Dinner at Elements is a truly memorable experience. This chic restaurant serves exceptional cuisine sourced from all over the world, in a relaxed atmosphere featuring an open kitchen design and stunning terrace. The result is a world class restaurant that welcomes guests without the pretensions of typical fine dining establishments, and in a city that sometimes values style over substance, Elements is executed perfectly.
Located on the 25th floor of the Okura Prestige Hotel, Elements Restaurant in Bangkok is easy to reach thanks to a direct walkway from Ploenchit BTS Station.
The layout is urbane and welcoming with a timber wall mount backed by soft purple neon lights and light wood floor boards. There is a chefs table in front of the open kitchen that can seat up to eight lucky diners who can have their meal served by the head chef with personal interaction, however Elements has been designed in such a way that different areas appeal to different diners: secluded two person tables sit up against the floor-to-ceiling windows for those who require privacy and another eight person table stands surrounded by a soft veil with a full glass divide between table and kitchen to give a sense of intimacy not often found in such a high class restaurant.
For diners who appreciate real gourmet quality, Elements doesn’t disappoint. There is no cutting corners here: oysters are amongst the freshest we have tried in Bangkok, truffle is shaved liberally and foie gras is cut deliciously thick. They describe their style as ‘modern logical cuisine’ which in effect means handpicking the finest ingredients and crafting them into dishes that deliver on taste and are visually stunning.
With its connections to Okura Hotels, there is an undercurrent of Japanese flavours (tuna sashimi laid on a crab meat, radish and wasabi base is an obvious example) but really the skilled chefs are given free rein to create imaginative cuisine using modern culinary techniques. Elements is a great place for a date as the creativity that goes into each dish will ensure you never run out of conversation, or if you want to impress friends without the formality of a more traditional fine dining restaurant. Just be sure to save room for dessert because the patisserie chef devises signature creations that will blow your mind.
Opening Hours: 18:00-22:30
BTS: Ploen Chit
Address: 57 Wireless Road, Ploenchit, Bangkok
Tel: +66 (0) 2687 9001
Sra Bua is a fine-dining restaurant that serves cutting edge Thai cuisine unlike any you will have ever seen before. Well-known Thai favourites have been turned inside out, and every dish is a treat for the eyes – as well as the taste buds. The consulted chef is Henrik Yde-Andersen, the man behind Kiin Kiin in Copenhagen, the renowned Michelin-starred Thai restaurant. Chef Henrik flies in to create seasonal menus that push boundaries in terms of inventiveness. The menu changes every quarter, but signature dishes and favourites remain.
Located on the ground floor of the ultra-luxe Siam Kempinski Hotel, Sra Bua by Kiin Kiin is richly decorated with teak wood and Thai embellishments, none more so than the lotus pond (‘sra bua’ means lotus pond in Thai) which is a central feature of the restaurant. The most coveted table in the house sits under the beautifully carved teak roof in the left hand corner of the dining room but there are also some cosy booths if you want a little more privacy.
The menu offers a 10 course set menu (3,100++ baht) or a la carte options, but to enjoy all of the fun and surprising elements of a meal at Sra Bua the set menu shows Chef Henrik at the height of his ingenuity. Don’t treat this as a quick meal though as this is really is a drawn out affair with enough surprises and theatrics to make it your full night out.
I counted 18 plates of food when you consider the amuse bouche and multi-plate courses. It’s called ‘The Journey’ and it is exactly that, with fine-dining tricks and surprises apparent in almost every course. A meal at Sra Bua starts with a few nibbles and a selection of street food style dishes. The crispy chicken skin with frozen balls of sate sauce is a great introduction to this style of creative cuisine, along with the bag of spiced cashew nuts, delivered in a little plastic bag, which you are encouraged to eat too – it’s actually made of edible tapioca starch.
There’s also red curry ice cream on a crab cornetto, grilled squid served on a mini coal barbeque, and a ‘miang kham’, a collection of raw ingredients wrapped in a betel leaf. It really is like a whirlwind tour of the flavours you are likely to find out and about in Thailand, but presented with panache.
All the food at Sra Bua by Kiin Kiin is presented with that extra wow factor, and even dishes that sound traditional on the menu appear at your table in a striking manner. One of the must-try main courses is the grilled beef tenderloin, served with a Thai basil reduction and a spicy oyster sauce with the aromatic flavour of tamarind really added depth to the dish. Another Thai favourite: creamy Tom Kha has been given a makeover and broken into separate parts. The generous portion of panko fish is flaky and flavoursome and is topped with crisp peppery fish skin.
The fragrant soup is served from a teapot and is lightly spiced. The staff are warm, attentive and knowledgeable about the ingredients and preparation of the food, which is always handy when you can’t quite pinpoint the complex blend of spices and flavourings. The dessert selection is no less impressive, with three separate sweet treats, all light, floral and fruity. The stand-out sweet for me was the Flower Shop, an actual rose bud, with jasmine, mint and lime used to flavour and scent the dish. It tastes like a bowlful of summer holidays.
Reconstructing Thai dishes in such an unusual way is very daring, but Sra Bua pulls it off in majestic style and a meal here is a treat for any serious food lover.
Bangkok’s Riverside is home to some of the best restaurants in town, many of which take advantage of the cool breezes, sumptuous views across the water and sit in ideal spots next to the Chao Phraya River’s many piers and luxury hotels. The stretch of the river really offers a great escape from Bangkok’s often oppressive traffic and inner-city stuffiness. Hugging the banks of the Chao Phraya River you’ll find old temples, wooden houses and old buildings and warehouses as well as a whole host of stunning hotels offering great river views.
With its non-descript entrance and out-of-the-way location tucked away beside the Chao Phraya River, Steve Cafe and Cuisine well and truly fell into Bangkok’s list of ‘hidden gems’ when it first opened in 2012. But it seems like anything that has the label ‘hidden gem’ slapped on it in Bangkok can only remain hidden for so long, especially when word of mouth spreads and quality of food remains consistent. Now, with Steve Cafe gets packed out most nights drawing in locals, expats and tourists with their delightful views, tasty Thai menu and quaint little dining space. This riverside restaurant of course delivers on the picturesque views, but the crowds don’t just flock for that reason alone. All dishes are fresh, and the menu has an emphasis on both classic Thai as well as some more unusual offerings from around The Kingdom.
To find it, take a boat to Dhevet Pier and walk towards Thevarakunchong Temple
Opening Hours: 11:30 – 23:00
Address: 68 Sri Ayudhaya Road, Soi Sri Ayudhaya 21, Bangkok
Tel: +66 (0) 81 868 0744
Fine Cantonese food and a refined dining atmosphere are the real hallmarks of renowned Mei Jiang Restaurant, which sits on the ground floor of The Peninsula Hotel next to Bangkok’s Chao Phraya River. Just like the whole hotel, this restaurant presents some rather stylish surroundings and you’ll rarely hear a bad word said about their delectable signature dim sum dishes. Although set inside, the large full-length windows looking out over a garden and the majestic Chao Phraya River offer a spectacular view to enjoy whilst tucking into your lunch or dinner. Aside from their dim sum, other tantalising offerings include roast duck, deep fried snow fish with salt and chilli, and the tenderloin beef with pepper paste.
Opening Hours: 12:00 – 14:30, 18:30 – 22:30
Address: 333 Charoennakorn Road
Tel: +66 (0) 2 861 2888
Situated in the Garden Wing of The Mandarin Oriental Bangkok, its full a la carte French menu specialises in exemplary seafood and meat dishes, although there’s always an alternative but no less exquisite set menu, both at lunchtime and dinner. Not cheap but well worth splashing out for a special occasion.
Opening Hours: Lunch 12:00 – 14:00; Dinner 19:00 – 22:00 (Closed Sunday)
Address: Mandarin Oriental Bangkok, 48 Oriental Avenue
Tel: +66 (0)2 659 9000 ext 7390-4