What's in a name? Long Table's main feature (top) is a seriously large piece of wood - 24 metres of solid Thai teak with a brushed-steel centrepiece running down the middle. As the restaurant is on the 25th floor, getting it up the stairs must have been quite a challenge.
Views to die for then? And some. Long Table's bar abuts the floor-to-ceiling windows, with sweeping views of the city skyline. The experience puts a whole new slant on communal dining.
How so? Dinner a deux is all very well but to the Thais, everything tastes better when you're eating and nattering in a large bunch. It's as much about socialising as savouring. This is evident at restaurants all around the country, but the gastronomous long table - which can seat about 70 - has made the practice chic.
So the design concept is chilli hot? Yes, exactly. Every once in a while the Thai capital comes up with a restaurant that rocks. It's no surprise that Long Table was launched by the same brains that conceived Bed Supper Club, the upscale venue in the same city. For those not willing to dine refectory style, there are booths off to the side, taking to 120 the number of people the restaurant can accommodate. Displays of contemporary video art by prominent local artists add to the fun.
And how about the menu? A stunner. The chefs combine authentic flavours of Thailand with a creative, distinctive presentation. The steamed crab, for example, is augmented with asparagus and a yellow-curry egg sauce, and the Thai dessert staple - mango and sticky rice - is garnished with deep-fried mung beans. The simplistic approach lets the flavours shine.
When's the best time to go? Long Table opens at noon and the atmosphere is so conducive to a lengthy repast that cocktail hour may be under way before you've finished your post-lunch coffee. Never mind, this is a great place to catch the sunset, especially with the aid of a few margaritas or cosmopolitans.