If you have THB1000+ to burn on an afternoon of pure epicurean indulgence, “The Bar & The Restaurant” might just be the perfect gastronomic stop.
Located on Suhumvit Soi 24, The Bar & The Restaurant serves an A-La-Carte menu seven days a week filled with luxurious gourmet produce imported from all over the globe. During the weekend brunch hours (noon-3.p.m.), more than 40 dishes off the same A-La-Carte menu are served in an All-You-Can-Eat package that you can gorge on for THB999 per person.
Be reminded that the price does not include your beverages, drinking water (60 Baht/bottle), VAT, and the service charge. If my math is not too off, you wallet will be about THB1,500 lighter by the time you head out the door.
For starters, you will find a global village of international delicacies: German sausage, Spanish chorizo, marinated Norwegian salmon, crisps of Italian Parma ham, and unlimited French foie gras, among a few other fancy salads. With its descriptions of how far these foods have traveled to arrive at your plate, the menu serves as your bragging notes for Monday when you’re at work.
The novelty of upscale gluttony aside, the only dish that seemed noteworthy in the sea of elaborate ingredients was a dish called “Onion Ice Cream.” This otherwise ordinary mixed green salad is made with a dressing that comes in the form of scooped onion-flavored ice. The icy temperature does a great job of enhancing the savory and sweet taste of the onion, while also making the green leaves a little less predictable. Bravo to the creativity put into this dish!
With some elements of surprise, the restaurant has three items on the menu that keep rotating every week—the Soup, the Risotto and the Special of the Day. Depending on your luck, you might find something that will intrigue you as much as I did. I enjoyed my tiny portion of Canadian Lobster Risotto and the Pumpkin Soup that were available over that weekend.
But what really struck me was the Special of the Day, which turned out to be a Thai comfort foods called “Kao-Ka-Moo” (stewed pork leg served on rice). The restaurant claimed to have made it with some very premium pork—“kurobuta” —imported from abroad. To be honest, I’m quite sorry for the little noble piggy that had to die for such a mundane dish. After being stewed for hours and hours, the pork doesn’t appear to have come from a very honorable breed after all.
Other heavy dishes include pan-fried sea bass, grilled salmon, grilled Australian rack of lamb and a plentiful selection of pasta dishes including Spaghetti Carbonara, Vongole (garlic, onion and clam), Penne with prawn and a tweak on the Thai Spaghetti “Tom Yum Goong.” Personally, there is not much I want to say about the tastes of most of these dishes; they are all pretty standard for such an upscale restaurant. Perhaps the menu and its descriptions of all the fine ingredients set an unattainable expectation in my head.
As all true brunch spots are required to do, The Bar & The Restaurant also boasts a formidable champagne list. Each drink is priced at around four to five digits per bottle. For those of you who can afford the ridiculously steep bubbles, you might also be interested in the Caviar and premium oysters, which are freshly served on the side of whichever bottles you decide to uncork.
The Restaurant may claim that they have “the best brunch in town,”but my thought is that that’s a little bit of an overstatement. The experience is memorable and a decent meal it was indeed, but it’s not the best in Bangkok. Despite having enjoyed the feasting, I don’t feel like making a return anytime soon.
The Bar & The Restaurant
Brunch hours: weekend and public holiday 12p.m.-3p.m.
Opening hours: weekday 5p.m.-1a.m., weekend 12p.m.-1a.m.
Address: 99 We Love the King Road, Khlong Tan Khlong Toei, Bangkok 10110, Thailand
Tel: 082 222 7474
