High Level Dining In More Ways Than One In Bangkok, Thailand

by TomAikins | December 7, 2008 at 08:10 pm

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There’s now another exciting venue in the Bangkok landscape of top dining spots or perhaps we should say skyscape. At the least the top part is correct as this new restaurant/bar, Red Sky, is sitting literally on top of the Centara Grand Hotel which is next to the CentralWorld shopping center on Rajdamri Road. Perched as it is on the 54th and 55th floors of the hotel, it naturally commands a great view of Bangkok, providing a 360 degree panorama. And, part of the complex is outside on the 55th floor which makes the experience that much more interesting.

As of this writing (Nov. 4, 2008) the restaurant has been open for just about a month and is starting to hit its stride. Everything else in this hotel has been done up in a truly first class style and this space is no exception. Although, with the view available, you probably won’t pay much attention to anything else. Except for what’s on the plates, that is. And it’s here that Red Sky really shines. Led by Executive Chef Aaron Foster, the kitchen turns out some very fine food from a relatively small menu. There are 12 main courses, 10 appetizers and three soups to tempt you as well as desserts.

The promotional material calls Red Sky an “urban bistro” whatever that is but it’s got to be the most high-end bistro food we’ve ever seen. Featuring top-quality ingredients – foie gras, truffles, caviar, porcini mushrooms, among others – the chefs create some tantalizing dishes that are beautifully presented and artfully conceived. After several meals here we were able to get a good sense of where they’re coming from in the kitchen and we like where that is. With a small menu like this everything on it has to count and the dishes that we tried so far all measure up to some very exacting standards.

Scotch smoked salmon off the cold appetizer list, for example, comes in delectable little cubes that are cured with olive oil and are accompanied by a drop of oscietra caviar and a salmon mousse. The salmon melts in your mouth and the mousse is light as a feather. A warm appetizer of pan-fried foie gras is perfectly cooked and balances the richness of the liver with a Dijon cassis reduction. The cream of Tuscan porcini soup also uses foie gras as little pieces lurk at the bottom of the bowl and accentuate the richness of the thick smooth broth.

More foie gras appears in the form of a butter to complement a delicious Australian beef tenderloin and porcinis also make another appearance joining pistachios to grace a thick tender veal steak imported from the Netherlands. Both of these dishes were very enjoyable. You’ll also find a whole roast Boston lobster, skin-seared Scottish salmon (again, very nice) Aurora lamb chops, pigeon and a New York strip steak that’s dry-aged and the priciest item on the menu at 2,155 baht. Perhaps next visit.

Dessert we cannot comment on because the first courses were enough in themselves. There is quite an extensive wine list, however, and both Old and New World countries are represented. One word about wine in Thailand: if you live here you already know that the government charges about a 425% duty on wines coming into the country which is patently absurd (don’t get us started) so if the prices seem a bit high it’s not the restaurant, here or anywhere else, trying to gouge you. It’s the taxes.

The management at the Centara Grand opened Red Sky with hopes as high as the location and predictions on how the complex would fare in the competitive world of high-altitude dining in Bangkok. If they can continue to deliver the goods on a continuing basis, after a promising start, then their hopes will be realized.

See http://bangkokdining.ning.com/profiles/blog/list for info on Bangkok restaurants.