Frienz Japanese Dining Bar

Located on busy Asoke Road at street level in Serm-Mit Tower, this restaurant is in the middle of one of Bangkok’s most frenetic business districts. It is open Monday through Saturday from 11.30am to 11.00pm (11.30pm on Saturday and national holidays). At lunch it is packed with customers enjoying its excellent Japanese food and reasonable prices. In the evening, it is less popular, but still gets a goodly number of customers seeking an after work drink and good Japanese eats.

Visit Frienz's Profile | Map | Gallery

Proprietor Kenji Fukui and Managing Director Sachiko Sakai have created a large menu of traditional Japanese items and numerous ‘international’ dishes with a Thai flare designed to appeal to local customers. We recently sampled a wide variety of items and were pleasantly surprised with what we found – and amazed that such a large variety of freshly prepared food could come out of such a small kitchen!

If you enjoy snacking, Frienz is an ideal place. There are oodles of appetizers and other small dishes that invite drinking and conversation. A plate of Edamame (steamed soybeans), the quintessential Japanese snack with drinks is only 80 baht. Sushi and sashimi are well represented with both local and imported items on the menu. The platter of Nigiri sushi (mixed sushi) is large and runs 800 baht for imported seafood and 450 baht for local items. We also loved the 360 baht Frienz roll with red tuna, seabass and crab meat rolled in seaweed. Kenji receives his local seafood twice weekly from Rayong and is impressed with the quality. His imported fish comes from throughout the world: salmon from Norway, scallops from Hokkaido, ‘sweet’ shrimp from Chile and the like.

Perhaps the most popular dish in the restaurant is the 340 baht Larb tuna daeng, a dish of chopped red tuna, avocado and Italian lettuce. With its feet in two or three different cultures, this is a delicious concoction that highlights the natural affinity of avocado for raw tuna. Another winner, for us, was the 280 baht Sashimi salad, a mix of greens, mixed sashimi and a mild wasabi dressing. The sashimi was sparkling fresh and very tasty when combined with the mixed greens.

To encourage customers, Frienz has a different promotion every month. In October it was the ‘Wine Fair’ with big discounts on a variety of wines. A bottle of Il Cortigiano Extra Dry Prosecco, for example, sold for 840 baht rather than its usual 1,200 baht. There is also a bargain basement happy hour every day from 4.00pm until 7pm. Asahi beer is only 70 baht per glass and 180 baht per pitcher. Santa Carolina premium wines are also only 120 baht a glass, 220 baht for a 200 ml carafe or 440 baht for a 720 ml carafe.

In addition to wine and beer, Frienz has a good selection of sake and spirits, including several different varieties of shochu. A variety of sakes are available in a wide range of prices by the glass, small bottle or large bottle.

Believe it or not, there is even more. Frienz features bargain priced set lunches at only 180 baht and numerous economical options at dinner. If you like steak, for example, you’ll find a decent Ribeye steak served on a sizzling platter for only 390 baht. Equally impressive are the sizzling platters with saba, salmon, pork and chicken.

What would we like to see changed? We found the menu and food to be good, but would like to see the interior spruced up a bit. It needs more personality and pizzazz. Frienz provides an escape from the office and the chaos existing outside, but the décor is classic office modern. This place is a hangout, a refuge – and needs to feel that way.

Reasonable prices, a large menu and a management team that aims to please are this restaurant and bar’s strong points. If you are in the Asoke area, it is a great place to unwind while the world outside rushes by.

Visit Frienz's Profile | Map | Gallery