Left for sushi, right for ramen
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Ai Japanese Village sends diners on a culinary journey of discovery
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Ai Japanese Village is at the Nine mall on Rama IX road. It's open daily from 11am to 10pm on weekdays and until 11pm on weekends. Call (02) 716 7811.
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Visit new dining destination Ai Japanese Village and you find yourself at a crossroads. But don't worry - lovers of Japanese flavours can take all five roads at once.
Ai is a dining complex comprising five restaurants to satisfy different moods at the Nine mall on Rama IX Road.
Your route to do-it-yourself okonomiyaki (Japanese pizza) and hotplate teppanyaki is Dohtonbori, but first you might want to step up to Tetsumen for hot ramen noodle broth.
In the mood for a meaty tonkatsu cutlet? Well head to Katz for all things pork - though breaded shrimp is also sizzling for variety.
For other directions try Wa-Q, where all-you-can-eat hotpot bubbles behind steamy windows, and finally Ai Sushi - strictly traditional sushi and sashimi with none of that fusion funny business. Best of all, you can cross order from the menu of each eatery, with the exception of Wa-Q's buffet.
Step into Ai and you discover a small Tokyo alley lined with easy-going eateries. Watch out for the cast-iron manholes as you stroll the cobbled street past the post box and traffic signs.
The 400-square metres with space for 207 diners is a flagship idea launched by trading and telecom company Loxley, which last year branched out into restaurants with Iza on Soi Thonglor.
At Ai, Loxley serves up three of its own brands - Ai sushi, Wa-Q (shabu, sukiyaki) and Katz (tonkatsu) - but also introduces Thailand to two famous Japanese franchises, Dohtonbori Okonomiyaki-Teppanyaki and Tetsumen Ramen.
"It's a showcase of the brands we own, but each outlet can eventually be developed as a franchise," says Witawat Mesommonta, Loxley's vice president and Food Service Department general manager.
"Thais eat rice and noodles - a similar profile to Japanese foods. But Thais prefer to have a variety of choices in a single venue. Each place has its own character and can cater to people of all ages."
At Dohtonbori, you can choose the ingredients for your okonomiyaki or alternatively just order the deluxe mixed okonomiyaki (Bt320). You get a bowl of raw ingredients including egg, shredded cabbage, chopped beef, pork, squid, chicken, scallop, green onion and ginger, with the batter underneath. The fun part is mixing the ingredients in the bowl then scooping your creation onto the hotplate at the table.
The pizza takes about 15 minutes to cook and needs to be flipped three times - listen out for the timer's ring. Then douse it in the thick, sweet sauce and mayonnaise, sprinkle with dried seaweed and smoked bonito shavings, and chomp down.
If you're cooked from cooking, you can ask the chefs to grill the teppanyaki wagyu tenderloin (Bt380), mixed vegetables (Bt120) and prawns (Bt160).
Leave room to slurp down a bowl of ramen at Tetsumen, where creamy tonkotsu - a broth made from pork bones and niboshi (dried baby sardines) boiled for hours - is the tasty base. Just add your choice from one of three flavours - shoyu (soy sauce), miso (fermented soybeans and barley) and shio (salted pork broth) - and finish with toppings. Also worth trying is the shoyu tonkotsu ramen with egg served with a chunk of chashu (roasted pork), bamboo shoots, dried seaweed and green onions, at Bt150 for a small bowl and Bt190 for a large one.
At Katz, among the range of set menus is the popular kurobuta katsu set (Bt280), featuring deep-fried breaded pork cutlets with rice, miso soup, shredded cabbage and pickled vegetables. Diners grind the black and white sesame seeds provided then add them to the tonkatsu sauce.
The crisp shredded cabbage served on a separated plate is delicious doused in sesame dressing, while free refills of rice, shredded cabbage and miso soup keep the food flowing.
If deep-fried pork isn't your thing, Wa-Q has all-you-can-eat hotpot for Bt399 per person, or a premium version for Bt499. Go solo and you can have your own small pot with choice of either sukiyaki or shabu soup.
The sukiyaki soup has a salty-sweet tang that goes better with beef - try pouring in a lightly beaten egg just after the beef is done. The kelp-based shabu is clear and mild and complements seafood, with two kinds of sauces served on the side. The white sesame sauce is nutty and aromatic while the ponzu soy sauce has a sour edge.
There should be one more destination on your itinerary. Dive into Ai Sushi, where sashimi deluxe or nigiri sushi deluxe platters (Bt990 each) serve up a fresh taste of the sea.
Ai Japanese Village is at the Nine mall on Rama IX road. It's open daily from 11am to 10pm on weekdays and until 11pm on weekends. Call (02) 716 7811.
>>>
Visit new dining destination Ai Japanese Village and you find yourself at a crossroads. But don't worry - lovers of Japanese flavours can take all five roads at once.
Ai is a dining complex comprising five restaurants to satisfy different moods at the Nine mall on Rama IX Road.
Your route to do-it-yourself okonomiyaki (Japanese pizza) and hotplate teppanyaki is Dohtonbori, but first you might want to step up to Tetsumen for hot ramen noodle broth.
In the mood for a meaty tonkatsu cutlet? Well head to Katz for all things pork - though breaded shrimp is also sizzling for variety.
For other directions try Wa-Q, where all-you-can-eat hotpot bubbles behind steamy windows, and finally Ai Sushi - strictly traditional sushi and sashimi with none of that fusion funny business. Best of all, you can cross order from the menu of each eatery, with the exception of Wa-Q's buffet.
Step into Ai and you discover a small Tokyo alley lined with easy-going eateries. Watch out for the cast-iron manholes as you stroll the cobbled street past the post box and traffic signs.
The 400-square metres with space for 207 diners is a flagship idea launched by trading and telecom company Loxley, which last year branched out into restaurants with Iza on Soi Thonglor.
At Ai, Loxley serves up three of its own brands - Ai sushi, Wa-Q (shabu, sukiyaki) and Katz (tonkatsu) - but also introduces Thailand to two famous Japanese franchises, Dohtonbori Okonomiyaki-Teppanyaki and Tetsumen Ramen.
"It's a showcase of the brands we own, but each outlet can eventually be developed as a franchise," says Witawat Mesommonta, Loxley's vice president and Food Service Department general manager.
"Thais eat rice and noodles - a similar profile to Japanese foods. But Thais prefer to have a variety of choices in a single venue. Each place has its own character and can cater to people of all ages."
At Dohtonbori, you can choose the ingredients for your okonomiyaki or alternatively just order the deluxe mixed okonomiyaki (Bt320). You get a bowl of raw ingredients including egg, shredded cabbage, chopped beef, pork, squid, chicken, scallop, green onion and ginger, with the batter underneath. The fun part is mixing the ingredients in the bowl then scooping your creation onto the hotplate at the table.
The pizza takes about 15 minutes to cook and needs to be flipped three times - listen out for the timer's ring. Then douse it in the thick, sweet sauce and mayonnaise, sprinkle with dried seaweed and smoked bonito shavings, and chomp down.
If you're cooked from cooking, you can ask the chefs to grill the teppanyaki wagyu tenderloin (Bt380), mixed vegetables (Bt120) and prawns (Bt160).
Leave room to slurp down a bowl of ramen at Tetsumen, where creamy tonkotsu - a broth made from pork bones and niboshi (dried baby sardines) boiled for hours - is the tasty base. Just add your choice from one of three flavours - shoyu (soy sauce), miso (fermented soybeans and barley) and shio (salted pork broth) - and finish with toppings. Also worth trying is the shoyu tonkotsu ramen with egg served with a chunk of chashu (roasted pork), bamboo shoots, dried seaweed and green onions, at Bt150 for a small bowl and Bt190 for a large one.
At Katz, among the range of set menus is the popular kurobuta katsu set (Bt280), featuring deep-fried breaded pork cutlets with rice, miso soup, shredded cabbage and pickled vegetables. Diners grind the black and white sesame seeds provided then add them to the tonkatsu sauce.
The crisp shredded cabbage served on a separated plate is delicious doused in sesame dressing, while free refills of rice, shredded cabbage and miso soup keep the food flowing.
If deep-fried pork isn't your thing, Wa-Q has all-you-can-eat hotpot for Bt399 per person, or a premium version for Bt499. Go solo and you can have your own small pot with choice of either sukiyaki or shabu soup.
The sukiyaki soup has a salty-sweet tang that goes better with beef - try pouring in a lightly beaten egg just after the beef is done. The kelp-based shabu is clear and mild and complements seafood, with two kinds of sauces served on the side. The white sesame sauce is nutty and aromatic while the ponzu soy sauce has a sour edge.
There should be one more destination on your itinerary. Dive into Ai Sushi, where sashimi deluxe or nigiri sushi deluxe platters (Bt990 each) serve up a fresh taste of the sea.
