June 2012
DEALS ON WHEELS F O O D B Y P H O NE ’ S M O N T H LY NE W S L E T T E R
M O N T H LY P R O M O T I O N S Bistro 33
Siam Winery
The Barbican
Get a Pizza Margarita for FREE with every order of any 2 pizzas
Buy 3 Gerolsteiner Sprudel Water (1.5lt) [900-87] and get 1 bottle complimentary!
Get a FREE Tapas of Spicy Vegetable Samosa with every order of any Main Course
Basilico
Buy 2 any pizzas (Except Garlic bread style & Rosemary Olive Oil) and get a FREE Mixed Salad
Nadimos
Get a FREE Falafel with every order over 400 THB
Buy a Full Rack of Smoked Pork Ribs [57-24] and get 6 Wings for FREE
MONTHLY COMPETITION
FEATURED RESTAURANT the CEdar For the past 35 years The Cedars has b e e n p ro v i d i n g t h e f i n e s t g e n u i n e Lebanese cuisine. Then, as now, the arrival feels more like being welcomed into a family home rather than walking into
Great American Rib
another restaurant. It’s a tradition that the restaurant should be part of the Salhany’s family home. Back in 1977 Xavier Salhany was working as A rea D i re ctor Far Eas t bas e d at Si am Intercontinental Hotel, a hotel professional with a passion for cooking and hospitality. He was the pioneer of Lebanese cuisine in Bangkok, the only fine dining style of the Middle East. As little more than a hobby, in 1977 he opened The Cedar restaurant at 27 Soi Pipat in a beautiful family house with a large garden that offered plenty of parking. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 >>
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FEATURED RESTAURANT the Cedar During the day his real job at the hotel kept him busy, so when he came home from work he indulged in his hobby and opened the 40-60 seat restaurant for dinner. He was always at the door to greet his guests. Protocol demands that the restaurant should have a menu but it was rarely used, rather he would ask his guests what they felt like eating and then cook with his wife something to suit their mood. In those days, it was practically impossible to find Lebanese ingredients here in Bangkok. To resolve the problem his son Rafic, a university student in Paris, would fly home to Bangkok via Beirut to source the essential ingredients. His baggage often weighed over 100kgs. “My father would frequently invite colleagues from the hotel to the home restaurant,” says Rafic, “and make them shrimp cocktail or cook Beef Wellington to demonstrate his culinary skills.” From Soi Pipat the restaurant relocated to Soi Lang Suan, then to Sukhumvit Soi 49 where the tradition continues. In 1997 when Xavier’s wife passed away he didn’t feel he wanted to cook alone in the restaurant. After 20 years of running the restaurant he decided that it was time for him to retire. He asked his son Rafic who already had his own costume jewellery business, to keep his dream alive and take over running The Cedar. Rafic saw the succession as his duty. Today he oversees the business, while his Thai wife who trained as a Lebanese Chef in Beirut and runs the restaurant on a day to day basis. Lebanese cuisine remains at the heart of The Cedar but due to changes in his customer profile Mediterranean dishes have been added. Today’s menu is 60% authentic Lebanese, 20% their own unique dishes and 20% southern Mediterranean dishes, mostly Greek or Turkish.
The Cedar 6/1 Sukhumvit 49/9 Bangkok 10110 Tel 0-2714-7206 Email thecedar77@hotmail.com Website www.thecedar.20m.com
Opening hours
11.30am - 2.30pm 5.30pm - Midnight
Credit cards
All major cards
Price per person without drinks THB 500-1000 FBP partner since
2010
“All of our Lebanese recipes were given to me by family members,” he says. “Now it’s much easier to find Lebanese ingredients being imported into Thailand. What is important is the way we prepare every dish, consistency is essential. We have some customers who order Cedar Lamb weekly, we must get the taste right every time. It’s important that guests don’t just come to the restaurant but that they come back again and again. Likewise it is essential to remember the special needs of our regular guests; one has a Thai wife who always ask for tabasco. When they make a reservation a bottle will already have been placed on their table before they arrive.”
“My father believed in welcoming guests into the restaurant,” they say “as if they were friends coming to his home, we strive to continue that tradition. We train and motivate our staff to make them feel that they are part of the business and not just employees.” The restaurant is decorated like a bedouin tent with a 70’s feel. There are framed news cuttings by the front door dating to when the restaurant first opened. The decor is bamboo furniture, sand coloured floor tiles and olive jars used as planters. Having discovered The Cedar’s fascinating heritage, Rafic had some dishes for us to taste. Homemade garlic yoghurt sauce with pickles and raw vegetables is served as a complimentary welcome appetiser. Crunchy baby carrot dipped in tasty sauce is a great snack. Falafel [order code 42-5], a deep fried chickpea patty is served with tahini, a ground sesame seed sauce. This is one of the many dishes we recommend you taste. Their Pita bread [42-28] is one of the best I have tasted and comes in two sizes: the traditional oval and a smaller circular version. The pocket inside the bread is created due to high cooking temperatures that create steam causing the bread to puff up. Their bread is available in selected supermarkets but some customers prefer to collect theirs direct from the restaurant. I could understand why, it tears beautifully in the hand, the outside toasted, fluffy and soft inside. It’s the ideal scoop to eat Hummus [42-1], a delicious thick creamy dip made from cooked mashed chickpeas blended with tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic, drizzled with more Lebanese olive oil. The Garlic Paste [42-2], a simple blend of fresh garlic and olive oil whipped together, was everything Rafic told me that would be, thick and dense with aromatic garlic taste that expands in the mouth. One of their best selling items is their Mixed Grill [42-83], each item had been individually thread on their own skewer, then cooked, moist and succulent baked prawns, chicken kebab and lamb kofta served with oriental rice. The Cedar has a custom made beer that is finished to a recipe known only to Rafic. It was continuously effervescent, there was a fruity taste but exactly what I couldn’t identify, no matter it tastes good.
Xavier’s belief Lebanese culinary excellence lives on today honouring his memory.
Chef of the month Chef Vinder Balbir
lbir
Chef Vinder Ba
vit Road, Soi 11 155/18, Sukhum k 10110 ko Wattana, Bang
Vinder, a Malaysian immigrant, opened the original Mrs Balbir’s with her husband in 1975, serving her much loved authentic Punjabi cuisine. Located in a three storey shop house at the top of Sukhumvit 11/1, dinning is on the lower two floors, the kitchen on the top. She pioneered Indian cuisine in Bangkok. Five years ago the restaurant moved down the street much closer to the main Sukhumvit Road. A two floor elegant white walled dining room with vaulted ceiling and large glass vases piled high with exotic Indian spices. Vinder also teaches Punjabi cuisine in her own cooking school. The original classroom was the dinner table in her former family residence in Sukhumvit Soi 15. With the move to the new location the cooking school gained a custom built classroom with individual induction hobs for each of her students. Her spices factory prepares the highest quality ready use spices in packets that range from 30 grams to 1 kilo for both domestic and restaurant use. Punjabi cuisine come from North-Western India, the base ingredients of their masala are onions, garlic and ginger. Their Amristar region produces quality used to make paneer, a fresh milk rennet free soft cheese which is completely lacto vegetarian. Vinder makes her own paneer with high quality milk from a small herd of cows in Hua Hin. She has also been Consultant Indian Chef for Thai Airways creating the inflight menu for their Indian flights. “Our menu offers authentic Punjabi cuisine,” says Vinder. “Chicken Tikka Masala and Lamb Vindaloo are two of our best selling dishes. After 35 years I have created my own Inspired Indian Cuisine; Mozzarella cheese and bell pepper pakoras; tikka masala with an Italian twist served with pasta rather than rice. I marinade chicken in vodka and spices then cook it with more vodka, honey and lemon. The vodka adds flavour, and the alcohol has evaporated before it reaches the plate. The Middle East cuisine I tasted on a recent trip to Jordan and Doha inspired my cous-cous with saffron rice and pine nuts.” “A customer recently told me,” she says, “he went to his fridge in the morning after a delivery. He was pleased that there was no fat forming on the surface of the gravy!” In addition to the Sukhumvit 11/1 main restaurant they also have food counters in Robinson in Sukhumvit Soi 19 and on 6th floor of Central World. Future outlets will open in Gateway at Sukhumvit 42 opening in June and Silom Complex when they re-open in October.
Want a piece of authentic Lebanese cuisine?
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21-27
43-143
Prime Import Sirloin ‘Striploin’ Steak Cooked to your liking & served with fresh vegetables, French Fries, mushrooms, onion rings & gravy. 635 THB
Do you like British cuisine?
250 THB
16-80 Chicken 33 Oven-baked chicken breast stuffed with spinach. Served with a bacon and mushroom cream sauce & fettucine. 380 THB
Fish and Chips Today’s catch fried in a light batter and served with French fries and Mushy peas.
59-20
Roast NZ Lamb with Mint Sauce Served with all the trimmings: A selection of fresh vegetables, roast and mashed potatoes and Yorkshire pudding. 475 THB
What to do in Bangkok When? 9th June 2nd September, 10am-10pm (last entry 8.30pm)
What? Titanic Artefact Exhibition Adults THB 500, Children THB 350
Description
More info?
Central World LIVE, 8th Floor Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, this is an exhibition of real objects recovered from the wreckage Central World together with real stories of what happened on the ill fated voyage. Tel 0-2262-3838, www.thaiticketmajor.com
14-17 June
Asian International Guitar Festival
Guitarists from Thailand, Japan, Korea, Costa Rica and other far-flung countries take over the stage at the Asia International Guitar Festival in Siam City Hotel every year. Take a morning master-class, watch the daily competitions and attend the evening concerts.
Siam City Hotel, 477 Si Ayuthaya Rd., Phayathai, Bangkok 10400 Tel 0-2247-0123 www.thailandguitarsociety. com/aigf
17th June, 7pm
The 2012 Amazing Thailand Finalist Film
A chance to see the finalist of the second 9Film Fest a short film festival. The films by the finalist will be screened from 7pm but afternoon screenings of Semi-finalists will take place at 5pm, and a special screening of 2011 9FilmFest Finalist filmmaker Kris Clijster’s follow up film to Man with a Video Camera will be held at 4pm.
Paragon Cineplex @ Siam Paragon, 5th floor
23rd June, 8pm
Klassikal Kids Vi
A chance to hear International pianist Berenika Zakrewsky play Shostakovich: Concerto for Piano no 2 in F major, Op. 102; Webern: Pieces (5) for Orchestra, Op. 10; Stravinsky: Symphonie of wind instruments.
The Siam Society, 131 Asoke Montri Road (Sukhumvit 21), Bangkok 10110, BTS Asoke, MRT Sukhumvit Tel 0-2661-6470-7
24th June
The Whiffenpoofs
They are 14 talented young men from Yale University with their own special style of singing. They have performed before three US presidents – Reagan, Bush and Clinton.
Rattanakosin Lounge, Siam City Hotel, 477 Si Ayuthaya Rd, Phayathai Bangkok 10400 Tel 0-2247-0123 for reservations
Price Concert only THB 400 (students THB 200) or a combined dinner and show package, either International buffet at Pattumet of set Italian dinner at Primavera THB 1,400 (THB 1,150 for kids under 12 years old)
Are you organising an event that you would like to be included in our “What to do in Bangkok”? If so, please send details to Laurence Civil (laurence.civil@gmail.com) before the 12th of the month!
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