The buzz: The opening of this global chain of high-end Japanese restaurants had been delayed for months, creating huge excitement when it finally launched. Bangkokians are suckers for international brands but Zuma’s high-end hotel surroundings, generous proportions and stunning décor are genuinely impressive.

The décor: Zen and sexy. And big! The restaurant features a large dining room, private dining room, lounge area, sushi bar, robata grill, terrace, and cocktail bar. Granite, bamboo, reflective walls, timber, and glass provide a backdrop that’s simultaneously warm, luxurious and exotic. The bar runs both indoors and out, with an air-con system for the al fresco part (take that, polar bears). And with the spacious open kitchen, it’s hard not to find a cute Japanese chef you’ll want to nibble on.

The food: Traditional Japanese with modern flair like the signature dynamite spider maki roll (softshell crab, chili mayonnaise, cucumber and wasabi tobiko sauce, B480), suzuki no osashimi (sliced sea bass with yuzu, truffle oil and salmon roe, B480) or California roll (steamed Alaskan king crab, avocado and tobiko, B390). It’s not cheap though: the humble Zuma Salad (mixed leaf salad with barley miso dressing) is B290, while the gindara saikyo miso yaki (broiled miso-marinated black cod) is B1,280.

The drinks: Do try their pinky Rubabu (rhubarb infused sake, house vodka, fresh passion fruit pulp, lemon juice, gomme syple syrup, B395) or Dragons Den (ginger, mint, lychee, blue agave tequila, elderflower sugar and lime juice B365). There’s also the non-alchoholic Zuma iced tea (green tea, passion fruit, lemon and sugar, B180) and a selection of sakes, both cold (Junmai, B770 for 300ml) and hot (Tengumai, B1,085 for 300ml).

The crowd: The hip, the hi-so, and the beautiful.