COCONUTS CRITIC’S TABLE – Audrey Café and Bistro in Thong Lor has displayed staying power far in excess of its trendy facade.
That the Café has survived seems to owe to the attention it has gotten from Thai celebrities, and in turn, the wannabe celebrities that follow them. My Instagram feed has been peppered with shots of white furniture and half-eaten food portraits from this joint for months. Maybe I’m just following the wrong people, but I tell myself it’s an occupational hazard of keeping up with dining trends. Either way, the time had come to give in and give this place a try.
Audrey Café’s intentions are clear: they’re going for the classic bourgeois look that appeals to Thong Lor’s nouveau riche. The enormous, parlor-like dining room is filled with marble tables, antique furniture and brass lamps, which offer a bit of mood lighting. The latest issues of Hiso Party linger on conspicuous tables and the service staff moves about in French maid and English butler outfits. The vibe is somewhere between Greenwich Country Club and London’s the Goring.
If this sounds like a place for people who view restaurants as status symbols, that’s because it is. These types may order the chicken liver pate with truffle oil on toast (THB190) or the caviar served with Blini and condiments (THB590). And you might overhear them saying, “I detect an unctuous richness, much like morning dew on gooseberry,” as they waft a glass of overpriced red.
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What if you’re not one to indulge in such rituals? The good news is that Audrey has a menu so expansive that you’re sure to find something you enjoy. For meat lovers, the crispy pork cubes (THB390) are particularly tasty, with a nice fatty under-layer hidden beneath their crispy crusts. The restaurant claims to braise its beef cheek (THB790) for five hours, and given the way the stringy meat falls apart at the touch of a fork, I’m willing to believe this assertion. The roasted baby pork ribs, however, failed to offer enough meat to match their mega-dowsing of BBQ sauce.
The baby crusty pizzas offer a good choice for lighter fare. Audrey’s tom yung koong pizza (THB190) employs an herbal cream dressing reminiscent of vodka sauce with an infusion of ginger and galangal, as well as a significant topping of peeled shrimp and mushrooms. This fusion pizza forms the menu’s most creative, and successful, entry. Outside of this highlight, the Western food seemed hit-or-miss. The grilled crusted salmon drizzled with a butter and lemon sauce was done right, but the calamari (THB230) turned out dry and rubbery.
The Thai dishes adhere to a higher standard. While the customary practice of serving prawns in the shell can quickly lead to a mess, Audrey’s circumvents this problem by serving its prawns with the shell already removed.
I felt like only a Perfect Pimm’s, a lavish British summertime drink, would be appropriate to enjoy at Audrey’s. However, much to my chagrin, they didn’t carry the popular English liqueur, so instead I settled on a Mojito from a list of pedestrian cocktails priced from THB165-180. The drinks are well mixed, though the selection is lacking. But maybe that’s a good thing. Thong Lor already boasts a superabundance of “inventive” cocktails.
Despite its commendable qualities, Audrey’s Café is not going to make any foodies swoon. However, the steady traffic of pseudo-celebs and socialites makes for good people watching. If you’d like to fancy yourself for a moment among that clique, then throw on some nice clothes, grab a dining partner and head to Audrey to see if you attract any looks.
FIND IT:
Audrey Café and Bistro
Thong Lor Soi 11
70 meters down on the left
Photos: Cole Pennington
