BANGKOK — If Bangkok’s hippest rooftop restaurant and bar-lounge didn’t already feel like a Parisian penthouse apartment where sophisticated young professionals go to hang out, it does now.
Last month, L’Appart at Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit began serving up French-inspired gourmet dishes designed to share, making for a dining concept that syncs with the venue’s social appeal.
“From a design standpoint, L’Appart — with its array of elegant, intimate spaces — has always drawn cool customers that like to chill with their friends,” said Marshall Orton, Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit’s director of food and beverage. “Now we have a menu that better caters to that ‘casual chic’ set.”
Among the creative, family-style favorites are Steamed Butterfish & King Crab with Black Ink Risotto & Tom Kha Beurre Blanc; and Roasted Rib Eye with Vegetable Cocotte, Pommes Duchesse & an Assortment of Sauces.
Other signature offerings include Beef Tartar with Young Cress Salad, Parmesan Chips & Black Truffle; and Panfried Seabass with Mediterranean Risotto and Green New Zealand Mussel, Prawn and Lobster Bisque.
The menu is complemented by a drinks list long on exquisite cocktails such as the Absolut Provence, an interpretation of a vodka-based libation that was featured in Bariana, one of the world’s first known cocktail books (published in 1897).
L’Appart’s conceptual shift coincides with the arrival of Jonathan Siksik, who recently took over as the venue’s manager.
The 28-year-old Frenchman broke into the hospitality industry in 2005, and has since worked at upscale establishments from Paris to Phuket.
He has also served as a guest judge on Iron Chef Thailand each of the past two years.
Opened in April 2012, the Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit has made a name for itself in the luxury hotel market by marrying French sophistication with Thai hospitality and design.
Inspired by the art deco period, the 345-room, limestone-steel-and-glass structure extends 32 stories above fashionable Sukhumvit Road and is capped by L'Appart, where DJs spin nightly and birds-eye views of one of Asia’s most vibrant cities are on display round the clock.
A rice motif — in honor of the grain that has shaped Thailand's landscape and culture — runs throughout the property, site of the country's only Le SPA with L'Occitane.
