Fine dining at Vatel
The restaurant acting as the practical training ground for students attending the famed international hospitality school's degree course moves to Bang Rak
A popular hangout with diners in Bangkok’s western suburbs, Vatel restaurant recently located from its home on Boromrachachonnanee Road to Charoen Krung Road in the heart of the capital and is now offering a laid-back alternative to unfussy diners looking for affordable French cuisine.
Why should diners be easygoing? Well, Vatel is a fully operational application restaurant for students in hotel management at Silpakorn University International College, which is part of a double degree program with Vatel International Business School from France. Guests play a role in terms of providing hands-on experience as they prepare themselves for the world of hospitality.
The menus are offered at budget-friendly prices. You can go with salad buffet offering an array of tempting choices plus coffee or tea for Bt200 or opt for a full five-course set for just Bt360. There is no charge for service and tax.
In the kitchen, students learn food preparation under the guidance of French chef and restaurant manager Yvon Blandin while in the dining room, they’re trained in the art of fine service by instructor Chris Liebe.
Vatel’s new home, with just 40 seats, is much smaller than the spacious, old house-style building at the previous site, and it’s tucked away behind Bang Rak post office.
It’s hard to spot from the road but the riverside CAT Telecom Building where the restaurant is located on the ground floor is easily spotted by boat. In place for just a month, Vatel is currently open for lunch only.
The salad buffet offers about 12 to 15 choices a day and it’s certainly terrific value for money. You can go Italian with tomato and mozzarella, have the typically French duck confit or even try North African tabbouleh. Other tempting choices are pork rillettes and terrine, parma ham and melon, cold cuts as well as smoked salmon, crispy shrimp salad and egg mayonnaise.
“The price structure and the quality of food, we believe, are the magnets to draw customers,” says Liebe. “We offer French cuisine, plus Italian and Thai and a selection of wine at affordable prices.”
Although the menu is not extensive, portions are generous and prices are reasonable. The main course a la carte costs Bt230 – the same price for each dish - or you can pay Bt320 for the salad buffet plus coffee or tea. Wine goes for Bt95 per glass and Bt160 and Bt250 for a half and a full carafe respectively.
“We try to offer French culinary journey through the characteristics of each region’s cuisine. In Brittany, we have lobster, sea bass and mussels while Alsace, adjacent to Germany, fuses traditional German fare like sausage and sauerkraut with French flair of duck liver,” says Blandin.
“Burgundy region is imbued with garlic, escargots and white wine sauce while Provence has Mediterranean influences and famous dishes like ratatouille and bouillabaisse. Auvergne is known for its quality of beef.”
You may start with the classic French dish of duck braised in red wine with button mushroom, bacon and shallots. It’s served with layered potatoes topped with crispy breadcrumbs and cheese. Then it’s time to go to Brittany to try Fisherman’s pot – a mix of squid, shrimp, mussel, sea bass and salmon poached in fish stock then tossed with creamy saffron sauce and served with carrot and turnip strips.
Alsatians have adopted Germany’s hearty fare and you can taste it here through a dish of home-made sauerkraut, hot shredded and fermented cabbage flavoured with juniper berry and served with sausage, smoked coppa, pork knuckle and potatoes.
Provence’s representative is fillet of sea bass with ratatouille, a stew made from tomato, zucchini, aubergine, sweet peppers and onions flavoured with garlic and herbs. Then go far beyond France with Italian-style seafood tossed with fusilli pasta in white wine sauce.
Adjacent to Vatel restaurant is a comfy and compact bakery shop called Vatel Cafe that is painted in an attractive violet shade. Dessert lovers can feast on delicious sweets that sell for reasonable prices. It’s a popular place for nearby students and office workers to take an afternoon break or grab some pieces for home.
You can sample a Danish (Bt20), chocolate croissant (Bt30), peach tart (Bt35) chocolate dome (Bt50), blueberry cheesecake (Bt50), strawberry eclair (Bt50) and a set of five macaroons (Bt85). Drinks go for Bt15 each and the choices are hot and cold coffee or tea, fruit punch, milk and soft drink.
An array of easy light meals is also on offer if you are only a little hungry. The choices are a selection of sushi (Bt50), mixed salad (Bt60), shrimp spaghetti (Bt70) and fried rice with bacon (Bt70).
SWEET TREATS, S WEETER PRICES
Vatel Restaurant is on the first floor of CAT Telecom Building on Charoen Krung Road (next to the Si Phaya Pier). It is open Monday to Friday from 11am to 2pm.
Vatel Cafe is open 8.30am to 5pm from Monday to Friday and until 4pm on Saturday.
Call (02) 639 7531-3 or visit www.VatelBangkok.com or search for ‘vatelrestaurant’ in Facebook.
