CHARLIE'S SAN FRANCISCO STEAK

In a departure from regular blog entries, I am going to start writing occasional restaurant reviews. Here is the first:

Venue: Charlie’s San Francisco Steak. Fifth Floor, Central Rama 3, Bangkok. Time: 12.15pm, Sunday afternoon.
Attracted by a substantial discount offered on two selected dishes, Tanya and I chose from a simple, no-fuss, multi-lingual menu that featured a limited range of American-style steaks and fish dishes.The decor has almost a French-boutique thing going on, with terracotta walls and black/white floor tiles. There are photographs of the owner, who apparently used to own a restaurant in San Francisco (hence the name) but sold up to come back to his home land.

Tanya opted for sea-bass, which came with a small selection of vegetables (carrots, broccoli and cauliflower), small chucks of roasted potatoes, and a small bowl of tartar sauce. Her impression was the fish was not bad but a bit too salty, possibly as a result of being cooked with salted butter. I chose one of the two ‘discount specials’ – pasta with chicken and mushrooms. It was served ‘Italian’ style and was very creamy. Chicken was scarce but there was an abundance of sliced mushrooms. No complaints at all although it lacked imagination. We also chose a side order of garlic bread, which again was nothing spectacular and perhaps a little dry. The portion though was generous with eight slices of bread.

Service was typical for Thailand. The moment you pick up the menu a waiter will hover until you make a decision. For newcomers this can be off-putting but I am certainly used to it now. We only drank water and shared one bottle between us. My glass was refilled when it was empty, which again is standard for Thailand. The cost, including the shared bottle of water came to 303 baht for two.

The restaurant was quiet when we arrived but was starting to get busier when we left. The location, close to the IT shops and one floor above many of the bigger names, is not going to instantly attract great numbers, but for a simple, no-fuss meal when shopping at Central Rama 3 this is certainly worth exploring.

Decor: 8.0
Ambiance: 6.5
Service: 6.0
Food: 6.0
Value for Money: 6.5
Overall: 6.5
(ratings out of ten)