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The buzz: Sukhumvit 39 is becoming the place for all things French, what with long-standing fine dining restaurant Philippe and cute little bakery Le Blanc. Now comes the two-part space by Nicolas Reynard (previously Maduzi’s La Truffe). 39 Bistro is the ground floor eatery in the space formerly occupied by Deva. While there is Reynard’s fine dining option upstairs, the simpler bistro does a broad menu of French-style tapas, pastas and strong, complex cocktails.

The décor: Pretty simple and colorful, with starched linen tablecloths and pastel orange and green armchairs, a prominent bar and big windows. There’s a large, mounted flatscreen TV by the bar displaying mouthwatering pictures of the food, completing a comfortable, non-intimidating vibe, though we hope it won’t be displaying food promotions and sporting events in the future.

The food: The highlight, we think, is the platters of cute little French nibbles like the mushroom vol au vent (savory, bite-sized chicken pastries, B170) and bruschetta with toppings like duck pate rillette (B250) and tomatoes and goat cheese (B150). In a slightly unexpected move, there is an array of pastas, even some Thai-inspired ones (B250). Or, you can get a three or four course set menu (B490-590). But we think you should save your money for the cocktails and lovely tapas.

The drink: Reynard approaches the art of mixing with the expertise of a chef and the glee of a new convert. The drinks are strong, solid executions of mostly classics, like the amaretto sour, the Clover Club and the Hemingway daiquiri (all B250). They are bringing in a wine cellar for the bistro, but we suspect cocktails will be the big draw here.

The crowd: Sukhumvit hi-sos, Japanese ladies and some of Reynard’s old Maduzi following. Still, the moderate prices (at least at the bistro), the fantastic cocktails and the simple fare means that everyone can check it out.