V9

On the 37th floor of Sofitel Silom Hotel it is a market, wine pub and restaurant, a trinity for the gourmets pleasure. At the entrance to the restaurant, the wine market managed on behalf of the hotel by Wine connection, a French owned company based in Bangkok with an extensive cellar with labels from France, Italy, Australia and Chile. Either side long wine racks on both sides with over 80 imported labels, each selected for their quality and not just their name.

Most visitors to Thailand will be surprised that wine in Thailand their favourite bottle is so much more expensive than back home. The reason taxation on wine in Thailand is over 400% making drinking wine change from being an essential pleasure to an expensive luxury. Despite that restriction working in conjunction with Wine Connection V9 has brought this collection together and an affordable price, in fact at the same price as in their retail shop. After all the best way to learn about wine is to drink it, this can only be done if it can be bought at an affordable price. Each label has a bin tag indicating the type of dishes that it matches best with.

Walking through the market to the left the Wine Pub with its stunning view overlooking The British Club below and the Chao Phraya River beyond. It was here that two gourmet fun elements of V9 where born. Firstly the tasting tree of 3 plates of tantalizing snacks on two tiers making six in total. Neat and compact in can sit comfortably and uncluttered in the center of the table. The second wine flights a specialty of V 9. A flight is three glasses of distinctive wines, pre-selected by sommelier Sylvain at the same price as a glass of wine. Five different flights are available, full-bodied selection, classic flight, crescendos of each red and white and a new world tour. The flight is presented on a paper tasting sheet with the name of each of the wines being sampled enough space to jot your tasting notes. Having discovered the particular vintage that matches your individual taste buds, a bottle can simply be ordered from the shop.

On the other side the restaurant with a spectacular view of the business district; the BTS Sky train snaking it’s way down Silo road and twisting to run over Chan Road. The cuisine of V9’s Chef Marcel Sawyere is noveau drawing it’s influences from Australia, New Zealand, Canada and South Africa utilizing the freshest ingredients. The taste reflective the ethnic origins of those who have chosen to settle in the New World. yet with their own identity to reflect how they have been adapted in their new homeland, such as Australian Italian for example. New meats such as Kangaroo served as a Seared Capriccio Fillet filet.

Having tasted the V9 tasting tree as our starter Marcel recommended Roast Lamb Loin Wrapped in Filo pastry with Spicy Eggplant Relish and vegetables on a Cream Pesto Sauce. Each dish on the menu has been paired with matching wines. For this dish Sylvain’s recommendation was either Bin 246 Terra Mater Reserve – Shiraz 2000 at 890 baht, or Bin 43 Beaume Premier Cru AOC “Les Cents vignes – Laboure Roi” 1999 at 1,855 baht. Despite his French origin the ever epivesant Sylvain has select one wine from the old world and another from the new. Neatly presented with the pasty cooked to perfection wrapped around the succulent lamb.

My companion was recommended Char Grilled Lobster in its Shell with saut?ed mushroom and Foie Gras and 3 pepper sauces. The lobster from Phuket had firm flesh while the Foie gras simply melted in the mouth. This had been paired with Bin 37 Pouilly Fuisse “Laboure Roi” 2001 at 1,720 baht or Bin 324 Mount Baker Riesling 2001 at 950 baht.

The essence of V9 is matching food with wine to make the dinning pleasure the perfect synergy. While today there are no hard and fast rules on what to drink with a specific dish rather taste that work together. With guidance from Sylvain, customers are tending to buy a better quality of wine than they might choose in another restaurant largely influenced by the pricing structure. Today’s diner is always on the look out for affordable quality.

Good cheese is another rare and expensive commodity in Bangkok but due to Sofitel’s French origins has not been overlooked. There are a total of eight cheeses on the menu and as we have become accustomed at V9 each paired with an individual wine. The plateau is presented on a while china plate with a selection of any four cheeses each flagged to identify.

Then finally to the dessert. I opted for the Nougat Creme Brulee the sugar softly glazed rather than the brittle burnt, a rich sweet taste. My companion settled for Panne Cota with Lemon Gras light and fresh.

V9 is a comfortably relaxed dinning experience, ideal for those looking to bring together the ideas of good food, good wine and good friends together. Efficient service without the stiffness of too much starch.

V9, Sofitel Silom Bangkok,
188 Silom Road, Bangkok 10500,
Tel 0-2238-1991, Fax 0-2238-1999,
e-mail info@sofitelsilom.com