Located on the 69th floor of the Banyan Tree Hotel, Vertigo
offers exhilarating open air views of Bangkok. There is no doubt that the
atmosphere is spectacular. However if you eat there, it is questionable whether
the view is worth the price. The menu is fairly varied--sort of a Pan-Asian,
international fare. I had the grilled prawns which were tasty as were the accompanying
vegetables; the potatoes it came with were however formed into a rectangular
shape, somewhat hard to cut and not very tasteful. As an appetizer the texture
of the lobster spring rolls was off and they fell apart too easily. Similarly
the mango cheesecake was too airy.
Though the service is efficient, it felt artificially
friendly and pushy. The waiter seemed disappointed that not everybody in the
party ordered an appetizer. I opted for the house wine but the waiter tried to
convince me to order a higher priced bottle with a condensing air. The wine was
poured way too fast with the bottle finished before our main course came; it
seemed to me that it was intentional to encourage us to order another. At the
end of the meal I was asked to fill out a questionnaire which I found a bit
tacky in a place striving to be special.
I doubt if the restaurant was on ground level, it could
charge the prices it does. While the food is good, it is not memorable and the
service is OK but a personal, friendly touch is missing. The view is definitely
worth it but it would be far cheaper to just go for a drink at the bar.
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