It used to be that whenever you visited a shopping mall in Bangkok, you had limited restaurants you could choose from to have a meal. Mostly they were brand name fast food choices that you encountered at every other mall in the city. But in the past five years or so, the trend, at least for the restaurants in Chidlom‘s malls, has been for more freshly cooked, independent restaurants that offer much more variety.
World of Choices Under One Roof
With the palate of Bangkok residents continuing to expand to appreciate food from all over the Asian continent, there are now many Chinese, Korean, and Japanese restaurants to choose from in Chidlom. Peoples’ tastes have become more refined, and many diners have found restaurants in malls that serve the perfect udon, ramen, or Korean barbecue.
What makes mall shopping more convenient and attractive is that shoppers don’t have to travel all over the city to find their favourite foods. Wander into the food courts of today, and you’ll have your pick of both local and international cuisine – everything from burgers, wraps, and gyro sandwiches to Mongolian hot pot, fish curry and laksa.
Fresh Food Does Better Business
Although most of the most famous western fast food brands will always have their loyal customers, many of the shoppers in Bangkok love the freshness and the variety of this growing trend in Chidlom restaurants. The popular food styles lend themselves well to fresh preparation at a moment’s notice, with only some well-seasoned broth to add or pre-made noodles or bread.
Freshness also connotes less deep frying and cooking in fatty oils and more emphasis on using vegetables to add flavour, texture and taste.
And with the variety of the foods on offer in a single mall, groups of friends can shop together and still enjoy their favorites lunch. It’s not unusual to see a table full of friends in a Chidlom food court with every one eating a different dish.
Some of these independent restaurants have become so popular that they are beginning to franchise their operations and go head-to-head with well-known fast-food restaurants. They are becoming the next generation of a healthier, fresher and tastier type of fast food.
Shop and Dine in Air-Conditioned Comfort
The malls themselves are helping this evolution of restaurants in Chidlom. Shopping malls have long served as refuges from the hot and humid weather of the city. The more activities and shops that are under one roof, the more popular the mall.
Having a wider variety of restaurants in a Chidlom shopping mall helps drive traffic and shoppers to that mall. Shoppers are beginning to walk right past the burgers and fried chicken of old and head for the new tasty and fresh offerings.
And residents of Bangkok are starting to patronise their favorites local malls in Chidlom more often, specifically because of the variety of its restaurants. With more and more shopping malls springing up all over Bangkok, the winners may just be the malls that feature a greater variety of unique restaurants as well as quality shops.