With Bistro Cuisine to complement it more than 1,000 wines, Cellar 11 offer unusual vintage rom equally unusual origins.Order a bottle, a glass, or taste just a sip for THB 50.
by Laurence Civil
Ahidden gem that pours what is possibly Bangkok’s best selection of wines by the glass, Cellar 11 Wine Bar & Bistro (●71/1 Sukhumvit Soi 11, 02 255 5833/5, www.cellar11.com) is located in a purpose-built three-storey house, in a sub-soi off Sukhumvit 11 behind President Solitaire Hotel & Spa.
On arrival, guests pass through a floor-to-ceiling library of wine bottles on both sides, with a communal tasting table in the middle. In the area behind, a more formal yet equally comfortable dining room serves French and Italian food. The a la carte menu is shown to the guest more as a point of reference—in reality, it’s common for people to order dishes that best suit the wines they are drinking. Cellar 11 has more than 1,000 labels on its wine list, offering customers the chance to taste unusual wines from equally unusual origins. The key to their wine by the glass experience is the four Enomatic wine dispensing machines, each of which stores eight bottles, giving guests access to 32 wines that change monthly. Prices range from just THB 50 for a sip to THB 3,500 for an exceptional glass. The capital investment for one of this machines in the region is approximately THB 500,000; some may think of it as an extravagant indulgence, but that’s what it takes to offer curious palates a wine they had previously only dreamed of tasting, and because offering wines by the glass is key to encouraging the next purchase to be a full bottle.
A unique aspect to Cellar 11 is the thematic wine rooms. Underground, the Moët & Chandon Grand Champagne Cellar mirrors a similar one in Reims, France, with a single dining table for ten. The other two are on the second floor: the Robert Mondavi Room, exclusively for wines from Napa Valley, and the Penfolds Grange Room, dedicated to the premium label from Australia, among others. There is a private dining room with its own kitchen and a separate cigar lounge as well.
Sunday brunch has become the norm in Bangkok, and Cellar 11’s version, served from 11:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., is superbly leisurely. Starting with a pre-lunch all-you-can-eat buffet appetizer offering a selection of salad, cold cuts, cold seafood, imported cheeses, and pasta a la minute, and then a four-course a la carte menu with a choice of six dishes per course at THB 1,250 ++, brunch wouldn’t be complete without adding the free flow of red, white, and sparkling wines for another THB 500 ++.
NEW!
Monday to Friday:
Business set lunch THB 599++, Executive set lunch THB 899 ++ (three-course)
