It feels a tad tactless when dining at Pagoda Chinese Restaurant (4th fl. Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen's Park) to reminisce the long-dematerialized restaurant it replaces, the Imperial China.
But given the veneration reserved to ancestors in these environs, it's great to see it reborn revitalized, with plusher décor and new culinary concepts created to Bangkok-veteran Executive Chef Michael Hogan's diner-centric standards by Michelin-experienced native Hong Konger and former Beijing Kempinski Executive Chinese Chef, Oscar Pun.
Taking its name from tiered Taoist towers of worship and symbols of imperial majesty, Pagoda is state-of-the-art Cantonese fine dining design infused with impeccable geomancy. The immaculately lacquered double door entrance is bounded by peaceful pots and raised red lanterns. The restaurant adopts a dragon signature motif, for good luck, but shoos away power plays, instead heralding the pleasures of the table. A massive blue and white porcelain bowl, rustically stuffed with winnowed grasses, anchors an exquisite round rug bordered with impractically ornamental mother-of-pearl-backed rosewood-framed chairs. Shades of brown and turquoise silk and brocade cushions and upholstery cover comfier dining chairs.
An inner courtyard is fringed with robust green roof tiles. Seven private rooms feature hand-painted naturalistic wall art, quirky flying glass-teapot chandeliers, and city views. The spot-on soundtrack is spun around wistful guzheng musings.
So far so hi-so Hong Kong.
Preferring a per plate approach, there are no stuff-yourself deals but prices are reasonable. Saturday and Sunday lunchtime crowds testify to that.
Restaurant Manager Piyanan "Pui" Karawa strikes base notes of human warmth and knowledgeableness. This is her third upscale Cantonese command in Bangkok, following 7.5 years acquiring linguistic fluency and specialist F&B expertise in China. Among other impacts, she's curated exceptionally fine black, green, yellow, and white tea leaves, from lapsang souchong to dong ding oolong. They not only make wonderful pots (150++) but intriguing cocktails like Oolong Old Fashioned and Chrysanthemum Gimlet, and feature twice-daily (12.30 and 7.30pm) in kung fu-style tea master performances.
Chef Oscar somehow innovates while yet embracing age-old cooking techniques using premium ingredients, sourced locally and shipped in.
Crunchy, tart turnip is offered as a pre-prandial nibble and to refresh the palate between dishes.
Fanciful dim sums can be disappointing but not Pagoda's swan-shaped deep-fried purple sweet potato, pork & shrimp (120++) where the brittle nest-like casing yields to umami filling.
Other ingratiating iterations range whole abalone-topped steamed dumplings stuffed with shrimp, pork and shitake (180++), to Wang Tiger steamed prawn dumplings (180++) covered with orange rice paper sketched with a Hello Kitty-esque tiger face.
Crispy Roasted Pork Belly (450++) arranges layers of lean meat, fat and skin, marinated and slow-roasted thrice for tender-crunchy irresistibility.
With 3-in-1 Barbecued Peking Duck Hong Kong Style (1600++), lean meat attached to crispy skin makes the dish tastier and more substantial. The whole duck is carved table-side, then served with gossamer-soft pancakes that miraculously wrap the meat, shallot, turnip, cantaloupe and black bean sauce without leakage. Roasted duck in gravy and stir-fried duck/ginger & shallot ensue. So far the record's 35 servings in a day.
Also stellar is sticky rice stir-fried with whole shelled crab (800-900g), seasoned minced pork and preserved vegetables, then steamed (2000++), making the wonderful crab flavour all pervasive.
Ambrosial Double-Boiled Black Chicken Broth with Pink Rose and Wolfberries (380++) and Double-Boiled Fish Maw Soup with Morel Mushroom (680++) also testify to Pun's panache. As does Chilled Mango Pudding (150++), a blancmange-like dessert with brilliantly manipulated mango flavour.
Conclude with pink rosebud tea, so fragrant it leavens everything.
Open barely a year, Pagoda's awards table already overflows.
Open daily 11:30-14:30 and 18:00-22:00hrs.
restaurant-reservations.bkkqp@marriotthotels.com
Tel. 02-059-5999.
