Monday, December 29, 2008

Benjarong Thai Restaurant, Dusit Hotel


We had our last "despedida" dinner for my sister in law in Benjarong Thai Restaurant in Hotel Dusit. It was my first time to eat there. I have not tried a lot of Thai Restaurants but I found this one to be ok and could have been better for a place being in a 5 star Hotel.

For appetizers, we ordered Spring rolls and Crispy Catfish Salad. To accompany that I ordered the traditional Beer from Thailand: SINGHA Beer. The appetizers were correct (nothing really very special about them) and the Beer tasted like a slightly stronger version of San Mig Light.



For the main course, we ordered a variety of dishes: Shrimp, Pad Thai, Lapu Lapu with Tamarind sauce, Bagoong Rice, Chicken Curry and Duck Curry. What stood out among all the dishes was the Duck Curry (surprisingly good although not 'hot' enough for me) and the Lapu Lapu with Tamarind sauce. The Duck Curry was not as hot as I would have wanted it to be but very tasty. The Fish was ok, although a bit over cooked but the sauce was something new for me and I liked it.






Above is a photo of how they present/serve the white rice. Wrapped with a banana leaf. For Dessert, we had the Sticky Rice with Mango, Pandan cakes and Melon with Coconut milk with Sago. The Pandan cakes were quite good together with the Sticky Rice.

Over all the food and service was correct, although I was expecting more from this restaurant since it is located in a 5 star Hotel (Dusit).

6 comments:

Noel said...

I ate in Benjarong earlier this year and had a lot of the same dishes. Yes, the Duck Curry was nice and I was also expecting it to be spicier. Good flavor though - and I don't even really eat curry.

I agree that the food, though very competent, is nothing special. I've been to Thailand a couple of times and have found that Thai food, no matter where one eats there (be it in an expensive or cheap restaurant) is pretty much the same.

On my 2nd trip there, a client of mine who is based in Bangkok and Phuket explained to me that, many years ago, the king set standards of what traditional Thai cuisine entails, and pretty much everyone followed. Hence, there is actually some kind of standard to adhere to.

Interesting, no?

And, again, the food shots are great. They probably make the food look better than it actually tastes. Heh heh.

N

Miguel said...

Thats interesting to know. I wonder if the Bagoong rice is traditional Thai or something we incorporated?

Thanks the shots are nice because the lighting was good...and yes I think they look better than they taste hehe...

Noel said...

"Bagoong rice", as we know it is also a common dish in Thailand where it's called khao khluk kapi. "Kapi" is their version of bagoong.

Actually, bagoong is a by-product of the patis making process; and Thailand also uses a lot of patis which they call "nam pla" - so it is a natural progression that they also have their own version of bagoong.

Miguel said...

Hmm thats good to know...thanks fro the info.

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