Dining in the sky, Bangkok ( part 2 )

Vertigo and moon bar, Banyan Tree Bangkok.

Those of you following me on Twitter or Facebook will recognise the picture below. I use it as my cover photo on my profile. This is Vertigo and moon bar which resides 61 floors high on top of the Banyan Tree hotel in Bangkok.

Vertigo was the first truly high-rise rooftop bar and restaurant in Bangkok. Converted from what had previously been the helipad of the hotel and tower.
Vertigo is located in the heart of the business district and offers 360 degree panoramic views of the Bangkok skyline including the Chao Phraya River and Lumpini Park.

My partner and I had a reservation here in 2007 whilst visiting Bangkok. 
It was during my stay here that I fell in love with drinking and dining on rooftop terraces and have sought them out ever since whenever we visit a new City.

In Bangkok your literally dining and drinking in the sky ! and here at Vertigo we were lucky enough to be seated next to the edge. The view was just stunning, the food was good but quite expensive for Bangkok's standards but that's expected for the location.
The experience overall was memorable and one we will be repeating sometime this March.

Bangkok is peppered with roof terrace bars and restaurants so I'm looking forward to another date with the sky, and this amazing capitol in the Land of Smiles.



Image from Banyan Tree Gallery

Drinks & snacks before dinner at the Moon bar. Here you are given a little torch to view the drinks menu.  

Amuse bouche of Salmon

Warm goats cheese filo roll, smoked duck salad, Cherry tomato, mizuna. pecan nuts, balsamic dressing.

Puree of butternut pumpkin soup.

Palate cleanser - Vodka sorbet.

Sorry for pic quality here - but it's the only one I have of this dish.
Grilled beef striploin, asparagus, roasted cherry tomato, sauteed spinach & marrowbone.

Baked cheesecake, fruit coulis.

Drinking in the sky, Bangkok ( part 1)

Sky Bar Bangkok

Writing a Blog based around food and drink then deciding to go on a diet is never a good idea! But diet I must, this means there will be a lull in visiting restaurants. All is not lost though as this gives me an opportunity to look back on some of the wonderful experiences I've had and write about them for my Blog. So here goes, lets start with Bangkok!

Browsing through an inflight magazine on a trip to the Maldives in 2006 I was absolutely bowled over with the image of a bar, It is called the Sky Bar and it's in Bangkok.

Sky Bar, Bangkok

Turning to my partner I said "one day we will drink here!"
Then in 2007 fulfilling a dream to visit Thailand we booked our next vacation there. Realising part of the vacation was to spend four days in Bangkok before spending the remainder in Krabi gave me the opportunity to turn my statement into a reality!

The Sky Bar is one of the world's highest open air bars, perched high in the sky on the 63rd floor of The Dome at State Tower in Bangkok, which is also part of the Lebua hotel.
The state tower is Bangkok's third tallest building, standing at 247m.
Boasting the most beautiful panoramic views of Bangkok and the Chao Phraya River.

It has to be one of the coolest bars in Bangkok, we visited the Sky Bar in 2007, but after it featured in the Hangover II, it has become a must on every traveller's to do list. Judging by the latest reviews it's now even more popular and queueing for entry is inevitable.
It is also very expensive I think we paid around £11 for a Gin & tonic.
That said if your ever visiting Bangkok it really is worth the visit.



The Illuminated bar (official photograph)

Stepping out from the lift you are greeted with the most awesome sight of a night lit Bangkok, a sight I will never forget. Apart from the view the most amazing features are the neon lit bar that changes colour every few seconds, just stunning against the night sky. The view from the bar of the illuminated steps up to the dome are equally stunning.
Atmosphere is lively With the sounds of live jazz which plays nightly.

There is a strict dress code here, we were actually turned away on our first visit because my footwear was unsuitable, so we returned the next evening with my toes hidden in closed shoes and was allowed in the lift to go up !

There are also strict rules around photography, staff escort you from the lift down the steps and to the bar, your not allowed to take any photographs from the top of the steps and certainly not near the restaurant (Sirocco) understandably as people are eating. They are more relaxed about you taking photographs around the bar area.

We did not eat at Sirocco on this visit as we had already made a reservation to eat at another rooftop restaurant "Vertigo" on top of the Banyan Tree hotel.

More of that next post.

 



Sirocco