A Vivin Maison employee holds an Apero Box (890 baht).
BANGKOK — Milky cheeses, peppery smoked meats, and buttery pate made by Thai hands, cows, and ducks are just some of the bougie delicacies available at a new French grocer in Bangkok.
Vivin Maison grocery, which opened earlier in December at Ekamai Complex, is the first physical storefront of the brand by French expat Nicolas Vivin.
Farmers market regulars may recognize the brand from their pop-ups at markets, events, and on supermarket shelves since 2014. Vivin started off making terrines and foie-gras from his grandma’s recipe, but using Thai artisanal produce, part of a growing movement making Thai dairy.
“It’s been six long years since we had our little pop up at the Farmers Market in Bangkok,” Vivin’s wife, Samantha Proyrungtong – yes, the admin of Bangkok Foodies Facebook group – said. “In the beginning, few people considered Thai gourmet products to be of any value, but now there’s more interest in sustainable dining and supporting local and natural products.”
If you’ve only ever tried supermarket cheese, then Vivin cheese may come as a wonderfully bacterial surprise. Vivin said processed, industrial cheeses produce a generic texture and flavor and intended to maximize supermarket shelf life.
“It’s pasteurized ‘dead’ milk, whereas the artisan cheese are alive with good bacteria and possess layers of taste, and flavour complexities,” Vivin said.
Cheeses include a Tomme de Chevre named “Mae Lao” made from a mixture of local goat and cow milk in Chiang Rai, the milky “Le Doi Pao” from raw cow milk, and the impressively strong light stilton, “Tha Sai Blue.” Cheese range from 220 baht to 380 baht for a 200g chunk, but goat ricotta cheeses in 100-gram chunks are about 140 baht to 160 baht.
Pair the cheeses with the dried duck magret, or duck breast, cured with local fleur de sel and covered in black pepper (195 baht for 160g), with just the right amount of fat and surprisingly addictive. Round off all the flavors with one of their chutneys, such as the mango one (190 baht for 220g, 490 baht for an 800 gram jar).
Dried duck, both without and with pepper.
Those looking to add more variety to their cold cut platters could add rillettes, terrines, and duck liver mousse, all in the 200 baht range, or splurge on Vivin’s foie gras – memorably buttery. One variation is mixed with Chalong Bay rum to give a sugarcane taste to it (690 baht per jar), and another is an eye-watering 990 baht for a black truffle foie gras.
Sets of charcuterie and cheeses are available in Apero Boxes (340 baht to 1,090 baht, depending on size and content).
Apero Box (890 baht).
Also available at the grocer are Serial Pickler picklesto eat with the cheeses as well as Vivin Thai fruit jams in impressive combinations (same price as the chutneys): mulberry and plum, papaya and cinnamon, strawberry and roselle, and tamarind and banana.
Forget the watered-down, sugary fruit jams of Thai fruits in the supermarket – yes, mulberry does make a good jam, when partnered with the deep sweetness of a plum. Papaya becomes exciting in jellified form when coupled with cinnamon, and strawberry and roselle’s sweet-sourness compliment each other, and the tamarind and banana are in a friendly competition of natural sugar.
Vivin Grocery is open every day from 11am to 8pm at Ekamai Complex in Sukhumvit Soi 63. If driving, turn into a parking lot between Ekkamai Soi 19 and 21, or take a motorbike from BTS Ekkamai. Products can also be ordered at the same price online.
Cola, 10-year-old female orangutan waits in a cage to be sent back to Indonesia at a Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, Thailand, Friday, Dec. 20, 2019. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
BANGKOK (AP) — Wildlife authorities in Thailand sent two orangutans back to Indonesia on Friday as part of a collaborative effort to combat illicit wildlife trade.
Ten-year-old female Cola and 7-year-old male Giant were transported from wildlife sanctuaries in the western province of Ratchaburi to Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport, where they were put on a plane to Jakarta.
Giant was smuggled into Thailand in 2014, while Cola was born in a breeding center to two smuggled orangutans which were sent back to Indonesia several years ago, according to Thailand’s Department of National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation. Police found Giant when they stopped and searched a bus heading from the southern border area to Bangkok, it said.
Sixty-seven orangutans have been sent back to Indonesia in three previous batches, and more are expected to go back next year, the agency said.
Thai officers move the cage of Cola, 10-year-old female orangutan to be sent back to Indonesia at a Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, Thailand, Friday, Dec. 20, 2019. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species — CITES — prohibits international trade in orangutans. They are found only in the forests of Sumatra and Borneo but their habitat is shrinking due to the growth of agricultural land use, making them more vulnerable to poaching. The International Union for Conservation of Nature, the global authority on the status of the natural world, lists orangutans as critically endangered.
Orangutans are often sold into the pet trade and for display in zoos and other attractions.
“The return of these orangutans will send a very strong message to the criminals responsible for the smuggling of animals across countries that both governments will act decisively,” Indonesian diplomat Dicky Komar said at the handover ceremony at the airport.
Cola will be sent a wildlife rehabilitation center in East Kalimantan, while Giant will stay in an animal nursery center in Sumatra. Giant has to spend the rest of his life in a nursery due to having had his his hands amputated, making it hard for him to fend for himself. Veterinarians carried out the operation to save his life after he was bitten by some fierce monkeys. Officials say chances are good that Cola can be returned to the wild.
In this photo taken Monday, Dec. 16, 2019, Notre Dame cathedral choir's director Henri Chalet directs the Notre Dame choir during a rehearsal at the Saint Sulpice church in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
PARIS (AP) — Notre Dame kept Christmas going even during two world wars — a beacon of hope amid the bloodshed.
Yet an accidental fire in peacetimefinally stopped the Paris cathedral from celebrating Midnight Mass this year, for the first time in over two centuries.
As the lights stay dim in the once-invincible 855-year-old landmark, officials are trying hard to focus on the immediate task of keeping burned out Notre Dame ’s spirit alive in exile through service, song and prayer.
It has decamped its rector, famed statue, liturgy and Christmas celebrations to a new temporary home pending the restoration works, just under a mile away, at another Gothic church in Paris called Saint-Germain l’Auxerrois.
And there it will remain, as works slowly progress to rebuild the cathedral after the April 15 fire destroyed its lead roof and spireand was moments away from engulfing its two stone towers.
“This is the first time since the French Revolution that there will be no midnight Mass (at Notre Dame),” cathedral rector Patrick Chauvet told The Associated Press.
There was even a Christmas service amid the carnage of World War I, Chauvet noted, “because the canons were there and the canons had to celebrate somewhere,” referring to the cathedral’s clergy. During World War II, when Paris was under Nazi occupation, “there was no problem.” He said that to his knowledge, it was only closed for Christmas in the period after 1789, when the anti-Catholic French revolutionaries turned the monument into “a temple of reason.”
This photo taken on Monday Dec. 16, 2019 shows Notre Dame Cathedral lit up at night, in Paris. Notre Dame Cathedral kept holding services during two world wars as a beacon of hope amid bloodshed and fear. It took a fire in peacetime to finally stop Notre Dame from celebrating Christmas Mass for the first time in more than two centuries. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
Christmas-in-exile at Saint-Germain l’Auxerrois this year will be a history-making moment.
“We have the opportunity to celebrate the Mass outside the walls, so to speak… but with some indicators that Notre Dame is connected to us,” Chauvet said.
Those indicators include a wooden liturgical platform that has been constructed in the Saint-Germain church to resemble Notre Dame’s own. A service will be led at midnight on Dec. 24 by Chauvet to a crowd of faithful, including many who would normally worship in the cathedral, accompanied by song from some of Notre Dame’s now-itinerant choir.
The 14th-century masterpiece, which measures around two meters (six feet) and depicts Mary and baby Jesus, has come to embody the officials’ message of hope following the fire.
“It’s a miraculous virgin. Why? Because at the time of the fire, the vault of the cathedral completely crashed. There were stones everywhere, but she was spared. She could have naturally received the vault on her head and have been completely crushed,” Chauvet said.
He recalled the moment on the night of the fire when he discovered it was saved, as he was holding hands with French President Emmanuel Macron on the cathedral’s forecourt. Around midnight as the flames subsided, they were finally let inside to look. Chauvet pointed and exclaimed to Macron: “Look at the Virgin, she is there!”
He said later that Notre Dame’s workmen on the ground implored him to not remove the statue from the cathedral, saying that during the restoration “we need it. She protects us.”
Chauvet said having it nearby for Christmas is comforting.
“She lived very much in Notre Dame. She watched the pilgrims, all the 35,000 visitors a day … It keeps us going,” Chauvet said.
Another reason for hope: Since November, after months in the dark, the facade of the cathedral is being lit up after dusk for the first time since the fire. Tourists over the festive period can now see the famed gargoyles and stone statues at night in their full illuminated splendor from the adjacent bridges, although the forecourt is still closed.
Cathedral officials carefully chose Saint-Germain l’Auxerrois as the new temporary home because of its proximity to Notre Dame, just next to the Louvre, allowing ease of movement for clerics who lived near the cathedral. Also, because of its prestigious history.
It was once a royal church that boasted among its faithful French kings, in the days when they lived in the nearby Louvre Palace. The kings, Chauvet explained, would simply cross the esplanade to come and attend Mass.
Since September, the church has been welcoming the cathedral’s flock each Sunday.
Though Notre Dame has moved liturgically to a new home, Notre Dame will always remain Paris’ cathedral so long as the bishop’s physical chair, or “cathedra” doesn’t move.
Derived from the Greek word for “seat,” a cathedral’s entire identity technically boils down to the presence of a chair.
“The cathedra is at the cathedral and so it remains Notre Dame Cathedral, which is the cathedral in the heart of Paris,” Chauvet said.
It is not only the faithful who have been displaced since April’s blaze.
Notre Dame was home to a vibrant 160-strong choir-school, which provided singers for each of the cathedral’s some 1,000 annual services. Midnight Mass at Christmas was always a special event in the year: One of the rare times the entire choir sung together and used the cathedral’s famed acoustics to their fullest.
Instead of disbanding, this now-homeless chorus of singers, ranging in age from 6 to 30, has too honed an upbeat message and decided to continue on in a divided form. Different sections of the choir put on concerts in churches, such as Saint-Eustache and Saint-Sulpice, in Paris and beyond. On Christmas Eve, its members will sing at various yuletide events, including at Saint-Germain l’Auxerrois, as well as, bizarrely, at the Russian Circus.
But don’t mention the term choir-in-exile to one of the choir’s directors, Henri Chalet.
“I’d rather use ‘beyond the walls’… ‘Exile’ brings it back to sadness. Obviously, there is a lot of sadness and desolation for us to no longer be in our second home. But there is also a lot of hope because it is only a phase,” Chalet said.
In the grand scheme of things, five or six years of restoration for an 855-year-old cathedral “is nothing at all,” Chalet reasoned. Macron declared in the days after the blaze it would take a mere five years to restore the cathedral — a timeline many experts deem unrealistic.
Notre Dame choir singer Mathilde Ortscheidt, 29, left a little more space for melancholy as she regretted her absence at last year’s Midnight Mass.
“To think that I was ill last Christmas…thinking that I would go again this year with no problem!” she said.
On the first rehearsal she attended after the blaze, she said she “felt such a pain and such sadness” because the cathedral was where she began as a singer.
For the singers, the unique acoustics produced by the cathedral’s massive dimensions are sorely missed.
“When we balanced it right, it was the most beautiful feeling of just hearing it resonate through this enormous space,” Ortscheidt said.
Despite having “to walk around a lot now,” people have got used to the choir’s new lifestyle, she said, and it was just a matter of time before there will be song in the cathedral once again.
In the meantime, “the important thing for us is that we keep on singing and doing the music. That’s what brings us together.”
Associated Press religion coverage receives support from the Lilly Endowment through the Religion News Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
TOKYO (Kyodo) — A court sentenced a Chinese man on Monday to 14 months in prison, suspended for three years, for intruding into war-linked Yasukuni shrine in Tokyo and damaging a drape by throwing ink on it earlier this year.
Hu Daping, a 54-year-old self-proclaimed writer, had sought acquittal at the Tokyo District Court, with his defense lawyers saying he had intended to protest against the shrine and it was an act of expression ensured under the Constitution.
TOKYO (Kyodo) — In an eastern downtown area of Tokyo, known for its Thai community, classes are being held in a six-story building promoting Thai language and culture.
Kinshicho, in Sumida Ward, has the trappings of a “Little Bangkok,” with Thai import stores, massage shops and restaurants that are blending into the city scenery.
Four six-month-old giant panda cubs play at the Chongqing Zoo in southwest China's Chongqing on Dec. 22, 2019. The zoo held on Sunday a half-year-old birthday celebration for the four panda cubs named Shuangshuang, Chongchong and Xixi, Qingqing, which combine to symbolize "double joy and happiness" in Chinese. (Xinhua/Tang Yi)
CHONGQING (Xinhua) — Two pairs of panda twins marked their half-year anniversary Sunday in a zoo in southwest China’s Chongqing Municipality, as they cuddled around and climbed a tree.
Born on the same day on Jun. 23, the four cubs are made up of a pair of male twins named Shuangshuang and Chongchong, and a female pair of twins named Xixi and Qingqing. The names combine to symbolize “double joy and happiness” in Chinese.
The Chongqing Zoo held a special ceremony for the cubs to mark the half-year anniversary as the age is about time that they learn to walk and start to increase outdoor activities, said Yin Yanqiang, technical supervisor of the bear in the zoo.
“At this age, they will have more time to see the tourists, and have stronger abilities to climb and run,” Yin said.
Breeders embrace four six-month-old giant panda cubs to do outdoor exercise at the Chongqing Zoo in southwest China’s Chongqing on Dec. 22, 2019. The zoo held on Sunday a half-year-old birthday celebration for the four panda cubs named Shuangshuang, Chongchong and Xixi, Qingqing, which combine to symbolize “double joy and happiness” in Chinese. (Xinhua/Tang Yi)
The four cubs played around on the ground in the panda pavilion and cuddled around for a while before they went for a climb on a tree about 3 meters tall one by one.
They managed to stay in the tree for a while, but struggled a bit to get off. The audience broke into laughter after seeing their moves. The panda keepers finally helped them off the tree.
“Recently, the zoo has bought slides, platforms and racks for the cubs to practice their sports skills,” Yin said.
The four cubs have been growing well, with Chongchong being the heaviest at 14.3 kg and Xixi the lightest at 9.8 kg, Yin said.
The giant panda cubs made their first public appearance at the Chongqing Zoo in September.
In this May 9, 2018, file photo, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, left, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, center, and South Korean President Moon Jae-in, right, pose for photographers prior to their summit in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File)
BEIJING (AP) — The leaders of China, Japan and South Korea are holding a trilateral summit in China this week amid feuds over trade, military maneuverings and historical animosities. Most striking has been a complex dispute between Seoul and Tokyo, while Beijing has recently sought to tone down its disagreements with its two neighbors.
Economic cooperation and the North Korean nuclear threat are the main issues binding the Northeast Asian troika. While no major breakthroughs are expected at the meetings, the opportunity for face-to-face discussions between the sometimes-mutual antagonists is alone considered significant. Below is a look at the current state of relations among the three.
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Japan-South Korea
Tensions rooted in South Korean resentment over Japan’s 20th century colonial occupation spiked this year to a level unseen in decades as they traded blows over wartime history, trade and military-to-military cooperation.
The countries managed to strike a fragile truce in November after intervention by the United States, which was concerned about the growing rift between its two key Asian allies. Seoul then walked back a declaration to terminate a bilateral military intelligence-sharing agreement with Tokyo, an important symbol of their three-way security cooperation driven by the nuclear threat from North Korea and China’s growing regional clout.
Tokyo, in turn, agreed to resume discussions with Seoul on their dispute over Japan’s tightened controls on exports of key chemicals used by major South Korean companies to make computer chips and smartphone displays. Japan’s controls were widely seen as retaliation for South Korean court rulings that called for Japanese companies to offer reparations to aging South Korean plaintiffs for their World War II forced labor. Last Friday, Japan announced that it will ease export restrictions on one of the chemicals.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will hold a one-on-one meeting on Christmas Eve on the sidelines of the trilateral summit.
“Considering the recent difficulties in bilateral relations, holding the meeting itself has a large meaning,” Kim Hyun-chong, deputy chief of South Korea’s presidential National Security Office, said in a briefing in Seoul. “We hope that … the meeting will help keep the momentum of dialogue alive and provide an opportunity for improvement in South Korea-Japan relations.”
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China-South Korea
South Korea’s relations with China, its biggest trading partner, have been strained over Seoul’s decision to host a U.S. anti-missile system that Beijing perceives as a security threat.
China says the real purpose of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, system placed in southern South Korea is to peer deep into its territory, rather than to warn of North Korean missile launches.
In this Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2019, file photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits a multiple rocket launcher site at an undisclosed location in North Korea. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
China retaliated by restricting Chinese tour group visits to South Korea, boycotting South Korean television shows and other cultural products, and wrecking the Chinese business operations of major South Korean retailer Lotte, which provided the land for the missile system.
While Beijing’s fury appears to have subsided, there’s also uneasiness in Seoul over increasing Chinese and Russia air patrols over waters between South Korea and Japan. Experts say those are designed to test the strength of security cooperation between the U.S. allies.
South Korea has been eager to arrange a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping next year. Han Jung-woo, a spokesman for Moon, said the president plans to use his one-on-one meeting with Xi in China on Monday to “discuss ways to develop South Korea-China ties and facilitate bilateral exchanges and cooperation and also exchange deep views over the political situation of the Korean Peninsula.”
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Japan-China
China’s relations with Japan had been more acrimonious than with any other foreign state, but have in recent years undergone a remarkable transformation, partly as a result of the U.S.-China tariff war.
Planning is underway for a state visit by Xi to Japan in the spring, made possible by the temporary shelving of contentious political issues and Beijing’s desire to exploit regional dissatisfaction with Washington over its trade policies.
“At this juncture, it is common sense for China to improve relations with its neighbors Japan and South Korea,” said Shi Yinhong, a professor of international relations at Beijing’s Renmin University.
However, some in Japan oppose Xi coming at a time when more than a dozen Japanese citizens have been arrested on spying allegations in China and Chinese naval and coast guard ships routinely violate Japanese waters around disputed East China Sea islands.
Japan also considers China’s growing maritime activity in regional seas and the upgrading of its military as a threat along with North Korea’s missile and nuclear programs. Tokyo has responded by upgrading its own defense capabilities and working with Chinese rival India, as well as with Southeast Asian countries and Australia.
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Associated Press writers Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo and Hyung-jin Kim and Kim Tong-hyung in Seoul contributed to this report.
In this Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2019, file photo, President Donald Trump listens to a question during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House, in Washington. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci, File))
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House argued Sunday that Speaker Nancy Pelosi has put herself in an untenable position by stalling House-passed articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump in hopes of shaping the upcoming Senate trial.
The House voted Wednesday to impeach Trump, who became only the third president in U.S. history to be formally charged with “high crimes and misdemeanors.” Pelosi has declined to send the articles of impeachment to the Senate until Republicans provide details on witnesses and testimony, forestalling a trial that is likely to result in Trump’s acquittal on charges of obstruction of Congress and abuse of power.
Meanwhile, an influential senator and key Trump ally predicted that the drive for new testimony by Pelosi, D-Calif. and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., would be for naught.
“She will yield. There’s no way she can hold this position,” said Marc Short, the chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence. “We think her case is going nowhere.’’
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Schumer have been at an impasse over the issue of new testimony, leaving open the possibility of a protracted delay until the articles are delivered. Trump complained Saturday that the holdup was “unfair” and claimed that Democrats were violating the Constitution, as the delay threatened to prolong the pain of impeachment and cast uncertainty on the timing of the vote Trump is set to claim as vindication.
Schumer told reporters in New York that “the Senate is yearning to give President Trump due process, which means that documents and witnesses should come forward.. What is a trial with no witnesses and no documents. It’s a sham trial.”
Short called Pelosi’s delay unacceptable, saying she’s “trampling” Trump’s rights to “rush this through, and now we’re going to hold it up to demand a longer process in the Senate with more witnesses.”
“If her case is so air-tight … why does she need more witnesses to make her case?’’ Short said.
White House officials have highlighted Democrats’ arguments that removing Trump was an “urgent” matter before the House impeachment vote, as they seek to put pressure on Pelosi to send the articles of impeachment to the Senate.
McConnell has all but promised an easy acquittal of the president, and he appears to have secured Republican support for his plans to impose a framework drawn from the 1999 impeachment trial of President Bill Clinton. That trial featured a 100-0 vote on arrangements that established two weeks of presentations and argument before a partisan tally in which then-minority Republicans called a limited number of witnesses.
That has sparked a fight with Pelosi and Schumer, who are demanding trial witnesses who refused to appear during House committee hearings, including acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and former national security adviser John Bolton.
A close Trump ally, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said Pelosi would fail in her quest “to get Mitch McConnell to bend to her will to shape the trial.’’ Graham is chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and was a House manager, comparable to a prosecutor, during the Senate’s impeachment trial of Clinton.
“She’ll eventually send the articles because public opinion will crush the Democrats,″ said Graham. Asked whether he expected witnesses in the Senate, he replied: : “No, I don’t.”
At one point, Trump had demanded the testimony of witnesses of his own, like Democrats Joe Biden and his son Hunter, and the intelligence community whistleblower whose summer complaint sparked the impeachment probe. But he has since relented after concerted lobbying by McConnell and other Senate Republicans who pushed him to accept the swift acquittal from the Senate and not to risk injecting uncertainty into the process by calling witnesses.
The Senate’s second-ranking Democrat, Dick Durbin of Illinois, said his party is looking for a signal from McConnell that he hasn’t ruled out new witnesses and documents. But Durbin acknowledged that Democrats may not have much leverage in pushing a deal.
He criticized both Republican and Democratic senators who have already announced how they will vote in the trial, saying the Constitution requires senators to act as impartial jurors. Republicans hold a 53-vote majority in the Senate.
“The leverage is our hope that four Republican senators will stand up, as 20 years ago, we saw in the impeachment of Bill Clinton, and say, this is much bigger than our current political squabbles,” Durbin said.
The Constitution requires a two-thirds majority in the Senate to convict in an impeachment trial — and Republicans have expressed confidence that they have more than enough votes to keep Trump in office.
Short spoke on “Fox News Sunday,” Durbin appeared on CNN’s “State of the Union,” and Graham was on Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures.”
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AP Radio Correspondent Julie Walker in New York contributed to this report.
Bangkok, Thailand, 29 November 2019 – Goji Kitchen + Bar, all day dining restaurant at Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park Hotel, has been ranked in the ‘Top 52 Best Restaurants & Bars’ in Asia Pacific, outstands 2,600 competing restaurants and bars from 700 Marriott International properties across Asia Pacific. To celebrate the wining of such a prestigious award, Goji Kitchen + Bar is holding a promotional event from 2 to 8 December, 2019 for both dinner and Sunday brunch.
“Marriott Bonvoy”, Marriott Internationals’ loyalty program for members, recently held the ‘Asia Pacific Top 52 Best Restaurants & Bars’ by selecting outstanding bars and restaurants serving outstanding food and beverages. The winners are those offering impressive dining experience at unique locations, or having chefs and bartenders whose recipes are unique and secretive. By following the curated list of “Top 52 Restaurants and Bars by Marriott Bonvoy’, food lovers could easily discover one-of-a-kind dining experience, delicious dishes and cocktails or very hard to find authentic menu. For more information and see all the 52 winners at https://marriottbonvoyasia.com/top52
Goji Kitchen + Bar serves an extensive array of culinary choices including a series of specialist dishes from Asian famous cuisine – Thai, Chinese, Indian and Western menu. In addition, expert chefs are on hand at every live cooking station to guarantee guest’s satisfaction with the freshest dishes that are cooked to perfection in an open kitchen. One of is unique points is that the restaurant also brings Thailand’s famous street food to cook live at its cooking stations.
The hard-to-find favorite appetizer begins with “Kuichai Miss Muay”, a famous Chinese Dumpling from Charoenrat 10 area. The signature Chinese dumplings have several fillings including chive, tarot, cabbage and mushroom. Next is “Sawang Pork Satay” from the famous shop in the area of Saphan Lueng that has been selling for over 60 years. The satay has very nice aroma as it is grilled on mangrove wood. It is served with very delicious peanut sauce. For street food main dish, Goji Kitchen + Bar offers famous Chinese braised pork knuckle from the most famous “Khao Kah Moo Trok Sung” in Bangrak area. The soft knuckle served on top of rise has been the locals’ favorite for over 60 years. For those into chicken rice, try the juicy chicken served with soft fragrant rice and tasty dipping sauce from “Fu Wong Chicken Rice“. The shop has been selling the famous dish for decades and is currently located on Rama II Road. Another menu worth trying is hot soup from famous “Sia Duck Noodles” shop on Rama IV Road. On the dessert corner, “Sweet Time” from Thailand’s famous street food Yaowaraj (China town) serves varieties of desserts, Goji Kitchen + Bar brings you Gingko in Longan syrup and Thai-style crepe or Kanom Beuang – the crispy crepe with topping of coconut and Foi Thong (golden thread). This is so special when the culinary world of hard-to-find delicious street food and the high standard buffet of the restaurant are offer in one place.
Discover diversity of food and sweets at one of “Asia Pacific Top 52 Best Restaurants & Bars”, Goji Kitchen + Bar, from 2 to 8 December 2019, opens for dinner (18:00 hrs – 22:00 hrs) and Sunday Brunch (11:45 hrs – 14:30 hrs).
Sunday – Thursday dinner, THB 1,498++ per person
Friday – Saturday dinner and Sunday Brunch, THB 2,128++ per person
For information and reservations, please call +66 (0) 2 059 5999 or email [email protected]
The largest and the first Marriott Marquis hotel in the Asia Pacific, Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queens Park Hotel becomes the new landmark in the heart of Bangkok. It offers full facilities, and the 1,388 rooms and suites, over 5,000 square meters of functional space, 37 banquet and meeting rooms, and three large ballrooms. Its outdoor space is unique with two swimming pools. Quan Spa, various dining rooms and bars are ready to entertain all guests. With its prime location on Sukhumvit Road, the hotel is surrounded by business and entertainment centers. Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queens Park Hotel, therefore, is an ideal choice for travelers in this lively and colorful city.
Bangkok, Thailand, 29 November 2019 – Taking part in the upcoming Christmas and New Year festivities, Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park has prepared traditional food such as Christmas turkey, honey glazed ham and Yule log cake and many more goodies this festive period. The Christmas turkey(THB 6,000 net) and honey glazed ham (THB 5,500 net) is available to pick up and celebrate at home from Goji Kitchen + Bar during 22 November – 15 January 2020. Looking for a wide array of hampers to send best wishes to your loved ones, they are available at Siam Tea Room from 25 November 2019 to 15 January 2020.
Enjoying a perfect festive feast this holiday season by ordering from the Goji Kitchen + Bar as the restaurant offers festive menu including Pumpkin Soup, Pate on Croute and Foie Gras or Chicken Liver Parfait. Guests can take home the seasonal gourmet to celebrate with their loved ones from 22 November 2019 – 15 January 2020.
The festive season could not be completed without sending festive hampers to express cares and best wishes. Guests can choose preferred season’s hampers from an array of festive hampers and goodies. Three types of hampers are available;
The Queen’s Park Hamper: the ultimate festive hamper is loaded with traditional festive treats, including spiced English fruitcake, traditional Christmas stolen, Panettone, Christmas cookies, big-sized chocolate Santa, candy canes, Gingerbread man, hilltribe honey, coconut jam and Dilmah Silver Jubilee’s chamomile tea. The goodies come in Siam Tea Room’s stylish signature cloth bags at the price of THB 3,888 each.
The Marquis Hamper: an ideal hamper for family members and beloved friends. The hamper comes with spiced English fruitcake, traditional Christmas stolen, Christmas cookies, small-sized chocolate Santa, macadamia nuts milk chocolate, Gingerbread man, mango jam and mulberry leaf tea from the Royal Project. They come in Siam Tea Room’s stylish signature cloth bags at price of THB 2,898 each.
Deluxe Hamper: An ideal gift to impress, the Deluxe Hamper consists of all favorite festive sweets and goodies including traditional Christmas stolen, Christmas cookies, small-sized chocolate Santa, almond milk chocolate, chocolate-dipped macadamia crispy rolls, coconut chips, Candy canes and mango jam from the Royal project. They come in stylish hamper boxes at price of THB 1,698 each.
In addition, there are special festive gourmet and goodies to choose from such as Yule log. The traditional dessert served during Christmas comes in varieties of flavors and types, including Chocolate truffle, Mango, passion fruit and coconut, Gingerbread and spiced prune and Raspberry and white chocolate.
One can also shop around a wide selection of traditional cake & pudding that ranges from the traditional plum pudding, panettone, French-style gingerbread man, orange cake, traditional English fruit cake, fruit pies, traditional Christmas stolen and Pecan pies.
Those who are into Gingerbread & Candies can enjoy a wide range of gingerbread and candies – from a gingerbread candy house, gingerbread doll and candy cane. There are many more cookies to choose from – Christmas cookies, cinnamon star, Basler lackerli, coconut macaroon, vanilla kipferl, Ox Eyes, gingerbread man, small-to-big sized Santa and rocky road cookies.
Find your kind of festive hampers and goodies at Siam Tea Room, the Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park from an extensive list of offers from 25 November 2019 to 15 January 2020.
For more information or reservation, call +66 (0) 2 059 5999
The largest and the first Marriott Marquis hotel in the Asia Pacific, Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queens Park Hotel becomes the new landmark in the heart of Bangkok. It offers full facilities, and the 1,388 rooms and suites, over 5,000 square meters of functional space, 37 banquet and meeting rooms, and three large ballrooms. Its outdoor space is unique with two swimming pools. Quan Spa, various dining rooms and bars are ready to entertain all guests. With its prime location on Sukhumvit Road, the hotel is surrounded by business and entertainment centers. Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queens Park Hotel, therefore, is an ideal choice for travelers in this lively and colorful city.
