It has been 13 months since word about Maison Dunand project began to spread.
A signature venture of Arnaud Dunand Sauthier, the French chef who led Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok's Le Normandie to its two Michelin-star success in 2017, has been one of the most eagerly anticipated restaurant debuts this year.
Now the wait is finally over.
Those who long for Chef Arnaud's star-studded cuisine can now head to Sathon 10.
Since Sept 9, a lovely two-storey house reimagined to mimic a contemporary Alpine chalet has been the chef's new culinary atelier and home away from his homeland.
It is also where his much-esteemed French fine dining fare is showcased amid a warm and cosy setting.
Guests looking for a chef's table experience may opt to sit next to an animated show kitchen in the eight-seat dining room.
A more serene dining vibe is provided upstairs where the comfortable space, graced with open wooden beams and brackets as well as large windows, provides plenty of natural lighting and also a view of the street outside.
During my visit there earlier this week, the meal was presented through a multi-course set menu, priced at 4,800 baht for a six-course meal and 6,900 baht for an eight-course meal.
Dubbed "Racine Et Voyages", or "Roots And Travels", the current menu takes culinary inspiration from two French regions: Savoie, where chef Arnaud grew up, and Brittany, where he spent seaside holidays with his father.
The evening kicked off nicely with a quartet of wonderful canapes.
The selection included a paper-thin Savoyard wafer topped with smoked eel and dollops of dashi cream and calamansi gel; a super refined trout tartlet with pop-in-the-mouth trout roe and dashi gel; a nutty black pudding with celeriac gel and apple; and an extraordinarily brittle and airy mushroom vol-au-vent pastry with truffle foam.
A complimentary basket of butter brioche, mini baguettes and sourdough bread accompanied by artisan Bourdier butter followed. They were delightful proof that, even in his new home, chef Arnaud continues to adopt some of Le Normandie's much-loved offerings.
Next up was a starter course described as Beef, Sardine and Mirabelles. Encompassing fatty strips of highly-marbling Wagyu beef with chopped sardine, sliced radish, mirabelle plum and onion sauce, the dish was a neat rendering of beef tartare with a delightful presentation.
Chef Arnaud's much-celebrated caviar et pomme de terre, one of the key successes to his Michelin-rated glory, came as the third course.
Impeccably living up to its fame, the dish, a perfect culinary unification between the mountainous Savoie region and oceanic Brittany, featured a generous helping of Kristal caviar over a pool of silky potato espuma that revealed a sunny scoop of creamy rich and sweet sea urchin roe underneath.
Brittany blue lobster starred in the next dish. The meaty and naturally flavoursome lobster came accompanied by a duo style of celeriac: pickled in blueberry juice and puree, with lobster bisque sauce.
Representing the fifth course was a plump and glossy poached wild-caught pollack with smoked pike perch roe, sauteed cabbage and a fumet sauce made from concentrated fish bone stock.
Frostily zesty lemon sorbet with Benedictine jelly on a bed of puffed rice helped cleanse our palate before proceeding to the main course.
For that, diners are to choose between pigeon and pork.
If you go for pigeon, expect to find neat fillets of the pan-roasted Bresse bird served with eggplant millefeuille, cocoa nibs and French fig.
For pork, there's a sizeable piece of crispy roasted Savoyard pork belly topped with Utah Beach oyster from Normandy, black trumpet mushroom and seaweed garlic sauce.
A 12-item selection of Alpine cheeses that day included Tomme de Savoie, Tomme des Grison, Beaufort, Abbaye de Tamie, Manigodines and soft Reblochon, to name just a few. They were served with rhubarb and blueberry jam.
The night wrapped up in a sweet note with chocolate mint ice cream on a chocolate sponge and buckwheat cream, followed by a trio of mignardises.
The service was attentive, cordial and knowledgeable. Reservations are a must.
- Maison Dunand
- 55 Soi Sueksa Witthaya (Sathon 10)
- Call 065-639-0515
- Open for dinner (Thur-Mon) and for lunch
- and dinner (Sat and Sun)
- Park at the nearby car park
- Most credit cards accepted
