As you step out onto the top of the building, with the sprawl of Bangkok below, it’s one of those moments you’ll always remember, a kind of wonder of the world.
The 360 degree view from Vertigo Grill & Moon Bar, perched on the 61st floor of Bangkok’s Banyan Tree Hotel, is awe inspiring, especially as the sun goes down and the sky is streaked blazing red, and the lights of the city start to go on.
What I really liked about Vertigo is how it’s been kept small and intimate, with those memorable personal touches. A photographer takes a special snap of you at your table to capture the night, and it’s framed and gifted as you leave.
I liked the crisp white tablecloths, vases of soft pink orchids, and attentive staff, giving the restaurant an air of sophistication.
At the next table a young man went down on his knees to propose to his girlfriend. I guess he’d waited for that once in a lifetime night at Vertigo to pop the question and I could see why. It has the specialness of those very few, top class restaurants in a big city.
The seafood is superb, imaginative and of course mouthwateringly fresh. There are men in black suits with walkie talkies at discreet postings to make sure there are no casualties up there in the Gods. It’s so seductive and relaxing they’re probably there to throw you out, rather than off, when you’re still stretching out the night at 2 in the morning, rather like we insisted on doing.