April 14th, 2012

The new Aloft Bangkok hotel has been creating a buzz since its opening in December 2011. Conveniently located in the popular Sukhumvit nightlife and entertainment area of Bangkok,  and the first Aloft in SE Asia,  Aloft has introduced a fresh concept in the hospitality experience for the new generation of tech savvy, budget conscious travellers. As an offshoot of the W Hotels brand, Aloft shares the same concept of modern, urban-influenced design, and stylish, yet relaxed venues for social eating and drinking.

The Crave restaurant epitomises the Aloft style- with bright modern interior design and innovative eating options providing a pleasurable dining  and social experience.  The restaurant occupies a large indoor and outdoor space on the 8th floor of the hotel- with floor to ceiling glass walls on three sides of the front section opening up panoramic views over the inner Bangkok skyline.

Crave offers all-day dining – with a buffet style breakfast of fresh, healthy international dishes,  followed by a lunch time semi-buffet menu including popular comfort style dishes such as Beer Batter Fish & Chips with spicy hollandaise sauce; Wood-fired BBQ Spring Chicken; and Oven-baked Sea Bass fillet with red bean curd rub & braised spring vegetables. The a la carte dinner menu highlights fresh seafood  and an eclectic assemblage of local and international dishes.

crave @ aloft

The spacious inner dining space with the live cooking stations in the centre 

crave @ aloft

The casual, modern style of the Crave interior-  tables are generously spaced apart.

The expansive restaurant floor space has a bright, airy spaciousness thanks to the soaring high ceilings, full height glass windows, and the open floor plan that flows seamlessly between the various sections- from the indoor spaces to the open-air outdoor terrace. At the entry, the guest first encounters the large, walk through wine cellar that showcases over 250 labels of wines. The main dining floor then opens out- where the front section is dominated by the large live cooking stations in the centre of the room. Comfortably spaced dining settings are arranged around the perimeter walls- with clean, modern style furniture and colorful fabrics. Moving further out past the central cooking stations the space opens out into a brighter, more casual atmosphere, with polished concrete flooring, and the full height glass on three sides.

Straddling the transition from indoor to outdoor, the central bar serves both the indoor and open-air areas. The open-air section at Crave features seating options at the bar, on the large comfy sofas, or at intimate dining tables arranged along the curving outer wall its end-to-end soft fabric banquette.  Here guests enjoy the views of the Bangkok urban skyline- and the bustling activity in the streets below. On the weekends, DJs spin tunes for the perfect chillax experience in the balmy tropical evening air.

crave @ aloft

The dining area extends out into a more open section with full height glass walls, and beyond the bar serving counter- the outdoor terrace

crave @ aloft

The bar service counter at Crave- serving both the indoor restaurant and outdoor lounge area

crave @ aloft

The open-air section of Crave- with seating at the bar- on the comfortable sofas- or at tables around the curving banquette

crave @ aloft

The outdoor section of Crave has panoramic views of the urban landscape of Bangkok

crave @ aloft

The Wine Cellar at the entrance to Crave-  open walk-through display for browsing and selecting bottles

crave @ aloft

Guests can select from over 3,000 bottles across 250 wine labels on the digital wine menu iPads.

For the tech-savvy guest, the digital iPad menus provide a simple, easy to use resource to search the Wine Cellar contents by the label, or by varietal type, and also read tasting notes and recommendations for pairing with dishes. An attractive pricing policy at Crave offers all the wines from the Wine Cellar at true wholesale prices- making the affordability of quality wines within the reach of all budgets. Bottle prices start from THB450++.

crave @ aloft

20 Minute Cured Salmon – Marinated salmon slice served with Ginkgo and micro sprout tossed in Northeastern style vinaigrette. 
Starter from the a la carte dinner menu.

crave @ aloft

Crab and Chips – Crab and potato croquette with steak fries dipped in citrus mayonnaise . 
Starter from the a la carte dinner menu.

crave @ aloft

Black Chicken Confit- Moist & crispy chicken over abalone mushroom risotto topped with crushed brie cheese and drizzled truffle oil. 
Main dish from the a la carte dinner menu

crave @ aloft

KUROBUTA Black Pork- Baked pork tenderloin served with sautéed bell pepper, crumbled feta and quince jam.
Main dish from the a la carte dinner menu

crave @ aloft

Poached Pear- Wine poached pear and pineapple served with Sabayon and house made Malibu ice cream. 
Dessert from the a la carte dinner menu.

crave @ aloft

Crave @ Aloft Bangkok

Address: 8th  floor at Aloft Hotel Bangkok, 35 Sukhumvit Soi 11, Bangkok. 10110 Thailand
BTS:   NANA station  5 minutes walk
Reservations:   +66.2. 207 7080
Website:   ALOFT Bangkok
Facebook Page:  www.facebook.com/Crave.aloftbangkok
Twitter : @AloftBangkok
Opening hours:
Daily            6:30 am ~ 11:00 pm
Breakfast    6:30 am ~10:30 am
Lunch-       12:00 noon ~ 3:00 pm
Dinner        6:00 pm ~ 11:00 pm
Promotions:
Clink! Clink! Cocktailistas!
Every day!! Get 50% off specialty cocktails and drinks during twilight from 5 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Chillax with live music every Friday and Saturday night.
See also asia-bars.com review of w xyz bar @ Aloft Bangkok