Prestige Presents: Casual Dining at Octo Seafood Bar

There are always days when exquisite fine-dining wouldn’t cut it — those moments when you want to binge on chips, fries and beer while laughing your lungs out with a group of friends. There are days when dining is meant to be casual, served with sports, Netflix or back-to-back Star Wars. When we think of a day like that, we think of Octo.

Located closer to the Rama IV side of Sukhumvit 24, Octo isn’t difficult to spot, thanks to the chic, two-storied square building with a giant turquoise Octopus on its facade. This beautiful structure is the work of owner/ designer Tanakorn Kaocharoenpong — founder of Ixoneone Ltd, a design and planning company whose portfolio includes many large and successful entertainment complexes such as Demo Nightclub in Thonglor, Happy Fish and Kodang Talay at the Asiatique as well as acclaimed works in other countries (Myanmar, Singapore, Hong Kong and Indonesia).

Inside, the dining joint is a cosy and relaxing place to enjoy your casual meal. The centre piece sitting within the foyer of the restaurant is a stunning Octopus sculpture designed Tanakorn himself, and hand-crafted by sculptor Pongsatat Uaiklang. Structured like a ship and built from iron, solid wood and glass, the two-storied site is divided into several zones. Located in the middle of the main hall is a 4 x 12 metre ‘iron bar’ designed to serve drinks with its extensive offer of beverages from around the world.

Those looking to enjoy cold cuts, square mini pizzas, soup, salad, sandwich, cheese and ham can move to the grab-and-go ‘Salumeria Zone,’ located on the right size of the bar. On the left of the bar is ‘Ceviche Bar Zone’ where you can find unique dishes from South America like Peru, as well as fresh cold seafood platter, consisting of octopus, crab, shrimp, oyster, sea mussel, better taken here with tequila, pickled vegetable and spicy salad. Another highlight area is ‘Sushi Zone’ aka ‘Cutts’, offering the freshest sushi and sashimi, managed by Chef Randy.

Doing a dining guide on Octo isn’t easy. Diverse, eclectic and customisable, eating at Octo is all about testing out a combination that works for you, or for that particular day you visit. We love to begin our feast a little earlier in the evening, nibbling on fresh sashimi or Galician Octopus Ceviche with a huge cheese platter, cold cuts, pizzas and white wine while catching up with friends, waiting for late-comers. But when night falls and our stomach cry for something more filling, it’s time for more flavourful Thai recipes like Squid stir-fried with salted egg and deep-fried white sea bass with fresh chilli sauce, better taken with rice. But if you’re allergic to seafood, Octo also has delicious lamb steak that is just so rich and tasty you’d forget you’re actually in a seafood bar!