Go Eat, Go Out!The bars, clubs and restaurants of Thailand, and especially Bangkok, make the destination an excellent stopover - or even home base - for those who enjoy a wide variety of cuisine and a good night out of culture or clubbing. Get ideas and gain insights on dining (Go Eat!) and entertainment (Go Out!) in the kingdom.
Having heard lots of good things about the Ramayana restaurant, I finally got the chance recently to sample the 548-seater restaurant's international buffet.
Located at the King Power duty free complex on Rangnam Road, the restaurant is named after the ancient Sanskrit and Indian epic The Ramayana, referring to Rama's journey.
Colorful surroundings
The restaurant's interior design and décor has certainly been influenced by the epic tale, including colors relating to two of the story's two main characters – Hanuman, a white monkey who helps Rama to rescue Sita from the King of Lanka, and Tosakan, the Thai name for Ravana (the King of Lanka), whose body is a deep green color.
Along two large glass panels that serve as a partition between the restaurant's central hall and two other dining rooms, you'll see lots of hun lakorn lek (a small traditional Thai puppet), depicting characters from the epic. The two dining rooms are named after Hanuman and Tosakan, the former decorated in white, shell-like patterns that look similar to the markings found on the character's body, while the latter features the character's deep green color.
What I particularly like about the restaurant's interior, however, are the modern high ceilings that feature crisscross patterns and white lighting, along with a 60-meter-long stretch of murals above the serving counters and kitchen area.
Spoiled for choice
Since there are up to 155 different food items from Chinese, Japanese, Thai and Vietnamese cuisine, along with plenty of European dishes, coming to a decision as to what to choose could be a bit of a headache. Fortunately, the food items are organized into helpful zones, making it a whole lot easier to find what you're looking for.
I opted to start with sushi, and it seemed that many other people were of the same mind since there was a long queue in front of the counters serving up salmon sushi, seaweed, squid and tamagoyaki ('Japanese egg roll').
Health conscious types tended to head for the salad bar, while a booth serving up pho, Vietnamese rice noodles in a beef broth with lots of optional vegetables offered an alternative for weight watchers. The pho can be adjusted in line with your personal tastes by choosing from a host of ingredients, such as various meats, vegetables and condiments located at a nearby counter.
Since I'm not really concerned about my waistline, I ended up making several visits to the grill kitchen to stock up its tender and tasty grilled lamb, which was particularly enjoyable.
And two items that I would say should
definitely not be missed during a visit to this buffet are also two of
chef's recommendations – the smoked salmon and barbecue ham. You should
also make sure you check out the seafood counter, where you can choose
from an array of fresh 'treats from the deep', including crabs,
mussels, and shrimp, among others.
Chocoholics' paradise
While many people seemed to be drawn towards the ice cream corner and a
booth serving up cakes, pastries and a range of Thai desserts, it was
the chocolate fountain and fondue counter that really caught my eye.
Here you can choose from plates of marshmallows, brownies, or various
fruits, such as melon, kiwi, or watermelon and then coat them
completely with warm chocolate. I personally enjoyed eating these
dessert items while the chocolate was still hot rather than allowing it
to cool and become a hard shell.
Entertainment opportunities
During my recent visit to Ramayana restaurant, a group of performers
from the nearby Aksara Theater performed several hun lakorn lek puppet
shows.
Since there was a large group of Korean visitors on that particular
day, the puppets donned traditional Korean dress and danced to arirang
(one of the most popular forms of Korean folk song). Later on, the
performers switched to traditional Thai compositions, while many of the
characters from the Ramayana epic sprung into life as the performers
milled among the guests. The diners seemed to enjoy seeing the sight of
several performers controlling a single puppet figure.
Following the puppet performance, a skilled musician created a relaxing mood by playing a composition on the khim
('a hammered [Thai] dulcimer'). I very much enjoyed the privileged
position of being sat right in front of the small platform that serves
as a stage.
The restaurant's lunch buffet costs 400 baht (US$12) and is available
during 11 am-2.30 pm, while the dinner buffet is available during
5-9.30 pm and costs 600 baht.
For further information or to make a reservation, contact Tel: +66 (0)2 205 8888, extensions 5702, or 5730-1.
Transport connections:
Ramayana restaurant is located on the third floor of the King Power duty free complex in Rangnam Road.
Train: Hop off BTS skytrain at Victory Monument station.
Head for Exit 2, which will lead you to Rangnam Road. From there, you
can take a motorcycle taxi, or take a 10-minute walk to the King Power
Complex which is located roughly halfway along this road.
Car: From Victory Monument, take Phraya Thai Road and
drive for about 600 meters. Once you pass the Century Movie Plaza,
prepare to turn left onto Rangnam Road. You will soon see the King
Power duty free complex on your right-hand side.
Go Eat, Go Out! 
Go Eat, Go Out!
The bars, clubs and restaurants of Thailand, and especially Bangkok, make the destination an excellent stopover - or even home base - for those who enjoy a wide variety of cuisine and a good night out of culture or clubbing. Get ideas and gain insights on dining (Go Eat!) and entertainment (Go Out!) in the kingdom.
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