or my recent book review (http://www.dinemalaysia.com/foods_detail/131), I was looking at a book of Thai food inspired by the recipes and cooking of Thailand’s most beloved American, Jim Thompson.

Many people will have either visited JT’s house in Bangkok, been impressed by his silk business or heard the mysterious story of his disappearance on Easter Sunday when he took a stroll in the Cameron Highlands and was never seen again, but not many people will have realised (as I didn’t) that a big part of JT’s time in Thailand was given over to dinner parties.

The image couldn’t be more compelling: JT’s beautiful Thai house filled with curious antiques and even more curious people – actresses, diplomats, businessmen; the creme of Thai’s expat society jostled for an invite to his famous dinner parties. There, amid the candles and the light evening breeze, JT’s chosen guests would drink and eat a whole plethora of Thai dishes, from the traditional through to the westernized versions of local things, and put the world to rights.

This rather captured my imagination, and got me thinking back to all the (less extravagant) dinner parties I have attended, and how it is always the evening that takes centre stage. There is something about the ceremony of dinner parties – the matching cutlery, the candles, the excessive plates and courses – that makes the food taste even better and transforms it from a way to fill your belly to a sparkling social occasion. And yes it takes a lot of effort and leaves you with a mountain of washing up and a heavy head (if you indulged in the wine), but it is a far more enjoyable way to eat.

So next time you are planning a meal out with friends, why not plan to have a meal in instead? Yes you will have to cook (or persuade

someone else to) but you will avoid the rain and the traffic, you won’t have to spend too much money and you will get to spend a more laid-back evening in comfortable surroundings. Let us re-discover the delights of home dining!

Thailand's Best Restaurant 2009

The other day I picked up a copy of Thailand Tatler 2008 book which is Thailand’s closest equivalent to the Michelin Guide that we have in Europe to rate resturants. I got the chance to digg deap inside the book over the weekend and I thought I’d give you my opinions of the Thailand Tatler book here:

Overview

The book starts out with a few articles from covering the basics of dining in Thailand (such as tipping etc.) to the role of the Restaurant Sommelier (which was quite interesting). The book features restaurants in Chiang Mai, Phuket and Koi Samui however the main focus is restaurants based in Bangkok.

Each restaurant is graded a number from 1 to 10 in three different areas: food, choice of wine and service. There is also a handy meter for average pricing of meals.

You can buy the book from Asia Books priced at 350b and American Express card holder’s can enjoy discounts/promotions on selected restaurants mentioned in the book.

The reviews are questionable

Out of the 150 Bangkok based restaurants in Thailand Tatler 2008, I’m guessing I’ve visited around 30 of them and I personally wouldn’t necessarily agree with the ratings for the food, however the ratings for the service, price and wine lists are spot on.

Gengai is prominent

You can tell Thai’s have written the reviews as when they say something slightly negative it’s always followed up by some good points - A common trait among Thai’s being Geng Jai. It’s almost like they don’t want to offend the restaurant owners by being honest, which defeats the point of a restaurant review publication for me.

Lot’s of grammar mistakes

I was quite surprised for a magazine of this calibre, which has been around for a good few years and is sponsored by American Express, with the number of grammar errors and with many sentences just don’t seem to flow. It doesn’t bother me at all, but would it bother you?

Lot’s of missing images

A picture says a thousand words right? Well, there are more than a handful of restaurants that do not have any supporting images for their listings which is a real shame and let down. Surely they could have at least got a picture of the restaurant entrance or something.

It’s great to find new restaurants

With all of the above set aside, this is a great little book that will let you find new restaurants very easily and quickly by cuisine or location. There are 3 restaurants in the book that are located only a small walk from my home that I never new existed, so from the view of buying the book to find new restaurants it’s well worth the 350b if you take your dining remotely serious.

Have you read Thailand Tatler before? What were your thoughts?

Source :http://www.myeggnoodles.com