New river cruise sets sail

There is plenty of competition in the riverboat dinner cruise market in Bangkok and it has got even keener with the introduction of a new boat owned by a riverside restaurant, Khinlom Chom Saphan.

The Song Fang Klong river boat was transformed it into a modern traditional wooden vessel at a cost of Bt20 million. It set sail, late last month, offering a capacity for up to 80 passengers.

There are no air-conditioned cabins, but the main deck has old-fashioned ceiling fans and the open deck ensures the breeze off the river cools the dining area. When it rains folding doors enclose the deck.

Khinlom Chom Saphan serves Thai set menus at Bt1,250, per person, excluding drinks.

It includes appetisers, soup and main courses usually seafood. There are about three dishes for appetisers, four main courses, one soup, a rice dish and a dessert. But the portions are quite small.

TTR Weekly sampled the tour last week. For a meal targeting tourists, it was tasty and spicy enough to satisfy a Thai, which is unusual for river boat menus that are toned down to the point they no longer resemble a Thai dining experience.

However, the restaurant is facing some issues including the need to revise menus to ensure items blend with each other. Food is cooked at the Thai restaurant on shore and this means it quite cold by the time it is served on board.

There is a bar on board that serves both non-alcoholic and alcoholic drinks including wines. In the near future, the cruise will feature a live band and a video presentation describing the historical sites on the banks of the Chao Phraya River.

Song Fang Klong dinner cruise takes two hours starting from 2000 to 2200. Guests embark at 1930 and can order snacks while they wait.

As the boar anchors at a jetty near Rama VIII, the cruise sails upstream passing the Bank of Thailand up to the Royal Barge Museum and then downstream passing the Temple of Dawn, the Grand Palace, the Temple of Reclining Buddha and other temples and buildings, before turning up stream once more as it approaches the Taksin Bridge.

Khinlom Chom Saphan also provides a charter cruises for private events. But if clients want to organise an event at night, they must notify the restaurant two weeks in advance so that the restaurant can lock-in the date to avoid FIT bookings.

The restaurant belongs to the Buddy Group that is well known for managing pubs, bars, a restaurant and lodgings on Khao Sarn Road such as Molly Bar, Brick Bar and Tom Yam Kung Restaurant. The group has expanded its hotel portfolio to prime tourist spot in Phuket and Samui.