Best Power Lunches in Bangkok

Need to impress a potential business partner? Bring them to one of these joints in Bangkok.
Tuesday 5 June 2018
Photo: Benjarong

BENJARONG
Ornate and opulent, Benjarong located in the iconic Dusit Thani Hotel in Bangkok is the choice of many businessmen residing in the City of Angels to bring their overseas or ‘farang’ – for want of a better word – clients or business associates to showcase the richness of Thai cuisine and culture. How could anyone not be taken with the grandeur on display? But don’t expect your traditional Green Chicken Curry or Tom Yam Goong. With a nod to its past, the lunch menu incorporates authentic favourites with modern twists, resulting in dishes such as Yam Pla Duk Foo Deconstructed (Crispy Catfish Salad and Green Mango with Crabmeat and Tom Yam Custard) and Kang Massaman Ka Gae (Lamb Shank braised in Massaman Curry) which can only qualify as haute Thai cuisine. With views to a lush tropical garden outside complete witha soothing Koi pond and cascading waterfall, Benjarong is the perfect antidote to the hustle and bustle of Bangkok and hopefully the place where you can shake hands on that acquisition.

Dusit Thani Hotel
946 Rama IV Road
Bangkok 10500, Thailand
Tel: +66 0 2200 9000

FOOD: 4/5
SERVICE: 4/5
AMBIANCE: 4/5
TOILETS: 3.5/5

POWER TIP: If it’s good enough for royalty, then it must be exceptional for the rest of us.

ZANOTTI IL RESTORANTE ITALIANO

Cosy with a clubby feel, Zanotti is the go-to place for comfort Italian food at its best. Its convenient location in Silom in the heart of Bangkok ensures a steady stream of shoppers, locals and tourists alike and of course business executives who favour some tagliatelle over Pad Thai. With both trendy and hip lunch-time revellers as well as a more established clientele, this Italian ristorante boasts an extensive menu specialising in Piedmontese cuisine, the northern partof Italy which chef-owner Gianmaria Zanotti hails from. From the thin crusted Parma Ham Pizza to the homemade squid ink linguini, you can do no wrong with the generously portioned fare here even if you closed your eyes while choosing a dish. With the smooth and efficient service which is also unobtrusive, it leaves you, your business associate and the food you ordered in the most conducive setting to satiate your midday hunger pangs as well as put into practice The Art of the Deal.

21/2, 1st Floor
Saladaeng Colonade Condominium
Saladaeng Road, Silom Bangrak
Bangkok 10500, Thailand
Tel: +66 02 636 0002

FOOD: 3.5/5
SERVICE: 3.5/5
AMBIANCE: 3/5
TOILETS: 3/5

POWER TIP: Skip breakfast before youhave lunch here because you will leavewith a heavy heart!

bangkok-paste-lobster - bangkok
Photo: Paste

PASTE
Decorated in understated tones and a neutral palette, there is nothing neutral about the food served at Paste, Bangkok’s hippest and most happening restaurant du jour. Located in Gaysorn Village with its plethora of designer stores, Paste fits in perfectly with its smartly dressed diners, mostly from the fashion and advertising industries, with a smacking of business and financial types and the odd socialite or two. Taking centre stage in the restaurant is a swirling silk-like sculpture which provides a visual feast while dishes like the Roasted Duck, Nutmeg, Curry paste and Saw Tooth Coriander served on rice crackers, watermelon & Ground Salmon with Crispy Shallots, Roasted Galangal Powder satiate the lunchtime crowds at this recently awarded one-star Michelin restaurant.

3rd Floor, Gaysorn
999 Ploenchit Rd., Lumpini
Bangkok 10500, Thailand
Tel: +66 02 656 1003

FOOD: 4/5
SERVICE: 3.5/5
AMBIANCE: 4/5
TOILETS: 3.5/5

POWER TIP: Sleek and chic – do don your latest Saint Laurent or Balmain #OOTD to blend in with the rest.

This feature first appeared in the May 2018 issue of UNRESERVED.

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