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| L'Avenue: Buffet Deal Boasts International Appeal |
| UPDATE : 22 January 2010 |
Maneeya Dhammataree
I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised on discovering the price of a buffet lunch at L'Avenue, a restaurant at Furama Xclusive Sathorn Silom serving international fare.
While the hotel is located within one of Bangkok's more expensive areas, the 199-baht (US$6) price tag therefore seems very reasonable given the setting, and also explains why the restaurant was so packed with diners during my recent visit.
Creature comforts
Based on the ground floor of Furama Xclusive Sathorn Silom, the glass fronted L'Avenue provides a very pleasant and comfortable setting in which to dine. While the décor is fairly plain in general, featuring furniture in pastel tones, it's nevertheless a nice, relaxing environment.
I selected a table with a street view in one of the restaurant's corner areas and dropped my things off there.
A world of choice
Since L'Avenue offers various different kinds of cuisine from around the world , I was more than happy to embark on a kind of culinary journey. I decided to start with something fairly light, so I headed for a salad and sushi bar located at the center of the restaurant.
While it was great to see so many vegetable and dressing options, I was soon tempted by a display of salmon and kani ('crab meat') sachimi, tamakoyagi ('egg roll'), and a variety of other sushi treats.
I was impressed by the freshness of the salad, sashimi, and sushi items, while L'Avenue's chef also clearly understands the importance of food hygiene and maintaining high standards as I noticed him patrol the food service areas on a regular basis.
After such a flavorful and refreshing experience at the Japanese station, I was ready to move on and sample some local dishes.
Tantalizing Thai
With lots of main course options available, I decided to make the most of the buffet format and try a little bit of this, and a little bit of that. To accompany a portion of (plain) fried rice, I added some hor mok pla ('steamed fish in curry paste'), which comes wrapped in a banana leaf, phad phed luk chin pla krai ('stir fried fish balls with curry') and phad krapao khai yiew ma ('stir-fried preserved duck eggs with basil).
Although these dishes were fairly spicy, I got the feeling this had been compromised slightly in order to account for the perceived preferences of foreign diners.
Another interesting local dish worth trying is khanom chin num prik ([Thai] 'rice noodles topped with curry sauce') or khanom chin num ya ('fillet of fish in a spicy sauce').
Chef is clearly well aware that (Thai style) rice noodle dishes are best served with soft-boiled eggs, so a dish of them had been prepared nearby.
Veggie options, too
While I guess it probably has a fairly high calorie content, I nevertheless decided to try some grilled tomatoes in a cheese and spinach bake. While I only intended to try a single slice, the mouthwatering aromas soon put paid to my efforts at self-control, so I helped myself to another portion.
While the buffet at L'Avenue includes a comprehensive range of cakes, fruits and ice cream, I recommend you try some Thai desserts, such as kluay buad chee ('banana in coconut milk'), as well as various forms of khanom num khang ('mixed sweets [served cold] in syrup').
L'Avenue rotates its buffet menu on a weekly basis, so to avoid disappointment it may pay to call ahead to check exactly what's on offer before setting off.
For further information, call L'Avenue on Tel: +66 (0)2 266 8030.
Transport connections:
The Furama Xclusive Sathorn Silom is located in Soi Piphat 2.
Train: Soi Piphat is very close to Chong Nonsi BTS skytrain station. Head for Exit 4 on arrival at the station and turn left. Head for Soi Piphat 2 and you'll see the Furama Xclusive Sathorn Silom on your right.
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