River Cafe & Terrace, Experiencing the World on a Plate

The Thonburi side of the Chao Phraya River is often overlooked by visitors to Bangkok, but it actually has a lot to offer including many restaurants, with both local specialties and international cuisine. Though there are countless restaurants to try on this side of the city, River Cafe & Terrace—sitting pretty on the garden level of The Peninsula Bangkok—gives us many reasons to visit. Take its limitless delicacies from around the world and picturesque night views of the river, for example.

Dining with a View

Beautifully lit at night, River Cafe & Terrace provides a choice of indoor or outdoor dining settings, which can accommodate up to 197 patrons. The indoor area is very spacious and well-appointed with comfortable chairs and sleek dining tables embracing the buffet food display counters. The outdoor dining terrace, on the other hand, sits gracefully alongside the Chao Phraya River, perfect for savoring the awe-inspiring river views and relishing the gentle breezes. There are also two live cooking stations preparing made-to-order meals, as well as an area for guests who smoke.

Seven Nights, Seven Themed Dinners

Nightly from 18:00 – 22:30 hrs., River Cafe & Terrace presents a culinary exploration of the flavors from around the world, under the concept of “Seven Nights, Seven Themed Dinners”, priced at B1,800++ per person. Each night, the themed dinner offers guests with an exceptional dining experience—be it Best of Italian (Monday), Taste of Thai (Tuesday), Seafood Paradise (Wednesday), Butcher Market (Thursday), South American Cuisine (Friday), Spanish Flavors (Saturday), and Family Barbeque Fun (Sunday)—in addition to the scrumptious feast featured on the regular buffet line.

Full-on Buffet Pleasure

Inside the air-conditioned dining area, guests will enjoy a tempting array of cold items, from salads, cheese to seafood and desserts. The delightful salad bar features a choice of fresh greens and vegetables with assorted condiments and various types of salad dressings. There are also ready-mixed salads in both Asian and Western styles like spicy papaya salad, rigatoni with spinach salad, and scallop salad.

Next to hit the table is a generous selection of bread, some of which are whole wheat roll, grissini breadsticks, comté cheese rolls, and multigrain roll—as well as the admirable choice of cheeses, cold cuts, nuts and seeds on offer.

For those yearning for some Japanese food, there’s plenty of delicious staples to choose from, including sushi, sashimi, tempura, soba noodle, and miso soup. Meanwhile, various seafood items such as river prawn, New Zealand green-lipped mussel, oyster, and shrimp deliver a sublime taste of shellfish fresh from the oceans, accompanied by condiments like cocktail sauce, spicy seafood sauce, and lemon wedges.

Beyond the savory treats, River Cafe & Terrace also offers a spread of seductive desserts, including meringue, raisin and oatmeal cookies, chocolate mousse passion cake, and strawberry tart, among others. The refreshing ice cream and sorbet come with enjoyable homemade toppings like crumble, chocolate pearl, and raspberry sauce. Sago coconut and melon cantaloupe pearl are also notable, while the seasonal fruits help keeping the palate clean.

At the al fresco terrace, there are two live cooking stations where guests can watch the chefs in action, including an Asian station and a grill station. A great choice of Asian favorites features delectable dishes like naan bread, palak paneer, fried rice with Beijing duck, grilled pork with tamarind sauce, and green curry with shrimp. Plus, the restaurant also serves the Thai-style noodle soup—made to order—in which guests can customize their own version of the noodle with the ingredients provided.

The menu at the grill station showcases a collection of meat and seafood products, all beautifully displayed and grilled to your preference. Highlights include tiger prawns, farmed seabass, home-cured salmon, oysters, pork tenderloin, and chicken thigh. The chefs also create some mouth-watering dishes for those with specific taste. These include mini beef burger, seared seabream with shitake mushroom and caviar sauce, roasted pork chop with dijon mustard sauce and cauliflower, and herby mustard chicken with olive oil and red wine demiglace.

There are, of course, dozens of other buffet restaurants in Bangkok but the River Cafe & Terrace at The Peninsula Bangkok is all-inclusive in terms of quality, variety, and value.

Seven Nights, Seven Themed Dinners