Disclaimer: In exchange for a review, I was invited to indulge in a lebua Bangkok Michelin weekend.
I never try to be a parrot for companies, but here’s a rare exception. Lebua Bangkok created a very appropriate phrase to describe itself: vertical destination. Sure, plenty of hotels in that city have rooftop bars and pools. Lebua Bangkok does that concept one better, and throws in a pair of Michelin-starred restaurants to boot.
You read that correctly– two Michelin-starred restaurants in one hotel.
I can find good food all over the place, regardless of any formal recognition. That said, this Michelin weekend was quite the feast! Not to mention, at the end of each dinner, I shared a brief chat and a glass of Champagne with each of the chefs.
Before getting to the food, I should say that the service at each of the three restaurants was excellent. Whenever I left my seat, my napkin was folded. Whenever water was nearing the bottom of the glass, it was refilled. Whenever I had a bizarre request for a drink, no eyebrow was raised.
Well done on the training, everybody!
n.b. lebua has just started a tie-up with Thai Airways to cater some of its international long-haul flights.
In the follow-up lebua Bangkok post, I will focus more on the hotel, nevertheless I think it would still be helpful to link to a map of its location.
For now, let’s go in chronological dinner order, which means starting my lebua Bangkok Michelin weekend with Mezzaluna.
Mezzaluna
Two Michelin star Mezzaluna by lebua is on the 65th floor of the hotel’s State Tower. Chef Ryuki Kawasaki honed his craft by combining Japanese ingredients — particularly foods hailing from his native Niigata prefecture — with French cooking techniques.
His multi-course menus change with the four seasons in Japan; however, one specific meal is always available. Called “exceptional Murakami,” referring to its place of origin in northeastern Niigata, this wagyu is always available. I highly recommend it.
As will also have been the case during my other two dinners, my meal at Mezzaluna was accompanied by wine pairings.
So as to avoid clichéd adjectives, I’m not going to individually describe every dish in this bound-to-be lengthy post. I will, however, highlight my top choices from each restaurant.
Based on what my taste buds still vividly remember almost two weeks later, that Murakami wagyu was something else. The texture was a masterpiece– a crunchy exterior, and simultaneously a melt-in-your-mouth (oops, so much for avoiding a cliché) marbling. Throwing in grilled seasonal Porcini mushrooms sealed the deal. It would make for an amazing sandwich on a toasted boule with caramelized onions (ordinarily, I’d say throw in some melted cheese, but this wagyu didn’t need it.)
The pheasant quenelles and dashi were also fantastic. Oddly, I was already psychologically tempted by quenelles because they were in a famous scene in one of my favorite movies, “Tampopo.” As for dashi, I’m a regular at Tokyo dashi specialty stores, but this one might have been the best I’ve ever tried.
It was a delight to have Thai chocolate, too. Having never eaten it before, I was glad (but not at all surprised) to see Thai products show up on the Mezzaluna menu. Fortunately, this won’t be the last you will read of Thai ingredients during my lebua Bangkok Michelin weekend…prepare yourself for a surprise at the end.
Sirocco
Sirocco may not have a Michelin star, but earlier this year it was awarded Two Forks by Gambero Rosso International. Gambero Rosso International bestows this prestigious honor upon restaurants that excel in Mediterranean cuisines and waitstaff service.
However, Sirocco’s Executive Chef Brian Rodriguez was joined that weekend by Michelin-starred fellow Italian Antonio Iacoviello, Executive Chef at Il Pievano at Castello di Spaltenna in Tuscany. Consequently, they took turns preparing dishes for that limited-time celebration.
The evening began al fresco, since Sirocco is an outdoor rooftop restaurant; in fact, it was around before the hotel was.
However, after roughly half-way through, a windstorm began pummeling the rooftop with rain, so all patrons were moved inside the famous golden dome.
At this point is when the rain started, so…to the dome we go.
I’ve got to say that the Sirocco course I could eat everyday was the spaghetti with sea urchin and clam. Maybe it was the fact that I really like seafood, or that it was much less heavy than it sounds (uni i.e. sea urchin is quite rich), but every bite was delicious.
The wagyu with seasonal chestnut purée and green peppercorn sauce was another standout, mostly because each of those three distinct flavors and textures were great individually and as a team.
Chef’s Table
As the other Michelin jewel in the lebua crown, Chef’s Table has its own elevator, accessible only on the 65th floor, the same floor you’d head to when dining at Mezzaluna.
Chef’s Table is helmed by Executive Chef Vincent Thierry, former Executive Chef of Hong Kong’s Caprice. Chef Thierry worked at various Michelin-starred establishments in his native France before heading East.
As the most formal of these three restaurants, Chef’s Table lent me a jacket and nice pants. They might be able to do the same for you, too, presuming that your quotidian attire for Bangkok humidity falls short.
Additionally, Chef’s Table has an open-kitchen concept; in fact, right before he serves up his signature dish, you will be invited to watch him and his team do the plating.
Caviar Impérial de Sologne
I was intrigued by the three cheeses that came from Thailand. There’s a Swiss chef living near Chiang Mai who knows a thing or two about being a cheesemonger; three of the menu choices come from his dairy farm.
Regarding the Signature menu at Chef’s Table, the dishes that had me yearning for seconds — and thirds — were the Brittany blue lobster with vanilla foam, the pollack with hazelnut and ginger emulsion (ginger is one of my top flavors), the butter (yeah, bad habit), chocolate tart, and Comté cheeses with pickled fruit.
I’ve never been a fan of duck, and unfortunately even Chef’s Table couldn’t sway me. But just about every other main course was a big hit.
Final Thoughts
I’ve never quite experienced three days of such fine eating, let alone in one building. I have had plenty of great eats around the world, but what lebua Bangkok has concocted in its self-described vertical destination is another kind of special.
Soon, I will have ready a closer look at lebua Bangkok, but from a hotel guest’s perspective.
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