It’s wiggle room only at street level on Surawongse but ascend to Yào Restaurant & Rooftop Bar’s high-flying lair at levels 32 of Bangkok Marriott The Surawongse, and you feel free and see far as a bird.
Moreover, the twin venues are as storied as the levels beneath them. Like other features of the hotel, the restaurant focuses on a particular “chang sip moo” traditional craft, here metal moulding, evidenced in intricate pagodas and Henry Moore-like abstracts.
Other layers of artistic licence range impressionistic Chinese screens and handheld fans. Not to mention vivid Shanghainese art deco influences such as bulbous teardrop chandeliers and koi fish-emblazoned ceramics, also carrying Yào’s declared aquatic tie-in, further evidenced in crisp-cotton napkins artfully arranged into waves. Fine marble table tops obviate dip spill worries. The overall ambiance is that of internet age-updated halcyon-era Shanghai chic.
Several private and VIP dining rooms with awesome views, the largest with a roundtable adequate to King Arthur, are equally snazzy without being stuffy.
Hop the hydraulic lift up a level and you arrive at the two-tier, multi-level rock garden-like rooftop bar – clearly one of Bangkok’s brightest – with numerous nooks and crannies for canoodling couples, where you can also dine or snack.
On the menu is modern Cantonese and Shanghainese cuisine with deep traditional roots sprinkled with contemporary creations composed by master head chef Bruce Hui and his equally talented sous chef.
The dim sums, served lunch and dinner, also adapted for the bar, are outstanding for their size, firmness and crystal clear flavours.
Crispy-fried tricorns of wanton-like bok, stuffed like ravioli with mayo-marinated crab and mozzarella (B178 net), are addictive.
Delightfully al dente Xiao Long Bao (B128) dumplings stuffed with seasoned pork are divine.
Hao Gao (B158), with the dumpling around the steamed shrimp tinged green with veggie juice and sprinkled with startling orange salmon roe are as appealing to the palate as the eye.
Elements of Shanghai (B480) appetizer arrays: drunken chicken/spicy sashimi sauce; spinach/soya sauce; fried shrimp/mango sauce; crispy-crackling pork belly/wasabi sauce; lychee-wood roasted duck/plum sauce; soft tofu/sashimi butter; jellyfish/spicy Shanghai sauce; smaller crab-mozzarella, and one of chef’s pour commencers, cherry tomato marinated with roselle water, rock sugar, vinegar and lemon juice, a kiss of sweet n sour.
Tofu-mushroom soup arrives with bean curd shaking like sea anemone. The tofu tastes great but the ambrosial deep-fried then double-boiled morel mushroom consommé in which it shares space with bokchoi fully justifies the price (B388).
While whole stir-fried mud crab ( market price) is nothing new, its excellent preparation and egg yolk, coconut, yellow curry and spicy sauce is a revelation.
Simple ingredients become delectable also characterizes Szechuan-style Green Bean with tofu wok-fried in black bean and soya sauce (B328).
Peking Duck (B1688) is labelled “Thai-style” due to the addition of cantaloupe to the usual shallot, cucumber line-up, and lychee sauce alongside hoisin. Perfect pancakes and crispy duck skin, it’s exemplary.
Order Peking-style wheat flour noodles with spicy pork and shitake mushroom sauce (B458) and chef first demonstrates how the delicious noodles are made, turning thick wads of dough into impossibly long and fine noodle lattices.
Pang Da Hai pear (B258) is a light and fruity way to conclude.
Tea selections – dubbed “des-tea-ny” – live up to the grub. Shake the beaker of labelled sticks and see what pops out. I got Jade Lung Ching Zhejiang Spring and it was fab. Or sip on Chinese-influenced botanical cocktails that come in stunning colours, like the deep purple Shanghai, City Upon Sea (B298), which derives its hue from butterfly pea flower.
Open daily 11.30am-2pm and 6pm-10.30pm. Tel. 02-088-5666. www.bangkokmarriottsurawongse.com.
