Aubergine, An Intimate French Restaurant In Bangkok

 If you’re a looking for a nice place to dine (for that special occasion) in Bangkok, Aubergine is highly recommended. Read that the restaurant used to be either an embassy, or an embassy residence; which explains the colonial-style look and feel. Staff speak good English, attentive and menu is in both Thai and English. A bit pricey, but worth the price.

D first brought me to Aubergine last year, on my birthday. Service was impeccable, and food was good. One year down the road, here we are again. 365 days have passed, and another candle has been added to my birthday cake.

Aubergine is a French cuisine restaurant. Critics said that it has been localised to suit local taste buds. I am no expert on authentic French cuisine. But there are few dishes at Aubergine that I thought are quintessential French.

Pan-fried foie gras and escargots, which we ordered last round, are as French as you can get.

In an adventure mood, we opted for a different menu this time.

 

 We started with Sauteed frog legs in garlic butter (490 baht). Love the garlicky sauce, but I thought the meat texture is a bit on the dry side.

 Main course-wise, our mind was set on Aubergine’s steak. Or rather …. on the sauce that got us raving about the place last year. A lip-smacking-yummylicious truffle and port sauce, we finished the sauce till the last drop. Would have licked it off the plate, but I had to mind my manners.

 

 We had their tenderloin last year, but went for Australian wagyu ribeye (1,490 baht) this time. Knowing that we love their truffle and port steak sauce, the staff told us they can accommodate the same sauce for our ribeye. Hooray!

 

 I was under ‘mussels attack‘ from left, right and center. Aubergine has their daily specials, and Steamed blue mussels in white wine was one of it. D knows that I love mussels and staff was  also’pushing’ their daily specials…

But hey, sometimes, I just don’t feel like having mussels. D is also not a big fan of shells-seafood; no fun finishing 90% of the 200 grams serving of mussels by myself.

 

 I chose Braised ox cheek with thyme and red wine (690 baht) instead, a dish that I know both D and I will enjoy.

 

 Silently, I was saving tummy space for Crêpe suzette flambe with cherry liquor and brandy (320 baht). We saw someone ordered this before, and it was prepared before the guests with dramatic flare. I thought that perhaps it’s too gimmicky, and carry no real substance. But I was wrong. We enjoyed the dessert, and it was the highlight of the dinner for me. A crepe with a sauce of many ingredients: caramelized sugar and butter, orange juice, lime zest, chery liquor and Grand Marnier.

 

 The dessert was cooked in front of us. I saw that the crêpe was already cooked, so the preparation was mainly on the sauce. Staff started off caramelizing sugar and butter, then orange juice was added, with lime zest. Liquor was then poured, to ignite the flame. Liquor evaporated, and the sauce was thickened. A slight bitterish-citrus taste, tantalizing our taste buds.

We had a Ensogo coupon, worth 2,000 baht value (but paid 1,000 baht). Our bill came up to 4,000+ baht, so we paid addiitonal 2,000+ baht in cash.

Thank you, D for my birthday treat 🙂