Wine Connection Deli & Bistro

Going out in Bangkok with Miss J wouldn't be complete without a stop over at some kind of a trendy restaurant/lounge. This time, she brought me and my other good friend, Pam, to a fairly new bistro called Wine Connection Deli & Bistro. As a wholesale wine supplier, Wine Connection has branches all over Bangkok and well as other cities in the country. As the largest wine store chain in Southeast Asia, the company focuses on importing selected wine and premium spirits from all over the world. Located at K Village, Wine Connection Bistro allows customers to be able to enjoy their wine along with delicious European food.

We walked in around 6 pm just before dinner rush and it was already starting to get busy. Displays of wine and spirits are found throughout the restaurant. There is also a deli section that offers assortments of imported European cheeses and charcuterie.

We sat outside on the patio as it was a cool and breezy evening, the kind of weather which only happens several times a year in this hot tropical country. The ambience was great, very mellow yet sophisticated. The music is a mash up of soft rock, jazz, and R&B. The service was exceptional. Our wine were constantly refilled and there were always at least 3 servers standing by in case anyone needed anything. I also noticed that some of the staff were wearing black uniform t-shirts with their job description written on the back such as busboy, food runner, while the servers were wearing red uniforms. It's nice that not only the staff know what their jobs are, but other people know what to expect of them too!

I love it when menu has pictures of what the food would look like (no guessing and using imagination!). The price was definitely reasonable for the type and atmosphere of the restaurant. Many entrees only cost around 180-220 bath or $6 to $7.50, which are reasonable compared to other bistros in Bangkok.

Miss J did what she does best, ordering wine. She picked Aresti, a 2009 Chilean Sauvignon Blanc. "Make sure it's nicely chilled.", she commanded. As a result, our bottle of wine was served icy cold in a tin bucket. Miss J knows what she wants and gets what she wants. We ended up polishing 2 bottles that wonderful night.

Rocket Salad

We actually ordered rocket salad last after we realized we've been munching only on carbohydrates. It was a light and refreshing change and it made us feel a bit less guilty.

Spaghetti Arrabiata

The spaghetti Arrabiata was definitely my favourite under Miss J's recommendation. I've had this dish elsewhere but this is definitely the best one I've had so far. The sauce had a little bit of a kick from roasted chilies and very aromatic flavour from garlic and basil infusion.

Fettucini with Serrano ham, Alfredo and truffle

The fettucini had a very nice texture, holding together the creamy Alfredo sauce with a subtle hint of parsley. The sauce was well seasoned and was not too bland or too thick. For 220 bath or $7.50, though I couldn't detect any truffle whatsoever, but I will let it slide.

Pizza Napoletana

We ordered pizza napoletana, a fire baked thin crust pizza with anchovies and olives, and extra shrimp topping for 90 bath or $3 (which gave us about a tablespoon full). Miss J and Pam kept complaining they taste goat cheese in there and I was quite puzzled.

In the end, us three girls finished everything, the food and wine. Our bill with 10% service charge came up to around 2100 bath or $ 70. With 2 bottles of wine and 4 dishes, that's not bad at all. I had a wonderful experience at the bistro from the company, the food, the wine, the service, and the atmosphere. Wow, to have all those elements is really hard to come by! When we left around 8 pm, the huge restaurant was already packed with people waiting outside. I definitely will return again and recommend this bistro to everyone. Thanks for bringing us Miss J. This will be our favourite hang out spot from now.

Les Faux Bourgeois

The night before taking off to Bangkok, V introduced me to Les Faux Bourgeois, a busy and popular French bistro located on Kingsway. The ambience is low key and casual, a great place to kick back and socialize with friends after a long week. The bistro offers lower price point than Pied a Terre bistro on Cambie, but both offering traditional rustic French dishes. It is always very busy during the dinner rush and reservations should be made in advance.

We started off sharing the tarte flambée Alsacienne ($10), caramelized onion puff pastry tart, lardon, ricotta, and creme fraiche with a side of a small arugula salad. I dug my fork into the crispy layers of the puff pastry, making sure all the ingredients were on each bite. It was a successful marriage of sweet and savoury, balanced out by the creaminess of the ricotta and subtleness of creme fraiche. I really enjoyed it and might even try out a version of my own back in my kitchen one day.

V ordered the medium rare hanger steak and (a mountain of) frites with red wine shallot jus ($17). The fries had the two most important elements, very crispy and well seasoned. As I happily dipped them in the garlic aioli, I almost forgot about my own entree. The steak was tender and juicy. As you can see, they were not stingy on the jus and there was plenty left for the fries. I most likely will come back and order this dish again with the green peppercorn cream sauce next time.

Several days ago, I saw a picture of T W's picture the duck breast she cooked up her hubbie on Facebook, I couldn't get that craving out of my mind. So when I saw the special of duck breast l'orange with roast potatoes and braised red cabbage ($23) written on the board, I knew it was my calling. The roast potatoes were crispy and tasty. The duck breast was firm, yet tender, although I may have preferred the skin to be just a bit more crispy. The orange sauce was a bit too sweet, and I kept stealing V's steak and frites which were more salty. I wasn't a fan of the braised cabbage, and left most of it just because I found the cabbage taste to linger a little longer than I wanted. By the time we were done dinner, I was stuffed to the brim and had no more room left for desserts. If anything, I think those fries were my dessert.

Despite the bistro's casual atmosphere and lower price point, nonetheless, I was happy that they didn't take away professional service and quality of food we received. Thanks for taking me V!

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