Bangkok Heightz, this week's subject of review, is a Thai restaurant and bar tucked in an exclusive semi-open space more than 100m above the city.
The 28-seater was well-designed to mimic the dynamism of Bangkok streets -- through reproductions of cluttered signs, time-worn furniture, concrete walls and dangling cables -- with a neat skyline of the glittering capital as a background.
To go with the high-rise location is elevated cooking. The cuisine here is inspired by favourite local flavours and follows time-honoured recipes prepared with world-class ingredients.
Cocktails here, priced at 320 baht per glass, are all house-concocted and named after the city's tourist attractions. Yet despite their garish moniker, the drink concoctions were agreed by our party of four to showcase originality, cleverly blending local elements with classic Western flair while offering true delight to our taste buds.
For example, Tuk Tuk was a sweet and refreshing blend of vodka, lemongrass syrup and lychee; Rama 9 a unification of rum, Italian digestif, Japanese plum wine, tamarind and lime juice; Sukhumvit a subtle harmony of vodka, pandan leaf syrup, lime juice and aperitif; and Thai Tea Shot a velvety marriage of flavoured black tea with Thai whisky, cream and egg.
Should you look for a refreshment with a touch of peppery heat, go for Muay Thai, a zesty blend of chilli-infused gin, lime juice and fresh pimento ginger.
Those who are concerned about the alcoholic intake, mocktail versions of the drinks are also available.
Apparently, the impressive cocktails led me to a high expectation on the cuisine that's to follow. And I wasn't disappointed.
Considering the restaurant's exclusive setting and few tables, the menu is quite big. It lists almost 100 items, from appetisers to tom yum, curry, stir-fried, and rice and noodle dishes, most of them with professionally-shot photographs to match.
Options of starters range from grilled satay meat on skewers to deep-fried prawn cake, chicken wings and a variety of yum (Thai styled sour and spicy salad).
Our dinner kicked off with deep-fried spicy pork wonton (190 baht). The crispy delicacy featured neatly-shape dumplings stuffed with minced pork that's been seethed with fresh shallots, sawtooth coriander, lime juice and chillies, and complemented by sweet chilli sauce. They were delectable.
As an entrée to eat with rice, we went for fried softshell crab wok-tossed with black pepper and salted egg (390 baht) and were satisfied by the crab's half flaky-crispy, half juicy-chewy texture. The crustacean was given a salty sweet enhancement by the egg yolk sauce as fresh green peppercorns lending a balancing peppery kick to each bite. Next dish, grilled Maine lobster with sweet chilli sauce (2,200 baht) gave world-class luxury to our meal. However, I'd suggest you switch the mediocre chilli sauce for the more pungent dressing, and a red curry would be a great idea.
Crispy wonton with spicy minced pork filling. VARUTH HIRUNYATHEB
Impressively reflecting the restaurant's mindful focus on local fare, its menu offers a comprehensive selection of curry, from all-time favourite green curry and red curry to massaman, paneng and chu-chi.
Don't miss the restaurant's top-selling salmon red curry (690 baht), prepared in style of chu-chi (sweeter and less watery version of common red curry dish) with house-made paste. Of the dish, large cubes of pan-fried salmon fillet boasted silky firm and tasty flesh which were marvellously enhanced by aromatic, thick and sweet curry.
I also liked the restaurant's rendering of beef green curry (310 baht). It was prepared with a house-made paste and hefty slices of Australian wagyu beef, eggplants, palm heart and fresh-squeezed coconut milk. The imported beef provided a tender and tasty chew, the vegetables smartly cooked to retain their bracing crisp, while the curry was just a little too sugary.
Despite its global fame, the tourist-treasured pineapple fried rice had never been on my list of foods to eat. But the version here (290-390 baht depending on your choice of protein), said to be among the menu's best sellers, was indeed order-worthy. Firm-grain jasmine rice came flavoured with curry powder, raisins, morsels of fresh pineapples, sweet pork floss, Chinese sausage, crispy shallots and the meat option -- in our case mixed seafood. The delicious rice was thus an added extra frill from Hokkaido scallops, New Zealand mussels, squid and prawns.
For desserts, mango with sticky rice (250 baht) and bua loy khai wan, or pearl-like dumplings with sweet quail egg in warm coconut cream (250 baht) were no complaints.
Every Friday and Saturday night, there's live band performing Thai and Western pop. Clientele are mainly local residents -- Thai and expats.
The hotel is located on Sukhumvit Road between Sukhumvit 21 and 23, and just a few steps away from the MRT Asoke Station.
