La Petite Planete (French bistro)

[Evil Penevil]

I can recommend Le Petite Planete for French-style cuisine. It's run by a Belgian who knows his cooking. It's located about half-way down a sub soi that runs along one side of Tukcom, the side closet to 2nd Road. It's small and there's nothing fancy about the place, but the food is excellent. For a quick, unpretentious French-style bistro meal, Le Petite Planete is a good choice. It also features a limit menu of Thai food and the girls I've taken there who've sampled the Thai dishes gave it the thumbs up.

 

 

 

I've never had a bad meal there and more than one truly good one. He's one of my favorites, couscous with grilled meat and seasonal root vegetables. The couscous had been steamed properly, the vegetables, served as a side dish, were flavorful and the meat (quarter chicken, leg and thigh; some chunks of beef; and two small pieces of lamb) was tasty. It cost 350 baht.

 

 

Last weekend had the three-course Special of the Day. You get three or four choices each for the starter, main course and dessert. For starters, you can have soup; salad or pate. The four main-course possibilities are a beef, pork, chicken or fish dish, while dessert is pudding, cake, sorbet or fruit salad. The main dish is accompanied by your choice of potato (French fried, mashed, baked or boiled) and a small serving of vegetables as well as fresh French bread.

 

I started with country-style pate (the homemade pickles were a nice touch):

 

 

and followed with Chicken Cordon Bleu:

 

 

The chicken fillet had been pounded thin; the slice of ham added the right flavor accent and saltiness; and the Swiss cheese inside was bubbly. The outside surface was browned nicely and added flavor.

 

For dessert, I had creme caramel. The top surface looks dark in the picture, but in fact it was caramelized to just the right level . The sauce wasn't sickly sweet.

 

 

It cost 270 baht for the three-course meal and another 70 baht for a bottle of San Miguel Light. Chang, Tiger and Leo are available for 40 or 50 baht, but I prefer SML.

 

 

One night I wasn't very hungry and just ordered the crab salad. I can't remember exactly how much it was, but about 100 baht.

 

 

 

Side note: One night, this young lady was sitting at the table across from mine.

 

 

She smiled invitingly and asked me why I was eating alone. I smiled back and answered, "Because I am alone - tonight." She laughed, but before she could say anything else, she got a text message on her cell phone and was occupied with it for several minutes, then finished her meal quickly and paid, smiling sweetly at me on the way out.

 

I have to wonder what she might have said/offered without the text message. Maybe she would invited me to join her in hopes I'd pick up the tab, but certain services might also have been offered at some point in the conversation. I'm guessing she worked in one of the Russian places on Walking Street, as those girls all live in the Day-Night Apartments just around the corner from Le Petite Planete.

 

 

Evil

[Ohyesuare]

Thanks for the review, the food looks good I will have to go check it out.

[Evil Penevil]

Another nice meal at Le Petite Planete, this time a tomato stuffed with minced beef and served with a lovely tomato sauce, mashed potatoes and vegetables.

The sauce was so good I asked for more. It cost 189 baht.

 

Evil

 

[manarak]

I can recommend LPP as well.

Not sure the owner is Belgian though.

I thought his name is Pierre, from Alsacy in France (Strasbourg)?

 

Anyway the daily menus are really worth it at about 270 baht + drinks

 

And the food really tastes French, which is a big difference from some other places which label themselves "French Restaurant".

[Piece Corp]

I agree this place is really good. I stop there for lunch when visiting tukcom. Thanks to the OP for the review.

[Piece Corp]

I noticed the restaurant in the news today, although no fault of their own

 

http://www.pattayaone.net/pattaya-news/122081/body-of-female-found-in-plastic-bag-on-roof-of-south-pattaya-french-restaurant/

[padfoot]

Yea, they did make the news.

[okdirl]

Just don't ask them for a take away in a plastic bag too soon? 555

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[xdrt33]

Thanks for the review, Evil.

Looks like a good place.

Will definitely try it soon

[mpm]

Thanks Evil, what great reviews you give..this place is a must try for me though I'd never heard of it before..

[Evil Penevil]

La Petite Planete is another restaurant where I used to eat frequently, but my visits became very infrequent when I moved from the area.  I've been back  several times in the past few weeks, so I decided it's time for an update.

 

 

Outwardly, not much has changed.  It's still the small, well-lit and spotlessly clean restaurant I remember.  Even though it had been at least two years since I'd eaten there, the staff remembered me and gave me a very warm welcome.

 

On my first return visit a month ago I had the weekend (only) special, couscous royale.  I didn't have my camera with me, so no pics.  The couscous had been a favorite at La Petite Planete and I was happy to renew my acquaintance with it.  There was a large helping of very tasty slow-cooked lamb and huge portions of couscous and vegetables.  It's still the best couscous I've had in Pattaya.

 

 

Last night I had the three-course special  at 320 baht.  You can mix-and-match among three different starters, main dishes and desserts.  I chose to begin with the tomato and mozzarella salad, which was a bit of a disappointment.  Never the mozzarella nor the tomatoes had much taste and were overwhelmed by the vinegar dressing.

 

 

I had the tournedos with Roquefort sauce as my main course.  Tournedos are sliced from the beef tenderloin and often called filet mignon in the U.S.  I asked for  it medium rare, but it got it rare.  

 

 

That's OK with me as I prefer beef rare when it is tender and my tournedos certainly was.  The surface was seared nicely and well seasoned with pepper.

 

 

 

The Roquefort sauce, which I used on my mashed potatoes and vegetables, had plenty of flavor.  The chef hadn't skimped on the cheese, whic is how I like it.  The mashed potatoes were also good and the standard vegetables (peas, arrots, cauliflower) didn't have all the taste boiled out of them.

 

 

I finished with fruit crepes.  I expected it would come with tropical fruit, but the thin pancake was topped with a cherry compote and ice cream.

 

 

 It was quite good and not too sweet, but the bottom layer was more of a thin pancake than a crepes because of its texture.

 

The meal was satisfactory but not excellent, not quite at the level I recalled at La Petite Planete.  The couscous, however, held the old mettle.  SML cost 80 baht/bottle.

 

Evil

 

[B-Man]

Pics look very good. Thanks for another excellent report evil, always look forward to them!

[Kreggerz]

Is the same owner from before (yes from Alsace) still there? I haven't noticed him lately walking by.

[Evil Penevil]

Is the same owner from before (yes from Alsace) still there? I haven't noticed him lately walking by.

 

I'm not really sure who is the owner of La Petite Planete.  I always thought it was the guy in the white chef's jacket in the photo in post #1.  I haven't seen him since I began eating again at LPP.

 

Evil

[bar stool]

I can recommend Le Petite Planete for French-style cuisine. It's run by a Belgian who knows his cooking. It's located about half-way down a sub soi that runs along one side of Tukcom, the side closet to 2nd Road. It's small and there's nothing fancy about the place, but the food is excellent. For a quick, unpretentious French-style bistro meal, Le Petite Planete is a good choice. It also features a limit menu of Thai food and the girls I've taken there who've sampled the Thai dishes gave it the thumbs up.

 

 

 

I've never had a bad meal there and more than one truly good one. He's one of my favorites, couscous with grilled meat and seasonal root vegetables. The couscous had been steamed properly, the vegetables, served as a side dish, were flavorful and the meat (quarter chicken, leg and thigh; some chunks of beef; and two small pieces of lamb) was tasty. It cost 350 baht.

 

 

Last weekend had the three-course Special of the Day. You get three or four choices each for the starter, main course and dessert. For starters, you can have soup; salad or pate. The four main-course possibilities are a beef, pork, chicken or fish dish, while dessert is pudding, cake, sorbet or fruit salad. The main dish is accompanied by your choice of potato (French fried, mashed, baked or boiled) and a small serving of vegetables as well as fresh French bread.

 

I started with country-style pate (the homemade pickles were a nice touch):

 

 

and followed with Chicken Cordon Bleu:

 

 

The chicken fillet had been pounded thin; the slice of ham added the right flavor accent and saltiness; and the Swiss cheese inside was bubbly. The outside surface was browned nicely and added flavor.

 

For dessert, I had creme caramel. The top surface looks dark in the picture, but in fact it was caramelized to just the right level . The sauce wasn't sickly sweet.

 

 

It cost 270 baht for the three-course meal and another 70 baht for a bottle of San Miguel Light. Chang, Tiger and Leo are available for 40 or 50 baht, but I prefer SML.

 

 

One night I wasn't very hungry and just ordered the crab salad. I can't remember exactly how much it was, but about 100 baht.

 

 

 

Side note: One night, this young lady was sitting at the table across from mine.

 

 

She smiled invitingly and asked me why I was eating alone. I smiled back and answered, "Because I am alone - tonight." She laughed, but before she could say anything else, she got a text message on her cell phone and was occupied with it for several minutes, then finished her meal quickly and paid, smiling sweetly at me on the way out.

 

I have to wonder what she might have said/offered without the text message. Maybe she would invited me to join her in hopes I'd pick up the tab, but certain services might also have been offered at some point in the conversation. I'm guessing she worked in one of the Russian places on Walking Street, as those girls all live in the Day-Night Apartments just around the corner from Le Petite Planete.

 

 

Evil

The word “planète” is feminine in French, so “La petite Planète”, not “Le petite Planète”.

[MSR]

“La petite Planète”, not “Le petite Planète”.

 

Bo

 

The word “planète” is feminine in French, so “La petite Planète”, not “Le petite Planète”.

Both seem the Same?

[manarak]

“La petite Planète”, not “Le petite Planète”.

 

Bo

 

Both seem the Same?

You need to visit Top Charoen Optical. Many shops around town.

[Evil Penevil]

On Monday night, the last safe night before Songkran, I had planned to visit Deli Diner to try its four-course menu (299 baht) again. Turns out Deli Diner is closed Mondays, but no problem.  I ate at La Petite Planete, which is exactly next door.

 

 

When I lived in the viciniy, I ate frequently at La Petite Planete and never had a bad meal. Now I eat there only occasionally but the food  still holds a consistently high standard.  I was particularly happy to see the Couscous Royal (395 baht) was on offer Monday, as in the past, you've only been able to get it on weekends.

 

 

La Petite Planete was nearly empty when  I stepped in at about 7.00 pm ...

 

 

but six more customers dribbled in while I was eating.  I noticed four of them also ordered the Couscous Royal.

 

 

It's a very large portion that includes chicken (leg and thigh); a chunk of lamb; a meatball; merguez, a spicy North African lamb sausage; a bowl of stewed root vegetables and chick peas; and a platterful of couscous.

 

 

 

The vegetables yield a delicious sauce that is quite spicy, but the spiciness is nicely balanced by the blandness of the couscous.

 

The meat components are tender and flavorful. I really like the bite of the merguez.

 

 

 

 

 

Luckily, I hadn't eaten much on Monday, so I was able to do justice to most of the serving.  I didn't walk away hungry, that's for sure.

 

 

La Petite Planete also has a three-course set menu variation for 320 baht.

 

 

Bottom line:  La Petite Planete has been offering quality French foods for quite a few years and manages to remain very consistent.  It will be interesting to see how it stands up to competition from its lower-priced next door neighbor.  It's a rather curious coincidence that there are about six French restaurants in close proximity to each other near Tukcom.

 

Evil

 

[Peeping Tom]

Recently La Petite Planète has been going downhill.

Everything is being deep fried now, from pork filets to salmon.

Disgusting.

That being said I’ve seen a stiff-upper-lip Englishman still going there for his daily special without dessert (at 280 baht) without a drink.

[manarak]

43 minutes ago, Peeping Tom said:

Recently La Petite Planète has been going downhill.

Everything is being deep fried now, from pork filets to salmon.

Disgusting.

That being said I’ve seen a stiff-upper-lip Englishman still going there for his daily special without dessert (at 280 baht) without a drink.

maybe it changed owners?

haven't seen Pierre in a while.

[Elvira]

Some months ago I got the runs twenty minutes after leaving La Petite Planète and eating their spaghetti carbonara with salmon.

Not going back.

[Kreggerz]

15 hours ago, manarak said:

maybe it changed owners?

haven't seen Pierre in a while.

I thought he was gone for several years by now. 

[Patts Luver]

This restaurant seems to be very interesting !! The location please !!!!

[roderick]

24 minutes ago, Kreggerz said:

I thought he was gone for several years by now. 

I believe Pierre passed away , several years back!!

[Kreggerz]

5 hours ago, roderick said:

I believe Pierre passed away , several years back!!

That sounds familiar. Not sure but haven't seen him in that restaurant for many years.