food by phone newsletter october 2012
DESCRIPTION
Food by Phone offers a service to restaurants by providing an alternative sales channel as well as a service to customers by bringing to them the food that they could only get by braving the terrible Bangkok traffic.TRANSCRIPT
october 2012
ArAbesque restAurAnt
FEATURED RESTAURANT
LASt MoNtH’S WINNerAlbERTo FANcoNi & JUliE MccUlloUgh
won complimentary vouchers from SNAPPER
restaurant with 500 tHb each!
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The owner of Arabesque, Ayman Naguid,
an Egyptian businessman living in bangkok,
couldn’t find his ethnic cuisine anywhere in bangkok.
to be sure, there were restaurants in Nana claiming
to serve egyptian food, but Naguid felt the taste
wasn’t authentic, and the area was too crowded.
So, with no previous experience he opened
Arabesque, a restaurant serving the style of
egyptian food he so desperately missed.
The restaurant is located on Sukhumvit Soi 2.
When arriving at the Soi, go deep inside, the
restaurant is near the end on the right hand
side about 500 meters from Sukhumvit road.
It’s set in a former standalone house which
has been converted in an artistically elegant
egyptian restaurant.
The name ‘Arabesque’ comes from an
islamic decorative style that features rhythmic
linear patterns of scrolling and interlacing foliage,
tendrils or plain lines and is a major feature in
the decor of the restaurant. the interior of the
front door is handmade mother of pearl as the
elaborately framed mirror window shutters and
surmounts.
coNtINUeD oN PAGe 2 >>
MoNtHLYcoMPetItIoNFor A cHANce to WIN1,000 Thb voUcHer FroM ARAbESqUE RESTAURANT
Just go to foodbyphone.comand answer a few simple questions.
F o o D b Y P H o N e ’ S M o N t H LY N e W S L e tt e r
DEAlS oN WhEElS
MoNThlY PRoMoTioNS
order over 399 Thb and get a Free Falafel!
Get a Free portion of Vermicelli larb [158-39] with every order
over 699 Thb
Get 2 chicken or VegetableSomossa for Free with every order
over 450 Thb
Get a Free chicken Wrap with every order over 599 Thb
buy 2 pints (473 ml) of anyice-cream flavor and get 1 cup of
Secret Sensation chocolateFondant for Free
Make an order for over 599 Thb & get a Free
Mousse au chocolat!
Get 4 chicken Wings for Free with every order over 499 Thb
Get a Free portion of Tuna Salad[164-4] with every order
over 699 Thb
NADiMoS
KRUA RoMMAi
iNDiAN hoST
cAFE TARTiNE
RED
ThE bARbicAN
hAAgEN-DAzS
chA chA
The walls are painted Mediterranean ochre yellow with chocolate brown beams, pillars and surrounds and a terracotta tiled floor. there is a family table seating up to 12 and the remainder of the tables are designed for two to four people.
To ensure the food served has an authentic taste, Ayman Naguid brought an Egyptian chef to bangkok with an impeccable culinary pedigree. before coming here, chef Yassar worked at the Grand Hyatt in Alexandria, the Hilton ramses in cairo and by the red Sea at the Intercontinental in Sham al Shiek.
Although there are similarities among Middle Eastern cuisines, there are differences that are especially noticeable to diners familiar with food f rom the reg ion. egypt ians , for example, not only grill meats, they also roast it in the oven. tajine, a popular berber dish from North Africa named after the clay pot in which it is cooked, varies subtly from one country to another. Spicing also varies with d i f ferent combinat ions of sp ices l i ke cinnamon, parsley, cumin, sumac, nutmeg and cardamom being used. Arabesque is proud of its egyptian heritage and makes a special effort to ensure the food served is authentic.
The restaurant is, in fact, so passionate about authenticity, that many of the ingredients used are imported from egypt. this includes egyptian pigeon, many of the vegetables and items like tomato purée and olive oil.
The first dish we tasted was a chicken Tajine. It was made with piece of chicken on the the bone that had been stewed in the special pot reserved for tajine dishes. the result was a comfortable casserole served with Japanese rice, as its taste and texture are very similar to egyptian rice.
Then came Mesaka (the egyptian spelling for moussaka) a minced lamb, onion andtomato rich casserole. Unlike the popular Greek version, this dish is not served with layers of aubergine or potato. Koushary, an egyptian staple dish of rice, lentils, chickpeas and macaroni topped with a sauce, was our next dish. It was served with two sauces, one a spicy lemon garlic and the other a tomato sauce. Pour one or both into the bowl and toss the ingredients as if making a salad. Its best eaten with egyptian bread rather than cutlery.
Fattah, an Arabic word for crushed, refers
several dishes served throughout the Middle
East that use stale bread as an ingredient. In
egypt is served with rice and minced lamb
cooked in a consommé and served on a piece
of crispy pita bread. It is a popular dish to
celebrate eid.
We also enjoyed Egyptian bread that was
inflated like a pillow; mahshy, essentially
rice stuffed vegetables ranging from zuchini
to eggplant and peppers; and ful medames
an egyptian staple of cooked mashed fava
beans served with olive oil and parsley that is
often eaten at breakfast.
We finished with the classic Egyptian pastry
om Ali, a puff pastry cooked in milk with a
variety of nuts. oven cooked, it was a fitting
close to what had been a very enjoyable meal.
it goes without saying that the food at
Arabesque is 100% halal. Shish pipes are
available to be smoked in the garden. they
have a belly dancing buffet on Saturday night
at tHb 650 net person, reservations are
compulsory. there is a small shop at the
restaurant selling artefacts and clothing.
FEATURED RESTAURANTArAbeSqUe
opening hours 12.00pm.-10.30pm.
All major cards
tHb 500-600
2012
credit cards
Price per person without drinks
FbP partner since
Arabesque Restaurant
68/1 Sukhumvit Soi 2, Bangkok 10110
Tel: 0-2656-9440
www.facebook.com/arabequerestaurantbangkok
Larisa Grajdieru
PERSoNAliTYof the month
Larisa is part Moldavian and part Romanian. During the last year of her university studies in Brussels, she was invited to come and work in Thailand by a carnival costume production company. Shortly after she arrived in Bangkok, the company relocated to Laos. She decided to remain in Thailand, and it was at her next job that she met her husband, a man who loves to eat well.
TASTE MATTERSSANDWICHES
GOLD
larisa gradieru
Owner and Chef
Le Lapin Gold
Was opened in December 2010
“it was almost two years ago,” says larisa, “that we discovered
there was a lack of somewhere in bangkok where we could find
a good European-style sandwich. We decided to go into business for
ourself and then spent the next six months researching recipes; the right
fillings for our sandwiches; and most challenging in bangkok, a source of
freshly baked bread that met our quality needs and was baked in sufficient
quantity.”
“We eventually found the right bread source. We offer three
breads, a plain flour French baguette and sliced whole grain or white
bread. our customers’ choices in what they prefer vary greatly in both
breads and fillings. As a result, all our fillings are available on all of our
breads.”
“i have noticed,” she continues, “an interesting pattern in ethnic
preference as to what is the ideal sandwich. our French customers
like a simple filling of butter, ham and cheese. Whereas our british and
American customers want their sandwiches overflowing; they love to
mix bacon with almost any other meats, just as long as there is plenty
of it. our thai customers prefer a softer white bread with a spicy
filling, but I have noticed that as they become familiar with our
products that some are converting to a crispy baguette.”
“Making a good sandwich isn’t difficult,” she adds, “there are just
three boxes to tick, good bread, freshly made mayonnaise and quality
home-made fillings. We make our sandwiches using traditional
recipes. our meatballs are made using my Mum’s recipe and our
Greek chicken filling is made with chunks of marinated grilled chicken
layered with slices of tomato and lettuce.”
Editor in chief:Laurence civil
email: [email protected]
Publisher:Asia Media Studio co., Ltd.
email: [email protected]
Sales: Xavier cloitre
email: [email protected]
TASTE MATTERSSANDWICHES
GOLDTASTE MATTERSSANDWICHES
GOLD
165-8 breakfast bombomelette, bacon, cheese
163-14 Sea bass congee
161-33 Mixed grill 164-31 5 colors Rolls
156-23 Nz Fish burger with chips 159-28 Son Tam Polamai
lE lAPiN
KoPiTiAM
ARAbESqUE
SNAPPER
chA chA
TAKE A SEAT
CheCk the new restAurAnts with Food by Phone!
225 ฿
125 ฿
340 ฿
375 ฿
260 ฿
160 ฿
162-39 Paella 166-15 lemongrass clamchowder soup
holA MAiSoN
750 ฿ 220 ฿