ONE million baht a ticket ++

[Guest Boxer]

From the BBC

Bangkok banquet beckons for rich

 

Organisers say they want to inspire Thai chefs

Some of the world's wealthiest gourmands will be jetting into Thailand this weekend, enticed by a banquet sprinkled with Michelin stars.

The gala dinner will be cooked up by six three-star Michelin chefs and served at a restaurant on the 65th floor of a luxurious Bangkok hotel.

 

The grand title of the event - "Epicurean Masters of the World" - is matched by its price tag.

 

The meal will cost diners 1m Thai Baht - about $29,000, or

[Guest Geezer]

I wish I had the money. It would be fun to take an obvious

[Guest buaseng]

The meal will cost diners 1m Thai Baht - about $29,000, or

[Guest Hedda]

Who one earth could possibly want to eat that many courses, some of which go from heavy to heavier, and drink that many different wines, at one seating, without wanting to arrive DOA at Bumrungrad.

 

I would bet you it's a publicity stunt by the Hotel and restaurant and there isn't a single guest paying the advertised price.

[Gaybutton]

and there isn't a single guest paying the advertised price.

 

I certainly wouldn't. The advertised price is $29,000. I say it's not worth a dime over $28,000.

[Guest stef]

I certainly wouldn't. The advertised price is $29,000. I say it's not worth a dime over $28,000.

 

 

I think it is nuts to spend so much monney for such thing. But hey, to each his own.

Wonder what people has to proove to spend 28 k on that

[Guest Kregger]

For the people going to such a dinner, their passive investments make more than the cost of the dinner during the dinner, so why not enjoy? Decadent though. I am jealous and I admit it.

[Guest mauRICE]

I wish I had the money. It would be fun to take an obvious

[Guest mauRICE]

"There is only one Michelin-starred Thai restaurant in the world, and that's in London, has an Australian head-chef and a Singaporean owner."

 

Gee, I wonder who the Thais are going to blame this one on. When the Malaysian referee gave the Singapore team a penalty kick during the football match in Singapore last week, the Thais promptly accused him of taking bribes from the hosts. No doubt they were applying Thai ways of thinking and doing when they came to that conclusion.

 

So perhaps they can fix this on the honourable Mayor of London.

[Guest Boxer]

Just imagine.....your a multi millionaire magnet, you have everything you could wish for and more. You give to Charity as a way of life, its all tax deductable and you get great Merit from it all. How do you entertain yourself for a special night out?

You tell your PA and Security that you want to go to the Bkk Dome for dinner, you collect a few friends or hangers on and order your private jet to carry you around the world from wherever it is you started. The Limos are waiting and you jet into the Dome for dinner with like minded folks who you met in Davos, Malibu, NY or Shanghai last year or last week at a similar little charity benefit function, was it for Children of Africa or Animals of the Outback, or was it the other way round, does it matter dear we are here? How strange that some people question why we have such events.

You dine and wine and Ohhh in all the right places then jet off into the night leaving your PA to settle the 'check bin' you never see, oh how cute! Do add a few hundred of those little bahts to the bill for those terribly nice waiters......so glad the rain held off! Toodle pip!

PS. Dont forget the exotic animal dinner in the jungles of Borneo next week dears, I'm told its to die for. what fun!

[Gaybutton]

I'd love to be one of the waiters. Can you imagine how much the tips must be? Well, according to an article in today's BANGKOK POST, the dinner is already fully booked. You missed your chance, guys. I wonder, if someone can't finish it all, if it's appropriate to take the rest home in a bag. Here's the article:

_____

 

Million-Baht Dinner is Booked Out

 

(BangkokPost.com, AFP)

 

Foodies are flying in to Bangkok from far-flung corners of the world this weekend to experience a scintillating 11-course gala dinner - with a one-million-baht ($29,000) price tag.

 

And there won't be a hint of Thai food on the fine china.

 

Only the most well-heeled food and wine connoisseurs are expected to take a seat at the exclusive table in the Thai capital, where the feast will be prepared by six Michelin three-star chefs from Europe.

 

"We limit at 40 seats, and right now it's fully booked," said Kanokrat Petchpornprapas, a spokeswoman for Mezzaluna, the 65th floor restaurant holding the event at the luxurious The Dome at State Tower Hotel on the Chao Phraya River.

 

Diners are coming from across Asia, Europe and the Middle East to feast on dishes concocted from some of the priciest ingredients in the world, she said.

 

Alongside the foie gras, Kobe beef, Beluga caviar, black truffles and guinea fowl, the restaurant will serve a different wine with each course, including a 1955 Chateau Latour and a 1967 Chateau dYquem.

 

Notably absent from Saturday night's menu is Thai cuisine, renowned for its fiery flavours. Organisers say that is because they are hoping to inspire Thai chefs with the best food from other parts of the world.

 

Among the chefs whipping up the cuisine are Heinz Winkler from Germany, Antoine Westermann from France and Annie Feolde from Italy.

 

Much of the proceeds from the extravagant meal - which costs more than twice what the average Thai office worker earns in a year - will go to aid organisation Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) and Thai development charity the Chaipattana Foundation, founded by His Majesty the King

[Guest travelerjim]

Just imagine.....your a multi millionaire magnet, you have everything you could wish for and more. You give to Charity as a way of life, its all tax deductable and you get great Merit from it all. How do you entertain yourself for a special night out?

You tell your PA and Security that you want to go to the Bkk Dome for dinner, you collect a few friends or hangers on and order your private jet to carry you around the world from wherever it is you started. The Limos are waiting and you jet into the Dome for dinner with like minded folks who you met in Davos, Malibu, NY or Shanghai last year or last week at a similar little charity benefit function, was it for Children of Africa or Animals of the Outback, or was it the other way round, does it matter dear we are here? How strange that some people question why we have such events.

You dine and wine and Ohhh in all the right places then jet off into the night leaving your PA to settle the 'check bin' you never see, oh how cute! Do add a few hundred of those little bahts to the bill for those terribly nice waiters......so glad the rain held off! Toodle pip!

PS. Dont forget the exotic animal dinner in the jungles of Borneo next week dears, I'm told its to die for. what fun!

 

Boxer,

My private baht bus will be taking me and bf to Le Cafe Royale this Saturday night...

friends we saw last in Capetown say it will be a lavish 5 course dinner...

with Maisee and Toi singing after dessert.

looking forward to seeing you and yours again...

and its for dear Allen too .

toodle pip,

TJ

 

 

 

 

[Gaybutton]

This little get-together has even managed to make CNN news (via Reuters):

 

http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/...reut/index.html

_____

 

Bangkok Banquet Raises Eyebrows

 

POSTED: 0451 GMT (1251 HKT), February 8, 2007

 

BANGKOK, Thailand (Reuters) -- A $29,000-a-head gourmet dinner in Bangkok is making some Thais feel a bit sick.

 

Fifteen international high-rollers from the world of real estate, casinos and shipping have already booked seats for Saturday's black-tie dinner, which comes with a price tag of 1 million baht ($29,240) -- plus 17 percent service and tax.

 

"It's an absolute waste of money," said 48-year-old Sommai Promjan, who makes a living selling ice-cream from a street cart near the neoclassical State Tower that will host the event.

 

"You could buy a house with that."

 

Organizers of "Epicurean Masters of the World II", designed to promote Thailand as a destination for the mega-rich with profits going to charity, are not naming their guests.

 

Six three-star Michelin chefs from France, Germany and Italy, and some of the world's finest wines, were flown in specially for the 11-course extravaganza at the rooftop Mezzaluna restaurant.

 

However, locals think the gourmets are being taken for a ride, saying everybody knows the best food in Thailand costs just 30 baht and is cooked in a wok welded to a street cart and served at a fold-up metal table on the pavement.

 

"It's all the same. Chicken is still chicken, pork is still pork. They may have lobster, but we have prawns," said Pornpilai Chareonsimaporn, who runs an eatery in State Tower's shadow.

 

"The only thing they're paying for is some fancy table decorations," the 42-year-old said, ladling out helpings of spicy green curry onto a plate of steamed rice.

 

Mezzaluna manager Deepak Ohri defended the all-European menu and said it was impossible to start making price comparisons.

 

"We are not selling a meal -- we are selling the whole experience. You cannot put a value on the experience," he said.

 

However, many locals are unhappy, especially because of the dinner's apparent clash with the philosophy of moderation espoused by revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej which the leaders of last year's coup against billionaire Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra promote heavily.

 

To counter such criticism, Ohri said all profits from the dinner would be going to Medecins Sans Frontieres and the Chaipattana Foundation -- a rural development charity set up by the king to promote his "sufficiency economy" way of life.

 

That 1 million baht, 11-course menu in full:

 

Creme brulee of foie gras with Tonga beans

 

1990 Louis Roederer Cristal

 

 

[Guest splash4]

Since my introduction to the Land of Smiles, I am now thinking in new terms. I now convert all my expenses into how many nights with a newfound friend this could buy if I was back in Thailand.

 

Like this decision. I figure at 2,500 for a 'rent boy' (with off fees and drinks) I could have 400 wonderful nights for the cost of this dinner.

 

Or, a special boy each night of the year plus a massage every week.

 

Hmmmmmmm, this one is a no-brainer. Can't make the dinner. Cancel the Jet.

[Gaybutton]

The following appears in THE NATION:

_____

 

A Dinner of Gastronomical Proportions

 

Some of the world's super-rich yesterday evening spent Bt1 million each for food and drinks at Bangkok's luxurious lebua Hotel.

 

Dubbed the most expensive commercial dinner ever organised in the Asia-Pacific, the event drew a total of 40 guests, including five locals and 15 paying diners from the United States, Europe, the Middle East and other Asian countries.

 

"I couldn't reveal the guests' names, but we have two gaming tycoons, one based in Asia and the other in London. Other guests include wealthy businessmen in energy, infrastructure, real estate, investment and other sectors," said Deepak Ohri, the hotel's managing director, who hosted the dinner.

 

The event, which started at 6pm and lasted past midnight, included a 10-course meal prepared by six Michelin-starred chefs from France, Italy and Germany, and a large selection of some of the rarest wines.

 

Ohri said the hotel would donate the profits from the event to HM the King's Chaipattana Foundation and Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders).

 

Ohri said earlier that there were as many as 8.5 million millionaires around the world who spend an average of US$224,000 (Bt8 million) per person per year on lavish events at hotels and resorts, so lebua Hotel had decided to tap this highly lucrative segment.

 

He added that several of the 15 paying guests had arrived in Bangkok in private jets.