Hotel Dining

Travellers will find that there are multiple Pullman properties in Bangkok, where Pullman Bangkok King Power hotel is a well-established hotel in the city centre, and that means different things to different kinds of customers. For example, being a well-known buffet and brunch hotel many locals frequent the hotel for dining, and do so also because of its restaurant attractions that have seen different successful concepts come and go throughout the years. And it is always refreshing with a change of any hotel’s dining concepts once in a while (more on these further below)! Others come here for events and meetings, held in its fine MICE facilities, such as wedding fairs, corporate meetings etc. Weddings – many of those take place here, and upon our visit three bridesmaids are spotted dressed up, while charging their batteries with a glass of wine in hand at the pool bar!

There is even a bar that can be reserved for private events, which it is during this visit. Glen Bar focuses on all the little touches that make a bar a great place to go – open Wednesday – Sunday from 5 pm, including a private mezzanine space, and stylishly designed with a contemporary Thai interior. It offers Thai signature cocktails that are based on Thai rum.

The feeling one gets upon arriving to this hotel any time of the day is one of an ever present buzz – with the meeting facilities, the lobby, ‘The Junction by Pullman’ cafe and bar and the dining attractions being draws for a constant stream of guests on the premises. As contrast, a Zen-like garden in the hotel’s courtyard is as peaceful as any outdoor place could possibly be in a mega city – with fish ponds home to many large fish, the Japanese restaurant Tenko Omakase hosted by Japanese chef Goji Kobayashi, and remarkable vegetation including special palm trees.

King Power is also a well-known brand for Thailand visitors as the duty free shop operator, and one of its stores – King Power Duty Free Rangnam Complex – is situated next door. This connection in itself will be attractive to some hotel guests. Other than this, the hotel and this duty free store sit on a large piece of land with space left open for lawns and gardens.

The hotel building is a glass-and-steel structure, made with blue glass and featuring horizontal and vertical lines, overlooking the pool area on level 4 on one side. The fact that the hotel houses 354 guestrooms feels remarkable as it does not seem that big. It is part of an enclave with offices and residential buildings, and the neighbourhood – also much thanks to the large piece of land – feels airy and is slightly off the downtown noise.

There is also a small park with large, lush trees and lawns practically just around the corner, where one can go to seek shade from the hot sun during daytime, or to get closer to nature towards sunset. The same park also leads to nearby Victory Monument, which is a large traffic circle with lots of stores, restaurants and hawker food. On the way back, hotel guests should take notice of several really good Thai restaurants (for potential dining out options) – including northern Thai ‘Esarn’ cuisine, along the road which has one of the entrances to the Pullman/King Power complex: Rang Nam Alley.

Getting to the hotel is also made easier by the direct connection nearby to Bangkok’s expressway road system, and even better: the Airport Link from the largest airport currently has its end station at Phahon Yothin road, only a short walk from the hotel!

Upon checking in it is enticing to start the stay by trying out one of the clever specialty coffee drinks, served at The Junction at Pullman, which is a relaxing and welcoming area situated right at the centre of the white pillar lobby area, where barista meet pop-up bar! Try for instance the Orange espresso (or ‘Bodyguard’ or ‘Ready’)!

Actually this is the focal point once entering so this does not feel like a hotel lobby in its traditional sense. And it deserves a special introduction for this very reason, and that is also what gives this stylish place its vibrant feel: it’s a co-working space! Being Accor Hotels’ first property to feature the concept, it has 3 distinct zones: Welcome Area, Cosmopolitan Hub, and Rotating Food and Beverage Outlets, open daily from 07.00 – 23.00 hrs, even with DJ’s spinning every Friday and Saturday from 18:00 – 20:00 hrs!

What turns into a bar in the evenings is covered with purple-screen walls during daytime. There is a large illuminated marble counter at the café, with an inlaid bluish oyster-like pattern, which is just striking. There are also designer chairs, including turquoise high-back armchairs – all surrounding an indoor water pond. Two apple computers on a marble counter also stand ready to serve guests, while they enjoy of coffee or fresh juice in the morning, a healthy salad or tasty wrap at lunch, a casual afternoon meeting over a cup of tea and cake, refreshing pre-dinner drinks or evening cocktails!

There are food & beverage offers on rotation for both sit-in and take away. During one recent period there is an offer for Afternoon Tea including Elvis pudding cookies, Taco English muffin with ham & egg smoked salmon bagel, Peanut butter cup cheese cake, Scone, Mango pudding tart, Chocolate praline, and Macarons.

Pullman Bangkok King Power is a perfect choice for urbanites into a little bit of business, and a little bit of leisure. For the latter the 27-metre outdoor swimming pool with Jacuzzi is the central attraction (along with a gym and spa), located on level four. Here the daybeds that runs the length of the pool beg for some lingering. What a place to unwind after a day out in this hectic city! The lengthy pool has a blue mosaic pattern and the Jacuzzi is partly shaded by lush trees, including frangipani, and tropical plants, where spears of afternoon sunshine glint through.

All things combined this Pullman hotel offers an urban escape for both business and leisure travellers. For busy entrepreneurs and executives well-appointed rooms are available in the form of Executive Rooms (32 sqm), and also 21 Suites with sweeping views of the city. As a typical Pullman interior the guest room is inviting, with a relaxing and masculine feel, decked out in wood and creamy marble. The 52 Executive Rooms includes yoga mat, two free weights and a Nespresso coffee machine. The indulgent Pullman bedding concept comes with comfort pillows at one’s choice from a menu. Toiletries are provided by New York’s C.O. Bigelow’s bath and skincare products

The Built-in mini-bar with leather ice bucket and espresso machine is on the left and next to the wardrobe in the room foyer. Properly equipped there is also a suite hanger. And bath salt! The beautiful, sandy marble in the bathroom – which comes with a separated bathtub and rain shower – is used for floorings, walls and the counter. It’s in fact a copiously marbled bathroom. With the tub closest to the bedroom, the bathroom is separated with slide doors of glass with a purple woven cover. A great feature is also that the wooden wardrobe can be opened both from the foyer and the bathroom.

The wallpaper above the bed is also sandy, accented with lighting, and the bed has a dark brown padded-leather headboard. There is also a vertical black wood panel on one side of the bed, with an illuminated and transparent white pattern resembling a tree. Other surfaces are covered with grey veined wood panel and curtains, and the room is contrasted with blonde, beautifully veined wood flooring (cherry?). And in the corner stands a beautiful design armchair, which gives the room a splash of colour with its wine-red fabric. It is paired with a round, black coffee table, where the guest is welcomed with fruit as well as macarons.

The Wi-Fi is excellent and comes with music connectivity.

The comprehensive in-room menu offers include a Hot Tea Series with Herbal infusions, Iced tea and various green tea. There are also choices for Well-being drinks for detox; such as Ophelia including cucumber, apple and rosemary. And for energy the Fruity break, with blueberry, pineapple, lemon and water chestnut. There is also a wine selection of the sommelier to order.

On the food front thee are appetizers including Traditional Caesar salad, Tomatoes with mozzarella ‘di Buffalo’ and pesto etc. For soup a Thai favourite: Roasted pumpkin cream soup. There are pizza and pasta – the classics essentially.

Asian favourites are on offer: Massaman Neua, or the famous Tom Yum Goong. And grilled pork chops can be had with a selection of sauces. Other meals include: White sea bass, Grilled salmon fillet and Filet of Argentinian beef. And sandwiches and desserts – so there’s a comprehensive menu to be ordered to one’s room.

A draw for many Executive guests – in this visit taking place on a weekend – is also the newly designed Executive Club Floor Lounge. Click to go to our: dedicated coverage for details on the Executive Club Pullman Bangkok King Power!

Turning our attention to the other food and beverage experiences Cuisine Unplugged is the hotel’s all day dining concept. It’s certainly a busy one! With a focus on organic ingredients well-being Sundays offer both brunch and Seafood & Barbeque Dinner Buffet, where the latter is currently served Thu – Sunday 18.00 – 22.30 hours.

Its interior design is dominated by nature-green, with table cloths, matched by transparent glasses, and mixed brown and black faux-leather armchairs, wine red leather wall sofas etc.

The breakfast serves a decent variety, various pastries and bred, fruit salad, miso soup, blueberry yoghurt, pineapple yoghurt, bircher muesli, cheese (goat, parmesan and gouda) fresh vegetable and fruit juices such as cantaloupe, salads such as Greek or corn and ham, tomatoes with mozzarella and pesto, live egg station, Asian dishes such as dim sum and sushi, hot meals such as stir-fried mushroom with brown sauce etc.

The buffet selection, meanwhile, is focused on the food most appreciated among the local brunch- and buffet fans; namely seafood (Alaskan king crab, Brown Crab, Rock lobster, New Zealand Mussel, French Oyster etc.), and BBQ corner (Alaskan wagyu Beef, Chicken Indian kebab, 8-hour braised leg of lamb, Alaskan Sea Bass, Squid etc.) – more than enough and of great variety to fill all the plates you will muster to eat. And don’t forget the desserts, with artistic tarts, for instance. Wash it all down with sparkling wine and wine, or non-alcoholic beverages – there are free flow packages to choose from.

Elsewhere, experiencing the chic innovative Japanese restaurant TENSHINO is a must! It deserves your attention as much for its creative and elegant design as for its exciting food! It offers dramatic décor with art and bespoke wallpaper. Looking at its description turns out to be helpful in defining the concept and interior design for you all – presented as ‘bohemian chic’. It is designed with a French bistro and the Japanese tradition for natural materials and textiles in mind, and features a rich design scheme with bold colours. Tenshino is filled with surprises in its five different sections – each with a slightly different aesthetic. The feeling is one similar to walking around in a museum with new discoveries in each and every room!

Entering the restaurant the interior includes glass, bamboo and copper touches. There’s delicate wallpaper with a faded peacock print and gold embellishments. In a sophisticated bar area there are semi-circled booths and bistro-style marbled tables. Guests can also dine in the bar, which is made of green granite and clad with green tiles with brass detailing.

Private dining is a must in any Japanese restaurant so one section enables just that: The Dining Room. Semi-enclosed by woven rattan screens, it features two 8-person teakwood tables, while wood panelling, velvet upholstery, crystal chandeliers and beautiful Japanese-inspired wallpaper lend this area sophistication and an air of luxury.

Partition mirrors, mustard and blue-hued designer armchairs, antique green wall lamps, chandeliers are part of the interiors.

Ingredients used for the food are the freshest from France and Japan and France, with the choice of a Japanese 2-course or 3-course set dinner Thursday until Saturday. The Asari cream soup comes out as very light, creamy white broth with some tiny mussels and vegetables. Roasted Madai (a fish similar to Barramundi) with Japanese pumpkin shiso sauce – a green light sauce – is sumptuous! Grilled Chicken with baby broccoli miso sauce served on a hot plate is a second hot course to choose from. Choices of desserts are: Yuzu Madeleine with vanilla shitake ice cream or Matcha panna cotta with sake.

Some other temptations from the menu are: Snow fish yuzu miso, Wagyu tenderloin and Seared salmon with match sauce. Appetizer dishes include: Scallop caviar mango yuzu, Daikon crab cake, Tempura oyster, Lobster salad etc. And chef recommendations: Scallop caviar mango yuzu or Grilled wagyu tajima steak. There are of course also sushi and sashimi.

Tenshino is only open for dinner (check with hotel for open days).

Exciting dining, cool and vibrant co-working environs, top-notch rooftop pool, gardens in the city, club lounge option… it all adds up to a stay and experience in the city of Bangkok at Pullman Bangkok King Power!