lifestyle
Good table guide
thai Dining Text: Duncan Roberts
It took some time for Thai food to take off in Luxembourg, but the recent opening in Bridel of Feuille de Banana is proof of its continuing popularity. The Bridel restaurant serves what many of us in the west regard as classic Thai cuisine, with nems, chicken green curry and prawn red curry among the main dishes. A value for money lunchtime menu du jour-often with a vegetarian option--is also worth trying. Feuille de Banana, 40, rue de Luxembourg, Bridel, tel: 26 33 27 15, www.feuilledebanana.lu
to say she enjoys incorporating local produce and inspiration from other Asian countries into the more traditional Thai dishes. Firm favourites at Thailand remain the beef, basil and lemongrass salad starter or the lobster served with a mild pimento and curry sauce. Remember, though, this is fine dining so expect dinner prices to match the quality of the food and service. Thailand, 72 avenue Gaston Diederich, Luxembourg- Belair, tel. 44 27 66, www.thai.lu Thai Celadon, 1 rue du Nord, Luxembourg-centre, tel. 47 94 34, www.thai.lu
David Laurent / Wide
Its popularity also means that several restaurants have added Thai cuisine to menus offering food from other countries. Takobo, for example, mixes Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese and Thai on its menus, but actually succeeds in serving passable food at a decent price and with good service. More successful among the hip crowd is the Cat Club, where Laurence Sauer has instigated a very popular Thai plat du jour
cat club
Julien Becker
The restaurant that started the Thai fine dining trend in Luxembourg is the simply named Thailand in Belair. Run by the indefatigable Lek Zimmer, the restaurant opened in 1986 and now has a reputation for exquisite and beautifully presented Thai food served in a discreet atmosphere. Five years later, Lek opened a second restaurant, Thai Celadon, which has since moved to rue du Nord and is firmly ensconced as a favourite business lunch venue. The menus at the two restaurants vary slightly, but both bear Lek’s distinctive signature--that is
Thailand
and also incorporated Thai cuisine alongside European dishes on the restaurant’s dinner menu. Highly recommended here is the Bass cooked in banana leaf with a coconut milk sauce and Thai vegetables or a Moo Pat King --pork with ginger. Takobo, 18 avenue Monterrey, Luxembourgcentre, Tel. 46 90 05 Cat Club, 18 rue de l'Acierie, LuxembourgHollerich, tel. 40 08 15 69, www.catclub.lu
But no guide to Thai food in Luxembourg would be complete without mention of the Sawasdee café in Bonnevoie. Now something of a cult venue at lunchtime, the café serves, under the watchful eye of Ponipa Chiya, a superb all-you-can eat buffet featuring nems and calamars as well as a selection of two or three curries, varying in spiciness, and fried noodles. It is excellent value for money, but our advice is to book a table and get there early--the food is constantly replenished, but sometimes the buffet can look bare after 12:30. Our only other concern is the lack of a vegetarian option at the buffet. Sawasdee Café, 20 rue Verger, Luxembourg-Bonnevoie, tel. 26 12 39 08.
February 2011 - delano - 63