The Peninsula Bangkok
As part of one of the finest luxury hotel chains in the world, The Peninsula Bangkok is elegant and exquisitely stylish. Boasting an enviable riverside location, the refined rooms and sophisticated suites each offer unrivalled views of the Chao Praya River, the true heartbeat of Bangkok. From the moment you arrive expect an immaculately presented member of staff to offer you formal yet personal service as they welcome you to what will surely be a memorable stay. The entrance is grand and makes a statement; you know that you’re about to check into somewhere very special and you might already have that feeling that you don’t want to leave…
We stayed in a ‘Deluxe Suite’ which offered spectacular views of the towering Bangkok skyline and meandering river from multiple floor to ceiling windows. We drifted off to sleep in the supremely comfortable bed with the curtains open so we could wake up to the mesmerising views and ended every day gazing at the city lights at night. Classic furnishings, Asian artworks, hardwood floors and the marble bathroom combined to create that feeling of timeless Asian opulence.
There cannot be many better places to cool off in Bangkok than The Peninsula’s 88m riverside pool, split over 3 levels with plenty of sun, shade and places to lay back and soak it all up. Enticing you to take the plunge, it’s the perfect choice after a hot day exploring the city or in preparation for your treatment at The Peninsula Spa. The spa building is simply stunning, a 3 story oasis of wellness with a classic style. This is no ordinary hotel spa and the menu is no ordinary spa menu. During your stay why not treat yourself to treatments in a private riverside spa suite complete with steam room and whirlpool? We did and can confirm it was a wonderfully memorable experience.
The Vegan Food
We knew that the culinary offerings at The Peninsula Bangkok would be of a very high standard as it’s one of the leading hotels in the city with award winning restaurants and talented chefs. We also knew that it would be vegan friendly as they have continued to increase the plant based food options for their discerning guests. What we didn’t know was that our high expectations would be exceeded with dish after dish of simply delicious and creative vegan food during our stay.
Vegan Breakfast at River Cafe & Terrace
Our day started with an al fresco breakfast on the riverside terrace, a pot of green tea and a banana smoothie from the smoothie and juice bar. This was the start of things to come, the smoothie was packed with goodness including banana, dragon fruit, mint and almond milk. Inside things started to get seriously healthy. The central section of the buffet featured chia pudding, chocolate coconut quinoa, and almond milk quinoa which could all be topped with an incredible array of superfood powders. We chose from spirulina, flax, wheatgrass, cocoa, matcha, acai, barley grass and turmeric then added goji berries, blueberries and a selection of nuts and seeds for possibly the most nutritious breakfast bowl we’ve ever created. The adjacent salad bar was also full of plant based goodness including mini eggplants, pumpkin, barley, pomegranate, babaganoush and hummus. We loved choosing from this playground of healthy ingredients to start breakfast off right.
After a quick chat with one of The Peninsula team, we had a wide array of plant based breakfast options available. We devoured the avocado toast on sourdough rye, topped with radishes and tomatoes. The tangy sourness of the bread was mellowed by the creaminess of the avocado making an entirely satisfying experience. Then a meatball noodle soup like no other, a clear broth with wonderfully gelatinous rice noodles nestled up to OmniFoods meatballs. Gone are the days of boring vegan noodle soups, now we eat tasty, umami rich and protein packed plant based noodle soups for breakfast. The vegan burrito wrap was stuffed with tofu scramble, avocado and tomatoes and served with a spicy vegan mayo. The flaky paratha style wrap was the perfect vehicle to mop up the creamy spicy dip and the turmeric tossed tofu scramble was flawlessly crumbly. On the final day, having spotted some exciting vegan waffle stacks being served for breakfast in The Lobby, the super helpful team prepared an ‘off menu’ plant based version. Our breakfast dessert (yes this is a thing) came in the shape of a stack of vegan waffles with berries, maple and a thick, rich and warm chocolate sauce. Deliciously decadent and exceptionally moreish. If you ask nicely, they might just make these for you too.
Plant Based Afternoon Tea at The Lobby
The ‘Naturally Peninsula’ 100% plant based afternoon tea was remarkable and this incredible dining experience is not to be missed. Available to hotel guests and non guests alike, this should be high on everybody’s vegan Bangkok experiences to-do list. We selected tea from Araksa, the sustainable and organic Thai tea producer located in Chiang Mai, opting for a traditional black tea as well as a pot of the brightly blue ‘Bluefly’ made from butterfly pea and lemongrass. This was followed by a delightful Blueberry Ginger Sorbet which was fruity, sweet and smooth with subtle ginger and served in a tall stem classic champagne coupe. While we were busy enjoying this chilled start, the really exciting stuff started to arrive.
A savoury platter of delicate treats consisted of beautiful ‘Wholegrain Spinach Tarts’ made with a crispy pastry shell, savoury soya cream custard and peppery spinach layered inside. There were ‘Buckwheat Crepes’ filled with hummus and roasted mushroom. The ‘Beetroot Rose’ was soft and topped with jewels of cucumber gel on a dark rye pumpernickel base. Finally the ‘Avocado Mille-Feuille’, was beautifully layered with buttery avocado laced with lemon in between finely sliced sun dried tomato bread and dusted with acai powder. Wow. The scones and pastries were equally impressive. These included a vibrantly red ‘Raspberry Date Bar’ that was nothing short of a fruity raspberry explosion, with just a hint of cinnamon in the nutty base. And the ‘Mango Coconut and Acai Sable’ was a sweet, salted caramel flavoured crispy base with a cylinder of set coconut custard, topped with slithers of mango and reminiscent of the traditional Thai desserts which are much loved through the country.
Down to every last bite, this was an absolute culinary masterpiece and an instant entry at the top of the ‘must eat’ list when in Bangkok.
Plant Based Fine Dining at Mei Jiang
Our ‘Longevity’ plant based menu commenced with freshly brewed, steaming Pu’er tea that was served with a bowl of candied sesame cashew nuts. We sipped our tea and snacked on the tasty nuts in anticipation for what was to come; eight course of Cantonese plant based fine dining at one of the best restaurants in Bangkok. Needless to say, we were excited.
We were not disappointed. Dishes included ‘Celtuce and Artichoke’ with a duo of celtuce, one fresh and one pickled for 24hrs, rolled neatly into scrolls, pickled artichoke hearts, just the right amount of spice from the chilli paste, rich nuttiness from the pine nuts; all combined to make a wonderfully fresh, spicy and rich salad. The ‘Crispy Chinese Yam and Potato’ were delicate yam cylinders wrapped in crispy potato with crunchy spiced garlic and fine strands of chilli. They were delectable and we wanted to eat them forever. No Cantonese meal would be complete without ‘Peking Duck’ and the plant based version at Mei Jiang was sensational. The mock duck was created from perfectly flavoured gluten, topped with crispy ‘skin’ made from potato and served with the expected condiments of shredded leeks, cucumber and hoisin sauce but also dragon fruit and red pepper batons. The pancakes were incredibly light with just the right amount of chewiness which meant that the texture of the gluten and crisp ‘skin’ remained the star. And our ‘Double Boiled Yellow Ear Fungus Soup’ was like health in a bowl. Chestnut, cashew, walnut and a single peanut, carrot, winter melon, a black mushroom and creamy soft yellow fungus floating gently in the broth.
If you want to know about the other dishes which were equally as creative and delicious, you’ll just have to make a reservation at Mei Jiang next time you’re in Bangkok. The service, the ambiance and the refined plant based creations really take vegan Cantonese fine dining to the next level. Superb.
The Vegan Essentials
The bathroom amenities at The Peninsula Bangkok were in disposable metal containers (including the lids) which is of course far better than single use plastic; this was great to see. However, the ingredients were not clear as to whether they contained animal derived ingredients making them not suitable for vegans. A non feather duvet was available upon request and in our bedside table there was an extensive pillow menu with no fewer than 10 feather free options including Tempur, buckwheat and micro fibre. We loved the wonderful orchids that were throughout the property and the ‘Naturally Peninsula’ herb garden where we saw chefs foraging for ingredients during our stay.
The Vegan Food Quest Verdict
We suspected we wouldn’t want to leave The Peninsula Bangkok and we were right. This luxury Bangkok hotel exudes style and quality throughout. First rate service, beautifully appointed rooms and a riverside resort feel all combined to create the perfect stay. The fact that they serve sensational vegan and plant based cuisine throughout just increases that “we’re not leaving and we want to stay forever feeling”. The Peninsula Bangkok is incredibly vegan friendly and we loved it.
We were guests of The Peninsula Bangkok but please rest assured that their generosity in hosting us didn’t influence our views.
The Peninsula Bangkok
333 Charoen Nakhon Rd
Khlong San
Bangkok
Telephone: +66 2 020 2888
Email: reservationpbk@peninsula.com
Cost From: £430 / $520 (March 2023)