Tower Club at lebua

The State Tower is situated on Silom Road in Bangkok’s Bang Rak district as part of the world’s first self-styled vertical destination, Lebua. Best known as the open air bar in the sky in the finale of Hollywood smash hit comedy, The Hangover II starring Bradley Cooper and Paul Giacometti this exclusive hotel complex boasts four restaurants and six bars. Impressively, to say the least, two of the four restaurants have been awarded two Michelin stars. Ryuki Kawasaki’s Mezzaluna offers an Asian twist on French cuisine whilst Vincent Thierry’s Chef’s Table retains a stricter contemporary French angle. Simon from The Luxury Editor recently reviewed Tower Club at lebua along with Chef’s Table. Read on to discover more about this incredible luxury destination in the heart of Bangkok.

My suite is on the 56th floor of the 64-floor lebua, sometimes known as the State Tower. I open my door to what is the antechamber or reception area. On the table a beautiful bouquet of colourful flowers welcomes me. So does a chilled bottle of Correa Lisoni sauvignon blanc. And a couple of macaroons. And four handmade chocolates. And a bowl of fresh fruit including mini bananas, green oranges and the country’s national fruit, mangosteen. And there’s a lovely handwritten welcome letter. So far, so impressive.

But hang on, there’s a framed photograph of me on the table. And a cake. On the cake is the design of my debut novel, The Wobble Club. It doesn’t happen very often but I’m speechless. I have to take a quick walk to calm down. I head up to the bedroom, about ten metres away; it’s large. There’s another chocolate on the bed. I step onto the balcony and marvel at the view over South Bangkok and the Chao Phraya River. It’s jaw-dropping and doesn’t calm me down. I step back inside.

Something catches my eye around the bedhead. It looks like something straggley. I hope it’s not an insect. I inspect further and can’t believe my eyes. It’s my name. I’m confused. I pick up the pillow. My name is embroidered on the pillow. In elegant, sloping, burgundy letters. Not that you can measure degrees of speechlessness but if you could, I’d be even more speechless now than I was before. To call my welcome at the Tower Club at Lebua world-class would be wrong. My welcome is out of this world.

Elegant piano music, lush greenery, and antique sofas provide a calm refinement to the easy check-in process defined by super friendly and efficient staff. 

My suite is part of the Tower Club at lebua which stretches from the 51st to 59th floor. The suite is long, elegant and unfussy with neutral white walls and shiny, dark brown slatted floor. A kitchenette fills the corridor from reception to the bedroom. As well as microwave, cooking hobs and coffee machine, it comes with a large fridge filled with complimentary soft drinks such as Coca-Cola and Sprite.

Opposite is the sizeable bathroom decked out in various shades of grey marble. There’s a bath to relax in as well as a spacious shower. Balmain hand soaps, body wash, shampoo and conditioner fill the space.

The bed is large, covered in white linen and looks over sensational views of the city, best taken from the balcony. The Chao Phraya flows beneath with quite a force, muddy now, after so much rain. The ICONSIAM shopping mall sits diagonally opposite and, to both left and right, bridges and motorways pulsate with non-stop traffic. The city stretches as far as the eye can see and Gold temple tops shine sporadically throughout. It’s easy to while away the time marvelling at the hectic metropolis but when day turns to night, the city and traffic dazzle with extra charisma, like multi-coloured diamonds on fire. It’s a mesmerising, captivating sight. 

As well as your room number, there are two other magical numbers at Lebua; 52 and 64. Breeze offers complimentary, non-stop buffet snacks throughout the day and is located on floor 52.  Breakfast starts at 6 am and is replaced by Light luncheon at 11 am which is replaced by High tea from 3 pm until 6 pm. Spirits, wine and beer are included, even at breakfast and, like everywhere at Lebua, the views are phenomenal.

For breakfast, I opt for a delicious, creamy egg Benedict with bacon and hash browns. I eschew the doughnuts, the coconut & chocolate croissants, the banana cake and the fresh fruit kiwi Danish and finish the meal off with refreshing pineapple and watermelon. 

Unsurprisingly, the lounge can fill up and much of the food disappears quickly. But fear not, it’s also quickly replaced. Another word of warning; the dress code is casual but strict. On my second day I wear Birkenstocks to lunch and am politely asked to return with more appropriate footwear. I’ve read this somewhere and it’s an oversight on my part. No problem. Moments later I’m feasting on seafood vol au vents, mushroom kebabs, sushi, salad, cheese toasted sandwiches and chocolate mud cakes. The chocolate mud cakes are especially delicious with a spongy, brownie base and a thick and gooey melted chocolate top. I wash everything down with a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon.

The staff are super attentive and rather than having to constantly ask for another top-up, I’m constantly having to say ‘No thank you!’ Afternoon tea is no different and mixing the view, the fantastic staff, the combination of bagels, madeleines, pistachio cakes, chicken skewers, chocolate mousse and egg sandwiches makes for a heady and unforgettable experience.  

The second magical number is 64. Lebua has four restaurants and six bars, the majority of which can be accessed from this floor. Open-aired and located on Lebua’s rooftop, the Sirocco remains the most iconic and well-known. Its open-aired, unparalleled location memorably defined Hollywood comedy The Hangover II’s finale. If you don’t know it, The Hangover II stars Bradley Cooper, Paul Giamatti and Mike Tyson and was a global smash hit. The hotel is very proud of this facilitation and invented the Hangovertini, a Scotch whiskey and green tea liquor-infused cocktail, to commemorate it. You can also rent the Hangover suite which at 2863 sq ft accommodates up to seven guests. 

Just below the Sirocco are two restaurants, Chef’s Table and Mezzaluna, both of which are, remarkably, two star Michelin restaurants. This makes Lebua one of the very few hotels in the world to have two in-house eateries bestowed with such prestige. 

Chef’s Table is a large, curved space which has an unfeasibly high ceiling and matching windows to show off the twinkling cityscape below. Its lighting is hard to pinpoint but it provides the area and everyone in it with a happy, almost magical glow. Colours are soft and muted and range from grey to cream to pink. The restaurant has a 42 seat cover and each table is distanced from the others for privacy and intimacy. Each seat is directed inwards, towards the chef’s table (kitchen area) where the ensuing feast is prepared with calmness and precision by seven or eight kitchen staff.

Above the kitchen hovers a massive bronze extractor fan which could be mistaken for a 1950s UFO but was actually crafted to emulate a Buddhist monument. Across from the kitchen is another, smaller chef’s area for pastry.

Chef Vincent Thierry not only helped design the space but is also present every evening, working his magic. He possesses a rare skill and was awarded three Michelin stars whilst at Caprice in Hong Kong’s Four Seasons. Within months of opening Chef’s Table he was awarded one star. Two stars followed the year after. 

We have a six-course tasting menu with wine pairings but by the time the palate cleansers, the amuse bouches, the little treats, the petits fours have snuck in, it feels like a sumptuous, non-stop epicurean extravaganza double that length. It’s a truly overwhelming experience, a roller coaster ride of intensity and delicacy, of care and affection, of flavour after flavour, texture after texture. Fare is modern French, sourced mainly from Thailand but with a few exceptions such as the sixteen cheeses which come from France. 

Wearing thin, round silver glasses which match the colour of his short, side-parted hair and light stubble, Chef Thierry welcomes us to his restaurant with a tub of homemade butter held firmly in hand. As if to ritualise our meal’s beginning, he scoops the butter into a conical shape and hands each of us a portion to accompany the home-baked bread. And we’re off.

Japanese Tuna Belly a la Niçoise accompanied by Billecarte-Salmon Grand Cru Champagne. The champagne is chosen for its minerality to complement that of the tuna. The tuna is unfeasibly soft and delicate, so much so that you try to chew it but fail; it’s already dissolved. There’s a small bit of aniseed somewhere, there’s a small crispy something and the drizzle of oil is sublime. 

Next up is Binchotan Alaskan King Crab served with celeriac jus and accompanied by Chablis Grand Cru Courtault- Michelet, 2021. And then Red  Mullet, Tomato and Eggplant with Patrimonio Leccia 2022 from Corsica. At some point we’re invited into the chef’s kitchen to watch the preparation of our next course: Challans Duck with Artichoke, Tangy plum, velvety sauce.  

Three different sous chefs huddle over each dish and work with tweezers and spoons to craft the correct positioning of each curve of every vegetable, to manipulate the jus and the foam, to surround and prettify the plate. Every presentation of every ingredient is deliberate, agonised over, intricate and artistic.  

By the end of the evening, the Maitre D, the sommelier, the waiters, all seem like best friends. They return to the table not only to serve our meal but to make sure we’ve enjoyed it and to answer any questions we might have about it.

Chef Thierry sits down for seven minutes or so and I ask him what makes the difference between a two-star Michelin chef and a three-star one. It’s not an easy question for him to answer but he philosophises about never relaxing, never being content, always pushing himself, pushing his ideas, pushing his staff, whilst retaining a happy team, a dignity and a realistic sense of self. 

The Chef’s Table is a truly stunning experience. Overwhelming in its own way. Almost impossible to take in the width and breadth of food, wine, taste, texture and skill on display. My friend described it as ‘the meal of a lifetime;’ something I can easily agree with. It’s not hard to imagine a third Michelin star heading this way soon. 

If all the hotel floors are defined by numbers, one is defined by a letter. M. The Mth floor. It’s short for Café Mozu which serves authentic Indian, Thai and Italian but perhaps, more importantly after all this eating and drinking, overlooks the beautiful outdoor swimming pool. Open from 6 am to 10 pm, it’s a good thirty or so metres in length if you want a straight swim but also ebbs under pillars into the main building if you want to explore a few nooks and crannies.

Surrounded by a medium-high wall and an abundance of greenery and palms, it feels like a well-kept secret and is especially worth a visit at dusk, as day turns to night and orange and green lighting provide a magical grotto quality. Over-looking the pool is the fitness centre which offers a range of modern equipment from cardiovascular and resistance machines to free weights and dumbbells. 

Tower Club at lebua is built to impress. It wants you to have your cake and to eat it. And it succeeds, admirably, with its incomparable views and its extravagant fine dining. But none of this is enough without a staff to match and the large team here is, without exception, the epitome of bonhomie, good nature and welcome. Thailand is known as ‘the Land of Smiles’ but Lebua takes its friendliness super seriously and in so doing, its concept of hospitality to another level.

This must, in some part, be down to the general manager, Rajan Khurana who leads by example. Raj, as he likes to be called, cuts a slim, friendly figure who always wears a stylish suit and seems to pop up here, there and everywhere; in the reception, at Breeze, at the Flute Bar. He constantly flashes an authentic, broad smile and takes a genuine interest in his guests whilst offering up walks around the hotel’s neighbourhood and anecdotes from his tenure. He’s worked at Lebua for fifteen years and is, justifiably, proud that 40% of his guests return to the hotel. Some have been returning for longer than he’s been working at it; a testament, if anyone still needs one, to the incomparable and other-worldly delight that is Tower Club at lebua. 

Tower Club at lebua is included in our guide to the best luxury hotels in Bangkok and Thailand.