Mighty_Liam

Hi everyone,

Old ground, I know, but a couple of questions about fine dining in BKK. I'll be in BKK in two weeks for my honeymoon and I was wanting to take my new wife out for a really nice evening dining experience. I've seen a few of the suggestions ppl have made on here such as Face, Biscotti Italian, Tongue Thai etc and was thinking about trying a couple of these. However, I've just had someone recommend Sirocco at the dome as great romantic place. I've seen the pictures and it looks fantastic, but what is the food and service like? Is around 5000 baht a good guess for how much it would cost us for dinner for two?

Are there any other places that ppl could recommend for the kind of experience I'm looking for?

Thanks for your help,

Liam.

kuranosuke

i've not dined at sirocco, but i have had a few drinks at the adjacent skybar, and it was fantastic.

i did sit at a table in sirocco, and my feeling is that if you dined there, the wind would chill your food in ten mintues. don't get me wrong, the view is great, jazz music is great, but personally, i don't like to eat cold food.

i think d'sens at the top of the sukhothai hotel would be what you are looking for. excellent french food, superb service, and a fantastic view.

if you can't go there for dinner, go for their executive 3 course lunch. absolutely delicious, and outstanding value.

Hanuman

D'Sen is at the top of the Dusit Thani Hotel not the Sukhothai. Normally very quiet at D' Sen but if you do get a big crowd then the food is very slow - catch 22!

Romantic dinner - must have a river view in my opinion so I would like to recommend that you start of at the Bamboo Bar at the Oriental then either Lord Jim or the Normandy restaurant actually you could do it the other way too. Budget aim for 5,000 PER person.

kuranosuke

hanuman, i stand corrected, yes, the dusit thani. lj is also and excellent choice.

crellston

a colleague has just returned from BKK and tried to book Scirrocco and was told there was a 3 month waiting list!

he went to Vertigo atop the Banyan tree and had a great time. you also might like to consider http://www.mahanaga.com/ v.good Thai we had dinner there to celebrate my wifes b/day and really enjoyed it. Excellent Thai fusion menu with great live jazz - make sure you book a table in the courtyard.

DonTopaz

For the type of special dinner the OP describes, one would be very hard pressed to find anywhere in Bangkok that comes close to Le Normandie, on the top floor of the Oriental.

In the dinners that I have had there, the service has been absolutely wonderful: extremely attentive without being overbearing or overly formal. For example, when the waiter showed the dessert trolley and my Former Beloved sat drooling and unable to decide, the waiter made an instant friend by offering a plate with a small portion of everything on the trolley.

The food is excellent (European, with Asian accents), and the dining room is lovely and has a great view overlooking the river.

simpsonc510

mighty
There is an inside restaurant at the top of State Tower. The name of it is Mezzaluna. I ate there about a year ago. The bill for four people was 20,000 baht (expensive)... but we always include a bottle or two of wine. If you've read much on this forum, then you know that the discussions about wine always include the fact that wine is expensive in BKK.

Entree prices ran from about 1100 to 3900 baht. Beluga caviar was 20,000 baht. Salads from 510 to 750 baht, pastas from 600-900. The wine we had was 3500 baht per bottle. It was a Chilaen merlot.

I didn't like the fact that Mezzaluna was quite chilly inside. The hostess brought us (2 women) lovely shawls to put around our shoulders while we dined.

The service was excellent. The food presentation was lovely. If you do go to Mezzaluna, ask for a table by the window. The glass is floor to ceiling so nothing blocking the view.

As I am reading my journal for all the prices here, I should also tell you that I made a comment about the shape of the silverware. The handles were of a triangular shape, which I found uncomfortable! It was hard to twirl ones pasta...

We were given aromatic towels (very hot) between each course as well as before and after the meal.

I would go here again, but I would make sure I had on long sleeves... even a sweater or jacket... unless there have been enough complaints about the cold temp in the restaurant that they have turned up the AC just a tad.

Enjoy your romantic dinner!

Carol

Kathie

Mahanaga is lovely for atmosphere, but I no longer recommend it. When we ate there a year ago we had excellent food, more Thai than fusion, but with a wonderful blending of flavors. When we ate there in November, the menu was entirely different, more fusion than Thai, and it was not nearly as good (a heavy, sticky sweet sauce on the lobster phad thai obliterated the flavor of the lobster)

I agree that it would be hard to beat one of the Oriental's restaurants, either Lord Jim or Normandie.

rhkkmk

tongue thai and harmonique are fabulous restaurants but are not the place for special occasions....they are just good for good food at reasonable prices, expecially harmonique...

biscotti is a modern restaurant with an open kitchen and again excellent food....our recent dinner there cost 4048B with one glass of wine and one beer, but 3 full courses of food...i would not call it romantic, but it is a pleasant modern experience...

lord jim is fantastic and you get the added feature of a good view of the river and a stroll through the oriental lobby, which is always fun...

i cannot not imagine spending the money at sirocco or the other restaurants up there....it is a good place for an after dinner drink on the nite you go someplace really nice for dinner however...

the price of any bkk dinner is dramatically driven up by the cost of any wine you have....if you can avoid it then you can keep the cost manageable...

we also recently ate at cy'an at the metropolitan hotel and that was atmospheric and good, but very expensive...

la normandie is first class all the way, but i have not eaten there....i go to france for fancy french foods...snob..

face again is in the same class with biscotti but with the added advantage of the unique and interesting thai buildings....go there for sure

mahanaga was terrible on my recent stop there....we would never return..

angenelli in the shangri-la hotel is excellent and atmospheric...expensive italian food but served beautifully...

jesters in the peninsula hotel would fit the bill perfectly for you...unique table setting, romantic, fusion food, view of the river...

make sure you make a res at any of the fancy rest. to assure a good table...

BradinBangkok

Don't forget The Bed. It is still my all around favorite.

Have a drink at Sky Bar later.

Chucho

Question - with reading alot of restaurant recommendations through the past months on this board I noticed that alot of hotel restaurants are named. I have always tryed to avoid hotel restaurants (maybe being an independant restaurant owner), because they just don't seem to measure up - at least here in Mexico and alot in Canada.
Is it that different in BKK?

Craig

I am enjoying this thread. In Bangkok there are good hotel restaurants and some not-so-good hotel restaurants. When we visited last February we particularly enjoyed Biscotti (Four Seasons) and China House (Oriental) but were underwhelmed by the Thai restaurant at the Penn. China House has since been remodeled and has a new chef - recent reviews have not been very good.

It was interesting to see the recommendation of Le Normandie - it is probably the only place in Bangkok where jackets are required for men and the prime reason I will not go there.

Kathie

Chucko, a number of hotels in Bangkok have excellent restaurants. It is different from many other places where the hotel restaurants are second-rate. Of course, there are second rate hotel restaurants in Bangkok as well. Let us know if you need recommendations for bad hotel restaurants in Bangkok...

dogster

For my money: Sirocco - without a doubt. A knockout.

Look in www.lebua.com - check out their Amazing Lebua special packages - they contain a dinner at Sirocco - set menu, bottle of wine - it's a nifty and cheaper way to get there - you'll be guaranteed a booking - the meal was great, service impeccable, view to die for -

For a honeymoon dinner I don't think it can be beat.

kuranosuke

craig, i think you also need a tie. now that will keep me out of there. i haven't worn a tie in about 8 yrs. i think i have two left.(without stains).

kathie, lol. too bad we won't see you in tokyo, maybe next time. but see you in la.

Mighty_Liam

Hmm, some great new names popping up here I havn't heard before. You guys have certainly got hold of the sort of vibe I'm looking for.

Looking at Lord Jims seems to have a lot of seafood, is there plenty of other variety, cos we are not huge seafood ppl. Normadie I certainly the look of (french snobbery and all but was hesitant because as Craig said, I need a jacket and tie in the evening! I wasn't planning to be a bum, but packing a jacket and tie in the case had certainly not entered my head!

Keep the thoughts coming.

Cheers,

rhkkmk

lord jim specializes in seafood,fish, etc but offers plenty of meats as well...take another look at jesters at the penn....not the same rest. that craig did not care for

Mighty_Liam

I'm leaning towards Jesters to be honest with you. I'd rather be inside rather than at the mercy of the elemants at Sirocco, and I don't much fancy wearing a jacket and tie at Normandie.

The menu on their website looked interesting and the price not too exorbitant. I'd be fine wearing slacks and an open neck short sleeve shirt I'd assume....?

Lindsey

At the recommendation of local foodie friends, we recently tried Vertigo, on top of the Banyan Tree. We were considering Scirocco, but our friends told us the food at Vertigo is much better, with a comparable view. They were oh so correct!

It was a stunningly beautiful night....cloudless and no wind....360 degrees of views that seemed to go for miles. And the experience of being outdoors at that height was just magical. I didn't really have high expectations for the food, in spite of the praise by our friends, because often restaurants with a "hook" like a great view, don't measure up food-wise. Happily, this is not the case at Vertigo. The food was absolutely excellent, as was the service. Can't remember exactly what we paid, but I think it was approximately $US45 per person, 3 courses and a cocktail each, but no wine.
One nice unexpected bonus....towards the end of the meal, the waiter came by with a digital camera on a tripod and snapped our photo, with the spectacular view in the background. Just before we left, he presented each of us with a nicely printed copy, in a souvenir folder, compliments of the house. Nice touch.
A very memorable setting for a great meal on a special occasion.

BradinBangkok

If you want to be inside with a view, Mezzaluna is the best choice. And the food is better than Sirocco.