About two months ago I received a called from friends inviting me to dinner at a hotel called Maxx. They told me that it was on Rama 9^th road and near the Cultural center. I was a little confused when they told me this. As far as I can recall there was only one hotel in this particular location but its name was not Maxx but rather Sunroute. An old hotel which, it did not have a good restaurant in it.

       I raised this questions to my friends and the reply was “that is it, the same place but it has been renovated and changed its name to Maxx. They told me that the food is good there and the new surroundings especially the restaurant was very different and very interesting. I did not really want to go to this hotel but since these were my friends and they all liked eating, I agreed to meet them there at seven in the evening.

       Upon my arrival at the hotel it seems nothing has changed at the entrance and the parking lot. But when I walked up the steps into the lobby I could see a brand new bar area and a new coffee shop to the left of the reception area. Everything was decorated in a very modern eclectic style. The tables and chairs reminded me of Phillip Stark. I took the elevator to the second floor to Maxxa restaurant.

       This floor had been totally redone with big wall to ceiling windows over looking the lobby below. There are three outlets on this floor. Two restaurants, one Japanese that served very good Japanese food at a reasonable price and there is Maxxa. There is also a bakery next to Maxxa restaurant.

       Everyone had already arrived and was already diving into the many dishes they had ordered while waiting for me. That’s how I like it. To arrive and the food is ready for me to eat. Let someone else order for me. Without much ceremony, I settled into a comfortable chair and grabbed a piece of what looked like homemade potato and taro chips served with mayonnaise. I knew that it was homemade because they way they cut the pieces of the chips which was lengthwise. The chips were longer and larger and very appealing to the eye. It tasted very good eaten with a little red wine. Then I dove into a plate of salad, which had poached shrimp in it. It was dressed with an interesting dressing. At first I thought it was a little sweet but one I ate it with the rest of the ingredients on the plate it was quite delicious. With food in my stomach, I finally had time to sit back and relax and survey the place. I had to ask the proprietor what kind of this restaurant this was because it seems like this was a large open room with very modern furniture and open kitchens. One open kitchen was in the middle of the room and the other is to the left.

       It seems that this restaurant serves three kinds of cuisines, Thai, Chinese and Western fare. I was not very interested in the Western fare because to my left I could see Chinese chefs prepare all kinds of goodies for me to eat. Hot pot dish like rice with ground pork and Chinese pickled olive. This dish is normally served with condiments consisting of cashew nuts; lime cut into small pieces and chopped chili peppers. What a wonderful combination! They have fried squabs, which were quite succulent. They have sizzling hot plate of beef or pork done Chinese style. This could be eaten by itself but I prefer to have a little plain rice with it. They suggested that I tried the Peking duck but my eyes were already glued to the desserts at the next table. There was the chocolate tart which I could only sample one bite because my doctor told me that my blood sugar was getting high. I limited myself to one bite of the tiramisu and the grand marnier mousse. All were there to satisfy people with sweet tooth.

       My friends told me after the meal that they had gotten their Chinese chefs from the old Pata restaurant in Siam Square, which closed down. They gave this hotel and its restaurant a totally new concept and a new look. It really worked. They food is good and tasty. The atmosphere is quite different and I do think that the younger generation up to people of my age would like it very much. If you happen to be in that neighborhood and feel hungry, drop by Maxx Hotel. The food at Maxxa if worth a try.