LIFE

Come in spinner

Guru, Richard Watkins, Published on 16/05/2014

» Perched right above the Asoke intersection, the Continent Hotel Bangkok is reminiscent of one of the pencil-shaped skyscrapers of Hong Kong. At its rooftop food and beverage outlet, Axis & Spin, you can almost hear the BTS guards blowing their whistles and the hum of the gridlocked traffic far below. Take the elevator to the 38th floor and pop out into the cosy room. Comfy seating caters to around 25 diners, who are mostly positioned against the angled wall-to-ceiling windows that wrap half the room for full viewing effect. The mood hints at the popular Prohibition-era decor without fully buying in, to good effect. A winding centre stairwell leads to an open-air bar on the floor above with stools (at high tables) for around 20. There’s even AC to cool the open-air room that gets plenty of precious breeze (good news for smokers). Again with low-lighting to set the mood, grab one of the handful of tables that are right up against the edge to cast your eye over the city below on show. Perfect for the after-office crowd, the night we visited hosted a handful of expat tables and a couple, but the modest dimensions quickly fill up on weekends.