First opened a month ago, Babette's steak house adds another American vibe to the design-orientated Hotel Muse, which houses Bangkok's well-loved Speakeasy Rooftop Bar and Blind Pig Cigar Lounge.
The 70-seat steakhouse evokes the intimate feel of 1920s Chicago restaurants.
The 70-seat establishment evokes the intimate feel of 1920s Chicago restaurants, with high-backed leather armchairs, an art deco interior in muted colours, dark wood and chequerboard flooring and lavender drapes.
Gatsby-era jazz and blues tunes complement the establishment's retro feel, and live piano and vocal jazz performances can be enjoyed Thursday through Saturday, from 7.30-9.30pm.
Babette's kitchen is overseen by hands-on chef Michael Owens, a New Zealander who uses modern culinary approaches gathered over years of experience in prestigious establishments in Europe and Australia.
Black Angus tenderloin steak tartare.
Owens has a knack for fusing flavours and cooking methods from different regions, and above all allowing the freshness of the ingredients to shine. The menu, which he crafts, presents a comprehensive selection of à la carte and "From the Grill" options.
After complementary house-baked bread, which proved delightful, my recent dinner at Babette's kicked off with the steakhouse's best-selling starter, beef tartare (950 baht).
Presenting coarsely chopped, grain-fed Black Angus tenderloin from Jack's Creek, a leading company in Australian beef production, the raw steak was seasoned before our eyes with capers, ground black pepper, egg yolk, chopped red onions and sweet pickle relish.
Thanks to the naturally flavoursome taste of the premium beef and the pleasantly chewy texture, the dish needed no flavour enhancement from the mustard, Tabasco or Worcestershire sauce which were offered on the side.
Another tasty treat was the lobster & crab bisque with buttered croutons (590 baht), revealing sizeable and succulent morsels of the lobster meat in piping hot coulis. Owens gives the classic bisque a sharp and addictive dash by infusing Spanish-smoked pepper mayonnaise and a sour cream topping.
American-style steak dining (particularly in Bangkok) is usually not complete without a Caesar salad. But at Babatte's, Owens highlights Five Grains Salad (450 baht).
Considered "super food", the dish showcased a jumble of seasonal fruits and grains — local and imported — with Egyptian dukkha (a mixture of hazelnuts, sesame, herbs and spices) and thick, house-made cucumber yoghurt dressing.
Texture of Meringue dessert.
The salad consisted of a crunchy and refreshing combination of black quinoa, white quinoa, roasted pumpkin seeds, fresh pomegranate, dried cranberries and Spanish currants. The dish was enjoyable.
Steaks at Babette's are represented by a selection of top-grade beef from Australia, Japan and the US, and are grilled over a charcoal flame.
Choices of sauce (180 baht) include Béarnaise, wild mushroom, shallot-red wine and chilli-coriander pesto, while side orders (180 baht) range from crushed Kipfler potatoes, onion rings, potato gratin and creamed spinach with almonds to Pont Neuf potatoes tossed in truffle salt and garden salad.
We sampled Sher Wagyu tenderloin steak (1,950 baht) and found the 200g, grain-fed Australian Wagyu, a preferred option by the men at the table.
The beef, a crossbreed of Australian and Japanese, cattle, yielded a marbling score of four to five, and was richer in taste and more resilient in texture when compared to the melt-in-the-mouth Japanese beef.
The house choice was Miyazaki Wagyu, a champion in the "Wagyu Olympics". Our striploin (2,700 baht), cooked medium, proved extraordinarily tender and needed only a sprinkle of salt.
Our meal finished off with a photogenic dessert called Texture of Meringue (370 baht). The platter of half-baked meringues, ice cream and fresh summer berries was fine.
Providing a more impressive finale, however, was the salted-caramel cheesecake (370 baht) served with peanut butter ice cream.
The restaurant carries a good collection of New and Old World wines. Diners can choose a bottle (2,100 baht-10,000 baht) from its extensive walk-in wine cellar or order by the glass (450 baht-550 baht). A decent list of classic and house-concocted cocktails is also available.
Babette's steaks are represented by top-grade beef grilled over a charcoal flame.
Five Grains Salad with hazelnutssesame spice and house-made yogurt dressing.
