Koi restaurant in Bangkok is the third to open with its menu offered in New York and Los Angeles. It offers a contemporary blend of furniture, subdued lighting, and dark wood floors. The amience is dark with patrons being guided to their table by hostesses in an atmosphere more like a lounge than a restaurant.

Prior to selecting from the wine list, our waiter arrived with three small jugs of hot sake. We then pondered over the menu that offers a selection of 20 sushi and sashimi items along with 16 hand cut rolls and a choice of 3 great signature rolls. We chose the rainbow roll, a California roll-style item topped with shrimp, white fish and thin slices of avocado as a starter for my 2 dining partners and I. We should have ordered two, as it was a delicious way to tease the palate. We each chose to order a complete meal from the dinner menu which starts with a choice of 2 soups of which my dining partners found the "Seafood Miso Soup with Clams & Scallops" at 140 baht to be smooth and delicious. I moved on to one of the 4 salads, the "Rock Lobster and Avocado with Mizuna & Shitake Mushrooms and a Tofu-Lime dressing. Priced at 660 baht, it may sound steep, but the amount of succulent lobster and fresh avocado is generous and can easily be shared by two persons. For main dishes, patrons can choose from the 10 different cold dishes that include such items as; Seared Tuna Sashimi Jalapeno & Garlic Chips or from an equal amount of hot dishes that include 3 different selections of Wagyu beef. One person in our group chose the "Beef Tenderloin and Lobster", a surf and turf dish with two sauces. I chose the "Wagyu Tenderloin served in a sizzling plate with Glazed Eggplant, Baby Bok Choy & Robe Sauce" at 2200 baht. The beef was so tender "it could melt in your mouth" as they say, with the fresh lobster as decadent as any dessert. My other dining partner, who prefers not to eat very much meat, selected the "Miso Bronzed Black Cod & fresh Harlequin of Vegetables" at 800 baht. She was smiling at the first bite of the fish and said it was firm, crunchy and obviously extremely fresh. As a food critic for numerous magazines, and a professionally trained chef, I nervously awaited her reaction. Since I selected the restaurant, I was relieved that she was enjoying the cuisine. Everything on the menu seemed irresistable and we also chose to share a side of "Mushrooms & Asparagus" at 260 baht and a tempura selection of "Creamy Rock Shrimp" at 400 baht.

The wine list offers a wide selection of varietals from France and the New World with about 60 choices of red and 35 white on the menu while to accompany our meal we chose a bottle of a Chilean White Sauvignon Blanc 2004 at 2100 baht. Of course dessert is on the menu and not just fruit platters that you find at most Japanese restaurants, but a scrumptuous molten chocolate cake. However, we were busting at the seams from a meal that felt more like a reward than just a dining experience.

Sure it can get expensive, but quality like this doesn't come cheap. Don't be misled about this restaurant, as I'm not an avid fan of Japanese cuisine or raw fish, this menu is so diverse in the menu choices and the creative cooking methods with their added California twist that anybody would love their visit to Koi.