Terrace for the taste buds

THE PHROM PHONG area is one of Bangkok’s most happening areas for fine food in an attractive setting with restaurants of just about every nationality catering to the downtown crowd.

The latest arrival to the block is Patio at Twenty-six and you’ll find it towards the Rama IV end of Sukhumvit Soi 26. 

The French bistro-style restaurant occupies a 300-square-metre space that boasts high ceilings and a chic European interior decor. There’s also a semi-outdoor section where you can lounge al-fresco without being too exposed thanks to a glass panel and plenty of shrubs to absorb the noisy street and traffic fumes. 

While the decor is Parisian chic, the food is more down to earth, featuring a mix of European and Thai dishes. Among the appetisers worth sampling is the addictive baked Camembert with truffle oil served with mini toasts (Bt560). Make sure you dig in fast before it gets cold and sticky. 

Equally tasty is the duck confit served with rocket salad and balsamic dressing (Bt340). The duck is cured with salt then slowly cooked in its own fat till juicy and soft. The confit is then deep-fried to make the skin super crispy while the inside meat remains soft. The meat on its own is quite oily and rich but it goes well with the peppery rocket salad, dressed with aromatic balsamic dressing.

For more of a Thai taste, opt for deep-fried soft-shell crab and black peppered noodles (Bt250). The egg noodles are tossed with quite a lot of oil, black pepper and perhaps a bit too much sugar, then served with the crispy crab. Both are quite nice separately: the crabs are covered with a great spicy seafood sauce and the noodles are rich and fulfilling. Mix them up and the dish is too greasy and the flavours go awry. 

For a main course, the kitchen recommends Iberico pork chop (Bt870) served with mustard sauce. This simple dish is made of meat from Iberico pigs - an indigenous species that is only found in the Iberian Peninsula. The superb quality of the meat from the Iberico pig is down to the climate, their freedom to roam outdoors, and their diet. The meat from these pigs is said to contain high levels of mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are beneficial to the health. And because it has lots of marbling, it’s also specially tender and juicy. Such tender meat would go well with savoury and sharp condiments, so it is such a shame that the accompanying mustard sauce is fairly mild and a bit sweet. 

Patio at Twenty-six is a dessert heaven. Try the creamy, fragrant and sweet Valrhona caramel panna cotta (Bt170), served with sweet and sour fresh blueberries on the side. Sugar, flour and custard make a perfect trio in mini chocolate lava donut (Bt170) served with creamy custard sauce. Take a bite of the dough and you’ll get an explosion of melted chocolate inside. Soak it in the runny custard and enjoy this sinfully sweet dessert like there’s no tomorrow. 

Instead of having coffee with your sweet, indulge yourself a little and get an Espresso Martini (Bt175) – a bittersweet blend of Absolut Vodka, Kahlua and espresso. If you prefer something fruitier, order the Flirtini (Bt175), a mixture of Absolut Raspberri, triple sec, cranberry juice, pineapple juice and lime juice.

 

 

ARRIVE HUNGRY

>>Patio at Twenty-six is on Sukhumvit Soi 26, next to K Village. It is open Monday till Friday from 11am till 3pm and from 5pm till 10pm. Saturday and Sunday it’s open from 11am till 10pm.

>>Call (02) 260 4900 and (082) 005 8600. More at www.PatioBKK.com and Facebook.com/PatioBKK