NO-NONSENSE coffee
Tuxedo Espresso Bar, located inside the Carlton Hotel, serves up some of the in Bangkok
Being a cafe in a hotel lobby, Tuxedo Espresso Bar may seem like nothing more than a place to get a decent cup of caffeine for first-timers. Yet, what I never expected to find here was some of the best-brewed coffee recipes, let alone some of the best housemade bread and pastries that Bangkok has to offer. As a result, you can call me a regular now. The cafe’s super spacious, glass-facade pastry kitchen, which is situated next to the dining area, is run by Carlton’s executive pastry chef, Kritnakorn Rooplek.
Kritnakorn has a special interest in European bakery. At Tuxedo, his creations are inspired by some of the finest recipes from Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Scotland and Switzerland. In fact, only Lescure French butter, Grand Moulin de Paris French flour and natural preferment are used for boulangerie production.
To complement the pastries, there is no shortage of no-nonsense coffee options that range from extraction-brew to cold-drip, which are prepared using medium-to-dark roasted beans from northern Thailand, Panama and Indonesia.
Tuxedo also serves afternoon tea, which is extraordinary since every item available in the cafe is the chef’s signature.
Priced at 880 baht per set for two persons, the set features nine bite-sized pastries and desserts together with two choices of drink (tea and coffee).
To satisfy the taste buds during your tipple time are mini beef bourguignon pies and chicken liver parfaits.
The beef pie comes with a buttery crumbly golden crust, inside of which is a generous helping of tender beef chunks slow-cooked in red wine.
Meanwhile, the mild-tasting liver parfait had a very soft custard-like texture and was accompanied by house-made fig jam and artisan sourdough toast.
If you’re interested in the sweets section, prepare to indulge in a Marble Brick cake, which has layers of almond butter sponge cake, dark chocolate ganache and aromatic apricot jam encased with marble-like frosting.
The douce coco mangue petite gateaux — another delicacy — was heavenly as well. It features coconut cream-based matcha green tea mousse with sweet mango centre.
If you order the meringue-based pavlova, it comes with whipped white chocolate ganache — not a cream — and fresh berries.
There’s also green tea lava with kalamansi plum sorbet. This dessert is served separate to ensure the right temperature and it proved to be a perfect marriage of the thick, rich and warm semicrudo cake and the sourest of sour citrusy sorbet.
Scones here are handmade following an old Scottish recipe. They showcased a heavy, finecrumb texture that revealed a mildly sweet buttery touch. They are best enjoyed with cream Chantilly, butter and seasonal fruit jam.
Macarons are presented in house-concocted rose-lychee flavour and matcha-mint flavour.
The tea selection is from TWG and comes in a pot. However, I recommend you not miss the coffee. Alcoholic beverages, such as espresso Martini, Hendricks teapot cocktail and Prosecco, are available at an extra cost of 320 baht per drink.
The afternoon tea is served daily 1-4.30pm. À la carte selections of pastries and desserts are on offer all day.
Tuxedo Espresso Bar is located on the ground floor of Carlton Hotel Bangkok, between Sukhumvit 27 and 29. Call 02-090-7888 for reservations.