Chote Chitr: City walks, part two

After circumnavigating the outer perimeter of Nang Leong market, I chose my path to my next destination, the well reviewed Thai restuarant, Chote Chitr. Based on reviews, it was a short walk from the Democracy Monument, along Thanon Tanao. My walk led me past the Democracy Monument and along a road that hosted a lot of lottery ticket vendors. Quite curious how they work, which as a non-Thai speaker leaves me with endless questions. Why are they all clustered like that along a three block radius? And why do they sell the tickets at different prices? Or were they the winnings?

Passing the landmark and turning left on Tanao, the street turns into a mix of small commercial offices and a few parks. I started to wonder where the small alley of Phraeng Puthon was located, asked a few store owners and was told to keep going. I did see a sign that pointed more to the left than straight ahead but my gut instinct led me straight down the road until another query to a lady in an old shoe shop showed me I wasn't more than a few meters from my destination.

Chote Chitr's been written up in many online posts and reviewed by food critics. What I found true of all the write ups is the simplicity of the place, which hasn't expanded beyond the 6 or 7 tables it has had for probably a generation or two; the presence of the owner's dogs, two shitzus and a chihuahua (who was the real boss of the place, making sure the younger dogs kept to their side of the restaurant several times); and the food! Instead of going through the menu, the owner, Tim Krachoichuli, asked if I would like to try the daily special, a steamed fish curry in pandan leaves, and suggested the famous banana leaf salad. I was happy to let her choose what I'd have. Both dishes were marvelous! The first bite of the fish curry was intense, a red curry with fish and lemongrass and basil. There were three pandan cups of the curry, with cucumbers and tomato slices to cool the tongue. It wasn't fiery, but flavorful. Yes, I was sweating like mad, but I didn't feel uncomfortable with the heat of the curry. The steamed custards are the perfect portion for one person, but wait, there was the salad coming up!

The banana blossoms salad is more like a stirfry with shrimp, chicken and julienned banana blossoms. Non-asians might wonder what exactly a banana blossom is, but we do use it in all sorts of dishes. Locally we cook it with coconut milk and langka, or add it to kare kare. The dish at CC was cooked with fresh banana blossoms, on the verge of crispy, sauced with spices, and the meat. It tasted fresh and relatively light. As it's one of the restaurant's signature dishes, definitely ask for it when you're there. Ms. Krachoichuli suggested I come back for their crispy noodle dish, and if I'm back in Bangkok, I'll make sure to bring friends there to see if their more attuned Thai taste buds agree with me.

Chote Chitr — 146 Soi Phraeng Phuton, a ten minute walk from the Democracy Monument, Bangkok.
Phone: 66-2-221-408

Cuillère

Spoon, table spoon, teaspoon, soupspoon, spooning , er, oops. Serendra has a french bistro, Cuillère, modeled after a prototype parisian bistro with a hint of Amelie thrown in. Love Amelie, that scene where she is writing backwards on the glass, looking over his shoulder, and melting when he barely notices her. And the part where she thinks he's in love with someone else, and the sound of the cat moving against the divider makes her think he is about to enter the kitchen, only to realize it's her imagination. As Pepe le Pew said it Le Sigh.

Ok, restaurant, new, french. Food, how's the food? CJ and I had gone in to try the pommes frites, and pommes with tons of garlic. You get the pomme picture. But we also had other things: soup (french onion), croquettes (um, more potatoes), and a roast chicken. Plus what was billed as the best danged milkshake ever.

How were the pommes frites/freedom fries/potato sticks? Disappointingly mushy. Where was the smooth creamy interiors, airy with the first parboil in hot oil, followed by the crunch of the second fry needed for browning and to seal it all in? The fry itself was a sizeable collection of sticks. But the texture was all wrong. And with fries, the texture is it.

I give two thumbs up to the french onion soup, with flavors of herb, gruyere cheese, the caramelized onions and the bread making it a downright cosy dish. Just the right size, not a question of quantity over quality. It was good. If anything brings me back, it will be for another bowl of soup.

CJ wasn't that thrilled with the roast chicken and mashed garlic potatoes; for plating purposes, it might have worked better if the potatoes hadn't been lost in the sauce (which was probably the only highlight of the dish). Better execution for a basic dish that should have been a winner.

My only main was a plate of ham and cheese croquettes accompanied by the lovingly garlicky aoili. Barely found any cheese in the croquettes, but slathered with the garlic dip, no complaints.

Unfortunately, the carabao milk shake didn't live up to its billing as the best milkshake ever. Nice, but for P195, I could have had two thick chocolate shakes at Pancake House. Or 1.5 thick and tasting of peanut butter goodness from Xocolat. I really wanted to like the Cuillere chocolate shake, but it didn't turn me into jelly.

The restaurant is owned by a scion of the Arce icecream house (hence all the milkshakes have a decidedly Arce flavor assortment - jackfruit, avocado. Where's the atis? Mantecado?). According to the menu, her Tita Arlene shares her two favorite dishes, callos and lengua, along with the rest of the parisien style. Mussels in white wine sauce, a steak and fries for two (not a bad deal for P995), croques madame et monsieur, and there was a chocolate croissant with hot chocolate somewhere there. Daily specials are written up on two blackboards (no glass, and no cute pixie like waitresses), and they probably need a dusting of gauloises induced black soot on the walls to have the sincerity of a paris bistro. But for effort I give them a B-.