Yen Akat and the surrounding area has welcomed yet another bistro-style restaurant to its already densely packed cluster of casual and fine-dining venues. 
 

Soft opening in early March, Iode (stylized by the venue as iODE) comes from the French word for iodine, an essential mineral prevalent in oysters and fish. The name tracks as the restaurant’s Parisian-born chef leans heavily on imported seafood (much of it coming directly from France) like fine de claire oysters, bulot (French sea snails), and tourteau crab. 
 

While we wouldn’t call the food here cheap, it’s definitely on par with other bistros in the neighborhood like Cagette and Akart Bistro. Lots of shellfish starters begin at the B590 mark, like bulot with black ink aioli, raw scallops with smoked brown butter, and a pot French saltwater clams. 
 

Heftier options include classic bistro favorites like lamb confit with salsa verde, fennel, cilantro, and dill (B850), barbecued monkfish with tomato and white wine sauce (B990), and plenty of sharing plates like seafood platters from B1,800. If you need some seared cow in your life, hit up the beef bavette (flank steak in a shallot red wine sauce, B790) or the mammoth 1kg porterhouse (B3,500). 

The restaurant touts itself as a seafood-focused “neo-bistro”—a French food movement from the early 2000s credited with bringing a more casual, laid-back feel to French culinary culture at a time when most restaurants were obsessed with formal fine-dining. This isn’t new for Bangkok as most French-style bistros in the city could claim to be inspired by the neo-bistrot movement, but Iode is trying to make it a defining part of its brand. 
 

You can tell the venue seeks to embody that breezy, streets-of-Paris feel with the indigo colored awnings draped over the outdoor tables on its streetcorner perch. Inside, an open kitchen with counter-side seating breaks down all separation between the kitchen and diners. The interior swaps the punchy blues outside for light beiges and dark leathers illuminated with ample natural light pouring through the windows.