Dining at Pavilion at Dusit Thani Bangkok - review

The stunning Dusit Thani property offers some fabulous dining options. Carolynne Dear pulled up a chair at Pavilion

Read more: These are Bangkok's best luxury hotels for families

Dining at Pavilion at Dusit Thani Bangkok - enjoy elevated Thai cusine

Pavilion was the only dining spot to open at Dusit Thani Bangkok when the new look hotel officially relaunched in 2024, but it has now been joined by a number of other dining spots and bars. These include the stunning 1970 Bar with sweeping city views, the alfresco Spire Rooftop Bar, and Cannubi by Umberto Bambana, a sister restaurant to Hong Kong’s three-Michelin-starred 8 ½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana by Umberto Bombana.

I started my evening at 1970 Bar on the 39th floor with an Acid Queen cocktail, just as the Bangkok sky was turning pink and with the frenetic freeways below me becoming shiny snakes of light as residents battled rush hour. Channeling the decade of the hotel’s creation, the 1970 Bar takes its inspiration from a New York apartment of the same era. The stunning bar is surrounded by semi-cantilevered floor-to-ceiling windows that lean out onto the Bangkok skyline. The view is mesmerising. 

The cocktail menu takes its cue from the 1970s vibe with cocktails influenced by US icons of the decade. My deliciously piquant Acid Queen is an ode to Tina Turner - “Whatever is bringing you down, get rid of it. Because you’ll find that when you’re free, your true creativity, your true self comes out,” or so goes the quote in the drinks menu. Beefeater Gin, mandarin, lemon verbena, yellow tomato, lemon and egg white make up the concoction, with a suitably psychedelic swirl topping the frothed egg white.

As day tipped to night, it was time to move downstairs for dinner at Pavilion. As with the rest of the hotel, the ground floor Pavilion restaurant has been designed in collaboration with Hong Kong’s André Fu Studio. This striking space radiates sophistication with a vibrant yellow and sapphire blue décor, the dining area accessed via the beautifully lit, octagonal arrival pergola. To the right is the Kitchen Chamber, an open kitchen where chefs are busily preparing the evening’s menu. I am seated at the opposite end and overlooking the hotel’s infamous geometric cascade, a nine-step waterfall designed by Fu and inspired by the Dusit Heavenly Waterfall located inside the original Dusit Thani Hotel.

Pavilion is inspired by the upscale Thai restaurant, Benjarong, which - again -  featured in the original property. Today, the Thai-style space is helmed by head chef Rosarin Sriprathum, who has created a menu that pays homage to the best of Thai cuisine. Sriprathum is known for her modern approach to traditional Thai cooking, drawing inspiration from older family members and refining her dishes with contemporary skills and ingredients.

While it’s fair to say that I have never eaten a bad Thai meal (is there such a thing?), this effort raised the bar further still. The Som Tun Gai Yang with dried shrimp, peanut, chili, grilled free-range chicken and sticky black rice was exquisite to look at and equally exquisite to eat; it disappeared indecently. To follow was Kor Lae Goong Krabi, the Krabi prawns coated in a delicious chili paste and served warming over a mini charcoal barbecue. 

The main event involved delicious beef dishes, the first a melt-in-your-mouth Charolaise beef cheek in a ‘Singhoi’ curry with bitter orange, chilli and the Sriprathum’s own mix of secret spices. This was accompanied by grilled Wagyu striploin coated in a pepper sauce.

By this stage I was struggling a little, but as is so often the case, I certainly had room for pud, especially with mango sticky rice on the menu (natch). This was beautifully presented with white and black sticky rice, a delightful flower of mango and a satisfyingly sweet coconut sauce. 

The vibe of the restaurant is casual but smart and definitely somewhere to bring children. There's a children’s menu included, with the usual youngster-friendly dishes. Overall, it's an entirely pleasant evening.

Asia Family Traveller was a guest of Dusit Thani Bangkok.