KHONG RIVER HOUSE

On our first evening in Miami, I booked the recently open Khong River House which is conveniently located just off the pedestrian street Lincoln avenue and an easy ten-minute walk from the Ritz-Carlton South Beach.  Managed by the same group who own Yardbird Southern Table and Bar showcasing Southern cooking and the soon-to-open Swine Southern Table and Bar which will feature a nose-to-tail menu.  Khong River House focuses on the cuisine of Northern Thailand (not the stuff you in usually see in Thai restaurants) plus nearby Burma and Lao which is seen in the exciting menu.  Running the kitchen is chef Bee with his team - chefs Pai and Danny, also from Northern Thailand, and chef Rene.  Before its' recent transformation, Khong River House was a restaurant called Miss Yip which was more Asian in looks than food as my lunch there in 2010 proved.  Luckily, the same corner spot has been transformed into a well-designed cozy space with the use exposed brick, reclaimed wood slabs used both in the bar and chairs plus a corrugated tin ceiling just like roadside shacks found all over Asia coupled with dim lighting and loud music.

I booked a table via Open Table and good thing I did as the restaurant was packed when we walked in on an early Thursday evening.  The bar was pumping as they had a Happy Hour promotion on all their signature gin cocktails.  The drinks list is extensive with 34 types of gin, several Asian beers and an interesting well-presented wine list.

We were seated in on one of the banquettes, right in the middle of the action and beside the bar. We had a look at the dinner menu which had several sections: small plates (appetizers), salads, noodles, traditional main courses, rice and a few side dishes labeled to share.  We decided to order one small plate, two traditional dishes and a vegetable side dish, all of them to be served family-style.  A had a glass of the Patient Cottat Sauvigonon Blanc, an organic wine from the Loire valley, and I chose a Kesseler Riesling, another organic wine producer, this time from the Rheingau region.  If only we were beer drinkers, we could have had an ice cold Asian beer from their list of

Our starter of Burmese fresh noodle wraps was served not long after - five parcels filled with roasted dried red chili, lemon juice, palm sugar, cilantro and crushed peanuts wrapped up in a fresh noodle and served cold just like a summer roll.  This vegetarian bite was both sweet and salty and a good omen for what was to come.

The main courses were then brought out one after another with a bowl of steamed jasmine rice - Vietnamese style crispy prawns, the best dish we had that evening, deep fried shell-on prawns tossed in chili, garlic, shallots, spring onions and spices and cheekily served in a bowl lined with Asian newspaper and a banana leaf.  There was also the char-grilled Thai eggplant with stir-fried minced pork, basil leaves and oyster sauce which was surprisingly bland so we returned it and asked them to prepare a new one which came back much better with a hint of spice.  We also shared the stir-fried tofu with garlic chives, bean sprouts and chili - a simple vegetable dish with fresh flavors and such a pleasure to have as we often crave these vegetables in Puerto Rico where bean sprouts and garlic chives are nowhere to be found.

Asians don't normally have dessert except for fruit as sweets are usually eaten as snacks instead of after a meal but there is a small dessert menu at Khong River House with some Asian-influenced sweets.  We shared the Mango Napoleon - crispy filo layers filled  with mango mousse and served with cubed mangoes - it was a nice tart ending after all the spiciness but not really necessary.  Next time, because there will definitely be a next time, we'll skip dessert and have another delicious small plate or side dish instead.

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Khong River House
1661 Meridian Avenue
Miami Beach, FL
Telephone: +1 305 763 8147
*Open daily for dinner, lunch from Mondays to Fridays and brunch on weekends.
* Valet parking available.

MIAMI MINI BREAK

A & I spent five days in Miami on our own a few weeks ago.  It's great for a mini-break since it's only two and a half hours away from San Juan and perfect for a little dose of "city" and to cure island fever.

We slept the first two nights at the Ritz-Carlton South Beach and borrowed S's luxurious convertible so we could drive around and explore the city.  On the first day, we walked to Lincoln and had a quick lunch at Paul and headed back to our beautiful beach-front suite.  The following day was spent walking the hip and happening Design District which keeps getting better since we first visited it in 2010.  A few more boutiques and restaurants have opened and I'm sure that soon, this area will be filled with interesting stores and fun places to eat.  As usual, we had lunch at our favorite Michael's Genuine Food and Drink which we never miss when we're in Miami, then did some retail therapy at the swanky boutiques nearby.  We also had dinner at nearby Khong River House and further out at Zuma, in Brickell's bustling area.

Our last two nights were at the Ritz Carlton Key Biscayne where all we did was relax and enjoy the sun, sand, beach and pool.  We literally spent two days lying on a sun lounger doing nothing much except eat and read.  We had lunch right on the beach at Dune (grilled shrimp salad and a fish sandwich with crispy sweet potato fries) on the first day then another al fresco lunch on our last day (hummus, baba ghanoush and taboule with warm pita bread, a Spanish-influenced plate of pan con tomate, marinated anchovies, roasted peppers and mussels and octopus then a slider trio: tuna, Angus beef and turkey) right by the pool.  The food was simple yet delicious plus there were perfect poolside treats like frozen grapes, sunscreen, buckets of Fiji and lots of magazines.

Four days were a bit short but it was enough for both of us to enjoy some quiet time and breathe after the busy holiday season.  Next trip will probably be Florida again with the kids then hopefully, further on the west coast to sunny California.

SOUTH BEACH

The first part of our summer holiday was a weekend in Miami at the Ritz-Carlton South Beach for some more sun, sand and sea.  The location is super with direct access to the beach and to Miami's pedestrian-only Lincoln road with it's strip of shops, some cheesy and some really cool, and restaurants, some tourist-traps and some interesting ones.

We walked on Lincoln road and stopped at several stores Books & Books, Pottery Barn, Williams-Sonoma and Gap then ended up at the far-end of Lincoln road for a quick lunch at the Shake Shack.  It's the perfect place to take the kids, especially on a hot summer's day in Miami.  Simple burgers and hot dogs, rich milkshakes and creamy frozen custards - modern fast food in a casual setting.

We also returned for dinner to Michael's Genuine Food and Drink, a restaurant we had been to on our last visit to Miami in  2010 where we had a delicious lunch with visiting family.  This time there was just three of us for an early dinner.  Michael's is ideally located in Miami's design district where a shopping day at the area's designer boutiques can be combined with a meal at one of the area's restaurants.

We were seated at one of the outdoor tables on a beautiful breezy summer's evening.  The food was as we remembered - simple dishes made up of the freshest and in-season ingredients.  We  had a couple of glasses of wine while we looked through their well-designed menu of bites in several sizes - snacks, small, medium, large and extra-large (a shared plate for the table).  We started off with a bowl of crispy pig ear from the snacks section.  Although not as appetizing as it sounds, it was delicious - crispy, gooey, salty bites of pork drizzled with some lime - perfect to munch on while we waited for our starters be served.  A and J chose two items from the small section of the menu - the ceviche for A and the chili chicken wings with a cucumber yogurt dip for J.  I chose a signature dish from the medium section, crispy pork belly, which lived up to it's reputation.  It was crunchy, sweet and spicy pork belly served with peanuts and kimchi.

For our main courses, J had the linguine with shrimp from the medium portioned menu items while A and I chose from the large section of the menu - slow-roasted pork shoulder with a side of mashed potato for him and the seared swordfish with arugula for me and a bowl of fries to share.  Both the pork and swordfish were cooked perfectly and were not marinated to mar the freshness of the meat or fish.

We finished off with some summer desserts from their gifted pastry chef - the house-made "pie in a jar" for J - a white chocolate concoction, the tangerine creamsicle pot de creme with warm doughnuts and blackberry jam and for me the plum crostata with a scoop of buttermilk sherbet.  At the end of our delicious dinner, we stopped by at the Sebastien James boutique alongside the restaurant, like we did the last time we were here, and ended the evening with a bit of retail therapy.  I can't wait to go back there.  After two visits, it's become our favorite Miami restaurant.

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Ritz-Carlton South Beach

1 Lincoln Road

Miami Beach, Florida 33139

Tel: +1 786 276 4000 

Shake Shack

1111 Lincoln Road (at Lenox Avenue)

Miami Beach, Florida 33139

Tel: +1 305 434 7787

*Open daily from 11:30 a.m. till late

Books & Books

927 Lincoln Road

Miami Beach, Florida 33139

Tel: +1 305 532 3222

*Also with an outdoor cafe

Michael's Genuine

130 Northeast 40th Street

Miami, Florida 33137

Tel: + 1 305 573 5550

*Open for lunch Mondays to Fridays from 11:00, Dinner daily from 5:30

*Brunch on Sundays from 11 ro 2:30 p.m., Happy Hour daily from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.

NEWS CAFE

On our first Miami morning, jet lag had us up and about bright and early at around 4:00 so we eagerly waited for dawn and the promise of a big breakfast.  The day was sunny with clear blue skies, perfect for exploring the famed Miami Beach.  We got off Key Biscayne and headed straight to the 24-hour News Cafe on the corner of Ocean drive and 8th street.  It was too windy for a terrace table so we sat in one of the red leather booths right by the window for a picture-perfect view of the beach and people-watching.

Opened in 1988, this cafe started out as a news stand with a few tables and has since grown into a Miami institution with a large shady outdoor terrace and a great selection of international newspapers and magazines.  After a quick scan of the menu, we downed our Lavazza double espressos and watched the early-morning crowd walk their dogs and jog on the boardwalk.  Our breakfast specials were served soon after - a large plate of eggs (scrambled for me, poached for him), crispy bacon, home fries, toast and orange juice (when in Florida, drink as the locals do).  As we were eating, the place started to get busier and by the time we finished at around 8:00 a.m., there were quite a few locals and tourists sitting around having their morning coffee.

After breakfast, we walked up Ocean drive and saw the preserved art deco facades of the many hotels and restaurants fronting the sea.  By this time, the sun was high in the sky and we kept going several blocks until we got to the end of the street and continued on to Lincoln road (at 18th street) where the pedestrian mall of boutiques and restaurants is located.  As it was still quite early, we sat and waited at the The Cafe @ Books & Books (another Miami institution) where we had our second espresso of the morning and flipped through several magazines as we waited for the stores to open and for the rest of Miami beach to wake up.

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News Cafe

800 Ocean Drive (at 8th street)

Miami Beach 33139 FL

Telephone: +1 305 538 6397

*Open 24 hours daily