French Restaurant Bkk

[realthaideal]

As long as some people post about restaurants here, I have to mention C'est Bon in BKK. It's a classy, hip place that's almost a best-kept secret. Great date restaurant, fancy-yet-casual, elegant feeling to it, and a great menu.

There is a prixe fix menu that can't be beat. They've got like a 9 course ,and a 12-course menu all for about 1,600 Baht. Incredible little mouthfuls of beautiful food. The owner caters mainly to Hong Kong Chinese travelers, as he's Chinese himself, and so doesn't really know how to advertise here for the Farang market. To keep the food real, he keeps a young French chef who does all the food though.

It seems when Asians fall for Farang cuisine they aim for elegance and sophistication, and this place does too (unless they're just gah-gah for sa-pa-ghetti, and hahmbuhgah). I was visiting BKK a month ago, dropped in - reservations not required - and had the 9-course prixe fix. The trio of fois gras - never a favorite of mine before, comes with a peach coriander aspic, fois gras tartare!! over filet of grilled beef, a seared fois gras with demi glace over a poached pear and corncake, and a fois gras terrine. Decadent and bold! The raw fois gras seems a little weird but it's great....just like butter on a steak. Some French places would charge the full 1,600 Baht just for that dish alone. The trio is so over-the-top, that only an Asian could put such a twist on a French dish.

So.....I'm looking back at my pix to remember all I ate of the many courses. Also remarkable and delicious were the seabass in leak and caviar sauce- there is a choice of main entrees, and then warm chocolate tart with vanilla sauce I had for dessert.

Yes, it was a million calories, even in small portions. But an elegant meal, and just well done. You have to love fancy food made for value too. Nine courses would have likely been a deal at 2x the price. I asked why he does it like this, and he says he does it prixe fix so that customers can try a little of everything, and not have to feel like they miss out on one thing over another.

And if you're into wines, the owner is way into his wine collection and has many decent priced fine bottles available. Again, when the Asians embrace Western fare they go all out. There's a wide selection of wines to pair your food with if you really wanna do it right.

If you want to go to C'est Bon, it's a bit hard to find, but it's behind the old President, Le Meridien Hotel at Chit Lom off the SkyTrain. You get off there, go down like you're going to the hotel, walk up the driveway, and continue back towards the parking structure, straight ahead. Meanwhile you pass the hotel's overpriced shops on your left - I know the hotel changed ownership a couple years ago, but people still know it as the President around World Trade Ctr. - and go back and down the driveway a bit. The little door to the restaurant is there and there's a small blackboard with the specials written on it.

In Chiang Mai, I'm a 20 Baht-bowl-of-noodles-kind-of-guy, but when I want to treat myself in BKK, and do French/Farang food right, for the right price, C'est Bon's where I go to meet friends. Everyone's always floored by the food, and so pleasantly full too.

And no,....I'm not connected with the restaurant, of course. I just support anybody who does what they do well, especially for the right price and atmosphere too. I used to be (always will be) a chef, though now I'm a foodwriter, and I just have to give a hats off to this guy - Alfred Lui - for his place.

So... I guess I should attach a couple pix of the food now too.

And then, if anyone else knows a great deal, done well, for the right price, for French or Farang food in BKK, let's hear it. I'll check it out next time in town.

Thai food is my passion, this is my one French food place to go. I'd also like to know who serves the best Hamburger, and also the best Mexican in BKK, if you’ve got a place ????