The buzz: There are definitely changes afoot at the exclusive old-school Rajpruek Golf Club. As well as undertaking a complete renovation of the old sport club, they also decided to bring in the Cantonese restaurant Man Fu Yuan from the InterContinental Singapore, famed as one of the best dim sum restaurants in the region. Riding in on the crest of the recent dim-sum revival in Bangkok, Man Fu Yuan promises an authentic take on the bite-size treats, with a head chef who has been flown in from Singapore. The key bit is the restaurant is now officially open to us non-members, so we can all sneak inside the hallowed halls and see what all the fuss is about while snacking on classic Chinese dishes
The décor: The décor is pretty standard fare for a traditional Chinese restaurant in a high-end hotel, so expect to find lots of round tables covered in starched white cotton. Gold curtains, wallpaper and carpets are broken up by Chinese patterned fretwork along the walls. Befitting a private members club, half the space is allocated to private rooms which seem to get very busy at meal times.
The food: The kitchen is led by young chef Lee Guan Foo who, despite his tender years (he’s only 24), demonstrates the experience and expertise he gained as the dim sum chef at the InterContinental Singapore in the brief dim sum menu, which includes the succulent khao niew hor gai (sticky rice dumplings with chicken, B128) and jing chuan (chives dumplings, B138). The menu does carry more than just dim sum, though, with dishes like the recommended smoked duck (B788 for half, B1,388 for a whole), which is given an aromatic hint from the use of tea leaf, the abalone and sea cucumber with bok choy (B1,688) and the wok-fried beef (B428). There’s even simpler fare like the khao pad (stir-fried rice with kale and scallop, B348) that comes accompanied by impressive homemade sauces. Finish your meal with the melting custard lava bun (steamed or fried, B280), which is well worth the calories.
The drinks: They have all 10 original tea blends (B128) from the InterContinental Singapore. Take a sniff from the samples or opt for the Five Elements Blend or the classic aged Pu-erh a fermented dark tea from Yunnan province. If you want something stronger then the wines range from B1,000-B90,000.
The crowds: Important people from the nearby big businesses like ThaiBev and Betagro dropping by for power lunches or after their work out, though more and more families are starting to pop in after finding out it’s now open to the public.
