Bonjour - Fine French Baroque

There is something so supremely wonderful about good French food that it can make a hungry grown-up want to weep with gratitude, a la emotional Edith Piaf mode.

ROB Review - Bonjour Restaurant - Bonjour Gallery

Set in a detached house, once belonging to members of the Royal family, Bonjour, in just eighteen months has attained regal status when it comes to fine French dining in Bangkok. Surrounded by a landscaped garden with fluffy rabbits running round, and a small French style pond with two majestic swans floating by, Bonjour has a chic, fashionable and private terrace offering after work wines and plates of cold meats and cheeseboards.

Inside, the style is modern baroque. The earth red walls with grey painted woodwork and big velvet armchairs are stylish and quintessentially French. Huge grey silver lampshades the size of small planets cover ornate chandeliers and a huge wall sized black and white photo of Prince Bira at formula 1 hangs in the dining room, part of the owner’s unique collection. Upstairs two private rooms are designed with exquisite style too.

Bonjour is the restaurant of your dreams, where a brief mealtime encounter turns into a leisurely three-hour love affair, eating the best food and believing all is good with the world after all. Eating at Bonjour is like a new life experience, one of pleasure and contentment. The food is traditional and yet innovative, a place for fine dining at its finest rather than a bowl of rustic fare.

The complimentary mousse of potatoes with olive oil, white truffle and micro celery comes as an evening pre-appetizer. With white truffle before you even start on the menu, you know this is going to be la crème de la crème. Duck foie gras with Benedictine reduction and dried black fig is perfection. Cream of chestnut soup with cognac and pan fried cubes of duck liver foie gras is velvety and stunningly French, the cold soup mousse of green peas with smoked salmon is light and fluffy and a popular with Asian ladies who lunch but might be a little too innovative for all tastes.

The slow cooked Scottish salmon rolled in spinach leaves with beetroot puree and a drizzling olive oil dressing of tarragon, thyme, capers, lemon and a hint of garlic is a succulent, seafood masterpiece. Bresse pigeon sautéed with Savoy cabbage, bacon and pigeon stock Salmi sauce is melt in the mouth, rich, intense, hearty and delicate all at the same time. The raspberry and apricot infused fruits with sherbet come served in a glass tipped over on a plate so that the fruits spill out into a creative and divine dessert.

It is difficult to imagine anyone can cook food this good. With a lunchtime promotion of 690 THB for two courses including coffee and water and 950 for three, Bonjour is more than good value. After a feast of French fine dining, like Edith, you will not only have no regrets but might feel your life and joys of truly eating the best food have only just begun with Bonjour.

ROB Review - Bonjour Restaurant - Bonjour Gallery