It isn’t hard, at times, to live the “Emily In Paris” lifestyle in Bangkok (minus the fashion and change in seasons), with the opening of Parisian-styled bistros all over the city.
New to the dining scene, taking over a prominent (renovated) location on Lang Suan is Bisou, a gastro wine bar that is sphere-headed by Frenchmen, chef Antoine Darquin and sommelier Théo Lavergne. Designed as a place for conversation, the gold “Bisou" lettering on the black-and-white facade offers the chic, complete with a standalone bathtub filled with bubblies in the downstairs dining area (Iron Fairy of yesteryear vibes, anyone?).
The “glasshouse” is bright and airy and if you didn’t have to look outside the window, you wouldn’t even know you’re not in Bangkok, especially with the velvet banquette seating and a red-lit bar. At the foot of the bathtub is a staircase inspired by the iconic Coco Chanel Paris apartment, which leads to a high-ceilinged dining space and wine room that’s home to more than 400 bottles. “Upstairs is better for dining, while the downstairs has more of a wine bar ambience,” explains Lavergne.
Bisou, which means kiss in French, is about all about sharing. The food, though French-inspired, is what chef Darquin and Lavergne like to eat, which is a medley of all good things, mostly Asian-inspired. Because while living the “Emily In Paris” life, it is good to keep it real and know you’re actually in Bangkok.
“Our menu is based on high-quality products and seasonality; so it is always moving around. We’ve try to make it simple and showcase the ingredients. We do not want to lose diners with elaborate storytelling or tasting menus,” says chef Darquin, who, funnily enough, comes from a fine dining background. Bisou is the chef’s vision of French food, which he describes as “comforting, warming, colourful and often with twists. The food at Bisou traces my story, from classical fine dining in France to my journey to Bangkok and what that brought to my life. Though casual, Bisou still retains its fine dining roots,” adds chef Darquin.
Keeping in mind the restaurant catchphrase, “K.I.S.S - Keep It Simple, Sexy”, the plates have no rules, so to speak. Begin with Crab claw from South Africa on a tapioca crisp with a light larb sauce and raspberry. Though since we are in a French state of mind, the Oysters with sour cream, raspberry and dill oil (B590 for three) would do just fine. You can also get them plain and swallow them with a squeeze of lemon. The Endives, seeds, grapes and Tête de Moine (B330), is a salad, with the endives coming from France. The Tête de Moine cheese comes from the French-speaking region of Bern, Switzerland and translates as “head of the monk”. Go figure.
“Instead of old-school French food, we have an open-minded approach to dishes,” explains the chef. As is obvious in the Akami tuna, fennel, green apple and preserved lemon (B450), a “borderless” dish that is served in tartare style and clearly has Japanese and Moroccan influences. “We work with all parts of the tuna, as we buy the whole fish. Hence, the cuts on the dish keep changing,” says chef Darquin. The BFC, Bisou Fried Chicken, shichimi and salmon roe (B330), has a classic buttermilk marination to tenderise the meat. It is served with shichimi or red capsicum sauce and topped with salmon roe. Best eaten when hot.
I do love risotto, blame the rice-eater in me but the Celeriac risotto, chestnut, truffle (B590) makes this normally rich dish light. For texture, it is topped with puffed buckwheat and truffle sauce, made in-house with fresh black truffles, and slices of fresh black truffle. One of the few restaurants to boldly put Brussels sprouts on the menu, Bisou’s version comes with black garlic, razor clams and a lardo emulsion (B490). What’s not to love? Lardo on everything, I say! The Tagliatelle, citrus and uni (B590) sees the pasta being made fresh daily and the dish does come with a lot of uni, to my sheer delight!
It may be worth getting the “knives out” for the mains in the form of a Hanger steak, onion confit, roasted bone marrow with chickpeas (B490 per 100g). “We like using hanger steak as there is more flavour with this cut than the tenderloin. The meat is grilled on a charcoal-fired BBQ. Though if meat isn’t your thing, there is always the classic Turbot, capers, lemon, and beurre blanc (B1,890). Though, if we are talking seasonality then go for the Roasted pigeon, stuffed with mushrooms, foie gras and eel (B2,590).
The drink list is for adventurous souls, too. Forget offerings from France’s same old vineyards — Lavergne’s wine selections are constantly evolving to showcase varied styles, unique terroirs and lesser-known vinification methods, including rare and limited Champagnes and artisanal wines. Peek into the wine cellar and see a celebration of people over places, winegrowers over wine regions and taste over labels. “The goal here is to create a friendly and warm place, a landmark for wine and gastronomy lovers without inhibition,” Lavergne says.
While you’re in high spirits, it may be a good time to order the decadent Dark chocolate soufflé with marjoram (B390), which uses 70% Valrhona chocolate, topped with sea salt and cacao nibs. All the ice cream at Bisou is homemade and use herbs like rosemary, thyme, or olive oil. Keeping in line with the Asian influences, the Vanilla mille feuille with miso caramel (B390) is light and doesn’t overpower the palate with miso. This dessert is cooked à la minute and uses the vanilla from New Guinea. That's a “chef's kiss, I say!
Call 09-6025-5858, email contact@bisoubangkok.com or visit bisoubangkok.com.
