Fusion with a playful flavour
The new look Amontre adapts its look and its menu to match the lifestyle of today
Now that its little sister All Six to Twelve has risen in the popularity stakes to become one of the best places to hang out on trendy Soi Langsuan, Amontre on South Sathorn Road has turned attention to its own look and undergone a major facelift. The result is a younger and playful look with an open plan design that features high ceilings, glass walls and dazzling lights along with a revamped menu.
Opened in 2008 as a fine dining establishment complete with linen tablecloths and a dress code, Amontre has now embraced the casual lifestyle. Now called Amontre Playroom & Brasserie, the tablecloths have been replaced by glass-topped tables illustrated with funky drawings and cryptic quotes and it’s okay to hang out in shorts and T-shirts.
“After six years in operation, we’ve revamped the restaurant to meet the needs of today’s diners. We’ve replaced the gold and copper with black and grey tones and the freehand drawings on tables, ceiling and walls add a playful touch. It’s all about socialising, having a night out with friends and enjoying drinks and informal dining,” says co-owner Kulsiri Chaiyanoppakul.
The lofty downstairs is relaxing with 60 seats and an outdoor terrace with sofa beds where up to 40 smokers can enjoy their cigarettes in peace. The mezzanine foyer is designed as a sports bar with beer on tap, bottled Belgian craft beers, a futsal table, a projector for live football matches and a popcorn machine.
Dishes are simple and budget-friendly and range from bar snacks, sandwiches and burgers to salads, pastas, rice and noodles in Western and Thai styles with a twist.
Just as at All Six to Twelve, which is open from 6am to midnight, you can enjoy a la carte menus here from dawn till the witching hour. The Ocean Breeze Salad (Bt160) has a tangy taste and is guaranteed to wake up the palate. It comes with prawn, crab sticks, shallot, fennel, tomato and ebiko with sherry vinegar. The crunchy Salmon Torsion (Bt140) doesn’t disappoint with slivers of smoked salmon wrapped in crunchy pastry and served with a creamy and spicy dip topped with layers of ebiko. Equally tempting is Parma Moz Crisp (Bt220), a crispy tortilla with parma ham and mozzarella cheese and fresh rocket on the side.
Burger fans should try Le Deluxe Burger (Bt260), a flavourful bundle of beef, foie gras, Swiss raclette cheese, fresh strawberry and pickled cucumber with a side of rocket and fresh blueberry. You can opt to go green with Tuna Linguine Pesto (Bt220), which comes with cherry tomato, fresh diced tuna and pesto sauce or Cream of Spinach (Bt95) with crabmeat and baked Spinach bread. Seared Sea Scallops (Bt190) are also pleasing, blending asparagus, mushroom, tarragon and garlic with chilli and lime mayo.
For those who prefer to go with Thai tastes, Amontre offers Grilled Spiced Chicken Skewers (Bt140). This is not satay though and the chicken is seasoned with red curry rather than peanut sauce. The chicken is grilled to a soft and juicy finish and served with rocket salad and a dressing of cucumber slices and onions in vinegar.
Amontre dolls up traditional fried rice dishes by foregoing pork or prawn in favour for foie gras. Their version (Bt160) has bits of foie gras, ground beef or pork and pickled plum and is topped by Thai-style omelette with Italian sweet basil and a seasoning of fish sauce with chilli. It goes well with Spicy Miso Soup that tastes rather like our own po tak (spicy and sour seafood soup). The Miso is spiced with scallop and holy basil – a lighter version of tom yum.
Kulsiri has however retained the Amontre all-time favourite, Spa Tom Yum (Bt260) or spaghetti sauteed with roasted chilli paste, lemongrass, kaffir lime, galangal and tiger prawns.
Wash your meal down with some of the house’s tempting cocktails and Belgian and American beers. Be warned though, the cocktails kick hard so don’t be fooled by their bubble gum hues. Playroom (Bt300) resembles a glass of bubble beer but is actually a mixture of cognac, honey, lime and sparkling wine. Call Me Jack (Bt280) may look pretty in pink but it’s a lethal blend of Jack Daniels whiskey, strawberry liqueur, orange syrup, lime and triple sec.
If in a crowd, order frozen drinks for four such as Crazy Amontre (B490), which features sweet sips of rum, gin, vodka, tequila, whiskey, triple sec, lime and syrup.
There is also Coffee with Attitude – liqueur coffees with their own bite. Cafe Royal (Bt250) is espresso, kahlua and brown sugar topped with whipped cream and Amontre Coffee (also Bt250) is espresso with kahlua and Bailey’s cream.
>>COME OUT TO PLAY
Amontre Playroom & Brasserie is on the lobby floor of Urbana Sathorn on South Sathorn Road. It’s open daily from 6am to midnight. Call (02) 359 9667 or check out “AmontrePlayroomAndBrasserie” on Facebook.
