Friday, February 22, 2013

Flann O'Brien's Irish Pub Review - Asiatique, Bangkok

Flann O'Brien's Irish Pub - Asiatique The Riverfront Review




Overall Score  8.5/10
Taste   4.5/5
Ambiance  4/5
Service  3/5
Value   3.5/5

Flann O'Brien's - Irish Pub on BumRes.com (For more pictures and menu)


The Asiatique is a newly opened community mall on the old part of Bangkok.  With its retro atmosphere sitting on the river, it is becoming more and more popular spot for local Thais as well as the tourists.  There are many interesting restaurants and a lot of them are not franchise restaurants.  The Flann O’Brien’s Irish Pub was the destination.  It is located at the warehouse 10, which is kind of separated from the main souvenir shopping warehouses.  I have gone to the Asiatique on the weekend once before, it was very crowded.  I mean really crowded, like people everywhere.  This time was a weekday so it wasn’t as busy, which was much nicer - not so hectic.               




Hearing the name Flann O’Brien, you can probably already tell that it is an Irish Pub.  I used to go Irish Pubs in the U.S. quite often but for Thai people in general, not so much it seems.  In the U.S., there is an Irish Pub in every city and people there love the vibe of the Irish pub.  During the Mardi Gra festival, when people drink green beer, Irish pubs are the place to be.  I am not sure if this festive thing has anything to do with the Irish culture.  I have never made a list of Irish Pubs in Bangkok before, so I don’t know for sure which ones are popular.  Flann O’Brien Irish Pub @ Asiatique is probably one of them.  They have all the qualities that any typical Irish Pub would have; the big bar with great selection of beers, the menu full of Irish dishes, the big screen for sports fan, and the pool table.  There are also seating area at the front, which was where I positioned myself, wanting to enjoy the nice night, and watch people walking by.






Speaking of the cold brew, the Flann O’Brien has nearly every draft beer available in market at a single bar.  Here is the list; Tiger, Singha, Heineken, Carlsberg, Erdinger, Guinness, Kilkenny, and Magner’s Cider.  Except for the three brands that Thai people love so much; Hoegaarden, Stella, and Leffe, this place doesn’t serve them.  About the food, this place mostly serves European dishes, a few Irish dishes, and a few Thai dishes.  We didn’t come here for Thai food, so we had all the traditional choices.    



Let’s start with the first dish – Fish and Chips (Boneless fish fillet cooked in beer batter, served with garden peas and tartar sauce – 329 baht).  This is very typical and the most basic menu I could think of being in an Irish Pub.  When it came to the table, I could tell that it was going to be delicious.  It was a good size fillet and the batter wasn’t thick.  The chips or the French fries were hot, freshly fried.  The Peas on the side were nice and green.  Then the Tartar sauce made it all even tastier.  Last time I had this menu was at the Snapper in Sukhumvit 11, which was impressive.  This visit at the Flann O’Brien was equally enjoyable.  In fact, this fish and chip was better with the atmosphere and the Tiger beer I had.   






The second dish was the Bangers and Mash (Traditional pork sausage with a big serving of mash potato and onion gravy – 299 baht).  We got two large size sausages, perfected fried to brown.  The gravy over the mash potato was flavorful.  I really liked this dish.  You  should give it a try, if you are there.




The third dish was the Beef and Guinness Pie (Beef and vegetables stewed in Guinness and baked with a puff pastry top served with chips – 369 baht).  Its appearance was new to me, much like a French style soufflé served with French fries.  The bread covering the bowl was puffy but firm enough for enjoying the texture.  The stew with the beef and veggies in there was so delicious with the bread.  The rich flavor must be from the dark Guinness beer.  This dish was very original and   amazing in its own Irish way. 






The Flann O’Brien’s was so proud to present the Irish Bread Pudding for dessert.  With the word Irish in the name, I really had to try.  It was served, looking much like an Apple Crumble pie.  To be honest, I wasn’t so fond of its soft texture.  The sweet cream on the side made it tasted good.  Perhaps it is a personal preference kind of it.  It was just not my type of dessert.   




The Flann O’Brien’s @ Asiatique really impressed me with the whole Irish setting.  The place had all the characters of a typical Irish Pub.  Besides many draft beer tabs lining at the bar, the simple British Irish food was quite delicious.  The presentation was basic but it really had the good ingredients to make it delicious.  Being so spacious and having so many tables inside, when there are not many customers, the place may not seem as attractive but I want to tell you that the Flann O’Brien is absolutely a great choice to dine and enjoy a cold beer with friends.  Check it out at the Asiatique.  




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