Bourbon Street restaurant in Bangkok has been serving authentic Cajun and Creole cuisine since 1986, drawing from the culinary traditions of Louisiana. Creole food is more refined and sophisticated with French influences, while Cajun cuisine is spicier and rustic, reflecting the rural bayou culture. The menu at Bourbon Street offers classic dishes like boiled crawfish, etouffe, jambalaya, and blackened redfish, transporting diners to the flavor of Southern Louisiana. As one of the pioneers of American-style restaurants in Bangkok, Bourbon Street provides a taste of Cajun and Creole specialties to Thai patrons for over 20 years.

1. One of the pioneers of American cuisine in Bangkok, starting from 1986, has been the Cajun-Creole restaurant Bourbon Street located in Washington Square right off Sukhumvit Soi 22. I first ate there in 1996, lured by the prospect of real Cajun food. If you’ve ever had real Cajun food and Creole too, then you’ll understand why the attraction to this indigenous American southern cuisine can be so strong. Done properly, I think that these two food styles native to the state of Louisiana are the best in the U.S. Louisiana was a real melting pot in the turbulent early days of the American colonies and then nationhood during the 18th and 19th centuries. You had people coming in to the city of New Orleans, the gateway to all of Louisiana, from all over the western world: France, Spain, Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica, and many other islands as well with, of course, blacks slaves from Africa, and all of their respective cultures had a hand in shaping the unique cuisine that came to be known first as Creole and then, its offshoot, Cajun. Creole is the more refined of the two, an urbane city dweller as opposed to it’s country cousin, Cajun, which grew up in the mostly rural areas. Creole is smooth and sophisticated, drawing from its classic French roots, while Cajun is spicy and a bit rough, just like the countryside of southern Louisiana where it was spawned amidst bayous, creeks and backwoods. And make no mistake, Cajun can be some of the spiciest food you will ever eat, rivaling the native Thai cuisine here. As famous Cajun chef Paul Prudhomme said once, “Cajun food is piquant. Piquant means ‘hot and burns your mouth like a sticker.’” Typical Creole dishes include etouffes, jambalayas and gumbos of different varieties as well as remoulade sauces that are used for different dishes. There are a number of tomato-based sauces, like a classic Creole sauce that is used in many dishes, and the flavors tend to be milder but complex. Cajun cuisine also has jambalayas and gumbos and, of course, the dish that Prudhomme made famous 25 years ago, blackened redfish, probably the best way to cook fish I’ve ever seen. On the menu at Bourbon Street you’ll find many of these dishes starting with boiled crawfish, the delectable little “mini-lobsters” that you pick apart with your hands and eat by the pound. Then there ‘s crawfish bisque, boiled shrimp, blackened redfish, etouffe, jambalaya, Cajun meatloaf, dirty rice, Andouille sausage and a lot, lot more. You’ll also find steaks and chops and a Tex-Mex section that forms the basis of the Mexican Night promotion on Tuesday that‘s been going on as far as I can remember. For a taste of southern cooking and American cuisine in general with a specialization in the wonderful food of Louisiana, try Bourbon Street some night. It’s easy to find since it’s been an institution in this city for 22 years.