White Asparagus Season at Bisou
White asparagus, the French white gold of spring, is in season from mid-March to late June. At Bisou on Soi Langsuan it arrives as a White French asparagus risotto, THB 450.
White asparagus, the pale spring delicacy the French call l'or blanc, white gold, is in season from mid-March to the end of June, with its peak in April and May. At Bisou on Soi Langsuan, it arrives as one focused plate: White French asparagus on a risotto, THB 450. Here is the ingredient, its short season, and where to taste it in Bangkok, starting on our own menu.
What white asparagus actually is
White asparagus is the same plant as green asparagus, grown without daylight. As the spears push up, growers mound soil over them and cut them below the surface before they ever break into the light, so photosynthesis never starts and the green never forms. The result is paler, plumper and more tender, with a flavour that is milder and gently nutty rather than grassy. In France it is the asparagus that matters most: on a French menu, "asperges" almost always means white, and the country prizes it enough to call it white gold.
When is white asparagus season?
White asparagus is a spring crop. The French season runs from about mid-March to the end of June, with the best spears in April and May, then it is gone for another year. That short window is the point. White asparagus is not a pantry staple but a few weeks of the calendar, which is why French kitchens build a dish around it the moment it lands and retire it when the season closes.
White asparagus at Bisou
At Bisou, Chef Antoine Darquin keeps it direct: White French asparagus, set on a risotto, THB 450. It is the modern French way to read a classic, the tender white spears against the creaminess of the rice, one quiet seasonal plate on a menu otherwise built for sharing, from truffle French toast to a beef Wellington carved at the table. See the menu: when the asparagus is on, it is worth ordering before it goes.
Where else to find white asparagus in Bangkok
Bisou is not the only French table marking the season. Maison Dunand in Sathorn, one MICHELIN star, plates white asparagus from France in spring; Brasserie 9 flies its spears in from the South of France for a limited run; and Palmier by Guillaume Galliot at the Four Seasons builds a seasonal white asparagus menu each spring. We mapped the wider scene in our guide to the best French restaurants in Bangkok. The constant across all of them is the calendar: when white asparagus is in, it is in, and when it is over, it waits a year.
Taste the season at Bisou
White asparagus season is brief by design, which is reason enough to catch it. At Bisou on Soi Langsuan, two minutes from BTS Chit Lom, the White French asparagus risotto sits alongside the rest of a modern French menu made to share, with a cellar chosen by co-founder and sommelier Théo Lavergne. See the menu, book a table, and let the season do the rest.
Frequently asked questions
What is white asparagus?
White asparagus is the same plant as green asparagus, grown under mounded soil without daylight so it never turns green. It is paler, more tender and milder, with a gently nutty flavour, and the French prize it enough to call it l'or blanc, white gold.
When is white asparagus in season?
White asparagus is a spring crop. The French season runs from about mid-March to the end of June, with the best spears in April and May, after which it is gone until the following year.
How is white asparagus different from green asparagus?
White and green asparagus are the same vegetable, and the difference is light. White asparagus is grown covered from the sun, so it stays pale, plumper and more tender, with a subtler, slightly nutty taste, while green asparagus is grassier and more direct.
Where can I eat white asparagus in Bangkok?
In spring, white asparagus appears at several French restaurants in Bangkok, including Bisou on Soi Langsuan, which serves a White French asparagus risotto at THB 450, along with Maison Dunand, Brasserie 9 and Palmier at the Four Seasons.
How does Bisou serve white asparagus?
Bisou serves white asparagus as a single seasonal plate, White French asparagus on a risotto, at THB 450, a modern French take that lets the tender spears lead, on a menu otherwise built to share.