With its name providing a hint, the three-month-old grill room on the 55th floor of Waldorf Astoria Bangkok is an intimate portrayal of its sister establishment -- the signature steakhouse of 125-year-old Waldorf Astoria New York.
Taking architectural cues from the original Park Avenue location, Bull & Bear Bangkok features an Art Deco-inspired setting to mimic the old-Manhattan atmosphere. The warmly lit dining room with dark masculine hues is given an aesthetic frill by bold brass fringes and a bronze sculpture centrepiece, a recreation of Wall Street's iconic Charging Bull statue. Meanwhile, the marble-and-chrome open kitchen lends a culinary dynamism to the scene and the floor-to-ceiling glass allows a breathtaking view of the city's glittering skyline.
When it comes to food, the 54-seat restaurant boasts a modest-yet-presentable menu of prime meat and seafood -- charcoal-broiled, slow-roasted, baked and/or smoked -- from a custom-made grill, imported from Spain, that can morph into a smoker. The cooking is under the direction of the restaurant's Australian chef de cuisine Patrick Morris.
There's also a raw bar where a variety of super-fresh oysters take turns delighting guests nightly.
My recent meal here started with a complimentary offering of dark rye bun and smoked house-churned butter.
For a starter, the BBQ Caesar salad (400 baht) was said to be among the most popular. It's a neat and scrumptious display of romaine lettuce head, cut lengthwise in halves and charred to obtain a slightly burnt crust, topped with brittle strips of candied maple bacon, croutons, grated Parmesan, anchovy, poached egg and vinaigrette dressing.
Following was a corn chowder (350 baht) which proved a real taste bud-teaser. Despite its run-of-the-mill description, the warm soup, in dual colours of grassy green and ivory yellow, showcased a unique concoction and subtlety of flavours made by smoked sweetcorn purée and fragrant cilantro cream, underneath which was revealed a profound peppery heat by jalapeño pepper.
The corn chowder would definitely be my choice were I to pick just one option of soup. That is even considering the more common lobster bisque (500 baht), prepared with lobster medallion, cognac and coral butter, was also on-point.
Another starter that sells best is jumbo crab cake (800 baht). The golden-hued seafood patty, slightly larger than a hockey puck, showcased a compressed mixture of Alaskan king crabmeat and celeriac that's been pan-grilled until developing a crusty exterior while retaining a juicy centre, served on a bed of smoked remoulade cream sauce.
Blackened Australian barramundi with sweetcorn and smoked chilli-lime butter.
Being an avid fan of roasted beef bone marrow, I couldn't resist trying the restaurant's version, dubbed scorched bone marrow (400 baht). Arriving piping-hot on the bone from the grill, the unification of marrow, chopped mushroom and salsa verde was enjoyable though not memorable.
Bull & Bear's selection of steak lists top-of-the-line cuts including highly-marbled Black Onyx Angus porterhouse from Australia, A4 Saga striploin from Japan; St Helens Prime rib-eye from the US; and Diamantina wagyu tenderloin from Australia.
Our party of four went for a sharing platter of 900g bone-in rib-eye from Rangers Valley (5,900 baht). The beef, from one of Australia's most prestigious producers, was dry-aged for 55 days before being flamed-grilled upon order to a medium-rare perfection.
The hefty rib-eye steak, enough for up to five ladies to share, exhibited a tender tasty meat well-marbled with sweet juicy fat that needed no more enhancement than just a sprinkle of salt. The restaurant offers an exquisite variety of artisan salt as well as a nice selection of sauce, at no extra cost.
To go with the protein, I personally recommend salt-roasted mashed potatoes (180 baht), a sweet silky purée of the spud that's almost butter-free but with an impressive smokey finish; and truffled mac & cheese with smoked Gruyere (220 baht).
There is a nice selection of lamb, poultry and seafood for those who shun beef.
Worth having are the pan-seared blackened Australian barramundi with sweetcorn and smoked chilli-lime butter (850 baht) and lobster tagliatelle with cognac cream, basil and tomato (800 baht).
For a sweet finale, we settled on Bull & Bear's modernised rendering of New York cheesecake with blackberry sorbet (320 baht).
During our visit, the dining room was flocked by local socialites and expats seen enjoying brisk service by English-speaking front-of-the house staff. Reservations are recommended.
