When it comes to restaurants, the Bangkok in crowd are a fickle bunch. Getting them through the doors of a new place is a cinch. Just hitch your wagon to the latest (or not-so-latest) food fad and watch the stampede. It may be passé in the lands where it was invented, but any Bangkokian restaurant claiming to offer “molecular gastronomy” can expect a lot of bums on seats. (“OMG they froze a lychee in some liquid nitrogen!”)
Similarly, local food is on the rise. Call your establishment, say, “The Local” and short-term success is guaranteed (oh look, somebody’s actually gone and done that). Alternatively, save money on décor and electricity bills by making your patrons dine in the dark. Apparently there is no shortage of people willing to eat in total darkness, jabbing their forks into their lips, spilling soup down their shirts and no doubt attempting to pull sly switcharoos with their partners’ less empty wine glasses.
But as every Bangkok restaurateur knows, what isn’t so easy is keeping the punters coming back. In essence, it’s a task akin to balancing an egg on the back of a soup spoon. The city is full of restaurants that went from being “in trend” to “in trouble” in the space of a few months. A case in point is Minibar Royale on Sukhumvit 23, an achingly hip yet actually pretty decent little bar/restaurant that hardly anyone seems to go to anymore.
Minibar Royale, which has been going since late 2008, styles itself as a New York French brasserie, if you can imagine what that entails. It’s partly owned by Pim Sukhahuta – who studied in New York and launched successful fashion label Sretsis with her sisters – as well as a few Thai chums from her days at the prestigious Parsons School of Design. And you can tell that whoever designed the interiors knew what they were doing. There’s a relaxed vibe, all whitewashed walls, black and white photographs and French-style furniture. It feels like the kind of place where you could happily spend a few hours drinking, eating, and shooting the shit with friends.
Indeed, drinks are something the place does well. There’s a nice line in champagne cocktails. The Minibar Royale, for example, is a certifiable winner, with slightly sour sparkling wine contrasting wonderfully with oh-so-sweet pomegranate seeds. The Minibar Mule and Minibar Mojito are also worth a crack.
Happily, the food, an unpretentious combination of French and American comfort food, is also up to scratch – and good value to boot. Among the starters are hearty-sounding fare like bacon-wrapped scallops with corn salsa (THB220) and sassy wings with gorgonzola dip (THB190). The crab cakes (THB270) are generously meaty and served with a satisfying garlic mayo.
The parma ham and mascarpone quesadillas, at THB160 for a half portion and THB270 for the full deal, don’t look like much but are actually rather fulfilling. The foie gras crème brulee (THB340), meanwhile, is a fun dish that successfully mocks the convention that says appetizers can’t be desserts, and vice versa.
The crispy-skinned salmon steak (THB320), while a little ungenerous in the portioning, is complemented appropriately enough with a colorful pea risotto and spicy tomato sauce.
Ribs de Brooklyn (THB360) looks worth a try too. There are also a few pasta dishes, intriguing-sounding burgers and salads. Think BBQ pulled pork and coleslaw burgers, tiger prawn rolls and chorizo and poached egg salad. We tried the gorgonzola ed & ted spaghetti (THB260), which was pleasant, if a little on the bland side.
It’s not exactly Michelin fare but it’s solid, and it certainly makes Minibar Royale deserving of a visit now and again. Sadly, when Coconuts showed up at the restaurant unannounced on Friday night, we were two of just seven customers in the establishment. A place like this needs to bustle, but the atmosphere was more funereal than fun. Surveying a handsome yet near-empty eaterie that does its thing pretty well, you can’t help but feel sorry for those involved. But then, when you pitch yourself at the fickle young Bangkok trendster, perhaps you live by the sword and die by it too.
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Dan Waites is a writer, translator, interpreter and glutton based in Bangkok. Follow him on Twitter:@danwaites
