Bangkok Luxury - 3
The 299-key hotel’s always up to something new. Currently, its admirable and seriously professional Art Space is showing a retrospective of local modernists displayed since the hotel’s 2020 opening – GM Lubosh Barta, above, showed off one piece that changes colour as you watch,. By year’s end existing wellness will be complemented by a separate 480sq m medical facility independently operated by the hotel’s owners, Country Group.
But Girlahead had to leave this glorious conclave for work. First to the Tourism Authority of Thailand, TAT, for a sensational half hour with its Governor, the super impressive Thapanee Kiatphaibool, known as Khun Klang (there are some extremely globally impressive Thai females, by the way: Her Majesty Queen Suthida Bajrasudhabimalalakshana, usually known as Queen Suthida, is an operating fighter pilot and flew herself on 14th October first to Hokkaido and then on to Sapporo, for an ice hockey game). Khun Klang is savvy on luxury and the importance of quality over quantity. TAT is the main sponsor of Private Luxury Events’ ULTRA at Four Seasons next June. On the way back from TAT, Girlahead finally got the Jim Thompson cushion covers she'd been seeking. Rather than shop at Jim Thompson House, the better bet is the Surawong flagship store: same goods, but more of them, better displayed, and highly trained staff have plenty of time. Then back to the hotel, food time.
Dinner at Yu Ting Yuan, leading off lobby. A welcome card on the reserved table is printed with Girlahead’s name on it: a small red floral sprig has been stuck on it. An open display kitchen exhibits hanging bits of crispy pork, about 15x20cm, and also whole Peking duck. Tonight’s menu, printed on a card, again personalized, features steamed Matsutakei crystal dumplings, starring mushrooms from Yunnan, followed by traditional Peking duck, followed by wok-fried minced duck in lettuce cups, followed by steamed grouper with dried aged tangerine peel and preserved vegetables, followed by chilled mango sago cream with pomelo. In fact, the courses get rather muddled up. A whole duck, which is immediately named Donald, is skilfully carved at table by a ridiculously young-looking young man. At the same time as the exquisite dumplings, strips of the pork skin also arrive. Next does come the more traditional Peking duck, with bits of skin and flesh and shallots rolled in thinnest, near-transparent pancakes. Next comes the minute portion of grouper, and, at the same time, a plate arrives holding a small lettuce leaf with minced duck. Finally, the mango is brought: deceptively the mango looks flat, but it’s in the cup of in a big white plate with a deeply concave centre.
There are so many places to eat here that Girlahead’s never quite sure what’s ‘hotel’ and what’s freestanding. The delightful RIVA del Fiume is obviously Italian but Girlahead’s never quite sure whether to breakfast inside, closer to the buffet, or out, feeling cantilevered over the water. One thing is sure. This is the riverside hotel with no pomposity. Style and flexible fun.
