Bangkok’s Best Restaurant Awards 2007

Which is the best restaurant is an almost impossible question to answer. There are so many different factors to consider, it is very subjective. What is your mood at the time? What sort of dining experience are you looking for? What location and how much are you looking to spend? Only with these questions answered will you be able to find the right dining experience for that particular moment in time.

A successful dining experience is based on multiple factors that must integrate in harmony - food, the appropriate beverage, service, ambiance, décor, lighting and music. A great chef producing amazing food is not enough, all the other elements must be of an equal standard for the experience to work. It also cannot be judged on how much you paid but rather whether what was received was worth the price paid and did you along with your party leave the restaurant contented.

Bangkok has always had a buoyant dining scene, however, the last six months of 2007 saw a noticeable slow down in the number of new restaurants opening and it is only since the New Year 2008 that we have seen the sense of optimism returning to the dining scene.

In the International sector new Italian restaurants are forever opening, a trend seen not only in Thailand but throughout Asia. While there is no movement in the French sector, no new openings in the past year, there are few players that have their loyal following. The word “Mediterranean” has slipped into the dining vocabulary giving restaurants license to go outside the traditional geographical restraints offering their customers a wide choice plus respond to the demand for lighter healthier dishes. In the Asian sector, the evolution of the next generation of Indian restaurants has been the most exciting development with the arrival of modern Indian cuisine.

The availability of better quality ingredients has seen the bar being raised in Thai and Chinese restaurants. One interesting development of the past year has been the greater acceptance of lamb by Thai diners. In the past, the meat was avoided due to its strong smell but it is now becoming the red meat of choice especially by those who do not eat beef.

In the music entertainment sector, venues are dividing into those hiring bands for live entertainment and those bringing in DJ’s to create their unique style of music. Due to piracy issues, the music industry seems to be looking more to the live concert experience so over the long term it is more likely that live entertainment is here to stay.

As every year, the results of Bangkok’s Best Restaurant Awards 2007 will produce some surprises and controversy; thankfully the decisions are based solely on the votes of you ‘the reader’. Here is how you voted.

*No.	Restaurant	Cuisine
1.	New York Steakhouse	American	1
2.	Roadhouse Barbecue	American	2
3.	Bourbon St.	American	3
4.	Next2	Buffet	1
5.	The Dining Room	Buffet	2
6.	Marriott Café	Buffet	3
7.	Mei Jiang	Chinese	1
8.	Shang Palace	Chinese	2
9.	Summer Palace	Chinese	3
10.	The Reflexions	French	1
11.	D’Sens	French	2
12.	Ma Maison	French	3
13.	Indus	Indian	1
14.	Rang Mahal	Indian	2
15.	Indian Hut	Indian	3
16.	Angelini	Italian	1
17.	Calderazzo	Italian	2
18.	La Gritta	Italian	3
19.	Shin Daikoku	Japanese	1
20.	Benihana	Japanese	2
21.	Keyaki	Japanese	3
22.	Spasso	Music Venue	1
23.	CM²	Music Venue	2
24.	Saxophone	Music Venue	3
25.	Fuzio	New Outlet	1
26.	Molly Malone’s	New Outlet	2
27.	Coyote Bar & Grill	New Outlet	3
28.	Three Sixty	Pub	1
29.	The Dubliner Irish Pub	Pub	2
30.	The Bull’s Head	Pub	3
31.	Harvey	Speciality Cuisine	1
32.	Trader Vic’s	Speciality Cuisine	2
33.	Kongju	Speciality Cuisine	3
34.	Baan Khanitha	Thai	1
35.	Blue Elephant	Thai	2
36.	Saffron	Thai	3
37.	Le Danang	Vietnamese	1
38.	Thien Duong	Vietnamese	2
39.	Delices	Vietnamese	3
40.	Vertigo	Western	1
41.	Prime	Western	2
42.	Aldo’s	Western	3