Dining like a diplomat

OPEN SINCE MAY, Thailand’s first Park Hyatt hotel, the Park Hyatt Bangkok, certainly stands out from the crowd. Not only does it offer some of the most luxurious rooms in town and delightful culinary experiences, but also an impressive showcase of artworks by distinguished artists from Thailand and beyond.
The lobby on the 10th floor is under the watchful gaze of a faceless figure sculpted in a state of meditation from Carrara marble by the late celebrated artist Nonthivathn Chandhanaphalin while the path to the Embassy Room restaurant on the ninth is guarded by Hirotoshi Sawada’s “Naga”, a twisting installation composed of hundreds of batons suspended from the ceiling and resembling a mythical water dragon. 

The Embassy Room is decked out with paintings by Chatchai Puipia and offers cuisine inspired by Western and Asian traditions as well as a lively open kitchen.

Two large paintings adorn the walls of the high-ceilinged Embassy Room. Painted by prominent artist Chatchai Puipia, these images of tiffin carriers and antique pots superimposed on a pair of courting elephants imply the values of kindness, generosity and togetherness. 
Inside the restaurant’s private dining room, the wall furnished with Jim Thompson silk has been hand-painted by emerging artist Atinya Imjinda and is inspired by the Bodhi tree, under which the Lord Buddha sat in meditation.
While the artworks in this living gallery inevitably draw the eye, the lively open show kitchen equipped with wood-fired ovens, provides live culinary theatre and an interactive, immersive dining experience to stimulate the appetite. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlook the garden and the pool.

The restaurant, which boasts a limestone floor and is furnished with beige armchairs and sofas as well as elegantly laid tables clad in white linen, offers a choice of seating. Guests can choose to eat in main dining room, a private dining space that seats up to 10, a semi-private dining area for eight or al fresco.
Besides serving breakfast to hotel guests, the Embassy Room is open to the public for lunch and dinner with cuisine inspired by Western and Asian traditions. Having lived, worked and travelled all over the world, French executive chef Franck Detrait applies his culinary expertise and experience to crafting menus based on both the finest local and imported ingredients. 

Australian King Fish Ceviche

The menu options are not extensive but rather selective with seafood as the star. Each dish is available in two options: “to enjoy” which is enough for a couple and “to share” for a party of four. Our meal starts with Australian King Fish Ceviche (Bt450/Bt890), a handsome dish of fresh king fish imported from Australia, chopped red onion, avocado, and pomegranate seeds in citrus juice topped with sweet potato chips and coriander.

Yellow Fin Tuna Tartar

Next up is Yellow Fin Tuna Tartar (Bt420/Bt820) with diced tuna and ripe mango and cucumber in a gazpa
 cho sauce made from mango coulis and passion fruit. It’s topped with mizuna leaves and chips made from ink squid and flour.

Hokkaido Scallop

The Hokkaido Scallop (Bt490/Bt920) is slightly seared to retain its firm and juicy texture and topped with roasted crushed hazelnut and crispy fried lotus root. It’s served with mashed cauliflower, roasted cauliflower, wholegrain mustard and chopped broccoli flower. 

Lobster Bisque

Adding a fragrant aroma is Lobster Bisque (Bt950/Bt1,950) made with Canadian lobster, tarragon cream and pak choi (Chinese cabbage). 
“We’ve observed that Thais love pak choi with noodles, so we tried to match it with lobster bisque. They go well together,” says sous-chef Pierre Tavernier. 

Sirin Farmed Chicken

Worth trying from the non-seafood menu is Sirin Farmed Chicken (Bt620/Bt1,250). The free-range chicken from a farm in Chiang Rai is marinated with coriander root and garlic overnight before being roasted. It’s seasoned with chicken juice and served with Greek yoghurt and coriander leaves and intensely flavoured mashed potato on the side. 
“This dish is cooked in the style I call ‘cosmopolite’. We use Mediterranean-style yoghurt and local chicken with a French cooking technique done in Chinese-style oven,” says Tavernier, who had worked for Gaggan Anand’s Meatlicious on Bangkok’s Soi Ekamai.

Black Angus Beef Tenderloin

And then there’s Black Angus Beef Tenderloin (Bt950/Bt1,950), tender grilled medium-rare sliced tenderloin with beef juice and garnished with South American-style piquant green chimichurri dressing made from finely chopped parsley, minced garlic, green peppercorn, coriander, olive oil and lemon juice. Served on the side is crushed potato mixed with finely chopped parsley and coriander leaves. 

Dessert selection of Vacherin, Opera and Coconut Pudding 

In keeping with the selective theme, the dessert menu has just three options: Vacherin (Bt340), Opera (Bt360) and Coconut Pudding (Bt340) though you can order them all in one platter for Bt990. Vacherin offers alternating layers of vanilla ice cream, raspberry sorbet and raspberry coulis and is topped with meringue and fresh strawberry slices. Opera is sinfully rich with layers of coffee cream, chocolate cream, chocolate coulis, and chocolate crumble while Coconut Pudding combines layers of coconut pudding, mango jelly, passion fruit coulis and is topped with fresh mango and fresh blueberry. 

Spring Solis, Virgin Mojito and Virgin Tub Tim Krob mocktails

The Embassy Room offers a range of refreshing, non-alcohol drinks, among them the Virgin Tub Tim Krob made with coconut milk, mango juice, craft jasmine syrup, water chestnut and lime juice and Spring Solis – a mixture of fresh pomelo, lychee juice, craft pineapple syrup, and rose lemonade. Another is the classic Virgin Mojito made from pomelo, mint, fresh lime juice, soda water and craft jasmine syrup. Each is priced at Bt180.
Until tomorrow Detrait and his culinary team are crafting treats for the tummy to celebrate the Mother’s Day. A three-course set menu for lunch and dinner inclusive of a glass of Jasmine Royal sparkling cocktail is priced at Bt1,550-plus per person. Mothers eat free of charge when dining with a minimum of three adults.

EMBASSY ELEGANCE
The Embassy Room is on the ninth level of Park Hyatt Bangkok in Central Embassy complex on Wireless Road.
It's open daily for lunch, from noon to 2pm, and dinner from 6 to 10pm.
For details, call (02) 012 1234 |or email [email protected].