Sunday, April 22, 2007

Amici (Bangkok, THAILAND) ★★★☆☆

Amici by Pomodoro is touted as an Italian restaurant that offers authentic Italian dishes to customers who's looking for a real Italian food experience in Bangkok.



Located on the ground level of Siam Paragon Shopping Center, the two-storey dining area is well-lit and airy with the super high ceiling.



I started off with a bacon wrapped scallops which was served with a small garden green. It's a little weird that the scallops all came with very different sizes and shapes.



Pasta dish was a scampi spaghetti tossed in a spicy tomato sauce. I think they have probably added a little Thai twist to the dish by putting in some Thai spices to enrich the taste. It's a fairly decent dish but the portion could certainly be more generous.




Food Rating: 4.5/10
Price: ฿฿฿
Address: G/F, Siam Paragon, Bangkok, Thailand
Closest BTS Station: Siam
Tel: +66 (0) 2129-4331-2
Website: www.pomodorogroup.co.th


Friday, April 20, 2007

Sirocco (Bangkok, THAILAND) ★★★★☆

There are quite a number of rooftop restaurants in Bangkok but Sirocco at Lebua State Tower definitely tops it all with the best view and service, hands down.

Taking the BTS from Siam and after a comfortable 20-25 minute ride, I finally arrived at the waterfront station of Saphan Taksin. This is where you wait for the river ferry to go across the harbour. Turning the opposite direction onto a main road called Charoen Krung Road and walked another 15 minutes or so, there she was - Lebua State Tower on the right side of the road.  

I must admit walking through the Chinese market on Charoen Krung Road and seeing the aging paints on the exterior walls of the State Tower got me worried a little when I first got there. The building looked like an abandoned warehouse from the look of it but it was a tale of two cities the moment I stepped through the main entrance.

Unfortunately Sirocco was not open until 6pm so I had another 30 minutes to kill. Instead of just sitting around, I decided to visit Breeze, the hotel's Chinese restaurant situated right underneath Sirocco.



Breeze boasts pretty much the same view as Sirocco upstairs. You could see how the Lebua State Tower towers above all neighbouring architectures from 62th floor here.



30 minutes breezed by very quickly and it's time for Sirocco to shine. And there it was, a breathtaking view of the river from the top of the tower.



...and the city of Bangkok all in a glance. No wonder everyone is saying this is the place to be for al fresco dining in Bangkok. 



Don't expect too much from the food here though. They are overpriced and you could never get your money's worth.

But despite the quality of the food, this was one of the best dining experience I had in Bangkok for a long time. I will definitely be back!






Food Rating: 3/10
Price: ฿฿฿฿
Address: State Tower 63th Floor The Dome at Lebua, Bangkok 10500, Thailand
Closest BTS Station: Saphan Taksin
Tel: +66 2 624 9555
Website: www.lebua.com/sirocco



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