The buzz: Two years in the making, Perfume is the brainchild of three friends—a mixologist, a chef (formerly of Sofitel So Bangkok) and an avid shisha smoker. As such, the aptly named fragrance-inspired bar serves up what they love most: molecular cocktails, European fusion food and innovative shisha flavors. 

The décor: The dimly-lit interior is edgy and contemporary with an open kitchen, grey painted walls, a black ceiling bearing industrial light fittings, black tables and chairs and a long bar with granite counter. Opening onto the bustling Soi Thonglor, the outside zone sees a smattering of low tables and sofas and some rather striking red geometric metal structures for decoration. 

The music: Varies according to the time of day, with smooth jazz when it’s light out, dance funk, deep house and electro in the early evening building up to an upbeat mix of R&B and soul later in the night. 

The crowd: Hiso first jobbers and English-speaking urbanites in their early 20s to 30s, plus a couple of tables of expats. 

The price: Apart from the usual imported beer and wine selections, the real highlights here are the cocktails made by the co-owner, a mixologist, who uses perfume-making techniques from France to come up with molecular concoctions that manage the right balance between liquor and fruitiness. Try the popular PSOB (Passionate Sex On The Beach, B340) which fuses Kettle One Vodka with fresh passion fruit and homemade grapefruit perfume bitter as the cherry on top. Ladies with a sweet tooth can try the Bubble B52 (B280), which instead of the typical layered shot comes as three “bubbles” comprising Baileys Irish Cream, Grand Marnier oil perfume flambé and citrus-y Kahlua that you bite into to release the flavors. The food, too, isn’t an after-thought, as the chef here used to work at Sirocco and Sofitel So Bangkok. The menu is divided into seven parts: greens (salad), snacks, soups, cold cuts, pastas, bites (meals for one), sharing menus (for two people or more) and desserts. The spicy beef nachos (B160) are a tasty option, with just the right amount of chili, as is the tuna tartare (B360), with its akami (lean tuna meat), mango salsa and fresh chopped mango. The presentation looks a bit messy, but we like the detailed touch of the homemade mango jelly balls and lime dressing which come in a perfume bottle. Mains cover heartier fare like the roast Australian lamb chop with ratatouille, potato balls, raspberry sauce and balsamic red wine sauce (B600), while desserts again feature molecular touches, like the chocolate perfume (B250) which features sweet-fragranced shisha fumes and comes with either dark chocolate or vanilla ice cream with strawberry sauce. For smokers, Perfume also does interesting shisha combinations like orange, melon, berry and bubblegum with bases including bottled water for a clean taste and Coca-Cola, which makes for a really smooth smoke when paired with the apple-flavored shisha (B400).

Why you’ll come back: Prices here are definitely high, but just about worth it if you’re into inventive cocktails and fusion dishes with an attention to detail not often found in most Thonglor bars. Be warned, though, staff are still a bit new to the scene.