L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon has closed in Bangkok
The end of a delicious era, but there's hope for a new one.
5 years ago
The Bangkok outpost of L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon has closed, drawing the curtains on a decorated 4.5 years of operations.
In a statement shared today, the restaurant says its immediate closure coincides with renovations to be carried out at MahaNakhon Cube starting May 1.
While the restaurant extended thanks to its valued guests, perhaps the greatest solace can be found in the assertion that "Bangkok remains on our radar to reopen in the near future."
Joel Robuchon, the perfectionist French chef credited with redefined fine dining, opened his Bangkok outpost in 2014, and the Olivier Limousin-helmed restaurant has left an indelible mark on the local fine-dining scene.
Since opening, L'Atelier has been a fixture in the top 10 of BK's annual Top Tables guide to Bangkok best restaurants. After it placed #6 in the 2019 edition, we wrote of L'Atelier that "luxurious ingredients star in Gallic food that's refined without losing its heart. Not many places in town do fine dining quite like here."
Despite Robuchon's passing in 2018, Bangkok head chef Limousin continued to treat us to the maestro’s exceptionally high and consistent standards for French cooking.
Today, chef Limousin also left a heartfelt message to his Instagram followers expressing gratitude for their support.
While L'Atelier's closing is sudden, it was not wholly unexpected. Ever since King Power bought MahaNakhon Tower for a cool B10 billion in August 2018, the duty-free giant has been wringing the changes at Thailand's tallest building and the adjoining MahaNakhon Cube retail complex.
Last year saw the closure of popular MahaNakhon Cube tenants Vogue Lounge and Morimoto, so you could say the writing had been on the wall. Still, we'll miss those super-silky, buttery mashed potatoes, not to mention the rest of the impressive package.
Heartbroken foodies can at least take comfort in the fact that the forthcoming Orient Express hotel, set to open at King Power MahaNakhon by the end of 2019, will welcome a couple of exciting restaurants: the Modern Cantonese-specializing Mott 32 and Mahanathi, a new Thai fine-dining venture by David Thompson, formerly of Bangkok powerhouse Nahm.
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