1. It’s often said that change is inevitable but fortunately that’s not always the case. While I always like to see new restaurants, new dishes and new concepts in dining come along there’s also something very reassuring about being able to go back to a favorite place and experience something that’s familiar and comforting. Such is the case with Hamilton’s in the Dusit Thani Hotel in Bangkok. I’ve been coming here off and on for over 12 years and it always feels the same to me. I’ve had dinner and lunch here and attended a number of wine diners as well. The atmosphere, the menu and the service are always the same. In this day and age of constant change some may look at his as a bad thing but I disagree. I always know what I’ll be getting here and that’s why I come here. The atmosphere is that of a top-end New York steakhouse from bygone days and the service reflects this period as well. The menu I know has changed somewhat over the years but the essentials are still here. These would be the grill specialties and the starters and side dishes in particular but many of my other menu favorites are still offered too. For starters, the Barron Point oysters, crispy crab cakes, beef carpaccio and smoked salmon are still here and they are joined by a relative newcomer, the Maine lobster Bellevue (pictured on this page). Other favorites like the Caesar salad, lobster bisque and cream of mushroom soup are also on the menu as well The main dishes that I’ve enjoyed most over the years have come from the grill and usually involve beef such as the NY sirloin and Black Angus tenderloin from the U.S. However, on one of my more recent visits I tried the Wagyu beef which is a Japanese cousin of Kobe beef but, in this case, raised in Australia. The 250 gram size is almost too much considering the richness of this meat with its heavy marbling but it’s the only size it can be served according to Executive Chef Erwin Eberhardt. I won’t bore you with the details but I understand that he’s right. There are also other Australian steaks as well as salmon, a mixed grill and a chicken breast. On the main part of the menu the halibut and snow fish are also quite good and there’s a beef pot pie that has always intrigued me but I’ve never ordered. The side dishes I enjoy the most are the wilted spinach, sautéed mushrooms and rosti potaoes – nothing fancy, but always great tasting. Yes, there is something to be said for change and I wholeheartedly endorse it: as far as most things go, that is. As for Hamilton’s, I hope it keeps doing what it’s been doing since the beginning so that I won’t have to change some of my own tastes.