Where To Pig Out

By JB Hockney

Bangkok is awash with outstanding Chinese restaurants. Some are classic, traditional eateries with old country décor and menus full of favourites, while others are hip, new eateries, serving up fusion cuisine and an atmosphere of stylish modernity. With Chinese New Year approaching, we decided to head out and find some of the best restaurants to see in the Year of the Pig.

In Chinese culture, the pig is considered a symbol of fertility and virility and people having children in this year – which runs from Feb 18 to 6 Feb 2008 – are considered to be especially fortunate. Food, of course, plays an enormous part in New Year festivities, and many special and extravagant dishes are prepared for multi-course banquets. Expect to find plenty of prawns, which signify liveliness and oysters, which symbolize all things good. Other showpiece dishes such as shark's fin soup, abalone and suckling pig are always popular, indicating prosperity and success.

Reclining in a stately high-backed chair at Bai Yun (02-679-1200), it is hard not feel slightly awed by the surroundings. Way up on the 60th floor of the Banyan Tree Bangkok, the restaurant's huge window arches look out over the neon signs, floodlit temples and illuminated bridges that help give this city such an inspiring nocturnal character.

Bai Yun is all about style. From the luxurious tableware to the outstanding presentation of the food, it is evident that much thought has gone into this sky-high eatery. Definitely a place to impress guests. The 7-course Chinese New Year menu is available for one day only, Feb 18, at a cost of 3,500 baht (net). The bird's nest soup, that quintessential Chinese delicacy, is prepared with imported Australian scallops. Delicate and crisp, the soup is excellent, with an understated piquancy that enlivens the palate.

Just as synonymous with fine Chinese cuisine is sucking pig. Here, the dish comes almost completely sans fat; the crispy strips of skin laid atop a modest serving of pale, tender meat. Combined with fresh Chinese buns and a heavenly plum sauce, the dish is outstanding. Also available on the New Year menu are beautifully presented wok-tossed river prawns with oyster sauce and kale, and an invigorating dessert medley including gingko nuts, Chinese jujube, lotus seeds and more.

Located on the 22nd floor of the Pan Pacific Hotel on Rama IV Road, Hai Tien Lo (02-632-9000 ext 4202) offers great views of the city, an extensive a la carte menu and elegant, helpful staff dressed in traditional Chinese cheong sam. The dining hall is stylish, with rich red table linen, marble walls and black partitions, and the relatively informal feel of the place makes this a comfortable and chic option.

For New Year, Hai Tien Lo will offer special set menus for both lunch and dinner from February 18-20: 880++ baht per person for 2-4 persons, 1090++ baht for 5-7 persons, and a choice of menus ranging from 12,800++ baht to 15,800++ for groups of 10. Tables will also receive a small complimentary bag of oranges after the meal, as well as a free lucky dessert.

Highlights from the set menus include a wide choice of shark's fin soup while a list of seafood boasts a selection of live lobster, river prawn, red and black garoupa, scallops and abalone. Deep fried prawns with wasabi salad dressing and fried crab claws wrapped with shrimp mousse are light starters bursting with flavours. The chef is very innovative and shows with beautiful desserts to end the meal.

Looking out over the hotel lobby from Lok Wah Hin (0-2209-8888) at the Novotel Bangkok on Siam Square can be dangerous: people watching opportunities are so plentiful that you might miss some of the efforts gone to in renovating this enjoyable Chinese restaurant. Lamps fashioned to look like bird cages cast a discreet light over proceedings, traditional Chinese figurines watch from alcoves, and several charming private rooms – which have interconnecting doors that can open up to accommodate a party of 40 – offer ideal private banqueting opportunities. And the stone floor, soft black and gold color scheme and Chinese courtyard feel give the restaurant an atmosphere that transports you back to a bygone China.

New Year celebrations will kick off on February 18 with a spectacular lion dance and cultural performance in the lobby at the auspicious time of 9:09am, while Lok Wah Hin is offering various set menus for 4 persons at 5,500++ baht (including a bottle of premium wine) and for 10 persons at 12,000++ (including two bottles). The promotional set menus run till February 28.

Of the dishes on offer, look out for the restaurant's ever popular roast duck Beijing style served on peas in the pod, and the intriguing sweet and sour Szechwan soup, which is rich and spicy, with just enough fire in its belly for the warmth to linger. Other notable entries include braised abalone on a sizzling platter.

There is a classic quality to the Lin-Fa (0-2xxx-xxx), Siam City Hotel's graceful Chinese eatery. Antique ornaments line the entrance parlour and the wait staff are discreet and demure. The spacious main dining room is tastefully decked out in shades of peach, with a mixture of intimate settings and the large round tables so perfect for group and family meals. The upper floor, which contains private dining rooms that can accommodate up to 40, is visible beyond a large balcony, creating a courtyard feel.

Lin-Fa's Chinese New Year menu is available from Feb 1-28, there are 8 courses and it represents excellent value at 12,000 baht (net) for a table of 10.

Despite an obvious respect for tradition, the menu is far from staid. In fact, the raw salmon with vegetable salad belies a healthy sense of modernity. Mixed at the table, the dish is spritzed with lime and combined with soy sauce. The crisp, sliced vegetables complement the succulent salmon and crunchy cereal (a novel addition!) to produce a treasure trove of textures and whet the appetite for what lies ahead. The braised shark's fin soup casseroled with mushroom and crab, meanwhile, is a Lin-Fa signature dish. Rich yet subtle, the splendid soup is a popular choice at feasts and banquets, indicating wealth and prestige. Another intriguing dish is the lobster, which is stir fried in soup. Lavishly presented, the Phuket meat is juicy, tender and satisfying.

The a la carte menu is also available during the festive month, and includes such house favourites as barbeque Peking duck.

Szechwan and Cantonese cuisine dominates the menu at Novotel Bangna Bangkok's Shui Xin (02-366-0505) restaurant. With a modern, relaxed feel, Shui Xin (which means "good luck") is one of the highest quality Chinese restaurants in the Bangna area, and as such attracts a large business clientele.

Seafood can be had fresh from the tank, while other house specialties include marinated ducks tongues in spicy sauce and crispy chicken with bean paste besides the favorite sautéed tenderloin of beef with black pepper sauce, the meat literally melting in the mouth. There will be a choice of New Year menus available from February 15th-24th, with the pick probably the 9 course set, at a cost of 7,999 baht to 9,999++ per table of 10. The set menus focus on seafood, with adventurous, elaborate dishes to the fore. Included are such exciting combinations as braised sea cucumber with black sea moss, which is believed to attract wealth, double boiled shark fin soup, Szechuan style prawns, steamed sand goby and Peking duck. The presentation here is to be applauded, and the portions are generous too - the shrimps are reassuringly huge. All in all, the New Year set menus at Shui Xin offer probably a great value in town.

The spacious Garden Court (02-290-0125 ext 7105) restaurant at the Chaophya Park Hotel on Ratchadapisek Road has a large and loyal following. Private dining booths offer intimacy, while the main dining hall is tasteful and comfortable. But the food's the reason so many people keep coming back as chef Peter Lai, who has been with the restaurant from the time it opened, knows what the local customers like.

The New Year menu is reasonably priced at 9,988++ baht for a table of 10.You get 9 courses all together, including what has to be one of the best suckling pigs in Bangkok. Served with a fantastically piquant black pepper barbecue sauce, the meat is tender and the skin exquisitely crisp. The taste of this dish, which is served to bring good luck in the coming year, will stay with you long after your meal, reminding you just how good Chinese food can be. Huge, fresh jumbo scallops are served with kale and salted fish, the shellfish's association with money being particularly pertinent at this time of year. See also the delicately poached sea conch, which is presented with shrimp paste and spring onion. Health and long life are encouraged, meanwhile, by the steamed tiger garoupa, which is prepared in a light soy sauce.

Entering the plush dining hall of Shang Palace (02-236-7777), the Shangri-La hotel's celebrated Chinese restaurant (so good even visiting Beijing dignitaries eat there) one is greeted by an enormous, smiling, golden Buddha. A traditional harp strums away in the background and graceful cheong-sam clad wait staff glide across the richly carpeted floor. Elaborate floral displays dot the tastefully decked out room and huge imported oil paintings adorn the walls. Discrete private rooms – several of which come replete with exclusive lounge areas – peel off from the main hall, separated by wooden walls and frosted glass. Quite simply, it is like stepping into a palace.

The two New Year set menus, which are available from February 16 to March 4, are priced at 12,888++ baht and 23,888++ baht for a 12 course banquet per table of 10. There is also a decent selection of wine, including a ripe Faustino V, and should you feel adventurous the hotel lays claim to an impressive cellar. On the morning of February 18, at 10:30am, New Year celebrations will get under way with a lion dance in the main lobby area.

In keeping with the surroundings, the food is regal. Highlights of the set menus include juicy minced shrimp atop minced crabmeat, stuffed into a refreshing melon cup, and the incredibly moreish deep fried silver fish, which is served alongside broccoli encased in a crab patty. Not to be missed is a fantastic combination of delicately steamed snowfish, juicy mustard leaves and crispy nuts in soy sauce, which presents a fantastic contrast of textures. More of an event than a meal.

Wherever you choose to dine during the upcoming festival, we wish you all the best in the coming year!