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'Something For The Mouth' at La Boucherie in Patong
Back in the
days of Charlemagne--when men were men and women were...Valkyries--the
art of food-making had not yet attained that perfection represented by
such luminaries as McDonald's and KFC. Luckily for those who care about
fine dining, in France it still hasn't. Which is not to say the French
are strangers to the chain restaurant phenomenon; far from it. But
there the tariff pays for more than packaging and hype: a good meal is
included in the bargain. And that makes all the difference, as dinner
at La Boucherie demonstrates.
"I am a great eater of beef," jests Sir
Andrew Ague-Cheek in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, "and, I
believe, that does harm to my wit." Doubtless cooking steak
requires little more than mundane talent; yet eating it proves,
not the beefeaters, but most kitchens witless. Trust the French
therefore, arbiters of taste in everything visual, sniff-able or
comestible, to get its subtleties right. La Boucherie, chain restaurant
though it is, makes perfect steaks every time.
"In France," according to 51 year-old host,
"the clientele queues to get in." 14 cities in France boast branches of
La Boucherie; there is one in Geneva (the Swiss, of course, can be
counted upon to know good value when they taste it), and, for four
years, one in Thailand, on Soi Sawadirak, about 100 metres east of the
beach road, in Patong.
Look for the distinctive verticle
red-and-white stripe motif. Enter (either the air-conditioned room or
the patio) and inspect the menu: notice it's made of thick durable
leather. On it are 20 items of durable popularity: Beef Kebab; Gizzard
Salad; Warm Goat Cheese Salad; Mixed Beef; Entrecote; Onglet of Beef;
Chateaubriand; Tartar Steak; Veal Medallion; Lamb Chops; and Chicken
Scallop. Beef is imported, cold chilled, from New Zealand; quality is
without peer.
Some people wonder whether beef is good for
you. I think it is, it's protein rich and tastes good; races that eat
the most are healthiest and strongest. Claude, the host, for example,
can trace his forbearers--every generation--back to the aforementioned
Charlemagne, who was reputedly 8 feet tall and could bend horseshoes
with his bare hands--you can bet he wasn't living off lettuce
salad and sprouts!
I dined on the superb Chateaubriand (460
baht, with baked potato and salad), a popular cut of tenderloin beef.
At La Boucherie, it comes with four sauces: pepper, shallot, Norman and
Bearnaise, which is by no means unusual. I ordered it cooked rare, and
so it arrived--which is. Claude explained: "In France, normally, for
beef to be considered good, it must be rare." This is undoubtedly true,
as all flavour is contained in the juices; only poor quality beef should
be cooked medium or well-done. "But," Claude observed, "some people
don't like it that way." He's right again--Thai cooks abhor it. And
not only Thais: "The Russians," he noted, "most hate it rare. Some grow
quite angry: 'What do you serve me this for!' they ask." Suffice to
say, cooks at La Boucherie are keenly aware what the terms rare,
medium and done signify.
My companions tried the Mixed Beef (400
baht), an omnibus dish including onglet of beef, lamb chop, and
tenderloin, served with baked potato and sauces; and the Chicken Roast
(250 baht), half of a hefty, remarkably tender chicken, with potatoes
and salad. Accompanying the baked potatoes is a thick and creamy sour
cream rarely found in Thailand. Quality throughout is unquestionable,
aromas exquisitely tempting, and service is satisfyingly quick,
efficient, friendly.
We also sampled three appetizers. A lovely,
creamy duck pate (300 baht) includes two large slices of pate, served
with toasted white bread from which the crust is removed. Imported
Burgundian Escargots ( 240 baht) are cooked in classic (and delicious)
garlic sauce, served with French bread. Noted Claude: "I tried Thai
snails but they don't taste good, so this is the only way to do it."
Indeed, perfect.
My favourite, however, was the Warm Goat
Cheese Salad: a special treat and cheap, too, at just 200 baht. The
imported French goat cheese is molded like Brie but more flavourful;
salad includes bell peppers, various onions, large olives, mushrooms,
etc. Except for the Escargots (which you may fight over, there are
just six), any appetizer is more than enough for two. Portions
generally are quite large: "I don't like people, when finished, to be
hungry again soon," said Claude with evident sincerity.
Another point in this restaurant's favour is
the well-chosen; friendly-priced winelist: all items are from France or
Italy, and prices range from 300 to 800 baht. You won't do better
buying straight from the wine shop.
If you're still hungry come dessert time, try
the Tarte 'Tatin', an upside-down apple pie--it lives up to everything
French pastry should. La Boucherie, from which the English word
butcher derives, means 'something for the mouth', and this place
has that in spades! |
