Bangkok Dining Deals

[jfchandler]

Yes, those various photos/links of Kin Ramen above are a pretty good representation of what they're doing, and the meal we had the other day...with a couple of exceptions...

I didn't see, and don't think they do, any sushi boat presentations as part of their buffet. That's certainly not a menu item... Maybe they do that to combine multiple orders of sashimi... But we ordered multiple orders, and each just came on its own little plate...

Re the pricing flyer shown in the first link, as I stated in my post, the 300 baht pricing for daytime hours is no longer valid. And you'll see it was crossed out on the flyer they gave me and I subsequently posted here. It's now 350 baht anytime of the day.

Re their gyoza, depicted in the first link, they are quite good and delicious.... But, they're only serving 4 to an order, not 6 or 8 as was shown in one of the photos. Of course, you can have as many orders as you like, so maybe they'd combine them with multiple orders.

The paper menu shown in the first link is the buffet menu they're using now... So that's the actual list of all the different things that are available.

[Bangyai]

Be nice to see people eating a bit further afield than Sukhumvit. If anyone every dares to venture up Pahonyothin Road just past the Laksi monument ( there be dragons oop there ) I can recommend ' Pahonyothin Park ' buffet restaurant. Its open air and uses the Korean BBQ as its main attraction but there is also a lot more on offer. As much sushi as you can eat, gy yahng, nua yahng and som dtam for the ladies and lots of other dishes in tureens. Ice cream, cakes and Thai sweets for desserts. Beers by the yuak and an artificial waterfall tumbling over giant boulders out back. Gets VERY busy so get there about 7.00 p.m. for the best of it.

All this for 99 baht last time I went, 9 months ago.

[jfchandler]

Bangyai... thanks for the suggestion... The place you suggest is not THAT far out of the center of town...

It sounds, from your description, like a familiar Thai moo krata-style outdoors BBQ place, which, if done right, can be quite pleasant and a bargain too...

But let me ask, how do they keep and serve their meats??? In some kind of tabletop tray or bin that's sitting out all afternoon and evening???

I've tried a couple of those places, using that storage/serving technique, in the 99 to 129 baht range around town, always Thai-oriented places... And unfortunately, more often than I'd like, the after dinner result is a series of long and not so pleasant visits to the restroom.

Best Beef, on the contrary, out near On Nut BTS, prices their BBQ buffet at 200 baht, so it's a bit more pricey. But all their meats, they serve on individual plates and the meats are kept refrigerated until they are served up. Happy to say, never come away from Best Beef with any stomach malady...

[smokie36]

Thanks. Look forward to tring Kin Ramen.

Do you know of a good dim sum buffet?

[thecatman]

Thanks. Look forward to tring Kin Ramen.

Do you know of a good dim sum buffet?

The Golden Palace restaurant at The Windsor Suites Hotel (Sukhumvit 20) have a 'Special' on for their dim sum buffet this month.

There's also a few others mentioned on these pages here, here and a review on the Novotel's Lok Wah Hin Restaurant dim sum.

I have also heard the the one on offer at The Asia Hotel is good value (can't go far wrong at 350++Baht).

Edited November 5, 2009 by thecatman

[namoo]

55 Fine Dining & Grill at Centara Grand at CentralWorld has been named Best Restaurant in Thailand by the readers of Lifestyle + Travel magazine.

Nothing to do with the food. More to do with that was the place to be seen and the concept of another rooftop venue. I have eaten twice at 55 and both times left disappointed with a 12k+ bill.

I really cannot recommend the food there. I can however recommend the bar for drinks prior to going somewhere decent for dinner. Nice location - Foods' Crap.

[Bangyai]

It sounds, from your description, like a familiar Thai moo krata-style outdoors BBQ place, which, if done right, can be quite pleasant and a bargain too...

But let me ask, how do they keep and serve their meats??? In some kind of tabletop tray or bin that's sitting out all afternoon and evening???

Yes, the old moo krata it is, which normally I don't care for for the same reasons you mentioned. However, I've never had Delhi Belly from this place as they don't start up until about 5.00 p.m. and by 8.30 its pretty well picked clean so the food doesn't hang around much. If there are germs in these places I think its a case of the patrons being the guilty party.

If anyone should go to Pahonyothin Park, forget the weekend...too busy. And don't be put off by the moo krata theme as the sushi alone is worth the entrance fee, not t mention the gy yahng and moo yahng etc.

Its about 100 metres past Tescos on the opposite side of the road.

Here's another one away from Sukhumvit. The Pathe :

This is on Atsadang Road opposite the park. Mixed Thai and western menu at reasonable prices. The restaurant itself is in a period building within the conservation area so what with the park and the old buildings a pleasant way to pass the afternoon.

Edited November 6, 2009 by Bangyai

[smokie36]

The Golden Palace restaurant at The Windsor Suites Hotel (Sukhumvit 20) have a 'Special' on for their dim sum buffet this month.

There's also a few others mentioned on these pages here, here and a review on the Novotel's Lok Wah Hin Restaurant dim sum.

I have also heard the the one on offer at The Asia Hotel is good value (can't go far wrong at 350++Baht).

Thanks for the links!

[jfchandler]

Re the dim sum request above, in addition to Catman's excellent suggestions, I know the Hong Teh Restaurant at the Ambassador Hotel on Suk Soi 11 offers an ongoing dim sum buffet for lunch and dinner.

I've never eaten at this restaurant, so I can't speak to it good or bad. But they're advertising their buffet for 359++ baht, but then say they're offering a 15% discount weekdays on food during November.

[thecatman]

JFC, I'm sure I've seen The Ambassador Hotel and it's dining areas mentioned previously in your posts on more that one occasion.

Generally speaking, how do you rate the food there?? As I see they also currently have a buffet at their Am Cafe running at 399++Baht.

[jfchandler]

On a couple of fronts, I wanted to throw in some comments about the Landmark Hotel between Sukhumvit Soi 4 and Soi 6. Clearly, if you're not careful, you can get slammed for an arm and a leg eating and drinking there. But they also do offer a variety of specials at their various eateries from month to month that can be pretty good values, though they're always changing. So even if you find something you like, it's likely to only last for that one month and then it's gone.

Specifically, each month, the Landmark publishes both a printed and online brochure advertising their food and beverage specials for the month. You can find the printed version on the table near the entrance to their ground floor bakery. Or, you can always find the online version on the hotel's web site at this link. In my view, it's something well worth checking out at the beginning of each month to see what's on offer.

This month, a couple of things caught my attention:

1. They're advertising a traditional trolley carved prime rib dinner with all the trimmings served on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights... in their Huntsman Pub. Perhaps alarmingly, though, the ad doesn't mention the price. It looks and sounds quite good. So if anyone knows the price and/or has tried this special, please do chime in...

2. Then for all you drunkards out there, the hotel is advertising a Friday and Saturday night drinks buffet in their lobby floor level Rendezvous Lounge for 650 baht, I'm assuming ++... Once again, the details are a little thin.. The advertisement doesn't say exactly what is included in their "all you can drink selection." But I'm assuming the choices are sufficient to leave one with a sizable hangover in the morning. That lounge at the Landmark, also, I believe, is a pretty nice environment with music and such... Likewise, if anyone has pickled their liver with this offer, how did it go???

PS - Actually, though I'm not a big drinker most of the time, I have noticed that there are quite a few different drink buffets on offer around town... And I always am on the lookout for a good value... So I may get around to trying to copy and/or cobble together a list of such for posting here... I've heard there are a few serious drinkers in the crowd.

Edited November 6, 2009 by jfchandler

[jfchandler]

No Catman... not really...

I believe I posted one on TV one time about the hotel's bakery offering a half price sale, which they're still doing, on take-out deserts daily after 5 pm... But I don't believe that same offer applies if you do sit-down...

But other than that, I don't believe I've ever eaten at, or written about, any of the Ambassador's restaurants since I moved to live here in BKK.

However, back in my tourist days, I did stay at the Ambassador as a guest quite a few times until their prices went up and their quality and room condition went down to an unacceptable level. And during that time, I did have their breakfasts at the Am Cafe...for the record, last time being maybe 3-4 years ago.

That's their main coffee shop where they feed the ABF to all the hotel's guests. So it's a big place with a bustling feel and a lot of offerings, in my view of modest quality, particularly at breakfast time. Perhaps a bit more quiet and pleasant during the rest of the day. Call me fussy, but I kinda swore off the place one time when I went to the coffee/tea serving table in the Cafe one morning during breakfast, and saw roaches crawling all around the table.

I've never at all tried the pub there, or the Chinese restaurant, though from passing by the Chinese place looks to be nice and upscale in its presentation. I may get around to trying it.... But I had Chinese inlaws in the past, and Chinese food for me these days tends to be a bit on the greasy/fried/deep fried side too often. So it's not usually high on my list of dining choices....

That's my personal bias... though I do like a good dim sum every now and again... So I was interested to see about some of those dim summers mentions above that were new to me.

JFC, I'm sure I've seen The Ambassador Hotel and it's dining areas mentioned previously in your posts on more that one occasion.

Generally speaking, how do you rate the food there?? As I see they also currently have a buffet at their Am Cafe running at 399++Baht.

[jfchandler]

And lastly for the moment, particular for the Americans among us, Thanksgiving time is approaching... So it's time to keep a lookout for the various turkey dinner deals that will be forthcoming...

I saw a mention in this month's Huntsman's promo about them planning to offer a Turkey dinner on T-Day...

Last year, a friend and I went to the Thanksgiving buffet that Bully's Pub on the main road near Suk Soi 4 offered that was quite good... Lots of food, good quality and good selections, priced at under 600 baht if I recall right. Haven't seen any mention of what their plans are for this year.

Each year, also, I believe the Bourbon Street bar in Washington Square puts on a quite eclectic and pretty good Thanksgiving buffet, particularly the deserts, if I recall right. Probably more varied in its offerings that Bully's, but IMHO probably not quite up to the same quality standards when its comes to the T-Day essentials (carved turkey, dressing, potatoes... and such).

Two years ago, when the Landmark was offering a 50% discount for VISA Platinum card holders, I went to their Thanksgiving buffet dinner, which required reservations, in their Atrium Restaurant. I can't recall exactly, but I think I paid around 700 or 750 at half price, which was a great meal and an excellent deal. Their quality was high and selections quite broad. However, I didn't see that promo repeated last year, and I wasn't keen to shell out 1200 to 1500 for one T dinner, so I didn't go for a repeat. Dunno about this year. Strange that the Landmark's brochure for November makes only a passing reference to the T-Dinner at the Huntsman and nothing re the Atrium.

So, if you guys are seeing or hearing any news about this year's T-Day offerings, please chime in...

[jaiyenyen]

Mrs JYY and me are regular attenders at the buffet at Pahonyothin Park, and, like Bangyai, we have never suffered any problems with the food. As said before, we tend to get there around 6pm. It's by far the best BBQ Buffet we've been to, certainly in our area. It's well worth a visit if you're up that way.

[bonobo]

And lastly for the moment, particular for the Americans among us, Thanksgiving time is approaching... So it's time to keep a lookout for the various turkey dinner deals that will be forthcoming...

I saw a mention in this month's Huntsman's promo about them planning to offer a Turkey dinner on T-Day...

Last year, a friend and I went to the Thanksgiving buffet that Bully's Pub on the main road near Suk Soi 4 offered that was quite good... Lots of food, good quality and good selections, priced at under 600 baht if I recall right. Haven't seen any mention of what their plans are for this year.

Each year, also, I believe the Bourbon Street bar in Washington Square puts on a quite eclectic and pretty good Thanksgiving buffet, particularly the deserts, if I recall right. Probably more varied in its offerings that Bully's, but IMHO probably not quite up to the same quality standards when its comes to the T-Day essentials (carved turkey, dressing, potatoes... and such).

Two years ago, when the Landmark was offering a 50% discount for VISA Platinum card holders, I went to their Thanksgiving buffet dinner, which required reservations, in their Atrium Restaurant. I can't recall exactly, but I think I paid around 700 or 750 at half price, which was a great meal and an excellent deal. Their quality was high and selections quite broad. However, I didn't see that promo repeated last year, and I wasn't keen to shell out 1200 to 1500 for one T dinner, so I didn't go for a repeat. Dunno about this year. Strange that the Landmark's brochure for November makes only a passing reference to the T-Dinner at the Huntsman and nothing re the Atrium.

So, if you guys are seeing or hearing any news about this year's T-Day offerings, please chime in...

Actually, I thought Bourbon Street was quite good.  I went to the Landmark and Bourbon Street, and for the THanksgiving basics, I thought Bourbon Street was better.  The Landmark had a far greater selection, but for turkey, stuffing, potatoes, etc, the Bourbon Street was better prepared and didn't run out as the Landmark was continually doing.

[jfchandler]

Just goes to show how YMMV....

I went early to the Landmark two years ago, and had no problem whatsoever with them running out of anything.

When I've been to Bourbon Street, they were very busy... And the buffet had a kind of picked over state....

I suspect a lot may depend on how early or late one arrives... And also...the prices among the three are quite different.

The Landmark has been running a 4 people eat for the price of two special... But I'm not sure if that will apply for their Thanksgiving dinners, either in the Atrium buffet or at the Huntsman...

I have only two, not four, so it won't help me any...

Actually, I thought Bourbon Street was quite good.  I went to the Landmark and Bourbon Street, and for the THanksgiving basics, I thought Bourbon Street was better.  The Landmark had a far greater selection, but for turkey, stuffing, potatoes, etc, the Bourbon Street was better prepared and didn't run out as the Landmark was continually doing.

[teatree]

Seoul Restaurant Thong Lo 2 min walk from the BTS - 99b weekday lunch set includes meat, rice, pickles/salad, green tea, and choice of ice-cream/coffee/fruit. Less than a big mac meal! Got to be the best value in BKK.

There are quite a few similar places around that area.

[jfchandler]

What is the "set" meal there... one thing to choose as an entree... or a choice of things... and choice of what???

Edited November 8, 2009 by jfchandler

[jfchandler]

It's time to talk a bit about one of my favorite food styles...Mexican...and the presence of Mexican food buffets here in Bangkok...

First...some new news..... Out and about the other day, I was passing the Coyote location on Soi Convent near Saladaeng BTS and was surprised to see a sign about them offering a Friday lunch hour "Chili Buffet" -- all you can eat plus your choice of tea or coffee, for 295 baht+. Their sign says Fridays 11 am to 2:30 p.m. and advertises "firehouse, pork and veggie" varieties.

Now, while chili isn't exactly Mexican food, for purposes of this discussion and the venue serving it, we'll bend the rules just a bit. I love a good chili, and I love an all-you-can-eat buffet. The only question is... is the chili at Coyote any good? Guess I'm going to have to find out one of these Fridays pretty soon.

This news, of course, raises a number of other questions.... For example:

--Coyote Convent used to offer a Friday night Mexican food buffet for somewhere around 300 baht... Is that still available, or it's been replaced by the chili lunch.

--Is the chili lunch buffet also being offered at Coyote's Suk Soi 33 location. Last time I was by there, I didn't see any sign of it.

--the Great American Rib Co. location on Suk Soi 36 used to offer a Monday night Tex-Mex buffet... Haven't heard anything of it lately???

--I do know for certain, Tacos & Salsa on Sukhumvit Road near Soi 22 absolutely is offering its every Saturday night Mexican food buffet from 6 to 10 pm for 250 baht, which certainly makes for a pretty good meal.

--Likewise, Bourbon Street Bar and Grill in Washington Square still has its Tuesday night Mexican (and some Cajun) food buffet for 295 baht++. Also from 6 - 10 p.m.

And then, of course, there's the talk about the future (maybe) new Mexican restaurant, Los Cabos, being planned for Sukhumvit Soi 14.

And, a possible Sunday morning Mexican buffet being offered by Tacos & Salsa, though there seems to be some question about that... yet unresolved.

Whew.... for a city that didn't used to have much in the way of Mexican food, there's sure a lot going on around these parts with a Mexican flavor... Glad to see it.

[jfchandler]

And then, on the subject of Sunday roasts, there's some interesting news to report...

This week was a bit of a rough week for me, for reasons entirely unrelated to food and dining , so I decided to reward myself with a Sunday roast buffet at Molly Malone's on Soi Convent near Silom Road and the Saladaeng BTS Station.

As regular readers will know, it's one of my favorite Sunday roast offerings in Bangkok for a variety of reasons....

Yet all along, I've chided them for one particular fault (their invariably and inevitably dry roast beefs) and kept a secret wish to myself (that they'd someday add mashed potatoes to their roster of offerings, instead or in addition to the normal roasted potatoes and their very good au gratin potatoes.

Well, blow me down... Yesterday, during my visit, what did a find but a big tray of decent mashed potatoes on offer, along with the roasted ones, but no au gratin to be found. And... wait for it... a large roast beef being carved with a big section of very rare-cooked meat. WOWOWOW!!!! Amazing...

There's been some turnover in the staff at MM's lately, and I don't know if there's any connection with that. But for whatever reason, they've now (at least for the present) remedied the only two faults I could find with their Sunday buffet.

Yes, they lost their complimentary glass of wine previously when the price also increased to 399 baht+ per adult... But... I'm a modest Mr. Bangkok Dining Deals... I'll order a Guinness instead, and count my blessings...

And in case you don't believe me, here's the dish to be found (my choice of lamb, creamed cauliflower and mashed taters... Not great art, but gives you the idea... Yes... I like mashed potatoes...

.

[aikawa]

OMG!! The mashed potatoes look great! Hungry right now. Cant seem to find such food in Singapore, got to wait till my next thailand trip to try new food there.

[jaiyenyen]

On the subject of Mexican food deals. Cactus bar in soi Cowboy. Every Tuesday, the owner, Cactus John makes Taco's and serves them up with refried beans and guacamole. I think I paid around 100-150 baht last time I called in. Excellent VFM, the bar also has a good range of Belgian beers. Oh! and I forgot to mention, there's nekkid girls there too

[jfchandler]

Been away tending to a bit of personal business...and have a lot of catching up to do here...

So why not start with some offerings for this coming Thursday's Thanksgiving Day dinners...in no particular order of priority or preference.

Stopped by Bullys Pub today, and saw them advertising their familiar Thanksgiving Day turkey buffet as follows: Noon to 10 p.m. on Thursday for 590 baht per person (I believe plus tax). Their sign is advertising roast turkey and "stoffing".... Can't wait to try their "stoffing."

Then on the way home, popped into the Atrium Cafe in the Landmark Hotel and spoke with the manager there. From what she reported, reservations are filling up for their 1,500 baht net per person Thanksgiving Dinner Buffet. Albeit a bit pricey, she confirmed they are running their "come 4, pay 2" special for Thanksgiving, meaning a party of 4 would pay half price. Doesn't matter if you pay cash or use any credit card. Unfortunately, for Thanksgiving dinner, they're not running any kind of "come 2, pay 1" special.

Just out of curiosity, I asked how the rate for their Thanksgiving Dinner Buffet compared with their other regular buffet meal rates in the Atrium...and I needed a spreadsheet to keep track:

Friday and Saturday Buffet Dinner: 1,500 baht

Sunday to Thursday Buffet Dinner: 1,300 baht

Monday to Saturday Buffet Lunch: 950 baht

Sunday Brunch: 1,500 baht

But, they also are running their "come 4, pay 2" discount for all of those meals. And, for all those meals EXCEPT Thanksgiving, she also recounted that they're offering a 50% off special for those paying with AMEX cards (Thailand or other country-based such as U.S., she confirmed) and a couple of others, including Citi and HSBC Premier.

And then, there's the Thanksgiving buffet at the Bourbon Street Bar and Grill in Washington Square near Sukhumvit Soi 22. Noon to 10 p.m. on Thursday, 899 baht++ for adults and 450 baht++ for children under 12. No reservations, first come, first served.

One advantage about Bourbon Street is, as in past years, they're also offering a day after Thanksgiving turkey buffet, on Friday, from 6 to 10 p.m., 850 baht ++ for adults and 425 baht ++ for children, which does offer reservations. So if you don't get enough turkey on Thursday, you can always have a second go on Friday... at least enough to last you until Christmas.

[jfchandler]

And since I mentioned it above, here's the info on the Landmark Hotel's ongoing "come 4, pay 2" dinner buffet specials at various of their restaurants....

[dddave]

I had an outstanding pizza last night at the renowned MADRID on Patpong One, one of Patpongs longest operating bars.

They advertised a FREE thanksgiving buffet, starting 6pm, Thursday.

TOOK LAY DEE, the well known restaurant in several FOODLANDS (Suk. Soi 5 & Suk Soi 16 for example) is serving a Thanksgiving dinner however, be warned; last year they were out of food by 4pm at the Soi 16 location. Under B300, not a buffet.

There is a small, American bar on the left side of Suk. Soi 4,(at the corner of the small soi going to "Big Mango" about 100 yards down from Nana Plaza that is advertising a thanksgiving buffet for B425.

[tartempion]

I just spent two days in Bangkok.

I was not impressed by the Grand President lunch buffet: quality was excellent but meager on choices. 560 baht for two with a small coke and a botlle of water is too expensive for such a minimalistic buffet, but the pasta bar (at your choice) was excellent (very small portion though).

But I did enjoy the Sukhumvite Coyote, could not remember the excellent Mexican food due to the happy hour margaritas (15 to 19h). Still like the original most, but then Copacabana with Brazilian rum added was tough expensive bill but worth every baht.

Day two missed Via Vai, still recovering from the margaritas, had kao man kai at Swampy's Magic court, will try Via Vai next visit....

[mauiguy90]

On the subject of Mexican food deals. Cactus bar in soi Cowboy. Every Tuesday, the owner, Cactus John makes Taco's and serves them up with refried beans and guacamole. I think I paid around 100-150 baht last time I called in. Excellent VFM, the bar also has a good range of Belgian beers. Oh! and I forgot to mention, there's nekkid girls there too

Went to Cactus this past Tuesday and had chicken tacos and chili plate for 100 baht. It was filled to the brim with 4 tacos and a healthy serving of chili. John was a good host and came around to talk to everyone for a bit. You are of course expected to buy a drink or two, but when you go out to Cowboy, that's gonna happen anyway. Its a great deal altho' I don't remember seeing nekkid girls there...it was pretty dark!

[jfchandler]

Los Cabos California Mexican Grill - Sukhumvit Soi 14

There are a couple of things that are indisputable about Los Cabos California Mexican Grill, the new Mexican/Cal-Tex-Mex restaurant located just a block inside Sukhumvit Soi 14. One is that it's a great and surprisingly tranquil/peaceful location, conveniently located about midway between the Nana and Asoke BTS stations. Another is that the restaurant's setting in an old two-level Thai house remodeled into Cal-Tex-Mex pastels with an outdoor patio, gurgling water fountain and lots of garden lights makes for a wonderful dining ambiance, whether you're seated indoors or outdoors.

Los Cabos just recently had its "soft" opening, and is now open daily from lunch through late evening, serving a variety of traditional Cal-Tex-Mex entrees and combination plates, along with some broader offerings such as hamburgers, baked oysters, BBQ ribs and even a "fiesta" platter with ribs and a variety of other items. The latter is a decent clue that the proprietor is one of the principals formerly involved with Bangkok's Great American Rib Co. restaurant, which had/has some similar menu elements. A web site for Los Cabos should be coming soon, along with a formal opening slated for January.

I love good Mexican food, and sometimes even bad Mexican in a pinch. So after starving for decent Mexican food in Bangkok in past years, I start with the presumption that any halfway decent new place is a blessing. And Los Cabos certainly makes for a worthwhile addition to the growing roster of Mexican-style eateries, joining the local ranks that now include the quite good Tacos and Salsa, nachos-heaven Charlie Brown's, margarita-king Coyote, fast-food Sunrise Tacos and others. Just the lovely setting and ambiance alone put it head and shoulders above the others on that score. As for the food and service, those remain open questions based on our dinner meal sampling the other night.

Starting with the high points, Los Cabos served up quite a tasty traditional margarita--fresh, not overly sweet or sugary, a good blend, for 130 baht, and even less at 95 baht during their daily happy hour from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.

That and they have on the menu, both as an entree item and as part of a combination plate, an absolutely terrific chile relleno, which is hard to find in Bangkok in general. Los Cabos' offering, using poblano chiles flown in from California, hits it just right, with just enough cheese, not overly battered or oily, and overall a wonderful, refreshing taste.

From there, things got a bit more haphazard. After ordering our dinners, my 375 baht Starving Surfer Combo plate--consisting of the single chile relleno, a beef enchilada, and a chicken taco--arrives sans the taco. So call the waiter, who isn't quite clear what's going on, until the owner pops by to send the dish back to the kitchen, and offer a complimentary margarita in exchange. (More on that in a bit). The combination plate returns in correct form a bit later, and I find the great relleno, a decent taco although its hard shell pretty much crumbles to bits upon eating, and a less than inspiring enchilada. Add in some pretty unremarkable frijoles and Mexican rice tending toward the dry side, and that's the meal.

A few other quirks along the way don't go over so well. Although an appetizer order of chips and salsa priced at 60 baht comes with three tiny bowls of varied salsas, the wait staff don't know what to do when asked for a bowl or cup of salsa to accompany your dinner entrees. There's a bottle of some supposedly spicy hot sauce on the table that isn't really spicy or a salsa at all. And when my dining companion specifically asks for some black pepper for his 295 baht Los Cabos Combo (a steak taco, chicken enchilada, rice and beans), he's handed a shaker of Thai white pepper.

Still, with the great setting, enjoying a pleasant Bangkok evening outdoors and a couple of margaritas under the belt, the night's not feeling all that bad. When the original mistake with my order was made, and the complimentary margarita was offered, I really wasn't inclined to accept the offer. I had a feeling, based on the general composure of the new staff, that there was likely to be some problem down the road. But my companion insisted and so I accepted the gracious offer. And of course, then when our bill came, indeed, the bill included two charged margaritas. So we call the staff again and explain that one of the two had been a comp from the owner, leading to them finally produce the correct bill, which totals just over 900 baht for two people.

Such mishaps, to be sure, happen at restaurants all the time, and particularly at new ones where the staff are not only new but also presumably unfamiliar with the Mexican fare they're serving up. Based on our first dinner, it's hard to say the food overall at Las Cabos is better than the best of the comparable offerings elsewhere in town, although the ambiance and setting clearly is. The test of time will be whether the service and food offerings can rise to match the quality of the restaurant itself.

Here is the Google Maps entry for Los Cabos. Parking is available on-site, and free Wifi is offered.

[powderpuff]

The black pepper was not an issue, they brought some in a little bowl.

John & I both would have liked our food to be "hotter" More spicy. We would have liked to be able to get some "Extra hot salsa" sauce. T & S do have this on request.

Yes the Mexican rice was too dry. btw - the food is served on seriously hot plates - a nice touch. Thanks to our host Robb. It's all downhill from here.

[JR Texas]

The place really looks nice........I outdoor space really looks good (a bit like Joe. T. Garcia's back home.......just needs a swimming pool too).

The taco, enchilada, relleno, and refried beans look good to me.......the rice does not look good.

Certainly makes me want to try the place.

Actually, given my experience at Tequilla Reef, I was not expecting this..........I hope the food tastes as good as it looks.