Le Bouchon, Bangkok

Le Bouchon

Down Patpong 2, an area that I try to avoid, except when I need a "fix" at Le Bouchon.

This is a very good bistro, very popular with young Thais in particular and from memory the place doesn't have a booking system, so you will have to take pot luck here.

Everything traditional is on the menu, along with a few modern choices.
A reasonable cheese selection, which is unusual for a Bangkok bistro adds attraction to this place.

Memorable dishes include frog legs Le Bouchon and the "Pasant Sausage". Expect to pay B475 pp for three courses, stick to the Singha or Carlsberg/Heineken and you will have a nice lunch or dinner at bargain prices for French food in Bangkok.

Now look. I'm sticking this in here even though the location is really quite, errr, is really quite, errr. Okay. Let's clear this out. It's slap in the middle of the Pong's side street. Next to a motel which has no car park, a dancing environment where the chrome is polished better than Mr Kleen ever achieved on his 30 second TV commercial, and opposite a swimming costume stall where none of the sequined costumes would last two minutes up the deep end.

Right. So lunchtimes is good and a safer bet, though the local business lunches do go on in here, with the local business bloke story telling going on. Thais and expat, mind you! The evenings are more if you are up for the night market. Beats the contrived restaurants in the rest of the area. Hands down.

THE FOOD IS BRILLIANT !!! This is the "compact" French sort of bistro / restaurant where if you have a derriere le size of l'elephant they have to winch you in and out of the seat. How they get six tables in there is beyond me - but it works!

The steaks are all superb. (Where the French chef refuses to cook it sort of thing. ) The starters, frogs legs, snails, pate and all that are right up to what you expect of a long time French bistro owner who spends every lunch and every evening at the bar chatting with les patrons. He's got one of those road map noses.

Start off in here at 12.15pm mid week lunchtime and you'll rarely make it out by 4.00pm Sozzled and beautifully gluttoned.

Get in there, three courses later, and you'll be scratching your head as to why he chose this location ...just what could be going on within a 50 metre radius of your ever full wine glass?

Favorite Dish: Lamb chops are always top. And then the specials' blackboard always has something great on it. You'd better be a red meat eater to enjoy this place.

And you'd better be a wino.I would have no qualms about bringing my punters in here. (I might think twice about a romantic evening, only because of the location. It's okay for two enlightened couples together. A couple on your own and everyone will be listening in.)