Vanilla (xiang cao) is my favourite flavour in ice cream, my daughters reminded me. Therefore, I should not forget the little restaurant in Ekamai, not far from our neighbourhood in Thonglor, Bangkok. Well, I thought, but what can you expect from a chain restaurant with standardized dishes and tastes? Tearoom and dim sum, I thought, how does that go together? The Chinese characters in ‘pinyin’ read “huang jia xiang cao” which means “royal vanilla”.
The interior of Royal Vanilla looks like a Chinese tea house. The lacquered furniture is not my favourite style, I prefer a simple and more robust wood varnish. The room divider doors were copies but succeeded in creating a private atmosphere. In contrast the wooden door at the entrance seemed to be solid and real. We ordered an assortment of various dishes which, I admit from the outset, were delicious, very delicious.
Without some chilli I cannot live any longer.
Beautiful dim sims.
Spring rolls on a bed of dried seaweed.
Dried tofu (dofu).
The fish (Japanese gindara = silver cod fish) was spectacular.
Also the chicken was very delicious.
The spinach with ham was one of my favourites.
The soup was spicy and very tasteful.
The choice of drink, was a Tsingtao beer, solid traditional German style.
Pouring a glass of beer.
We had a great time at Royal Vanilla in Bangkok. The garden around it is beautiful too. There is also a cake shop and a book store. If you are around somewhere in Ekamai, check it out. It’s worth it. And in case you are a tourist in Bangkok, I highly recommend to explore this neighbourhood (Ekamai and Thonhglor) with its many charming restaurants and eating places.
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Posted by themanfrommoselriver 
The Man from Mosel River 