Island dash

EATING Out

Sambal will contribute so much to updating the dining venues of the usually sombre Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel. This stylish (but not unnecessarily stylish) al fresco grill dining and bar alongside the Chao Phraya River benefits first from its breezy, panoramic location, then from the cool-headed mix of design and informality. While the grills produce a variety of succulent meat, the bar dispatches colourful drinks that can easily keep you glued to the seat long after sunset.

Sambal’s riverside, lounge-style seatings are perfect for a relaxing evening. PHOTOS: ANUSORN SAKSEREE

The name Sambal evokes the traditional spice-paste of Indonesia, and the kitchen here puts a dash of island/Southeast Asian touch into the otherwise straightforwardly grilled dishes - with satisfactory results. It's fusion food in a humble degree, since the main focus, like all good grills and bars, remains the quality materials, from Australian rib-eye to European seabass.

People are coming to Sambal (the place officially opened two weeks ago) not just to eat but to chill. The restaurant is perched just above the river, and naturally the best time to arrive is just before the sun sinks below the opposite Thon Buri side.

There are lounge seatings, with sofas, cushions and low tables, fit for snacking and pre-meal cocktails, or for post-dinner chilling-out. The mood is quasi-Balinese with dark wicker chairs and wooden partitions - the fashionable mystery accented by the huge ancient Bo tree, wrapped in multi-coloured cloths, beside the bar.

It's a pleasant setting, especially now that summer isn't directly assaulting us. Those who think the Royal Orchid Sheraton is an old, elegant lady should take note that the hotel knows how to play cool and chic, too. In truth, Sambal will even make a good party venue.

Char-grilled Australian rib-eye with spiced mashed potatoes.

Mixologist Jospeh Boroski has helped create a number of fancy drinks, and I opted for the non-alcoholic "Ain't No Mountain", with crushed starfruit and berries, which opened a perky entertainment for our stomachs. For signature cocktails, the place has a full list of something dreamily familiar, like the "Mojito Seminyak", to a creative glass of "Mangkut Drowning" with mangosteen and dark rum. You almost get tipsy hearing the formula, but maybe next time...

We began the meal with the simple yet surprisingly enjoyable vegetarian crisps (135 baht): taro, purple sweet potatoes, lotus roots and kaffir lime leaves had been fried to crispy texture, and they were served with the Indonesian bum-bu-paste dip which exhaled a whiff of fresh coconut. It was the sauce that made this an addictive appetiser, healthy and totally not boring.

Turning almost 180-degrees in terms of health concerns (as if that's our priority to begin with), we followed with the pleasurable beef carpaccio (280 baht). The thin, round slices of Australian tenderloin encircled a small hill of mango, lemongrass and shallot salad, where the sour note of the sauce complemented tastefully with the beef.

Before approaching the main course, our company happily diverted to a big bowl of Bali bouillabaisse (450 baht), rich and generous. Now this is not the "original" fish soup from Marseilles, but an adapted version characterised by the thick soup and island spices. The mix of seafood in it - prawn, fish fillet, mussel, scallops, squid and crabmeat - is pure delight for aficionados of marinated marine creatures, but bouillabaisse is an acquired taste. I enjoyed it, in this Balinese reincarnation, though a friend found it too much (meaning too thick, too assorted?) to stomach. He didn't know what he missed, especially with those juicily spiced crab claws.

Vegetarian crisps.

We proceeded to two main dishes: char-grilled Australian beef rib-eye (1,060 baht) and twice-cooked, spiced pork ribs (640 baht). The rib-eye was very good, and we became fans of the spiced mashed potatoes that came with it; the mildly flavoured mash was something new to me and it worked well with the rendang pepper sauce. In all, a truly mouthwatering steak dish.

The pork ribs were, as expected, heavy on the sweet-savoury note, but what countered it deliciously was the ajaad dip, with vinegar and pickled cucumber. Usually the ajaad is a regular sidebar for Southeast Asian as well as Indian food (even in Thailand); at Sambal it was applied to a tremendously-portioned pork dish. It was unprecedented, and it was effective.

What's more to add? We were full and satisfied, yet we braved a plate of caramelised banana tart (280 baht), reportedly a favourite dessert among international visitors. The syrupy banana came with a scoop of ginger ice cream, and it was a sweet wrap to a meal that began when the sun was still a red orb and ended with the Chao Phraya moon. Sambal pulls you in with its riverside sofas and stylish attitude, yet you remember it because of its food. That's a formula for success.

Beef carpaccio.

Twice-cooked, spiced pork ribs.

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