AUGUST 2011
DEALS ON WHEELS F O O D B Y P H O N E ’ S M O N T H LY N E W S L E T T E R Christopher gwynne Managing Director - VFX Supervisor for Rooster Creative Co., LTD.
I was born in Greece, grew up in Central America and Tokyo but have both Swiss and U.S. citizenship from my parents. So it’s complicated to pinpoint where I’m from, but I feel at home in Asia, Europe and the U.S. I have been living in Thailand for the past seven years and apart from the incredible business opportunity for me personally, I love the food and lifestyle here. I have used Food By Phone ever since they started, every time I’m too lazy to go out, which is almost daily but at least once a week and usually several times a week! I like the selection and ease of delivery and is just what I need when I lack the motivation to go out. There is something terribly decadent about answering the door when the food is delivered and I couldn’t be bothered to go and get it myself. When ordering I am a creature of habit and don’t have just one favourite dish. I love the shawarma at Beirut (with the killer garlic sauce) as well as many Cajun dishes from Bourbon Street and lastly not a month goes by where I can escape the draw of the Fried Eggplant in Sweet and Sour Sauce from Peking as well as their Yang Chow fried rice or Boiled Dumplings with Leek & Pork.
MONTHLY
PROMOTION
My three favourite restaurants are Peking, Beirut and Bourbon Street.
THE Black swan
Buy 2 sets of “Roast” (Pork, Beef or Lamb) and get 2 portions of any dessert for FREE
Christopher s favourite restaurants
Govinda
Every order with minimum bill of 800 Baht will get a FREE Pizza Margherita
MONTHLY COMPETITION
FEATURED RESTAURANT: Big Mama Pizzeria & Madam Saranair The restaurant was called Big Mama as normally in an Italian kitchen the person cooking tends to be a woman of large proportions; the name conveys a sense of good food. Open for the past seven years they serve simple homestyle food made with quality ingredients at an affordable
Wrap It
Buy 3 Wraps (Regular Size) and get a FREE portion of “Criss Cut Fries”
price. Standards have been maintained due to Chef Max, who has been seen on many TV shows in Thailand and cooks like an artist. When ordering a spaghetti dish its not instant noodles, be prepared to wait as he insists on cooking it à la minute to ensure what comes to the table is cooked to perfection. Not only is he a culinary artist but he is also responsible for the artwork hanging on the walls. No matter where you are seated inside or out in the garden, this restaurant has an energising buzz with people queuing for tables, even if you arrive alone with their multi-cultural clientele you will never feel lonely. As the original Big Mama had demand in excess of supply they expanded next door to open Madam Saranair serving authentic Thai cuisine from the four corners of the Kingdom. CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 >>
For a chance to win a 1,000 THB voucher at Big Mama please go to www.foodbyphone.com and answer a few simple questions.
LAST MONTH’S WINNER Nick Pinks wins THB a complimentary voucher of 1,000 from Olive
FEATURED RESTAURANT Big MAma
Madam Saranair
An Italian and a Thai restaurant running side by side; back of house, two kitchens, two teams of staff each retaining their identity and authentic taste. Front of house they share the two seating areas with both menus being available. The idea of an Italian and Thai restaurant working in parallel may sound confusing but then Italian is the most popular Western food and in the basics of the two food styles there are similarities. Even if it doesn’t make sense does it matter as this neighbourhood family restaurant is packed every evening so they must be doing something right. In both restaurants the food is served family style encouraging sharing to give people more choice. The décor of the restaurant is modern with a Thai influence.
He gives his spring rolls an interesting twist: the wrapper is rolled ricotta cheese and spinach, the taste is deliciously light and crisp and looks like a Thai take on a bread stick. New Zealand mussels cooked in garlic, white wine and butter is very similar to a Moules Marinière with a baked bread crust. Again it’s served with a bread crust that has two roles, it keeps the dish moist and when you have eaten it, it can be used to mop up the delicious left -over sauce. With his deep-fried daily fresh sea bass, the flesh is removed from the bone and fried. The fishbone with head and tail still attached is also deep-fried to form a U-shaped serving dish. The sauce is traditional Thai spicy mix of shredded green sour mango, chilli, fish sauce and lime juice, garlic and carrot for colour. Smoked salmon Thai style stuffed with mint and Thai herbs is a great innovative dish born from the Chef’s creative talent, to add a touch of Thai to Western smoked salmon.
“In both restaurants
the food is served family style encouraging sharing to give people more choice. ” The first dish I tasted from Big Mama’s menu was Salad Gai Yang, an Italian salad of green leaves tomato and cucumber topped with roast chicken and mushroom. It’s served with three separate dressings Gai Yang sauce, mayonnaise and vinaigrette mixed; guests can mix the three together in whatever quantities suits their palate. Together they create a great taste sensation with just a kiss of chilli I was then served black ravioli stuffed with shrimp in saffron sauce with diced bell peppers. The pasta has a nice chewy consistency and the taste combination is perfectly light. An example of Chef Max’s photographic culinary memory can be seen in his breadcrumb coated cheese stuffed pepper served on a bed of tomato sauce, that he first tasted in Israel. The taste is deliciously smooth with melted cheese inside the bell peppers. Whenever Chef Max travels, he ventures into the kitchen to see what culinary innovations he can bring back with him.
Spaghetti Tom Yam Kung is a dish that Chef Max created to offer his customers something different. It’s cooked to order with the spice factor being adjusted to suit each guest’s taste profile. It’s baked in the oven with a pastry crust to infuse the flavours of the pasta. A good meal must end on a sweet note and here you must leave space for some pudding. Max spent over two years perfecting his Banoffee Pie and is so protective of the sauce he makes it at home. It’s four layers of taste that needs to be eaten from the bottom up and not picked at; the base is a touch salty to balance the sweetness in the toffee. His hot chocolate cake is one of the lightest I have tasted, the quality of the chocolate noticeable in every bite and is simply wonderful with vanilla ice cream. His Malay tea-cake melts in the mouth with a slightly bitter taste from the tea. If a guest takes a bite from a dish and doesn’t like the taste it will be replaced without discussion. All shakes are made from freshly squeezed fruit and their wines are affordable and good value for money.
Big Mama Pizzeria & Madam Saranair: 139 Asoke Soi 1, Sukhumvit 21, Bangkok 10110 Tel: 0-2259-0232
Opening hours
11.00 am - 10.30 pm
Credit cards
All major cards
Price per person without drinks THB 350 FBP partner since
2010
*Business lunch from 180 or Madam from THB 95
Swedish Culinary Consultant Goran Nyhlen
Scan Deli 21/3, Sukhumvit Road, Soi 18, Klongton, Klong Toey, Bangkok 10110
I come from the west coast of Sweden, an area famous for its fish and seafood. Most recently I had a sushi bar in my home town of Lysekil close to Gothenburg prior to returning to Thailand. I am a co-owner of Scan Deli and I act as a professional adviser based on my experience of running a restaurant in Sweden and my experience of the Swedish fish industry. Essentially we are a Nordic deli in the daytime and a become a Swedish restaurant after 6pm that also has Thai and International on the menu due to customer demand. The two items our Thai customers love are Norwegian smoked salmon and Swedish shrimps. 100% of what we sell is imported and as dairy products are involved the logistics are complicated. Prior to bringing each item into Thailand, our suppliers have to give detailed documentation confirming the food chain. Once we have the paperwork it takes a minimum of two months to gain FDA approval. An added complication is when we buy in bulk and repackage into small containers for retail sale, we are required to have approval both for the product we import and how we retail it. We are lucky to have excellent working relationships with the cargo departments of Thai Airways International and SAS. As soon the aircraft lands, they immediately transfer the produce into cold storage to maintain the quality. Their delivery is prompt and efficient in chiller vans, their logistics are excellent and their chain is never broken. We chose to be in Sukhumvit Soi 18 to make us close to the Scandinavian community. We are delivering a lot to top hotels and have retailers in Hua Hin, Pattaya and Phuket. Last Christmas we delivered over 1,000 Christmas Ham. Our Thai Chef had previously worked at Tasty Thai where he was used to the discipline of working in a professional environment. Our biggest challenge was to teach him to cook fresh Swedish food which tastes bland compared to Thai. He was eager to learn the art of Swedish food just using black pepper, lemon pepper and salt; it’s all about lifting the flavour from the food, adding nothing to it. The key is the quality of the ingredients we import, Swedish cuisine is all about the sauces and how to use them to bring out the flavours in the food.
COOK BOOK OF THE MONTH The River CafÉ Classic Italian Cookbook Publisher: Penguin Group (September 24, 2009) AVAILABLE: ISBN-13:
Kinokuniya Asia Book 978-0718153496
by Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers There is a brief moment as summer overlaps with autumn when the beautiful borlotti beans are fully ripe in their pods, the huge, wonderfully-flavoured porcini mushrooms are beginning to appear in the markets, and the tomatoes are so ripe and sweet they are almost bursting. “Most of what we have learnt has been from Italians who we’ve cooked side by side with. With this book, we want you to cook side-by-side with us” say Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers. Over the last twenty years, Rose and Ruth have both visited Italy time and again and during these visits have learned the many different subtleties that appear in dishes from the different, and very diverse, regions of the country. They have cooked alongside mothers, grandmothers, cousins and wine makers who have shared their family recipes. This book is Rose and Ruth’s personal interpretation of these recipes. It’s a celebration of the real, classic food of Italy; the traditional, regional food they both love to eat when they are in Italy, and the food they love to cook at their restaurant and also at home. The precious recipes that they have become well-known for, as well as the ones that are cooked less and less in Italy these days. The twelve chapters of this cookbook focus on every part of the Italian menu; from Antipasti to Sweet Dishes for Special Occasions. With accompanying narrative stories and anecdotes, this book gives you a personal insight into the relationships that both women have with the food of Italy. They not only show how purists cook the dishes, but also how Ruth and Rose interpret them in their own cooking.
About the Authors Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers launched the River Café in Hammersmith, London in 1987 and, since that time, have achieved a worldwide reputation for their cooking. They have written several best-selling River Café cookbooks, and have appeared on television presenting The Italian Kitchen for Channel 4 in the UK.
GET TO KNOW OUR MANAGER!
I come from the north of Thailand. Working at Tenderloins was my entry into the hospitality industry and I have been working here for the past 4 years. There are two aspects I like about this job. The first one is the buzz when we are busy and the second is getting involved with cooking which is something that I really love. Being Thai helps me to understand and communicate with our local staff which makes working together with them easy and to pull a team together. The main challenge of the job is managing the team while entertaining customers who have a wide range of needs and expectations.
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When a customer comes to dine at Tenderloins, he can expect a great steak, perfect service and an excellent selection of wines at an affordable price.
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ta Aor Areerat Yod
ins, Manager of Tenderlo i 33 So , ad 9, Sukhumvit Ro 10110 k ko ng Ba y, Toe ng Klo
WINES OF THE WORLD BY
SIAM WINERY
World of Wine Selection is a collection of award winning wines from around the world selected by Siam Winery’s wine expert Kathrin Puff in collaboration with some of Thailand’s leading sommeliers to select great wines at great prices. Chateau Vendome, France Made with grapes from twenty years old vines planted in the Languedoc Roussilon wine region of France which is fed water from three rivers, has a micro-climate that produces true “Terroir” wines. KOOKABURRA, NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA Their vineyards have vines of an average age of 20 years surrounds Griffith in the Riverina region of New South Wales where they produce Laughing White Chardonnay and Laughing Red Shiraz. The location enjoys cooler temperature which brings out balanced and pure fruit flavours. Lion’s Cape, Western Cape, South Africa The scenery around The Western Cape is one of the most stunning in the world.Their coastal wines are made to resemble the natural beauty of this unique environment. Mont Clair, South Africa The goal was to find grapes which combines both freshness and depth of flavours. Their cape cool coastal vineyards enjoy cool winds and greater day-night temperature allow grapes to ripen fully while developing balanced flavours. The result is an everyday wine of uncompromising quality. Naga, Thailand A special blend of wines made with fruit from the Hua Hin Hills Vineyard.
Peter Vella, California, USA Peter Vella continues a long tradition of family winemaking when he pours 40 years of expertise into his smooth, easy to enjoy wines made with premium California grapes. Building a Thai Wine Culture Their innovative wine selector helps match favourite food with wines that suit a customers palate. Its easy to use; first select the food you plan to cook for dinner tonight which is going to be pasta with a White sauce. For those whose preference is for a light fruity wine their recommendation would be Peter Vella Classic White Chardonnay from USA. However if the taste preference is for a medium dry wine then possibly consider a Mont Clair Bin 6 Chardonnay from South Africa. While for those who prefer a full bodied dry White wine there is Kookaburra’s Head Laughing Chardonnay from Australia. Whatever your taste preference World of Wine Selection has something to match what you are cooking tonight at the right price. The Sala at Hua Hin Hills Vineyard A wine bar, bistro and retail shop in an enchanting Thai-inspired pavilion. It’s set in 200 acres of vines at Hua Hin Hills Vineyard, a former elephant coral located in the hills between the beach resort of Hua Hin and the Myanmar boarder. They serve vineyard inspired cuisine offering both Thai and western dishes and is the perfect location to explore the award winning range of Monsoon Valley Wines. It’s open 10am-6pm with the kitchen open 11am-5.30pm
Wine Selection From Siam Winery will be available at Food By Phone in September!
Editor in Chief: Laurence Civil Email: laurence.civil@gmail.com
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