Water Library Chamchuri: Irresistible Charm

A fine dining experience is not just about top quality food. Having the best chef means a lot less if you have dirty forks and inattentive servers. To me, there are many more elements that constitute an unforgettable dining experience, Water Library Chamchuri epitomizes what fine dining experience is all about. Stepping into the restaurant, huge cylindrical tree-like shelves showcasing bottles of water from around the world will immediately catch your eyes. This spectacular display echoes the name of the restaurant. The ambience of the restaurant is relaxed and unhurried, which is further enhanced by the harmonious background music that does not overpower diners’ conversation. The decor is simple and clean, with a touch of contemporary elegance. If you go there for lunch, the natural sunlight penetrating from the wall-like windows gives you a cozy mood for your meal. Being wallowing in such dining environment, I am ready to order.

 
When I comfortably sat at my table, a water menu was presented to me. It contains a choice of more than 10 kinds of water. To my surprise, the price for each bottle of water was not too expensive, around 200 to 300 baht. Besides the water menu, a menu of various kinds of beverages was also presented. On the day of my visit, I chose a healthy smoothie with passion fruit. I like it a lot as it was not sugary but very refreshing. After choosing your drinks, my friends and I were introduced to the set lunch menu by the server. There are 3 courses in the menu – starter, main course and dessert, but I was impressed by the selections for each course they provide in the menu. Say, the starter. There are 3 cold starters and 4 warm starters for you to choose. Each of them is so distinctive from one another in term of culinary skills, taste and appetite preference of the diners. As there were 3 of us, we intentionally ordered 3 different courses.

Before our starter, we were served with hot, aromatic French croissant. This imported little dough of bread tasted very fresh and deliciously nice. The croissant is fluffy and full of buttery scent but not unctuous at all.

Starters:

Mushroom cream soup with bacon foam and croutons: the soup was served hot. It was creamy with aromatic fine-chopped mushroom in every spoonful of soup!

Home made tofu with foie gras – shiitake emulsion, bonito and leek: it was a East meets West creation with impressive culinary skills. The rich creamy foie gras sauce matched so well with the smooth, delicate tofu. With the shiitake, bonito and leek on the top, the whole dish was flavourful with layers of well-blended ingredients.

Seared US scallop with garlic and lemon: it is one of my recommended starters. The presentation of the dish was artistic, which had successfully stimulated my appetite by sight. The scallop was impressively big. With the fried garlic on top, the aroma of the dish was irresistible. Eating it with the green lemon sauce delighted my taste buds immediately. The scallop was cooked just right so it was tender and juicy. The creamy sauce didn’t overpower the original flavour of the scallop. Every bite was so satisfying!

After the starters, I immediately understood why Water Library Chamchuri has won so many awards in Bangkok. We really looked forward to tasting our main courses:|

Tenderloin of Yarra Valley lamb with beans and fig: the lamb, though didn’t look big, was so tender without any gamey smell. The sweetness of fig was well-matched with the lamb, enhancing its taste and texture.

Boston Lobster “a la plancha” with onion, cherry tomato and Mediterranian herbs: the portion of lobster was generous. Although herbs and onion were used in the dish, the lobster itself remained fresh and rich in its original savour.

Our desserts satisfied our sweet tooth and ended our lunch experience perfectly. The presentation of each dessert was appealing. I especially like the passion fruit pudding and apple tarte. They both tasted very fruity and delicious! For desserts lovers, I am sure you will crave for more!

Passion fruit pudding with raspberry and Gianduja chocolate ice

Apple tarte tatin with vanilla bean ice cream

After finishing all delectable desserts, we relaxed and chatted over the organic tea. A really relaxing chilling Saturday. Despite the good food prepared by an experienced chef with outstanding culinary skills and the relaxing dining environment, our wonderful dining experience was actually magnified by their attentive servers, who never place your dish on your dining table without telling you what the dish was and what ingredients were used. When we couldn’t make up our mind on what dish to order, they immediately gave you suggestions. After finishing your meal, they came with a smile and checked if you had enjoyed it. It is this kind of friendly professional service that can absolutely turn your whole dining experience delightful. The irresistible charm of Water Library Chamchuri has made me a returning guest. There is no surprise why more than 70% of diners there are returning happy customers.

We highly recommend Water Library Chamchuri to you. If you want to have some authentic French cuisine with creative twists, Water Library Chamchuri is where you should go!

For more pictures of Water Library Chamchuri, please visit Water Library Gallery.

Water Library Chamchuri
Address:Chamchuri Square 2nd floor, Samyan – Bangkok
Tel.: 02+66 (0)2 1605188
Email: Chamchuri@mywaterlibrary.com
Website: http://www.mywaterlibrary.com/chamchuri/
Open Hours: 11:30am – 02:00pm for lunch and 06:00pm – 10:30pm for dinner daily

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