FARANG RESTAURANT REVIEW: BEI OTTO

I didn't really intend to do two restaurant reviews in a row, but I haven't had a chance to have any cultural or pop-cultural blog-worthy adventures to write about in the past week or so. Plus, when inspiration hit, I was pretty hungry.

One thing I've learned in the 2 1/2 months or so that I've been here is that Western men cannot live on rice and noodles alone. We need things like sausages, mashed potatoes and dinner rolls made out of pretzel dough. Thankfully, for people like me, Bei Otto exists.



Located on Sukhumvit Soi 20 admist a plethora of massage parlors and a dizzying stampede of pushcarts and motorcycles, anyone passing by cannot help but notice Bei Otto. It looks like a small German cottage that has been magically transported from Bavaria to Bangkok.



Inside, it looks exactly like you thought it would. The first thing you notice is a bar where imported German beers like Fürstenberg Pils flow directly from the barrel. The bar is well stocked to mix plenty of other cocktails, but when you're in a German restaurant, there isn't much point of drinking anything but German beer in an extra large mug.



The other thing you can't help but notice about the interior is the cluttered decor. The proprietors of Bei Otto have chosen to plaster the walls with a variety of pictures and objects from ceiling to floor with things like deer heads:



A fake window that looks out on painted German landscape:



And cuckoo clock that chimes every half hour:



There are also tons of photos of the many happy patrons who have frequented the establishment.

The effect is dizzying, but surprisingly cozy. The atmoshpere says "good times" and has a homey feel. American restaurant chains like T.G.I. Fridays and Applebees try to do the same thing with framed sports jerseys and pictures of movie stars, but at those places it just seems contrived and forced. At Bei Otto, it seems more natural for some reason.

I found the food to be of an excellent quality. One could have the preconceived notion that European food (specifically German), would be horrible in Thailand, but that cannot be farther from the truth. The owner, Otto Duffner, is a master chef and has been in Bangkok since 1984 (and the restaurant has been at its current location since 1990). It seems like he has taken great care to provide a menu with authentic European cuisine like schnitzel and pork knuckles with sauerkraut. I chose the veal sausages and was not disappointed.

Another nice touch is the authentic uniforms for the wait staff. I would expect a girl wearing this style dress to be named Helga or Inga or something like that, but I doubt if that's the case. Still, it's another small detail that adds to the overall charm of the place.



Bei Otto is also home to a bakery, a butchery and delicatessen, for those who need to bring these kind of delicacies home with them.

I really enjoyed this restaurant. Something tells me that I will make a return visit next month for their Bavarian Oktoberfest.



For more information on this fine establishment, please visit www.beiotto.com