Zoom Sky Bar & Restaurant offers views and a menu to match.
ZOOM SKY BAR & RESTAURANT
INTERNATIONAL CUISINE
40th floor, Anantara Bangkok Sathorn 36 Naradhiwat Rajanagarindra Road Open daily 5.30pm-1am
Call 02 -210-9000
Visit bit.ly/33SiIz3
THE SETTING
There is no shortage of a lot of things in Bangkok and sky bars are one of them. Though this is not a bad thing, as each offers its own bird’s eye view of the city.
A bit off the beaten path, where rooftop bars are concerned, is Zoom Sky Bar & Restaurant on the 40th floor of the Anantara Sathon. With a 360-degree view of the Bangkok skyline, complete with a magnificent view of the River of Kings, a split level layout features a central light bar counter where you can sit tall and pretty on bar stools. Once the trek and climb to get over to Zoom is complete, you are also rewarded with a menu that matches the view.
THE MENU
Though the rooftop restaurant has an indoor restaurant, Zoom Sky Lounge, serving a la carte and a buffet each evening, it is best to wine and dine under the blanket of a brightly lit sky (let’s face it, it is Bangkok and stars are a rare treat).
It would be a shame not to begin the evening with sundowners and the Lost Star (B350++) felt like the right choice. The signature cocktail is made with Smirnoff vodka, amaretto, blueberry syrup, egg white, lime juice, fresh blueberries and fresh starfruit.
Executive chef Adtavorn “Gibb” Charoonpontithi’s menu is a blend of Thai and imported ingredients cooked using French techniques (he trained in France).
Start with the simply named appetiser Cold and hot (B490++ ). Cold salmon is served with sunchoke and an oyster emulsion, pickled beets and seaweed. The clam sauce accompanying the dish is made from small clams that the fishermen usually discard if caught in their nets and is splashed with dill oil. The Beef carpaccio (B620++) uses Australian wagyu striploin and is chef Gibb’s twist on a carpaccio. Frozen foie gras, which is cooked “au torchon” or “in a dishcloth”, is shaved over the thinly-sliced beef, along with pickled mushrooms, walnuts, jackfruit seeds and a sorbet of black truffle and Brie. Yum, yum and more yum!
Mussels aren’t my favourite shellfish and I will go to great lengths to avoid them, but the 1kg Mussel (B300++) dish was too intriguing not to order. The dish gets its name from the 1kg of mussels that are used to make the soup. Local green mussels are boiled in a stock with cayenne pepper, milk and cinnamon. The soup is served with saffron aioli and black garlic chips. Due to the use of milk, the broth is flavourful and light and I am glad that coconut milk hasn’t been added. However, the star of the soup is the addition of cinnamon and the mussels are surprisingly void of the fishy flavour that usually accompanies them.
Wash down the appetisers with another signature drink, Siam Sangria (B340++), which is Gordon’s London dry gin, triple sec, Chang beer and seasonal tropical fruits.
Apty named “From the fisherman” (B550++), the fish main course is Andaman mahi-mahi, pan fried with just salt and pepper to retain the full flavour of the dolphin fish (fear not, it’s not a dophin!). The fish is served with cauliflower puree and crisp cauliflower florets fermented with purple corn. The sauce is made using “all the citrus found in Thailand”, namely Mandarin orange, kaffir lime, lime and orange.
To prepare your palate for the main meat course, a salted guava sorbet arrives. Just named The Steak (B1,500++), the Australian black Angus ribeye (300g) is served to your preference and in the classic style. The succulent hunk of grain-fed beef is served with creamed spinach and pak wan in almond butter garnished with almond shavings (served marrow-style — in a beef bone) and a side of mashed potatoes. Chiang Mai potatoes that have been harvested for 90 days are used to make the creamiest mash. But the sauce is the star of the dish and is what chef Gibb calls an “umami béarnaise”. Chef Gibb dislikes the normal béarnaise and prefers to “extract umami” from seaweed, dried mushrooms, dried tomato, mulberry leaves and Mexican spinach leaves, which are infused in vinegar to make an umami vinegar. This vinegar is then used to make a béarnaise. Since the chef also dislikes mayo, he serves the meat with a beef jus.
If you’re still hungry after all that, dessert is not far away and Coconut (B300++) is inspired by the Thai dessert khanom sai sai. Coconut flesh is slow-cooked with coconut sugar and forms the base. Salt is added to coconut cream, which is served with a smoked banana ice cream and banana crisps. Plated in half a burnt coconut shell on a bed of straw, the dessert looks like a bird’s nest. Wood (B330++) is a deconstructed German black forest. A mix of Belgian chocolate and kirsch with tempered chocolate leaves and stems, complete with chocolate soil and “mist” from liquid nitrogen done tableside, this wasn’t pleasing to my palate, unfortunately. But don’t let me stop you from getting a chocolate fix!
INSIDER’S TIP
Do look down as you’re walking up the last flight of stairs to Zoom. The designer is clearly keeping up with the times and has earmarked or rather floor-marked the exact spot to stand and take a picture against the neon signage of the restaurant. Should you feel like dancing in the clouds, there is a DJ station and a dancefloor where the party starts at 9pm, and VIP areas for privacy.
Happy hour at Zoom Sky Lounge offers 50% off a select range of cocktails, local beer and wines by the glass, from 6.30-8.30pm daily. Visit the lounge bathroom, which also offers a good view of Bangkok through glass French windows. But the highlight is the paper napkins on the sink, which are folded to resemble a gentleman’s jacket or a Japanese kimono. I wonder whose job that is?!
VALUE AND VERDICT
Uninterrupted panoramic views of Bangkok set the scene for either a casual dinner with friends or a night out. In a city where sky-high views come at a price, Zoom keeps it real.