WHEN it first opened seven years ago Pullman Bangkok King Power’s Wine Pub was a revelation. Offering international wines and European cuisine at great value for money, it brought western-style wine drinking culture to the city with aplomb and paved the way for many other wine bars to come. Today, Wine Pub has lost none of its original charm and still offers one of the best wine drinking experiences in town – including neat new concepts such as Vinoteca, which presents lesser-known wines you won’t find elsewhere in Bangkok, and the superb 48 Wines by the Glass, which gives you the chance to experience premium wines and grand cru without having to buy a bottle.

IF good writing avoids clichés ‘like the plague,’ then surely the same can be said of fine dining. This, at least, is what the owners of the recently opened Le Bistro French Restaurant in Hua Hin hope to prove – hitting home the point through a carefully considered one-page menu that doesn’t have a French onion soup in sight.

Let’s face it, French onion soup is the equivalent of Italy’s pizza and England’s bangers and mash – a culinary cliché served simply because that’s what diners expect to find in a French restaurant. Yes, it can be delicious, but apart from the toil put in to extract fresh onions from the earth, it’s hardly ground-breaking.

FOR just over eight years this cozy bistro-style restaurant has been satiating diners’ appetites with some of the best-value French food to be found in Hua Hin.

Owner and chef Gaston Pousset, a Belgian businessman with a love of the finer things in life – namely delicious food and golf – is one of the most generous men you’re ever likely to meet. Heaven knows how he makes a profit with the hefty portions he puts out – hunger-busting treats made with high quality ingredients and cooked with care 

French food lovers should definitely take the time to seek out this hidden gem on Sala Daeng 1/1. Located in a wonderfully renovated town-house with a modern Asian design, it has a French chef with Michelin star experience in the kitchen and offers up a wide range of traditional French dishes with a touch of creative flair. Highlights include Warm salmon with potatoes and anchovies (B230++); Salmon and tuna ceviche with avocado and tomatoes (B380++); and Duck leg confit, new potatoes, parsley and garlic (B420++). There’s also an extensive selection of wines. 

120 Soi Saladeang 1/1, Silom, Bangrak, Tel: 02 233 1990
email: [email protected] www.parisbangkok.com 

Serving a selection of French inspired dishes from the stunningly converted residence that formerly housed Le Bistingo, Aubergine is an attractive option on the local dining scene. Proprietor Nunteera Cox, herself a trained chef, has a French chef with sterling credentials in the kitchen. Set lunches are around B500 and include three courses and a glass of wine. Dining here in the evening is romantic, but relaxed and convivial. A large bar dominates the main room and is ideal for quaffing one of the numerous wines offered by the glass.
Saladaeng Soi1/1, 50m Soi Saladaeng, (BTS Saladaeng or MRT Silom),
Tel: 02 234 2226

French food lovers should definitely take the time to seek out this hidden gem on Sala Daeng 1/1. Located in a wonderfully renovated town-house with a modern Asian design, it has a French chef with Michelin star experience in the kitchen and offers up a wide range of traditional French dishes with a touch of creative flair. Highlights include Duck leg confit, turnip with honey and rosemary (B390++) and French foie gras ‘Torchon’, onion and ginger marmelade, homemade butter ‘brioche’ (B520++).
120 Soi Saladeang 1/1, Silom, Bangrak, Tel: 02 233 1990
email: [email protected] www.parisbangkok.com 

This French restaurant keeps chugging along, fuelled by a group of regulars who continue returning to its homely comforts. Although a portion of the menu changes regularly, several signature dishes have remained for years. Favourites with many customers include Rabbit in white wine sauce, and mushrooms and frog legs sautéed with garlic and dry sherry. There is a walk-in wine cabinet where you can select your wine. The restaurant is located in a converted house with parking out front. 
Soi Ruam Rudee, 250m from Ploenchit Rd, (BTS Ploenchit), Tel: 02 253 8141

The doyen of Bangkok’s hotel restaurants, Le Normandie has been serving fine French food to royalty, tycoons and we ordinary folk since the 1950s. Elegant is the best way to describe the interior and there are great views of the Chao Phraya to boot. World famous chef Guy Martin is a consultant and what comes out of the kitchen reflects his standards. The wine list is wide ranging and features some of the world’s finest and most expensive wines. Jackets are required in the evening and children under 12 aren’t permitted.
The Oriental Bangkok, (BTS Saphan Taksin, then take the hotel’s shuttle boat),
Tel: 02 659 9000