The Verandah

Whether the Oriental is stuffy or wonderfully old-fashioned is a question of taste. What doesn’t suffer discussion is the absolute perfection of their service and the fact that it’s horribly expensive. Which is why the casual dining offered by Verandah might seem a strange proposition. A meal there will still cost you, but you won’t get the decorum of Lord Jim’s or Le Normandie. We think it’s worth it nonetheless; the Verandah, like Bamboo Bar, is part of the hotel’s charm—that lazy, colonial, sipping gin in the tropical heat as bellboys walk past, charm. Not to mention that the staff have been around for 30 years and are trained to read your mind. As for the food, it’s great as long as it stays simple. They have the meanest tajine in town: it’s served in the right dish and with a generous serving of couscous. It’s a little dry and can’t compete with the original from Morocco, but this being Bangkok we’re not complaining. The gazpachos are appropriately refreshing and light on the bread and garlic. Just as light, the Surat Thani crabmeat and avocado salad with pomelo and brandy sauce is two generous halves of avocado piled high with fresh, delicious crabmeat. For something warm, the pumpkin soup, which uses coconut cream, is another velvety treat of texture and taste. But when they attempt their own creations, like the zucchini, leeks and ricotta cheese fry-up, you just end up with bad scrambled eggs and cheese. Stick to the basics and don’t skip dessert. The one thing hotel dining is good for is great pastry chefs. Verandah recommends the apple fondant tart served with apple sorbet, and we concur. Do try to make it for lunch, when the activity is at its peak. At dinnertime, you might just regret you didn’t go whole hog and book at Le Normandie—or saved your money and gone to a restaurant that doesn’t charge quite so much for good, simple food. Corkage B500.