Thai Cafe is another of the Friday Lunch crews’ favorite venues in Burnaby. After the sudden and inexplicable demise of Boua Thai, Thai Cafe quickly filled the void. For several years now it has been a guaranteed great Pad Thai fix.

This is exactly how Pad Thai should be. All of the elements are in place. Hot (chili paste), sour (tamarind and lime), salty (fish sauce) and sweet (palm sugar). Rice noodles perfectly cooked amongst crisp bean sprouts and carrot, crunchy peanuts, tender cubes of fried tofu, scallions and prawns. An excellent Pad Thai.

Kang Masamam (Chicken, potato, white onion and peanut curry)

Gai Pad Med Ma-Meung (Thai Cashew Chicken)

As far as quality and consistency go, you cannot beat Thai Cafe. The portions are sizeable and full of fresh ingredients. Above and beyond all of that is a truly authentic Thai flavor.

Rhong Tiam

541 LaGuardia Place between West 3rd and Bleecker Streets

New York, NY 10012

212-477-0600

http://www.rhong-tiam.com/

The Coding Philosopher had alerted me to the fact that a reasonably priced establishment had earned a 2010 Michelin star.  Wild, no?  And Thai food too.  Naturally I had to check this out.

So I took Dave and the brother to this joint on the eve before Thanksgiving.  It was very dead, guessing it was because of the holiday.  Rhong Tiam is very white (paint-wise), with a raised section of tables and a lower section.  And there are Christmas lights twinkling up the place.  And a Vespa greets you as you enter.  Banjo-type music plays, some twangy European sounding stuff.

The menu is ginormous and reminds me of a diner menu.  I had a Thai iced tea as is my want.  We started off with two appetizers which were about $5 each.  Dave suggested the roti canai “crispy and doughy indian style pancake served with curry sauce” (in the foreground), and I decided we should sample the Thai nachos “minced shrimp and chicken in coconut dipping served with crispy shrimp chips” (in the background).  Both were nice, and my dinner companions were rather fond of the sauces and kept them after the severs tried to take them away.

For my main, I selected the Singapore Mee which was thin rice noodles with bean sprouts, egg, shrimp, signature sauce, and I picked out beef.  Despite no chili pepper by its name on the menu, it was spicy and made my lips tingle after.  The thought of how spicy the spicy meals are scares me.  While the noodles were good, they didn’t make me want to close my eyes and think that I could just die right then and there and be satisfied.  Dave and the brother seemed to like their dishes fine.

Man, I wish I had room for dessert, because looking now, there’s something called Thai tea creme brulee.  Drool.  So Rhong Tiam: it’s not an upscale dining experience, but it’s a tasty dining experience.  I’ll have to suggest it to Lisa since she’s the Thai fan in my circle.

Fun fact: the receipt encourages you to write online reviews.  Hee.

54 Henley Beach Rd
Mile End SA 5031
(08) 8234 6884
Open Tues-Sat for Dinner,  Thur-Fri for Lunch

What a great name for a Thai restaurant, very punny indeed! Another week of tantalising delights this time at one of my favourite places. I know for a fact that they do a great Pad Thai dish which is plenty for any food warrior, and the chef even has some specialties which have become local favourites. They’ve recently renovated too and this place can now hold my crew comfortably so let’s move onto some food which will hopefully have my Tongue Thai’d!

Final Score: 9.05/10

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Tongue Thai’d Eggplant

Just outside of the city is this little gem of a restaurant, so if you can’t be bothered trying to find a carpark and fighting your way through hoardes of hungry marauders on a Friday night then this could be your safe haven. I’ve been here before and I’ve been impressed with the food … now that I think about it, last time I was here I had the Tongue Thai’d Eggplant as well!

I never really took notice of the interior the first time I came here, but they’ve added on another room since then and they’ve also made a little courtyard dining area out the back which is pretty nifty. The walls are painted in vibrant reds and shades of orange to complement the Asian and Thai theme which flowed throughout the place. Nothing was too gaudy or overpowering, just pleasantly colourful with style. There were lots of tasteful pictures and ornaments in the windows which was a good touch. What caught my eye was a neat hand painted excerpt from the Dalai Lama on one of the walls near us followed by a greeting message from the owners, which added that homely personal flair to the dining room.

If you’ve read my previous reviews, I am sometimes a bit harsh when it comes to reviewing service. Here at Tongue Thai’d it was interesting but nice … laid back and casual but still got the job done … bustling and snappy but with adequate attention. It’s something you would be happy with whilst you’re already distracted by a dozen of your friends. If you’re dining alone, I believe that they make sure your service is extra zippy. The speed of service was acceptable although not the fastest or most enthusiastic as we’ve had before. Still, no complaints overall and we got all of our meals at roughly the same time to prevent any food envy awkwardness.

It was lucky that I got to re-experience the plate of joy that is the Chef Pichai special … Tongue Thai’d Eggplant! The waitress didn’t have any reservations in mentioning that this dish was the local favourite. The description on the menu mentions that my “gums may orgasm”, and although I’m pretty sure this didn’t occur I reckon I was a close second. The eggplant was fried to crisp the outside flesh whilst leaving the inside soft and tender then covered with a tangy chicken mince savoury sauce that is highly addictive … in fact I could just have the sauce with plain rice and still be happy! In short, these come to mind : sweet, savoury, crispy, crunchy, soft and melty with a touch of chili to top it off. The combination of taste and texture is something I think most people would fall in love with and come running back for more. Chef Pichai likes to use as little oil as possible too so you can enjoy the dish to it’s fullest extent … and I do mean fullest, as the serving size I got was enough for dinner and a doggie-bag lunch the next day! Incidentally two others on the table ordered the Tongue Thai’d Eggplant as well and agreed that this dish was a true stunner.

Just because I had a great experience the first time I came here isn’t going to influence my scores this time round, and I can safely say that I don’t need any further coaxing. The extra extension means that you can get a seat more easily than before and the place has been decorated to give you a warm welcoming feeling. The Tongue Thai’d Eggplant is something you have to try even if you don’t like eggplant that much, and service here is just as good as I remember. The fact that you get enough food for two meals is just amazing, and with rice at only two dollars per person this place is great for those wanting a special treat on the cheap! I’ve just confirmed that Tongue Thai’d is a gastronomic victory and I suggest that you do the same.

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• Service [8.3/10] : Speedy and comfortable level of service, ticks most of the boxes.
• Quality [9.7/10] : I just love it. I could eat it non-stop everyday for a week!
• Venue [8.9/10] : Warm, welcoming, homelike feeling, tastefully coloured and decorated.
• Value [9.3/10] : Double sized serving plus rice for $21.50 just tickles me pink!

.

.

Förra veckan var man på kurs.. en macka på morgonen, och EN burgare den veckan.. inga frittar utan bara burgare och mjölk. Visst, en liten kaka i helgen och en 88ml Häagen Dazs. Men våghelsiket har stått relativt stilla i 4 veckor nu.

Jag som hade hoppas på att plocka 70 till nyår. Nu är det lögn i h*e man klarar av det. Whayever!!! Mår bra och det är det viktigaste!

En “wok” med Aubergin, Choy Sum, Bok Choi, Gai Lan, Böngroddar, Lime, Chili, Ingefära, Ostronsås, Soja tillsammans med lite wokad, marinerad karré… MUMS!! Matlåda i 3 dagar nu!

Bok Choi – en underskattad liten asiat!

3010332    การแพทย์แผนไทย    Thai Traditional Medicine

การรักษาโรค การป้องกันโรค และการส่งเสริมสุขภาพ โดยใช้การแพทย์แผนไทยและภูมิปัญญาท้องถิ่นของไทย ซึ่งครอบคลุมการนวด การอบ การประคบ และการใช้สมุนไพร

(Thai traditional medicine and Thai folk wisdom for curative purpose, disease, prevention and health promotion including massage, sauna, massage with a bag of heated medicinal herbs, and use of medicineal herbs.)

(3010332 จุฬาลงกรณ์มหาวิทยาลัย)

Davinci the artist, Davinci the movie…both very awesome, but now, i found another davinci that is nice as well… Davinci Suites & Le Spa. This boutique hotel/apartment is very nice, especially in the interior.

It’s located deep in the heart of Sukhumvit Road, in soi 31. It is located right behind the famous Italian restaurant, Bella Napoli and many other restaurants are around there so no worries that you’ll run out of food.Actually, the owner of this place owns a restaurant in Lang Suan named “Airplane” and he brings the chef over to cook at DaVinci as well.

I found this hotel from the http://www.tourismthailand.org/7wonders/ on the “Trends 06″ section. There are also a lot other boutique hotels there so have a go.

There are two types of room, the Superior rooms and the Suite rooms. I stayed in the superior room and it is very nice, for the price, which is 1,500 Baht. The prices for these types of boutique hotels are very competitive so teh price here is considerably good in the range.

And when i entered the room, i was very impressed, especially with the interior deco with the nice tree painting above the bed that lines up to the bed sheet of the bed, a very nice combination.

The service is also very good, with the very well trained receptionist and teh room service. Altogether, i was very pleased with the price i paid which i felt i got more than what i paid for.

Enjoy!

Davinci the artist, Davinci the movie…both very awesome, but now, i found another davinci that is nice as well… Davinci Suites & Le Spa.

This boutique hotel/apartment is very nice, especially int eh interior. It’s located deep in the heart of Sukhumvit Road, in soi 31. It is located right behind the famous Italian restaurant, Bella Napoli and many other restaurants are around there so no worries that you’ll run out of food.

Actually, the owner of this place owns a restaurant in Lang Suan named “Airplane” and he brings the chef over to cook at DaVinci as well. I found this hotel from the http://www.tourismthailand.org/7wonders/ on the “Trends 06″ section.

There are also a lot other boutique hotels there so have a go. There are two types of room, the Superior rooms and the Suite rooms.

I stayed in the superior room and it is very nice, for the price, which is 1,500 Baht. The prices for these types of boutique hotels are very competitive so teh price here is considerably good in the range. And when i entered the room, i was very impressed, especially with the interior deco with the nice tree painting above the bed that lines up to the bed sheet of the bed, a very nice combination. The service is also very good, with the very well trained receptionist and teh room service.

Altogether, i was very pleased with the price i paid which i felt i got more than what i paid for.

Enjoy!

Davinci the artist, Davinci the movie…both very awesome, but now, i found another davinci that is nice as well… Davinci Suites & Le Spa. This boutique hotel/apartment is very nice, especially int eh interior. It’s located deep in the heart of Sukhumvit Road, in soi 31. It is located right behind the famous Italian restaurant, Bella Napoli and many other restaurants are around there so no worries that you’ll run out of food.

Actually, the owner of this place owns a restaurant in Lang Suan named “Airplane” and he brings the chef over to cook at DaVinci as well. I found this hotel from the http://www.tourismthailand.org/7wonders/ on the “Trends 06″ section. There are also a lot other boutique hotels there so have a go. There are two types of room, the Superior rooms and the Suite rooms.

I stayed in the superior room and it is very nice, for the price, which is 1,500 Baht. The prices for these types of boutique hotels are very competitive so teh price here is considerably good in the range. And when i entered the room, i was very impressed, especially with the interior deco with the nice tree painting above the bed that lines up to the bed sheet of the bed, a very nice combination. The service is also very good, with the very well trained receptionist and teh room service.

Altogether, i was very pleased with the price i paid which i felt i got more than what i paid for.

Enjoy!

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 300g noodles
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 1 stalk lemon grass, sliced finely
• 400g rump steak, cut into thin strips…

Click here to view the full recipe…
http://www.sevafrica.com/HealthWellness/RedThai-BeefPasta.shtml

Hey everybody! It’s … Thai Time! Thai makes number 29, as listed below:

1. Romanian
2. Macedonian
3. Spanish
4. Vietnamese
5. Norwegian
6. Bulgarian
7. Slovenian
8. Malagasy
9. Japanese
10. Moldavian
11. Hindi
12. Finnish
13. Azeri
14. Arabic
15. Czech
16. Albanian
17. Cambodian
18. Serbian
19. Chinese
20. Xhosa
21. Portuguese
22. Armenian
23. Korean
24. Croatian
25. Afrikaans
26. Greek
27. Swedish
28. French
29. Thai
30. Turkish
31. Dutch
32. Hebrew
33. Danish
34. Filipino
35. Polish
36. Lao
37. Catalan

While going through the facts about this language, I was really surprised to learn that there are over 70 million speakers of Thai — that’s a rather impressive number! Thai is spoken in Thailand (formerly called Siam) and surrounding areas in South Asia. It is a member of the Kradai language family, which also includes Lao (with which it is mutually intelligible). Thai is also a tonal language.

REGIONAL HISTORY: The Sukhotai kingdom, which was established in 1238, is the mother of modern-day Thailand. This period was known as the golden era in Thai history, as the kingdom was free from neighboring Khmer (mother of modern-day Cambodia) and Mon kingdoms. The Thai alphabet was also created at this time by King Ramkhamhaeng in 1283.

The Ayutthaya kingdom grew in influence over the 14th century and took over the Sukhotai kingdom, bringing with it a more absolute rule and Khmer customs. This kingdom lasted until the 18th century, until a brief period of capture by the Burmese.

King Taksin the Great was able to get rid of Burmese forces after the fall of Ayutthaya, but he spent time trying to piece together the kingdom during his short reign. Later, General Chakri, who became King Rama I, moved the capital to Bangkok in 1782. Future rulers in this period helped to repair Thailand, while trading with Western countries. King Mongkut, Rama IV (also known as the monarch from the story “The King and I”) made a lot of major reforms and helped modernize Thailand.

Thailand became a constitutional monarchy in 1932, freeing it from absolute monarchy rule since its founding. Thailand is the only country in Southeast Asia that has never been colonized.

WRITING SYSTEM:

I acquired all of my information from the Wikipedia page on the Thai Alphabet and Learning Thai. For more information, please visit their Web sites.

Thai technically uses an abugida, where vowels are used, but don’t have the same status as consonants. Thai’s alphabet comes from Cambodian/Khmer’s alphabet, which you probably saw in the Cambodian post.

The alphabet itself is rather complex for English speakers to learn. It is read left to right, but there are no spaces between words. It contains 44 consonants (that have 21 sounds) and 32 vowels (18 single vowels, 6 compound vowels and 8 vowels like look like consonants). Also, consonants have an inherent “a” and “o” sound.

As Thai is a tonal language, each consonant falls into a “class” which determines the tone of the consonant. Most consonants have a different sound depending on whether they begin or end a syllable. (This doesn’t seem to be a big deal, as the difference appears to be voicing or aspiration for most.)

I divided the consonants by class and then put the starting and ending sound. I used the chart listed on Wikipedia for this post:

Low:
ค – k, with breath / k
ฅ – k, with breath / k [OBSOLETE]
ฆ – k / k
ง – ng as in sing / ng as in sing
ช – a rough ch sound / no sound
ซ – a rouch ch sound / t
ฌ – s / t
ญ – j / n
ฑ – t, with breath / t
ฒ – t, with breath / t
ณ – n / n
ท – t, with breath / t
ธ – t, with breath / t
น – n / n
พ – a ph sound like phone / p
ฟ – f / p
ภ – a ph sound like phone / p
ม – m / m
ย – j / j
ร – r / n
ล – l / n
ว – w / w
ฬ – l / n
ฮ – h / no sound

Mid:
ก – k / k
จ – a rough j sound / t
ฎ – d / t
ฏ – t / t
ด – d / t
ต – t / t
บ – b / p
ป – p / p
อ – a glottal throaty sound

High:
ข – k with a breath / k
ฃ – k with a breath / k [OBSOLETE]
ฉ – a rough ch sound / no sound
ฐ – t with a breath / t
ถ – t with a breath / t
ผ – a ph sound like phone / no sound
ฝ – f / no sound
ศ – s / t
ษ – s / t
ส – s / t
ห – h / no sound

Vowels are added at the top, bottom, left or right of consonants. They can be short or long.

I divided them into single, compound and consonant-like groups. Most of them have a dash (-) as a placeholder consonant because they can’t stand alone. Again, I turned to Wikipedia for help:

Single vowels:
ะ – u as in nut (short)
า – a as in father (long)
–ิ – ee as in greedy (short)
–ี – ee as in see (long)
–ึ – u in French “du” (short)
–ื – u in French “dur” (long)
–ุ – oo as in look (short)
–ู – oo as in too (long)
เ–ะ – e as in neck (short)
เ– – a as in lame (long)
แ–ะ – a as in at (short)
แ– a as in ham (long)
โ–ะ – o as in poke (short)
โ– – o as in go (long)
เ–าะ – o as in not (short)
อ – aw as in saw (long)
เ–อะ – e as in the (short)
เ–อ – u as in burn (long)

Compound vowels:
เ–ียะ – ea as in ear with glottal stop (throaty sound) (short)
เ–ีย – eas as in ear (long)
เ–ือะ – u as in pure (short)
เ–ือ – u as in pure (long)
–ัวะ – ewe as in sewer (short)
–ัว – ewe as in newer (long)

Consonant-like vowels:
ฤ – ri as in Krishna (short)
ฤๅ – ri as in “Krishna” except longer (long)
–ำ -u as in sum (short)
ใ– – i as in hi (short)
ไ– – i as in hi (short)
เ–า – o as in cow (short)

Finally, tones are used via diacritics. There are five tones: middle, low, falling, high and rising.

A tone is indicated in script by:

1) the class of the first consonant (low, mid, high).
2) the vowel length (short or long).
3) the last consonant.
4) diacritics.

The diacritics are (with the placeholder dash functioning as a consonant) –่, –้, –๊ and –๋. Rules on how to use them can be found at Wikipedia’s page on the Thai Alphabet.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: This alphabet is HARD. I think it’s even harder than Khmer (which I claimed to have the hardest alphabet ever ) because of its tones. The fact that Thai is a tonal language put me off a little, but ever since I became confident with Chinese tones, I dismissed it. Like Khmer, I expect that the alphabet in this case is the make or break factor.

Thai music does seem rather cool, though …

SOURCES USED IN THIS POST:
Learning Thai
Omniglot
Tourism Thailand – History
Wikipedia (Thai Alphabet, Thai Language, Thailand)

They may not be glamorous, but they make me happy!!

1. Ho Su (Japanese/Korean)

2. Salad King (Thai)

3. Sea Hi (Chinese)

4. Xu Lua (Vietnamese)

5. The Keg (steak…mmm)

6. Dutch Dreams (ice cream parlour)

7. Swiss Chalet (comfort food)

8. Avenue Diner (greasy spoon)

9. Jump (somewhere fancy)

10. Pourquoi Pas (romantic – French)

When it comes to food for me, the spicier the better. So it will come as no surprise to anyone that my food obsession is Thai! I go out for Thai at least once a week, and quite often try new restaurants. So many people say to me, “Oh, Thai is nice but I don’t know where the good restaurants are”. So I thought, why not blog about some of my faves! (In Auckland of course!) 

1) Pattaya Thai Restaurant in Mairangi Bay – This restaurant is the food equivalent of the love of my life! It’s not super fancy but it has an A Rating for food hygiene, its clean and decorated nicely, with super friendly staff and an extensive menu. And the food – Oh, the food! Everything is fresh, they make it exactly the way you want it and it’s done in record time despite being made from scratch. Special tip: The satay chicken skewers are done in a sweet peanut sauce which is the chefs special recipe and it is DELICIOUS! The curries are also to die for – and when you ask for things to be “HOT, THAI HOT!” they grin at you and do it! It’s a wonderful little restaurant, you never regret going and it’s so inexpensive. Love it.

2) Ruan Thai Restaurant in Mission Bay – This restaurant is next to Reef Bar in Mission Bay, and has a beautiful view across the water. The staff are lovely, the hygiene rating is A and the restaurant is beautifully decorated in Thai art and decorations. This particular restaurant is a bit more pricey than most of the other Thai restaurants around, but it has great ambiance and yummy food. It can get quite busy and you mostly have to book, especially during the weekends, but it is worth the effort. The food is fresh and scrumptious, the meals quick to arrive. Special tip: The Gai Pa Pa Pa Pa Pa (I’m serious!) is a chicken dish much like a curry but thicker, a bit different. It is absolutely beautiful, spicy as all hell, and a dish I dream about often!

3) Thai Me Up in Ponsonby – This is such a fantastic little restaurant! The staff are so warm and friendly, the food is SUPER cheap (As in, mains for $12), the food hygiene rating is A, and the meals are WONDERFUL! Seriously. Fresh, tasty, with a massive selection of anything you could possibly be craving. You always have to book here because it’s always full, a good sign, and the food is quick to arrive and come with a friendly smile from your waiter/waitress. Special tip: The Tom Yum soup is really yummy here. A spicy-sour tangy type soup with either seafood or chicken, it’s not for everyone but I adore it. It’s an unusual flavour but definitely one to try! 

4) Thai Village Restaurant in Remuera – An extremely nice looking restaurant, spacious with great decor and flow. The food hygiene is an A rating, they have options for Gluten free diners and their service is great. Often you don’t have to book (It’s a large place to fill!) and though the food is a bit pricier than other restaurants, it certainly is worth it. Great ambiance, great flavours (also caters to those fussy european taste buds that don’t want anything too Thai) and has a large selection to choose from. Special tip: The Chicken and Cashew nuts is really well done here, fresh and tasty.

5) Thai Archer Restaurant in Royal Oak – This has been a family pick for years, and they more often than not impress. The restaurant is lovely, a converted house decorated and designed into a dining place. The staff are usually great, the menu is extensive and the prices are reasonable. It’s best to book as they are quite popular, and they even make great deserts. (Ollies is down the road though and I often end up migrating there after dinner!) Special tip: The entrees are wonderful here. Try the Curry Puffs and Spring Rolls – just delicious!

There are many more Thai restaurants I could list here, but these are my top picks. Hope it helps anyone looking for a nice dinner out…

Mmmm… Might go have Thai now……

Thai Food

67 Gouger St
Adelaide SA 5000
(08) 8231 3527
Open Mon-Sat for Dinner,  Mon-Fri for Lunch

Our first Gouger St review and will be just one of many along this street of culinary delights! It was a bit hectic as the street was closed for a special Classic Adelaide Rally street party which I didn’t know was on. As with most restaruants on Gouger St, Friday nights are always bustling and packed with market goers wanting a bite to eat, so let’s see how the Star of Siam holds up in the heat!

Final Score: 8.95/10

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Red Duck Curry

The Star of Siam has been a popular place on Gouger St for a very long time, and I have always wanted to go there. Lots of people have told me it has the best drunken noodles and do a great red curry, so I was looking forwards to some tasty treats for sure! There are at least three other Thai places within 100 metres too so competition for the best on the street should be lively, but being a Friday night I’m sure that they all have no problems getting business. Tonight I was joined by a couple of friends who eat here so often that the owners and waiters know them on a first name basis, and assured me that the Star of Siam was the absolute best!

It was a Friday night and there were a zillion people around from the Adelaide Classic Rally event trying to find food at the same time, so the speed and attention of food and service could be expected to be rather slow. I was greeted by the manager who already knew who I was, and I found out she had assigned us a waitress to look after our table (and probably 5 other tabels as well!). Once everyone arrived, drinks orders were requested very quickly and our food orders were made not long after.

I also made a special effort to keep an eye out on the level of service at our neighbouring tables to see how the wait-staff would cope with being so busy … and I was pleasantly surprised! From what I could see the level of service and attention was just a good as any other regular night, and food was brought out at a reasonable pace. There were at least 8 wait-staff running around non-stop attending to each table which is exactly what’s needed for a night this busy. As we waited the wait-staff kept an eye out on our water levels and often came round to top up all of our glasses which was a pleasant touch too. Food started to come out without much of a long wait, and although a couple of us waited a tad longer I think overall the time was quite acceptable for a Friday night.

I like duck and I like red curry, so when the waitress recommended this to me I just couldn’t wait to dig in. When you order duck you normally get very few chunks of meat, and sometimes even the bony bits … but this time I was happy to be wrong. So many flavours and textures come into my mind when I think back … chili, basil, coconut, sweet, salty, creamy, smooth and al’dente. The balance of flavours was on the money, with not one flavour overpowering another and the duck meat was tender and still flavoursome. This was a truly unique red curry with the addition of lychee and pineapple to add more sweetness to balance out the savoury side of the dish. I like seeing some vegetables to offset the meat to create an all-round dinner, and in this case the inclusion of eggplant and red capsicum was a definite success, not to mention the large serving size too! In previous weeks every time I have had a great meal I have most likely said something along the lines of “this is probably the best dish I’ve had!” … but tonight I can positively confirm this IS the best red curry I have ever had!

So what do I think then? Although one person mentioned about the food waiting time, it was a super busy Friday night and they managed to run the ship smoothly overall … much better than some other restaurants I have been to with much fewer patrons. The red curry was the best I’ve ever had and I would have never expected to find lychee and pineapple in a duck centred dish. I liked the fact they looked after our water levels and found the time to serve us rice onto our plates during the night. From experience, their pricing is on par with most Gouger St establishments and you do have to remember you’re paying inner city dining prices. Do yourself a flavour and try it for yourself. Two thumbs up from me, and if I had a third hand I might even think about another…

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• Service [8.8/10] : Great attention to detail, a little slow on Fridays but justified!
• Quality [9.6/10] : Really enjoyable, made me really happy to eat this!
• Venue [8.4/10] : Pleasant, neat and modern with touches of Thai up and about.
• Value [9.0/10] : Service was good and food was excellent and plenty, very much worth it.

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“The Japanese think of the City in the way that Englishmen used to think of Mighty London. It is either one or the other. Rice paddies or the Ginza.” (p35)

I am reading the wonderful author Donald Richie’s The Inland Sea, first published in 1971. Richie is the ultimate American expat in Japan, who stayed from the start of the Occupation until today, and this is a classic travel book focused on Seto Nai Kai (the Inland Sea), which I recently visited.

This passage struck me because Ginza Farm, which I have visited for Tokyo Green Space, overcomes the division between city and country by bringing a rice paddy to Ginza, Tokyo’s most celebrated commercial district full of De Beers, Cartier and now of course Uniqlo flagship stores.

Richie’s The Inland Sea also reminds me of the recently deceased French anthropologist Claude Levi-Strauss’ Tristes Tropiques, which chronicled an Amazon on the verge of extinction. In a similar voyage by boat, Richie bemoans the new highways and lure of the city that threaten the fishing economy and general isolation of these islands and peoples. What used to be called “salvage anthropology” clashes with contemporary feelings by focusing on purity and what is about to be lost. This antique attitude also portrays the writer as both the “first” and last foreigner to capture a vanishing culture, creating a false sense of importance for the individual writer.

Despite this unease, it is hard not to enjoy Richie’s beautiful writing, his insights on insider and outsider culture, and his only partly closeted attraction to Japan. And I do not doubt the gulf that once existed between city and country, which makes the current urban interest in rural life and agriculture all the more indicative of profound social and environmental change.

On a related topic, I read this week in the New York Times that Korea, which is generally more accepting of national diversity, is having difficulties integrating children of mixed marriages. Most mixed children are the progeny of Korean farmers and their Chinese, Filipino and Thai wives. Partly the social question is of race, but also of class and city versus country.

I was struck that Korea shares Japan’s rural abandonment, and seems ahead of Japan in responding through immigration. Perhaps Japan, too, will first open its doors to immigrants willing to live in its rural areas now inhabited almost exclusively by the elderly. Despite Japan’s xenophobia, immigrants as care-givers and farmers seem more likely than the techno fantasy of robots: more cost-effective as workers and more human in terms of care and culture.