On the ground floor of Chatrium Grand Bangkok, the all-day dining restaurant Savio is a good spot for bingeing in style, given its very brightly-lit and spacious interior, and, given the diversity of its food selection, satiating diverse cravings.
Executive chef Darius Seitfudem, who has almost 20 years of working experience at five-star hotels and Michelin-starred venues in Europe, Australia, Southeast Asia and the Middle East, and his team offer international flavours via live cooking stations and an open kitchen concept.
A stroll between these stations should get your appetite going. You'll find stations for dim sum, Thai hot dishes, sushi and sashimi, à la minute pasta, Indian curries, Hainanese chicken rice, dim sum and more while you also help yourself to salads, cold cuts, seafood and desserts on the shelves.
More often than not, I find Thai dishes at hotel buffets to be toned down, presumably as a considerate gesture for foreign guests who probably can't handle high Scoville scores (and there's nothing wrong about that). However, the Crab curry with betel leaves I had was mean and properly fiery. It didn't attack your palate right away but, before you know it, you would have another spoon of rice or vermicelli to buffer its spiciness. They definitely did the Southern dish justice.
As a Thai of Chinese descent, I couldn't resist Chicken rice whenever it's available and I'm happy to report that Savio's chicken was succulent as it should be and because yolo, I asked for extra skin, which burst with juice and flavour. The dim sum selection isn't perfunctory either, as in a few mundane choices for the sake of being able to claim to have dim sum, as you can find fancy-schmancy dumplings infused with truffle. Meat lovers should stop by the teppanyaki station for something sizzling and succulent to sink their teeth into. If aromatic dishes are your thing, help yourself to the likes of tandoori prawns, thali and curries from the Indian station.
If these aren't decadent enough, opt for special dishes such as a pan-seared slab of foie gras (Peta, please don't @ me) and a whole lobster with spicy seafood dip. Call to check in advance what special dishes they have before your visit would be wise.
To deliver diverse offerings, chef Seitfudem works with specialists who are masters in their own culinary styles, namely Chef Pravin Baban Gayke for Indian cuisine, Chef Natthawut Siha for Chinese cuisine and Chef Thunyaporn Sripadung for desserts.
Savio is open daily from 6.30am-10pm, with an à la carte menu and a choice of live dining options. Daily breakfast (6.30-10am) is priced at B850. Lunch (noon-2pm) costs B995++ on weekdays and B1,450++ on weekends while dinner (6-10pm) costs B1,450++ on weekdays and B1,995++ on weekends. Kids below the age of six dine for free. Visit chatrium.com/grandbangkok/dining/savio
