While having a great time in Bangkok before heading back to Europe, we chose to dine at one of the city’s best restaurants, Le Normandie, located in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, a property that faces the Peninsula on the Chao Praya River.
As a reminder, here is the itinerary followed:
The concept
The concept is quite simple: it is a French gastronomic restaurant, directed by the French chef Alain Roux. It maintains two stars in the Michelin Guide.
The setting
The setting is quite classic, and could be described as old-fashioned. Nevertheless, the view on the Chao Phraya river and of course on the Peninsula are superb.
The menu
The menu is composed of a gastronomic menu and an à la carte menu. We will choose the gastronomic menu.
The meal and the dishes
The meal is very hearty, but the service is perfect and very fast.
- To start, I will have a glass of Champagne, which, despite the fact that the brand is unknown, will be excellent.
- A combination of two canapés is brought to us: a beet tartlet and a compressed tomato, pistachio sorbet: superb combination for the tartlet, texture of an eskimo for the second.
- A small flaky pastry is then brought to us, unfortunately a little overcooked.
- A first amuse-bouche in the form of tomato salad is brought to us to refresh our palate.
- Then comes the second amuse-bouche, compliments of the Friends of MO program: a raviole with cauliflower and truffle, badian broth: very fine
- Crumbled crab, carrot jelly and osciètre caviar: excellent balance, eat the gingerbread madeleine well with the crab and caviar
- Sourdough bread and butter from Brittany: to die for
- Hot foie gras with cherries and almond crumble: excellent, not too sickening, but the portion is a little too large for a tasting menu
- Fillet of turbot meunière with macadiamia nuts: superb balance
- Tronçonette of Lobster: disgusting sauce and overcooked lobster
- Basil sorbet and espuma passion : super fresh
- Pan-fried wagyu beef tournedos zingara style: a superb addition to the ham/black truffle cream sauce
- Before dessert, an oshibori is served
- Milky caramel chocolate tear: Surprisingly fresh
- Hot raspberry soufflé: excellent but no longer hungry
- Mignardises that flow by themselves.
The service
The service was excellent from start to finish, with no long breaks. We had time to talk at length with the manager, an Italian, really passionate about his job.
The atmosphere
The atmosphere is a bit strange. If you’ve been to Asia, you’ll know what I mean: people spend most of their time on their phones. We were the only couple talking, laughing, in short, enjoying the moment. It’s a little sad to see.
Bottom line
A good culinary experience. Excellent? No, we have already eaten much better including in a 1 star Michelin. And especially for much less money.
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