Le Du

After a bit of research, I discovered that The World’s 50 Best recognised Le Du as Asia’s 50 Best No. 1, and it also held One Michelin Star. Naturally, I wanted to give it a try.

When I arrived at Le Du, I couldn’t help but feel that the overall ambiance fell short of the sophistication and taste I was expecting. It had a somewhat taobao vibe and felt a bit hastily put together. Particularly, the round wood block presentation plate, I felt it was contradicting the wavy ceiling and the ‘ocean’ focused menu. When it came to choosing between the 4 and 6-course menus, the THB600 price difference made the 6-course option a no-brainer for us. We also decided to go with the Kombucha pairing.

The only courses that were alright were the two prawn dishes. However, in my opinion, all six courses tasted rather uninteresting. I believe that a tasting menu should showcase culinary skills, creativity, and the finest ingredients of the region. Opting for a ‘degustation’ or ‘omakase’ experience means entrusting the chefs to impress diners with their innovation and mastery. Given that Le Du is supposedly the number one restaurant in Asia, I had higher expectations.

The plating was rather basic, following a textbook ‘fine-dining plating’ approach. Sauce pouring was part of almost every course, it felt uninspired and very very early 2000s. The Kombucha pairing was interesting, the ‘Mint Chocolate’ pairing with the ‘Tiger Prawn’ course, didn’t work for me. Not only did I not enjoy the drink, but it also overshadowed the flavour of one of two acceptable dishes on the menu. Although I adore mint chocolate, that drink felt like an experiment gone wrong.

One aspect that I found amusing was when the servers came to explain the dishes. Often, they didn’t seem to fully understand the dishes and had to explain them in a foreign language with little passion. It was challenging to understand what they were saying, and when I asked follow-up questions, they often went unanswered. While I understand that practice makes perfect, it seemed strange to practise with actual clients. I assumed that Le Du charged the same for everyone, so my experience would have been less satisfying if I encountered staff who were ‘practising’ with me. In that case, should I be charging an educational fee?

Overall, the entire meal left me uninspired. I think it would have been acceptable if Le Du were just a casual diner down the street (although not a place I’d return to), let alone a Michelin or 50 Best restaurant. Experiences like this make me wonder if it’s just my bad luck or if these establishments paid for their ‘recommendations.’ It’s disheartening for customers like me who do research but can’t trust these guides anymore. It’s one of the reasons why I’ve decided to start my own blog, to remind myself where to dine and where to AVOID!

Address: 399/3 Silom 7 Alley, Silom, Bang Rak, Bangkok 10500, Thailand