Songkran may be over but the children still have almost a month left of their school holidays. It's still hot and sticky, and with tempers getting frayed, a scoop of ice cream may be a perfect way of cooling down hot minds.

Central Ratchada and Rama III are featuring stylish frozen desserts from home and abroad in the Central Ice Cream Festival with an inspired buffet priced at Bt69 for children and Bt139 for adults.

Fans can try old-fashioned ices locally made in Koh Kred, Nonthaburi, flavoured with coffee, coconut milk and taro, rich coconut milk ice cream from Mahachai and modern low-fat ices and sorbets from Iberry.

The festival runs from Friday through April 30 in the promotional hall on ground floor and in front of the department store.

Real fans are challenged to conquer the cold by eating as much as they can while standing on a large block of ice.

Daily rounds will be held on April 29 and April 30, and the champ receives prizes worth in excess of Bt100,000.

Other activities include an ice-cream cake decorating contest for children, a no-hands eating competition and other fun games.

Dim sum dining

The InterContinental Hotel's Summer Palace continues to delight with delicious dim sum next month and is also extending its popular 50 per cent discount promotion through to the end of May

The buffet features a variety of authentic Chinese dim sum items including har gau (steamed prawns dumpling with asparagus), foo pie kien (steamed bean curd rolls with oyster sauce), chan chew kai (steamed glutinous rice wrapped with lotus leaf), cha leong (steamed rice noodle rolls stuffed with dough), low hong jai chung fang (steamed rice noodle rolls with mixed vegetables), fan gow (deep-fried crispy dumpling) and wo thip (pan-fried Shanghai-styled dumpling).

The buffet is open Monday to Saturday from 11.30am to 2.30pm. Call (02) 656 0360 for reservations.

French accents

Ma Maison at Nai Lert Park Bangkok invites all secretaries to reward themselves next week with a luxurious set lunch for the irresistible price of Bt750 per person.

Andres Nauser, the hotel's executive chef, has specially selected the set menu, which features soft-shell crab brioche with fried caper berries, crispy duck confit and orange salad, creme brulee, marinated strawberries and complimentary coffee and tea.

The promotion runs from April 24 to 28. Bosses accompanying their secretaries pay Bt950.

Call (02) 253 0123 extension 8056 for reservations.

Japanese design

Chef Aki of the JW Marriott Bangkok's Tsu Nami Japanese restaurant holds his next cooking class on May 6. The class costs Bt1,900 per person and is limited to 12 participants.

A graduate of the Chef School in Tokyo, Aki worked in several traditional Japanese restaurants in Tokyo before heading to the US where he stayed for more than 13 years. Prior to this appointment, he was head chef at the Wasabi Sabi Restaurant in Hong Kong.

Participants will learn how to prepare five different courses, starting with a sake cocktail and appetiser and going through to soup, main course and dessert. After the session, the class will attend a special lunch hosted by the chef himself. For more information, call Dusadee Asavalertluk at (02) 656 7700 extension 4359.

Juthamas Cholthavornpong

The Nation

The writer can be contacted at focusfood@nationgroup.com