In case you missed the grand opening of Koi restaurant, housed on the top of Sathorn Square Building – which brought with it the glitz and glamour of Bangkok’s elite as well as the Gianni Versace Retrospective collection curated by Brazilian Versace collector Alexandre Stefani – we’re here to fill you in on whether or not it’s worth trying out.
Since its inception in 2002, the internationally recognised Koi has been regarded as a top dining destination for contemporary Californian-Japanese cuisine in Los Angeles. Placing emphasis on atmosphere as much as what’s served on the plate, Koi offered guests an unmatched dining experience. With its fresh take on Japanese fare and its alluring Feng Shui inspired designs, Koi Los Angeles dazzled crowds and quickly became the talk-of-the-town amongst Hollywood’s glitterati, which include stars such as Madonna, George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez, to name a few.
It’s successes soon grew to New York, Las Vegas, Abu Dhabi, and from 2005, Bangkok. You may have visited Koi lounge during various occasions on Sukhumvit 20. A hotbed of models, artists, the who’s who of Bangkok and business elites flying in from all corners of the globe, the lounge produced amazing food and drink and an even more amazing atmosphere – heightened by world-class DJs – that in turn grew a considerably loyal clientele.
We were excited to see if the food at the new location was just as explosive in taste as its predecessors, and if the ambience was just as alluring as the now-closed-down Sukhumvit branch. Upon entering Sathorn Square Building, you are privately escorted to the top floor where you enter the realm of Koi, featuring contemporary nature-inspired designs with a stunning skyscraper backdrop and the glittering side of Bangkok. With a view like that, we were surprised there weren’t more people basking in its glory on a Saturday night. Koi is separated into three areas: the restaurant area, the lounge/club area, and a private dining area.
We must say, the food is delicious.
There was nothing quite as moreish and delectable as the Creamy white shrimp tempura; we could have gone through about three plates of these.
The Grilled New Zealand lamb chops were cooked to perfection, with a slight hint of peppery ichimi and a delicious tabbouleh inspired salad to accompany the tender meat.
The Miso bronzed black cod was soft and tender, yet a tad too sweet for our liking however some palates may be piqued by such sweetness.
The Koi crispy rich is another moreish dish with an added crunch; it came with spicy tuna and was inhaled in about 60 seconds flat.
The geleno roll was wrapped perfectly in spicy tuna, cucumber, crispy spinach, onion and was a flavourful delight.
Unbelievably, dessert was the best part. You can’t go wrong with Chocolate Soufflé and Koi’s is out of this world, with melted chocolate in the centre that’s perfect for spoon-licking, almond crumble on the side and white chocolate ice-cream for a sweet finishing.
The Gemini’s Matcha cheese is also out of this world, most importantly because of the contrast in tastes between the white chocolate matcha cheese cake and the sweet red bean layer that you’ll find at the bottom of the mix.
The space provides a perfect night out in that after your meal, you can just saunter on over to the club and delight in delicious drinks and dancing. We hope to see more people heading to Koi in the months to come, as it has everything to offer: great food, delicious design, stunning views of Bangkok and a dance floor to whisk the night away.
For more information about Koi, visit www.koirestaurantbkk.com.
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