At the stylish Panorama, known for its dramatic vistas of Bangkok, designer Polpat Asavaprapha shares his own views on life, fashion and the restaurant’s delicious food with Saisa Amranand

Fitting the vibrant lifestyle of Bangkok’s urban elite, Panorama, the smart Western-Asian cuisine venue gives a bird’s-eye view of the metropolis below. Situated on the 23rd floor of Pan Pacific Bangkok, inspiring, trendy designs define the plush yet comfortable ambience. Joining us tonight is the much sought-after designer, Polpat Asavaprapha, or Moo, creator of the fashion line Asava.

Relaxing with a flute of sparkling wine in hand, the stylish 38-year-old designer speaks of his new line, ASV. “With Asava being about urbanity, sophistication and realism, ASV is about attitude, approachability and affordability. A lot of people feel Asava is unapproachable. So looking at this weakness, ASV presents fresher, younger and less expensive clothes.” This fashion design student at Parsons the New School for Design in New York spent 11 years garnering indispensable experience in the Big Apple. “I had quite a number of jobs there. I was a freelancer doing window displays for Emporio Armani, an intern at Marc Jacobs and a merchandiser for Max Mara for five years.”

As he finishes his sentence our first starter arrives. Foie gras declination presents three variations of this delicacy served warm, cool and frozen on the same plate. “This dish has a perfect balance,” Polpat comments. Then comes Alaska king crab sautéed in tarragon butter. The sweet crab meat harmonises with remoulade of nashi pear, sour celery root, endive and lemon cloud. “I love the combinations,” the designer relishes while musing about his life. On top of managing Asava and ASV, he also works for his family’s Toyota dealership as CEO. “Twice a week I go to the office to make sure things are running smoothly,” says the former Thailand Tatler Most Stylish Man. Another endeavour he’s working on is a training programme on style, image and personality for employees of big corporations.

Two more starters comprise veloute of champignon de Paris with toasted almond milk foam and Canadian lobster cappuccino enhanced with North Sea shrimp, sliced Hokkaido scallop and luscious Hennessy VSOP cream. Both flagrantly rich, the creamy soups are uniquely served in two cups. Moving on to the main courses, we have open squid-ink ravioli flirting with Andaman tiger prawns, fava beans, Pernod emulsion and a hint of saffron oil. Colorado rack of lamb marinated with Himalayan salt then paired with semicooked ratatouille, Parmesan galette and lemon enhanced jus follows. Each course is delectable.

Two desserts wind up the meal: chocolate fondant with wasabi perfumes, raspberry candy and frozen vanilla cream come together with mango freestyle, the chef ’s interpretation of a Thai favourite. Polpat concludes, “My driven family has always taught me to continually evaluate and push myself. I am just at the beginning in terms of success. My brand has yet to grow. Nevertheless, I’m having the time of my life.” A comment that is no doubt true of this new restaurant as well.