One Coffee in Bangkok

Segafredo’s entry to Thailand was relatively recent. I have met them in my hometown, their home country, a few European cities, the US and finally in Bangkok. That means I have visited them in many of the cities printed on their smart outer glass-walls in most of their branches and can say that by far, Segafredo is my favorite Italian coffee. Besides the superb coffee served there and their adherence to traditional Italian methods and products, their branches are always super-stylish; a real treat.

On the Chain

Segafredo Zanetti was founded in 1973 and has its headquarters in Bologna. Nowadays, it is the world’s largest privately owned coffee company. In 1988 it made its debut in the international market by opening a branch on Boulevard des Italiens, Paris and a bit later another one in Vienna. The last step was bold since Austrian coffee is different from the Italian, and Segafredo serves exclusively Italian coffee; they succeeded also there. In fact, Segafredo states that the spreading of Italian-style coffee around the world is its mission.

They take it seriously. They own a coffee plantation in Brazil, a coffee mill in Costa Rica and nine roasting plants in America and Europe, facts that ensure they can control the product quality to perfection during all the stages of its preparation.

In Thailand they operate a franchise with Central Food Retail, from the Central Pattana, the owner of Central World, Central Chidlom and other big names in Thailand’s shopping world.

Nowadays Segafredo has over six hundred branches all over the world and serves 50 million cups of coffee every day. What’s the secret of such a success? Serving excellent coffee and doing that in smart locations, which often become an attraction by themselves.

A recurring theme in its branches are the outer glass walls (sometimes even the inner ones) featuring an attractive array of names – in different sizes and directions – of the towns where they do have branches. For a traveler that has visited many of those, staring at the printed glass is like looking into the list of the mental journals of his trips. There is no better way of enjoying an excellent coffee.

"Coffee is the beverage of the creative and active intelligence, it revives and awakes the senses," is a statement that seems to summarize Segafredo’s view of the world.

On Mocha and Mokka

"It is an Austrian type of coffee," I said.

"No, it is coffee with chocolate," said the owner of a well known tea house in Santa Fe.

Actually, we both were right. Despite bring written differently, Mocha and Mokka sound the same and both taste good.

Segafredo uses the Italian nomenclature and preparation style, thus mocha and chocolate rule here, mokka would probably be considered a misspelled item. Yet, both are worth a short description.

Mokka

Austrian coffee is of remarkable quality, and is qualified using terms a bit different from the Italian ones we have learned to love. The basic Austrian cup of coffee is called Kleiner Schwarzer or Kleiner Mokka and is almost identical to an Italian Espresso. It is prepared with at least 8 grams of freshly ground coffee with 40-60 ml of water steam, extracting coffee into a cup for up to 60 seconds (the longer steaming time of the Austrian is the main difference between the two coffees). A großer Schwarzer is a double Mokka and if it is topped with whipped cream, then it is called Einspänner. A Fiaker is an "Einspaenner" with a shot of rum.

Mocha

In the Italian system, a café mocha is a café latte – meaning one third espresso and two thirds steamed milk – with added chocolate as sweet cocoa powder or chocolate syrup. It takes its name from the town of Mocha, Yemen, which was an important coffee exporter in the far past and produced a coffee bean of the Arabica type with a "chocolatey" taste, smaller and rounder than other types. Both - coffee prepared with these beans and coffee to which chocolate is added – can be referred to as "mocha coffee."

Crystal Clear

The branch reviewed here is located in Crystal Park, a bit out of the metropolis center, but yet worth a visit. This new shopping mall was built in an open style, creating thus a very different sight from the massive mammoths in downtown Bangkok. Segafredo is on the front line of shops, thus its stylish red design can be spotted immediately. No delays are accepted in the way to this cup of coffee.

The branch features the Segafredo signature red, white and black interiors and serves the coffee in shiny black cups that are attractive enough to be given as quality gifts. Relatively small, the branch enjoys lots of light that only enhances the tasteful interior decoration. The bright red tables fit well in the space despite their less than usual color and the light brown chairs – featuring the "S" logo of Segafredo – balanced the colors. The coffee I got was a cup of perfection.

Finding the name of my hometown in the large list of names printed on the glass wall on the front and the solid wall at the back of the store aroused memories of other days and coffees. The oversized, bold and red name of Bangkok by the wall’s center brought me back to reality.

Created in Boston in 1978, Au Bon Pain is a bakery chain that serves also good quality coffees; its French name translates as "At the Good Bread." Its distinctive shops can be found in many Asian cities; their yellow and white design makes them easy to find, while their menu makes finding them worth the effort.

Menu

Au Bon Pain's menu emphasizes bread related products, especially sandwiches and bagels, though cookies, croissants and muffins can also be found. The most important feature is the emphasis put on fresh bread and products of top quality. I have not found better, fresher or tastier bread in Asia, with the obvious exception of Delifrance (also reviewed in this journal).

Coffee is the main hot beverage offered by Au Bon Pain; despite its limited choice of mainstream coffees (do not expect to find fancy beverages here), the coffees served are usually of high quality; being in Asia, cold versions - always more expensive than the hot ones - are also served. Teas and chocolates complete the list.

A Branch in Bangkok

The Au Bon Pain branch at Soi (meaning alley or street branching off a main avenue) 4 of Siam Square enjoys a main location in downtown Bangkok, practically buried amidst the main shopping malls of the city. Siam Center and Siam Discovery Center are twin shopping malls just across the avenue, west from the Siam Square Skytrain station; This station is serviced by both lines of the Skytrain, thus the area is highly accessible.

Across the junction is Mahboonkrong, or MBK, considered among Thais as the best place for buying cellular phones. Nearby is the Siam Paragon, one of the most up-market shopping mall in town. Central World and other malls are within walking distance.

Thus, this branch is perfect for a tasty breakfast before a busy day touring the main shopping district of the metropolis. Not surprisingly, Au Bon Pain has another branch across the avenue, within the Siam Discovery Center. However, the last does not offer street views.

From within the ground floor there is an excellent view of the Siam Square through the glass walls facing the street, while the second floor offers views of the Rama I Road, the Skytrain platform and the shopping malls across it. The sitting space is better on the top floor, which includes also a few coaches. Unluckily, this branch does not include toilets, but with all the shopping malls located nearby, that’s irrelevant.

The branch is a preferred spot for Thai students from the nearby Chulalongkorn University and thus it offers opportunities for interesting meetings and chats.

Bagel Breakfast in Bangkok

The breakfast menu included several types of sandwiches and breads, but what called my attention was the breakfast set based on bagels. Since this is a Pole type of bread, I do not know why it appears in a French bakery; but the fact was intriguing enough for checking it out.

A type of bread shaped into the form of a ring, a bagel is first boiled for a short time in water and then baked; the dough can be of whole grain, rye or other cereals. Often they are topped with poppy and sesame seeds or with salt. The bagel breakfast set at Au Bon Pain included a sandwich bagel (the customer can choose among the various types offered), filled with bacon, tomato and an egg, and a milk coffee. Costing ninety baht, it cannot be defined as an inexpensive breakfast suitable for a short break during a city tour, but the excellent quality compensates for that. In fact, taking into account the quality of the items, this is probably the deal of the new millennium.

Inevitably, I returned there often. I simply had to taste all the bagel options they offered. All of them were equally, fresh, hot and crunchy. The coffee was excellent. Unluckily, the breakfast option cannot be enjoyed after the early hours.

Also the service proved being excellent: "beyond the line of duty" would be a better definition. The breakfast set includes a single cup of coffee (while the milk-less filter coffee sold independently includes a free refill); knowing that, on one occasion I returned to the counter and asked to purchase a second cup of milk coffee. It was early and I was one of the very few customers in the shop, thus I was recognized as having bought a breakfast earlier. Seconds later, I was handed a fresh cup of steaming coffee, but the vendor refused to accept money: "You already paid for your breakfast," she said with an irresistible smile.

In several opportunities Delifrance literally saved me from starvation while in one of the few places where I couldn’t eat local food. In places where bread is little more than a rumor and coffee is served with green tea, so the last would wash the drink’s strong taste; in places where rice is the staple and dragon fruit the dessert, Delifrance stood by me like a brick, serving good coffee and excellent baguettes.

Moreover, the many branches in Bangkok made my long stays in the city more comfortable; after all even a big fan of Thai food needs a sandwich from time to time.

Delifrance and Asia

Délifrance – owned by Grands Moulins de Paris - is a bakery company that serves French style bakery products in over fifty countries through a net of sixteen international subsidiaries. Since 1997, Delifrance Asia has been under the control of various Singaporean companies.

Present in Singapore since 1983, Delifrance Asia has grown into an international network of over 230 stores in Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, China, Sri Lanka and Brunei.

Despite the ownership shift, it sticks to the original concept of recreating the French taste worldwide specializing in baked products such as croissants, gâteaux, fougassettes, pains au chocolat, brioches, crispy praline, and baguettes. It is still defined as a French all-day casual dining chain.

Silom, Thailand

During the day, Silom Road is one of the main commercial areas in the city, featuring also several attractions for the travelers, including the nearby Lumphini Park; while at night, this is one of the most infamous areas of the city. Most travelers would find themselves crossing it at one or another opportunity. Then, Delifrance Silom would be faithfully waiting for them.

Located at the entrance of the United Center Building (Unit 102A, 323 Silom Road, 1st Floor) the branch reviewed here can be accessed from the main road without entering the building. This branch is especially spacious and offers an attractive sitting space decorated in dark browns. The elegant sitting space is highly enjoyable, inviting to lengthy stays and an additional cup of coffee.

The food is ordered and paid by the long counter in the back of the store displaying the main options and ingredients, and then brought to the table by a waiter after it is prepared. The tray and china dishes are afterwards left on the table. The prices are relatively high, but the products are of excellent quality and the place offers a premium sitting place, thus stopping there is almost obligatory while in the area.

On Baguettes and the Global Village

In this Global Village of hours, world crossing culinary links are often unexpected; some foods look like newcomers from across the world, while in fact they have been sold on the stall around the corner – or the country across the river - for well over a century.

This is the case with the French baguette in Thailand. Baguette is a French bread of very crisp crust and elongated form (the minimum required length to be considered a baguette by the French law is eighty centimeters) with slits cut into it to enable the expansion of gasses and the formation of the crumb, and a diameter of a between five and six centimeters. At first sight, a complete foreigner in Asia. Delifrance sells it as specialty bread, and prides on its French pedigree.

All this is correct and tasty. Yet, the bread was brought to the French colonies during the 19th century and can still be enjoyed in any morning market of Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. Nowadays, the local variations that evolved along time are travelling back to the west; I have reviewed Bánh mì Vietnamese sandwiches in Oakland, US.

Yet, Thailand is different. Never having had a colonial past, bread never became here a staple local food.

Even now, finding good bread can be difficult; at such moments is when having a baguette at Delifrance becomes important. Especially since from time to time a western traveler in the east misses his own staple foods.

During the early hours of the morning, a fresh, warm and crunchy baguette can be enjoyed at Delifrance; who can resist that? The baguette is served with butter and jam, offering a perfect simplicity that is hard to match with fancier foods.

On Coffee

Delifrance puts emphasis on the food; the coffee and other drinks served there are not presented as specialty ones. In fact, Italian types of coffee are served, and that’s a pity, since the French double roast is famous; in this process the coffee is roasted until the beans begin to smoke resulting in an especially rich coffee. Yet, the milk coffee served here is perfect for an unpretentious, simple and tasty breakfast baguette.

Black Canyon Coffee

Black Canyon Coffee is a Thai chain of coffee shops specializing in coffee and offering a Western-Thai fusion menu. It was founded in 1993 in Bangkok, and now operates around two-hundred branches in Thailand; as such, it is the biggest such establishment in the country. In Bangkok, they operate also kiosks called "Black Canyon X'press" in the main stations of Bangkok's Skytrain. It has also expanded to foreign countries, including Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore and the UAE.

Its fusion menu offers an awesome glimpse into modern Thai culture.

Wang Lung Express Boat Pier Branch

The branch reviewed in this entry is neither the biggest nor the fanciest; however, it probably is the one with the best sight in (and of) Bangkok, since it is placed above the Wang Lung Express Boat Pier and Cross River Ferry in Thonburi.

It can be reached from the Grand Palace area using the Tha Prachan Cross River Ferry, which is located roughly in front of Sanam Luang midline.

The Chao Phraya River, Thammasat University, the Grand Palace skyline and many temples along the riverside offer awesome views from the coffee shop second floor. The first one is next to the Cross River Ferry counter and is surrounded by a lively market which is worth a detailed visit. The lower counter is not active, serving solely as the access point to the coffee shop upstairs. The interior is spacious, and at least during the mornings uncrowded; alas, not all the tables face the river.

On Some Problems with Kopi Ancient Coffee

The establishment serves several hot coffees, ranging from the usual variations on Italian ones to unusually named cups. The most basic option is an Americano, an international code name for an espresso diluted with water until it fills a medium sized cup. Following is the Black Canyon Hot Coffee, which is supposed to be the leading coffee served here, but it is indistinctive. A better choice would be the Caffé Latte, made by filling a cup with one third espresso and two thirds steamed milk; the last being frown on in Thailand, it is much less popular than other types of coffee.

The espresso and always accompanying cappuccino have a presence in the menu, but the interesting touch is the Kopi Ancient Coffee. I have a problem with this item. Black Canyon advertises it as follows: "The Chinese ancestors brought their love of sweet coffee to Thailand. Traditional Chinese coffee is always served with milk and sugar. The right mix of coffee, condensed milk and sugar make this ageless ancient coffee drink an all time favorite for everyone in the family" (see picture).

To my knowledge nobody else in the world – including the Chinese – claims that coffee is a traditional drink in China.

The discovery of a "Tang Dynasty Coffee" would revolutionize our understanding of that culture and of coffee. If Black Canyon has evidence of that, the world is impatiently waiting for the disclosure.

I tasted it several times and could not differentiate it from the traditional Thai coffee served in Thai markets; the last was introduced via the colonization of Laos by the French.

I recently commented on Mocha coffee (see "A Cup of Perfection" in this journal); Black Canyon claims to use coffee beans from Yemen for the preparation of their version of the drink.

Finally, the Vienna coffee is a cup resembling a cappuccino but with a cinnamon stick in it. Incredibly, Black Canyon claims that the "cinnamon destroys the unpleasant taste of the cream." (see picture) As commented, milk is frown on over here. In this branch, I tried it and found the coffee rather good, despite the cinnamon destroying the pleasant taste of the coffee.

The coffee was served – as traditionally done all over Southeast Asia - with a small cup of green tea. The last is drunk after the coffee. "It is for washing the strong taste of the coffee," I was told several times by locals.

Black Canyon serves also blended iced coffees; since it is hard to compare these items due to their use of flavors and syrups, I won’t comment on the "Black Canyon Coffee Frost" or the "Black Hazelnut Shake," especially since the last is advertised as having been developed by their in house "nutty professor of mixology."

Yummy Yum

Black Canyon offers also an extensive Western-Thai fusion food menu, combining the hits of both cuisines. Spaghetti with green curry sauce, fusilli noodles in tom yum soup and spaghetti with red panang shrimp sauce are typical examples of dishes in their menu, though western-style grilled steaks are also available.

In its educational role, Black Canyon includes the description and history of unusual foods like "sandwiches" in their menu; I included a picture of that lesson despite the rare item not being reviewed here.

If visiting the establishment during a city tour break, the meals are too heavy, and to be frank too expensive, for such an event. More attractive are the Thai appetizers served here; they resemble very much in shape and size a regular Thai meal (which is small and eaten several times along the day).

Along time I have tasted several of them and can warmly recommend most of them, though a few demand an acquired taste. They can be divided between those based on chicken body parts, different types of sausages and dishes resembling western salads but featuring unusual ingredients.

Chicken Body Parts

The Canyon Fried Chicken is dish of boneless chicken bits coated in batter and served with a sweet and spicy Thai dipping sauce. The Deep-Fried Chicken Wings are self explanatory and probably one of the most popular Thai snacks.

Sausages

The Canyon Hors d'oeuvres combine grilled mini-sausages with spicy fermented Thai sausage and peanuts. The fermented sausages were a bit tough on me the first time I tried them, but are a staple of the Thai diet and actually quite likeable after a while. They are served also in a dish called Northern Thai Sausage with Lemon Grass.

Yum

"Yum" means "mix together," and as such is a word appearing in many Thai dishes mixing several ingredients. In western countries many of these would be called "soups" and "salads." If eating with Thais, then the yum dishes would be shared between the diners and combined with others items. Some of the Black Canyon mixes are unfaithful to the original dishes and not recommended; but two of them are remarkable.

Glass Noodle Yum is a dish where glass noodles are mixed with a spicy sweet sauce, minced meat and prawns. In the Seafood Lemongrass Yum, prawns, squids and fish are cooked and served with a spicy sweet sauce and lemongrass.

"SeenThat is shameless; he promises us "One Coffee in Bangkok" and all of the sudden I am reading about this fancy Thai food with an ugly name (is the "yam" thing a joke or what?). He run out of material and is forcing up an entry to complete a journal."

I heard that before. Yet, this was done on purpose. Probably the best way of introducing oneself to local food in a foreign country is by letting it diffuse slowly into one’s menu, amidst dishes reminding of home. This journal mimics the process.

It is high time for a Tom Yam Kung, or Tom Yum Koong as is also spelled.

On Spelling Issues

Transliterating Thai names into Latin letters is not an easy task. Not only because some Thai consonants do not exist in the last, but also because the tones cannot be properly annotated into the last and not less important because different Indo-European languages use that alphabet differently. An English "j" is completely different from a Spanish one; a Spanish "a" is well defined, while an English one is quite liquid.

Thus Thai names often are transliterated in several fashions. In this case, the first unsteady bit is the "yam," which sometimes appears as "yum." However, it is always pronounced as the English sweet potato, the "yam." The second is the "kung;" a better English rendering would be "koong," as is often spelled.

On Khaosan Road

"Not only fancy food instead of coffee, he brings us back to Khaosan Road again! Disgusting! I’ll never again read his articles!"

So they say, and yet, Khaosan Road is rapidly changing into one of the most attractive – soon to be said "upscale" – locations in Bangkok. The "trok" part in this restaurant address refers to an alley and is reserved for anything smaller than a "soi."

Tom Yam Kung is by far the best Thai restaurant in the area. Occupying a century old house within an inner yard near the southwestern end of this short street, it provides also a relatively quiet spot in this hectic street.

Open 24/7 this restaurant is quite pricey for the area, but with no doubt the best place for experiencing some real Thai cuisine. The spacious sitting area is quite elegant, providing also an agreeable environment for the experience. A large Tom Yam Kung costs here 150 baht.

On Thai Food Names

Learning Thai food names is easy, since usually the name includes the main ingredient and the preparation method. Thus, with relatively few words, one can understand many names of very different dishes. Studying the names of the main meats is the first step, because that allows a quick identification of the dish type; the preparation method is usually self explanatory.

So, what’s this "Tom Yam Kung" thing?

Tom: means "soup." Remembering that is a piece of cake.

Yum: means "mix together," and is used for dishes mixing many ingredients, usually for items that westerners would classify as salads or soups. Usually such dishes are eaten as part of a shared meal consisting of various items.

Koong: means "shrimps." Of course, the dish can be prepared with other meats; under such circumstances the last word would change to reflect that.

Thus we are speaking about a soup mixing many ingredients together and including as the main one shrimps. Simple.

The other ingredients include chicken stock as base, garlic, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, fermented fish sauce, green onions, mushrooms, lime juice, coriander and of course, lots of very spicy chilies.

Eating Tom Yum Koong

If eating in a proper, traditional establishment, the soup is served atop a special metal bowl featuring a hollow cylinder at its center. Below the cylinder (see picture) is a candle – or any other type of oil/alcohol heating device – that keeps the soup hot at all times.

While enjoying the other dishes accompanying the soup – sticky rice and giant river lobster are the most typical – the diner would from time to time pour some of the soup into his personal bowl and drink it.

This is widely considered to be the flag dish of the Thai cuisine and there is a good reason for that. Few other manage to combine its richness of taste and texture, not to mention the complexity of its spicing. The last is the only point of concern, since the Tom Yum Koong is often hotter than the flame heating it.