A closer look at two of my favorites:

The Spice Market
I think The Spice Market is one of the best Thai restaurants in town. Bottles of Thai spices line teak shelves, while earthenware jars and large gunnysacks filled with rice and salt sit on ledges around the room. The staff is dressed in traditional Thai silk uniforms and will "tailor" each dish to the desired degree of spice or heat.

I usually start with Thom Yum Kung, the famous spicy prawn soup with lemongrass. The degree of heat is just perfect for me.

I always order this wonderful dish to "test" a Thai restaurant I haven't tried before - sometimes it's bland, sometimes fiery - it reveals a lot about a chef and his clientele. My "test" for French restaurants is pâté.

Back at The Spice Market, I usually follow with Nua Phad Bai Kapraow (fried beef with chili and fresh basil), or Siew Ngap (red curry with roasted duck in coconut milk). Sometimes, I sit outside in the courtyard across from the restaurant by a pond filled with golden carp, lush greenery and a cascading waterfall.

Biscotti

Biscotti, with its open kitchen, is probably the hottest restaurant in town; but I'm not talking temperature-it's always jammed with the best-looking people you'll see anywhere in the world. Max Musto is the manager and his beaming welcome is genuine. I vote him the nattiest man in Thailand-great suits and terrific ties (but I'm not sure about the brown shoes, Max).

The last time I dined there, there was torrential rain outside, and the chicest crowd inside. At the table next to mine, was an Englishman whose blazer had to have been made by Mr. Major, one of my favorite tailors in London (I can recognize a Major jacket across any crowded room). Behind us was a coterie of Social Hens; the rest of the room was filled with gorgeous gals and guys, and corporate types galore.

The head Italian chef is Alberto Gianati, whose menu features simple, good-tasting and good looking, Italian food. Lunch and dinner specials are posted on a floor to ceiling menu board. The food and decor reflect modern Italy.

The Swimming Pool

I must admit, one of my favorite places in the whole world is the swimming pool here at The Regent. It's nothing really special compared to many pools; it's rectangular, it's blue, it's bordered by palms, and it's wet. But like many things in Thailand, because it is looked after by the friendliest people on earth, to me it is very special. The pool boys keep my ice water glass full, and my face towel cold. They quickly learn where one wants to lie or sit, and what newspaper to bring you.

My last day in Bangkok, I had lunch at the pool. From my notes:

"What can be more sublime than eating Thom Yam Goong in a clay pot with a cover, followed by Tam nua - spicy, grilled beef salad, accompanied by a California Cabernet, in the middle of a midday downpour, under the shelter of a teak Sala, next to the pool?

"The rain is bubbling on the deck; the drops marionette the orchids and diffuse the palms.

"I am reading the latest book about Jim Thompson. One rumor about his disappearance was that a tiger ate him. "Let no Tigers Enter Here" was a sign that no longer hangs over the inside of the front door as it did in 1963 when I visited his beautiful home for the first time…

"Loon calls and flutes in the background…

"At a round table next to the kitchen, a gal conducts (a la Anna & the King) an English class for 3 waiters.

"More teaching going on-a woman in proper heels and appropriate skirt, takes the black-collared gardeners on a tour of the garden.

"This is a Four Seasons hotel after all - nothing is left to chance."

Don't get me wrong, nothing is ever perfect anywhere: one night around 10:30, there was a jack hammer; one morning my breakfast arrived on a tray instead of the usual table; one afternoon, the cocktail hour entertainment spent fifteen minutes "testing, testing" the microphone. I love little glitches like this because Randy always sends chocolate-chip cookies and a billet doux of apology. As I said goodbye, he said, "If you look at each little detail we would flunk, but taking in the big picture, people like to stay here."

Flunk! Are you kidding, this place and his management is about as good as it gets anywhere.

155 Rajadamri Road, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
Tel: (66 2) 251-6127
Fax: (66 2) 253-9195
http://www.fourseasons.com/locations/Bangkok/