NOVEMBER 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
Travis White Director of Business Development - Hotels Division, Minor International
I am originally from Oregon in the USA, but I have been overseas most of my life. I lived in Thailand for five years being as a kid and returned in 2006. What I like most about living here is the quality of life: having good friends, a good job. I play golf frequently and I eat very well. I like Food by Phone because it offers a variety of options for lunch and dinner, and the service is reliable, convenient, friendly and prompt. With so many choices it would be hard to name one favourite dish, but at the moment I am quite partial to Beirut’s Couscous. Three of my favourite restaurants are Masala Art, Bacco and Bourbon Street.
MONTHLY
PROMOTION
I’ve been using Food by Phone for the past five years placing an order at least four times a week. Food by Phone is responsible for about 20% of my calories!
Scan Deli
Buy any main course and get a FREE portion of Pancakes with Strawberry Jam [145-21]
Madam T
Order any 2 main courses and get one FREE portion of Appetizers: Wrap or Spring Rolls [146-6,146-7,146-8]
Ringer Hut
Get a FREE portion of Chicken Karaage with every order over 500 Baht
MONTHLY COMPETITION
FEATURED RESTAURANT
For a chance to win a 1,000 THB voucher at Le Pre Grill restaurant please go to www.foodbyphone.com and answer a few simple questions.
Le Pre Grill French restaurant and Wine Bar Le Pre Grill first appeared on the Bangkok dining scene in November 2005; it was located in a small house on Lang Suan Soi 4. The business grew, and later accommodation was needed; so the restaurant relocated to a larger standalone house at the beginning of Narathiwas Road between Suriwong and Silom Roads.
Travis’s favourite restaurants
There are three dining areas; on arrival guests will notice a fresco terrace, covered by a large red awning the same typical style of a pavement cafe in France. On entering the restaurant guest will walk pass the bar which leads to the main dining room. The tables are formally laid with a gold table cloth, starched white linen napkin, elegant cutlery and crystal wine an water glasses. A large cork screw chandelier hangs from the ceiling directly over the aquarium with smaller circular crystal chandeliers forward and behind.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 >>
LAST MONTH’S WINNER Cristiana Marra wins THB a complimentary voucher of 1,000 T from Madam
FEATURED RESTAURANT Le Pre Grill French restaurant and Wine Bar The restaurant has a chilled walk in wine cellar where 30% of the wines and Champagnes are from France, the remainder are mostly from the New World in particular from Chile and Argentina. The wines were selected to be not too expensive and easy drinking to suit current tastes. Chef Jai Lafon is half French, half Thai. He was brought up in Paris where he learnt the art of classic French cuisine. “To ensure I deliver an authentic French product,” says Chef Jai, “our meats and Foie Gras are imported, but I am using local fish, seafood and vegetables. Running a French restaurant in Bangkok is a tough business, the market is
There was a pleasant combination of the two types of seafood piled together in the middle of the plate and worked well with a garlic parley sauce that has an assertive but not overpowering taste. Then arrived duck leg confit, slow cooked duck leg cooked in goose fat served with sautéed potato, garlic, parsley and orange sauce. This dish had what I was looking for in duck confit, a marriage of two texture a crispy skin and moist meat pair with a the traditional French caramelized orange sauce, pleasingly this one was not too sweet. To be followed by roasted sea bass filet with a White wine cream sauce and again with this similar texture combination of crispy skin and soft moist meat, the White wine cream sauce had just the intended taste I was expecting. When the main course was over, the fine dining tradition was observed of clearing everything off the table before serving dessert.
looking for a cheaper price for the same qua lit y, w h ic h c h a lle n g es m y c u l i n ar y creativity. Today, the majority of my customers are Thais who understand French dining. The basic taste of my classic French dishes remains unchanged but I am sympathetic to strengthening the flavours when asked to whiteout compromising authenticity.” The dinner Chef Jai prepared for me started with sautéed baby scallops and shrimp with garlic and parsley served with rocket salad.
There was a duo of temptation for dessert a chocolate mountain delicious cake with a light sponge shell with a rich warm dark chocolate sauce in the centre and a deliciously flavorful strawberry sorbet. There was a duo of temptation for dessert a chocolate mountain delicious cake with a light sponge shell with a rich warm dark chocolate sauce in the centre and a deliciously flavorful strawberry sorbet. Diner at Le Pre Grill is an authentic taste of traditional Parisian cuisine served in the heart of Bangkok at an affordable price
“Opening a restaurant is like having a son,” he says, “you want to do your best for them but they can be very demanding. When I first opened here, we were serving lunch and dinner but after a year I realised that it wouldn’t work serving traditional French food at the price customers are willing to pay for lunch. Rather than compromising the integrity of our product, I decided to open only for dinner. Timing is between 5-7pm with Happy Hour when selected wines, beers and spirits you will receive 50% discount.
2 Narathiwat Road, Suriyawongse, Bang-rak, Bangkok 10500 Tel: 02-266-5899 / Fax: 02-266-5898 Mobile: 08-6354-7372 Website: www.lepregrill.com
Opening hours
5pm-1am / last orders midnight
Credit cards
All major cards
Price per person without drinks THB 700 FBP partner since
2010
celebRity Chef Joanna Poblete
“I come from Manila in The Philippines,” says Joanna, After graduation I worked in several restaurants in Makarti Place where I was cooking western food. I started working at The Dubliner as Chef de Partie in May 2000 under the opening Executive Chef Irishman Jason Skidmore who taught me the culinary taste of the emerald isle. I had never cooked Irish food before I came to The Dubliner. But what I could offer was that I could read English and could understand how to interpret any recipes I was given. Due to my lack of experience of Irish cuisine I was nervous to start with, but I quickly got my confidence, as the recipes were well structured. In addition, as I was trained about the taste of Irish food so I soon saw a similarity between this and the western food I had been cooking back home in The Philippines. The difference was the gravy there tends to be more like a clear soup while the authentic Irish version is much thicker.
The Dubliner 440,Sukhumvit Road,. Soi 22-24 Klong toey, Bangkok 10110
I was promoted to Head Chef five years ago and I put my stamp on the food by fine tuning some of the recipes. When we opened we had been using tinned plum tomatoes in our gravy. But now we can get good quality fresh ones and I am using them for my sauces plus carrots, celery and basil for a richer taste. Indian curry was another dish I had never eaten before coming here, and I felt so honoured when the first one I cooked just by following a good recipe earned me praise from our customers. The heart of all of our sauces is a home made stock, which we simmer for four to five days, for my Indian curry I add garam masala, cayenne peeper, paprika, tinned plum tomatoes coriander, onion and tomato paste. This is now my favourite dish in our menu. My favourite Irish dish is pork sausage served with bubble and squeak and a rich caramelised onion gravy as adding the cabbage to the mashed potato adds more texture rather than serving plain mash - its typical Irish comfort food. I am a great fan of pies whether they are filled with fish, chicken and ham or steak and kidney topped with soft crust pastry likewise Shepherd’s Pie, the combination of the rich meat ragout balanced by the simplicity of mash. For dessert my favourite is Apple Crumble, mostly for the crumble; we add crushed cashew and walnuts to give it more crunchy. The Dubliner is my second home and I am lucky to have such a good boss.
COOK BOOK OF THE MONTH Asian Flavours by Eric Ripert Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Nov 2010 AVAILABLE: ISBN-13:
Kinokuniya Asia Book 978-0470889350
In Avec Eric Chef Eric takes the reader on a culinary journey from Italy to California in this companion piece to his PBS series of the same name. He aims to share how his cultural adventures spark the creative process. While he falls short of his overall goal, his recipes and the amazing photos that outnumber the dishes more than make up for this lapse. The roasted pork loin with wild mushrooms, garlic, and sage pan jus from Tuscany will tempt even the most faithful of vegans, while heirloom tomato salad with black garlic and white balsamic, and white asparagus with anchovy-herb butter, both from Los Gatos in California, proclaim the supremacy of vegetables. Marshall, California, showcases fruits from the sea, a subject Ripert knows more than a little about; oyster sangrita and whole roasted red snapper with Thai spices and coconut rice accent the freshness of the ingredients, and Ripert includes sidebars on oyster shucking and tasting, which complete the oyster encounter. Journeys to Italy’s Livorno, Mugello, and Fonterutoli as well as the Sonoma region of California and the Cayman Islands have rounded out Ripert’s expedition. While the randomness of his destinations makes the book seem like an afterthought, the array of appetizing dishes that Ripert offers was worth the price. “I was thinking like a home cook who invited friends to my home for a simple meal, following the seasons and using those ingredients to create one amazing experience that would allow me to mingle, eat and drink with my guests. The recipes and ingredients always reflect a place and the inspiration I took away from that place.”
About the Author Born in France and Eric was taught to cook by his grandmother from a young age. He moved to Paris at age 17 and worked for two years at La Tour d’Argent from where he went to work at Jamin under Joël Robuchon and was soon promoted to Assistant Chef de Partie. Then he went to work at Le Bernadin in New York and due to the untimely death of Gilbert Le Croze he was promoted to Executive Chef when he was just 29. He was responsible for Le Bernadin to be the only restaurant to win four stars from The New York Times for four consecutive years as well as being rated 3 stars by Michelin guide.
GET TO KNOW OUR MANAGER!
Originally I am from France, and before
a strong local team; to train them to have
coming to Bangkok I have been working in
the skills and empower to deliver a service to
Las Vegas first. I opened a wine store and
please our customers and exceed their
then a bistro; I have a total of 15 years-
e xp e c t a tio n s. What I l i k e mos t about
experiences in the hospitality industry.
Thailand is the kindness of the people; the
I came to Thailand two and a half years ago
least is the torrential rain.
to open our Cafe with my husband. We are a family business, and our aim is to build a
I am not having a one woman show and
good working relationship with each of our
would like to share this stage with a fellow
customers and to make each and every
team member, Chef Nok (Jutharat Takai).
visit a unique experience. Nothing beats
She’s from Bangkok with 12 years hospitality
word of mouth, based on customer
experience. She was one of the first
experience, to promote a cafe such as ours.
employees to join us when we opened and had previously been working in the kitchen
Our biggest strength is our Thai staff,
at Thai Airways First and Royal Orchid
who I find smooth and easy to work with.
Lounge at the airport. With her previous
I communicate with them in English, French
experience dealing with International travelers
and Thai. I resort to Spanish when cursing,
from around the world, it is easy for her to
and when those four did not get the message
cook our French bistro cuisine.
across, I would turn to International sign language. I will do whatever it takes to build
Verge Agathe e Cafe rtin
er of Ta
Manag
Ploenchit Fair 2011 The Ploenchit Fair has grown to be one of the biggest and much loved events in Bangkok’s social calendar. It was first held in the grounds of The British Embassy in 1956 to support a range of diverse charity projects in all regions of Thailand. Now, it is one of the largest charity fair events held in Asia. Every year approximately 2000 volunteers assemble to help put on the Ploenchit Fair. Over 250 Corporate Sponsors are involved. It’s a family fun day based on an English Fairground where most British and many others join together to create a unique atmosphere for all while raising funds to help the less fortunate in Thailand. Last year it attracted some 10,000 visitors from the international communities and raised THB 5 million.
“Food by Phone has always been an active member of the local community,” says Marc Hagelauer, Managing Director, “We have been participating for many years for many reasons. It is an opportunity for us to give back to the community and to meet our partner restaurants socially in a way that benefits the less fortunate.” The easiest way to get there is to take the sky train to Saphan Taksin and then the shuttle boat to Shrewsbury School. For those driving the address for your satnav is 1922 Charoen Krung Road (expressway exit Chan Road), limited parking is available.
This year the 54th Ploenchit Fair will be held on Saturday, 26th November in the grounds of Shewsbury school with an array of outdoor attractions and entertainment for a fun-filled day with family and friends. Enjoy shopping and activities, including the Ferris Wheel, Carousel, Go-Karts, Euro Bungy, Giant Wave Slide, Mini Golf and 20 or more stalls with games of skill and chance. There is going to be over 50 shopping outlets at the Petticoat Lane that has charity stalls, selling a vast assortment of treasures ranging from clothes, gifts, and cosmetic products to food from many restaurants to taste.
Editor in Chief: Laurence Civil Email: laurence.civil@gmail.com
We are going through a progressive re-design of Deals on Wheels and feel it’s appropriate to ask you, our readers, what else you would like to see in the newsletter. In return for your constructive feedback we will give you in return a free delivery with your next order. Simply share your ideas with us by sending an e-mail to marketing@foodbyphone.com and your next delivery is on us.
Publisher: Asia Media Studio Co., Ltd. Email: info@asiamediastudio.com
Sales: Email: marketing@foodbyphone.com