Working on a personal social media series to highlight small businesses in Hawaii who are surviving the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions. Trying to decide if I should call it “Supporting Hawaii” or “Restaurant Survivor”?
I’ve been taking evening foodie bike rides to support local eateries around town.
While in Kaka’ako, stopped by Bevy for craft cocktails and charcuterie. No password or hidden entrance but it has that speakeasy vibe.
Bangkok is famous for its amazing street food culture, so Thai food in a fine dining restaurant may not be the first thing foodies flock to when visiting the city.
Bo.lan Restaurant makes a good argument for taking a break from the hawker stalls to enjoy classic, family-style Thai cuisine in an upscale setting.
Owned and run by two former proteges of Michelin-starred chef David Thompson of award-winning Nahm, Bo.lan is a combination of their names: Duangporn “Bo” Songvisava and Dylan Jones.
The husband-and-wife chefs have earned the industry’s respect for their authentic Thai food. San Pellegrino’s 2013 list of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants placed Bo.lan in the no. 36 spot and named Chef Bo the year’s Best Female Chef. She appreciates the honor and hopes to encourage others to preserve traditional ways of Thai cooking.
The chefs find inspiration from various sources, including antique recipe books and modern-day street food. The results are flavorful dishes made with fresh ingredients, such as the Korat-style beef curry and stir-fried pork ribs with Southern-style curry paste.
Hidden on a quiet street, the restaurant offers guests a peaceful retreat and culinary adventure amid the chaos of Thailand’s bustling city.
Bo.lan Restaurant
42 Soi Pichai Ronnarong
Songkram Sukhumvit 26
Klongteoy, Bangkok 10110
Tel. +66 (2) 260-2962
Editor’s Note: This video was featured by Epicure magazine.
Every once in while, I come across a hidden gem that reminds me of my former home — New York City. Grub is a small shack-like restaurant in the middle of Bishan Park, in the heartland of Singapore. It had just opened so my husband and I decided to head there for brunch.
The place was a little hard to find at first, but once we got there, the place was filled with Singaporeans with no expats in sight (a great sign!). There was a short wait for a table, but nothing unbearable compared to the one to two hour waits I’ve endured for Manhattan brunch spots.
We ordered the breakfast set, cheeseburger with fried egg, and belgian waffle. For drinks, we had the iced lemon tea and iced honey lime juice. It took a while to get our food, but I let that slide considering the crowd.
Once our food arrived, we found everything surprisingly delicious. A surprise — given the many misses we’ve had in Singapore despite friends’ recommendations.
The best part? The burger and the overall ambience brought back fond memories of having burgers and frozen custards at Shake Shack in Bryant Park.
We enjoyed our meal, but were slapped back into the reality of Singapore, when the servers took forever to give us the bill so we could leave. I guess you can’t win on every front.