A part of chef celebrity Alain Ducasse’s whopping thirty-three restaurant empire, Blue opened in November 2019. Inside a 12 months of launch it garnered a one star Michelin award which it has held ever since. Situated on the primary ground of Bangkok’s ICONSIAM buying centre, it over-looks the Chao Phraya river and thru collaborative ventures with completely different culinary creatives, continuously strives to maintain itself a significant power amongst Bangkok’s effective eating elite.
Its newest and maybe most everlasting enterprise is the introduction of a barely extra informal all-day eating expertise. Spontaneity is inspired over deliberate bookings and the most important shock is eating doesn’t really happen inside Blue’s hallowed partitions however instantly exterior them. The eating house is, successfully, a big round lounge which appears to be like prefer it may revolve however doesn’t. It could possibly be a wonderful pop-up or an extravagant artwork set up. Very like a dart board’s bullseye, there’s an internal ring and an outer ring, all uplifting and clear gray, which matches chairs and tables. The marginally elevated ground is manufactured from various-sided wood cuts, and a wonderful icy white and pastel blue flower ornament sprouts from the house’s centre. Chaumet, Jim Thompson and Bulgari flank both facet and a decrease chest-height border tentatively segregates consumers from diners, the scene may be very a lot see and be seen.
On a primary go to, with out apparent starters, mains or sides, it’s laborious to gauge what to order and what number of parts. The choices are brief however candy. Beneath ’Bread’ there’s Avocado Toast, Salmon Bagel, Grilled Ham & Cheese and Boston Lobster Roll while below ‘Pasta’ there’s Paccheri Gradual-Braised Beef Cheeks, Truffle & Ham Croquilletes and Aglio & Olio Linguine. A Tomato Minestrone Soup and Caesar Salad are additionally on supply. My good friend and I go for a relaxing glass of Ruinart Blanc de Blancs, the sleek chardonnay-only champagne which is completely chilled and, absolutely, the easiest way to begin any lunch.
We hedge our bets and go for three dishes. With a slight trace of cheese, my good friend’s linguine is a effective instance of much less is extra. Skinny slices of fried garlic combine with snippets of parsley and dots of purple chilli flakes, including visible and flavourful character to the pure style of al dente linguine, all dripped in olive oil for this minimalist however traditional pasta staple. From a cursory inspection, my dish is somewhat tougher to gauge and the neologistic ‘Croquilette’ may confuse essentially the most fluent French or English speaker. Croquilette combines two phrases – croquette (crispy fried meals) and coquilette (macaroni-like pasta) and, certainly, the dish is a mix of ham and pasta with crunchy tidbits.
Adorned in a light-weight, white foam a fragile truffle style permeates all through. We share the Lobster Roll which is undoubtedly essentially the most vibrant presentation to date. A wholesome portion of meaty lobster chunks are actually buried deep and huge inside the brioche roll for mouthfuls of succulence and sumptuousness. Chilli mayonnaise, chives and lemon add additional flavour and the string fries are as skinny as shoelaces however irresistible.
We’re perusing the Dessert menu when govt Pastry Chef Christophe Grilo drops by and surprises by saying he’s already chosen for us. With over twenty years of expertise in a few of France’s most prestigious eating places earlier than becoming a member of Blue, we’re enthusiastic about this. Presentation is minimal however fairly and playful. We query Grillo which his favorite is. It’s the custard tart because it reminds him of his early days working his means up by way of the kitchens of Paris. Pastéis de Belém proper subsequent to the Tagus river in Lisbon claims to make the world’s finest custard tarts (Pastei de nata) however this one is certainly a contender. Surrounded by 5 layers of crisp, delicate, crumbly pastry daubed in a skinny jelly like glaze, the custard cream is scrumptious however surprisingly gentle.
Of the opposite three, the Chocolate Hazelnut Parfait is the showstopper. Served in a cocktail glass with an intricate creative design which may nearly be an interpretation of a spider’s internet, it begs to be drunk quite than eaten. The spoon by its facet affirms in any other case, nonetheless. A mix of viscous and stable, this mixes chocolate, hazelnut and vanilla ice cream with cocoa crumble and caramel. Every spoonful affords and encourages additional discovery and brings out an excitable, childlike glee in us each. What appears to be like like a chocolate friand is definitely off the menu and stuffed with additional surprises, its inside far more complicated than its look suggests. Beneath the friand is an ethereal mouse, a heavier mouse and what I think about to be extra chocolate crumble. It’s a chocoholic’s dream if chocoholics may dream that imaginatively.
We eschew tea or espresso and take pleasure in one other glass of Ruinart because the all-day eating expertise begins to make full sense. After some critical designer buying, why not pop in for an extravagant snack? Don’t e-book, simply flip up on a whim. No must stuff your self, a few dishes will do. Deal with your self to a small however sensory feast by a extremely expert, at all times ingenious Michelin-starred kitchen. If (or I ought to say when) I return, I’d go for the Lobster Roll and the Chocolate Hazelnut Parfait once more.
Supply hyperlink
