Spring/Summer has long been a successful institution thanks to its formula of soothing design and a simple but contemporary menu. It’s unfortunate that this formula hasn’t translated to their second venture, Powder Room, a nightspot with a darker theme and some frankly uncomfortable black and blue furniture—on our last visit, the staff even brought out little rectangular banquettes to place behind our seats. The signature cocktails here average about B260, and while having a carefully crafted cocktail menu has gone beyond the trendy and into the necessary for any self-respecting restaurant, we do also expect more than the usual variations on saketinis and shochutinis for these prices. We do appreciate the presence of a brief list of drinks by the pitcher, particularly the Pimm’s Cup No.1, a rare sight on Bangkok menus. As for the food, the appetizers are reminiscent of Spring’s menu, such as the garam masala chicken kebabs (skewers of Indian-style grilled chicken), which are fine, though we wish the chicken pieces were larger. The other appetizer of note is the buor thod (fried betel leaves with shrimp) which is interesting, the betel leaf fried whole and flattened into a crisp and a red curry marinated shrimp (miraculously not overdone) in the middle. The furaido poteto, on the other hand, while attempting originality, falls flat on execution: the batter is a tad too hard and the sweet potato wedges are too underseasoned to compete. The mains are few: some curries and pastas, both of which are solid without blowing our socks off. The Powder Room signature curry (Japanese curry with pickles) is pleasantly light, but the tom yam spaghetti is dry and overpowering. It’s clear that the intention here is to mostly be a chic watering hole with fancy cocktails, loads of snacks, and a few mains if you get hungry. But at these prices, we expect chairs we can spend hours lounging on, drinks we can order several of, a crowd (absent on our last visit) and more musical effort than popsanova covers of Michael Jackson.