5 most delicious Provencal dishes you can eat in Bangkok
France's Southeast is home to light fare that's big on flavors. Here's where to try it without leaving town.
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7 years ago
French bakery and cafe PAUL is having a festival celebrating Provencal flavors (see box, below). Here, we've rounded up the top Bangkok restaurants to get some of these Southeastern French classics throughout the year, and also the PAUL specials being rolled out for the occasion (through Aug 14, 2016).
Bouillabaisse
What is it: There are two major cities on the Southeastern coast of France, Nice and Marseilles. Nice lays claim to the salade Nicoise (more on that later), while Marseille owns the bouillabaisse, a thick saffron-flavored seafood soup. Legend has it the soup was invented to use the bony and unsightly rockfish fishermen couldn’t sell at the market.
Get it year-round at: Cafe Parisien, which is home to Herve Frerard, the extraordinary chef of the defunct Beaulieu (another Mediterranean port), and whose bouillabaisse has long been top-dog in Bangkok.
130-132, Glasshouse at Sindhorn, Wireless Rd., 02-650-9993. Open Mon-Sat 11:30am-2pm, 6-10pm. BTS Ploen Chit
PAUL’s take: Whole pieces of fish in a bouillabaisse soup and a plate of toasted bread accompanied by some saffron-topped rouille (consists of olive oil, garlic and saffron).
Filets de Sardine au Citron
What is it: Sardines are the most underrated fish in the Mediterranean, full of wonderful flavors that shine through when simply grilled, or when marinated. In France, nothing says summer like sardines on a barbecue.
Get it year-round at: El Mercado, a market-slash-restaurant operated by Frenchies who know a good sardine when they see one.
490 Soi Phai Singto, Ratchadaphisek Rd., 02-003-8922. Open Tue-Thu 9:30am-9:30pm; Fri-Sat 9:30am-10:30pm. MRT Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre
PAUL’s take: Filletted and baked with fennel, olives, rosemary and olive oil, this is all of Provence in a single dish.
Salade Nicoise
What is it: This fresh and colorful salad layers textures and flavors: ripe peppers, salty anchovies, fragrant olives, crunchy greens, tender tuna and more, depending on the chef’s whim. It owes its name to Nice, which is a mere 30 minutes' drive from Italy.
Get it year-round at: The Glass, a French-owned restaurant doing bistro classics on Ekamai.
Civic Horizon, 8/8 Sukhumvit Soi 63, 02-108-8982. Open Mon-Thu 11:30am-10:30pm; Fri-Sat 11:30am-11pm. BTS Ekkamai
PAUL’s take: The tuna is served chopped like a light tartare and topped with rocket salad and boiled potatoes.
Credit CC 2.0 by Jérôme Decq
Tomates Farcies
What is it: This beautifully simple dish sees ground meat mixed with herbs and bread (much like sausage meat), baked into a carved-out tomato.
Get it year-round at: Pizza Massilia, which is named after Marseilles and marries Provencal flavors with those of nearby Italy. 15/1 Soi Ruam Rudi, 02-651-5091. Open daily 5-11:30pm. BTS Phloen Chit
Tapenade
What is it: A spread which mixes black olives and anchovy. Have it with toasted baguette and a glass of pastis (an anise-flavored spirit) before dinner, like a true Provencal.
PAUL’s take: PAUL’s Assiette apéritive Provençale deconstructs the classic into three dips: one with green and black olives, one with anchovy and one with tuna. It comes with the traditional toasted baguette, though.
PAUL's Provencal Festival
To get all these dishes, simply head to a PAUL near you for the Provencal Festival, running from July to 14 August. Beyond the dishes mentioned above, you can also try typical Southeastern pastries like the Tropezienne (a brioche sliced in half and filled with cream) and tartelette à l’orange et fleur d’oranger (orange and orange blossom tart).
For every B1,500 spent, you can win a B500 voucher or the grand prize—an 8-day trip to Milan, Nice, Cannes, Aix-en-Provence, Avignon and Paris for four persons (worth B400,000).
Available at Central Embassy (1/F), The Emporium (1/F), CentralWorld (2/F) and Empire Tower (2/F)
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