COBA Bangkok Review

The mission statement behind COBA’, as opined by Managing Director Albert van Der Westhuizen is lofty and ambitious. “We hope to offer an entirely original dining and entertainment concept.” But do diners really want to be entertained or is eating all the entertainment they need? Do original dining concepts even exist in 2025? Olivier Limousin, Michelin-starred chef, globe-trotting culinary curator and the brains behind COBA’, certainly thinks so as he relocated from New York and spent the better part of two years working towards COBA’s launch in November last year.

If Bangkok is a sprawling, metropolis but with idiosyncratic charm burgeoning and blossoming from every corner, COBA’s interior eschews the former and takes inspiration from the latter. Foliage and greenery curl and sprout and hang from every conceivable direction. It’s a rainforest but without the creepy crawlies and with sublime and sumptuous lighting design. Rings glow from the ceiling. Red candles flicker on tables. Tassled lampshades hang, seemingly, in mid-air. Walls swirl with shades of green graphic-generated brushstrokes. And there are windows, large, bold windows which look onto more shrubbery giving the illusion that Coba is hermetically sealed from the rest of the city.

Opposite our table is a vitrine which looks like a specially commissioned tree sculpture by Damien Hirst, a blast back to his early days, but no, it’s actually a real tree and the restaurant has been constructed around it. Entering COBA is a transformative and transportive experience to a more magical world.

The signature Tapas Tree does nothing to shatter this illusion. It’s not easy to take photos of but is like a large Bonsai tree, nestling on the branches of which are exotic hors d’oeuvres. Tuna tataki is served with edible flowers and dots of spicy mayonnaise. A Humita gyoza is served with Iberico ham, coriander and sesame dressing. A Parmesan biscuit is served with honey and baba ghanoush. French toast is served with Wagyu beef tartar, crispy shallots and confit egg yolks.

Each and every one is a riot of flavour and texture; delicate and sublime. The beef especially is incredible, practically viscous. For accompanying cocktails, we choose a Red Rampage which is a Bloody Mary but tequila-based and a Black Velvet which is a sake cocktail where the customer chooses the level of spiciness.

The starters are just as exotic in taste if not entirely by name; the Roasted Cauliflower’s snowy heads are decorated with colourful petals, purple, pink, yellow and red. The cauliflower is lightly pickled and the addition of sesame oil and a dash of lemon make for a pure and clean but curiously appetizing dish. Leche de Tigre Ceviche is served in a dramatic obsidian-like dint and decorated with both fresh lotus and crispy lotus root chips. There’s a hint of coriander and pico curry to play with the wholesome chunks of sea bream.

We choose El Enemigo Malbec from Argentina to accompany our mains; a deep ruby colour, it has a rich oaky aroma and blends perfectly with the Premium lamb cutlets, another feast not only for the eyes but the senses.

The cutlet is pleasingly rare, practically drips bloody succulence and is served on a bed of barley rice, raisins and pomegranate seeds. There’s also a smear of harissa oil and yoghurt prettified by more colourful petals. The Miso glazed black cod set on mashed potato purée is topped with strings of dried parsnip. The cod literally melts in the mouth and the creamy potato recipe is from Joël Robuchon, a generous nod from Limousin to his former employee of over a decade (in Paris, London and Bangkok).

A DJ stands throughout in front of an elegant, large wooden relief depicting what looks like a tribal mask but the sound system is so good the ambient jungle landscapes, and the gentle dance beats, are never obtrusive. Paradoxically, there’s a gratifying calmness to COBA a refined, dignified and relaxing calm even when a saxophonist saunters through the space, in and out of tables, free-styling over the DJ. It could be awful but somehow isn’t.

Similarly, women who look like they’ve just landed from an Alexander McQueen haute couture runway ebb and flow, waltz and twirl. Their appearances aren’t overplayed. They appear they disappear. Diners watch, diners grin, diners take photos, diners go back to dining. It’s not immediately apparent but at some point the connection is made; the costumes are inspired by the jungle. A peacock opens her feather tail. A leopard scratches her claws. A snake flickers her tongue. Again, it could be awful but somehow isn’t. It’s oneiric. It’s hypnotic. It’s charmingly surreal.

The desserts are as opulent and inventive as everything that has proceeded. The Mango Creme Brûlée comes with a vibrant passion fruit sorbet in the shape of a flower and a fruit salad brims with kernel like tapioca. The chocolate fondant is decorated with a sea coral of solid chocolate whilst liquid chocolate pours out of the barrel-like structure once cut. Miso ice cream and a small smattering of cocoa nibs are served on a different dish for what seems like an additional dessert but isn’t. We end the evening with a cocktail not yet on the menu. It’s called Symbiosis and is served in what must surely be the best cocktail container ever; Kon-Tiki style wood and rope sculpted to look like a giant ant with a detachable abdomen which is a coconut-shaped drinking cup. Symbiosis is made of coconut whiskey and is a homage to the ants which protect the Acacia tree from herbivorous attack and are rewarded with its nectar.   

Through bold interior design, unique presentation and, most importantly, a creative menu carried out flawlessly by executive Chef Sebastien Lalanne, COBA offers an intimate and heady experience which stands apart from the norm. There’s really nothing like it in Bangkok or, indeed, any other major culinary destination. Hats off to Albert van Der Westhuizen and Olivier Limousin for having a vision and successfully creating that vision; not an easy achievement.