Dining at The Garden Rooms, in many ways, is like embarking on a treasure hunt. Customers not only have to head out of town and cross the river to Taling Chan, they also have to drive further up the road that leads to Suphanburi until they spot a Toyota showroom on the opposite side of the road, take a U-Turn and, bam, they’ve found their restaurant. As its name suggests, the Lanna-inspired eatery is enveloped in a green lush garden. It is divided into two areas: Balinese-style outdoor seating by the pond and the high-ceiling air-con indoors. To put the middle-aged regulars in an even mellower mood, an acoustic duo takes turns crooning a combo of oldie hits from “Handy Man” to “Eternal Flame.” The menu, too, unfolds like a treasure hunt—with a little digging, you may find a few gems. In an attempt to be creative, the kitchen throws in some Thai and Japanese touches to its European menu, and the result is erratic. So, along with familiar staples like carbonara and French onion soup, expect such odd pairings as grilled snow fish with rice and udon, spaghetti with 100-year egg and baked sea bass with parmesan cheese served with jasmine rice topped with raisins. The chef seems to have a thing for balsamic vinegar, rocket salad, salmon and soft shell crabs as they make (way too) many appearances on the menu. The overall tastes are hence mild and sweet. The crab Rangoon (deep-fried wontons filled with crab and cream cheese) could do with more generous fillings and a dip less sweet. The Garden Rooms’ salmon salad had a nice texture thanks to crunchy cashew nuts and crisp rocket and iceberg. But the accompanying “Thai-style dressing” needed more of a kick and the salmon was diced and deep-fried so we couldn’t detect the fish flavor. The kitchen did a better job with Thai fare, which luckily, also came at more affordable prices. Skip the overpriced fried rice and opt for the crisp and non-oily deep-fried sea bass in garlic instead. We also liked the flavor-packed stir-fried marinated pork with green curry. Despite The Garden Rooms’ peaceful ambiance, who would want to go out of the way for so-so, hotel-priced food?
