The original Crepes & Co., a cozy house on Sukhumvit Soi 12, has always been more about atmosphere and originality, rather than culinary fireworks. With its first branch in a mall, we were worried there wouldn’t be much left to like. Quite the opposite: the food is still as comforting but it’s a welcome change to have it in a modern space, one both bright and airy (high, loft-style ceilings, open kitchen, plenty of windows) and warm (leather couches in one corner, brown tones throughout).
Service is superlative—frank smiles, a watchful manager, astute waiters readily available without hovering. With its own entrance, the space doesn’t even suffer the usual mall drawback of ridiculous closing hours. And then there’s the world music, the free water, the hearty but exotic menu and food festivals, not to mention the fact that they’ll chill your bottle of cider (perfect with crepes) tableside.
The food is more of a mixed bag. Crepes & Co. faces little competition in the Greek, Moroccan and crepes department, so we’re willing to cut some slack. But if even Vientiane has a restaurant that does buckwheat crepes, why is Bangkok’s best creperie still using the same flour in both its sweet and savory crepes? Texture is perfect though, and fillings are mostly satisfying, even tricky ones like the fondue, a combination of three cheeses, wine and garlic that somehow works.
Unfortunately, classics can go astray: the smoked salmon crepe is afflicted with little diced bits of salmon cooked in the crepe, instead of a nice, fresh slice. Even sweet crepes are, well, too sweet, because of a blanket of powdered sugar. (To be fair, the crepe Suzette is still pure magic compared to those at Bangkok hotel brunches.) Then there’s the Moroccan food, probably the most authentic in town. The briouats are a bit plain, although rescued by the fiery harisa paste, but the tajine zitoun (chicken, olive and lemon baked in clay pot) is delicious—too bad the couscous can sometimes be dry.
They might not have a stellar kitchen, but it still puts out generous, comforting food that’s near impossible to find elsewhere, at very reasonable prices and in a location that may well trump the original. Corkage B350.