Christmas Dinner Pm Roundup

[Greenside]

With all the "I'm going here/We're going there" posts in the last few weeks, I thought that now we've recovered a bit that maybe a few (constructive) verdicts on those Christmas Feasts might help me decide where to book for next year .

So here goes with mine....

I'd never been to Bake & Bite before but read a lot of good stuff about them on TV, so I was looking forward to enjoying Christmas dinner last night with a group of five friends but, all in all, I have to say I ended up somewhat disappointed. The food was fine, with a reasonable selection of traditional dishes (American traditional, more so than English - although roast potatoes were noticable by their absence) and I'd been warned that the place was small so the rather cramped buffet came as no surprise. The deserts included mini Christmas puddings and custard and delicious slices of Pecan Pie which for some reason sported waltnuts on the top!

What let the experience down was the almost complete lack of festive atmosphere. Bright white flourescent lighting and dismally token decorations, coupled with the unfortunate positioning of our table in the icy draught of the (fairly uneccessary) air conditioner rendering my food cold within a minute or two, made it feel more a "working meal" rather than an experience to be savoured. Since there was little incentive to sit around in a replete state and enjoy coffee and conversation, the place emptied quickly as people finished their meals and left. A shame, since with a little more effort it could have been a much better experience as we were graphically reminded when we later arrived at the UN Irish to find dozens of satiated customers lingering at thier tables even an hour or two later.

I've no doubt that B&B serves good food and will probably try one of their well respected breakfasts when I'm in the area but somewhere else will be on the agenda for next years bash.

[PlaShadow]

Went with my wife and few friends to the Shangri-La hotel for Christmas day dinner, last night. The Shangri-La is still in its “soft opening” and apparently has only been “open” for couple of days.

The food was great, the ambiance was good and they did the smart thing, didn’t invite a crowd, so plenty of space and lots of food for everyone.

Look very forward to see their Sunday buffets once they formally open up in February.

4 ½ * for the food yesterday!

[PeaceBlondie]

Having had a British meal last year at True Blue, and a very American meal this year, of course I preferred the American meal at Bake & Bite. I enjoyed the delicious food, by far the best turkey dinner outside of the USA I've ever had. Festive atmosphere? Okay, no wandering minstrels, no mistletoe, no pretty maids all in a row, etc., but I was with friends and we enjoyed the food and the company. Now that I know where the place is, I shall return, as MacArthur said about the Philippines.

[Crow Boy]

I don't celebrate Christmas anywhere so it was a normal day for me. We had gai yaan, som tam and khao neou with a glass of water for lunch which is pretty standard fare in the Crows Nest. Took the girl to see her mother and sisters after and then caught up with a couple of friends for a drink last night which was nice.

CB

[mickybigears]

U.N. Irish Pub top class as usual. Even Santa turned up!

[Dustoff]

I don't celebrate Christmas anywhere so it was a normal day for me. We had gai yaan, som tam and khao neou with a glass of water for lunch which is pretty standard fare in the Crows Nest. Took the girl to see her mother and sisters after and then caught up with a couple of friends for a drink last night which was nice.

CB

Since you have nothing to crow about, how does this relate to the OP's intent/question? Don't do the Crow's Nest next year?

[Donnyboy]

Had Christmas dinner @ a friends house way out past Baan Tawai- in the sticks. The evening was superb as we dinned outside overlooking the friends back garden of 1 Rai of lush gardens and pond with gentle fountain running. The wine was flowing also and the turkey that was bought from Rim Ping delicious. Very enjoyable night.

Unfortunately, my friend doesnt take bookings

[mild7even]

Did Bake and Bite for Xmas eve lunch, and it was brilliant, as usual. On Christmas we decided to go Thai, so as to avoid all the crowds at the farang places. Went to the seafood place next to Bake and Bite (Ouanheha?), on the recommendation of someone here on TV, and was utterly disappointed. The food was foul, tasteless, disgusting. I found myself coveting the good food right across the way at Bake and Bite. Oh well, lesson learned.

[SwaziBird]

Empress Hotel super ( short for "superb" ) 3 hour buffet luncheon. A great meal with turkey/ham, the works . Good music. Couldn't ask for better - and the bonus was the 165 baht price tag ( which my wife gets with her "gold card" ).

IMO just can't eat better.

A lovely day !

Cheers

[tigerbeer]

Empress Hotel super ( short for "superb" ) 3 hour buffet luncheon. A great meal with turkey/ham, the works . Good music. Couldn't ask for better - and the bonus was the 165 baht price tag ( which my wife gets with her "gold card" ).

IMO just can't eat better.

A lovely day !

Cheers

i knew i was missing out something yesterday thinking about a place to dine at!. my bro in law has one of those gold cards as well.. hmmm nevermind next year

[cm-happy]

Having had a British meal last year at True Blue, and a very American meal this year, of course I preferred the American meal at Bake & Bite. I enjoyed the delicious food, by far the best turkey dinner outside of the USA I've ever had. Festive atmosphere? Okay, no wandering minstrels, no mistletoe, no pretty maids all in a row, etc., but I was with friends and we enjoyed the food and the company. Now that I know where the place is, I shall return, as MacArthur said about the Philippines.

No mistletoe/ Good thing maybe if ppl do the traditional thing about kissing anyone walking beneath. You know Thais and PDA! hehe

[cmsally]

Must say in the last couple of weeks have seen/tasted (not eaten because they were all pretty bad), some of the worst Xmas puddings.

One of the best things about Xmas is Xmas pudding and brandy sauce, seems like no one can make it here.

So, did anyone get good Xmas pudding ?

Next year going to dig up one of the family heirlooms which is a 100-150 yr old recipe for Xmas pudding; and carry on the family tradition.

[ThaiPauly]

We went to Tuskers.

Very impressive 3 course meal, great ambience and good service...plus a GREAT Xmas tree.

Very good value for 500 Baht

[Nienke]

I second that. I really enjoyed the food at Tuskers yesterday! Just hope that they are going to add some of these dishes to their menu AND, of course, some cakes! The pumkin pie was delicious!

Big thanks to Rachel, Chas and the Tuskers' staff for their great job!

Nienke

[BlackArtemis]

My wife and I organized our own feast with some of the students that we tutor. About 30 people came. Everyone brought something to eat and a gift (no more than 100B) for exchange. It was a great night and people went home with extra food

[Ulysses G.]

I'd never been to Bake & Bite before but read a lot of good stuff about them on TV, so I was looking forward to enjoying Christmas dinner last night with a group of five friends but, all in all, I have to say I ended up somewhat disappointed. The food was fine, with a reasonable selection of traditional dishes (American traditional, more so than English - although roast potatoes were noticable by their absence) and I'd been warned that the place was small so the rather cramped buffet came as no surprise. The deserts included mini Christmas puddings and custard and delicious slices of Pecan Pie which for some reason sported waltnuts on the top!

What let the experience down was the almost complete lack of festive atmosphere.

I went to both Bake and Bite on the 24th and the Dukes on the 25th.

I thought that the quality of the food in both places was simular - both were excellent - but of course the Duke's had a lot more choice at 3 times the price of Bake and Bite.

I recommended Bake and Bite as a "cheapskate's" Christmas dinner. I think that you get a lot for your money and the place is very pleasant and decorated for the holidays and the staff are very sweet, but if you are looking for a more "festive atmosphere" than that, maybe you need to spend a lot more money and go to a big hotel or the Duke's (who even had a Santa Claus) who charge enough to spend on a more elaberate set up. You get what you pay for.

Personally, I enjoyed both places and I make it a point to go to Bake and Bite every holiday simply because the food and price are so good!

Edited December 26, 2007 by Ulysses G.

[rrose070]

Tuskers' put on a superb dinner! Everything was simply delicious.

[anonymouse]

Must say in the last couple of weeks have seen/tasted (not eaten because they were all pretty bad), some of the worst Xmas puddings.

One of the best things about Xmas is Xmas pudding and brandy sauce, seems like no one can make it here.

So, did anyone get good Xmas pudding ?

Next year going to dig up one of the family heirlooms which is a 100-150 yr old recipe for Xmas pudding; and carry on the family tradition.

I picked up a Xmas pudding and brandy butter from rimping made by local English food producers Tower Bridge - as good as any I've had back in Blighty.

[chiangmaibruce]

Our family went to Mon and Kurt's Restaurant at Chiang Dao for dinner on the 24th, and stayed the night up there. We had not been to Chiang Dao before, and it proved to be a very nice area too. Much nicer I thought than Pai, which many people seem to think is pretty wonderful. Wat Tham Pha Phlong deserves a special mention here - a beautiful spot indeed.

While the restaurant was small, the buffet selection certainly wasn't! There was heaps of food! The centrepiece was a huge turkey that was cooked to moist & tender perfection. There was a little Xmas tree and presents for the children and some lucky door prizes. And all this for under 500 baht. Sadly I am out of the habit of eating big western-style meals and my stomach threw in the towel early in the night, and before I could try many of the dishes on offer.

It might have been nice to have some xmas style desserts to finish up with, eg. trifle, pudding or pies, but given that I could only have managed a mouthful anyway - well it was certainly nothing to lose any sleep over.

Well done Mon & Kurt & your friendly and dedicated team of helpers!

- CB