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EATING Out

The craze for having brunch at Minibar Royale, a New York-style brasserie located in the middle of Sukhumvit 23, started the minute the restaurant opened its door six months ago. The majority of the crowd was made up of beautiful people from the design industry - fashion, architect and publications - who were seen savouring eggs benedict and croque sandwiches with a glass of sparkling wine. While a friend commented that a review of Minibar might be another haughty page of urban dining tales, my response was: "I know, it doesn't seem like it's a place for everyone, does it?"

The heavily backed eatery, which opened six months ago, offers reminders of a New York Parisian cafe, but with a fresher feel. PHOTOS: ANUSORN SAKSEREE

Well, that was then and this is now. Now I have to admit that I was wrong.

No-one would argue that Minibar's got style - the kind of style that goes to its limit in terms of inspiration and financial capability. The 90-seat eatery, set on the ground level of a small hotel, with dark wood furniture, comfortable velvet sofas, warm yellow lighting and outdoor dining area, evoked a sense of a Paris sidewalk cafe.

Even so, the highly invested joint, owned and run by a group of young entrepreneurs, has somehow found its balance. Fortunately, the place isn't overly embellished nor does it possess a pretentious feel that would scare a style-challenged or lone diner away. And you have to be there to prove it.

The breezy outdoor dining area is an ideal spot for those who want to be seen dining in style.

Minibar's menu, like its fashionably relaxing atmosphere, is modish but not too extravagant. The highlights, as you might have guessed, is its brunch, which is served until 2pm on weekdays and 3pm on weekends. Being there in the evening, we missed the chance to try the popular eggs benedict and corned beef. Yet it wasn't so regretful. After all, what we had for dinner that night seemed to compensate for the bad timing.

Our dinner began with a non-alcoholic sparkling drink. My favourite, after having sampled a few flavour options, was elderflower (120 baht), which offered a delicate fragrance and refreshing taste. We decided to save the alcoholic choice, Baileys affogato (280 baht), for dessert. The rich and aromatic drink was served in a champagne glass with vanilla ice cream, honey and espresso.

The flavourful house-barbecued ribs de Brooklyn.

Salad lovers (or not) can't miss Minibar's grilled romaine ceasar salad (220 baht), which was the most scrumptious and aromatic ceasar I've had in years. Following the salad was the less thrilling mussel royale, which featured steamed Australian mussels in white wine (360 baht). Compared to the other magnificent dishes we had that night, this seafood choice wasn't outstanding in terms of taste though the quality deserved a high score.

A very tasty choice of sandwich was croque with Virginia ham, Gruyere and mozzarella cheese (240 baht). The order delighted both kids and grown-ups in our party. But if you're a beef addict, then the Petite Burger (240 baht) is your best choice. It presented three tiny pairs of the burger buns with grilled homemade beef patty, Gruyere cheese and sweet mustard sauce (240 baht), served with french fries and pickles, and was good to the last bite.

A variety of houseconcocted sparkling drinks.

Over the two best-selling pasta choices, I - an avid cream sauce fan - preferred Gorgonzola Ed & Ted (280 baht) over rigatoni in spicy tomato sauce (240 baht). The first, yummy indeed, presented spaghetti with grilled chicken breast and shiitake mushrooms in truffle oil-infused gorgonzola cheese sauce. While the latter, which was also delightful, featured homemade Italian sausage that intermingled nicely with the spicy dressing.

The grilled romain ceasar salad.

Another highly impressive dish was ribs de Brooklyn (360 baht) - a generous rack of baby back ribs glazed with homemade barbecue sauce on grilled pineapple. The well-marinated pork meat was flavourful and tender but far from wobbly.

Risotto fans and salmon buffs might want to check out crispy skinned salmon with pea risotto (550 baht). I did, and will definitely order the Italian rice dish next time I visit.

The gorgonzola Ed & Ted spaghetti dish.

Even though I'm never a fan of fruity desserts, I fell in love with seared pear with mascarpone and caramel honey sauce (280 baht). It was a brilliant combination of the refreshingly crisp fruit and the buttery sauce. It was so delicious that I almost completely neglected the banana pudding (120 baht), which was a bit too sweet.

As a fashion-halfwit but a keen gastronome, I'd say, after a charmingly homely dinner there, Minibar Royale is well worth a detour. And you don't really have to dress for the occasion.