Mei Jiang Bangkok – Dim sum lunch at the Peninsula Bangkok

Where to eat after visiting the tourist attractions in Bangkok along the Chao Phraya River?  That was how we ended up having lunch at Mei Jiang Bangkok, the Chinese restaurant at The Peninsula Hotel Bangkok.  We started early in the morning on the eastern side of the river where the Grand Palace and many other nearby attractions, hotels and restaurants are situated. Took a boat ride across the Chao Phraya to the other side to visit the impressive Wat Arun which was our last planned stop. There seems to be fewer places to eat along this side of the river, but one place called out to us from Google maps.  The Peninsula Bangkok and its Chinese restaurant – Mei Jiang.

The Peninsula Bangkok is as we imagined it to be – formal, stately and full of old world charm. The same descriptions can be used for Mei Jiang.  It was not very busy during our lunch – just us and five other tables were occupied.  We also discovered something new about the hotel. They provide a free boat service to the other side of the river.  The Peninsula boat is nicer than the ferry that we took. The pick up / drop off points are at the hotel pier and a public pier near the Saphan Taksin BTS station on the other side of the river. We used this service after our lunch. The elevated rail and boat combination is probably the best way to get to the hotel as well – scenic and avoids the risk of getting stuck on road traffic.

Mei Jiang Bangkok Menu

The food at Mei Jiang Bangkok looked rather expensive. Thank goodness the dim sum menu was more wallet-friendly. Here are pictures of the dim sum menu and a couple of pages from the ala carte menu and set menu.

After a full morning traipsing across the historical part of Bangkok, the first things we ordered were some cold drinks – a fresh coconut and a beer. The table setting as you can see was immaculate.

The deep-fried scallop and chives (180 baht) was our favourite item that day. They look like plain samosa but the scallop and chives was a successful combination of tastes.

The other item that we still can recall fondly is the crispy shrimp rolled in steamed rice noodle rolls (330 baht). Cheong fun with a crisp core of prawns and dipped in a matching soy based sauce. Very nice.

Our remaining dim sum items were the char siew soh (baked pork buns 120 baht), xiao long bao (Shanghainese pork dumplings 140 baht) and pan-fried rice noodles with XO chili sauce. These were good but not distinctive – very similar to what we can get at a decent Chinese restaurant in Singapore.

The dim sum we had that day at Mei Jiang Bangkok ranged from nice to very good.  We concluded that what was memorable about that day was not really the food, but the entire dining experience. The hushed and calm atmosphere at the Peninsula Bangkok was an oasis to hide from the crowds at the tourist attractions we had just spent a morning with. Dining with a view of the Chao Phraya River, the attentive and gentle service, the boat ride back to the other side.

Ratings:
Food: 4
Service: 4
Value: 3
Atmosphere: 5
Overall Rating: 4 TOPs 

Mei Jiang @ The Peninsula Bangkok
333 Charoennakorn Road
Klongsan, Bangkok 10600
Thailand

Tel: +66 2020 2888

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