|
Home | Clubs
& nightlife | BarSu club Bangkok, an interview with Renaud Mahe - Club Director
 BarSu
club Bangkok, an interview with Renaud Mahe - Club Director
"Actually we also asked ourselves many times
'what is Barsu exactly?' and the answer has always been the same 'you
cannot define Barsu. Barsu is… Barsu: a mix of experiences"
Barsu, if you are familiar with Bangkok you know it already, is the
beautiful club located at the ground floor at the Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit.
Actually, calling Barsu just a club is not entirely correct. It is much
more than that, in many different ways and for many different reasons.
Depending on the day of the week you visit it, or the time of the day,
it can be a club or a wine bar, a restaurant, a lounge bar… it
depends. We talked about Barsu Bangkok with Renaud Mahe, Club
Director for the past 3 years (November, 30th 2010 will be his last
day as Club Director, a new adventure is waiting for him, and we think
this was a good time to talk about Barsu with him), while enjoying a
glass of very good French red wine.
 "Actually
we also asked ourselves many times 'what is Barsu exactly?' and the
answer has always been the same 'you cannot define Barsu. Barsu is…
Barsu: a mix of experiences'" explains Renaud, smiling.
"Let's say that one of the best compliments I received from
one of our regular guests is "I like to come to Barsu because it
is like an extension of my living room…" and this is exactly
what we want to offer to our guests. A place where you can feel at home,
you can dine, or you can enjoy a great selection of wines, listen to
nice music, dance, interact with other guests or with your friends".
"Barsu has been my life for the past three years"
continues Renaud "and I put all my heart and my efforts in order
to make it the best place possible. The club (we will call Barsu a club,
from now on) has gone through several changes in the past few years.
We try to continuously improve the menu, the wine list, the interior
decoration of the club, add new initiatives. We added the - as we call
it - 'happiest hour' (from 5:30pm to 8:30pm 250++ THB for a drink and
free access to the buffet"), and with this I also tried to introduce
my Mediterranean culture to the crowd in BKK" (Renaud is French,
with French, Italian and North African roots).
 It
is very common, in fact, to find free buffet together with a good glass
of wine in France, or in Italy just to mention two of the most famous
Mediterranean countries, but it is not so in Bangkok. At least until
now. The 'Drink. Eat Free' initiative has been a success since the beginning,
and we can see that right in front of our eyes. While we interview Renaud
the buffet is continuously 'under attack' by the guests, and it is regularly
refreshed and refilled with new dishes coming from the kitchen.
"We now have Special Nights at Barsu" explains Renaud
"Wednesday night, for example, is Ladies Night and it has quickly
become one of the busiest nights at Barsu now. Friday is probably our
busiest night in the week. And we recently introduced a member card,
free of charge, which allows our guests to earn points and rewards.
Our members can also enjoy special nights and be part of our many initiatives".
Barsu is not just a wine bar, but it is 'also' a wine bar. Their wine
cellar is stocked with wines from all over the world. If you are into
a special bottle of Barolo, or a Bordeaux, or anything else you might
have in mind, just ask for the wine list because it could (and should)
be in it. Or ask for some advice.
 "We
regularly organize wine promotions at Barsu" continues Renaud
"they are a very interesting way to present new wines or producers
to our guests, and they really enjoy our 'wine experiences' as we call
them.
We think it is important our guests can enjoy the wine, interact
with the producer, with the other guests, and with us by giving us their
opinion and feedback".
The food menu is extremely sophisticated, and some of the dishes served
at Barsu are on the menu since the opening of the club. A few ideas?
Why not try some oysters, for example? French oysters are shipped weekly
to Barsu. Or our favorite, the seared tuna, or the grilled salmon. And
if you are in the mood for something really special, you should try
the ginger and pepper crusted snow fish. Or try their Italian and French
cheese platters, served with a warm baguette and honey to go with it.
 Of course,
at night the club becomes a club, with music, a dance floor, and a lot
of enthusiastic guests. The motto of Barsu, after all, is eat, play,
dance.
"Basically" explains Renaud "I tried to give
my heart to this place, and a very personal approach to it".
And it worked. It is not easy to find the right balance in all the
ingredients that make a club a successful club, but Barsu seems to have
found the right formula: be original, listen to your guests, surprise
them and - sometimes - spoil them. And provide quality. It worked.
BarSu - Sheraton Sukhumvit Ground Floor
Open: 17.30 - 02.00 hours (Monday - Saturday)
250 Sukhumvit Road · Bangkok 10110 · Thailand
Telephone: 66 (0) 2649 8358 or 66 (0) 2649 8888
http://www.barsubangkok.com/
Adversus
|
|
