Fah Thai Magazine Jan-Feb 2017

HAPPENINGS
MALAYSIA
KUALA LUMPUR
Myanmar
yangon / mandalay
SPOTLIGHT
The Pawn Room
With an atmosphere reminiscent of an ancient Chinese pawn shop, The Pawn
Room takes visitors back to a 1920s Shanghai, decorated with paper lanterns,
rattan chairs and herbalist cabinets. And the pawn shop concept doesn’t just
stop there. On certain nights, visitors may choose to trade their belongings or
services to work at the bar in exchange for cocktails. A wide range of cocktails
include those with a particular Asian focus and ingredients, including that of
kaffir lime leaves, pandan syrup and cream. And should you wish for a change
of scene, try out The Private Room wine lounge located on the same street,
operated by the same management. www.facebook.com/tprttdi, +60 13-483 8863
SPOTLIGHT
Top Chef by the Lake
Leading Swiss chef Boris Granges is now at the helm of Le Planteur, a
restaurant in a stunning colonial-era waterfront property on picturesque
Inya Lake. Fine dining continues despite several incarnations since
the restaurant’s modest opening in 1998. Le Planteur consists of several
dining and drinking venues to suit all tastes with their upscale restaurant,
a bistro, wine bar and a tearoom for high teas. The excellent menu ranges
from a tender fillet of cod and foie gras with pear chutney to a dessert of
wasabi ice cream. leplanteur.net, +95 1 514 230
Afternoon Teas
Asian destinations with a strong colonial
past have revived the delights of an
extensive afternoon tea, especially Kuala
Lumpur. Charming spreads include dainty
sandwiches and scones with jam and
clotted cream. Locations offering a superior
afternoon tea experience include Lounge
On the Park at the Mandarin Oriental,
Serena Brasserie at the InterContinental,
The Drawing Room at the St. Regis and the
Orchid Observatory at the Majestic. For a
Malaysian-inspired menu, try OneFiveSix at
the InterContinental.
mandarinaoriental.com, kualalumpur.
intercontinental.com, stregiskualalumpur.com,
majestickl.com
A Taste of Thailand
It’s always good to eat Thai food and nowhere is it
better in Kuala Lumpur than at Baan Kanom Jeen,
with its focus on different combinations of thin rice
noodles with curries, gravies and sauces. Try the
Kanom Jeen Set with noodle balls,
sauces, boiled eggs, anchovies and
leafy herbs and vegetables.
Other delicious items on
the menu include green
curry with fried rice
and fish, phad thai
and a mouthwatering
selection of desserts.
www.facebook.com/
baankanomjeenmy
Contemporary by Tradition
Mogok Pauk Pauk, a Myanmar transgender fashion designer in Yangon, is now on the list
of top Southeast Asian designers. After graduating from renown fashion design institutes
in Milan and Paris, she returned home and dedicated her work to creating awareness of
the traditional Myanmar textile design known as luntaya acheik. At Pauk Pauk’s studio in
Mandalay, villagers create traditional patterns with old weaving methods. In collaboration,
she adds design touches into the patterns to give a sense of the contemporary to the
textiles. www.mogokpaukpauk.com; Yangon +95 9 2522 4048; Mandalay +95 2 666 28
Garden of Spices
Justifiably proud to be the only Indian-Myanmar fine dining
restaurant in Mandalay, the Spice Garden is an elegant restaurant
serving Myanmar, Northern and Southern Indian cuisines with a
strong focus on poultry, seafood and vegetarian dishes. Guests
can dine on such Myanmar delights as refreshing salads and
curries. Desserts include Indian favourites like rasmalai, gulab
jamun and kheer. Food enthusiasts can even learn how to prepare
the restaurant’s dishes in specially organised cooking classes with
the resident chefs. hotelredcanal.com
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