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Bangkok nightlife: Tamarind Cafe in Bangkok Five years ago French-born Sylvie Bruzeau and Taiwanese-born Luka Wong opened the doors of 'Tamarind Café', in the nostalgic, romantic and remote city of Hanoi, Vietnam. A leap in the dark that resulted in a trendy and successful place that serves innovative vegetarian food. Some years later another 'Tamarind Café' was started. Its setting, though, was a totally different Asian metropolis, Bangkok. The café has become an oasis of tranquillity and well-being for expats and tourists as well as many locals who are no longer satisfied with the usual venues.

Sylvie Bruzeau and Luka Wong met in Japan. Sylvie was employed in a luxury hotel and did some modelling, while Luka worked with an internationally renowned fashion designer. Apparently, it was a casual encounter between two young women who happened to be in the same place at the same time; an encounter that would have changed their lives. 'One day Luka told me she wanted to open a restaurant. She needed a partner and thought about me', explained Sylvie.

It's five o'clock in the afternoon and we are sitting at a small table inside the Bangkok 'Tamarind Café'. Silvie is tall and slender, with a short and very fashionable haircut that makes her look even more French, if possible. In front of us there is a delicious jasmine-scented tea in small lacquered terracotta cups. A little bit further down three friends are chatting around several plates full of snacks. On the fluffy sofas in the opposite corner four old female tourists have a rest after a hectic day of shopping in Bangkok.

'I immediately fell in love with the idea', said Sylvie. 'Luka had already found a location in Hanoi, so we moved there. It was a real adventure. We neither spoke Vietnamese or knew the culture. But we were full of energies and determined to make it. At that time in Hanoi there were very few places like ours. Our plan was good, and there was a need for a restaurant where foreigners could count on high standards of hygiene'.

Sylvie spent the early months among pots and pans together with her Vietnamese staff. On the menu you can find vegetarian dishes only. 'This means, no meat or fish, nor such ingredients as fish sauce, which is quite popular in the East. Our dishes are a mix of French, Vietnamese, Japanese and Thai influences. Luka and I have both travelled widely and poured our experiences into our cooking'.

The selected and colourful menu makes you really want to taste the 'Tamarind' cousin. Creative sushi, Vietnamese spring rolls, vegetarian lasagna, stuffed tofu and for whose who can barely give up meat, a vegetarian steak with mushrooms. Desserts bear inspiring names such as 'chocolate fondue', 'chocolate cake', 'heavenly waffles' and 'lemon cheese cake'. I've always been keen on cooking', said Sylvie. 'Rather than cooking I'd call it 'experimenting'. There's a whole range of possibilities apart from standard dishes. Besides, I get a kick out of seeing people having fun while eating what I cooked'.

It leaps out that everything at 'Tamarind Café' is home-made. From bread to fresh pasta. The ingredients are all high-quality. Fresh vegetables, fruit and spices come from the local market and are picked out by Sylvie herself. Chocolate for cakes must be brought from abroad, of course; olive oil comes from Italy and soy sauce from Japan. Wines come from France as well as Australia and South America. The tea selection - mostly Asian - is impressive at the very least and takes up a whole page of the menu. Fruit juices are freshly squashed with fresh fruit. Cocktail lovers cannot miss the house speciality, the 'Tamarind Kiss'.

Choosing a strictly vegetarian menu was almost unavoidable. 'I've been a vegetarian for seven years. It didn't happen either of my own free will or for religious reasons' explained Sylvie. 'It was a gradual process. I started to eat less and less meat and fish, while realising I was feeling better'.

Well-being and care for the body and soul. Here is the philosophy of 'Tamarind Café'. 'Our goal was creating a place where people could immediately feel at home. Especially in Bangkok where there are plenty of fashionable venues. It's nice to go there once in a while but you don't always feel at ease. We wanted a laid-back, friendly atmosphere, a place where you can be yourself.

That is why Luka Wong and Sylvie Bruzeau furnished their café with a lot of love and taste. The tables 'beckon to sit down', the sofas are really comfortable and their cushions very, very fluffy. At first, the high walls of Tamarind Café seemed a bit empty and soon they came up with the idea to use them as an exhibition area for art photographs. Since then 'Tamarind Café' is also called 'Gallery F-stop'. Every month there is a new artist on display.

The photographs on the walls are not the only artistic and creative thing, though. The way in which dishes are presented is also trendy and 'fusion', so that a brunch, a lunch or a dinner here becomes even more pleasant. After that we tasted the cousin and the atmosphere of the Bangkok 'Tamarind Café' several times and each time - as if it were the first - we enjoyed this magic place that Sylvie and Luka have been able to set up.

'Tamarind Café' is open Monday to Friday, from 3 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays it opens at 10 a.m. for brunch. A meal of two courses and a fruit drink costs approximately 500 bahts (about 10 Euros).

Tamarind Café Bangkok - Sukhumvit Soi 20, Bangkok, tel. 02 663 7421 / 4261
Tamarind Café Hanoi - 80 Ma May Street, Hanoi, tel. 04 9260580
www.tamarind-cafe.com