Le Pré Grill
72/2 Soi Lang Suan soi 4
Bangkok 10330
Tel: 02 253 5919
Website:

I know the Soi Lang Suan area pretty well so I was surprised to find a new French restaurant had opened up unknown to me, right under my nose. I suppose a valid excuse would be it is hidden down a narrow soi half way between Sois Lang Suan and Tonson. Le Pré Grill is in an old wooden house which looks out of place among the soaring blocks of this popular residential area as almost every other building is a twenty storey plus serviced apartment block. That, I suppose, is why this street has such a heavy density of restaurants.
Le Pré Grill is marketed as a restaurant but everything about it shouts bistro. Of course the main market, I suspect, is Thais and they probably would be confused by that handle. But from the moment I set foot in this slightly lopsided, over-windowed building, I thought bistro. Then there is the owner Jai, a youngish Thai Frenchman who lived in France for a number of years. The staff are all young Thais so the youth and the building suggest bistro and so to does the menu. And if that is not enough, the prices are lower than the competition on the main drag.

The wine list is short and to the point with several wines, praise be to Bacchus, under 1,000 Baht. I recognized some of the wines as I had seen them elsewhere at much higher prices, in particular the Michel Lynch's Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon wines at 980 Baht. The Croze Hermitage was 2,000 Baht and I have seen it elsewhere at well over 3,000 Baht.
There is a set menu with three courses at 680 Baht, or with soup at 850 Baht. I started off by going for the a la carte menu then realised I might as well try the set offering, which meant On had to also have the set menu. For starters we had moules farcies which was fine if a little short of butter in some cases, but a perfectly acceptable dish. The soup was a rock lobster bisque which was full of flavour and then I had pork fillet with orange sauce, and On had duck breast. Both came with a few nice firm vegetables. We finished off with a couple of interesting puds including 'Ile Flotante' which was with custard. I always remember the first time I came across an Ile was in Beaune and it was floating in Cassis - magnifique!
The food was good and the cooking solid - a great bistro meal and the price reflected that. I shall most definitely return.
Later:
Well I did go back and had the Millefeuille de saumon. That was a dish well worth going back for. I was not sure how it would be cooked. What arrived was smoked salmon on a base of waxy boiled potatoes with a superb light salmon sauce. It looked good and unlike so many dishes which involve cooked smoked salmon, this did not ruin the smoked salmon and the smoked taste did not permeate through everything. Well worth a detour.