The Penthouse Bar + Grill, which sits at the top of the new Park Hyatt hotel, offers great views of the city’s business center, and classic dishes well-prepared. It’s great for a classy lunch with clients — and there’s an option to book a “secret chef’s table” for special events, too.
Perched up high in the upper levels of the Park Hyatt (and thus far above the bustle of Ploenchit), The Penthouse comes in two parts: The upscale restaurant is on the 34th floor, while the “Bar” part of the equation extends to the levels above.
As for that secret chef’s table? You have to walk through the busy (and long) galley kitchen like a cast member from Goodfellas to reach an octagonal private dining room decked out with organic decor: coral, shells, amethyst, and citrine fill a wall of shadow boxes. The room is on the smallish side, but also offers a terrific view.
And the food? We tried some of their best-selling menu items to get an idea.
The smoked salmon salad (THB570/US$18) includes a large portion of not-overly-sweet, chilled salmon accompanied by thin slices of new potatoes, green beans, radish, and cucumber topped with fresh dill and a tangy mustard dressing. It also had a surprising addition: bits of deep-fried fish skin on top, which add a crunchy texture.
I don’t love fish skin, so I skipped these — but still appreciated the effort and originality. The dish was bright and light and felt healthy to eat. Paired with the fresh brown bread on the table, this may suffice for people that don’t prefer a heavy lunch.
The uber-healthy red salad (THB440/US$14) was even more impressive: It managed that tricky feat of being good for you while actually tasting great. A melange of beetroot, roasted peppers, tomato, radish, and pomegranate atop a bed of butter lettuce and cabbage: vitamins on vitamins, fiber on fiber. The beetroot stood out, especially — it was proper European beetroot, and had that earthy, garden-fresh taste.
The cobb salad (THB440/US$14)) came next. The ingredients weren’t finely chopped (as they are in a traditional cobb salad), but served like a garden salad with large lettuce leaves, wedges of egg, and long strips of chicken with cider dressing to drizzle on top. I could see how this presentation might be off-putting for some.
In mains, The Penthouse has a pretty impressive selection of meat. The wagyu beef tomahawk (THB450/US$14 for 100 grams) came jauntily presented with crossed frenched bones and looked very juicy. It was. Simple, high-quality meats are something The Grill excels at, and there’s no need to hide the ingredients under fancy sauces or beside flashy side dishes.
Though, if you are into the side dishes, they’ve got mashed potatoes, sweet potato wedges, onion rings, mushroom mac & cheese, creamed spinach, sauteed mushrooms, corn on the cob, asparagus, and cauliflower gratin as add-ons for THB180 each.
Next up was the bbq braised wagyu short rib (THB950/US$30). It arrived glistening with a light coat of savory bbq sauce. In the afternoon light it was still easy to see the marbling of the meat and one particularly delicious layer of fat.
We also tried the yellowfin tuna (THB850/US$27), a fresh tuna steak caught in the Indian Ocean and served with a half lemon wrapped in muslin. The steak featured roasted red and yellow grape tomatoes and olives on top. We were surprised at how well-done it was — delicious.
The Grill is open daily for lunch and dinner while the two levels above hold indoor and rooftop bars that also serve a light menu from The Grill.
FIND IT:
The Penthouse Bar + Grill
Park Hyatt Hotel, 34th floor
88 Wireless Road
BTS Ploenchit
Open Daily, 12-2:30pm, 5:30pm-midnight
