Before The Secret Garden, before AQUA’s quiet recalibration, Ryan Dela Vega was nineteen and newly arrived in Dubai with a different plan. He wanted to be a pastry chef. Bartending was not the ambition — it was the opportunity available.
Pastry roles were competitive and scarce. When a friend suggested applying for a barback position at Hard Rock Dubai, he took it. The decision was practical rather than romantic, but it would shape everything that followed.
There were no online masterclasses then. Learning meant reading classic cocktail books and spirit histories passed between shifts, watching senior bartenders and repeating movements until they became instinctive. His first drink was a gin and tonic. His first favourite was a Gimlet.
“The rest is history,” he says lightly.
What stayed with him was not only technique, but perspective. The bar was not a stage; it was a place of connection.
“Great hospitality is about people first, not just drinks.” Precision matters. Consistency matters. But what guests ultimately remember is how they were treated — and how they felt. That philosophy, shaped in Dubai’s structured, high-volume environment, now anchors AQUA at Anantara Siam Bangkok, where he leads the beverage programme.
The path from barback to beverage manager may appear linear in hindsight. It was built one service at a time.
From Proving to Trusting
Early in his career, progress was measured in complexity — bold flavours, layered techniques, visible skill. There was a need to prove capability, to show everything at once.
Today, the approach is different. “I’ve learned that restraint isn’t a limitation — it’s a strength.”
Earlier, he felt compelled to demonstrate everything he knew in a single glass. Now, he trusts that subtlety can be just as expressive — and often more emotional — than something loud.
The shift is less about simplicity than confidence: knowing when to stop. “Guests don’t remember how complicated a drink was. They remember how it made them feel.”
It reframes the purpose of craft. Complexity is no longer layered for spectacle but shaped for harmony. Experience makes the difference unmistakable.
Restraint, in an industry often drawn to spectacle, becomes its own form of authority.
An Oasis in the City
At AQUA, that evolution becomes tangible.
Tucked within the heritage architecture of Anantara Siam, the bar unfolds around a lush courtyard and glinting koi pond. By early evening, light filters through leaves onto polished wood and low-set tables. The city continues beyond the walls, but here, its urgency dissolves.
The Secret Garden did not emerge overnight. Developed over nearly two years, the programme reflects both AQUA’s 20-year legacy and a recalibration of its future. Led by Ryan and his tightly aligned team, the menu is less a reinvention than a considered evolution — rooted in place, shaped by time.
With The Secret Garden, he wanted the drinks to mirror the atmosphere of the space: calm, immersive, unhurried. “I wanted the menu to feel softer, more emotional — a place where people slow down, not feel overwhelmed.”
Rather than theatrics or attention-grabbing techniques, the drinks lean into balance. Pomelo’s Embrace carries brightness without sharpness. Guava Lullaby unfolds gently, its bitterness measured rather than assertive. These are not drinks designed to dominate a table; they reveal themselves gradually, encouraging guests to pause.
Clarity, here, feels deliberate. So does quiet.
Playfulness, Without Noise
Even humour is disciplined.
Off the Duck’s Back carries a touch of wit without tipping into gimmick. For Ryan, playfulness must support the drink rather than compete with it. “Playfulness has to come from honesty, not decoration.”
“I always ask myself whether the idea will still make sense after the first smile.” If the surprise fades and the drink still stands, the idea works. If not, it does not belong.
Subtlety is harder to execute than noise. It demands conviction.
Redefining Good Work
As his responsibilities have expanded, so has his definition of success. There was a time when good work meant flawless execution behind the bar — speed, precision, consistency in his own hands. That foundation remains essential, but it is no longer the sole benchmark.
“Now, good work means creating the conditions for others to succeed,” he says.
“If the drinks are great but the culture isn’t, then something is missing.” Leadership, for him, is collective — building a programme defined by shared standards and pride. A strong bar depends not on presence, but on principle.
Intention Over Trends
When The Secret Garden eventually changes, Ryan hopes its legacy will be quiet.
“I hope it says that AQUA values intention over trends,” he says. “That we took the time to listen — to the place, to the season, to our guests.”
On a personal level, the menu reflects a shift from proving to trusting — from intensity to patience, from complexity to clarity. It is less about showcasing capability and more about expressing belief.
More than anything, he hopes guests leave with a sense of ease — feeling welcomed, relaxed, understood.
If they do, the work has done what it was meant to do. And the rest is irrelevant.
Aqua Bar Bangkok
Anantara Siam Bangkok Hotel
Lumphini, Pathum Wan, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
