Zense Dining Complex In Bangkok, Thailand

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Zense Restaurant Complex In Bangkok, Thailand

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Since Bangkok is blessed with a mellow climate for much of the year, outdoor dining, as every resident here knows, is quite popular. What’s become even more popular in recent years is “view dining,” restaurants that combine great views with outdoor areas so people can feel even more a part of the panoramas that are spread out beneath them.

The latest such place in this category to open is called Zense and it sits, appropriately enough, on the 17th floor of the Zen department store at CentralWorld. The space, inside and out, is rectangular with the long sides facing the southwest and northeast providing diners with a view towards the Silom business district in the distance and the Royal Bangkok Sports Club in the foreground to the southwest. The northeast side doesn’t have a deck and most of the seating is on the other side of the restaurant but it too provides a sweeping panorama. This is a large space, able to seat 400 people, and its somewhat whimsical interior design lets you know that it’s not too formal. And at night this becomes more evident as the muted interior earth tones and light wood flooring contrasts with the brightly colored light panels out on the deck.

The large deck looks like it seats about 150 of those 400 and the high glass walls that separate the deck from the interior seating area provide a great view for those inside as well. The interior itself is built on a number of different levels, enhancing the potential for diners to partake of the view. The interior also contains a number of faux stairways which stretch up to the ceiling, going nowhere. And then there are stairways with wide steps that contain big bean bag-type seating. There are several other seating options including conventional tables and chairs, counters with high bar-type seating, smaller square tables with the aforementioned beanbags and the outdoor sets with wicker chairs and small pillows.

Variety seems to be the basic theme of Zense as the cuisine is as varied as the seating arrangements and design elements. Instead of just one menu or even one kitchen there are four of both here. Outside food operators have joined with the management of the building to create a sort of cooperative restaurant where the food operators provide their own kitchen staffs and the restaurant management provides the service and other staff.

The concept was apparently well-structured for all involved because some very well-known and successful people are here serving up Thai, Japanese, Indian and Italian food. Gianni’s Ristorante from Soi Tonson is the Italian purveyor, Red is providing Indian food, Kikusui is the Japanese representative and the Thai food is prepared by the owner of the former White Café who now has a thriving catering business. This unique idea provides guests with much more variety than most restaurants and with four separate kitchens the food can probably be prepared more efficiently than if one kitchen was trying to do everything at once.

Whatever the original motivation for this idea was it will be interesting to see how it evolves and develops over time. One thing is certain at this point however, and that is the fact that the food quality is quite high already but the prices are not. An unfortunate aspect of some of the high-altitude places in Bangkok is that they have prices that are comparable to their elevations. This is not the case at Zense so you can enjoy the food, drinks, atmosphere and view and not, in these trying economic times, think much about the bill.

THE KITCHENS

The food at Zense is prepared by four distinct restaurants as the main article explained. Having four distinct cuisine styles allows Zense to offer its guests a true mix-and-match meal with dishes from around the globe. Here’s a few more details on each restaurant’s offerings.

White Café is the Thai food provider and their menu contains a variety of beautifully prepared and presented dishes that may not appear on many traditional menus but are rather updated and expanded versions of standard Thai dishes.

Gianni’s serves the Italian food and Chef Gianni has also taken many traditional Italian dishes and given them his own modernizing touch and delicate presentations.

Red is an Indian restaurant that likes to take non-Indian ingredients in some of its dishes and prepare them using Indian techniques, also with exquisite presentations.

Kikusui’s Japanese dishes range from well-known sushi and sashimi preparations to more modern fare using more international ingredients. 

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