The buzz: The Sathorn tavern recently spread its wings to Thonglor’s 72 Courtyard, bringing on-board former-Opposite Mess Hall chef Jess Barnes in the process.
The decor: Cues to the original venue remain in the tiled walls, rich red leather chairs and geometric lighting sculptures. Here though the whole thing benefits from one huge glass wall, the option to sit out on the terrace, and an open kitchen where you can watch Barnes and his team. It’s less reminiscent of a dim French tavern than the Sathorn branch, but in many minds that might be a good thing.
The food and drinks: Barnes brings his talents mainly to the starters and salads, which are now a great complement to the restaurant’s barbecue-heavy menu. You’ll find dishes like duck menage a trois (duck parfait, rillettes and ham with onion jam, chutney and charred sourdough, B390), smoked burrata (B590) with charred kale, air-dried mullet roe and sourdough toast, and—a must-order—diamond clams (B500) with spicy prawn broth, French butter and toasted nori. For something crunchy and hearty, look no further than the buttermilk fried chicken sandwich (B320), which features light and crispy chicken, lettuce, spicy sauce and pickles. The barbecue list still covers it all, baby chicken (B450) to tomahawk steak (B2,500), while there’s also now whole salt-baked fish (B900-1,900) and lamb shoulder (B2,500). Group pastry chef Jeff Oberg takes care of the dessert menu, rolling out impressive items like vanilla panna cotta (B225), chocolate banana split (sponge cake, meringue, caramel sauce and whipped cream, B250) and yuzu-lemon sorbet (B50).
The drinks: There’s one small menu for aperitifs and one for digestifs, each created around four different base spirits—vermouth, gin, cognac, tequila, brandy and rum. Pre-dinner, we recommend the Bitter Frenchman (Hennessy V.S, umeshu, Aperol and bitters, B330) while the the creamy Lady Brett Irish (Tullamore Dew whiskey, Muscovado sugar, coffee and citrus heavy cream, B355) works equally well as a dessert. Wine starts at B325 by the glass while beer and cider start at B195.
Why you should care: With Jess Barnes’ creations added to some of the best barbecue in this town, this collaboration between reliable hands won’t disappoint.
