Greyhound Cafe

That was a somewhat of a corny title, but I think it’s a good reflection of the place. “Greyhound Cafe” is a casual style cafe/restaurant in the heart of Bangkok. Although they do have chains in other places (even overseas), I will discuss my experience at the Greyhound Cafe located at Emporium Shopping Mall.

It really is a place where everything can be done. In terms of food, the menu gives you a massive headache. You’re in Thailand and you’re in the heart its buzzing capital city. The dilemma now is, do you go for Thai food or do you go for Western food? This is the flexibility you get at Greyhound Cafe. Would you like to try an Italian dish or a Thai classic? For me, I went for the Italian.

I had gone for a spaghetti dish solely because I felt like having something other than Thai food. The dish I had was made with a tomato-based sauce. It was very simple and it tasted good. It also had a few leaves of basil which is alway always a great addition. And of course, some chilli. This time it was dried chilli that might have been preserved in olive oil. They were very nice and quite kind with the spiciness level. The best part though, were the prawns. They were bigger than the plate. They were grilled to perfection too. You could get that aroma of the grilled and the charred taste that comes with it. The only problem I had with it though, was that there should’ve been more! I’m just kidding, otherwise the price of the dish for the customers would sky rocket. But actually, I wouldn’t mind having a few more. The spaghetti was cooked well, al dente of course.

Oh wait, now that I mentioned the main course I had totally forgotten to discuss the entrée. We were all given bread at the table like any good restaurants would these days. What we had ordered in addition to the free bread were like mini do-it-yourself vegetable rolls. They weren’t spring rolls since we didn’t have them with delicate rice paper sheets. But the Thai influence kicked in, as we wrapped up our beautiful stuffings in very crispy and fresh lettuce leaves. The star of the dish was obviously the stuffing/sauce that can be seen in the picture. If I’m not mistaken, it had minced pork, a bit of garlic, white pepper and just a few drops of seasoning sauces. It was very simple and absolutely delicious. The rich sauce went very well with the vegetables. Not sure why I had bread on the plate as well, but I was probably so hungry I mixed everything together. Not a surprise anymore these days.

Now moving forward (or backwards) to the main course again. Another person on our table went for the Thai food option. This time, she ordered fish balls soup with celery and fried garlic. It looked like it could be done in two minutes, but the taste clarified that it took a lot more effort than that. The fish balls were given generously. The broth was quite rich, mostly with vegetable stock and a garlic-focused taste. I think the celery was just there to add on that healthy factor. Otherwise, it didn't make the dish better or worse, or anything else. The fried garlic was good, as per usual. This would've been a dish that I would order rice with on the side. I think one should not have it by itself, kind of like just eating a huge steak with no veggies or fries. They kind of go hand in hand for us Thais.

For desserts (following the order nicely again), I kept with my Western meal. Nicely presented in a jar, we had oreo cookie crumbs at the very bottom. The next layer was caramel, the sitting just on top of it were sliced bananas. Topped up with another layer of caramel, and finished off with some delicious whipped cream. How does that not sound good? By all means, anyone could make this at home, but what a good way to wrap up your meal. Now that I think of it, I should give this a try and make it for dessert or snack one of these days. If you’re not a dessert person or have already had too much to eat during the main meal, you could simply opt out for a cup of coffee or tea, or pick of their many different Thai and international drinks!

Whichever way you look at it, the place is great because it caters for different types of palate. The area is not strange to foreigners both tourists and expats. Having the menu divided in half to satisfy as many market groups as possible is a genuinely smart move. The interior of the cafe is modern and does lean towards what you would see in a Western-themed restaurant. The tables and spaces are very clean and chic, and really pushes the hustle and bustle of the city life to the inside.

As for the prices, expect to reach a little bit deeper in your wallet. I do get quite sensitive about price, not because I’m greedy or broke, but I simply weigh it against the quality I pay for. The quality here, is a good reflection of the price. In other words, you pay for what you get - but in a positive sense, of course! I will try to find the link of the website and pray that they have the menu on there so you could have a better idea before going in.

The cafe gets busy for lunches as it is in such a prime location. We were required to a book a table, which was not a problem. I would recommend anyone going to book a table, as walking just in could end up in two situations: you have to wait really long for a table, or you get a table but it’s not where you’d like to sit. You know, it can be one of those times where you feel like “oh, if I could, I wouldn't want to be seated here, look, that table looks better. ” But this is only a good sign, since the place is doing so well!

So this brings us to the conclusion for what it was a really good place to eat, drink, chill and catch up in the heart of the Thai capital. For more information, I’ve copied and pasted the link just right below for your convenience! Happy dining and don’t forget to make a reservation!

Grey Hound Cafe & Restaurant, Emporium Shopping Centre - Ratings :

• Accessibility - 9/10
• Price - 8/10
• Selection - 8/10
• Staff Friendliness - 8/10
• Cleanliness - 9/10
• Atmosphere - 9/10
• Overall - 8. 5/10

Grey Hound Cafe Thailand - Official Web Page and Menu

Grey Hound Cafe

Trip Advisor - for comments in regards to Grey Hound Cafe Bangkok from fellow travellers and local residents! :

TripAdvisor

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