The height of fine dining! Inside one of the world’s highest open-air restaurants (which starred in The Hangover Part II)

There’s a proposal. The answer is ‘yes’. The happy couple kiss and the restaurant crackles with applause. 

This is a weekly occurrence in this spectacular location, I’m told.

I’m dining at one of the world’s highest open-air restaurants – Sirocco in Bangkok.

Positioned at a height of 702ft (214m), this alfresco spread of white tablecloths, topiary and soft lighting crowns the State Tower skyscraper in the Thai metropolis.

Any challenges posed by Sirocco’s sky-high setting are smoothly worked around – when bad weather renders alfresco dining unfeasible, dinner service moves inside the skyscraper’s gold-domed rooftop. Diners who fear heights can be escorted down the restaurant’s glass-edged staircase to their seats. Particularly anxious patrons can bypass the open-air stairs altogether and access the dining area by elevator.

State Tower was constructed in 2001, and the ribbon was cut for Sirocco two years later. The restaurant is under the umbrella of Lebua, a hotel brand that runs two sister hotels within the building – ‘Lebua at State Tower’ and ‘Tower Club at Lebua’. I’m staying at the latter, an elegant all-suite hotel that takes over floors 51 to 59.

Some come to Sirocco for the skyline views, others for its Hollywood cachet – it starred in the 2011 box-office hit The Hangover Part II. Its staircase features in the opening scene, in which Bradley Cooper’s character Phil delivers the line: ‘This time we really f***** up.’ A police helicopter hovers over the edge of the restaurant later in the movie.

For fans of the film, the Sky Bar at Sirocco – a tourist-heavy cocktail joint with an LED-illuminated bar that changes colours every 90 seconds – rustles up ‘Hangovertinis’. Priced at a steep THB1,500 (£33/$41), this sweet blend of vermouth, scotch and green apple was originally concocted for the production’s crew.

Dedicated cinephiles can even spend a night in the ‘Hangover Part II Suite’ on the 53rd floor, which hosted the film’s cast.

My two-bedroom Tower Club Suite is a few steps down the corridor. It’s enormous, with neoclassical balconies that frame a hypnotising panorama of Bangkok. I could spend hours watching the BTS Skytrain glide across the city and cruises chugging along the Chao Phraya River.

Other floors hold a vast outdoor pool, a gym and more Lebua-owned restaurants – two of which are two-Michelin-starred.

The hype for Sirocco begins once you enter the skyscraper’s copper-hued lift, another Hangover Part II filming location. ‘My ears just popped,’ the man next to me remarks on the ascent.

Hostesses in golden gowns serenely usher diners through the restaurant entrance on the 64th floor. Out in the open, the wind whips your hair into a frenzy.

I’m seated at a corner table, where I’m at eye level with a flock of birds that have nothing but empty sky beneath them. As the sun sets, a live band fills the air with jazz.

I wonder whether Sirocco’s Mediterranean fare can match the magic of the setting.

But I needn’t worry. Each dish in the five-course tasting menu by Chef Brian Rodriguez is a culinary home run.

It begins with a soft loaf of milk bread with knobs of chilli-infused butter. The star act comes next – a slab of kingfish drizzled with oyster emulsion and paired with an earthy apple-tarragon sorbet.

‘Next, we’re going to Italy,’ Restaurant Manager Timo Muchenberger says as he guides me through the Mediterranean wine pairings, which span from a crisp Chardonnay from Sicily’s Planeta vineyard to a silky Albarino from Spain’s Familia Torres winery.

They marry beautifully with smoky scallops with creamy quinoa and truffle; turbot with fennel purée and rich ‘beurre blanc’ sauce; lobster on a bed of grilled courgette risotto. Dessert, a delicate rhubarb and almond pudding, keeps up the momentum.

It’s no wonder the Michelin Guide labels the fare as ‘outstanding’. 

One more drink is had at the Sky Bar, where another patron tells me: ‘You’ve not been to Bangkok ’til you’ve been at Lebua.’ I’m beginning to see what they mean.

When my meal draws to an end, late-night Bangkok is lit up like a sparkling switchboard. Sirocco has secured a winning recipe – imaginative food mixed with infinity views and a pinch of Hollywood lore. A reservation here will elevate your experience of Bangkok.