Party time for pleasure seekers

 


UNLESS YOU have something really important planned for the weekend, scratch tomorrow night off your calendar and make tracks to the opening of Ku De Ta Bangkok, a new venue that’s expected to redefine dining and entertainment in Bangkok. The brand, which started in Bali then spread to Singapore, has arrived in the City of Angels and has found its home right at the top of Sathorn City Complex in the heart of the city’s business district.
“Bangkok has never seen anything like this in terms of offerings, scale and expectation,” Justin Dunne, director of club and bar operations and former general manager of the now-closed Bed Supperclub told us in an interview a few weeks before the big day.
“Everyone assumes that we’re going to be a premium but pricey venue but Ku De Ta isn’t that at all. It’s not a ‘special occasion only’ destination. We want it to be a place where everyone can come, have a good time and come back the following night.”
Under the same ownership as Ku De Ta Singapore on top of Marina Bay Sands, the Bangkok edition is much more spacious. It takes up the two top floors of the building and spans more than 1,000 square metres with bars, lounges, entertainment sections and restaurants that promise something for everyone. Aspiring to be a “tropical retreat” in the heart of a city, Ku De Ta touches its Balinese roots with a wooden decor that delivers a warm, welcoming and relaxing atmosphere.
The massive floor space is broken down into several sections with different identities, different atmospheres and even different prices to cater to larger demographic and entice patrons every day of the week.
The integrated playground expects to raise Bangkok’s wining and dining, clubbing and entertainment barometer to another level. Ku De Ta will unveil the first phase of the opening tomorrow with seven bars and two restaurants.
Manned by Hawaiian chef Jonathan Maza, who has previously worked at upscale Japanese restaurants Sansei, Geisha and Nobu, Signature serves up modern, contemporary Asian dishes with inspiring culinary techniques and seafood flown in from Japan. Another joint that will be open is Izakaya, a more accessible Ku De Ta dining experience, which offers izakaya-style dishes, robatayaki and noodles for lunch, dinner and late at night.
Coming in a few months is Grill where you get to gorge on West-coast steaks and grills with Spanish and Italian flair.
On the clubbing side, Ku De Ta offers seven bars spread out over an entire floor and with four different cocktail menus concocted by Nordic Bar Syndicate from Copenhagen and local expert Karol Ansaldi. The cocktails lean towards the classics, and classics with twists, and some are created specifically to pair with the food. One promising aspect is that Ku De Ta is not aligned to any beverage brand, and thus serves virtually everything. Bottle service is also available. A standard drink (with a premium spirit, it seems) is Bt320, and a small beer is Bt180. Entry to clubbing area is free from Sunday to Thursday, and Bt500 with a drink on Friday and Saturday.
There’s a Club Lounge, seating 400 people, that has a dancefloor and a DJ-driven area, while the Soundgarden offers clubbers a spectacular view and live music events. Ku Bar is a Japanese aperitif bar where the cocktails are fun, funky and fabulous with food. The Aviary is propped up on the 40th floor and connected by a staircase to the 39th. It’s a more upscale cocktail and cigar lounge overlooking the dancefloor.
Denis Hemakom, Ku De Ta’s head of entertainment promises that the entertainment will be spectacular and of a higher standard than found elsewhere in Bangkok. Ku De Ta, he adds, is the first and only establishment in Thailand fully equipped with JBL’s super-fancy Marquis Dance Club series that is designed specifically for high performance clubs. To enhance its live music and performances, the management has also installed the Matrix lighting system, which is said to be the most sophisticated lighting system on the market.
Currently there’s no dress code |being imposed, but the management encourages patrons to dress |“stylish and sexy”.

Ku De Ta Bangkok is on floors 39 and 40 of Sathorn Square Complex, adjacent to Chong Nonsi BTS.
It’s open to the public from tomorrow. Entry to the club area is Bt500 inclusive of one drink on Friday and Saturday only.
Call (02) 108 2000 |or check out www.KuDeTa.com.