French Cuisine in Bangkok: Trying Something New

‘Fancy trying somewhere new for dinner tonight?’ B asked as he arrived home from work one Friday evening. We’d been living in Bangkok for about six months and had been gorging ourselves on Pad Thai, Tom Yam Goong, Som Tam and the many many other fragrant, spicy and delicately flavoured traditional Thai dishes.

‘Oh thank God’ I gushed. It felt blasphemous to think it, but I was sick of Thai food. I was Pad Tired (get it, get it?).

B gasped in mock horror. ‘How could you?’ he grinned. ‘There’s a French restaurant someone told me about at work today, apparently it’s a bit tricky to find but how hard can it be?’

Well the answer is: very. We were on the hunt for a bistro called Le Bouchon, a small French restaurant famed to serve the best food this side of France. It had been delighting gourmands for decades and was a closely held secret among the French expat set.

Jumping off the skytrain at Silom we knew we had to head across Silom Road and into a pedestrian alley called Thanon Patpong 1.

Patpong. Yep, rings a bell right? Bangkok’s infamous red light district.

This can’t be right.

Dinner in the Red Light District?…Ummm…

We are liberal folk. Not the sort to get our knickers in a twist (excuse the pun) over the rampant sex trade found in most South East Asian countries. But in the six months we’d called Bangkok home, we hadn’t gotten around to exploring Patpong. With so much else to see and do, it hadn’t been a priority. And so, here we finally were.

Bangkok, like most big cities, never sleeps, and this part of town specifically, is a feast for the senses. The Silom Road is a main artery through the city, and is a hub of vibrant activity. Tuk-tuks weave through slow-moving traffic their horns nagging incessantly. Bars pump loud music, their revelers spilling out onto the streets. Fake DVD shops, curio shops, pharmacies, Seven-Elevens and myriad others ply their trade, their neon signs so bright it almost feels like daytime. Food stalls abound and the close night air is peppered with the smell of cooking, delicious and nauseating at the same time.

We started down the dimly lit side alley of Soi Patpong, the bustle of Silom Road receding behind us, navigating choppy pavements and stagnant puddles, past a luggage shop of fake (but surprisingly sturdy) Samsonite suitcases. Soon blue and red neon lights alerted us to where we were, and as we pressed on we emerged into the heart of the red light district. Bar after bar, club after club line the street their neon signs clamouring to outdo each other. Scantily clad women vie for attention in the hope you’ll follow them into the depths of their clubs. Many drape themselves over B, unperturbed by my presence, and push menus into his hand. They are menus of delight, so to speak. Lap dances, massages, blow jobs, S&M all listed and priced accordingly. One sign proclaims proudly, “Beautiful Girls, And Some Ugly Ones Too”.

Deeper and deeper we go, searching for the restaurant, the hope of finding it diminishing by the second. There are no street numbers and go-go bars as far as the eye can see. But no French restaurant. On the brink of defeat we ask a Thai guy wearing chaps and holding a whip if he knows where this place might be. ‘Sure sure, no problem, go through there’ he says pointing towards a sexy underwear stall with lacy teddies, chiffon slips and push-up bras in colourful array. As we push our way through crotch-less panties and boustierres we finally find the unassuming entrance we’ve been looking for.

Le Bouchon. Found you.

It doesn’t disappoint, let me tell you. Red and white checked table cloths, the melancholy voice of Edith Piaf, and dimly lit tables create a glorious intimacy. The menu is gorgeously French with frogs legs, rosemary lamb, pork fillet and stuffed chicken to delight your taste buds. And of course fabulous French wines. When we emerged a good few hours later it took a second to realize we were in Bangkok, and not Paris.

So Le Bouchon became the place we took all our visitors to, and the procession through Patpong became part of the experience. B’s father, calling our bluff, would always stop and peruse each and every ‘menu’ with interest.

Of all the ‘delights’ to be had in Patpong, who would have thought that amazing French food would be one of them? Well, that’s Bangkok for you, always full of surprises.

As with most mega cities, Bangkok comes alive at night…especially the red light district.

Do you have a favourite restaurant that’s in a crazy place? Tell me about it in the comments!

Disclaimer: I am not being paid by Le Bouchon for this article…it genuinely is the best French food in Bangkok!

All Photos my own except the last one which is from here.