The best restaurants, bars and cafes in Phrom Phong

Bangkok’s culinary scene has gotten just a little bit more exciting. Award-winning Korean-American chef Akira Back introduces Thais to his brand of cooking at his namesake restaurant in Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen's Park hotel. Soaring above Sukhumvit on the 37th floor of the five-star hotel, Akira Back breaks new ground by offering cuisine that fuses Japanese, Korean and Western influences. Avid foodies would know who Akira Back is. But in case his name doesn’t ring a bell, Back is a US-based chef whose fame travels across continents. Prior to becoming a world-renowned culinary figure, he was a pro snowboarder and a part-time cook at local restaurants in his hometown of Colorado. Severe injuries from a snowboarding accident prematurely ended his career in extreme sports. Another door opens when one closes; Back decided to shift his path towards the kitchen, starting out as a prep cook at Kenichi restaurant in Aspen. This was soon followed by a senior position at the famed Yellowtail restaurant in Las Vegas, which eventually led to a decision to venture out on his own and launch his namesake brand.  Akira Back’s Bangkok outlet is a study in sleek, contemporary Asian décor. Japanese shinto ropes hold up elongated arches and provide an interesting canopy to the entire space. Abstract paintings by the chef's mother adorn the walls. The posh restaurant is an expansive space that can seat up to 100 diners at a time, composed of a main dining room, sushi bar, omakase bar and f

Posh hotel bars that serve great cocktails are, in most cases, rare in Bangkok. (We usually encounter juice-heavy numbers that skimp on booze). But new waves of establishments, including Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park, are doing their best to change this situation. Launched alongside the highly anticipated Akira Back restaurant, ABar impressively combines style with substance by pulling off well-rounded libations in two distinct venues: a Victorian-themed drinking palace and a rooftop drinking space up above. Upon entering the bar, your eyes are met with awe-inspiring, moodily lit interiors that make the most of dark wood, black marble and brass details to pay tribute to Victorian London aesthetics and gritty retro-Manhattan elements. (The whole thing looks like something straight out of the film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.) The outdoor terrace, fitted with apothecary-like cabinets, provide an area for puffing on vintage cigars while looking out to Sukhumvit’s glittering skyscrapers. The bar is helmed by Rojanat Chareonsri, who honed his skills at Nopa Kitchen + Bar in Washington DC and Fillets in Bangkok. The cocktails put the focus on premium dark spirits, so expect whiskey, rum and cognac to make their way into your drink (though we also noticed a couple of gin-based items). Study in Stone is a sour with Nusa Cana rum, sherry cream, citrus oleo saccharum (macerated lemon oil) and lemon (B415). Another offering, The Oxford, smartly reinvents the class

Authentic Fukuoka soba is now in Bangkok. Respected soba chef Mizuho Nagao shut down his Soba Sei Restaurant in Fukuoka, Japan to relocate at Bangkok Marriott Marquis Hotel on Soi Sukhumvit 22. The open-plan dining room features posh, contemporary decor and an open kitchen. Chef Nagao’s menu includes buckwheat soba made of high-quality buckwheat from Hokkaido.

An army of architects and interior designers may have injected luxury into Bangkok Mariott Marquis Queen’s Park—or the former Imperial Queen’s Park to those who’ve stayed around long enough—but one thing that hasn’t changed about the Sukhumvit 22 venue is the fact that it’s always been a haven for gastrophiles. The latest establishment to join the hotel’s squad of culinary cocoons—Thai restaurant Siam Tea Room, gigantic buffet hall Goji Kitchen and straight-from-Nagoya Soba Factory—is The Pagoda, a Chinese restaurant that purveys authentic Cantonese fare at its best. Pagoda is set in an eclectic dining room decorated with interiors inspired by Chinese pagodas (tiered ones with eaves, not to be mixed up with the pagodas found at Thai temples), which are believed to bless diners with power and wealth. The vast dining hall can accommodate up to more than 150 diners, while those looking for privacy can opt for one of the seven private rooms, each one named after a Chinese flower. They have a room for every requirement, from a small alcove for up to ten people, to a bigger room for 20 guests equipped with a giant table with an automatic turning feature, to connecting rooms with two tables so kids can dine separate and won’t need to sit frozen, sandwiched by relatives they only meet once a year. The kitchen is helmed by Hong Kong native Chef Oscar Pun, who spent the past two decades working at notable Michelin-starred restaurants in Hong Kong and Singapore. Chef Pun whips up Cant

The building that was the Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel has been entirely refurbished into the sleeker Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park, a new five-star hotel that also promises to be a mecca for food and booze. One of its outlets, Siam Tea Room, looks to invite discerning diners to either feast on authentic Thai grub or nibble on a variety of baked items – or both. A northern Thai-style, wood-crafted gable graces the restaurant’s facade, one of the few decorating pieces kept from the Imperial Queen’s Park structure. It was only later on that we learned, as revealed by the hotel’s publicist, that the iconic piece was designed by the late legendary artist Thawan Duchanee. Stepping inside, the center of the room is unusually dedicated to a pastry shop selling house-baked goodies. The adjacent wings on both sides are connected to elegant, dark-hued dining rooms that display intricate Thai-style furniture and custom-made cutlery crafted by the villagers of Aranyik, a small town in Ayutthaya.  The name is quite deceptive — the main focus here is not tea. Rather, old-school Thai dishes, whipped up by chef Anukool “Aon” Poolpipat (who previously worked at JW Marriott) dominate the menu. Chef Aon doesn’t tone down the spice and delivers flavorful versions of Thai cuisine that sentimentally reflect the tastes of his childhood. The blue swimmer crab curry (B460) represents southern Thai fare at its best. Spicy with delicate salty notes, it is served with meaty crab chunks, charcoa