Entree Kibbles: BBCO - Bangkok Baking Company @ JW Marriott Hotel in Bangkok [Thailand]

When Alex's friends suggested having dinner together at Bangkok Baking Company (known as BBCO) in Bangkok, I assumed it would be somewhat like a chic café setting, given its name and that it's housed within the five-star JW Marriott Hotel.

It was classic alright and reminded me of the black and white colonial bungalows we have in Singapore. However, there were two problems; menu choices appeared limited and I doubt they would have the seating capacity for our company of eight persons!

Turned out there was a separate, albeit a private and more posh, section beyond the cafe, where we even had to cut through the hotel's buffet restaurant. Without asking, I doubt any newcomer would know how to navigate.

Ordering time; scan the QR code to view the menu which included waffles, pancakes, local dishes, all day breakfast, pastas, pizzas, salads, western fare, sandwiches, burgers and even omnimeat offerings.

Peppermint Tea - as it was raining earlier, having a cup of hot tea was just too desirable! Paired with two slices of almond cookies, it would have been sufficient to spend a lazy afternoon amidst the downpour.

Shrimp Spring Roll - how would you have described this? I would see it as a cross between a shrimp tempura and our typical spring roll, albeit thinner and longer.

Know Thai appetizers, it's a must to give the spring roll a dip! Taste was like a sweet version of a sour plum sauce, which would have been nice with most deep fried food.

Sorry for the blur photograph, there was a full prawn within, alongside your typical spring roll ingredients like shredded turnip and carrots. Very nice; reminded me of the Dowager's fingers I had at Larder's Cafe in Singapore.

Margherita Pizza - for sharing again, this was made with fresh buffalo mozzarella with a smearing of tomato paste and basil leaves for contrast. Honestly, this would be the kind of pizza I would never pay for but since it was for sharing, I shall have a slice.

Thin crust pizzas always appeal to me but I really can't differentiate the differences of this buffalo mozzarella. What I did notice was that the tomato paste didn't overwhelm and the basil leaves made a whole lot of difference to the taste; weird yet pretty good.

Phad Kaprow (Omnimeat) - my second kra pow that day; the first was at Mixt Chatuchak Food Court. Spicy yet irresistibly delicious and the omnimeat was utterly tender! I wouldn't have thought they were plant based! Damn, I am craving for kra pow now!

Chicken Drumettes - despite outlook, these didn't burn my tongue despite having marination similar to buffalo wings. That cheese dip on the side smelled and tasted like blue cheese!

Fish and Chip - well, the fish was slightly bigger than the grilled lemon. While the batter was not bad (crisp), the meat tasted like freshwater fish. Not my cup of tea.

BBCO Signature Smash Burger - I can't resist ordering this when it bears the name of the eatery and the word "signature". To me, it would be embarrassing if a dining establishment manages to screw up their signature dishes.

I didn't understand why they only have well done for their beef patties as I always prefer a medium doneness, until I saw the two thin slices of beef patties (each about 90 grams according to the menu). Can't they just make it into one satisfying 180-gram beef patty?

I love the soft brioche bun but burger wise; I have been having many good ones recently (burger labo for one) and this paled in comparison, although still quite nice. p.s. the pickled cucumbers were enjoyable!

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So bloody full!!! Our group of eight had a main course for each of us and eight other dishes for sharing! That's simply too much food. In a nutshell, the food was okay but pricey for Bangkok's standard; you would have bigger bang for your buck elsewhere.

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4 Sukhumvit Road, Khlong Toei,