With a few exceptions over the years, French food in Bangkok has too-often been viewed through a fine-dining lens. It’s not totally unjustified, either. The birth of the term “haute cuisine” comes from France, and the country is often credited with launching the fine-dining movement in the 18th century. Many of the city’s best chefs have spent at least some time in French restaurants or working under French chefs. 

 

This reputation can be a double-edged sword of sorts, creating both a high-end reputation and also feeling of intimidation from diners. If all customers know of French restaurants are high price tags, rare ingredients, and opaque fine-dining concepts—they can get spooked. 

 

 

Herve Frerard, executive chef of French bistro Brasserie 9 in Sathorn, wants to change that storyline. Found just off the corner of Sathorn Soi 6, among one of the better food enclaves in the city, the venue stands out from the street with its colonial style architecture reminiscent of the King Rama 5 era around the 19th century—a time when Thailand was greatly influenced by Western art. This all sets a very homey tone to the atmosphere, where you can view the lush outside trees through large glass windows and admire the vintage-style decorations across the rooms. 

 

 

“The number 9 in the name is a lucky number,” said Chef Frerard, who has lived in Thailand for two decades, including stints at Le Beaulieu soi 19 , Plaza Athenee 

the Heritage Club, Talisman Restaurant, and Chef Club New York & Taiwan . Before that, his time in Paris saw him cooking for noted international figures during state visits, such as Queen Elizabeth II, President François Mitterand.

 

“It’s very simple cuisine. I would say it’s more like bistro style here,” he says of Brasserie’s food. “Though it’s easy to understand, we offer you top produce. We're using the best ingredients, the best seafood, the best meat. We don't use any frozen ingredients.”

 

 

“Everything at Brasserie 9, we do by ourselves: we bake our own bread, we do our own pastry, everything. We even make our own pasta. We don't compromise quality, we do top quality.”

 

The term “brasserie” is often misunderstood in Thai food circles, but the concept is simple enough to understand. It’s essentially a mixture between a casual bistro and an upscale dining establishment—think bistro food but with professional service and white linens. The term is also French for brewery—although many of them don’t actually brew their own alcohol but instead boast large ranges of drinks. Brasserie 9 pays homage to this tradition with its wine bar, The Brass, which boasts a huge range of French labels on top of a respectable selection from across Europe, New Zealand, and Oceania.

 

There are a good deal of cocktails served at The Brass as well. The light, creamy, and aromatic Madeleine sour (B450), includes a mixture of dark rum, almond, triple sec, creme de cacao blanc, pineapple, bitters. The bisque bloody Mary (B450) is an almost-classic cocktail enhanced with smoky whiskey and cream sherry, putting a nice twist on one of the most storied drinks of all time. You can also stick to other classic cocktails such as mojitos, mai tais, margaritas, pina coladas, and more. 

 

 

“You can see that fine-dining is completely different: you have to dress up, put on a formal suit; when you come in, you have to choose something from a sommelier and have a set menu,” Frerard explained. “We are a brasserie. You can come in and sit down, and eat only one dish if you want to. We are more casual, and that’s the difference.”

 

The menu here is dense with classic brasserie favorites from France, and can act as a sort of masterclass on the style of food. A good chunk of it leans towards Burgundy, where Frerard is from. Start the meal off with one of the most quintessential brasserie favorites of all time: foie gras with fig jam and toasted sourdough—a ubiquitous dish served in bistros across France; or freshen up with the efillochée de crabe (crab meat salad with celeriac remoulade and pink grapefruit, B750.) Mains can get a bit delightfully heavier if needed, like the mijoté de joue de boeuf à la bourguignonne (French beef stew in a Burgundy red wine sauce, B980) which sees slow-cooked wagyu beef cheek with paired with potato mousseline and a red wine jus; the linguine fratelli aux fruits de mer (linguine with tiger prawns, scallops and baby squid, B750) is perfect for folks looking to get a taste of the sea. Wrap the meal up with a chestnut cream soufflé, which elevates the flavors with dashes of Chartreuse and vanilla ice cream (B540) as a dessert or the Famous Rum Baba. The restaurant doesn’t skimp on the portions, either, so it's easy to eat in groups and share dishes around—another essence of a classic brasserie.

 

The restaurant also offers three available areas to reserve for a private room, each named after famous cities in France—Paris, Bordeaux, and Lyon—all decorated in cozy, private settings: warm white walls, vivid tiles, vintage double hinged windows, long dining table with white linens, and shiny cutlery. Throwing a party or bringing colleagues from work won’t be a problem, for the divided rooms can be combined into a grand hall which can accommodate up to 40-100 guests.
 

 

Throughout his more than 30 years in the kitchen at some of the world’s top venues, Frerard says that knowing your customers and the local market is just as important as understanding your ingredients. 

 

“Most of the people here are returning customers,” he says. “I always recommend the specialties myself. If you don’t know, trust the chef, trust the staff. You can ask anything. If you want to be successful, you have to understand the people and love where you are. It’s very important.”

 

Much of the produce here comes from local farmers when possible, says Frerard, with some exceptions for ingredients that need to be French to maintain authenticity. But, when possible, he goes local. 

 

In a food climate that is all about fine-dining and Michelin accolades, Brasserie 9 stands out as a venue specifically designed to cut through that noise.