Crazy Rich Asians revisited: 4 dining spots (and a market) where Bangkok’s super rich eat out
Bangkok’s super rich dine out at places where the kids wear a tux, the mangoes cost US$48 and you rub shoulders with music-loving billionaires, writes Mark Lean
As with all stories I write these days, the opening salvo usually entails a message to a couple of in-the-know contacts. But when attempting to come up with a list of top restaurants favoured by Bangkok’s high society, questions were turned on me instead. “Mark, are you doing a Kevin Kwan on us?” asked one friend.
Before any information was divulged, I had to promise not to go all Crazy Rich Asian in my story. Nevertheless, here are some extra fabulous ways to eat – and live – like the 1 per cent.
1. Le Normandie: even children have to dress up
First, my sources recommend dining at the city’s top hotel restaurants such as the ever-popular Le Normandie at the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok, by the Chao Phraya River.
The two-Michelin-starred French establishment is the only spot in town that insists on gentlemen sporting dinner jackets.
The rule also applies to children, so if your seven-year-old son doesn’t yet own a tux, it’s time for you and junior to visit the tailor.
First, my sources recommend dining at the city’s top hotel restaurants such as the ever-popular Le Normandie at the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok, by the Chao Phraya River
Chef de cuisine Arnaud Dunand Sauthier uses biodynamic ingredients in dishes like Krystal caviar with sea urchin and potato foam, and a delicate Venere rice risotto with sea bream bouillabaisse.
2. The Sukhothai Bangkok: oh my sweet cheeses