The Oriental, Bangkok Unveils Newly Redesigned China House Restaurant.
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The Oriental, Bangkok Unveils Newly Redesigned China House Restaurant.
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Category: Asia Pacific
This is a press release selected by our editorial committee and published online for free on 2006-12-04
The Oriental, Bangkok’s China House restaurant, which has long been the mainstay of traditional Cantonese cuisine at the hotel, has recently been re-designed and revived into an avant-garde eatery inspired by the vibrant 1930’s Shanghai Art Deco period, and serving classic yet contemporary cuisine in a refined atmosphere.
The renovations which took place over the course of four months were overseen by the renowned Neri and Hu Design and Research Office (NHDRO), a multi-disclipinary design practice based in Shanghai, China.
The existing two-storey, colonial building, home to The China House since 1990, has been completely transformed internally into an elegant dining venue, with period furniture upholstered with horse hair and cowhide reminiscent of the opulence of 1930s Shanghai. The classic Chinese design with a contemporary twist has been enhanced by subtle lighting and cutting edge colour and style.
Meticulously selected artwork depicting life during the Art Deco period, elegant calligraphy with Tang poems describing the significance of fine dining, and black and white photos of the details of Shanghai’s famous Bund, tastefully dominate the main dining room on the ground floor all as well as the private dining rooms on the second floor. The private rooms are decorated in red and yellow with custom designed carpets that feature Chinese court scenes.
Appointed as consultant chef to The China House kitchen, is the talented Jereme Leung, who is the founding chef of the much lauded Whampoa Club. This stunning Art-Deco style, cutting-edge modern Shanghainese restaurant is located in the Three on the Bund complex in Shanghai. One of Jereme Leung’s brightest protégés, Chef Kong Khai Meng, who has extensive experience in both Hong Kong and Shanghai, will head the culinary team as resident chef of the restaurant.
Chef Kong has been well trained in all aspects of Chinese cooking, and his menu features a combination of classic Cantonese cuisine presented in an innovative fresh manner. Signature items, apart from the daily dim sum selection prepared from the external show kitchen, and live fish and seafood from the restaurant’s tanks, include "Peking Duck", "Slow Cooked Shark’s Fin in Golden Broth", "Slow Cooked Abalone", "Pan Seared Beef Tenderloin", "Stir Fried Rice Vermicelli Hokkien Style", and "Wasabi Prawns", to name but a few.
The entry to The China House is filled with 100 overhead red lanterns, which lead diners to The Red Chamber, a spectacular, two-storey space surrounded by screens and columns clad in high gloss Macassar Ebony. Small private booths with "opium bed" inspired banquettes, are surrounded with rich silk curtains, reminiscent of grand ballrooms during the convivial 1930s Art Deco period. This area is decorated with furniture period pieces that have been re-upholstered with exquisite cowhide, rich velvet and horse hair. Depictions of Chinese literature on the ceiling complete the picture of pure splendour.
Next to the Chamber is the free standing Blue Bar, with blue lacquer door panels with mirror insets – an ideal area for intimate before or after dinner drinks. With the addition of the Bar area, The China House can now be transformed into an exciting, after-dinner private event venue with state-of-the-art sound and lighting systems.
Leading to the second floor is a Grand Stairway surrounded with red lacquered panels with mirror insets and solid balustrades and silkscreen images of court ladies facing the inner courtyard.
Yet another new focal feature is a copper and bronze Tea Apothecary, which is located in the main dining room area on the ground floor, and adds an alluring dynamic to the restaurant with its traditional showcase of the finest tea collection by Mariage Freres from Paris.
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