Friday, February 22, 2013

Bottoms Up European Restaurant Review - Thonglor, Bangkok

Bottoms Up - European Restaurant - Wine | Beer & Bistro Bar at Thonglor, Bangkok




Overall Score  9/10
Taste   4.5/5
Ambiance  4.5/5
Service  3.5/5
Value   4/5



Nowadays in Bangkok we are seeing more and more sushi shop, izakaya, and burger joint.  Another type of restaurant that seems to be the new trend as well is the Wine Bar.  In this review, we are taking you to a newly opened Wine Bar of Thonglor, named the Bottoms Up. 

The Bottoms Up is a pretty good size Wine Bar, actually a big one.  It is located at the Soi Thararom 2 between Soi Thonglor 18 and 20.  Driving there is stress free since they have valet service.  If you plan to “bottoms up” your drinks, then I suggest taking a taxi or the BTS + motorcycle taxi.  Once you get to the restaurant, you will be stunned by its grande size.  The restaurant is divided into 4 zones, which are all named after the setting;
-          
      - Zone Chill Out in Thonglor Road, this is the outdoor area with the street view
-     -  Zone Irish Bar, which is the bar at the center with the stone counter top surrounding the column of alcohol shelves
-     - Zone Wine has regular dining table set up and the decoration concentrates on old European appeal with the paintings from the renaissance period.
-     -  Zone Dining in Gallery is most spacious of all with the mural painting of various styles, mostly vintage feel.   





Yep, the restaurant is divided into zones.  If the place wasn’t big enough, there is no way it could be separated this way.  The Bottoms Up @ Thonglor can hold up to 300 seats easily.  Remarks on the wine zone, there is the Wine Dispenser, an interesting add on to the whole creative and stylish set up.  For some of you who prefer the conventional style, ordering by bottle, the Bottoms Up has all kinds wine from all over the world.  There is a Sommelier stationed at the restaurant to help to pair up a nice bottle to enjoy with the food.  Basically this place is not only the Wine Bar, there are so many selection of beers (draft and bottled), signature cocktails, and all other usual spirit you can think of.  The bar has got all the tricks to give you a nice booze, just be prepared to “Bottoms Up” with your party.   




In terms of the food, the Bottoms up has a focus on the Western cuisine with a slight fusion as a differentiation, a matching of European and American.  There might not be as many selection compared to other Wine Bar but I must say that you will find what you like in each category; soup, salad, pasta, steak, pizza, or dessert.  From my experience, the restaurants with lesser choices tend are better because each choices are carefully selected.  To restaurants, if you have so many dishes in the menu and you can’t make all of them delicious, can’t you just leave them out of the menu?  And focus on the ones you can do great.  Price range of the Bottoms up is about standard.  It should be just shy of 1,000 baht per person included a beer or so, if you didn’t get the Dom Perignon.

For our dinner, we began with the signature cocktails.  The first one was the Mexican Hop - Olmeca gold triple sec, tequila, mint leaves, limes, sugar, Hoegaarden (260 baht).  Yes, this one had wheat beer in it.  It looked much like a Mojito but less tangy and it had the beer flavor into, interesting mix but personally felt awkward with the Hoegaarden.  The other signature cocktail was the “What You Think?” made with Hoegaarden, crème de cacao white, strawberry syrup, fresh strawberry (260 baht).  Coming to the table, a man would be afraid to claim it as his drink.  Being served in the champagne glass with pinkish color, blended, and touched with a piece of strawberry.  This one absolutely calls for girl’s attention.  It’d be a good one to order for your girl on the coming Valentine’s day.    





The first dish on the table was the Pizza Seafood.  It was made with mozzarella chesse, shrimp, squid, and NZ mussels.  For 300 Baht, I was all over this pizza.  I liked the thin crust and overloaded amount of seafood, evenly topped off for each slice.  If you come with some friends, this is the recommend choice for sharing.  This Pizza Seafood at the Bottoms Up was really tasty. 

  






The second dish was the Tomato Caprese Salad (220 Baht).  My friend coming together was a Caprese Salad lover, so he is the expert for Caprese.  He said that it was good enough, not the best he had ever had.  I felt similar.  I usually like the chunk of cheese and the tomatoes pieces bigger, and chiller because its freshness of the tomato and the cheese could really give the really refreshing explosion in the mouth. 


The third dish was the Italian Sausage A.O.P. Pasta.  It was garlicky.  The roasted chilies were great for the sausages.  Good amount of sausages too.  The pasta could be less cooked because I am a fan of the al dante style.  Don’t get me wrong, it was a delicious paste overall.  







The fourth dish was the German Pork Hock with red cabbage and potato.  This is a popular menu for Thai people.  I have had it many times at the Tawandaeng Brewery.  If you go there, you will see this dish on nearly every table.  Surprisingly I fell in love with the German Pork Hock here at Bottoms Up.  I couldn’t believe how great it was.  The skin was so crispy and the inside was overly tender.  Forks are all you need for this one.  Oh, this also comes with Thai spicy sauce just like at Tawandaeng.  This sauce usually belongs with the Seafood (Thai style).  I was told that this German Pork Hock’s recipe is from Chef Jamnong Nirangsan (President of Thai Chef Association).  Well, the reputation is regardless.  Not knowing its background, I would still enjoy this delectable German Pork Hock.  




The fifth dish was the Lamb Chop (imported) for 690 baht.  It was grilled to perfection.  Honestly I haven’t had the lamb chop this delicious in a while.  Medium rare was the chef’s choice, we didn’t have to request it.  The marinade and the flavoring was just right, impressive dish.







The last dish was the Cheese & Onion pork chop (260 baht).  Considering the price, it is quite cheap.  The cheese looks delicious over the pork chop.  There isn’t much decoration, served with veggies and French fries.  Too bad it was a bit overcooked.  If it was just more juicy and tender inside, it would be a awesome choice.  




I bet the Bottoms Up @ Thonglor will be the new hot spot in town.  After a few months in business, the place seems to be quite lively already.  This is a good competition to the Mellow and others at the Penny’s balcony right down the street.   Good food and lots of drink selection in the playful atmosphere.  Oh, they also have live band playing – I think it’s happening everyday around 8pm, but not so sure.  They are playing on the weekends for sure.  Anyway gather some friends and bottoms up at “Bottoms Up.”  The term doesn’t work for wine but keep up with the wine bar trend.  It’s pretty chill.   







--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Feel free to leave a comment and you can also contact me via channels below.
http://www.bumres.com
http://www.facebook.com/BumRes
admin@bumres.com
ร้านอาหาร

No comments:

Post a Comment