Gaining prestige
I WASN’T prepared for such a spacious lobby. The hotel had a high ceiling, a long corridor and floor-toceiling windows, which gave guests an amazing view of the posh Ploen Chit area in Bangkok, Thailand.
The hotel’s central location means that several landmarks and tourist attractions in Bangkok are easily accessible. It is connected by a walkway to the Ploen Chit BTS on the Sukhumvit Line – so no traffic woes there.
All this gave me a good first impression of The Okura Prestige Bangkok, a five-star property that opened in May 2012. It still looks new and I was even more impressed when I had the chance to view their 25m-infinity pool on the 25th floor.
The interior design focuses on clean lines and open spaces, with wooden features in some of the main areas. This gives a modern Japanese feel to the property.
There are 10 room categories and a total of 240 rooms altogether, but my Premier Club room put a huge smile on my face as I entered it. It was spacious with a comfortable king-sized plush bed. It came with complete amenities that one would expect to get from a five-star hotel.
The room also provided some yukata robes which I thought added a wonderful touch on things. There were also two colourful origami cranes that came with simple instructions on how to make your own. Now everybody can make cranes!
The complimentary WiFi was at super speed while the TV came with some local guides which proved to be useful.
I also loved the Japanese bidet in the toilet, as well as the heated toilet seat to prevent, um, “cold treatment”.
And to add to the Japanese theme, a Japanese tea set was provided in my room with some tea leaves, in case I wanted something refreshing to sip on.
I had access to the Club Lounge, too. It is a breakfast venue option which also serves canapes and cocktails in the evenings.
Later, I went for dinner at the hotel’s restaurant, Elements, which was awarded one Michelin star this year. Thailand Tatler magazine has placed it in its Best Restaurant list for four years in a row since 2015 and this year it ranked third.
It was certainly a reward to be treated to some wonderful Japanese-influenced French cuisine. You could opt for the set meals or order ala carte; we chose the latter. While waiting for our food, I sipped on my Sakura Oriental Tonic – Roku gin, Fever Tree Mediterranean tonic, sakura syrup cardamom and cinnamon.
I loved the Hokkaido scallops soup (it usually comes with foie gras but I told them to leave that out) as it was fresh and flavourful. I was recommended the white asparagus and smoked tofu with onsen egg yolk, smoked daikon, salmon roe and soba wafer for an appetiser – excellent choice!
The tuna tataki served with ponzu jelly, avocado, ginger and baby shiso was also a good dish.
For my mains I went with the Kurobuta pork belly roasted with sancho pods and served with stuffed onion and kinkan citrus. It was tender and juicy. My companion had Hokkaido deep sea sole with celeriac, lily buds, sorrel and Sudachi butter.
Overall, we thought the dinner was excellent and that the restaurant, headed by executive chef Antony Scholtmeyer, deserved its Michelin star.
Another restaurant at Okura is Yamazato, a Michelin Plate restaurant. It serves set meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I checked out their breakfast set and as always, Japanese meals tend to creep up on you despite their seemingly small portions.
Their other dining option is the all-day dining offerings called Up & Above which also serves the International Buffet Breakfast. There’s quite an extensive range in this buffet. If you’re looking for some snacks or takeaways, there’s also La Patisserie bakery.
When you’re done stuffing yourself silly with delicious food, you might want to check out the gym or the sauna. Or, pamper yourself at the Okura Spa with your choice of treatments.