The Sukhothai Bangkok is prudently branded as a luxury hotel, offering splendid, unforgettable charm and excellent choice of restaurants, namely Celadon, La Scala and Colonnade, serving Thai, Italian and international cuisines respectively. Among all three eateries, La Scala has been receiving awards and recognition both locally and internationally. To many gastronomes, La Scala denotes high-quality service and fine dining experience. To go beyond fine dining experience, La Scala occasionally offers diners precious opportunity to enjoy the best and finest cuisine by bringing in celebrated two or three-Michelin-star chefs from France or other parts of the world. The experience of world-class finest dining normally lasts for three to five days, allowing gourmets ample chance to reserve their tables and indulge in the best cuisine they could hardly experience in Thailand.
This month, The Sukhothai Bangkok brought in Pascal Barbot, Chef-owner of 3 Michelin-star Astrance from Paris, to La Scala. If you are a Michelin-star-restaurants addict, the name Astrance will definitely excite you. Astrance, which is ranked 36 in the “World’s 50 Best Restaurants” in 2015, is one of the hardest restaurants in the world to reserve a table. Normally, it takes two months to reserve in advance. We are not sure how The Sukhothai Bangkok could have persuaded Chef Pascal to close Astrance for a week and fly all the way to Bangkok with his full team in bringing the finest cuisine for the epicures in Bangkok. However, we certainly welcome such endeavour and would surely wish to see more and more premium finest dining opportunities at The Sukhothai Bangkok.
We have tried Chef Pascal’s 7-course lunch menu and have only one word to describe our gourmet enjoyment brought by him – SUPERB.
Freshly bake bread with French butter
Tartelette with foie gras, button mushroom and green grape juice: Eating this whole piece of food art in one bite immediately put me in amazement. The tartelette was very thin-crusted, giving a crispy texture to the creamy, aromatic foie gras; whereas the green grape juice balanced individual taste and blended all tastes very well to impress our taste buds with pleasure. A lovely starter.
Shellfish bisque, saffron and red shrimp ravioli: This dish tasted divine. The aroma of the bisque filled my nostrils, giving an intense signal for savouring. The red shrimp ravioli impressed me with wonders. It was, thus far, the best ravioli I have ever tasted. How was the pasta dough made? How was the red shrimp filling prepared? How did Chef Pascal make the ravioli so delectable? These wonders confirmed Chef Pascal’s remarkable culinary skills.
This shellfish bisque was served with this little refreshing side dish. I chose to eat it after finishing the soup so as to refresh my taste buds for my upcoming fish course.
Steamed toothfish, rosemary buerre noisette, marinated leek in a seaweed broth: Toothfish, which is crowned as the ‘wagyu’ in fish in Australia, does not look pretty at all. However, this steamed toothfish was made a beauty. Chef Pascal surely masters the time, temperature and degree of fire when steaming the fish, it was exceptionally nice. The toothfish had a smooth, silky texture, and obviously was cooked just right to bring out its optimal taste. The white miso sauce topped with beetroot powder added extra complexity to the dish. Its savour and creaminess complemented the fish by contributing to its taste. Another divine dish that I would love to have more.
Roasted Challans duck, sour cherry paste with juniper and bitter almond oil: This dish really put me in astonishment. It was my very first time tasting medium-rare duck. At first sight, my question was ‘Will it taste and smell gamey?’ My bold first bite melted my doubt away with high satisfaction. This roasted Challans duck was tender and juicy. It tasted like a piece of melt-in-your-mouth steak. This main course served with duck live parfait, whose contradictory texture further enhanced the overall taste of this main course. A really unforgettable dish!
Mashed potato, vanilla ice-cream: This is another surprise at this gourmet experience. The bowl was still hot when it was served. The mashed potato was smooth and creamy. The mild taste of the hot mashed potato was enhanced by the melting sweet vanilla ice-cream. The duality of hot and cold also represented the duality of simplicity and complexity.
Citrus fruit tartlet, basil, grapefruit and olive oil: This dessert was so refreshing that it really comforted my stomach and quieted my sweet tooth. The grapefruit inside added a crunchy texture as well as a natural sour and sweet flavour to the fruit tartlet. In just one bite, I guarantee you will wish to crave for more. A superb lovely dessert that will definitely delight any diners.
Jasmin eggnog and chestnut honey madeleine: This eggnog has to be finished in one go. The eggnog contained rich aroma of Jasmin. Surprisingly, it was very very light and did not create any burden to the already-very-full stomach. The aftertaste was refreshing with the smell of Jasmin remained in the nostrils, which in turn enhanced the taste of madeleine. This dish ended my lunch with perfection.
This exclusive lunch experience was so flawless that I have nothing to complain at all. Each course was unique and unforgettable. I really look forward to future gourmet events and promotions by The Sukhothai Bangkok. The effort in securing the most eminent Chefs and their finest cuisines for their gourmet events is undoubtedly recognized by many epicures in town.
If you really wish to indulge in the best and finest cuisine in Bangkok, any one of the restaurants at The Sukhothai Bangkok can be your choice. If you can’t wait until their next food promotion at La Scala, we are sure you can find equally high quality dining experience at Celadon and Colonnade. If you have never tried the famous Sunday brunch at Colonnade, we highly recommend you to do so. We rank it number one in our list for “The best restaurant for Sunday brunch in Bangkok“.
The Sukhothai Bangkok
Address: The Sukhothai Bangkok 13/3 South Sathorn Road, Bangkok 10120, Thailand
Tel: +662 344 8888
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