LUZ Bangkok Tapas Bar to host sustainable marine gastronomic event with Chef Ángel León
Acclaimed Spanish chef Ángel León, who wants to change the way we feed the world, is about visit Asia for the first time, and in doing so, honouring INNSiDE by Meliá Bangkok Sukhumvit’s LUZ Bangkok Tapas Bar as his main destination. The pioneering chef will there showcase his sustainable marine gastronomy with at a remarkable event.
‘Stars of the Sea: A World Class Culinary Journey’ takes place on December 29, 2025 from 6-9.30pm, welcoming Chef León, renowned as ‘El Chef del Mar’ (‘The Chef of the Sea’) and is open to the public but with limited seats available by confirmed registration only.
Chef León’s revolutionising work at his restaurant Aponiente in Cádiz, Spain, has been awarded three Michelin Stars and a Michelin Green Star for championing alternative food sources that reduce reliance on conventional seafood and do not compromise fragile ecosystems. He has discovered new sea ingredients, cultivated marine plants and used previously overlooked marine products as part of his commitment to sustainability.
Aponiente Ángel León arroz placton
The event at Luz, organised by Meliá Hotels International, marks Chef León’s culinary debut in Asia, offering diners a rare opportunity to savour one-of-a-kind dishes that celebrate what’s bountiful and sustainable, alongside Luz chef de cuisine Juan Ignacio ‘Nacho’ García Racionero’s Spanish tapas.
The tasting journey will include three dishes from Chef León, preceded by three tapas by Chef Nacho. Each chef will present their dishes as part of a storytelling moment, with Chef León to highlight his unique techniques and latest culinary experiments.
Following the event, Luz Bangkok Tapas Bar will offer Chef León’s signature ‘Plankton Rice’, one of the most innovative dishes in contemporary gastronomy, for a limited one-month run from Dec. 30, 2025 – Jan. 31, 2026.
In a bold reimagining of what ocean ingredients can be, Plankton Rice is a rice dish infused with pure marine phytoplankton, the microscopic algae that form the base of the ocean’s food chain, making the dish vivid emerald in colour with an aroma reminiscent of the open sea. Pure marine phytoplankton is a highly nutritional and sustainable ingredient packed with the likes of protein, fibre, and omega-3 fatty acids.
Luz chef de cuisine Juan Ignacio ‘Nacho’ García Racionero
After years of tireless research on using the ocean’s resources in ways that are less destructive to marine ecosystems and promote sustainable fishing practices, Chef León was the first chef in the world to obtain authorisation to use 100% natural, food-grade phytoplankton in cuisine.
Prepared in accordance with his techniques and using the same premium-grade phytoplankton used at Aponiente, Plankton Rice will be offered in limited quantities daily at Luz. The restaurant specialises in authentic Spanish tapas and is accompanied by sweeping views of the Bangkok skyline.
His groundbreaking research has also focused on harvesting small edible seeds, that behave much like rice or quinoa yet are cultivated entirely underwater, from eelgrass, a bountiful marine plant growing naturally in coastal waters. The grain absorbs the flavour of the sea and, like pure marine phytoplankton, offers potential as a new model of sustainable food production. Eelgrass salt-water meadows require no freshwater irrigation, pesticides, or arable land; resources heavily consumed by conventional rice and cereal crops. Eelgrass also sequesters large amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
“It is an absolute honour to share with diners in Bangkok a glimpse into a future in which part of our food system could move from the land to the sea in a sustainable manner and reimagine how we feed the world,” said GM Tarek Beheiry. “Chef León’s culinary talent marks uncharted territory, and how his innovation and creativity intersect with gastronomy and sustainability is an inspiration to all.”
Plankton Rice will be THB 890++ (USD 27.60++).
LUZ is open daily from 4pm until midnight. For further information and to make a reservation call +66 2 340 5499.
Spanish flair in focus for year-end festivities at Innside by Meliá Bangkok Sukhumvit
As 2025 draws to a close, INNSiDE by Meliá Bangkok Sukhumvit is embracing the festive spirit with delectable Spanish menus, buffet feasts and a sky-high countdown party, all set against panoramic views of Bangkok’s skyline.
The 208-room urban lifestyle hotel, which has been recognised by the prestigious Conde Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards 2025 as among the Thai capital’s top four hotels, will present its “Feliz Festiva” program from Dec. 1, 2025 to Jan. 1, 2025.
The hotel, which debuted in 2023 in Bangkok’s vibrant On Nut neighbourhood, has quickly become known for its transparent infinity pool, authentic rooftop Spanish tapas bar, integrated co-working spaces and contemporary design referencing some of the city’s most iconic landmarks.
The Kites Eatery Christmas food
LUZ Bangkok Tapas Bar serves four weeks of festive Spanish dishes
Perched on the hotel’s uppermost floors – the 33rd and 34th floors – LUZ Bangkok Tapas Bar will mark the season to be jolly with a rotating ‘Special Spanish Festive Menu’ each week for four festive weeks from Dec. 1 until Dec. 30
Each week’s a la carte menu, crafted by Madrid-born chef Juan Ignacio García Racionero, offers a selection of dishes celebrating Spain’s famed gastronomy such as ‘Iberian bellota jamon croquettes with caviar’, ‘Spanish red prawn carpaccio’, ‘Spanish Seabass with porcini & parmentier’, and ‘Cannelloni of beef oxtail, foie gras & black truffles mushroom’ and ‘Caramel custard pudding, almond & Spanish nougat’. The prices of the dishes vary from THB 490++ for desserts and sorbets to THB 2,290++ for premium mains.
LUZ will also serve exciting Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve a la carte menus. The Dec. 24 and Dec. 25 menus will be on offer from 4pm until midnight. Standard indoor–outdoor seating is priced at THB 2,000 net per person. Premium lower-deck seating with private skyline views is THB 3,000 net per person.
Served across two sessions, from 5-7pm and 8pm until late, The New Year’s Eve menu is brimming with favourites such as the ‘La Tabla of Spanish cured meats and cheeses’, ‘Grilled octopus, olives, pickled paprika and olive oil’, ‘White anchovy, olives, Basque chili, red pepper and tuna’, ‘Bluefin tuna Chutoro tataki with pistachio soup’, ‘New Zealand lamb rack, roasted eggplant puree, Thai basil’, ‘Australian Angus beef (250 day), potato & Spanish pepper ‘ and ‘Cava lemon sorbet’.
The first seating is THB 1,500 net per person for both the indoor–outdoor seating and lower-deck seating areas. For the second session, standard seating is THB 3,000 net per person and lower-deck seating is THB 4,000 net per person, each offering sweeping views of the city.
LUZ Bangkok Tapas Bar & Food
The Kites Eatery offers Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve buffet spreads
With its soaring windows affording spectacular views, all-day dining restaurant The Kites Eatery will serve, under the stewardship of executive chef Katisak Pinkaew, Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve buffet dinners from 6-10pm and 6-11pm respectively.
The buffets will brim with all sorts of treats including seafood on ice, salads, cheeses, a Japanese corner with assorted sashimi, BBQ seafood and meats, a carving station, an array of main courses, a chocolate fountain, desserts and more. Free-flow alcohol is optional.
Both the Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve dinners are THB 2,600++ per adult and THB 1,300++ per child under 12. Optional free-flow sparkling, wine & beer is THB 1,600++ per person.
The Giant Swing Pool Bar rings in 2026 with sky-high countdown party
Revellers will bid farewell to 2025 and count down the new year at the Giant Swing Pool Bar for a night of rooftop fun and music from live DJs from 6pm on Dec. 31 until 1am on Jan. 1.
The rooftop party’s entry fee is THB 1500 net per person and includes a glass of sparkling wine, or THB net per person for the free-flow beverage package. Special rates for in-house guests and restaurant guests are THB 1,100 per person and THB 500 respectively, with a glass of bubbles included.
Exclusive table packages are available for the countdown party. The VIP terrace package, for two to four guests, and the Upper deck lounge package, for four guests, each have a minimum spend of THB 15,000 per table.
By night the hotel’s Giant Swing Pool Bar, with a compelling contemporary interpretation of Bangkok’s Brahman structure and an expansive rooftop terrace dotted with outdoor lounges and sunbeds that evoke an Ibiza mood, becomes an upper-floor extension of the 33rd floor tapas bar. In a spectacle unlike any other in Bangkok, tapas bar guests on the 3rd floor peer into the bottom of the hotel’s infinity pool.
For more information or to make a booking, visit melia.com, email [email protected] or call +66 2 340 5499.
Deposits are non-refundable and table allocation is determined on a first-come, first-served basis according to deposit.
New Year celebration at Innside by Meliá Bangkok Sukhumvit
LUZ Bangkok Tapas Bar’s à la carte Special Spanish Festive Menus, staged over four weeks, feature dishes priced from THB 490++ to THB 2,290++ each.
The Week 1 menu is on offer Dec. 1-7, Week 2 menu from Dec 8–14, the Week 3 menu from Dec 15–21 and the Week 4 from Dec 22–30.
LUZ’s Christmas Eve and Christmas Day a la carte menus staged on Dec. 24 and Dec. 25 from 4pm until midnight, are each priced at THB 2,000 net per person for indoor–outdoor seating, and THB 3,000 net per person for premium lower-deck seating with private skyline views.
LUZ’s New Year’s Eve a la carte menu, served across two sessions, from 5-7pm and 8pm until late, is THB 1,500 net per person for both the indoor–outdoor seating and lower-deck seating areas for the first seating. For the second session, standard seating is THB 3,000 net per person and lower-deck seating is THB 4,000 net per person, each offering sweeping views of the city. For the Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve dinners at LUZ, deposits are non-refundable and applied as F&B credit during the evening. Table assignment is first-come, first-served according to deposit.
The Kites Eatery’s Christmas Eve Dinner and New Year’s Eve Dinner are each priced at THB 2,600++ per person and THB 1,300++ per child under 12 years of age, with an additional free-flow package of sparkling wine, wines and local beer at THB 1,600++ per person.
The Giant Swing Countdown Party’s entry fee is THB 1500 net per person and includes a glass of sparkling wine, or THB net per person for the free-flow beverage package. Special rates for in-house guests and restaurant guests are THB 1,100 per person and THB 500 respectively, with a glass of bubbles included. The exclusive VIP terrace package, for two to four guests, and the Upper deck lounge package, for four guests, each have a minimum spend of THB 15,000 per table. For the countdown party, table assignment is first come, first served according to deposit.
INNSiDE is a collection of unique urban and beach hotels designed for those with curious minds and fluid lives. Always true to their destination, they give guests the freedom to connect or disconnect among an independent community of like-minded travellers.
INNSiDE provides guests with all the everyday essentials and extra-special details to make their stay all the more unique. From in-room comforts to the inspiring Big Idea Space, Open Living Lounges, and fitness studios, we allow guests to feel more-than-at-home.
Sustainability is also packed into all the little details: every room is equipped with paper and plastic-free collateral and complimentary organic cosmetics. INNSiDE celebrates the culture of each of its locations with an events calendar, handy city guides for guests, and by spotlighting a local artist’s work across the hotel walls and onto merchandise and staff uniforms.
