The new monthly Hangover Brunch at the Westin Grande Sukhumvit caters to a different audience than the rest of the city’s ritzy hotel brunches. While it also starts on Sunday in the early afternoon, it’s hardly suitable for those seeking omelet stations and fresh waffles.
Children are banned from this monthly, adults-only event that serves mostly snack foods. What it lacks in large buffets it more than makes up for with a rotating lineup of DJs, blackout curtains, bathrobes, beds for lounging, and a free open bar from 1-2pm.
The next installment of the Westin Hangover Brunch is this Sunday.
The monthly happening was originally called “Wake Up and Eat Me” when it was introduced a few months ago but has since been rechristened as the “Westin Hangover Brunch.” Despite the tamer moniker, it did not disappoint when we attended the last installment in September.
The city’s much-loved DJ Groove was on the lineup and had come straight from a Saturday night gig and had not yet slept. Despite the lack of rest, the energy was high at the event, which only got busier as the day wore on. Groove was later joined by a live saxophone player.
The idea behind the event is to keep the party going from the night before — or to start fresh on a new day of partying. But it is, without a doubt, a party. Guests are encouraged to snack on breast-shaped cake pops, eat tiny salads with dressing in faux syringes, and sip from bachelor party-esque penis straws beneath red lights that lend a weird atmosphere to a Sunday afternoon in Bangkok.
Brunch-goer Abigail Smith said, “I’ve never been to a brunch like this. To entice people to come, I’d say, ‘You can put on a robe and curl up in a bed!”
The concept, created by the hotel’s new F&B Manager Ishmael El Badaai Santos, turns brunch on its head and will defy — or even redefine — ideas about what brunch can and should be.
As the day wore on, the brunch began to resemble a club, with flashing lights, professional dancers, and people sipping champagne.
Marvin Jones, who was in town from Los Angeles on business, confirmed that this is the kind of party you might see in L.A. but it would usually take place around a pool, not in a bar on the 25th floor. He’s a fan of the day party scene in California, so thought he would check out what Bangkok offers as far as mid-day Sunday party opportunities.
As the party broke up in the early evening on a rainy September Sunday, he said that he could see Bangkokians really knew how to party — even on a Sunday afternoon.
Entry to the Sunday brunch at Altitude, on the hotel’s 25th floor, is free and the event features an open bar from 1-2pm. After that, until the event ends at 6pm, drink prices range from THB200-290 (US$6-8.70). The all-you-can-eat buffet costs THB699 (US$21).
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