Steak (and burger) lover’s delight
Arno’s Butcher and Eatery has opened a branch in EmQuartier
Ever since it first opened on Narathiwas Road in 2015, Arno’s Butcher and Eatery has been treasured by Bangkok gourmands for its large supply of unbeatably-priced, dry-aged steak. At the original joint, customers go to the beef display fridge, choose the cut they want (basically upon their preferences of beefy or fatty mouthfeel), have the meat cooked and enjoy the sizzling steak in a crowded chamber of hungry beef loons.
French owner-cum-chef Arnaud Carre is the fifth generation member of a professional butcher family. Carre decided to move to Thailand a few years ago after a decade of success with a butchery business in New York.
Herein the Kingdom, the veteran butcher aims to fill a gastronomic gap in steak dining by highlighting the prime quality of local cattle, which cost a lot less than its imported counterparts.
At Arno’s, a 45-day dry-aged rib eye, for example, is priced at 1,600 baht per kilogramme, 75-day aged sirloin cost 1,900 baht per kilogramme while a 100-day aged T-bone costs 3,900 baht per kilogramme.
Pricing of the beef remains reasonable at Arno’s newest venue, this week’s review subject, at EmQuartier.
The two-month-old, semi-opened venue boasts as many as 120 seats that spread across a breezy dining hall and island terrace. It offers the same steak-centric affair as the original branch but without an afternoon break, parking hassles and chaotic vibe.
The menu is quite sweeping with more than 50 entrées of salad, appetisers, pasta, burgers and meat dishes, and decent steak options.
Kicking off the meal with Arno’s salad (190 baht), a simple jumble of mixed green leaves with confit artichoke, bell peppers, mushroom and vinaigrette, proved a good idea.
For starters, we passed the likes of freshly shucked Fine de Claire oysters, baked clams and deep-fried chicken wings. Instead, we went for escargot in garlic butter (240 baht) served piping hot on glazed stoneware and were satisfied.
Hokkaido scallop fettuccine with truffle sauce (350 baht) proved a truly worth-having pasta choice thanks to the supple and naturally sweet quality of the giant scallops and the aromatic cream sauce. While grilled salmon steak with pepper sauce (390 baht) may seem dreary in appearance but tasted delightful.
You cannot miss sampling some of Arno’s burgers. I was told that Carre sells more than 4,000 burgers per month.
The traditional beef burger (220 baht), featuring house-minced 200g dry-aged beef patty layered with bacon, your choice of blue cheese or sharp cheddar, caramelised onion, tomatoes, lettuce and house speciality sauce on a freshly made bun, proved no regret. It came with a an option of French fries or salad. If you don’t eat beef but still crave a hefty burger, try the spicy pork burger (220 baht) made with ground pork tenderloin and you’ll be pleased.
When it’s time for steak, I was suggested a 120-day tenderloin (6,200 baht per kilo) that proved lean yet very tender, and a 75-day aged tomahawk (1,400 baht per kilo) which was a truly heavenly fare for a fatty steak lover.
The beef here is treated according to the French butcher’s expertise and secret methods. All steaks are served pre-sliced and only medium-cooked. Diners can control the level of doneness by the amount of time they let the steak sit on the hot metal plate.
A housemade repertoire of desserts featuring banoffee pie (90 baht), blueberry cheesecake (40 baht) and tiramisu (150 baht) wrapped up the meal nicely.