Meliá Chiang Mai’s 360-degree rooftop bar has introduced a fresh menu featuring dishes rooted in local sustainable and organic farming practices. The highest bar in Chiang Mai, known as Mai the Sky Bar, graces the hotel’s 22nd floor, providing breathtaking vistas of the Ping River to the city’s east and the renowned Doi Suthep Temple atop the western mountaintop.
Influenced by Meliá’s Spanish heritage, the city’s most vibrant venue offers a diverse range of tapas and pinchos, grazing boards, and desserts organized into sections labeled “Para Picar,” “Tableros,” and “Postres,” respectively.
Crafted by Jartisann’s Original Thai Cheese, using premium locally sourced raw cow’s milk from Chiang Mai, the artisan cheese board options in the new menu include ‘Forest Tail,’ ‘Palazzo di Palma,’ ‘Ricotta Affumicata,’ ‘Saltara Machima,’ and ‘San Paquanburie,’ complemented with coated nuts, dried fruit, grapes, and more.
For example, Forest Tail hails from Chiang Mai’s Hang Dong district, an extraordinary hard cheese originally conceived to utilize leftover curd trimmings. Made from unpasteurized cow’s milk, Forest Tail is aged for a minimum of five months and boasts similarities to French Tomme, English Cheddar, and flavored Gouda. The ‘Original Flavor’ Forest Tail presents a multifaceted palate, combining buttery, fruity, nutty, and wine-like flavors.
The new menu’s dishes, such as the seasonal fruit platter and ingredients like the tomato and basil used in the ‘Tostas Platter’ featuring tomato cherry confit and pesto on toast, are sourced from the nearby gourmet organic farm SEED as part of the hotel’s ‘360° Cuisine’ initiative. This program emphasizes sourcing ‘farm-to-plate’ organic produce that travels only a short distance. Every part of each ingredient, including roots, leaves, stems, and stalks, is utilized in dishes before any food waste is returned to the farm as fertilizer, creating a truly 360° concept.
In addition to cold cuts, the menu includes mixed grill skewers, croquetas, fresh summer rolls with fresh spring roll wrap and sweet tamarind dip, and salmon tiradito with mango passion fruit dressing, avocado mousse, and pickled onion. The dessert options feature rich chocolate mud cake with berry compote and biscotti, and a jar of tiramisu with creamy sweetened milk and ladyfingers.
These delectable dishes are designed to complement the bar’s extensive selection of spirits, cocktails, mocktails, wines, beers, coffees, signature tea creations, smoothies, shakes, fresh juices, and soft drinks.
The hotel’s general manager, Marc Selinger, stated, “Mai the Sky Bar may be one of the highest venues in town, but we take a ground-up approach to collaborate with sustainable farmers, cheesemakers, and other local producers in Chiang Mai to ultimately promote sustainable agriculture and healthier eating.”
As part of their “Sunset Chill and DJ Live Sessions,” occurring every Thursday to Sunday until December 31, 2023, the bar will host a live music band from 6-8pm and a resident DJ from 8-11pm. Bands like The Est, Smooth Friday Hey, and Ripeye perform each Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, respectively. DJ Fufu handles the turntables from Thursday to Saturday, with DJ Dexter taking over on Sundays.
For inquiries or reservations at Meliá Chiang Mai, you can reach out via email at [email protected], call +66 52 090 600, or visit https://www.melia.com/en/hotels/thailand/chiang-mai/melia-chiang-mai/index.htm.