radishes lightly covered with a mustard oil that gave the dish a tangy vinaigrette-like taste, and a blue jellyfish, octopus and scallop mixture that was accompanied by cucumbers and capsicum. Jellyfish does nothing for me but the delicious scallops paired with the vegetables were enough to recommend this dish and the oyster/mussel creation was very tasty with the light sauce complementing and not drowning out the taste of the seafood.

Baked sardines on a tomato tart with capers and a tomato salsa followed along with a pike quenelle with yabbies, small lobster-like tails, in a coulis made from the yabbies. We were also presented with a mixed seafood stew that was basically a bouillabaisse with a lighter sauce and contained scallops, shrimp, mussels and razor clams – something that you very rarely see in Thailand. A braised smoked cod with vegetables and crisp pancetta and mud crab with a ginger, leek and black pepper sauce completed the evening’s fare.

All these dished were beautifully presented and imaginatively created. The black cod’s smoked flavor was accented by the pancetta, an Italian bacon, for example, and the seafood stew again had a sauce light enough to keep it from smothering the delicate seafood flavors. And the yabbie coulis was delicious enough to warrant cleaning the bowl with a piece of the restaurant’s excellent bread.

Other ingredients that will be featured during the promotion include halibut – in a Wellington preparation with braised cabbage and a truffle emulsion – spiny Atlantic lobster poached in a sorrel sauce and a baked whole orange sea perch among a number of other interesting looking preparations including also a home-made crab soufflé.

And the meal was made all the more enjoyable since it was accompanied by an excellent champagne, a Pascal Cossy Brut Reserve that will also be served during the promotion. So although you may have enjoyed great steaks here in the past, for 10 days you can also taste some inventive seafood dishes at Madison, a restaurant that is able to effortlessly present wonderful cuisine no matter what the ingredients may be.

     

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Tags: Style | bangkok | Cuisine | restaurants bangkok | seafood bangkok

New Beer Products Available In Thailand

Bangkok, Thailand – Fluid Asia Pacific, one of Thailand’s leading beer importers recently announced its newest lineup of draught beers that will be available in the country as of March 1, 2009. The company has been importing beer into Thailand, both draught and bottled, since September, 2005 and now has its largest product line ever.
Following agreements with brewing mega-companies Carlsberg and Foster’s, owners of many other international brands, Fluid Asia Pacific Managing Director Rob Murray introduced the new lineup of his company’s brands which include some of the top-quality brands from the U.K. and Australia. Fluid Asia Pacific has also concluded distribution deals with other U.K. brewers and producers of alcoholic ciders that have rounded out its line of upmarket products.

Products now available from Fluid Asia Pacific in major Thai markets include Tetley’s Smoothflow, Weston’s Cider, Stowford Press Cider, London Pride bitter, Kronenbourg 1664, Foster’s, Pure Blonde, Victoria Bitter and Crown Lager. Additionally, recent meetings with representatives of Carlsberg in Bangkok have led to further agreements which will increase the level of Fluid Asia Pacific’s involvement with the international brewing giant and result in more of the company’s brands being available in Thailand.

The brands currently being imported vary in availability in regard to draught or bottled status but eventually all of the brands are scheduled to be available in draught format since Fluid Asia Pacific considers itself the leader in draught beer in the country with more brands and more advanced technology than any other importer or local producer. The company’s customers include pubs, bars, restaurants and hotels in Bangkok, Phuket, Samui and Pattaya, where the company has offices, and in some other select markets such as Chiang Mai where there is a large expatriate population. Their products are now being made available in other parts of the country as well as demand is starting to ramp up as the word gets out.

Concurrently, the company has just launched its new website, www.fluidasiapacific.com which allows consumers to find their favorite brands at the many locations they are available at throughout the country. There is also an event section on the site which lists the upcoming beer promotions and events where Fluid Pacific Asia’s brands will be sponsoring various beer brands. In addition to the main site Fluid Asia Pacific also has its own social networking site, http://thaidraughtbeer.ning.com which provides more information about he company’s events and promotions. It will also contain photos and videos about the company’s events and products and allow consumers to post their own information and connect with other beer lovers in the same way as Facebook, MySpace or any other social networking site.

Italian Cultural Wine Dinner In Bangkok, Thailand

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There are a number of countries that Thailand has had strong historic ties with and Italy, along with, for example, the U.S. and Denmark among others, has been one of these countries. This stretches back to the 19th century when Italian architects and urban designers helped design the canal, or klong, system in Bangkok, as well as some of the larger public places and wide sweeping boulevards, that helped Bangkok to become known as the “Venice of the East.”

This special relationship has endured to this day due to many factors, among them the efforts of some people to maintain and strengthen it. One of these people is Enzo Perrino, the owner of Café Buongiorno, an Italian restaurant on Sukhumvit Soi 33 who also engages in many other activities including the promotion of his Biscotti brand of cookies and other Italian products. However, on March 6, Mr. Perrino put on his Italian goodwill ambassador hat and hosted a wine dinner at one of Bangkok’s premier Italian restaurants in Bangkok – Rossini’s in the Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit Hotel  – that celebrated Italian food, wine and culture.

Actually, Mr. Perrino has been conferred the title of cavaliere by the Italian government which is the equivalent of a knighthood in England and which was given to him for his efforts to promote Italian culture outside of his home country among other accomplishments. On this night he fulfilled his role admirably, guiding the dinner’s attendees through a tour of some of Italy’s regions as they sampled foods and wines representing these areas.

The Rossini staff did an admirable job of assisting Mr. Perrino, especially Chef Gaetano Palumbo from Sicily and food and beverage director Giuseppe Fornillo from Florence. Also integral to the success of the evening were the wines from Italasia, a Bangkok company that imports many Italian food items and wines as well as many other products, and who supplied the wines for the evening’s festivities.

The seven-course meal that Chef Gaetano created touched on a wide variety of Italian foods from venison carpaccio to roasted rack of lamb and hand-made raviolis, each accompanied by a wine that was selected to complement the particular dish. And each course was also accompanied by a brief narrative from Mr. Perrino who showed on a map of Italy the region that the dish represented along with some background information on the region and its culture. The event was actually titled “A Journey In Italy, Culture, Tradition and Lifestyle Wine Dinner” and it lived up to is billing, providing diners with more of an experience than most wine dinners.

This evening was a special one and was enjoyable on many levels with great food and wine, interesting cultural information and engaging conversations. It’s events like this, along with the many other efforts of Mr. Perrino and the Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit – which has hosted many Italian special events in its Rossini restaurant – that will keep the strong Italian-Thai relationship flourishing here in Bangkok, the Venice of the East, for years to come.  

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Tags: Style | bangkok | Cuisine | italian cuisine bangkok | italian restuarant bangkok | wine dinner bangkok