The Royal Orchid's new bar Sambal serves great food and drinks within centimetres of the Chao Phraya
The stunning view of the Chao Phraya River by night never ceases to entice Thais and foreigners. Adding to the list of riverside bars is the new Sambal Bar & Grill at the Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel & Towers, where you can munch on the tasty food, sip the elegant cocktails and feast on the breathtaking scenery.
Located right on the hotel pier, the outdoor section of Sambal is actually on a platform extended into the river, giving you completely intimate experience of the storied waterway.
The indoor area, dressed in Balinese-inspired decor, offers comfortable seating at the usual tables as well as low-rise tables and on cushions. You can dine "properly" inside, then head outside for drinks with the sensational view.
But if drinking is your main mission, you also have variety of finger foods and snacks on offer to calm the late-night hunger pangs.
The DJ booth is outside, and the residents are good at keeping the conversation flowing with trendy, groovy house music in the background. The beats pick up later in the night, with more frenetic remixes and funkier sounds.
The new urban oasis takes its name from the fiery chilli paste. Sambal is an ingredient widely used in Southeast Asian cuisine, as well as in southern Thailand. Don't expect anything less exotic.
Choose your meat and let the chef sizzle it in front of your eyes on a charcoal grill. And, with a nod to a distant tropical Latin cousin, perfectly grilled and roasted meats are presented on spits and carved tableside.
A la carte appetisers and salads can also be had, and there's a private section for an intimate dining experience.
Wash down the dinner with Sambal's tasty cocktails. Try the refreshing and spicy I'm Here After All, with freshly muddled raspberries and blueberries, spiced with ginger and bird chilli, sweetened with maple syrup and bathed in snakefruit-infused vodka and crushed ice.
Then there's the tangy and exotic Mojito Seminyak, which fuses three kinds of mint leaves - Cuban rum-infused, muddled and fresh - with lime wedges, jack fruit, palm and soda splash.
Alcoholic cocktails are priced at Bt290, and mocktails are Bt200.
