[Travel] In the Heart of Bangkok - Lunch at Biscotti @ Anantara Siam Bangkok Hotel

It was my last day at Anantara Siam Bangkok and as am only going over to the next hotel to meet up with Hence and Tracy at 5pm, I do have time for lunch at Biscotti, an Italian restaurant within the hotel.

Decided to go for their ala-carte menu as I have eyed a dish that I wanted to try; Gnocchi Ai Funghi Selvatici. I like a good gnocchi. The best thus far, was at Club Street, a taste that I had aeons ago (translated as more than 20 years ago). Next was at Garibaldi but the gnocchi there was more of an accompaniment rather than a main.

There were two staff at the entrance of the restaurant and one of them led me to a table. The place was not too busy and I noticed that the table next to mine, was almost done with their lunch.

sparkling water

Also got myself a glass of red wine, as I couldn't resist when the wine list has Amarone by the glass.

2020 Amarone della Valpolicella, Villa Loren @฿680++ (per glass)

smooth, low tannin, berries

From what I've read, Amarone is not usually paired with pasta but the staff says, "Go for it. Up to individual preference!" And, so I did. 

housemade crispy bread, served with eggplant and pepper dip, olive oil with balsamic, sea salt

Was served the crispy bread (complimentary) right after wine was served. Initially surprised to see such a generous amount even for a solo diner, but I did enjoy this dish by quite abit and voila, none left by the end of lunch. Except some loose crumbs. It was that good.

Gnocchi Ai Funghi Selvatici @฿450++ (small)

Two sizes of pasta is available; small or large, and I opted for small. Just for a taste. 

Those cute little balls of pillowy dough were good. Overall, strong flavours, earthy tones from the wild mushrooms and perfumed by a little bit of thyme made a strong impression. I also loved it as the dish was served hot.

Spoonfuls after spoonfuls of deliciousness went in, and suddenly, there was only a few left. Then I had the idea to break some pieces of those crispy bread into the gnocchi dish, and yass to the contrast in texture with two equally flavourful counterparts. Is this what we called, carbs on carbs? Haha!

crispy and soft combined

looking at the open kitchen where the delicious foods came from

Next, it was time for dessert. Staff says the most ordered dessert is the amalfi lemon and so, that was what I had.

Amalfi Lemon @฿420++

Visually stunning and looked pretty much life-like, like an actual lemon.

Ivory white chocolate mousse, confit Amalfi lemons

Enjoyable dessert, served with a small scoop of icy limoncello sorbet. The green leaves on the lemon is for decorative purpose. Just saying.

Hmm, I think I still have room for another dessert and hence, asked Mameaw (one of the staff) for her recommendation. She said I must try the tiramisu. Alright, let's go for it!

By now (around 2pm), the restaurant was fairly relaxed but I was wondering why the tiramisu is taking its time to arrive... Then, a small table was setup next to mine. Eh, table-side service for tiramisu? Keke.

what's this?

Staff said he will serve a bigger piece for me. Oh, thank you~

Biscotti Tiramisu @฿450++

yummy

Tiramisu was lovely and by now, am feeling full. But then, Chef Giuseppe Bonura (Biscotti’s Chef de Cuisine) came by to the table again and we talked a bit on the food and he mentioned about his childhood summer food which happened to be on the dessert menu; Brioscia & Sorbetto Al Limone. He asked me if I wanted to try. 

Orange Brioche with lemon sorbet @฿300

soft and fluffy

Chef shared that one breaks apart the soft brioche, and scoop some of the sorbet inside to eat together. Orange brioche was served slightly warm, with sugar dust and combined with the icy tangy sorbet, I can understand why it's the perfect summer breakfast. Thank you Chef Giuseppe for the treat!

Overall, it was an enjoyable solo dining experience at Biscotti Bangkok. The service was good, food was delicious and appreciate Chef Giuseppe who took time to talk to guests when the kitchen is not too busy.

Spent around SGD94 and yes, even I couldn't believe that I had 3 desserts in one sitting. Wow.

Biscotti บิสก็อตติ

Address: 155 Lumphini, Pathum Wan, Bangkok 10330, Thailand

Website: https://www.biscottibangkok.com/

Business Hours:

Daily: 12–2:30 pm, 6–10:30 pm

[Travel Tasmania] Rupert & Hound @ Seaport Launceston

Rupert & Hound is located just steps away from Peppers Seaport Hotel, so we visited for a cosy, intimate dinner.

nice and cosy

Hence and Tracy have been here before, so they recommended some starters.

table light

menu

seasonal menu

interior

Breads

Stonebaked Ciabatta @AUD14

Loved the homemade tomato butter served with the bread. So so tasty!

R&H Entree

Tasmanian Scallops @AUD25

Lovely presentation with the orange-hued sauce, with the scallops placed ontop of some kind of sweet savoury chorizo jam (looked like sambal!). Scallops were smallish but nicely seared.

The crispy pork pancakes reminds me of Peking duck-styled of eating. Thin crepe, served with sliced spring onions and cucumber but instead of the dark sauce, there's mayonnaise and chili caramel.

Crispy Pork Pancakes @AUD19

R&H Classics and New Menu

Chargrilled Porterhouse @AUD52

Beef Cheek Pasta

Scottsdale Pork Belly @AUD38

Fisherman's Favourite @AUD37

There's gummy shark, scallops and calamari in the Fisherman's Favourite.

Coal Valley Quail @AUD24

I had the quail and it was nicely cooked with tender springy meat. There was a mound of sweet potato puree, hence leaning towards the sweeter side.

Staff was friendly and pleasant to converse with. Thank you for taking care of our table that night!

Rupert & Hound

Address: 30 Seaport Blvd, Launceston TAS 7250, Australia

Website: http://www.rupertandhound.com.au/

Business Hours:

Sat: 11:30 am–10 pm

Sun: Saturday, 11:30 am–9 pm

Trattoria da Mimmo Restaurant and Pizzeria @ Clover Way

"Let's have something healthier." That was how we came about choosing this place for our lunch. Italian fare it is.

restaurant's entrance

I was a tad late, so the others arrived earlier. The interior was cosy and spacious.

interior

table setting

online menu

Pretty extensive menu and one of the staff rattled off a long list of Specials for the day. Our first time at the restaurant, so we decided to get the Special Pizza, two appetizers and two pastas. Once our order was captured, a bread basket was immediately brought out.

complimentary bread

olive oil and balsamic

with butter

Staff asked us if we would like the food to be served all at once or to serve the appetisers first. We smiled and said, "all at once". But little did we know that the plates are pretty big, so very quickly our table were full!

Burrata Pugliese con Parma @$56++

hello parma~

It has been quite a long while since I last had any burrata or parma ham. Loved the sweet tomatoes! The burrata was our healthier plate. The small side dish that looked like pickled vegetable was a curious thing. Taste-wise, it definitely does not taste like szechuan vegetable. Staff helped us to enquire from the chef and came back with the answer. Eggplant! Ok, it didn't taste like eggplant too.

smooth burrata

Prosecco @$13++

Trippa della Casa @$24++

The tripe was served piping hot, so be careful. We used the bread to mop up the sauce. I liked it as it was cooked till tender, and its tomato based sauce was comforting.

Gnocchi al Formaggi @$29++

Am always in search for gnocchi that could rival the one that I really liked from Club Street, many years ago. Lucky me, my friends allowed my indulgence and we got a plate to try. However, am on the fence for this one as it had a heavy cheese flavour to it. Maybe I should've ordered the tomato based version?

Pappardelle al Cinghiale @$36++

I was skeptical at first on the wild boar pappardelle (Pappardelle al Cinghiale) but it had a likeable robust flavour. Strong flavours, lovely pasta texture and not overly gamey. In fact, I think it wasn't gamey at all. This was one dish that I kept going back for more!

Special Pizza @$42++

The Special Pizza came looking kinda cute with all the mini cheese balls on it. Mini burrata? Hehe. Liked that the crust is neither too thin nor too thick, as it was just right. The sausage meat on it had an interesting texture and overall flavours were enjoyable. I can finish 2 slices of these.

lemon sorbet @$12++

For dessert, we had the lemon sorbet served in an actual frozen lemon. Keke, first time seeing ice cream presented this way.

And, we did try their tiramisu as well. Light and gone in a jiffy!

tiramisu @$15++

light and yums

The sparkling and still water were charged at $7.50++ per bottle. I saw the other tables having their water poured from a jug, so I guessed the tap water option is available as well.

Service was efficient and we enjoyed the light hearted banters with Isabelle, who attended to us that day.

Thank you Ivan, Tracy, Hence and Shermaine for a lovely catch-up, and for the hearty lunch. Till our next adventure, stay safe.

Trattoria da Mimmo Restaurant and Pizzeria 

Address: 3 Clover Wy, Singapore 579078

Website: http://www.trattoriadamimmo.com.sg/

Contact: 90882659

Business Hours:

Closed on Tues.

Wed - Sat: Monday, 11:45 am–2 pm, 5:45–10 pm

Sun: 11:45 am–2:30 pm, 5:45–10 pm

[Jeju] Sightseeing at Cheonjeyeon Falls (천제연폭포) and Lunch at The Cliff @ Seogwipo

After a hearty breakfast at Jeju Osung, we went on a mini adventure to see the Cheonjeyeon Waterfall (천지연폭포). Here are some photos to share:

Cheonjeyeon Fall #1 (Pond)

accessible via these steps

I could only make it to one of the 3 nearby falls. Weather was gloomy and it was slightly drizzling while we were in there. The steps are made of rocks so it was uneven and slightly slippery, especially when there's moss and leaves.

on the way to Fall #2

drinking water, in case thirsty

Cheonjeyeon Falls 천제연폭포

Address: 132, Cheonjeyeon-ro, Seogwipo-si, Jeju-do

Website: https://www.visitjeju.net/en/detail/view?contentsid=CNTS_000000000019331

Seonimgyo Bridge

Then, off to The Cliff for some drinks and maybe a light lunch. It was just 10 minutes away from where we were.

let's go inside

chillax vibes

beach bar vibes

It's a self-service system at The Cliff. Order from the counter, pay and you'll get a buzzer to inform when food/drinks are ready.

splurging on drinks and bar food

Went over to the bar to see how the drinks are being made and tried to ask about the liquor used. However, language barrier was apparent as the bar tend tried to explain but I just couldn't catch what they were saying. I think they thought I was asking if there's alcohol in the drinks and obviously, they said yes. 

pretty drinks

We ordered both the alcoholic and non-alcoholic version of Seakdal Beach and both the cocktail and mocktail looked identical! So we had to be extra careful when bringing the right one back to Hence.

Seakdal Beach @₩17000

But hor, cocktail and mocktail are priced the same too! Hmmm interesting, yes?

We decided to order just 2 items for lunch since everyone was still pretty full from the heavy breakfast. Sausage and fries, and it was a toss between pizza or pasta. So glad we went for pasta as the anchovy pasta turned out to be amazing!

Long sausage and truffle fries @₩26000

Black Pork and Anchovy Pasta @₩22000

Why did the pasta tasted so good? One could not really taste the black pork but the saltiness from the anchovies and garlic was so so addictive. Oily, salty and tasty!

Ping Pong @₩16000

I liked my choice of drink; Ping Pong that has a slight hint of lychee. Presumably, they were using just lychee liquer and grenadine. Sweet and refreshing. Lovely contrast to the saltiness from  the sausage and pasta.

The cocktail gave the impression that it was super light but wait for it as the buzz will come only towards the end of the drink.

The Cliff

Address: 154-17 Jungmungwangwang-ro, 특별자치도, Seogwipo-si, Jeju-do, South Korea

Website: https://www.instagram.com/thecliffjeju/

Contact: +82 64-738-8866

Business Hours:

Sun - Thur: 10 am–1 am

Fri - Sat: 10 am–2 am