COBA Bangkok Assessment – The Luxurious Editor

The mission assertion behind COBA’, as opined by Managing Director Albert van Der Westhuizen is lofty and impressive. “We hope to supply a completely unique eating and leisure idea.” However do diners actually need to be entertained or is consuming all of the leisure they want? Do unique eating ideas even exist in 2025? Olivier Limousin, Michelin-starred chef, globe-trotting culinary curator and the brains behind COBA’, actually thinks in order he relocated from New York and spent the higher a part of two years working in direction of COBA’s launch in November final 12 months.
If Bangkok is a sprawling, metropolis however with idiosyncratic allure burgeoning and blossoming from each nook, COBA’s inside eschews the previous and takes inspiration from the latter. Foliage and greenery curl and sprout and grasp from each conceivable path. It’s a rainforest however with out the creepy crawlies and with chic and luxurious lighting design. Rings glow from the ceiling. Crimson candles flicker on tables. Tassled lampshades grasp, seemingly, in mid-air. Partitions swirl with shades of inexperienced graphic-generated brushstrokes. And there are home windows, giant, daring home windows which look onto extra shrubbery giving the phantasm that Coba is hermetically sealed from the remainder of town.
Reverse our desk is a vitrine which appears like a specifically commissioned tree sculpture by Damien Hirst, a blast again to his early days, however no, it’s truly an actual tree and the restaurant has been constructed round it. Getting into COBA is a transformative and transportive expertise to a extra magical world.


The signature Tapas Tree does nothing to shatter this phantasm. It’s not straightforward to take images of however is sort of a giant Bonsai tree, nestling on the branches of that are unique hors d’oeuvres. Tuna tataki is served with edible flowers and dots of spicy mayonnaise. A Humita gyoza is served with Iberico ham, coriander and sesame dressing. A Parmesan biscuit is served with honey and baba ghanoush. French toast is served with Wagyu beef tartar, crispy shallots and confit egg yolks.



Each one is a riot of flavour and texture; delicate and elegant. The meat particularly is unbelievable, virtually viscous. For accompanying cocktails, we select a Crimson Rampage which is a Bloody Mary however tequila-based and a Black Velvet which is a sake cocktail the place the shopper chooses the extent of spiciness.




The starters are simply as unique in style if not fully by identify; the Roasted Cauliflower’s snowy heads are adorned with vibrant petals, purple, pink, yellow and purple. The cauliflower is flippantly pickled and the addition of sesame oil and a touch of lemon make for a pure and clear however curiously appetizing dish. Leche de Tigre Ceviche is served in a dramatic obsidian-like dint and adorned with each recent lotus and crispy lotus root chips. There’s a touch of coriander and pico curry to play with the healthful chunks of sea bream.



We select El Enemigo Malbec from Argentina to accompany our mains; a deep ruby color, it has a wealthy oaky aroma and blends completely with the Premium lamb cutlets, one other feast not just for the eyes however the senses.

The cutlet is pleasingly uncommon, virtually drips bloody succulence and is served on a mattress of barley rice, raisins and pomegranate seeds. There’s additionally a smear of harissa oil and yoghurt prettified by extra vibrant petals. The Miso glazed black cod set on mashed potato purée is topped with strings of dried parsnip. The cod actually melts within the mouth and the creamy potato recipe is from Joël Robuchon, a beneficiant nod from Limousin to his former worker of over a decade (in Paris, London and Bangkok).



A DJ stands all through in entrance of a chic, giant picket aid depicting what appears like a tribal masks however the sound system is so good the ambient jungle landscapes, and the light dance beats, are by no means obtrusive. Paradoxically, there’s a gratifying calmness to COBA a refined, dignified and enjoyable calm even when a saxophonist saunters by means of the area, out and in of tables, free-styling over the DJ. It may very well be terrible however by some means isn’t.



Equally, girls who seem like they’ve simply landed from an Alexander McQueen high fashion runway ebb and movement, waltz and twirl. Their appearances aren’t overplayed. They seem they disappear. Diners watch, diners grin, diners take images, diners return to eating. It’s not instantly obvious however in some unspecified time in the future the connection is made; the costumes are impressed by the jungle. A peacock opens her feather tail. A leopard scratches her claws. A snake glints her tongue. Once more, it may very well be terrible however by some means isn’t. It’s oneiric. It’s hypnotic. It’s charmingly surreal.

The desserts are as opulent and creative as all the things that has proceeded. The Mango Creme Brûlée comes with a vibrant ardour fruit sorbet within the form of a flower and a fruit salad brims with kernel like tapioca. The chocolate fondant is adorned with a sea coral of strong chocolate while liquid chocolate pours out of the barrel-like construction as soon as lower. Miso ice cream and a small smattering of cocoa nibs are served on a special dish for what looks like a further dessert however isn’t. We finish the night with a cocktail not but on the menu. It’s known as Symbiosis and is served in what should absolutely be the perfect cocktail container ever; Kon-Tiki model wooden and twine sculpted to seem like a large ant with a removable stomach which is a coconut-shaped consuming cup. Symbiosis is manufactured from coconut whiskey and is a homage to the ants which shield the Acacia tree from herbivorous assault and are rewarded with its nectar.



Via daring inside design, distinctive presentation and, most significantly, a inventive menu carried out flawlessly by govt Chef Sebastien Lalanne, COBA affords an intimate and heady expertise which stands other than the norm. There’s actually nothing prefer it in Bangkok or, certainly, some other main culinary vacation spot. Hats off to Albert van Der Westhuizen and Olivier Limousin for having a imaginative and prescient and efficiently creating that imaginative and prescient; not a straightforward achievement.
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