Blue by Alain Ducasse All Day Dining Review

Part of chef superstar Alain Ducasse’s whopping thirty-three restaurant empire, Blue opened in November 2019. Within a year of launch it garnered a one star Michelin award which it has held ever since. Located on the first floor of Bangkok’s ICONSIAM shopping centre, it over-looks the Chao Phraya river and through collaborative ventures with different culinary creatives, constantly strives to keep itself a vital force amongst Bangkok’s fine dining elite. 

Its latest and perhaps most permanent venture is the introduction of a slightly more casual all-day dining experience. Spontaneity is encouraged over planned bookings and the biggest surprise is dining doesn’t actually take place inside Blue’s hallowed walls but directly outside them. The dining space is, effectively, a large circular lounge which looks like it might revolve but doesn’t. It could be a glorious pop-up or an extravagant art installation. Much like a dart board’s bullseye, there’s an inner ring and an outer ring, all uplifting and clean grey, which matches chairs and tables. The slightly elevated floor is made of various-sided wooden cuts, and a glorious icy white and pastel blue flower decoration sprouts from the space’s centre.  Chaumet, Jim Thompson and Bulgari flank either side and a lower chest-height border tentatively segregates shoppers from diners, the scene is very much see and be seen.

On a first visit, without obvious starters, mains or sides, it’s hard to gauge what to order and how many portions. The offerings are short but sweet. Under ’Bread’ there’s Avocado Toast, Salmon Bagel, Grilled Ham & Cheese and Boston Lobster Roll whilst under ‘Pasta’ there’s Paccheri Slow-Braised Beef Cheeks, Truffle & Ham Croquilletes and Aglio & Olio Linguine.  A Tomato Minestrone Soup and Caesar Salad are also on offer. My friend and I opt for a chilled glass of Ruinart Blanc de Blancs, the smooth chardonnay-only champagne which is perfectly chilled and, surely, the best way to start any lunch.

We hedge our bets and opt for three dishes. With a slight hint of cheese, my friend’s linguine is a fine example of less is more. Thin slices of fried garlic mix with snippets of parsley and dots of red chilli flakes, adding visual and flavourful character to the pure taste of al dente linguine, all dripped in olive oil for this minimalist but classic pasta staple. From a cursory inspection, my dish is a little harder to gauge and the neologistic ‘Croquilette’ might confuse the most fluent French or English speaker. Croquilette combines two words – croquette (crispy fried food) and coquilette (macaroni-like pasta) and, indeed, the dish is a mixture of ham and pasta with crunchy tidbits.

Decorated in a light, white foam a delicate truffle taste permeates throughout. We share the Lobster Roll which is undoubtedly the most colourful presentation thus far. A healthy portion of meaty lobster chunks are literally buried deep and wide within the brioche roll for mouthfuls of succulence and sumptuousness. Chilli mayonnaise, chives and lemon add further flavour and the string fries are as thin as shoelaces but irresistible. 

We’re perusing the Dessert menu when executive Pastry Chef Christophe Grilo drops by and surprises by saying he’s already chosen for us. With over two decades of experience in some of France’s most prestigious restaurants before joining Blue, we’re excited about this. Presentation is minimal but pretty and playful. We question Grillo which his favourite is. It’s the custard tart as it reminds him of his early days working his way up through the kitchens of Paris. Pastéis de Belém right next to the Tagus river in Lisbon claims to make the world’s best custard tarts (Pastei de nata) but this one is definitely a contender. Surrounded by five layers of crisp, delicate, crumbly pastry daubed in a thin jelly like glaze, the custard cream is delicious but surprisingly light. 

Of the other three, the Chocolate Hazelnut Parfait is the showstopper. Served in a cocktail glass with an intricate artistic design which could just about be an interpretation of a spider’s web, it begs to be drunk rather than eaten. The spoon by its side affirms otherwise, however. A mixture of viscous and solid, this mixes chocolate, hazelnut and vanilla ice cream with cocoa crumble and caramel. Each spoonful offers and encourages further discovery and brings out an excitable, childlike glee in us both. What looks like a chocolate friand is actually off the menu and full of further surprises, its interior way more complex than its appearance suggests. Beneath the friand is an airy mouse, a heavier mouse and what I imagine to be more chocolate crumble. It’s a chocoholic’s dream if chocoholics could dream that imaginatively.

We eschew tea or coffee and indulge in another glass of Ruinart as the all-day dining experience starts to make complete sense. After some serious designer shopping, why not pop in for an extravagant snack? Don’t book, just turn up on a whim. No need to stuff yourself, a couple of dishes will do. Treat yourself to a small but sensory feast by a highly skilled, always inventive Michelin-starred kitchen. If (or I should say when) I return, I’d go for the Lobster Roll and the Chocolate Hazelnut Parfait again.