THE GOJI KITCHEN & BAR AT THE LARGEST HOTEL IN BANGKOK GOES WORLDWIDE ON CUISINE AND GRANDIOSE ON ITS SELECTION – THIS IS NO ORDINARY BUFFET!

It’s always a virtuous sign when you just can’t decide what to order. It’s a shared problem here, where breakfast is a cut above.

Marriott Marquis …the first in Asia Pacific and the largest in Bangkok. This fresh milestone in the heart of the Thai Capital takes its inspiration from the Thai Queen’s passion that ‘the cultural heritage of Thailand resides within its people’ and this hotel mergers fabulous Thai hospitality with the ‘Travel Brilliantly’ values of the Marriott brand. It is a portrayal of urbane luxury, a favoured among those seeking vital easing collective with an elegant ambience. It brags wide-ranging facilities, including over 1,300 rooms and suites, over 5,000m² of function space across 37 venues, two swimming pools, the Quan Spa which is a calm oasis and a collection of restaurants and bars…one of which is home to the focus of my visit that morning…aka Breakfast at the Goji Kitchen & Bar! A hotel buffet does not have to mean queuing up for lukewarm titbits, uncertain hotpots and gelatinous eggs. There is a glorious thing happening out here and the daughter and I are excited to dive in.

AMBIENCE

Attentive staff takes your order for tea or coffee as soon as you take your seat. Overlooking Bangkok’s Benjasiri Park, Bright and welcoming, Goji can seat 240 diners. Views of verdant greens echo in the cuisine itself, which is environmentally-friendly organic and sourced locally. There are also private dining rooms in case you are a larger group or celebrating!

WHAT’S ON OFFER?

Think a bounty of authentic, modern Asian cuisine, a glut of top quality ocean fresh seafood, an old-style roast carvery, sashimi and sushi station, Indian selection, Hainese chicken rice corner with its own expert chef, South American Parrilla Grill, handmade Chinese steamed buns, Dimsums galore, make your own salad bar, a huge Bagel selection (I encrusted mine with dill cream cheese and superbly grated cooked beetroot sharp with a wee bit of horseradish, the perfect bite, creamy and fresh all at once), fruits, juices, finest cheeses, cold cuts, breads, yogurts , eggs to order, pancakes, waffles …replete with live dramatic cooking stations, and an eye-popping milk bar to make any milk lover pinch themselves in disbelief. Oh, and did I mention they have got a fresh Sugar cane press? Anticipate sushi and sashimi, steamed dumplings and buns, noodle and rice dishes cooked to order, and the freshest seafood.

Come hungry. So kudos to lead chefs, Itthi Nitayaporn of Thailand, Jasvir Sanghera of Thailand and Watanabe Masayuki of Japan, who obviously know a thing or three about excellent, slightly off-piste textures and flavours and maintaining the perfect taste. Textures rule in dishes such the scramble egg, opt for one that gets chunky with salmon and covered in bonito flakes that wave in the heat. 

And then at the end see if you still have some room for dessert, and ask for the bill, and leave beaming promising to return very, very soon.

CHECK IT OUT

WHERE: Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park, 199 Sukhumvit Soi 22, Klong Ton, Klongtoey, Bangkok 10110, Thailand

bangkokmarriottmarquis.com

TEL: +66 (0) 2 059 5999

WEB:  www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/bkkqp

EMAIL: restaurant-reservations.bkkqp@marriotthotels.com

VERDICT: I only tried the breakfast buffet out here, but from stylish breakfasts to high-flying lunches, exciting evening buffets to memorable family brunches, Goji Kitchen & Bar has something to suit all tastes and every occasion.

INTERNATIONAL GOURMET BUFFET PRICE

Breakfast buffet: THB 850++

Lunch buffet: THB 790++

Dinner buffet (Sunday – Thursday): THB 1,200++

Dinner buffet (Friday – Saturday): THB 1,800++

Sunday Brunch buffet (Sunday): THB 1,800++

BEVERAGE PACKAGE

Free flow fruit juices and soft drinks: THB 99++

Free flow fruit juices, soft drinks and beers: THB 499++

Free flow fruit juices, soft drinks and alcoholic beverage exclude champagne: THB 950++

MOTHER CHILD BONDING - COOK AS YOU TRAVEL

The finest way to Bond with your Child is to experience striking customs by indulging on local produce, appreciating regional spices and sitting down to share a meal.

‘COOK AS YOU TRAVEL’  A FAST CATCHING TREND TO BOND

Trying some of the best eating out places each metropolitan and province has to offer, devouring popular dishes and local treats is a fun way to bond. If you love cooking and more essentially eating…then a local cuisine learning session is unquestionably for you! By educating to cook a local cuisine in the country you are in you straight away get an advantage as your coach is acquainted with the food, knows the local way to make it, and even gives you advice on the correct cooking techniques; carry home recipe cards are usually a part of the package. And trust me it’s exciting to start the day at a local market then sit down to a meal of your very own making …a perfect way to bond with your children.

HOW DO THESE COOKING CLASSES WORK?

Learners are characteristically teamed up with multilingual chef instructors competent in the cuisine of the region. Some packages are suited to a widespread multi-week gastronomic voyage: Learning nuances of terrines and pates in Strasbourg, cheese making in Switzerland, foraging for Truffles in Alba or cooking Javanese cuisine in Indonesia. Other half a day or day long sessions outfit to those who merely want to have fun while cooking on their travels. Hotels and resorts are progressively offering classes as well. So all in all, these classes can house budding chefs of all ability-levels, with charges stretching from free and up. All you need to do is, discover the seamless gourmet get-away to ensemble your palate and your budget.

A TASTE OF THE CLASSES

Honestly, when it comes to culinary classes and workshops there is such a respectable range world-wide, that we are spoilt for choice! More than just humble store selling kitchen utensils, Tools of the Trade in Singapore is a very food-focused retail outlet that has cooking studios, a bistro and even a gourmet market all appropriate positioned next to one another. The cooking classes they offer are very well-received with chefs coming in to give demonstrations and teaching you how to make anything running the gamut from a lesson in ‘slow food’ or ‘local treats’ like the famed Chilli Crab. 

The constant workshops and classes at the Blue Elephant in Bangkok class begins with registration followed by a visit to the market with the chef instructor which is a very hands-on experience, as he walks you around the market, explaining various ingredients; you get to shop in the local markets for seasonal ingredients, before you head back to the cooking school. For each dish, the chef explains and demonstrates, then you go to the kitchen on your individual work station, gather ingredients, and prepare the dish you have just learnt and of course you will enjoy a sampling of the dishes for yourself. Workshops at Tam’s in Nice, France pay homage to tried-and-true local dishes and include a cooking class, lunch with wine and a field experience. Go on a flower and vegetable market tour with Chef Tam, and then get into the fancy kitchen by the Sea, where you can learn the secrets of Salad Nicoise and more. At her school, Chef Tam teaches you the secrets of capturing Nice’s essence and helps you master your Nicoise dishes of your choice. She also peppers her instructions with humorous and gossipy tidbits.

 my story first published in ET Travel