The buzz: On the boulevard-like Ratchadamri Road, with its rows of pedigree hotels, the brand new Hansar, a boutique hotel and serviced residence, feels almost indie. It’s small and elegant and relatively free of all the glitz and public relations onslaught. Their flagship restaurant, Eve, does a brief menu of mid-range French fare—nothing more, nothing less. Of course, it might not be long before they bring in their roster of Michelin-starred promotions, but in the meantime, it’s a classic place for a quiet meal.

The décor: Minus the rice field shenanigans and the soaring ceilings, the décor here reminds us of Kempinski’s Sra Bua: loads of dark wood with rich purple accents and slabs of grey granite—very understated, modern, yet warm. Unlike the moody atmospheres of similar eateries, Eve also sports large windows and lots of natural light, making it airy and casual rather than oppressive and formal, and a nice choice for a special lunch.

The food: The French-leaning menu here may be brief, but it hits all the big food trends: Wagyu beef, Australian lamb, Hokkaido scallops and other seafood with geographical locations in their names. We like that they’re doing lots of modern gastro touches, too, in their preparations, such as the Tasmanian wild salmon and Alaskan king crab (B600) which comes with eggplant caviar and saffron foam, or the beef short ribs (B900) which are cooked sous-vide for 24 hours. They do a couple of pastas for the faint of heart, but even they have some nice touches. The carbonara (B320) uses a confit of crispy pork belly and trofie pasta.

The drinks: The full hotel bar is at your disposal, but they do a whopping ten wines by the glass (B250-900), ranging from a Chardonnay from Napa to a Bordeaux from Saint Estephe.

The crowd: The moneyed for now, and lots of business lunches.

Corkage B800.