2-2/1 Convent Rd., Silom, 02-631-0355
Most people equate French restaurants with fine dining. But just as we don’t eat Royal Thai cuisine every day, the average Frenchman doesn’t survive on Michelin-star meals but instead enjoys food that is much more basic—and inexpensive. La Boulange is a cross between a bistro and a bakery. It looks authentically French with its wooden chairs with wicker backs, checkered tablecloths and brick inlays on the walls. Unfortunately, the second floor borders on gloomy (low ceiling, thin strip of windows), and the ground floor is plain boring. (Or, if Silom’s 10 times normal pollution ratings don’t scare you, you can sit outside and smoke on the patio.) But there’s nothing wrong with La Boulange not being the handsomest of venues so long as it has other redeeming qualities, and it’s good to know there’s a place where you can sit down to a veritable feast of Gallic favorites with wine for as low as B1,000. At your (too) tiny table, you’ll be given a generous basket of decent bread, butter and some olives—a nice touch. Appetizers come in generous portions, but are probably best avoided if you’re a connoisseur. The plate of cold cuts is enough for four to share, but two will get bored quickly of the oxygenated and oily ham, the pedestrian rillettes and terrine and the salad in the center doused with a Caesar-like dressing instead of a traditional vinaigrette as you would expect. (The saucisson [dried sausage], however, is terrific). The warm goat’s cheese salad is of the same caliber: not bad if you’re hungry, but the cheese is the cheaper, pasteurized variety and again we wonder about this fascination with non-French creamy dressing, not to mention the decision to include garlic sausage in this dish. Ah, but the mains… The bavette (flank steak), ordered rare, comes truly bloody and with a strong, almost metallic (in a good way), taste. It’s not the most tender of cuts, but it offers a carnivorous rush that you can’t get from most of the huge steaks served in “American” steakhouses. Plus it comes in a sane portion at a very sane price. A healthier, yet no less tasty, option is the John Dory, which is perfectly cooked and seasoned (a bit on the salty side)—not so much that it killed the fragile flavor, but far from naked and boring. The accompanying diced vegetables, a ratatouille, will reconcile you with health food—you know, it’s called the French paradox. For full benefits, have some wine, at B90 for a glass of house wine or B720 for a very drinkable Domaine Bouche (Côtes du Rhone). For dessert, B85 will get you just about any cake in the glass display, like a strawberry tart with ripe strawberries, touches of bitter dark chocolate and crumbly dough. Though better-known for their bread, which is among the best in town, pastries and light lunches, La Boulange also serves up a surprisingly good dinner.
