When a serious accident ended extreme sports celebrity Akira Back's snowboarding career, he did not just ski off into the sunset. Instead, the Korean-born, American-raised superstar turned his hand to the culinary arts -- and created a worldwide brand known for its thrilling fusion of the world's most exciting cuisines. The Akira Back restaurant at the Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen's Park on Bangkok's Sukhumvit Soi 22 is now offering a holiday treat that takes your palate on a jet-setting tour of pan-global eating, ranging from Tuna Pizza and Gillardeu Oyster to 48 Hours Wagyu Beef Cheek -- and even an ice-cream made from Korean rice wine.
Back has transformed the top two floors of the Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen's Park's South Tower into a cross between a fine dining establishment and a theme park. After a lift whisks you to the 37th floor, you step into a different world…in fact, several different worlds. On one side lies a bar that recalls the London of Sherlock Holmes, with vintage scientific instruments gracing the wooden shelves. On the other, a walkway that blends an elaborate suspension bridge with a cathedral nave leads past a gleaming robata grill. Further along, a serious of beautifully appointed private rooms offer a VIP gourmet experience with a stunning view of the Bangkok cityscape. And the main dining area is no less impressive, with Akira's uniquely-shaped signature ceramics and a choice of elegantly finished paper menus and electronic ordering tablets hinting at the the delights to ensue. The beverages alone are an intoxicating temptation -- aside from Akira's own branded sake, custom-produced by the acclaimed Nanbu Bijin brewery in Japan's Iwate Prefecture, a curated wine list is complemented with a range of Japanese, Korean and American craft beers.
The Christmas menu kicks off with an amuse bouche of Truffle Bomb with Amaebi, Uni and Caviar -- it looks like a painting and its taste is truly artistic. The truffle theme continues with one of Chef Back's most famous designs: Tuna Pizza, a collusion of Italy and Japan with Truffle Oil, Micro Shiso and Umami Aioli, a savoury delight with a spicy far-eastern aftertaste. The Gillardeu Oyster is another cross-cultural triumph: the genuine article imported from western France and animated by Jalapeno, the delightful Japanese vinegar-based sauce Nanbanzu and the Korean spicy-and-sweet red chili-foaming Chojang Emulsion.
Pure indulgence follows with the Foie Gras Robatayaki cooked over hot charcoal and enhanced by Kimchi Glazed, Smoked Peach and Shallot Compote. Hard to believe, but we're only half way through: next comes another of Chef Back's specialities, Miso Black Cod with a mouth-watering Malabar Black Pepper Sauce, the Korean barbeque favourite Pickled Sesame Leaf, and a flight-of-fancy Coconut Foam.
One of Akira Back's most celebrated dishes comes next: 48 Hours Wagyu Beef Cheek, cooked sous vide for a full two days for the ultimate tender consistency, a wholesome, earthy delight abetted by a unique Coffee Crust, Grill Baby Corn and Onion Puree. The pre-dessert is a potent dish of Makkeoli -- Korean Rice Wine ice-cream -- and the finale is a Coconut Sorbet with Seasonal Fruit, arrayed like a bird of paradise.
Priced at B3,200 per person, this is a Christmas dinner you will never forget.
But if you need a reminder, many of the Christmas menu's most memorable dishes made an encore on the New Year's menu. To ring in 2019, the Amuse Bouche branches out to feature lobster claw, consommé gelée and Oscietra caviar, and the Gillardeu Oyster makes way for Langoustine Carpaccio, a prawn-powered work of art featuring an Eastern canvas of the Japanese sweet-and-sour sauce Vanilla Amazu Ponzu, the flying fish row Orange Tobikko, and the Chinese parsley-based Cilantro Oil.
The dish is a triumph, and a metaphor for the Akira Back's aesthetic -- using the world's finest ingredients as building blocks for a creative masterpiece.
When this magnificent dinner is complete, there's no better way to celebrate the world's finest creations with a stroll on the rooftop with its panoramic views of the Bangkok cityscape and a bar featuring designer gins and a selection of fine cocktails. The finest food on earth raised to unprecedented heights: Akira Back should be a centrepiece of your holiday itinerary.
BANGKOK MARRIOTT MARQUIS QUEEN'S PARK. Sukhumvit Soi 22, Phrom Phong BTS Station. Tel. 02 059 5999.
