COCONUTS CRITIC’S TABLE – Located in a residential soi at the fringe of Bangkok’s poshest of areas, this residence-cum-restaurant offers a retreat from the usual roar of vehicular and commercial activity found in Thonglor.
During my Friday afternoon visit a few weeks ago, Pastel & Monochrome was almost empty. The only other diners were some university-aged kids who were finishing up a meal. Examining our surroundings, this made sense: the dark interior, the outdoor bar and the front yard seating area seemed designed for the night.
Truth be told, neither my friend nor I had much hope for the meal. We scanned the massive menu, which seemed like a bloated version of the one found at Greyhound Café.
We ordered drinks first, and they arrived promptly. The iced Americano (THB120) was fine but not particularly memorable. My passionfruit lychee soda (THB140), however, was fantastic. The beverage avoided pitfalls of excessive sugar, and captured the tart and sweet contours of each fruit.
We started off our meal with the chicken Caesar salad (THB180). The greens were fresh and sauce was creamy and packed with flavor. Leaving the sliced chicken breast off to the edge of the bowl was thoughtful, but after one bite I felt fine leaving them there, as they were overcooked and tasteless. Two, pesto-smeared slabs of Melba toast accompanied the salad. Though my friend assured me that they were a proper rendition of the form, I didn’t care for the thinly toasted bread at all, which lacked the panache that crunchy (but not jaw-breaking) croutons can bring to a bowl of lettuce.
The tuna and salmon tartar (THB270) is a better bet. Minced into small squares and served separately in two generous hockey puck mounds, the tartar was fresh and absent of any fishiness. Both the tuna and salmon arrived at the appropriate temperatures, and were neither icy nor mushy. When awash in Bangkok’s many sushi restaurants, one can forget that raw fish can be eaten with more than just wasabi and soy sauce. I found that P&M’s Western-style preparation – tossed lightly with lemon juice, mustard, capers and dill – did a fine job of capturing the fish’s intrinsic qualities.
When our bone-in, Australian rib eye steak (THB900) arrived, I was nervous. The steak was quite thin, and I was worried that the imported beef would be overcooked. But the chef grilled it to a perfect medium rare. The dish included some gravy off to the side, but I felt neither the appropriately salted beef nor the buttery mashed potatoes required anything in the way of garnish. The grilled vegetables looked beautiful, but served a purely decorative purpose, as they came unseasoned.
Our final order was the black ink angel hair spaghetti vongole (THB220). The pasta came ringed with still-in-shell clams and aggressively dusted with Parmesan. The presentation was good but we found the noodles to be overcooked. My friend also noted that the taste, while not unpleasant, was reminiscent of Mama noodles. We wondered whether or not that umami flavor had been achieved with MSG.
With a 17% service charge and tax, the cost of our meal rang up to THB2154. You could get by much cheaper by skirting more expensive dishes like the imported rib eye.
It’s clear that the kitchen cares about making good food, even if it sometimes falls short of its mark. That said, with its inconvenient location, valet parking and a good portion of the seating located outside, P&M seems geared toward Thais wanting a lower-key drinking venue. But with moneyed locals as fickle as they are, it’s unclear whether or not that will be enough to sustain it in the long run.
Details:
Pastel & Monochrome
7 Thonglor 25 (Inside Thonglor 25)
Phone: 027135949
Hours:
Mon – Thu: 10:00am – 12:00am
Fri – Sat: 10:00am – 1:00am
Sun: 10:00am – 12:00am
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Coconut’s Critic’s Table reviews are written based on unannounced visits by our writers and paid for by Coconuts Bangkok.
James Yu is a freelance writer and editor. You can follow him on instagram @jamcyu and tumblr.
