There’s an entire street in the Patpong area that is catered for Japanese tourists. It must be left over from the 80s and 90s when Japanese travelled the world, I couldn’t see that many Japanese tourists these days, well no more than any other country.
I find it interesting that the local economy caters for the Japanese that much, their language, food even credit card. The influence isn’t just in Patpong, I spotted a few Japanese restaurant chains including the latest Pepper Steak, I’m very excited by that!
So I decided to eat in the Patpong Japanese section (well across from it) just to see the quality of Japanese food. Hokkaido is brand new.
Hokkaido sucked me in because of the amazing life like resin replicas of sushi, sashimi, udon and even Asahi beer! All the pics above were from their window, they’re incredibly realistic.
Inside the seating arrangement is in a circle around a sushi train, with the elderly Japanese Chef (pictured above) in the middle. He was a kindly old man who took good care of me, a tourist who could neither speak Thai or Japanese. While he was obviously skilled, he was prone to attacks of panic, especially with multiple orders, not a good idea when you’re on full display.
But his sushi and sashimi skills are undeniable as you can see in the video above, amazingly fast and furious hands!
I order the mixed sashimi above which of 12 different varieties. The fish was fresh and both flavoursome and subtle, works a treat with ginger, wasabi and soy sauce. It was authentic and great quality. My only gripe is that the meal (admittedly with a glass of Asahi) came to over A$30, or around 30 times the price of street food you get outside. Granted the atmosphere, quality and cuisine is different, but I left unconvinced the experience was 30 times better.
Hokkaido Japanese Restaurant
Surriwong Rd, Silom, Bangkok
Thailand
