This column will be my last column of the year 2002 and before I start doing my review I would like to wish all my readers a pre- Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year. I am sure all of you are looking forward to the holidays and may the New Year bring you all peace and happiness. Don’t indulge yourselves with food and wine too much and don’t drink and drive. I will be going off to Chiangrai for the Holidays and will stay there for a while before returning to Bangkok about a week after the New Year.

           On a personal note, I usually leave the country for the New Year but this year I have built a house on top of the mountain near Phu Jai Sai resort in Chiangrai. The weather is going to be quite cool and the air is fresh. I can get away from it all at my new refuge on top of the mountain. A lot of you will go away for the New Year, while some of you will stay in Bangkok. I am going to take you to eat at a Hong Kong style restaurant in Bangkok, which will be opened during the New Years. I only hope that the weather will be cool enough for you to really appreciate the food at this restaurant.

           Mirama is a Chinese restaurant that has been opened at Silom shopping Plaza at the intersection where you will find Thai Airways International ticketing office. The Plaza is right behind it. The food they served there is considered Hong Kong cuisine and they specialize in Hot Pots, the Chinese version of the Shabu Shabu and Sukiyaki. This restaurant serves two kinds of hot pots in one bowl. That is to say that they divide the bowl into two sections and put a clear soup broth in one side and a satay flavored broth in the other. You order different kinds of meats, seafood and vegetables to cook at the table in these bubbling broths. There are condiments at your table to create your own dipping sauce for your cooked meats and vegetables.

           I am again ahead of myself! This is a restaurant where your whole family can have fun and cook for themselves. I was so anxious to tell you this that I forgot to start from the beginning and let you know that they also have other kinds of food that are quite delicious here. First we went to have dinner there with friends of mine who had been there once or twice before and recommended this place.

           The atmosphere of the restaurant reminds you of a busy Chinese restaurant in Hong Kong. We did not order many things but each item we ordered from the menu was very large. Maybe they know that I was a big eater or worse still very greedy! We started with fried stuffed shrimps with warmed mayonnaise sauce. It was good but I usually don’t like Chinese mayonnaise because they are usually too sweet. They served this dish with steamed crispy broccoli flowerets.

           The first dish went in no time at all. It might be because we were all fairly hungry or one or two of our guests really liked the sweet mayonnaise sauce. Then came something that I could really sink my teeth into. This was the honey roasted pork spareribs and with pork belly attached to it. Each piece of the sparerib was very large and looked very appetizing. I was afraid that I would not be able to finish it. But after one mouthful of the succulent pork I was in love and actually had three pieces. Surprisingly enough, I thought that it would be greasy but it turned out to be very tender, moist and very fragrant. It was also not too sweet and had just enough honey and soy in the marinade.

           This was perfect. The air-conditioning in the restaurant was quite cool and I think they did this on purpose to prepare us for the next course, which was a Chinese lamb, stew with leeks, Chinese mushrooms and other aromatic vegetables. It came in a hot pot and reboiled at the table. There was a sauce that came with it. The sauce tasted like a cross between a thousand Island dressing and Chinese fermented bean curd sauce. It went well with the tender pieces of lamb and the broth of the stew with all the aromatic vegetables was just wonderful. Then came the star of the meal. The two color hot pot with sliced fresh garoupa, vegetables and duck intestine.

           We all gathered around the pot and each person took some fish and dip it into the boiling broth which they preferred and eat it just cooked with their own dipping sauce which they created. They clear broth was made of very good chicken stock and was naturally sweet from the bones of the chicken while the Satay sauce broth was more aromatic and has a hint of curry powder in it. It tasted rich but the curry flavor was over powering.

           The fish was also so fresh and the flesh was very sweet. The hot pot was a hit because it not only warmed our body but also our soul. We finished the meal with fried sesame dumpling and Chinese plum cakes. The dumpling came with a hot ginger tea which the non fried dumpling came in. It was an interesting departure from the normal was of preparing this dessert. After a large meal like this we had to waddle back to the parking garage down below and returned hope happy and very full. You too could be fat and happy like me! Go try the food at Mirama for yourselves.