Everything old is new again

We are most excited about dining at V9 again. This is without a doubt the best dining experience I have ever had. The views are lovely, the service faultless and the ambiance incredible. So off we go...at rush hour in a taxi again! We get out about a mile before the Sofitel and walk up "shopping" through the Patpong market on our way there. Shopping with Victor means walking swiftly from one end of the market to the next. No dallying.

Walking around Bangkok will qualify you for a position with the circus as an acrobat. The ground is very uneven, everywhere. You must train your eyes to always be watching your feet and the next steps forward while also taking in the wonderful sights all around. We have become quite accomplished at the pavement dance.

We don't have a phone hooked up in our room and so I have emailed for reservations. While I had checked several times, no one had emailed back before we left the hotel. Too bad. I hope they have a seat.

And they do. Not only that, they have our reservation on the book for Ms. Lynn & Mr. Victor. Excellent! Even better, they have a guest Michelin Starred Chef, a treat we had missed last time around.

The Chef's menu has main courses we will like, but the sides, soups and such are not my style, Foi Gras and similar choices. The suggested coursed menu is nearly $100 per person, also not my style. And apparently, this is all that is available. We order and decide we will be adventurous with some new items. We will come back another night for their regular menu and the appetizer trees they are famous for.

A table near us gets the Tree! How did this happen? We ask our waiter if we too can have the Tree. Yes they are available, but we have already ordered. How very unfortunate that we weren't told we could have the Tree, this is what we love. They tepidly ask the kitchen if we can change. Great news, our order was not yet started, changing is okay. Yippeee~

The Tree we choose has six small plates including snails in tiny quiche cups, a carpaccio bruschette, a raw salmon salad and some other treats that are all delicious. Victor has ordered the veal loin and I the duck. Both are served with fruit and are good, but not remarkable. I had ordered the duck prepared as the chef recommends, Medium, but he must have changed his mind this night as it arrived very rare.

We enjoyed watching the host visit nearly every table, some two and three times. It reminds me that I must be certain to visit with every table. Those who are missed really do feel slighted. We pace our meal out for the whole evening and have a lovely night.