Restaurant-Dining Critiques

Le Café Siam
4 Soi Sri Aksorn, Cha Ploeng Road
Thung Mahamek, Sathorn, Bangkok 10120
Tel. 02 671 0030
Fax. 02 671 0031
Enquiries: 089 536 2085
www.cafesiam.com
Credit cards: Yes
Prices: Moderate

This restaurant has been around awhile and in the past it was, shall we say, “loosely operated” and the only possible reason anyone might return, would be to enjoy the atmosphere of the lovely 1920s house; certainly the mélange of French and Thai dishes on the menu would not be reason enough for a repeat visit.

However, that was then, and this is now, and the story is completely different! Quite fortuitously for Bangkok diners, Le Café Siam is presently in the very capable hands of its new owner, Paul Anthony Quarchioni, formerly the chef at the Normandy Grill at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. His cooking has made the restaurant sparkle, and even though the dishes might appear to be simplistic, they all have had meticulous care exerted in their preparation and each and every one of them are hand delivered by Mr. Quarchioni to the table.
Paul has struck a balance between haute cuisine and bistro cooking, learning from his experience at the Oriental, that today’s savvy dining crowd are slowly straying away from extravagant presentations and heavy saucing, and are simply craving genuine good cooking at a fair price, and that is what he has delivered at the NEW Le Café Siam.

The menu has many French bistro favorites such as coq au vin, beef cheek and many others.
On my first visit I had a really memorable marinated salmon, the best by far in recent memory, followed by beef cheek served with really fresh, perfectly prepared “mange tout” with a hint of vanilla (young peas in the pod) and a extremely smooth version of mashed potatoes served on the side, both in their own separate bowls accompanied by serving spoons. I had to ponder for a second as to where to put them as the beef cheek was served in a low bowl rather than on a plate.  I followed through with the only option open to me and put them into the bowl. On another evening I enjoyed river prawns in won ton, sea bass with caviar and an extraordinarily good, old-fashioned, properly constructed Coq au Vin.

The service staff are pleasant and go about their duties efficiently guided by the very capable restaurant manager K. Korn Wisanukoyn.

This is Paul Quarchioni’s home, as he spends more time here than in his actual abode, and he would like you to make it feel as if it is your home too, at least for the evening, and that is why he has no closing hour posted on the business cards, you are free to sit and have a bottle of wine or drinks even after “last order” has been taken.