Asian City Guide: BANGKOK

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BANGKOK

HIGHLIGHTS

What's on

Shopping

Eateries

BANGKOK

ASIAN CITY GUIDE

What’s on

¬ Go vintage Scala Cinema Where: Scala Cinema, Siam Square What: The old cinema offers a modest one-screen experience compared to the large complex situated in Siam Paragon just across the road. Built in 1967, this exquisitely maintained movie theatre is worth a trip not only for the bargain priced seats and popcorn, but also for the retro setting.

¬ Dine and watch ¬ Experience Wax Museum Where: Siam Discovery Centre What: Madame Tussauds presents exhibit items you can touch, hug, play with and even kiss. Imagine shooting hoops with the Houston Rockets centre Yao Ming, appearing on The Oprah Show, practising kung fu with Bruce Lee and drinking espresso with George Clooney.

Siam Niramit

Where: Ratchada Theatre What: Thailand's history spawning seven centuries are brilliantly captured in a 90-minute production, Siam Niramit.

The theatre compound is decked out in contemporary Thai style. Here you can also feed the elephants, listen to a “ranad” (Thaixylophone) band and take pictures with characters from the show.

BANGKOK

ASIAN CITY GUIDE

What’s on

¬ Explore

Recreational Tour

Where: Samphran Elephant Ground & Zoo What: The zoo is situated on 60 acres of land an hour drive west of Bangkok. Visitors watch an elephant show complete with dramatic sounds and narration and see demonstrations of elephants at work and re-enacting ancient battle scenes in full battle gear.

¬ Pedal away

Bangkok Jungle Tour

Where: Bang Ka Jao Close to Bangkok, this small green area has a unique style of waterways and small roads. Pass through temples, local markets and Thai houses and see communities that live and work here.

BANGKOK

ASIAN CITY GUIDE

What’s on

¬ Be entertained Calypso Cabaret Show

¬ Learn it

Where: Asiatique River Front What: The Calypso Cabaret Show gives an entertaining show of ladyboys doing what they love the most: dressing up to the nines and miming to Cher.

Bangkok Thai cooking

What: Qualified Thai chefs teach the secrets of preparing Thai food. Lessons take place in a stylish fully-equipped Thai kitchen where you'll learn about the seasonality of Thai food, a range of dishes that includes starters, salads, curries, noodle dishes and desserts.

BANGKOK

ASIAN CITY GUIDE

Shopping

ÂŹ Asiatique River Front

ÂŹ Chatuchak weekend market A huge, sprawling weekend market, Chatuchak or JJ, has 15,000 shops offering almost everything, from clothes, souvenirs, furniture, artworks, books, plants and even pets. Down the road, you'll find the Talad Rod Fai or the Train Market that opens at 6pm, just after JJ closes, where you can do some serious vintage shopping.

Address: Kampaeng Phet Road, BTS Mo Chit

This new shopping centre is the first along the Chao Praya River. Housed in a 100-year-old refurbished sawmill, it has over 1,500 boutiques selling fashion and souvenirs, with several restaurants and bars at amazingly reasonable prices.

Address: 2194 Charoenkrung Soi 76

BANGKOK

ASIAN CITY GUIDE

Shopping

¬ Siam The Siam area is where one can find the best malls and fashion boutiques.

Siam Paragon and Siam Centre have the high-street fashion brands, design stores and chic restaurants. Opposite these malls is a sprawling market with boutique stores selling clothes, bags, shoes and accessories for cheap.

Nearby is the multi-storey MBK, one of the most popular malls among tourists and locals. Go dizzy with eight floors packed with 2,000 shops that sell everything from clothing, fashion accessories, handbags, leather products and luggage to furniture, mobile phones, electric appliances, cameras, stationery and DVDs. Address: Rama 1 Road, BTS Siam/National Stadium

¬ Chinatown What you will find here are beautiful Chinese temples, Taoist places of learning and traditional Chinese medicine shops selling all sorts of fascinating remedies.

The alleys are crammed with market stalls and small shops jostling to sell just about everything—from hair accessories, tea sets, hardware and food, to fabric, strange vegetables imported from mainland China.

Once crossing Chakraphek Road you will enter Pahurat—one of Chinatown’s premier attractions. Goods such as flip-flops, toys, household items, and herbs can be bought here.

Address: Chakraphek Road

and Sampleng Lane

BANGKOK

ASIAN CITY GUIDE

Shopping

ÂŹ Silom ÂŹ Pratunam

You'll find incredible deals, and make sure you know how to haggle in Thai, in Pratunam. Deciding what to buy (whether clothes or bags), and comparing prices around, is a good start. Things start to get really cheap when you're buying in bulk. Buy two at any store and you get great discounts.

Across the street is the Pratunam Market, a major market selling clothes, shoes, and fashion accessories at wholesale prices.

Down the road is Pantip Plaza, the mother of all IT shops, where you can get the latest tech items for low prices. They sell everything from computers and computer-related accessories and printers, digital cameras, MP3 players, PDAs, and much more. Remember to keep your bags and wallets close!

Address: Petchaburi Road

Head out to the famous Patpong Night Market. In between peeks at the sex trade, you will find souvenirs, Thai crafts, CDs, DVDs, counterfeit watches and bags, shirts, boxing shorts and a whole lot of other things can be bargained for.

You'll also find in the area the Jim Thompson Shop, the famous international promoter of Thai silk. On the corner of Suwarong and Rama IV roads, the mansion-like Jim Thompson store offers a variety of colourful silk products-from personal items to household pieces to handkerchiefs, shirts, neckties, place mats, wraps, cushions, curtains, and bed sheets.

Address: Surawong Road

BANGKOK

ASIAN CITY GUIDE

Eateries

¬ Isaan cuisine Are you in for simple, Thai peasant food?

When in Bangkok, try the quintessential northeastern or Isaan-style dish. With a touch of 1920s Shanghai, Thai Lao Yeh offers an extensive menu of classic authentic Isaan and Northern Laotian dishes. The aromatic larb dish of finely chopped meat or fish, flavoured with fish sauce, lime juice, chili and fresh mint herbs is nothing like any you’ve ever tasted before. Enjoy it with sticky rice and a plate of fresh herbs and vegetables.

Address: 14/29 Sukhumvit Soi 45 Tel: +66-02-25928713

¬ Som Tum

Spicy Green Papaya Salad

No one sets foot in Thailand without having a plate of the sumptuous som tam. Enjoy the many versions of the one of the best loved, traditional dishes, recently listed a national treasure.

Som Tam Nua offers varieties of the salad that one can imagine.

The place is packed at peak hours and is more of an eat-andrun place. And while you’re at it, pair your salad with the popular phad kanomjeen (stir-fried rice noodles) and crispy chicken.

Address: 392/14

Soi Siam Square 5,

Rama 1 Road.

Tel: +66-22-514880

BANGKOK

ASIAN CITY GUIDE

Eateries

ÂŹ Tom Yum Goong

ÂŹ Pad Thai

Spicy Shrimp Soup

A must try is the classic spicy lemongrass and shrimp soup recipe also known as tom yum goong.

This potent herbal mixture is well known for its medicinal properties and it comes with shrimp (goong), seafood (tom yum taleh) or chicken (tom yum gai). Nai Sow, a ChineseThai restaurant next door to Wat Plaplachai, has the city's best tom yum. Order a desert of fried taro to cool down the chilli.

Addres: 3/1 Maitrichit Rd., Chinatown

(Pom Prap Sattru Phai) Tel: +66-02-2221539

Thai-style Fried Noodles

This noodle plate is the default international Thai dish cooked in searing hot wok with small, thin or wide noodles (you can choose), crunchy beansprouts, onion, egg, fish sauce, sugar, chilli powder and finely grounded peanuts. This yummy recipe will leave you craving for more at Thip Samai, the Bangkok institution specialising in Pad Thai since 1966, and is often mentioned as the best in Thailand. But pad thai is known as the ultimate street food that can be ordered from any street stall.

Addres: 315/1 Mahachai Road Tel: +66-02-2216280

BANGKOK

ASIAN CITY GUIDE

Eateries

ÂŹ Khao Pad

ÂŹ Gaeng Daeng

Red Curry

Get those buds tingling with this bowl of red curry paste, smooth coconut milk and topped off with a sprinkling of finely sliced kaffir lime leaves.

This aromatic Thai dish is served with rice or rice noodles and combined with meat or poultry. But watch out, it can be very hot! Nara Thai is a fine dining place where you can get a perfect bowl of the red curry, matched with a contemporary design for an ultimate dining experience in cozy ambience.

Address: 7th floor, Central World Plaza, Chid Lom Tel: +66-02-61316589

Fried Rice

Dubbed as the "no-brainer" food, meaning you can go to almost any restaurant or street food stall in Bangkok, this popular Thai rice dish is mixed with either beef, pork, chicken, shrimp or crab meat along with egg, onions, garlic and sliced tomatoes.

The plate of searing, hot fried rice is known to be in Chinatown, at Rut and Lek Seafood, on the corner of Yaowarat and Soi Texas.

Also at Ko Yee, which serves great crab fried rice with a Thai-Chinese flavour.

Address: Bangkok

Yaowarat and

Charoennakorn Rd. Tel: +66-02-863-6955

BANGKOK

ASIAN CITY GUIDE

Eateries

¬ Wine by the river After dinner, head out to the Amorosa al fresco bar, the best spot to admire the Wat Arun pagoda that lights up at night. The bar offers a stunning view of the majestic Chao Phraya River and the people’s life along it. The bar is big on old world wines, as well as sparkling and champagne.

Address: Arun sidence,

Soi Pratunokyoong Tel: +66-02-211 9185

¬ Thai tea Thai milk tea is known as cha yen, and be sure to remember that when ordering one from a street stall. The traditional drink is a strong brew mixed with milk and is best served chilled. If you like it light, go for the lime Thai tea (cha-man-now), which is also sweetened with sugar and mixed with lime. Both will keep you energised!