A week in Bangkok – restaurant Artur

Fortunately, Charly's life is full of pleasant surprises (unfortunately sometimes also less pleasant ones). For several years now he has lived with his Thai wife Teoy in a resort not far from Udonthani. In his stories, Charly mainly tries to raise awareness of Udon, but he also discusses many other things in Thailand.

A week in Bangkok – restaurant Artur

All formalities at the Dutch embassy and the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs have now been completed. Time to write the promised review of the Arthur restaurant in the Bliston Suwan Park View hotel.

Location

The Artur restaurant is located on the ground floor of the Bliston Suwan Park View hotel and is managed by the Frenchman after whom the restaurant is named. Artur has his roots in the Parisian restaurant business, where he learned from famous chefs, with 2 and 3 Michelin stars, how to cook and how to run a class restaurant. In the Bliston hotel he rents the space in which the Arthur restaurant is located. He has decorated the restaurant fantastically with warm tones and matching paintings. You imagine yourself in a restaurant in Paris.

Opening hours

Due to covid-19, opening time is limited from 17.00pm to 22.00pm. No opportunities to enjoy this restaurant during lunch time. Too bad for a Burgundian like me. Of course there are plenty of alternatives in the vicinity of the Bliston hotel. But unfortunately nowhere near the same quality.

Staff

There are a few things I noticed on our visits to Artur's restaurant. The warm atmosphere of the restaurant and Artur's great expertise. He gives advice about the dishes on the menu, the combinations and the possible size of dishes and which wine fits best with those dishes. But the service ladies Pookie and Nang are also very professional. They know without hesitation how to uncork a bottle of wine, how to decant wine, prepare salads and cut dishes at the table. That is quite a rare occurrence in Thailand and that is why it immediately struck me. Of course Artur has no choice in that either. If you are so praised by Michelin then you have to deliver the best on all fronts.

I also noticed that the number of guests is quite limited every night. Never seen a sold out house. The lack of international, inbound commercial flights with farang is emphatically felt here.

A remarkable event on one of the evenings. Four friends enter the restaurant and each have a bottle of red wine with them. The bottles of wine are received by Pookie and put together on a side table. In the course of the evening, the friends test the different wines. Remarkable given the very extensive wine list that Artur has. Bringing your own drinks is fairly common and accepted in Thailand, but especially at those catering establishments that do not offer a certain drink.

Menu

The menu has been expanded with recognizable dishes such as frog legs, Norwegian salmon as a starter but also as a main course, oysters, foie gras, escargots and steaks in many variations. Also plenty of fish dishes in the form of lobster, shrimp and sole. They are prominent on the map.

A number of dishes are prepared at the table. Like the excellent cote du boeuf. Usually by Artur himself, who is often present in his restaurant. He tries to have a conversation with every guest and, for example, to advise on the right choice of wine. Very customer-friendly, hospitable and engaging.

Wine list

If the menu was already impressive, the wine list is even more impressive. The menu includes two white and two red house wines that can be ordered by the glass. They are carefully selected, fantastic wines. Wines are offered by the bottle on the very extensive wine list.

If you are looking for alternative wines, besides those offered by the glass, ask for this extensive wine list as it is not provided as standard. On this wine list you will find the most exquisite wines from all corners of the world. I estimate about fifty different species in total.

Prices per bottle start at 1.400 baht but can go up to 8.000 baht. There is even a grand cru on the menu for the nice sum of 45.000 baht. If I ever win the jackpot in the Thai state lottery again, I will definitely go for it. But for now, I don't think such amounts for a bottle of wine really fit into my budget.

Tastings

The first evening Teoy and I enjoy the Norwegian salmon as a starter. Classically prepared and exquisite in taste. The baguette is also of a quality that you will not easily encounter in other restaurants in Thailand. For the wine I choose a house wine from the menu, a chardonnay from California. Per glass 390 baht.

Next I go for the beef stroganoff. This dish is presented less traditionally. It is an excellent combination of beef with mushrooms and white rice in a delicious sauce. No paprika-like additions as you often see in the Netherlands when you order a beef stroganoff. With this dish I take a cote du rhone. Same price: 390 baht.

Teoy orders a Thai dish and is very pleased with it. The number of Thai dishes on the menu is limited. If I remember correctly, there are only six. For dessert I choose the selection of French cheeses. You can order this in a small or a large size. I go for the small setting. Roughly half the size. It's an excellent choice. About ten different cheeses are presented on a nice plate (not a board), increasing in strength of taste, as it should be.

A special type of dark-colored and thinly sliced ​​“bread” is presented to match. Here too I drink the same delicious cote du rhone. Well, that's enjoyment with a capital letter.

Second tasting

We have eaten at Artur a number of times. In fact every day during our stay at the Bliston hotel. Sometimes more extensive than other times, partly depending on what time and what we ate for lunch. It never got boring for me.

I do not want to deprive readers of a second tasting. As a starter I choose the foie gras and Teoy goes for the mushroom soup. I can't even remember the last time I ate foie gras. Both dishes taste excellent. I add a bottle of Bordeaux, a delicious Margaux. It goes perfectly with the foie gras and will undoubtedly also go well with the cote du boeuf chosen for next. I have the cote du boeuf prepared between rare and medium.

Artur personally cuts the cote du boeuf at our table. Haven't eaten such a delicious steak in ages. After the mushroom soup, Teoy prefers another starter, the Norwegian salmon, and leaves the cote du boeuf to me. She finds the Norwegian salmon incredibly tasty and of course compares it to the salmon you can buy in Udon. According to her, but also according to me, in terms of taste experience, it cannot be compared.

After the mushroom soup and the Norwegian salmon, Teoy thinks it's enough and goes back to the room to watch a Thai soap. I enjoy the Margaux and the fantastic steak.

This time I can't resist the temptation to go for the French cheeses again. Enough Margaut wine left so I can keep it as a companion for the cheese feast. After a while Artur comes to ask if everything has been to your liking.

We have another animated conversation and to conclude this wonderful dinner I offer Artur to drink a Calvados together.

Review summary in numbers:

• Atmosphere: 9
• food: 9
• Wines: 10
• Service/operation: 10
• Value for money: 9

I arrive at the above scores when I compare the Artur restaurant with what I have encountered in the culinary field in Thailand in recent years. And I'm talking about European cuisine, not Thai cuisine.

The restaurants in Udon really fall short in this comparison. In that respect, Udon is really making do. I wish restaurants like Arthur and Patricks from Pattaya would have a branch in Udon. But alas, that is just wishful thinking and devoid of reality.

Are you looking for one of the best, European (French) oriented restaurants in Bangkok, book the Artur restaurant. An accompanying hotel stay in the Bliston Suwan Park View hotel is absolutely recommended. Especially for Dutch people who have to be at the Dutch embassy. Extra benefit: hotel guests of the Bliston receive a 10% discount on the restaurant bill.

To be clear: I don't own shares in the Artur restaurant and I'm not being feted by Artur in any way.

De menu is not complete, as the Thai dishes, the beef strofanoff and the desserts are missing, but the menu gives a good impression of what is on offer. The wine list is complete. Incidentally, Arthur changes his menu and wine lists very regularly.

If you want to know more, search the internet for “Artur restaurant bangkok".

Charly www.thailandblog.nl/tag/charly/