StreetSmart's posts with tag: review
 | Cakewalk | Aug 20, '08 4:50 PM
for everyone |
| Category: | Restaurants | | Cuisine: | Desserts | | Location: | Thonglo 13, Sukhumvit 55 |
I swear my head is still spinning from all the sugar rush~~!!! (And the cuteness overload~~!!!!).
Of coz, it wasn't as if I weren't warned before... Just one look at the exterior of "Cakewalk" is enough for ANYONE to guess that you ain't gonna find leather or wood decor inside.
Na-uh.
The chairs are clear (transparent) acrylic.
 
The sofas are soft violet.
 
The lamps are either beaded or resemble fairy mushrooms.
 
Has any of you heard that some prisons nowadays paint their walls PINK and force their inmates to wear PINK uniforms~?? That's becoz pink is s'posed to make people (and yes, criminals are people too, regardless of what others think~!! Ha! Ha! Ha!) feel a sense of well-being, cheerfulness and docility like a bunch of merry lambs~!!
"Cakewalk" has proven this "color theory" to be true, coz right when I stepped in, I felt like Alice in Friggin' Wonderland after downing ten cans of soda pop.Of coz, the cutesy cakes on display weren't helping with lowering the "princessy" factor either.
Spread around the eatery were whimsical cakes on slightly lopsided stands.
I don't think any heterosexual males would even be slightly attracted to these cakes, BUT little girls, girly girls and girly men would KILL to buy and sink their (sweet) teeth into one of these creations~!!
 
Got to admit, though, I DID feel a bit out-of-place at first here...
My cynical side was rolling its eyes to the heavens so many times it got  dizzy~!!
Nevertheless, I was relieved that I popped into "Cakewalk" with a TRUSTED companion (who, might I add, was equally shocked at the shameless display of girlishness); someone I knew wouldn't blab to the whole wide world:
"GUESS WHAT~!!!! SSS actually visited that silly n' childish cake shop~!! Worse, she actually took pics~!! AND ordered cakes~~!!!!!"
(*cue MAJOR embarassment*).
Gingerly (after making sure none of the other customers recognized me), I approached the display window showcasing (even I had to admit) reeeeally SUPER adorable cake slices and pies.
 Geeeeeeeeez... How could ANYONE make a choice~?! They were all smiling their perfect smiles, like contestants in a beauty pageant, "PICK ME~!! PICK MEEEEEEEEEH~~!!!!!"
After a few moments of REALLY difficult soul-searching, I settled for "Charlotte Royal" and English Breakfast tea.
 
Both were soooooo... CUTE I swear I had tears in my eyes~~!!!!
"Charlotte Royal" was surprisingly yummy. And not too sweet (very important in my book). It was actually soft moist cake on the outside (tasted like blueberry and cream) with vanilla ice cream and fruit slices inside. The green and white "sauce", however, was very sweet, so I ate that only sparingly, like icing on a cake.
I also tried a few bites of "Pandan Lychee Softcake":
(oh my gaaaaaaawd... just look at this CUTENESS~~~~!!!!)
This was also thankfully, not too sweet. The lychee taste was actually a bit tarty-sour, which made my tastebuds happy. The pandan ('baiteuy' in Thai) smell was also tickling my nose and reminding me of a certain pandan (and jasmine) lotion I regularly use at home... I was on such a sugar high I was hallucinating about rainbows, rabbits and ribbons~~~!!!!
Fortunately, I soon came to my senses and managed to convince myself that rainbows, rabbits and ribbons are NOT conducive to my overall image... I mean, COME ON~~!!!
I've got a (cynical) reputation to protect here~~!!!
I'm off to watch some bad news on CNN to add some bitterne ss to the day~~~~~!!!
 snips, snails and puppy dog's tails~~!!!streetsmartsukhumvit@gmail.com  sukhumvit  bangkok  thailand
| Lo-Shu | Aug 7, '08 5:01 PM
for everyone |
| Category: | Restaurants | | Cuisine: | International | | Location: | Sukhumvit 23 |
 I heard that if you've been having really crappy luck or feeling like shit, then perhaps it's time to pay Lo-Shu a visit and re-arrange the flow of your "QI" (pronounced as "chi"), loosely translated into Chinese as "life force".
Recently opened in Sukhumvit 23, Lo-Shu is actually a restaurant/cafe which strictly adheres to the principles of "feng shui", which is an ancient Chinese practice of arranging interiors to promote health, happiness, and prosperity, thanks to the free and unobstructed flow of "qi" (example: never hang a mirror opposite from your bed, coz you'll have bad luck in love~!!).
Well, my luck has been OK, and I haven't been sick for some time now, so I was more interested in checking out Lo-Shu's menu than its purported ethereal benefits.
 So one lazy afternoon, I and a companion decided to go there for (a really late) lunch.
(SMARTASS QUESTION: is laziness attributed to really bad "qi", too~??)
First impression was indeed impressive.
Lo-Shu is divided into four sections: fire, water, wind and earth.
This is the FIRE section:
(the red pillows mimic the red licks of fire burning on dark wood, get it~??)
I sat in the WATER section:
 
(transparent furniture, cool blue pillows, water tubes)
The WATER section then sweeps upwards to the WIND section:
 
(the ceiling suddenly disappears, allowing the eyes unblocked view of the expansive, curved wall, which displays some very pretty artworks).
Unfortunately, I didn't get to see the EARTH section (it was s'posed to be upstairs and surrounded by greeneries).
Frankly, I expected Lo-Shu to serve Chinese food, but its menu claims to serve reeeally "healthy stuff" (OK, I gotta admit that I've NEVER dieted in my whole life; I basically scarf down anything that looks or  smells good... so please excuse my ignorance for the existence of "healthy stuff").
Perhaps the farang owners (an American and a British, if I remember correctly) didn't want to compete against the typical Chinese restaurants (which usually look FUGLY, but serve really heavenly chow, like the one I reviewed ), so they decided to go with a mixture of Western dishes purportedly designed to maximize one's level of health.
I decided to skip all the tasteless-sounding tofu dishes and ordered something "normal" and "recognizable": penne with pesto sauce.
 It was OK, I guess... quite tasty and just the right size.
I was more adventurous with my drink; I chose "Beta Boost", which was a mixture of carrot, honey, strawberry and mango (it looked uncannily orange-ish like Thai iced tea with milk).
 Now, this one I really liked~!! It was a bit sweet and a bit sour... very FRESSSHHH~~!!! (I wasn't expecting anything miraculous to happen to my horrible eyesight, though... even after overdosing on carotene).
The staff looked quite nervous, perhaps because Lo-Shu is still new, but they tended to hover around our table like worried mother hens... which made it hard for us to talk openly about the service/food/ambience of the place... That can't be good, right~??
I had a feeling they were blocking the flow of my "happy qi", dammit~~!!!
One thing that really struck me about Lo-Shu was how comfortable the room temperature was. It was neither too cold nor too warm. It was JUST RIGHT... So right that I suspect most patrons wouldn't even notice the temperature...
(Hmmmm, I think I read somewhere that the Chinese believe that the body should never be subjected to extremes... to promote longevity).
But enough with all the mumbo-jumbo.
Time for the verdict:
If you're going just for some fun gimmick, then Lo-Shu is th e place for ya. I wasn't SO impressed with the food; I've tasted better, but I could see that A LOT of effort and attention have been put into the overall "feng shui" theme.
But just like a plate of jiggly pasty-colored tofu, sometimes you just need MORE MEAT.
drunk on mediocrity
streetsmartsukhumvit@gmail.com
sukhumvit bangkok thailand
| Malako | Jul 28, '08 5:17 PM
for everyone |
| Category: | Restaurants | | Cuisine: | Thai | | Location: | Sukhumvit 38 |
 It takes guts and balls of steel to actually open a Thai restaurant (with aircon~!!) right beside the famous Sukhumvit 38 outdoor eateries (check them out ).
But Malako (means "papaya" in Thai) ain't no chicken; and it seems to be up to the challenge.
Judging by its "war plan" (a.k.a. menu), I'd have to say that Malako really knows what it's doing : instead of trying to compete and duplicate the other Thai food in Sukhumvit 38, Malako specializes in that spicy n' sour (not to mention RAW) concoction credited for keeping heavy-snacking Thai ladies slim and trim - SOMTAM.
I gotta admit, it was ME who was a bit of a chicken the first time I ate in Malako; this was due to my personal bias that clean and airconed Thai restaurants don't usually hold a candle to outdoor street eateries.
As a result, I decided not to be too adventurous and ordered the typical somtam puu (somtam with raw black crabs), khor muu yaang (grilled pork neck) and khao niew (sticky rice). TOTAL: 97 baht (including drinking water).
I am happy to report to y'all that my bias was totally, utterly and completely unfounded.
The somtam puu (pictured right) came first. My skeptical eyes took one l ook and commented, "Hmmm, looks a bit dry..." BUT when I took a bite... OH MYYYYYY~~~~~ I was more than willing to change my mind~!!! It was spicy, tangy and fresh, just like any other self-respecting somtam on the street... but... there was another taste lingering at the back of my throat... Something musky... and it was NOT the puu (crabs)... I took a look at the menu again and saw that they had written an English explanation of the added ingredient: fermented fish sauce. Hmmmmmmmmm... I liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiike~~~~~!!!
The khao niew and khor muu yaang were also VERY satisfying; the first one was fragrant and heavy on the stomach, while the latter was chewy with just the right amount of fat (and came with its usual dark sauce).
 
Who knew that such simple Isaan food could be sooo... pleasurable~~??
Looking around, I also noticed that the interior of Malako could be described as "spartan chic" - the preparation area (pictured right) was very baan-baan (homey), its brick walls were largely left exposed, the furniture (fashioned out of heavy dark wood) was geometric and unadorned, the floor just bare concrete, and no cutesy Thai knick-knacks were to be seen anywhere.
Space is also well-utilized in Malako - on one side, the table is hung from the ceiling and sticks to the wall (below).
 I gotta say that I like its massive door which stretches from the floor to the ceiling, as well as its equally expansive window, which overlooks the main Sukhumvit Road.
 
I know I've been harping non-stop about how pollution and airborne particles are responsible for making Thai street food superior than its more hygienic restaurant form, BUT with the case of Malako, I am more than willing to eat my earlier words~!! P.S. And don't even believe the rumor that papaya diminishes your sexual appetite~!! In fact, a very wise TAXI driver once mentioned to me: "The spicier the somtam, the more energy you'll have~!! The more energy you have, the more babies you can make~!!!"
(Disclaimer: frankly, this statement has NOT been proven/disproven scientifically either).
P.P.S Click HERE to find out the OTHER (nutritional) value of glorious raw papaya.
somtam is sexy~!!streetsmartsukhumvit@gmail.com sukhumvit bangkok thailand
I know that the locals are experts in copying and making fake stuff, but this is ridiculous.
Take a look at what I found at a gas station convenience store in Sukhumvit 26:
 My e yes totally bulged out when I first saw it. Obviously, whoever chump made it, s/he tried to shamelessly copy the very popular Japanese snack "POCKY".
(For those who don't know what "POCKY" is, it's a Japanese snack made by Glico; and it's especially popular in Asia. "POCKY" is basically just a stick of biscuit with chocolate covering on  the outside. It's very easy to eat and extremely addictive - try putting "POCKY" in a glass of cold water before eating; it's soooo YUMMY~~!!!
Click HERE to read the Wikipedia entry on "POCKY".
Click HERE to check out the "POCKY" Shrine.
Click HERE to find out which "POCKY" flavor you are~!!).
Anyway, after the initial shock wore off, I actually thought the whole thing was funny. I ended up buying one (24 baht); just to see how it tasted like.
 As expected, "TICKY" was nowhere near "POCKY".
The first thing I noticed was that "TICKY" (the pic on the right shows "TICKY" written in Thai alphabet) had a bigger box than "POCKY" (and it's got more individual wrappers inside instead of just one - like "POCKY").
Nevertheless, in this case, size definitely did NOT matter.
The chocolate coating was uneven and oily.
And the taste was... well... there is no ONE WORD that can describe it... It tasted like... something that should NOT be eaten (and that's me being nice).
I bet I can leave one stick of "TICKY" outside, and not even ONE insect will dare to touch, much less eat it~~!!!
(Yes, I am actually doing this totally unscientific experiment as I'm typing this).
Worse, it's got some weird Engrish writing; for example:
 "Biscuit coated chocolate"~?! I thought the chocolate was s'posed to be on the OUTSIDE, right~~?!?!It's "chocolate coated biscuit", for Buddha's sake~~~!!!!
 I dunno whether "TICKY" has more Engrish; coz by this time, the offensive snack was already making me nauseous and my brain was shutting down involuntarily...
(Dear "TICKY" owner: You can hire me as "English editor" for 5 baht per word and I GUARANTEE "TICKY" will have NO MORE ENGRISH~ ~!!!!!!)
But why the hell was the poor snack given a name that sounds dangerously similar to a blood-sucking insect~?!?!
NOT appetizing at all.
In short, "TICKY" was just plain YUCKY.
ticky ticky crapstreetsmartsukhumvit@gmail.com sukhumvit bangkok thailand
| Ten-Sui | Jun 28, '08 5:05 PM
for everyone |
| Category: | Restaurants | | Cuisine: | Japanese / Sushi | | Location: | Sukhumvit 29 |
 This is a review that was almost never written.
We arrived at Ten-Sui in Sukhumvit 29 at 2:15 pm and was promptly told that lunch time was over.
We were VERRRRY annoyed as the restaurant claimed on its advertisement that last order for lunch was 2:30 pm.
 (and don't nobody make any smartass comments about me sleeping 'til afternoon and having such a "late" lunch~!!).
Swearing under my breath and getting ready to leave (my brain was already racing 1,000 km/sec about WHAT to say about this restaurant if anyone asks my opinion about it), we were suddenly told that YES, the restaurant WAS still open, and YES, we still could have the lunch set that was advertised to be 380 baht. Thankful for not having to go out into the scorching sun in search of an alternative lunch place, we quickly made our orders (identical 'tensui hanaka gozen' lunch sets) and were served salad and chawanmushi (traditional Japanese egg custard) - which we inhaled and finished in a few seconds (HEY, it was over 2 pm; we were HUNGRY~!!). Next came the main course, served in a very quaint, nature-inspired basket. 
Inside were really cute dishes containing sashimi slices (salmo n, tuna and snow fish), eggplant, seaweed, grilled saba, broccoli, fish balls (I think), chicken, radish, sweet potato and miso soup.
I totally loved the rice sprinkled with those purple thingies, pictured below (NO IDEA what it was... All I knew was that I LIKES~~!!!).
The saba was buttery, the eggplant was slightly smoky and the broccoli was  slathered with, to my delight, Kewpie mayonnaise~!!!
I noticed that ALL of the other tables had Japanese customers - Japanese housewives, to be exact... I guess those who have maids and thus have extra time (and $$$) to lunch outside.
They were all very smartly-dressed, very smiling and very blow-dried. I was suddenly reminded of a comment made by a male friend who often drops by Sukhumvit: "Japanese housewives in Sukhumvit are HOT~~!!!!! Even those with young kids~~!!!!" (Hmmmm... now I understand why he often drops by Sukhumvit...) 
Unsurprisingly, the staff here also speak Japanese~!! Looking around, I noticed that the place was indeed VERY Japanese-y.
The furniture was mostly somber dark wood complemented by bamboo, and I spied rows and rows of Japanese sake on the shelf. It was quite obvious that every tiny detail had been thought of carefully at Ten-Sui... from the chopsticks stand... 
to the wall panels... 
to the soy sauce container... 
Everything was refined and subtle; never shouting
(just like a true blue Nihonjin~!!). Anyway, enough with the decor... Dessert was Japanese 'purin' (it looked like pudding, but not as sweet. YUM~!!), served in another nature-inspired bowl. 
By this time, I was pretty full (and satisfied) already and had completely changed my mind about what to say about Ten-Sui:
*its 380 baht lunch set is truly worth your money~!!*
I mean, you get the GENUINE Japanese food taste, surrounded by very pretty Japonesque things, doted by Japanese-speaking sta ff (who cares if you don't understand what they're saying~!!), plus you get to perve on attractive Japanese housewives (if it's your kinda thing).
Some might balk at coughing up 380 baht for lunch but lemme tell ya this: For sure, this ain't no Fuji~!!
Just make sure you show up a tad early (dammit~!!). P.S. Read more about how the Japanese housewives help to prop up the Sukhumvit economy . everybody, let's nature~!! streetsmartsukhumvit@gmail.com
sukhumvit bangkok thailand
| Category: | Restaurants | | Cuisine: | Pub Fare | | Location: | Penny's Balcony, Thonglo ( Sukhumvit 55) |
I have seen the light and been converted.
It is now official:
SSS drinks beer~~!!!!!
 From now on, that is. And only the expensive kind. As in imported European (Belgian) kind.
Don't get me wrong. I enjoy a glass of wine now and then, a cocktail here and there, Japanese sake to go with my sushi or Korean soju with BBQ, and so on and so forth...
 But I just never liked beer. I can stomach Asahi or Heineken or Budweiser (Kloster was actually my so-called "favorite"), but I truly abhor the rest.
I swear, Singha beer tastes like PEE (not as if I actually TASTED pee before, but... y'know what I mean). And |
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