Exemplary Thai cuisine leisurely enjoyed from topside a floating teak palace traversing the River of Kings by night - pure poetry in motion
Published: 9/12/2010 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: Mylife
Perhaps the most telling fact about the fleet of Manohra craft that cruise the Mae Nam Chao Phya by day and night is that its first vessels were launched simultaneously with Bangkok Marriott Resort & Spa, the lush and leafy riverside resort in the city to which the enterprise and the elegant craft themselves are respectively permanently and periodically lashed.
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No afterthought or addendum, they are part of the resort’s ethos and one of the driving reasons it was built in the first place.
The result is a perfectly smooth symbiosis of five-star hospitality, Thai heritage and river lore that gets you every time you take one of the trips, whether an exotic overnight sojourn to Ayudhya or a sensual evening excursion as far as Rama VIII Bridge before detouring to the Royal Barge enclosure, just inside one of the still picturesque canals that lattice the river banks downstream of Somdej Phra Pin Klao Bridge, and back.
The actual year was 1992 which means that in a nice little irony it won’t be long before the vintage rice barges, admiration of which originally inspired the venture and which were already half a century old when they were originally signed up, become vintage again in their second lives as no-expense-spared restorations and conversions.
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No longer fitted out with bulging holds for tons of grain kept dry beneath tarry tarps but with shiny galley kitchens, ensuite state rooms and homes for hush-hush high-horsepower engines discretely nestled beneath jolly dining and lounging decks, the rough trade of yesteryear has been superseded by lustrous-varnish, master-carpentry finesse in an almost all-new incarnation that today is very much in its prime.
Much like a favourite restaurant ashore, the evening dining cruises bear revisiting on a couple of scores. For one thing, new Gold and Silver, nine- and seven- course set menus have just been introduced with four different versions of each rotated on a weekly basis. In addition, especially for those of us who let years rather than months go by between trips, the scenery is changing all the time.
It seems that more owners of historic buildings and others in privileged positions along the river banks are recognising their responsibility to preserve their blessings for posterity, with the result that these days you could nowhere near count the number of charmingly restored attractions along the way on the fingers and toes of both hands and feet, as perhaps you could not so long ago.
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What’s more, several enterprising entrepreneurs seem to have converted formerly relatively non-descript establishments into chic boutique hotels and bar-restaurants, Chao Phya Pallazo and ViVi among them, that together with the above, plus the pantheon of immaculately floodlit national treasures and inherited vanities, corporate, state and private, make sightseeing the downtown river stretch the definition of enchanting.
I neglect to mention the flotilla of sundry other gaily-lit vessels, that on the impressively powered Manohra Moon you repeatedly leave in your wake, simply because what with drinking in the architecture along the river, referring to the helpfully provided map for guidance and dining on a real peach of a Thai gastronomic extravaganza, there isn’t much inclination to consider how all the other gawpers are accommodated.
The Gold Menu dining experience I recently enjoyed began immediately after casting off from the pier, just beside the resort’s well-chilled, al fresco Longtail Bar, with a cleansing welcome drink served in a curious china barrel, and Lon Naem, a dip comprising a shooter glass of fresh vegetable sticks - carrot, cucumber, green bean - that you dunk into a dish of cured pork simmered in coconut cream, a nice balance of soft sweet ‘n’ sour flavours.
Drinks are not included in the Bt1,990++ Gold tariff (Silver Bt1,400++) but a full menu of libations is provided that includes a page of cocktails and mocktails inspired by the river, ranging from Heart of the River with rum, tequila, crème de bananas and lemon juice, to River of Kings with Scotch, blue Curacao and pineapple (Bt290++).
The next dish to arrive is a large round plate with eight neatly diced ingredients - chilli, ginger, onion, dried shrimp, dried coconut, lime, peanuts and a central sauce of coconut and cane sugar. Accompanying this is a dish of palpably fresh chapu leaves shaped like spades in a card pack. This is Mieng Kham where you work the leaves into little cups with a simple fold and then compose a filling of your choice from the assembled ingredients and drop into your mouth in an explosion of typical Thai flavours. Leave out the chillies if you don’t like spicy or the dried shrimp if you’re not into fishy. On the other hand, a little of everything at one time tastes just fine.
At this point, about 15-minutes into the journey, or at around 19.45 hrs, we made a stop to pick up a party who’d booked the tour from another riverside hotel, indicating that word of Manohra’s special expertise has spread.
As the new arrivals either caught up or began the 7-course option, we moved onto two more substantial appetizers also served in a divided authentic Thai Celadon green-glazed dish. These comprised a spicy salad featuring plump slices of grilled chicken complemented by tomato, onion and chilli and Thord Mun Pla, large, fat deep-fried fish cakes accompanied by a not too sweet or spicy chilli jam.
The salad, or yum, was authentically hot and it might be a good idea to pre-order a low or non-existent chilli count for those of tender mouth but the three main course dishes served were in also authentically contrastingly mild.
The Thai way of serving meat and fish dishes side-by-side seems strange to many Westerners even after many years of it. I’ve found that the way to avoid dissonant flavour mixes is to start with the fish or seafood and then move onto the meat after a couple of pallet purifying swills of water.
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However, I forgot to do that this time and started with Gaeng Phed Ped Yang, roasted duck in a smooth red coconut milk infused curry with eggplant and basil which was a tour de force. Then I switched to a couple of spoonfuls of generously proportioned seared seabass fillet with mild chilli and Thai herbs where the also subtle, slightly smoky flavour actually did not suffer at all.
Complementing these two was a simple stir-fry of chicken with black bean sauce that is more Thai-Chinese in origin.
By now we were turning back from the furthest upstream point of the trip and as feelings of being pleasantly full fused with a velvety river breeze playing across the deck delicately decorated with sprays of jasmine and orchids, beside which the sites continued to drift by in a never-ending procession, I wondered why I’d left it so long to return.
The final dessert course, a classic of firm fresh mango, coconut-milk infused sticky rice dusted with crunchy sesame seeds, and homemade lemon sherbet, was served with tea or coffee, both included in the package.
If you miss some of the sites because of being preoccupied with dinner on the way upstream, no harm done. You can check them off on the way back. Special attention is drawn to two of the highlights anyway with scripted stops to admire the indeed splendid royal barges and the iconic Temple of Dawn or Wat Arun which, fully floodlit, is perhaps still the most impressive of all the features of the journey.
The supplied guide lists 21 points of particular interest but that doesn’t include several eye-catching new commercial establishments, distinguished private houses and lesser-known buildings that, with an informed companion, inspire all kinds of other interesting, amusing and even irreverent stories and anecdotes. Furthermore, in cutting a literal swathe through the city, the river in a sense reveals the beating heart of Bangkok, just as the historic monuments conjure its ineffably romantic past. Add to this reminisces about previous river trips that inevitably lead to rewarding reflections on life in general and you can’t help but experience an infinity for it all that you perhaps don’t get in other ways, and even perhaps a little in love with it all again.
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Manohra Dining Cruise departs from Bangkok Marriott Resort & Spa pier at 19.30 hrs. each evening.
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**For reservations call (66) 2 476 0022 Ext. 1416, email [EMAIL=“manohra@manohracruises.com”]manohra@manohracruises.com or visit website www.manohracruises.com **
Bron: Bangkok Post