BK Magazine 801

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NO. 801 MAR 12, 2021. www.bkmagazine.com

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Ek-tra Special How this 101-year-old cafe is catering to all generations Art Walk Your guide to finding and photographing Talad Noi’s street art Coffee Talk Why this millennial wants to make specialty coffee in Sampeng Boujee Boutiques Transforming Soi Nana’s shophouses into badass Airbnbs

NO. 801 MARCH 12, 2021. www.bkmagazine.com

The Chinatown Issue

page 3

BK MAGAZINE FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2021

Who's in charge?

BK EDITORIAL

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Managing Editor Craig Sauers

one day in...

Senior Writers Dhipkawee Sriyananda Selley,

Your guide to a great day out in Chinatown

Veerabhatr Sriyananda Contributors Megan Leon, Paveenaorn Duangoen GROVE: COCONUTS MEDIA BRAND STUDIO Head of Grove Juhi Bimbhet Business Director Dietrich Neu Account Manager Summer Lee Digital Account Manager Nuttajuk Kittichailuk Digital Strategist Manasith Linananda Senior Project Manager Sirinart Panyasricharoen Project Manager Sawanya Chantarakana Marketing and Events Manager Chayanap Tongdadas Marketing and Events Coordinator Thanawat Buddhichewin Production Supervisor Komkrit Klinkaeo Senior Graphic Designer Assaya Dejkong Senior Business Development Manager Orajira Sukkasem Business Development Manager Sippakorn Prasert, Tassanee Mahamad, Chalida Anuwattanawong, Joseph Toh Business Development Executives Kornkanok Sriwaranant, Palita Nueangnit SOIMILK Editor Noranartta Chaikum Senior Writers Rujiyatorn Choksiriwan, Kristiya Chaisri

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Ch-ch-changes It’s hard to know precisely where Bangkok’s Chinatown begins and ends.

Is it the Odeon Circle, where a large, official-ish gate seems to set the boundary? Does it extend to Talad Noi, where Chinese shrines, mom-and-pop shops, and dim sum restaurants suggest that, yeah, this is also Chinatown? Is it a sort of subliminal concept now— Chinatown is wherever you want it to be: in the second and third branches of street food stalls that open in luxury malls, in the bars and cafes across the city that boast Chinese-inspired décor, where people go to take photos dressed in qipao and channel ancestry that may or may not be of Chinese descent?

Hard to say. We’re defining it as the entire sweep of land between the Phadung Krung Kasem Canal, the river, Soi Nana, and the western edge of Yaowarat. Give or take.

feature

101-year-old Ek Teng Phu Ki upgrades for today’s IG crowds

Across this very clearly defined expanse, things are changing.

Interns Kanicha Nualkhair Publisher, Printer, and Editor Tara Rattanaphas ON THE COVER Hand-drawn illustration by Luke Satoru, founder of Black Pig Tattoo

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Hidden street food gems in Talad Noi

For instance, there are underground train stops now, even if most people are probably still hoofing it out to Chinatown in Grab Taxis or adding their luxury sedans to the crushing swell of traffic that chokes Charoenkrung and Yaowarat each day. (Just put on your warning lights—it’s cool to park your car in the middle of a busy lane, for sure.)

With these new MRT lines has come the looming threat of real estate development, hanging above like the sword of Damocles. There are cafes, bars, and upscale restaurants. There are fenced-off areas filled with crumbling, empty buildings. Shophouses will be razed, community malls will be erected. This is, unfortunately, inevitable. But as we’ve discovered, not everyone is selling to the highest bidder.

BK Magazine is a Coconuts Media publication.

Founder and CEO Byron Perry

In this issue, we meet fourth-generation owners of one of Bangkok’s oldest cafes, who are trying to futureproof their business by catering to those of us who bounce from one shiny new object to the next. We talk to a 27-year-old who is trying to bring specialty coffee to the clogged lanes of Sampeng. And we meet entrepreneurs who are trying to preserve old buildings with overlooked architectural significance by turning them into boutique Airbnbs.

Coconuts TV Head of Content Vim Shanmugam Operations Manager Clarissa Cortes coconuts.co Advertise with us advertising@coconuts.co

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Where to find us!

Coconuts BK Limited

111 Room 5A, 5th Floor We Space Building, Soi Thonglor 5 Khlong Tan Neua, Wattana Bangkok, 10110 Tel: 02-041-5755 Email: info@bkmagazine.com

BK Magazine is edited by Tara Rattanaphas and published 24 times a year, twice a month by Coconuts BK Limited. Copyright © 2020 Coconuts BK Limited.

The titles “BK Magazine” and their associated logos or devices, and the content of “BK Magazine” are the property of Coconuts BK Limited. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is strictly prohibited. Article reprints are available for THB50 each. The magazine may not be distributed without the express written consent of Coconuts BK Limited. Contact the Advertising Department for ad rates and specifications. All advertising must comply with the Publisher’s terms of business,copies of which are available upon request.

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Capturing Talad Noi’s street art

Within all of these efforts is one key verb: try. It isn’t easy to swim against the tide and preserve rather than demolish. But there are certainly enough people hoping to make a splash in Chinatown, a district that has refused to change for so long but now might be facing a moment of reckoning.

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feature

the last word

Awesome Airbnbs

Earth Viriyatamkul

One Day In…

Talad Noi and Chinatown When you think of Chinatown, the first thing that likely comes to mind is the intense, bustling Yaowarat. But venture out to Soi Nana and Talad Noi, the historical neighborhood’s quieter side, and you’ll be swept away by the indie cafes, street eats, art spaces, and crumbling shophousesturned-cocktail bars. Grab your camera, and follow our hacks to spending an awesome day in Talad Noi and Chinatown.

Story and photos by Dhipkawee Sriyananda Selley

house-turned-cafe, where you can order a butter croissant (B90) to go with a creamy dirty coffee (B120). Across the road, Soi San Chao Rong Kueak is lined with a photo exhibition, as well as colorful street art that references the area’s Thai-Chinese heritage. Walk past the old-school mom-and-pop shops still doing business here and you’ll reach another local hotspot, Mother Roaster.

Located amid Talad Noi’s auto parts shops, this cafe run by a septuagenarian barista, known for her meticulous hand drip coffee (B100 for local beans/B120 for imported), helped fuel the recent surge in Bangkok’s cafe culture.

The area isn’t all murals and coffee shops, though. Nearby, you’ll find some of the district’s historical sites, like the faded Chinese Rong Kuak Shrine, built in the early

borhood’s awesome art spaces. RCB Galleria at riverside mall River City aspires to bring world-class exhibitions to Bangkok. Funky gallery-slash-bar Speedy Grandma in Charoenkrung Soi 24 exhibits avant-garde mixed media work. Sprawling, multi-purpose art hub ATT 19 in Charoenkrung Soi 30 has revitalized a heritage building with modern and classic art, antiques, and an on-site restaurant. Atta Gallery, Aurum Gallery, and 333 Anywhere, meanwhile, have brought art to the fore at industrialchic complex Warehouse 30, which also houses vintage shop Horse Unit and hip multi-label store 30_6.

The cafe boom has registered here, too. Hit up A Coffee Roaster by Li-bra-ry at Warehouse 30, or make your way toward Charoenkrung Soi 31 for refreshing caffeinated concoctions from grab-and-go kiosk Envies and handbrewed coffee from Danish roastery La Cabra. After refueling, you can explore more of the area’s rich, multifaceted religious history as you head towards Yaowarat.

The Holy Rosary Church reflects the district’s 18th-century Catholic Portuguese settlers, while Wat U Phai Rat Bamrung, Wat Traimit (Temple of the Golden Buddha), and Wat Pathumkhongkha speak to its Thai-Chinese Buddhist legacy. There are also tons of strikingly gorgeous architectural gems here, including The Mustang Blu, the former bank and massage parlor-turned-boutique hotel.

To witness the better side of gentrification, check out the revamped street market along Khlong Ong Ang, where you can score street food and snaps of murals.

Dinner

Morning Walking past River City and the Thai Fish Sauce Factory (Squid Brand), you can’t miss street artist Jayoto’s towering yellow mural, featuring colorful Talad Noi locals and cats. After taking a few snaps for the ’gram, continue straight down narrow Wanit Soi 2, passing the mini roundabout outside the Gothic Revival Holy Rosary Church, until you see cozy local cafe Blacksmith. Head there for local light bites like kanom pia moo dang (Chinese pastry with barbecued pork filling; B25) and an espresso (B35).

While it’s early, make your way down Soi Flaet Sap Sin to check out Patina, a red-hot 200-year-old Chinese colonial

Rattanakosin era, and So Heng Tai Mansion, a beautiful, 19th-century Chinese courtyard house built by Hokkien magnate Phra Aphaiwanit. Today, it operates as a museum and diving school—students learn by plunging into a pool built in the courtyard.

Lunch Talad Noi has an abundance of seriously good street food.

Hit up Guay Tiew Ped Teen Saphan Pitthaya Sathian in Soi Rong Nam Khang for braised duck noodles (B50) or Jay Poo Yum Yai at the Wanit Soi 2 mini roundabout for spicy yum woon sen (glass noodle salad, B50), before exploring more options down the soi towards Soi San Chao Rong Kueak: Jay Nid Talad Noi Gao Lao Luead Moo (B50 for guay jub, rice noodle soup with pork intestine and crispy pork belly), Khao Na Gai Soot Boran (B40 for chicken with gravy over rice), Khao Gang Jay Oui (B70 for stir-fried crispy pork belly with kale).

Closer to Charoenkrung, don’t miss the loaded crab meat fried rice (B80) at Khao Pad Poo Talad Noi or the flavorful guay tiew lord (steamed rice noodles with tofu, dried shrimp, and braised pork, B35) at Guay Tiew Lord Song Krueng Jay Tae (see p5 for more recs). Before embarking on a feast in street food mecca Yaowarat, stroll towards Song Wat Road and Tri Mit Road for more awesome eats.

Afternoon Over the past decade, Talad Noi has been rebranded as the creative district, and that has manifested in the neigh-

When evening falls, the neighborhood sheds its slow motion way of life and becomes one of Bangkok’s coolest places to wine and dine. For authentic Thai flavors in a bold, Chinese-retro setting, check out Charmgang Curry Shop in Nakhon Kasem Soi 5. If you’re feeling adventurous, go for modern Thai dining at hipster hangout spots 80/20, soon-to-open Samlor, and Dag (try the grilled ox tongue rice bowl topped with runny onsen egg). Classy international restaurants can also be found within the labyrinth of these narrow sois. Those include Japanese izakaya Jua in Charoenkrung Soi 28 and kaiseki spot Mad Beef in Charoenkrung Soi 30; neon-drenched Chinese bar and restaurant Ba Hao in Soi Nana; and hideaway Vietnamese fine dining venture Hybe Songwat in Trok Saphan Yuan.

Newly opened Contento, meanwhile, bridges Italian and international fare with striking, antique-filled interiors.

Evening The nightlife scene offers an intoxicating mix of seriously cool cocktail bars, craft beer joints, and live music spots.

Most of it is centered on Soi Nana (see p10-11 for more).

Start at El Chiringuito for Spanish gin Xoriguer and tapas, followed by Tep Bar for potent cocktails mixed with Thai fruits, herbs, and spices. Gin bar Teens of Thailand offers refreshing cocktails that go beyond your average G&T, while ToT’s sister bar Asia Today is all about Thai ingredientdriven concoctions. Wallflowers is all about gorgeous photo ops and Hong Kong-cool Ba Hao does an awesome classic Negroni with a Chinese twist, but if you’re a beer drinker, don’t miss Pijiu for its quality craft beers, or keep it simple with cold local brews at 23 Bar & Gallery.

To cap the night, venture to Rei Bangkok, a futuristiclooking cocktail bar on Khao Lam Road, or Foojohn Jazz Club on the corner of Charoenkrung Soi 31 for live jazz.

All

feature | a cafe for the community

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BK MAGAZINE FRIDAY, MARCH 12, 2021

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in the Family

t 101-year-old Ek Teng Phu Ki, local ThaiChinese elders now mingle with today’s cafehopping crowds. Here is how this family-run business is fighting back against gentrification in an effort to keep their doors open for future generations. By Craig Sauers and Veerabhatr Sriyananda

Like clockwork, Ek Teng Phu Ki has opened for business every day for more than 101 years. It has stayed open in times of war and plague. It continued serving customers when the coffee shop, arguably Bangkok’s oldest, moved from Yaowapanich Road to Soi Phat Sai 50 years ago. Unsurprisingly, it stayed open last year too, when the fourth-generation owners spent six months turning this magnet for elderly members of the local Thai-Chinese community into an Instagram hotspot that wouldn’t be out of place in nearby Soi Nana.

The formerly no-frills cafe now boasts walls laid with jade-hued tiles, a showpiece wooden menu board, and Chinese-style marbletop tables. On the second floor, the two twentysomething brothers who spearheaded the renovation have built a small cocktail bar that opens from 7pm until midnight.

Ironically, if it weren’t for this sweeping overhaul, Ek Teng Phu Ki might have been forced to close for the first time in its history—and that would have meant closing for good.

“Some of our elderly regulars had passed away and others couldn’t leave the house because of the pandemic. Our sales had dropped about 80 percent [from previous years],” says Thanachot “Boss” Singkinvit, who helped to manage construction in between classes at Assumption University.

Across Chinatown, many long-standing businesses like Ek Teng Phu Ki, which are often passed down from generation to generation, have begun to die out. Poor enforcement of zoning laws, new train lines, and rising property values have seen large projects, like I’m Chinatown, displace some of the cafes, restaurants, and mom-and-pop shops that provide community space for the district’s aging population. In a New York Times story last year, Tiamsoon Sirisrisak, a lecturer on culture and heritage at Mahidol University, estimated that 10 to 20 percent of the old buildings in Chinatown have already disappeared.

Boss and his older brother Thanawat, however, hope to prove that rumors of Chinatown’s demise might be greatly exaggerated.

specialty coffee. An old cuckoo clock ticks away above the jade-colored tiles, facing framed menus from decades gone by.

Since wrapping up renovations in December last year, the revamped Ek Teng Phu Ki has become a social media darling. Qipao-wearing customers have flocked to Soi Phat Sai to try the old-style olieng and take photos against the Chinese-inspired décor. New items, like dim sum made from recipes shared by Boss and Thanawat’s grandmother, gorgeously packaged bottles of cha yen and iced Thai coffee, and ontrend baked goods like croissants and cakes, have given the menu a more modern appeal.

The cafe even offers delivery, selling bottled drinks for B60 apiece.

And the brothers’ grandmother, now over 80 years old, still gets up before dawn to clock in at 4am, work through lunchtime, and hang out in the back when she’s done, holding court over a space that is so much more than a business built by those in her bloodline.

At the same time, the regulars—a mix of Hainanese-Thai and Teochew locals—have lent their tacit, yet enduring, support to the family business. “They want us to succeed, so they’ll sit outside the shop or on the other side of the street to make space for other customers to come inside,” says Boss. He adds that they still buy house-roasted coffee beans—“We roast them every Sunday”—and tea to make at home.

While younger customers, blessed with an abundance of choice on endless social feeds, may not become so loyal as to visit every day, Boss believes they might give Ek Teng Phu Ki a unique selling point, and their buying habits might give it some staying power.

“Before social media, coffee shops like ours were communal spaces. If you wanted to look for a mechanic or repairmen, you’d come to our place. If you needed a new job, you’d come here. Some people would come as strangers but leave as friends,” he says. “We believe that now it can be a place where different generations, young and old, can come together to share ideas.”

Even with the different bells and whistles, the family hasn’t forgotten where it has come from. Thanawat, who created the interior and packaging designs, preserved some of the original pink-and-white tiles. Black-andwhite photos of the Hainanese immigrants who founded the cafe in 1919 hang above a machine Boss says will be used to roast

“Our customers have an emotional attachment to this place, and to my grandmother, too,” Boss explains. “It’s a culture. They’re like family to her—to us— and we’re family to them, too.”

feature | street eats and shophouse dives

BK MAGAZINE FRIDAY, MARCH 12, 2021

Big Bites in the Little Market W

edged between Yaowarat and Charoenkrung, Talad Noi is an eclectic treasure trove of old-school restaurants and vendors that have been serving the local community for decades.

Weaving our way through the maze-like alleyways, we toured the heavily Chinese-influenced community with Poonperm “Perm” Paitayawat (aka @ theskinnybib), a food writer and co-founder of Fruitfull, in search of stories and delicious food.

Story by Megan Leon Photos by Paveenaorn Duangoen

Curry Puffs by Khun Pu

No visit to Talad Noi is complete without visiting Khun Pu for her famous curry puffs. For over 30 years, Pu and her female-strong team have been mixing, hand-rolling, filling, wrapping, and frying the flakiest puffs in town. There are six different fillings to choose from, including sweet and savory coconut, chicken curry, and taro (B9/piece). Highly recommended to visit early.

24 Charoenkrung Rd., 02-237-5425.

Open Mon-Sat 7am-2pm

Kuay Tiew Roo

This legendary place might be overrun with Youtube vloggers, but it’s hyped for good reason. Kuay Tiew Roo, appropriately meaning “alley noodles,” is known for its Thai-Chinese egg noodle soups and dry noodles with homemade fish balls (B60). The real showstopper, however, is the roast pork (B60), mixed with honey using a recipe that has been passed from generation to generation.

970/1 Soi Chareonkrung Soi 22, 02-233-1697.

Open daily 7:30am-4pm

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menu last year—with lower foot traffic, the family finally had time to revitalize their traditional recipe. The dish is a 12-hour process that sees each one of the seven brothers and sisters pitching in to create ice-cold, gelatinous chunks of aspic studded with everything from pork leg to pork skin.

Mix the accompanying red chili sauce and Chinese vinegar for the ultimate bite.

689/4 Charoenkrung Rd. Open Mon-Sat, 6am-3pm

Pae Kuay Tiew Ped

This third generation-run shophouse, tucked away in one of Talad Noi’s most colorful alleys, has a die-hard following thanks to its duck noodles and sides. The owner, who took over his grandfather’s shop, offers warming spiced duck broth with sen mee (B60) with all the bits and bobs of the duck, but what really stands out is the duck intestine salad (B150). The long, wide noodle-like strands tossed in a salty and sour dressing sells out super quickly. Pro tip, season the intestines with chili and vinegar then chuck it into your soup.

92 Charoenkrung Rd., 099-878-8818.

Open Tue, Thu, and weekends 9am-4pm

Ying Tarm Sung

This seven-year-old spot, located near the Rong Kueak shrine, can’t be found on Google maps, so keep a look out for a tiny stall boarded up with yellow covers and one single red table next to a vibrant blue wall. The vendor sells just about every Thai dish imaginable, but her specialty is the stir-fried radish cake (B50). Beautiful chunks of a flourless radish concoction are tossed in a hot wok along with egg, bean sprouts, and Chinese chives, then stir-fried until crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside.

Near the Rong Kueak shrine.

Open Mon-Sat 11:30am-5pm

Tue Kha Tang

This third-generation family establishment has been around for 80 years. The popular yet extremely timeconsuming pork aspic, its real star, was brought back to the

Duck Noodle House (Pedtoon Jaota)

Beloved Pedtoon Jaota is still slinging duck noodles and goose from their buzzing shophouse 44 years after they started. The outgoing septuagenarian owner still sits out front, slicing and dicing her tender duck, which is braised then laid out to dry in the Bangkok heat. These succulent slices of meat are then served over steamed rice or noodles with a side of piping-hot, aromatic broth. We recommend the duck and goose combo (B150).

945 Wanit Soi 2.

Open Mon-Sat 9:30am-9pm; Sun 9:30am-3:30pm

Kwan Sew Ki Dim Sum

If you want to get a real feel of old Talat Noi, don’t miss this buzzing Cantonese-style dim sum shop. The servers run around the restaurant with trolleys filled with plates of dim sum favorites (B50 each). Feast on pork and Chinese chive wontons, shrimp dumplings, and barbecue pork buns, or go for the simple but warming shrimp wonton soup (B90), Chinese black olives with minced pork and rice (B100), or barbecue pork (B60; available on Sunday only).

894 Charoenkrung Rd., 02-233-7646.

Open daily 9am-4pm

Hiab Tiang

This family-owned shophouse bakery has served Bangkokians for over 80 years with friendly smiles and a range of classic sweets. Chinatown’s local community still heads here for homemade mooncakes, especially during mid-Autumn festival, but we love all the small pastries like the taro-filled khanom pia (B10) and the flaky, half moonshaped cookies filled with sweet yellow bean (B10).

65/20 Luean Rit Soi 1, Charoenkrung Soi 20.

Open daily 8am-3pm

Jae Aoun

This humble stall specializes in the classic Thai snacks: saku and khao krieb pak mor. The two sisters who run the show make hundreds of the sweet-savory bites in their silver dome-shaped steamer. Both treats have the same filling of peanuts, palm sugar, soy sauce, and radish. The khao krieb really shines, though: a thin crepe steamed and delicately wrapped around the filling, then served with crispy garlic, lettuce, and coriander.

Charoenkrung Rd., near the Bangkok Bank, a block away from Kwan Sew Ki Dim Sum Sirameth “Heng” Piromtharaphong and friends

art | a talad noi street art tour

BKK Walls

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haroenkrung, Bangkok’s first functional road, cultural melting pot, and home to many historic buildings, has enjoyed a creative reinvention in recent years. The relocation of the Thailand Creative and Design Center (TCDC) in 2017 has ushered in a wave of young business owners, trailblazing entrepreneurs, and talented artists. A spate of cool bars and galleries has taken over dilapidated shophouses, while the area’s weathered walls light up with vibrant colorful street art and graffiti. With a film camera in hand, we captured some of the hidden and notso-hidden murals around the neighborhood.

Story and photos by Dhipkawee Sriyananda Selley

Start off your street art crawl at Charoenkrung Soi 32. Thanks to the Bukruk festival back in 2016, the faded walls on both sides of the soi are licked with electrifying artworks from many influential local and international graffiti artists.

For example, the sensational three-eyed child in a ragged rabbit suit by Alex Face; the faceless portraits by Kult; the badass tigers with hammerhead sharks and a funky tiger with a gun by Bonus TMC; the outstretched, skeletal dog by Lolay; and the chaotic, purple-flamed black bear by Spanish artist Sabek.

Take a shortcut through Warehouse 30 to Charoenkrung Soi 30 and turn left. Here, you can’t miss this outstanding wall carving by renowned Portugese artist, Alexandre Farto, a.k.a. Vhils. Part of his Scratching the Surface project back in 2017, the mural features a bas-relief carving technique on the wall of the Portugese Embassy, showcasing local faces of the old community plus Portugese patterns, portraying the centuries-long Thai-Portuguese relationship. The piece took five days to complete.

BK MAGAZINE FRIDAY, MARCH 12, 2021

The best place to spot street art is Talad Noi. From Charoenkrung Soi 26, where the gekko piece is located, make your way to Charoenkrung Soi 24, where you’ll be greeted by whimsical remnants of the Colour of Charoenkrung event, created by Thai artists to reflect the local community. The star attraction is arguably street artist Jayoto’s towering yellow mural, featuring colorful Talad Noi locals and cats on the wall of the Thai Fish Sauce Factory (Squid Brand).

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Round out your street art adventure at Song Wat Road, which is home to three giant murals produced by international artists during the 2016 Bukruk festival.

Just past Wat Pathumkhongka is the hard-to-miss, pink floral mural by Romanian artist Aitch taking up the whole side of a run-down shophouse. Although the artwork is now pretty washed out, Aitch’s intricate floral and folk art motifs are still wonderful to look at.

Walk a little further down soi 30 and turn right on Si Phraya Road. Cross over to the back-end of Charoenkrung Soi 28 heading towards Jua and Tropic City, and you’ll come across two wonderful art pieces.

The first is a large bird mural on a unicycle by Muebon.

Widely considered among the pioneers of Thai street artists, Muebon is best known for his cast of colorful characters, including the flightless cartoon bird Pukruk, and the television screen-faced man Mr. TV. Despite their cheerful and optimistic appearance, the characters deliver serious messages about social issues on subjects spanning from environmental activism to the influence of media.

On the opposite building is another beautiful (although now quite faded) bird mural by Romanian artist Saddo, whose works are heavily inspired by French post-impressionist painter Henri Rousseau. According to the artist, for this piece, created as part of the 2016 Bukruk festival, he was influenced by floral patterns and Islamic art.

More wonderful pieces can be found along Soi San Chao Rong Kueak, which is lined with colorful and light-hearted street art that references the area’s Thai-Chinese heritage.

What’s unique about the artworks here is that a lot of them playfully interact with the shophouses’ facades and physical objects around the area.

Before making your way deeper into Talad Noi, keep an eye out for a snazzy Steampunk gekko crawling on the wall of 80/20. It was painted by local artist Panyawat Pitaksawan for the Colour of Charoenkrung street art project in mid-2020. The gekko is said to symbolize his childhood encounter with local animals in the area.

While many of these aren’t from any particular famed artists, they’re no less worthy of recognition. Some favorites include the paintings along the walls of Mother Roaster, which cleverly incorporate window shutters and used car parts; the vivid Caishen, the Chinese God of Wealth by artist Taeogawa; and the retro, Chinese propaganda-style painting by Studio Dialogue. Both of these are located near the Rong Kuak Shrine.

From there, get lost shooting more photos as you uncover more obscure gems in the labyrinth of back alleys. Make sure to stroll down Soi Duang Tawan, where you’ll see another impressive mural of a Chinese man eating noodles on a rickshaw.

The next two masterpieces, located a little further down the road at a large car park, belong to celebrated Belgian artist Roa and Spanish artist Aryz. Roa’s creation showcases two upside-down elephants in his signature monochrome palettes, while Aryz’s mural features two deconstructed bicycles painted in his trademarked muted colors.

These outstanding pieces, located directly opposite each other, underscore Bangkok’s potential as a street art city.

All the better that great art is so widespread in this district.

food & drink | spaces for sundowners

4top spots

to catch the sunset

Barbon

Baan Rim Naam

Samsara

Barbon

Aptly named, Baan Rim Naam sits right on the river’s edge, occupying one of the neighborhood’s last remaining warehouses from the Rama II era. Escape the photo shoots happening outside and wander into a haven of shoeless relaxation on one of the many mats and pillows scattered around the floor.

Baan Rim Naam offers a small menu of Thai dishes, plus some easy-drinking cocktails (butterfly pea and pandan cocktail, B200). You can also come for Thai massage, music, and an ever-changing events line-up that has included everything from South Pacific kava ceremonies to silent disco.

This low-key bar-restaurant has long been one of Bangkok’s best perches for sundowners. Hidden behind Wat Pathumkhongka, Samsara has a delightfully ramshackle vibe: vintage knick knacks, old wood planks that occasionally bow as you move across them, a smattering of paintings on the wall. Looking at it from across the river, you might wonder how the old concrete pillars and faded boards have managed to hold it up for so long. Inside, it’s all about cold beers and basic cocktails, resident cats, Thai and Japanese bar bites, and killer views.

Offering a more laid-back riverside hangout than the five-star hotels further down the river, Songwat Road’s Barbon sits atop playful Hostel Urby, offering cocktails and beer with a view. Crash out on one of the large cushions on the deck for a chilled-out drinking sesh (note: come very early if you want to grab one of these spots for sunset). Or pop into the adjacent, Instagrammer-baiting Woodbrook for fresh coffee and tea drinks.

378 Wanit Soi 2, 085-904-6996. Open Thu-Sun noon-9pm.

1612 Songwat Rd., 086 - 978- 9331.

Open Tue-Sun 5pm-midnight.

Hostel Urby, 1222 Songwat Rd., 02-0436358. Open daily 11am-8pm.

Doo Nam 1608 Located next to Samsara and hideaway boutique hotel Loy La Long, this riverside cafe enjoys the same tucked-away vibe and sunset views as its neighbors. The focus here is on classic Thai dishes (green curry, krapao, tom yum) and a range of easy-drinking, sunsetappropriate beers, like Beer Lao (B170), Kona Big Wave, and Chalawan Pale Ale (both B200).

Can’t get enough of the setting? Check out Baan Dhammachard, the beautifully renovated Airbnb attached to it.

Samsara

1608 Songwat Rd., 089 -125-8912.

Open Tue-Sun 10am-11pm.

food & drink | open door

BK MAGAZINE FRIDAY, MARCH 12, 2021

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The TOT and Asia Today crew open another awesome bar-restaurant The buzz: From the co-founders of Teens of Thailand and Asia Today comes double-barreled Black King Bar and Tax—arguably the most exciting new additions to the nightlife scene over the last pandemicriddled year.

The vibe: Occupying adjacent shophouses, both revamped by Gunn Leelhasuwan, Black King Bar and Tax feature similar stripped-down aesthetics. In Black King, you’ll find raw concrete decorated with contemporary art, including some cheeky calligraphy in the back of the dining room. Tax, meanwhile, boasts exposed concrete beams, dark hardwood floors, and splashes of yellow light flickering against an atrium. In both spaces, the walls or pillars are splotched with paint, like abstract layers of gold leaf, adding a handsome touch.

The food: Overseen by Karit “Gong” Yuvaboon, Black King uses Italian food as a palette to explore new flavors and combinations, particularly those that draw on Asian cuisines. You may have seen their beautifully puffy pizzas on social media, specifically the Black King, with its charcoalblack crust, chopped scallop, squid, and bacon (B345). The secret to this eye-catching creation is squid ink: enough to lend the 72-hourraised, lightly charred crust and jet-black sauce a faint umami, but not enough to turn you off it. Other dishes on the menu likewise pack in a ton of flavor, thanks to Gong’s attention to detail and execution. The mariana pizza (B245) adds milder, fresh-flavored white anchovies to give it some pop. A spin on their

Inglorious AOP (B399 small/B650 large) adds chunks of Surat Thani tiger prawn to a chili-flecked dish of al dente pasta, which is then coated in oven-baked prawn head fat to give it even more punch. And house-made red and green pesto elevate a seafood stew, loaded with clams and sea snails (B490), which begs to be soaked up with the squid ink bread served on the side.

The drinks: At Black King, there’s a selection of high-quality, easydrinking cocktails and lots of wine, but if you’re after just drinks, you’re most likely heading upstairs to Tax. Here, Niks Anuman-Rajadhon has overseen a menu that features vinegars made from beer and spirits.

To do that, he and the bar crew use a kind of SCOBY that eats alcohol, leaving a slightly fizzy vinegar in its wake. Of these, the Lager (B380) might be the most complex. This briny drink based on, yes, a lager vinegar includes shrimp paste for umami, coffee, coconut sugar, and celery bitters in the build. The Riesling (B380), on the other hand, is a more refreshing option, made with bell pepper vermouth, riesling vinegar, a cumin shrub, some Campari, passionfruit, and tiger’s ear leaf.

Why we’d come back: From the pizzas to the cocktails, there’s a lot of good stuff going on in unpretentious packages here. Not to mention the folks making all this stuff have well-established F&B bona fides, and this might be their most ambitious project yet. Craig Sauers 701 Soi Maitri Chit, 096-841-6619

6 bars not to miss in soi nana

Asia Today

NEW AND NOTED TABLE TALK

KHUA KLING PAK SOD 2/F, Red Planet Hotel, 178 Surawong Rd., 093-242-4264. Open daily 9am-9pm.

There are four other locations across Bangkok.

The southern restaurant by which all other southern restaurants in Bangkok are measured. The list of must-orders ranges from the crab curry with kanom jeen and the braised pork belly in Chinese five spice, to the stink beans with shrimp and namesake khua kling (a dry mince pork curry), meaning plentiful dining partners are essential if you’re to finish.

Exclusively for Citi Credit Card members Get a complimentary pork or chicken khua kling valued THB 180 when spending THB 2,000 or more /sales slip (limit 1 dish /card /table /sales slip) 1 Jan – 30 Jun ‘21

Biscuit Bar

El Chiringuito

Asia Today

Unlike its neighbors on Soi Nana, Biscuit emphasizes its soundtrack above all. Jazz, funk, soul, electronic: the music runs the whole spectrum here, all spun on high-quality analog equipment. For food, the menu leans on Iberian-Mediterranean flavors, specifically Portuguese. Think Lisbon pork buns (B180), gambos al ajillo (shrimp with garlic, olive oil, and spices; B220), and fig and ham salads (B250), plus a range of aperitifs, spirits, and refreshing cocktails like pisco sours and riffs on the classics, from pomelo Negronis to smoked pomegranate-infused martinis. 110 Soi Pantachit, 096829-9316

This Spanish tapas joint was one of the first bars to open in the neighborhood back in 2014. It still holds true to the casual, Madrid-like nightlife ideals that have drawn regulars here for over half a decade. The food is bold and hearty—Spanish meatballs (B150), empanadas (B190), croquettes (B190)—and the drinks are quality but affordable. Get some Spanish gin Xoriguer (B220), glasses of sangria (B150), or local beers (from B100) as you join the crowds spilling out onto the sidewalk. The bar owners run a gorgeously renovated Airbnb above the bar, too. 221 Soi Nana, 085-126-0046

The successor to the very successful, gin-focused Teens of Thailand, and the middle child before vinegar-centric Tax Bar opened last year, Asia Today keeps its focus on Thai ingredients, specifically wild honey.

Co-founder Niks Anuman-Rajadhon has scoured Thailand to find the best honey in the forest. You can try them in a range of excellent cocktails, like the Eastern Honey, a gin- and citrus-based drink with honey foam served in a beeswax cup (B390), or a classic Bee’s Knees made with wild honey (B380). There’s a range of seasonal specialties, too, so it pays to come back often. 35 Soi Maitri Chit, 097-134-4704

BK MAGAZINE FRIDAY, MARCH 12, 2021

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Tep Bar

Ba Hao

NEW AND NOTED

Ba Hao

Pijiu Bar

Tep Bar

Drawing on the lucky number eight in Chinese culture, Ba Hao leans hard into its Hong Kong-chic vibe. Red light infuses the ground-floor bar with a Kowloon-like glow. The shape of a gourd blends into the neon logo. The plates and cups are replica Chinese antiques, and other fixtures are antiques in their own right. On the menu, dishes like the soft tofu with century egg (B158), toothsome duck wontons (B248), and drunken chicken (B218) are straight out of the Cantonese playbook, while clever cocktails with names like Opium and Drunken Mistress are imbued with traditional Chinese ingredients, like ginseng, sesame, and plum. 8 Soi Nana, 064-635-1989

Fronted by a floor-to-ceiling window, dimly lit and intimate Pijiu offers craft beer on tap and in bottles, most brought in by importer and distributor Beervana. That means you’ll find the latest imports in the fridge, from the likes of Revision and Barrier Brewing to barrel-aged stouts and porters from Lost Barrel and Stone, as well as tried-and-true brews like Deschutes’ Mirror Pond Pale Ale on tap. The design draws on Cantonese imagery, with large woodcarved wall art and framed posters of Hong Kong beer advertisements from decades past. 16 Soi Nana, fb.com/pijiubar

This restored shophouse has plenty of raw appeal, emphasized by mood lighting, distressed walls, and simple wooden tables. Here, you’ll find potent cocktails mixed with Thai fruit, herbs, and spices. There’s also a good line of home-infused ya dong (Thai herbal whiskey) as well as a kitchen specializing in Thai tapas. Come nighttime, enjoy your meal while Thai musicians take the stage to play traditional music from the central region. Lately, the bar has begun selling Thai herbal drinks in neatly packaged glass bottles for takeaway and delivery, too. 69-71 Soi Nana, 098-467-2944

TABLE TALK

Live Kitchen Tenshow Sukhumvit 24, 02-011-1102. Open daily Lunch11:30am-3pm, Dinner 5:30-10pm This Japanese specialist handles a wide range of styles and menu options, making it massively popular among Thai and Japanese expats looking for good food. You’ll find nearly everything here, fincluding the signature beef tongue, gyukatsu (breaded and fried beef) and steaming bowls of ramen. Be warned, showing up unannounced at lunch might not get you a table in time as the venue is often packed.

Exclusively for Citi Credit Card members Get 10% discount on Omakase Osushi Course or Get 10% discount on a la carte menu when spending THB 3,000 or more /sales slip 1 Feb -31 Dec ’21

feature | soi nana’s slick airbnbs

BK MAGAZINE FRIDAY, MARCH 12, 2021

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Another acclaimed boutique staycation spot in Soi Nana is Baan Yok. Owned by Sudaporn “Pupe” Sae-ia and her Spanish husband Victor Hierro, this Sino-Portuguese-styled ex-shophouse was born from her love of interior design, as well as their familiarity with Airbnb.

“After we got married, my husband and I moved to Spain, where we had a big house with a lot of vacant rooms. Airbnb was getting increasingly popular there, so we thought we should host [guests at our home]. When we moved back to Thailand, we brought the concept with us,” she says.

Ba Hao

Ba Hao

S

Pupe’s knack for interior design helped the couple turn the 100-year-old shophouse into something greater, as she painted the walls magenta, cream, and jade, and filled the space with vintage furniture and art.

Nestled on the fringes of Chinatown is The Mustang Blu. Situated on Maitri Chit Road, across the road from Soi Nana, the charming boutique hotel is an exciting addition to the area. The steady stream of Instagrammers it attracts each afternoon proves as much. But the narrow, 900-square-meter building that now contains the hotel wasn’t always such a hot destination. Constructed in the 1800s, it first housed a bank before it was turned into a seedy massage parlor six decades later. Then, it fell into a state of disrepair that turned off most developers.

“As we renovated more rooms, putting in more of our aesthetic into them, it turned out to be more like a house instead of a traditional hotel,” she says. “[With it being like a house,] we named it after my grandpa, Yok. It’s the perfect name for it.”

oi Nana isn’t only a hub for food and drinks. Some of the once-crumbling buildings lining the soi have been given new life in the form of hotels and Airbnbs.

Baan Yok

Baan Yok

“It took me about two years to discover this building,” explains Ananda “Joy” Chalardcharoen, stylist, show director, and founder of The Mustang hotel chain, which includes another property in Phra Khanong, The Mustang Nero.

The Mustang Blu

A New Lease on Life

With its blend of retro chinoiserie and cheap rent, Soi Nana proved to be precisely the place they were looking for. “We fell in love with its unmistakably unique vibe,” she says.

“Thai upper-middle-class aircon addicts will go around town in their personal cars, usually to shopping malls, but they never walk around on the street. That’s a problem.

It leaves all the beautiful old architecture to rot away [in obscurity],” she says. “But things are starting to change. Now more old buildings are being turned into cafes, bars, and hotels. It’s refreshing to see.”

Considering the state she found the building in—weathered by the elements, littered with debris, windows covered with concrete to keep out natural light—Joy knew she faced an uphill battle as she embarked on renovations that would take five months to finish. But a clear purpose fueled her labor.

“My hope was that my project would help improve this part of Bangkok,” Joy says.

While most recognize Chinatown for its street food and wholesale shopping, its architecture is often overlooked. So says Karnchanit “Bua” Charoenyos, co-founder of Ba Hao, the Wong Kar-wai-recalling bar, which boasts two guestrooms on its second and third floors.

The Mustang Blu

She knocked out the partitions, the concrete covering the windows, the low ceiling boards—she repainted the columns and either brought in vintage furniture or had it custom-made to match the look of the original venue. “We had to carry the window frames to Ayutthaya to get them refurbished, and we had over 100 of them,” she says.

Before Ba Hao gained fame as a bar, with its Chinese-themed drinks and neon-lit look, Bua and her partners set out to create a contemporary Chinese inn that would let younger Thai-Chinese generations experience a heritage that was often ignored. That took no shortage of effort.

The building was a former rice mill, and like so many others in the area, it had fallen into disrepair.

“Our approach to renovation was like acupuncture: we carefully looked for the spots that needed to be addressed to make the shophouse’s circulation run better,” she says. “We fixed those while still keeping the beauty of the existing structure—the ceiling, the staircases, the wooden floor.”

“People used to ask me why I chose this site, as it’s located at a T-Junction (which is bad Feng Shui) and operated as a massage parlor.

But after the renovation, the questions I received were more like: ‘How did you manage to get this building?’” she says.

Elsewhere in Chinatown, there are signs that real estate developers can’t see beyond the sort of mega projects that threaten to turn Bangkok into a replica of a tier-1 Chinese city.

But at least around Soi Nana, the preservation trend has taken root, offering other entrepreneurs a blueprint for revitalizing buildings that boast architectural significance but lack official heritage protection.

S

oi Nana—currently one of Bangkok’s coolest nightlife neighborhoods—was once a hub for traditional Chinese medicine. Fast forward to today, Soi Nana is enjoying a creative renaissance led by a wave of young bar, cafe, and hotel owners, who are building something special outside of the commercial hubs of Sukhumvit and Silom.

“Bangkok has many beautiful abandoned buildings that should be preserved instead of demolished—they have so much potential,” says Joy. “We should be reducing new construction around the city and instead giving these old buildings new life.”

By Veerabhatr Sriyananda The Mustang Blu

the last word | new wave meets old gen

This coffee-mad millennial wants to transform coffee culture in Sampeng

J

ust 27, Khunnaparth “Earth” Viriyatamkul is an unusual figure in Sampeng. With his unpretentious coffee kiosk, V Coffee, he aims to bring high-quality coffee culture to one of Chinatown’s oldest commercial centers. We braved the narrow lanes of this rabbit warren-like district to talk with Earth about beans, business, and why good cups of coffee should always be affordable.

D

id you open this stall, or did you inherit it from your family?

It’s all mine. This coffee shop started from my wish for this area to have top-quality, real coffee that’s affordable for Chinatown’s locals. At first, my family didn’t support my wish at all, but I was headstrong, and now I’ve been running this place for a year and nine months.

W

W

W

hat led you to take the risk?

I’m a coffee lover through and through. I’ve had freshly brewed coffee at so many places that sell it from B100 and up, and often I’ve thought to myself, “This is way more expensive than it should be” That’s when I decided I would share my coffee with others, but for only B50-60.

hat’s the hardest challenge you’ve faced with this?

When I first started doing this, I was so confident in the quality of my coffee. I mean, I use expensive ingredients similar to other well-known cafes, where they sell their coffee for B120-180, but I’m only selling mine for B50-60.

But returning customers would tell me, “Bro, I want my coffee to taste stronger, like, really strong.” That’s when I realized that the taste I liked wasn’t always what the local customers wanted. I had to accept that and then adjust the flavor profile according to their feedback. I’m always happy to improve my coffee for my customers, but it’s important to retain my style, too, because I have a vision for this. hy the name V Coffee?

V is the first letter from my last name. But the hidden meaning behind the letter V is that it sounds like the word “we.” How I interpret it is that “we” means us, and “us” means “our coffee.”

W

hat do people get from drinking coffee from oldschool kiosks like yours rather than multi-branch cafe franchises?

A cup of coffee here is reasonably priced, made with top-quality ingredients, and anyone can drink it. Every cup of coffee I serve tastes unique yet easy to drink. It’s made from top-quality arabica beans with no robusta beans blended in. Every cup of my coffee, whether it’s an americano or a latte, is easy to drink even for those who don’t typically drink coffee.

But the most important thing for me is being able to share my knowledge with my customers. I put love and care in every cup, and I try to help my customers leave with more knowledge about what they’re drinking.

H

ow loyal are your customers?

Some customers, despite Chinatown’s horrendous traffic and blaring horns, park their car right at the pak soi just to come down and get my coffee. There’s one particular couple who come every Sunday from their house in Thonglor to buy my orange americano. I later discovered that they’re only making the trip here for my coffee. Once they’ve bought it, they will just go back home. It’s stories like these that make me want to keep going.

W

hat’s the best thing about having your own business?

It’s the pride and satisfaction of sharing my definition of good coffee with customers and witnessing them enjoying it, too. With every bit of positive feedback, I feel more and more like I’m on the right track. It motivates you to move forward so that even more people can experience your products and hopefully walk away with the same impression. Veerabhatr Sriyananda

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