There are three things that Pratumnak Hill is worth going up for. One is the Big Buddha on the top of the hill. I’ll take you for a tour of that another time. The second thing is the exercise park. It’s a good place to walk and get rid of some of those doughnut calories we all build up on holiday. The third thing is two good restaurants. (Actually there are several up here, including the Royal Cliff, and Cabbages and Condoms, but those aren’t on the TOP of the hill and these two are). Nawab is the subject of next week’s review, but this week we look at Le Stronganoff 2. In case you wondered, Le Stoganoff 1 is in Soi Yamato and has been there for some time.
At first glance it’s just another French restaurant offering a 4 course set meal at 290B. But the devil (as they say) is in the detail. And this 290B set menu has the detail. They have their à la carte menu, but it’s the set one I always have.
First they welcome you. Maybe I’m unlucky, but I have always found it hard to go to French Restaurants as I find them patronising and if you don’t speak French, they almost ignore you. “Citoyen de deuxième classe” (that’s 2nd class citizen if you didn’t understand it). But Le Stroganoff 2 is nice. It’s welcoming and the staff make you feel that you are wanted there – special. The way it should be.
Now on to the food. For a fixed menu, the food is unusual. The choice is huge. There are around 10 starters, 10 main courses and 10 desserts. The one downside this place has is the soup. I always find it disappointing. Almost like they have used packet soup. But let’s move swiftly on from there and get to the rest of the menu. In the past I’ve had a wonderful paté, delicious. I can also recommend the crab and smoked salmon salad. Does that sound like a standard 290B menu? Wait it gets better. For main courses, I like the duck in fruits of the forest sauce. It’s perfectly cooked, just a hint of pink on the duck and the sauce is the perfect combination of sweet and tangy. Their shrimp and clam in puff pastry with a mild curry sauce will get your taste buds doing a tango. (If you don’t like curry you’re SOL for the next 4 reviews – sorry). Their steak bavette is an enigma. They asked me how I wanted it cooked and I said rare. It did indeed come up rare. But so tender it almost melted in my mouth. How can a bavette, which should be slow cooked for hours (and must have been to get the tenderness) be rare?
The dessert was wonderful too and capped a really tasty meal. Crêpe Suzette is one choice, or how about a crème brûlée with strawberry sauce. The latter can only be described as “orgasmic”.All the food is cooked to perfection and really is wonderful. At 290B this is a deal not to be missed.
Points out of 10? I’d say a good 9 – one being lost for the soup. Will I go back? I’ve been there three times and certainly will go back again. Try it for yourself!
