Wine Education

Regular readers of BK of course know that it’s soup season. At Vintage 21 (19 Silom Soi 21, 02-630-2244. Open daily 6pm-midnight), where they’ve been serving up European dishes in their antique, timber-frame house for a year now, the new menu features more hearty soups to withstand the rainy season as well as new pasta dishes like spaghetti amatriciana (B250), with onions, bacon and tomato sauce. The restaurant also offers wine tasting classes (B6,000/18hrs) led by wine columnist, and Best Sommelier of Thailand in 1996, Pairach Intaput. For more information, contact Pairach himself on 08-981-55873.

Get Curry-ed Away

Office zombies in Silom (like us) now have a new joint to get a quick fix of rice and pork at lunch hour, Aoringo (2/F, Thaniya Bldg., Silom Rd., 02-652-4478-9. Open Mon-Sat 11am-9pm). What’s more unusual is this katsu curry joint’s Happy Hour, which is not for the purpose of getting smashed (unless your body has a weird reaction to pork). From 2-4pm Mon-Sat, really late lunchers can get B30-50 discounts on their curries, which are usually B160-250.

History Repeats

Said to be the model for Pixar’s Ratatouille, La Tour d’Argent is the once prestigious three-Michelin-star restaurant that by most accounts turned into a tourist trap. La Tour can still claim one star and a long culinary tradition, however. Which is what brings Chef Stephane Haissant to Le Normandie (The Oriental, 48 Oriental Ave., 02-659-9000 ext 7670), from Jun 24-28. He will be showcasing a menu inspired by what HM King Rama V was served on a visit to Paris.

Stella Beef

If you put together Belgium beer, Japanese food, and Yuu Restaurant‘s (2/F, The Crystal, Ram Inthra Rd., 02-662-2544. Open daily 11am-2pm, 5pm-10pm) new branch at The Crystal, you get their Jun-Aug promotion titled, “Mini 997.” Order four glasses of Stella Artois and you’ll get a small plate of Matsusaka beef marinated Yuu style. For a real meal, you can still get the shabu-suki and Japanese BBQ from their regular menu.