Anjana

Stuck in traffic last night along Suk 71, I decided to eat at this Korean resto I'd never tried before because they had a "cook on my own table" buffet for 299 to 399 (depending on which option I chose). I chose the 399 option.

It was great! Lot's of really good meats (read: good BEEF in Thailand... can you believe it!?); including good beef tenderloin, served at my table to be freshly cooked by myself on this sorta hot plate above charcoal. So much great stuff to choose from: Beef tenderloin, marinated chicken, squid, korean fried rice (called bibimbap), etc.

Particularly interesting were "LA Beef ribs"... served raw but marinated in herbs and honey, to be cooked on the hot plate. However, if you hate meat fat and ligament, these "ribs" are NOT for you. It's almost as if they intentionally purchase the fattiest cut with the most ligament for this dish... it looked disgusting when raw... until I ate it only to discover it was by far the tastiest of all the beef dishes.

For desert, they mix either crushed/mashed pineapple or banana (your choice) into this really fruity and creamy ice cream; was great as well.

Oh, the beer was VERY cold... and cheap for a fine dining resto! The BIG Singha was 90 baht! The BIG Heineken was 100 baht.

This is a REAL korean resto, mind you... not like those "thai-korean" restaurants ("moo krata") which also have a hotplate over coals, but which serve Thai tasting food.

The owner was a korean dude, and the customers were also korean expats. (At least they sure seemed to be so...)

Well worth it and I'll be back. I think they don't earn much money on me coz I must've had almost a kilo of beef tenderloin to myself, hehe!

Highly recommended... coming from Sukhumvit main road, it's on the left side, around 1km down or less. Name was "Go Ki Tip Korean Barbecue"

Thanks so much for this! I've been living in 71 all my life and noticed this place since they opened. Never tried it though, in fear of the whole "Thai taste" like you said.

Good to know it's actually really good. Will surely give it a try!

The colored rice grains are dyed, yes. But with natural ingredients. I think the purple ones are from the Anchan flowers, yellow from turmeric, but I'm not sure about red.

It adds aroma to your rice, but not so much. I wouldn't suggest buying the yellow one because you could add your own little spoon of turmeric into the rice while you cook it and it would give out a better aroma.

However the purple and red one, I can't say. Haven't tried them myself. Is it "healthier"? I don't think so, since this is just to obtain color and a bit of aroma.

If you'd like to experiment, Maboonkrong (มาบุญครอง) brand has these little packets of rice mixed with dried ingredients like vegetables, mushrooms, garlic, etc. That's slightly healthier and tastes better too.

Now if you're going to buy the colored rice anyway, try this:

While it's boiling, add a tablespoon of soy sauce. The grains will absorb the flavor while they're cooking so just do this now. After it's all cooked, let the steam escape for a while then stir in just a bit of garlic oil with a fork. Do NOT use a spoon to stir hot rice around, you'll end up with lumps of wet sticky rice.

This doesn't make the rice all that marvelous or anything, but it surely helps to bring out the flavors and the aroma. Even if you eat this with a simple stir-fry, it's still going to be pretty good!

Enjoy

Planet Bollywood Sathorn soi 1 and Rang Mahal @ Rembrant hotel.

Don't be intimidated by Rang Mahal being in a fancy hotel. This place has earned its well-deserved reputation for no other reason that its excellence. Live Indian music every day until 11 pm except Mondays, absolutely great service and very attentive waiters.

The food is no doubt THE best in Bangkok (in my opinion). Everything from starters to desserts, if you like your food a little more bland or a little more spicy, requesting so wouldn't be a problem.

Lunch buffet every Sunday, not worth missing

As for Planet Bollywood, awesome food also, as well as the cocktails. No live music, but certainly an ideal place for a more casual dining.

Indian food is the kind of cuisine that uses a lot of spices and authentic ingredients to enhance the richness, you can't possibly expect to pay the amount you would for Thai food or something likewise. So are these places providing good food for reasonable prices? In my opinion, absolutely.

Give them both a try, I doubt you will find anything to be disappointed about