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magnum
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No Idea Café and Gastropub
(yeah, weird... but, easily remembered)
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Opened yesterday, No Idea Café is a redevelopment by an Aussie restaurateur of the old Dave’s Dive restaurant (RIP). Stripped down to bare shell, the new development is a very nicely finished mid-range, casual restaurant and bar.
The overall feel is open and light, upstairs and down, with a lot of natural lighting reaching into the space … you would not imagine these were once shop houses. The finished restaurant could be easily mistaken as a turn-of-the-century restaurant located in New Orleans’ historic Bourbon Street District.
It is distinguished by comfortable dining terraces on both the first and second floors overlooking the soi … beautifully finished wooden floors, ceiling fans above, wrought iron handrails. Tables and chairs are stout, comfortable and not all jammed together. There are bars both upstairs and downstairs with lots of heavy wooden casework, and a small area off to the side upstairs set-up to host live entertainment (almost an afterthought). Flat screen TV's showing sports, but not obtrusively placed for diners.
The interior programming leans toward modern Californian, with an obscured kitchen that could have been an effective display kitchen, were it opened to view … hard-troweled concrete floor downstairs and hardwood floors upstairs; accented throughout with heavy, finely detailed millwork about doors, windows, columns, handrails, stair cases, bars; heavy hardware, and wrought iron details in the handrails. Wooden ceiling fans drub overhead inside and on the terraces outside.
The menu is dominated by broad range of Western offerings, with a satisfying measure of mainline Thai dishes. Western mains are mostly fish and meats; other selections include sandwiches, Italian dishes and pizzas … a good menu from which most everyone will find something pleasing.
Price points are mostly moderate, up to moderate-high. Appetizers and salads (THB 125-200) ; soups (THB 150-175) ; pasta and risotto (THB 225-300) ; pizzas (THB 225-375) ; fish and meat (all imported Australian) main courses (THB 300-800) ; draft Heineken, Carlsburg (THB 85 half / 170 pint) and Singha, Chang (THB 70 half and THB 110 pint).
The service was spot on, even on opening night when most kitchens are a free fire zone and the body count high, though the crowd was small and the owner in front and on top of it all.
This is a nice dining venue for family and friends. The bar is not a raucous affair and a good place for a few cold ones, or dinner with buddies, colleagues, or a date.
Look for it … my bet is that the No Idea Café will do well.
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Thai Girls : Meet Sexy Thai Girls
Posted on: 11:09 pm on Nov. 29, 2011
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Deep File
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The owner of the aptly-named No Idea could not have selected a more appropriate name for his establishment, unless perhaps he had chosen Clueless. Self proclaimed as a "Gastropub" (related to the octopus genus perhaps?), this venue is apparently trying to combine the elements of a sports bar and a restaurant that aspires to "cuisine" level cooking. Given the nature of the Sukhumvit 22 market where it is located, one suspects that the focus will inevitably gravitate towards the sports bar spectrum, offering the sort of comfort food that pleases the undemanding soccer and rugby constituency from the southern hemisphere.
The exterior does not speak of gastronomy... chalk board signs outside the entrance offer day care services to wives looking to offload their husbands for the day, lists of the multiple beer brands available within, tv sports schedules, live music and free wifi. Rigid and unsmiling employees lurk near the door who have apparently had the natural Thai hospitality trained out of them. The interior ambience is 100% pub.... downstairs the floors are concrete, there is a mix of spartan tables and chairs, napkins are paper... The best seating is at the bar, which features very comfortable wood and wicker stools with arms. Upstairs there is a mezzanine bar (here we encounter a dark hardwood floor more worthy of the "pub" designation), and a very pleasant outdoor balcony with sofa seating which affords diners the opportunity to enjoy the sights and smells of Suk 22 traffic immediately below, with a view of the Holiday Inn construction site directly across the soi as an added bonus.
At first glance the menu seems to offer promise... there are a dozen starters such as snails, carpaccio and caprese (b150-300) which are not typical pub fare. Four soups (160-200), 6 pasta/risotto options (220-420) and 6 pizzas (260-420) move us back in the direction of comfort food. Seafood mains include salmon, tuna, prawns and John Dory (400-700), there are a half dozen sandwiches and burgers (220-400), and red mains such as Aussie tenderloin (720), ribeye (680), lamb rack (850) and lamb shank (580). Certainly some of these items might qualify as "gastronomy" depending upon the quality of ingredients, the cooking, and the presentation.
The ubiquitous "tapas" (cuisine-speak for snacks) have been thrown into the menu mix for good measure... 15 offerings such as sardines, mussels and meatballs (130-200). And of course there are the obligatory Thai dishes for those uneasy culturally-challenged mixed couples who find themselves together at dinner hour... perhaps 20 choices like tom yam goong, pad thai and curries (200-400). Deserts (160-280) are no-surprise standards like creme caramel, panna cotta and tiramisu.
The wine list adheres to the enigmatic theme that management has evidently worked hard to establish... 30 labels ranging from b850-4100, most from New Zealand (reflecting the patriotism of the owner), some with RP ratings. There are 3 malbecs, but most entries on the list don't show what varietal is in the bottle... a curious oversight which seems designed to confound the customer rather than assist him with a selection. The house Stonefish (Aussie) shiraz is attractively priced (cheap) but falls sadly short of being drinkable.
I ordered a caesar salad which arrived in a stupidly-designed bowl (so typical of the cutting edge food scene) that made accessing the contents far more awkward than necessary. The ingredients were unimpressive (local romaine... a sure sign of excessive cost consciousness), lots of parma ham, tasty croutons, but tossed with an odd sweet dressing not remotely related to a true caesar (no mustard, no anchovies). A typical slapdash rendering of the classic caesar... edible but without real interest, and certainly not gastronomy.
There is live music most nights, so those who want to engage in conversation over their meal should look elsewhere for their dining venue. The Thai blues threesome who were on stage during my visit were not intolerable (despite the excessive volume) and I was preparing to endure their version of John Lee Hooker while attempting to enjoy a steak, but a most unusual occurrence brought my evening to a sudden and unprecedented end.
A tall, bald and distinctly unpleasant fellow (who was later identified as the owner) loomed over my table and demanded to know what I was writing in my notebook. In thousands of restaurant experiences on 6 continents I have never before been asked during a public meal what I was writing... by anyone... so I wasn't sure whether to be flattered or feel threatened. When my response failed to meet his unknown standards, he demanded that I pay my bill forthwith and depart the premises. Remarkable.
To ensure that there had been no misunderstanding, this paragon of hospitality made a second visit to my table a few minutes later as I was finishing my wine and repeated (in a firmer tone) that I must vacate the premises immediately. It might have been interesting to resist, in order to see what methods he might employ to forcibly remove a customer from his (public?) bar... surely not the signal that most owners want to send to their other customers... the police perhaps? In-house thugs? But being a non-confrontational (and elderly) fellow, File elected not to test the proprietor's mafia inclinations.
In short, my visit (and my review) were unpleasantly truncated so I am unable to comment further on the quality of the food. I was prepared to be charitable, and overall my impressions were positive.. until the owner intervened. Apparently he has embroiled himself in business "conflicts" that compel him to be very cautious about elderly expats writing in a notebook during their meal... Of course had I been using an iPad or notebook it would doubtless have excited no comment.
There could be edible food and palatable drink at Clueless... but don't try to write any postcards or update Facebook during your meal.... you could be identified as a security threat and removed.
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Bangkok Women : Meet Sensual Bangkok Women
Posted on: 5:59 am on Mar. 11, 2012
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ringthebells
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welcome to the club deep file, I was once asked to leave the soi 8 pub by the same very owner.
however, I loved the curry sausages.
my lunchpartner had the spaghetti carbonara and attested athat they were okay (him being italian, maybe a compliment)
the beer is usually fresh. I do think that the barstools are an absolute crime of design and unmatching the other decor.
I like to visit the place early afternoons for a late lunch.
it is usually nice and quiet.
rtb
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Thai Girls : Meet Sexy Thai Girls
Posted on: 4:57 am on Mar. 12, 2012
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kenneth
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Deep File I can only assume that you farted and offended the other customers
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Sexy Bangkok Girls
Posted on: 10:32 pm on Mar. 12, 2012
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Deep File
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Couldn't have been that ken... there were no other customers.
It may have been the photo I took of my caesar... a grave offense to all self-respecting pub owners as you know, the caesar salad being such a proprietary dish.
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Thai Women : Meet Matured Thai Women
Posted on: 9:34 pm on Mar. 15, 2012
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CalEden
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Quote: from Deep File on 6:34 pm on Mar. 16, 2012
It may have been the photo I took of my caesar... a grave offense to all self-respecting pub owners as you know, the caesar salad being such a proprietary dish.
Maybe that's why the dressing had no anchovies.
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Bangkok Women : Meet Beautiful Thai Girls
Posted on: 3:11 pm on Mar. 16, 2012
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Deep File
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Curious how the caesar salad has become an endangered species... an authentic caesar is very rare. Most establishments have lost the scent, and serve their own version of this classic... mangling the original recipe and making the result unrecognizable.
The majority of "caesar" salads are not even romaine, which is fundamental. The dressing is almost always wildly off track... the correct ingredients include olive oil, raw egg yolk, mustard, anchovy, lemon, parmesan cheese and spices such as worchestershire sauce and salt. Bacon and croutons are also common additions. What one encounters most commonly is mayonnaise or cream based, and one almost never sees mustard which is probably the single most defining ingredient in the dressing.
"Interpretations" on the above abound at all venues... from dump diners to 5 star hotels. Presumably the short cuts drive down costs, on both ingredients and preparation time. But it is a misrepresentation to call them caesar salad.
The most likely place to find the true caesar is in a high end steak house (this applies all over the world). In Bangkok, the real thing is alive and well at New York Steak, Prime (Millenium Hilton) and Artur... all three prepare the salad tableside in the classic manner, with seasoning to taste.
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Attractive Thai Girls
Posted on: 11:11 pm on Mar. 16, 2012
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expatchuck
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Good reports, DF.
Thanks for taking the time.
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Thai Girls : Meet Active Thai Girls
Posted on: 11:49 pm on Mar. 16, 2012
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DaffyDuck
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Quote: from Deep File on 11:11 am on Mar. 17, 2012
The most likely place to find the true caesar is in a high end steak house (this applies all over the world).
.... or possibly Caesar's, in Tijuana...
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Thai Women : Meet Matured Thai Women
Posted on: 3:02 am on Mar. 17, 2012
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joe9991945
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What I have found is many do not use Romaime due to cost. I also have found you must use imported Romaime to get the right taste. Where I live means Villa Market and a High Price. Thus the real deal costs more.
See below
http://www.culinaryarts.com/Recipes/recipefiles/Caesar.htm
Caesar Salad
Its origin and recipes
This recipe is very close to the original version created in 1924 by Caesar Cardini, an Italian restaurateur in Tijuana, Mexico. That's right, the salad is named after its creator, a Chef, not Julius Caesar of the famed Roman empire.
Serving Size: 4
Preparation Time: 0:20
Ingredients
1 large head romaine lettuce
1 cup olive oil
3 cups French bread
2 large cloves garlic
8 anchovy filets
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dry mustard
2 tablespoon lemon juice (fresh is best)
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon coarse ground salt
2 egg yolks for large eggs -- at room temperature*
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese -- shredded or shaved
Preparation:
Trim the romaine lettuce of bruised or browned leaves, then cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces. Wash and drain the lettuce, pat it dry and refrigerate for 30 minutes to crisp the leaves.
To make the croutons, cut the bread into cubes, heat the 1/2 cup olive oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Fry the bread cubes in the oil, tossing frequently, until they're crisp and golden. Drain the croutons on a paper towel until ready to use.
Peel the garlic cloves then put in a large wooden salad bowl. Mash the cloves against the sides of the bowl with the back of a wooden spoon. Rub the pieces against the bowl until they begin to disintegrate. Remove most of the mashed garlic from the bowl and discard (oil from the garlic will remain in the bowl and flavor the salad). Add the anchovies and repeat the procedure you used with the garlic, but leave the anchovy pieces in the bowl. Now add the dry mustard, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, black pepper, and egg yolks and blend well. Slowly drizzle in the remaining olive oil mixing with a wire whisk until a creamy mayonnaise type dressing forms. Add the lettuce, croutons, Parmesan cheese and salt. Toss everything together and serve directly from the salad bowl!
*Note: The original recipe may have called for coddled whole eggs (warmed to 120F degrees, to coddle simmer in water 1 minute and cool in cold water) so they are soft and runny. Some chefs who make this salad today use the whole egg at room temperature.
**Sautéed or steamed vegetables, chicken and shrimp may be added if you like! Simply cook them in a separate pan and add them to the top of the salad. This will create more of a lunch or dinner portion entree.
Best matches for original caesar salad recipe
This recipe is very close to the original version created in 1924 by Caesar Cardini, an Italian restaurateur in Tijuana, Mexico. That's right, the salad is named after... Jump to text »
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Attractive Thai Girls
Posted on: 12:54 am on Mar. 18, 2012
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