MAY 2015
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Coming Events
Norwegian Gala Dinner On 16 May, a Gala Dinner for all resident Norwegians is held to celebr ate the National Day of Norway. The Gala Dinner takes place at Radisson Blu Plaza Bangkok Sukhumvit soi 27
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Norwegian May 17 Celebrations All Norwegians, big and small, are as usual invited to celebrate the Norwegian Constitution Day on 17 May in the Garden of the Norwegian Ambassador in Bangkok. The doors open at 10:45 og at 11.00 sharp the 17 Mai procession in the soi with the Norwegian flag in front will start. Afterwards, the popular games for children and their parents take place and eventually the day ends at 13.00 after serving of refreshments. The 17 May Committee of the Nordmandsforbundet hopes many will wear their national Norwegian costumes.
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Nordic Breakfast seminar Bangkok: The Energy Crisis
Nattapat Maesang nattapat@scandmedia.com
When: May 19, 2015 @ 07:30 – 09:15 Where: Rossini’s Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit
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Speaker at this Nordic Breakfast Seminar on “The Energy Crisis” is Damien A Lee, Country Manager af Fircroft Thailand. The speaker has extensive experience in project management around the globe. The event is arranged by ThaiFinnish Chamber of Commerce and Executive Director Khun Pornpimon Kulchotirat (Grace) requests participants to sign up by 12 May via email: tfcc@thaifin.or.th or by phone to: +66 (0) 91 757 0351
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News Brief
Ambassador Klas Molin inaugurates the Swedish Film Festival 2015 in Bangkok
S
weden’s hip factor somehow displayed itself in Bangkok on Wednesday 22 April, when the country’s Ambassador to Thailand HE Mr Klas Molin inaugurated what has become an annual signature event – the Swedish Film Festival 2015. The V.I.P and invite-only pre-festival screening of the film Stockholm Stories - the opening film of the festival - attracted also large local media attendance keen to learn about the festival and the movie and meet its Director Karin Fahlén, along with young actress Julia Ragnarsson. As the Swedish Ambassador wished the audience a good festival - now in its 4th consecutive year and growing in popularity - he expressed the embassy’s strong appreciation towards the sponsors Volvo trucks & buses and Scania who helped to enable the festival along with SF World Cinema, the host for the festival at CentralWorld. The Swedish Institute picks the movies, which are all success from back home, with many viewers and wonderful write-ups by film critics.
Stockholm Stories was also nominated for a Gold Hugo at the Chicago International Film Festival. Klas Molin welcomed this film’s director and actress to the film festival in Bangkok, who themselves introduced the movie in the cinema following on the opening reception. Highlighting today’s quality and many good film makers, the Ambassador also said that it was time to stop giving quotes about the director legend Ingmar Bergman, which he had been asked to do again and again. “Today we have so many famous directors and actors and actresses so it’s better to talk about the future and these film makers!”
More Thais apply for visa to Norway and Denmark
T
he Finnish and Swedish Embassy in Bangkok have had a steady amount of Schengen visa applications during the past few years, but at the same time both the Danish and the Norwegian Embassy have experienced an increase.The extra pressure has in some cases led to a longer processing time. The official processing time for issuing a visa at one of the Scandinavian Embassies in Bangkok is maximum 15 days, however the average time is usually shorter. The general message from all four embassies is clear: Apply at least 15 days before your planned trip to make sure that you get your visa in time. And especially some applicants should pay extra attention to that message at the moment. In the past few years, both the Norwegian and the Danish Embassy have experienced an increased amount of applications. Marline Steensby is Head of the Visa Section at the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Bangkok. In 2013 the Norwegian Embassy issued 8,182 visas. In 2014 that number was 9,169. “The numbers are increasing every year,” she says and continues: “The Embassy’s processing time is up to 15 days all year round. And that is what we communicate to our applicants. Applicants should always apply at least 15 days before planned travel, even during low season,” Marline Steensby says. A growing interest for Iceland, whose applications the Danish Embassy in Bangkok also processes, is most likely one of the reasons to an unusual increase of visa applications here. Normally it takes no longer than three days to get a visa at the Danish Embassy, but at the 4 ScandAsia.Thailand • May 2015
Thai tourist taking self portrait on Stortorget, Gamla Stan, the old town of Stockholm, Sweden. Copyright: maridav, 123rf.com moment the average processing time is almost 15 days. The Danish Embassy issued 5,635 visas in 2013 – in 2014 that number jumped to 8,864 – an increase of no less than 3,229 applications in one year. Sweden is, with more than 10,000 applicants every year, the embassy that issues the highest amount of Schengen visas – and yet, on average, they have a much shorter handling time than 15 days, Cecilia Stål tells. She is Counsellor and Head of Migration Section at the Swedish Embassy in Bangkok. “We have an average of 2 – 3 days handling
time, but it can take up to 15 days in an individual case, and it is therefore very important to apply in good time before the trip. We can in no way guarantee the case will be handled in 2 or 3 days,” Cecilia Stål says. In the end comes Finland with a steady amount of 7,300 visa applications the past few years. As for the processing time, Liisa UschanovEskelinen, First Secretary (Immigration Affairs), says: “My estimate is that the delivery time is in between 6 to 10 days. For business visas it is only maximum 5 days”.
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May 2015 • ScandAsia.Thailand 5
News Brief
Contested elections in Dancham
D
anish Thai Chamber of Commerce held its most exciting Annual General Meeting ever on Wednesday night, 22 April 2015, as usual at the Royal Danish Embassy in Bangkok. The excitement culminated when the election of seven board members for seven vacant position on the board suddenly became a contested election. It was Simon Scheibel, Finance Manager at Novo Nordisk Pharma, who raised his hand when the chair man of the meeting, Tom Sorensen asked if there were any members in the audience who would like to candidate – warning in jest that if there was, the dinner which was ready now, would then be cold as there would have to be a formal election. Simon Scheibel said that he had thought about running for the board, but did not make up his mind until he heard how much effor t the board was putting into attracting new and younger members, which was fitting his profile. The first count of votes showed that two candidates had the same number of votes. The second showed a different number. Then the election committee went into the dining room of the ambassador to concentrate on counting the votes without sweat running down their backs - the heat on the terrace was a torment - and after two more counts, it turned out that the members had to vote once again - this time only between the two candidates with equal number of votes, Jimmy
Jensen and Torben Nybo Jensen. In the second round of election, Jimmy Jensen won the seat while Torben Nybo Jensen, who had not been able to join the AGM, became the reser ved board member who would be activated in case one of the regular board members resigned during the term. The dramatic elections ended up with the following new members being elected: Thomas Nyborg (re-elected), Supareak Charlie Chomchan (re-elected), Stig Vagt-Andersen, Savija Pannark Korslund, Jimmy Jensen, Bo Wegner, Simon Scheibel - and Torben Nybo Jensen as substitute. The people who left the board were Klaus Stove, Nicolaj Thomsen, Henrik Jensen and Mogens Hansen. Prior to the elections, the members had approved a significant change in the way membership fees will from now on be calculated based on the turnover of their company.
Lars Andersson new Chairman of SSS
L
ars Andersson was elected new Chairman of Scandinavian Society Siam at the AGM on Wednesday 25 April 2015, replacing outgoing Chairman Christer Holmvall who, however, remains on the board. So does all the other current members of the board, except Christina Hammarlund, who after many years of hard work for the members of the society in several positions on the board announced that she would step down as she and her husband would relocate during the term. Instead, Filip 6 ScandAsia.Thailand • May 2015
Karlsson, Swedish, was elected as board member. The meeting took place at Rembrandt Hotel, Bangkok and was attended by 25 members including the board. After the meting, most members joined the dinner in the Red Pepper Restaurant on the 2nd floor of the hotel. Swedish General Manager Eric Hallin and Swedish F&B Manager David Nilsson of the hotel attended also the meeting, Mr. Hallin in the capacity as Auditor of the Financial Statement.
Jeff Thomsen passed away
J
eff Thomsen, the legendar y Danish blues musician and businessman, passed away on Wednesday 22 April 2015 by a heart attack only 54 years old. Jeff, whose real name is Jesper, came to Thailand when he was four years old together with his Danish parents. His father was a road construction engineer and the family lived in his early years in Lampoon, where his father was in charge of building the highway to Chiangmai and later many other engineering projects. Legends are many about Jeff ’s adventurous life. As a young man, he was a leader of a gang in his soi. He has also been a motorcycle race driver and spent months on sailing boats in the region. He has once explained that his passion for blues music was born on one of these trips, when he in the middle of the ocean one dark tropical night heard the music of BB King. But he was a guitarist many years before this inspired by among others Jimi Hendrix. Jeff was the leader of the Soi Dog Blues Band which was star ted over 10 years ago and he was for many years the owner of Tokyo Joe’s Blues Bar and Restaurant. Lately, he and the band was regularly playing at Apoteka in Sukhumvit Soi 11. Although Jeff lived his whole life in Thailand and only saw Denmark on summer vacations with his parents, he remained very Danish in many ways and spoke fluently Danish. At the 2014 Christmas lunch of the Danish Thai Chamber of Commerce, the tall Dane entertained and also played a few numbers with Ambassador Mikael Hemniti Winther.
May 2015 • ScandAsia.Thailand 7
Trading Danish health care for a carefree life in Thailand The dream of living an easy life away from the cold North can become a nightmare, if you get sick and do not have a health insurance. ‘There is no financial assistance to get from the Danish State’, says Danish Embassy in Bangkok, who recently had two serious cases with sick Danish citizens without insurance. Text-Photo by Louise Bihl Frandsen
C
ountries in Asia have long been a hot spot for Danish citizens looking to escape the expense of the West and enjoy life in a warm, hospitable, and beautiful country. In 2011 more than 600 Danish retirees had residence in Thailand, the Philippines or Vietnam. On top of this number is a larger number of Danish citizens of all ages. Unlike working or retiring in one of the EU or EEA countries, in Asia you have to make a health insurance yourself and pay for it as well – The Danish State does not pay. However, the Danish Embassy in Bangkok recently had two cases with ver y ill Danish citizens not being insured. At the time when the family sought help from the Embassy in Bangkok, the family member was lying unconsciously in a hospital. “It was a terrible situation. The family did everything they could to help him, and they paid enormous amounts of money to get the hospital to treat him,” Consul Birgit Sarah KondrupPalmqvist says and continues: 8 ScandAsia.Thailand • May 2015
“There is no financial assistance to get from the Danish State. Danish citizens are responsible themselves for making a health insurance, locally or in Denmark. If they choose not to, they have to pay the expenses from their own pocket, or they will have to ask their family or friends for financial support to pay the bill,” Birgit Sarah tells. In this case the family had to pay 3,500 dollars a day just to keep the family member in the hospital. After a long and expensive fight, the daughter succeeded in helping her father, who is now back home recovering.
When it is too late According to Consul Birgit Sarah KondrupPalmqvist it comes as a surprise for some Danish citizens living in Asia that there is no financial support from the Danish State, if they get sick. “They believe that as a Danish citizen they are entitled to different services, including health services as if they were living in Denmark,” she says. In another recent case an ill Danish citizen living in Thailand without insurance, was, in spite of
his illness, able to travel back to Denmark, where he went to a Danish hospital. He claimed that the Embassy had recommended him to get treatment in Denmark. According to Birgit Sarah this was not true. In this par ticular case, the man was lucky to get treatment. However, the rules are clear – if you leave Denmark, you do not have access to the Danish health care system. No matter the situation or your age. “They find themselves in a vicious circle.They know, they are sick, and now it is too late to make a health insurance.The Danish State cannot assist, because the day they decided to move, they also signed away their right to the services in the health care system,” she says. According to International Pension in Denmark, Danish citizens can get access to the Danish health care system as soon as they have a permanent address in Denmark again. But for some it might be too late to move back to Denmark.
News Brief
Palle Borgselius passed away
Thai Property Guide going online!
T
P
hai-Swedish Chamber of Commerce has in par tnership with Scandinavian Publishing entered the next phase of the Thai Property Guide project for 2015 – 2016, which will make the initiative much more ongoing and interlinked with the residential real estate market in Thailand. Thus, the entire lifecycle of new residential projects can be promoted via presentations, updates and invitations to sales promotions etc., along with newsworthy information.Via a newsroom (Mynewdesk) strong search engine visibility, outreach and engagement will be achieved with real estate companies joining as partners for online exposure. The start of the online project will be by 1 July 2015. The online newsroom will draw in prospects to become “Followers” and receive the content released by the project partners. The next consumer guide book, also including post investment expert advice on various needs, will be launched in January 2016. The targeted audience are foreign real estate prospects living and working in Thailand as well as foreigners looking for investment oppor tunities here, including its second home abroad market. Those interested in advertising and partnerships should contact the project now, via Joakim Persson or Finn Balslev. More info via swecham.com.
alle Borgselius passed away on 23 April 2015 after a lengthy battle against cancer. Palle Borgselius star ted shor tly after his immigration toThailand together with a friend to import used European wood working machines for the industry in Thailand and other countries in the region. During the following 13 years, Palle Borgselius was a very active member of the Nordic community and served for several terms as a board member of both Danish Thai Chamber of Commerce and Scandinavian Society Siam. Palle was a co-owner of the company Scanmach Asia Co., Ltd until in 2011 he moved to China where he became customer advisor at NT Worldwide Co., Ltd. But he maintained his home in Bangok and never really liked working in China. Palle Borgselius was loved and appreciated by the members of the Scandinavian community in Thailand because of his willingness to take on community work, his honesty in performing any task assigned to him, his sincerity in listening to his friends, when they sought his advice, and his great sense of humor.
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14/08/2014 11:569 May 2015 • ScandAsia.Thailand
Swedish show jumping rider trains Thai racehorses Helena Gabrielsson is a Swedish show jumping rider in Thailand. She won Southeast Asia World Cup jumping league and other international events during the years. Today she still competes, while being an instructor and a trainer of racehorses. Text and Photos: Louise Bihl Frandsen
10 ScandAsia.Thailand • May 2015
T
he sun is just on its way up, when we leave Helena Gabrielsson’s home in Nakhon Nayok – around 50 km outside Bangkok. Time says 06:15, but Helena has been up even earlier. “My day is packed with action. When I come back from training the racehorses, I will do some jumps, and in the afternoon my ‘vet’ is coming out to do some laser treatments on some of my horses,” she says. We are sitting in her grey Prado on our way to Cha-Om and Noppakao racing stable. In around half an hour we will get to the track and the racehorses.
From jump to race 2011. That was the year when Helena and her husband bought their first three racehorses. She did not know anything about racing or racehorses - and betting is not something she is into. But her husband suggested they star ted training racehorses, and for Helena it was a challenge, she could not say no to.
“Here in Thailand you cannot just be a competition rider. The money is not enough. You have to be creative and see opportunities in everything. It is not that we earn much on the races either, but it is an income next to my riding and work as an instructor,” she says. Since Helena did not know anything about racing to begin with, one of her friends helped her. “I did not know about furlongs which equals to 200 meters, for instance, which is the distance between two numbers on the track,” she explains, while having a keen eye on the two first racehorses on the track this morning. The air is fresh and the sun is half up. Helena shouts something in Thai to one of the jockeys, who is actually a stable boy. He is flying several meters ahead of the other jockey, who is almost invisible in the background. Helena shouts that he has to slow down. “See? That is why, they are exercise riders and not riding races. He knows that he is not supposed to go that fast, but sometimes they just want to let the horse run,” she laughs.
Unlike the horses for jumping that are imported from Europe, the racehorses are all pure thoroughbreds horses born in Thailand. “They have to be born here, or else they are not allowed to run in the races,” Helena explains.
Willing to learn It is neither talent nor experience that makes Helena decide which riders, she wants to work with. It is their willingness to learn and their ability to work hard for it. Before she moved to Thailand in 1992, she was riding in Germany. “The whole mentality in Germany is so different from Thailand. I learned things in a strict way and had some amazing teachers,” she says. “My riders have to be able to develop and listen to what I say. If you are thinking about receiving riding lessons just for fun, I am not the right trainer for you. My riders have to have ambitions,” she says. Helena has a handful of riders – that is it. She is not aiming for a big equestrian school, she prefers to keep it simple.
The ever turning circle Helena Gabrielsson has won several competitions in Thailand - here among Southeast Asia World Cup jumping league and other international events. Although first year with the racehorses was “not good”, she recently star ted having success in this field as well. “Last year we had 14 wins and lots of seconds and thirds,” she smiles a bit proud. She has been par ticipating in races every single weekend the past few months. A first place gives approximate 70.000 THB, second between 25.000-30.000 and a third around 15.000. For some it might sound like a lot, but working with horses can be a tough business, according to Helena. “Every month every single horse costs in feed and care alone around 10.000-15.000 THB and that is without vaccines, vets and further costs,” she says and continues: “At first you are like;‘Yes! We won a race!’ And then you are like: ‘Oh, I have to pay for that and that,” she laughs.
However, the income from competitions, races and the training is enough to keep everyone running - even the horses that now have retired. Helena refuses to sell them.
A lady in action Thailand’s horse racing has really caught Helena Gabrielsson’s interest, but it is not difficult to see where the real action happens: when she is on the sand, flying between and over jumps, just the way she has done it since she was a little girl living and growing up in a ‘horse family’ in Sweden. Watch Helena Gabrielsson jump with her 18-year-old mare Nikita, which is bought and transpor ted from Germany, when it was five years old. in a short video on ScandAsia.com by searching for Helena Gabrielsson or type this url: http://scandasia.com/?s=Helena Gabrielsson
May 2015 • ScandAsia.Thailand 11
Agneta’s World Hello again, now we are back to the real hot months, waiting for the rainy season to start. This month I would like to share four hot tip-off with you.
in your own home
H
ave you ever been longing to invite 8-12 of your friends or business partners to an evening with “Fine dining”, but in your own home? Of course it’s easy to go out for dinner as Bangkok is offering so many restaurants with all kind of kitchens, but you have to admit, sometimes it’s just wonderful to be home with your guests. If you don’t want to stand in the kitchen yourself and your maid might not be that good in cooking, then I have the ultimate suggestion. Give the young Spanish chef Senor Jacobo Astray a call. This young man has worked for one of the most prestigious Spanish restaurants, El Bulli in Barcelona. The restaurant had several stars in the Guide Micheline. Unfortunately the restaurant doesn’t exist anymore, as the owner decided to close when it was on the top. Might have been very clever as it is quite easy to lose a star. A friend of Jacobo asked him to come to Bangkok and here he is. Jacobo has been working at The Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel in Bangkok, in Phuket at Maikhao Dream Resort and at OCEAN on Sukhumvit Soi 33, but after a while he decided to become his own. Jacobo is what you really can call a dedicated chef. He likes the idea of combining different countries products, he’s mixing flavors and structures. He is a master in creating tempting dishes. Today he has his own company called 12 ScandAsia.Thailand • May 2015
“GULA” Private chef service) and he is always ready to pack his things and come home to invade your kitchen. While you are looking after your guests, he will act like a wizard and soon you can sit down and enjoy his elegant and delicious tasting dishes. I know what I’m talking about, as I had this experience when he was cooking at a Swedish friend’s house. When the photographer Daniel and I met with him, he created a beautiful kind of tapas dish named “Salmon Tataki”. He explained that this dish can be made of Tuna or Salmon. This time he had choose a fine Norwegian salmon. On the plate he spread out a Quacamole sauce, that he does himself, the salmon/tuna he just turns quick in a frying pan, cut in small slices and put nicely on the Quacamole. Yellow mango in small cubes make the dish colorful and some Japanese Wasabi comes on the top and last a dressing of soy sauce with some lime added. I hope he excuses me if I forgotten an ingredient. This dish both tasted good, felt very light and looked tempting. You do eat with your eyes. Jacobo doesn’t only cook at peoples home, he and a partner have just opened a small Tapas Bar at W District, close to BTS Phra Kanong station. Here you will be able to taste the tapas and cold drinks. The name of the tapas place is still not given, but it might be “ O’bico”. An easy name to remember and it means “KISS” and who doesn’t remember a good tasting kiss?
A tailor for women
I
f you decide to go for ” fine dining”, you also have to choose the right outfit. I suggest you pay a visit to another master, Indian Mr. Georges and his newly decorated tailor shop on Sukhumvit soi 15. He must have been inspired by the Chinese when he re decorated his shop. It’s gold and red and you can’t miss it, as outside he has put plenty of Christmas roses (fake of course). Means all year around it’s Christmas at his shop. I have often got the question where we women can find a good seamstresses and my answer is, at Georges Tailor. I have had several dresses, skirts, pants made there and almost no fittings have been necessary and the end result has always been excellent. He is a good adviser and he has many lovely fabrics on stock, only for you to point out and pay……
‘Swedish’ dentist in Bangkok
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also assume, that by dining and wining, your teeth quickly get yellow/brown. Red wine, coffee and tea are dangerous for your teeth, so maybe it’s time to have them whitened? On Sukhumvit Soi 19, you will find 19 Dental Clinic, an ultra modern clinic with a very nice dentist, a Thai/Chines woman with a welcoming smile. She really surprised me at my first visit. She asked where I came from and I answered “Sweden”. Aha, she said and then in Swedish, with the south of Sweden dialect (Skaane) “I have studied in Malmoe”. Once again, you realize the world is small. Since then, I always visit her when I have to clean my teeth, do a filling or whitening.
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Men’s night out
W
e all know, that ladies ver y often are invited to “Ladie’s night out” with free flow of, might it be Prosecco or Margeritas, at almost all hotels and restaurants. So here is last, but not least, my forth tip-off for this month. At the top floor of Holiday Inn Sukhumvit, at restaurant Maya, we ladies can enjoy free Prosecco every Wednesday night and it has become very popular, especially among us expat ladies.
Since a few weeks we can now also send our husbands, partners or bosses to Maya’s Thursday nights. They have “Men’s night out” serving chilled beer and delicious Indian tapas as much as they can drink and bear. Let us kick them out for a Thursday night, just because we think they are worth it and I’m sure the GM Mr. Bart Callens and his F & B manager, Khun Rahmneek, will take as good care of them as they do with us ladies. CHEERS!
13/2/2014 10:56:53 PM May 2015 • ScandAsia.Thailand 13
Swedish bar trio
brings international café cult By Joakim Persson
S
apparot Group could very well be the name of a producer and exporter of Thailand’s tropical fruit pineapple. But no, we are talking restaurateurs, where the three Swedes formerly known from Flow Cocktail/Hyde & Seek in Bangkok have taken the next step together with their American business partner Jared O’Brien in their defining journey, now also strengthened further with more Swedes in the form of two bartenders (and that’s where pineapple can play its part) and a baker! Three own-branded Rocket Coffeebar outlets are up and running downtown along with a restaurant and a bar so far, while further expansion plans are on the horizon. Just as Hyde & Seek was something groundbreaking locally, Sapparot Group is out to continue setting new standards, defining the scene and bringing doable, international, concepts to the table within the bar and restaurant scene. As fascinating and remarkable it may seem (given its large volume) the local dining and drinking scene still offers room for improvement. Picking a niche, the Swedes this time around have turned their attention to the café culture,
14 ScandAsia.Thailand • May 2015
and brought with them quite a few Scandinavian touches (but forget Swedish flags and cheap branding.) - and looked beyond just ser ving coffee. While the coffee culture has boomed also locally few have come up with any thought-out concept. The Sapparot team, however, has dared to do it: introducing something new here based on international benchmarking and strongly believing in that they could fulfil a need. And with the quality these guys have in whatever they do, and putting in a genuine effort, Sapparot Group is at least dressed for success. Thomas Anostam fills us in on their story and efforts so far, and the ship being built, but where the Sapparot Group is becoming accustomed to a much larger suit and all that comes with it in terms of business decision-making and leadership. The restaurant group they are building was in the plans already with the start of Hyde & Seek, but often, as he explains, they were simply too many chefs, too many strong wills. So the brains behind the successful gastro bar decided to part ways. And often circumstances and pure chance define the path forward.This was the case in how
ture to Bangkok their first three new outlets were born on soi 12, a side street to Sathorn road. They had looked at a management job of a larger project in that area, which did not happen. “Then we felt that we had done a lot of research and had so much knowledge about the area that we wanted to utilize. We saw what was already happening and knew what was about to happen in the near future, in addition to some key projects with a long-term view, such as Mahanakorn. We then started looking around at what was available and found this house on Sathorn 12. And we wanted to do three smaller places complementing each other.” Thus, Sathorn soi 12 became the new test bed for Sapparot Group and where the concepts and outlets Rocket Coffeebar, Lady Brett Tavern and U.N.C.L.E cocktail bar were born, and also the beginning of the transformation of this backyard street. Soon enough luxury cars were lining up along the street, whose owners came for breakfast or a brunch at the Swedes’ new outlets, says Thomas. “It’s fun to look back at, from having been a dead street to one which Ferraris and
Lamborghinis arriving on weekends, with people standing in line for an hour to sit down for eggs and coffee! On weekends we served 300 people on 20 seats - from 7 am until 4 pm. It was nonstop, ourselves taking turns by the espresso machine and serving, without being able to leave for one minute!” Rocket Coffeebar had become a happening place. Since then W Hotel, Sathorn Square offices etc. have opened, bringing further boost to the nearby area, with more high-end developments also in the works. “We wanted to be a first-mover, and of course this comes with many advantages but one also has to carry a heavy burden when opening something in an area that is not yet a destination.” Then it is to wait and see if others also open in the area - which is what they wanted. “We wanted to create a neighbourhood. And since our opening so many things have happened on Sathorn 12 and 10; boutiques, a gym, other cafés and restaurants, new-builds and renovations. Rents have skyrocketed and of course that has to do with the larger things too, but we could see immediate effects based on our
small operation. People realised that something was happening in the area.” The Sapparot team had seen opportunities and felt that something was lacking in Bangkok within the café segment, comparing not least with its strong position back in Sweden, where most get-togethers are held at cafés. “It felt like there was no coffee outlet in a Swedish way where you can pick and choose.Yes, the coffee culture had grown strong in Bangkok - the entrepreneurship, the roasting, and many boutique coffee shops; many really nice-looking with really great coffee and clever baristas. But if one wanted something aside - pastries, bakery, cocktails, wine... there wasn’t much!” And in Bangkok everything is a destination, Thomas points out, so it is important to be able to offer more than just one thing to serve the customers’ their needs. “One rarely travel for half an hour or more for a cup of coffee, but one can do that for a coffee, a Smoothie, and something to eat, and then staying put, perhaps working a bit and later going over to a bottle of wine with tapas. Then it becomes justified to travel across the city.” “This is what we saw as an opportunity, where we felt something was lacking here in Bangkok. A café that strives for serving Bangkok’s best coffee, but in addition puts all the love an effort into all the other parts that you today can find at Rocket. We wanted to generate that regardless of the time of the day. And regardless of what you crave for, you should feel comfortable to sit down here and know that the needs can be fulfilled in a nice way. That made an innocent child like Rocket with 20 seats into having just as large impact on Bangkok as Hyde & Seek had when it opened up, since, again, we fulfilled a vacuum.” So far they have opened three Rockets; with ‘Coffeebars’ also at Central Embassy and at Sukhumvit soi 49 - where the interior has a really bright, Scandinavian feel. Guests who previously spent an hour’s trip through the city in order to reach Sathorn 12 are now also showing up at the other addresses that may be closer to home, as Rocket is branching out. “As for the concept as such we talk about the three aces - Stockholm, Sydney and San Francisco - where we look at for inspiration, and more when it comes to the coffee culture in these three cities,” says Thomas. “In Stockholm you have this ever present ‘fika’ phenomenon - Sweden’s answer to the English pub as the natural meeting point. Regardless of age, genus, if meeting friends or for business, on a date, studies etc. - the café is always the place to go and therefore the cafés back home most often become a one-stop shop.” “That is the flavour we want to bring in here, but a bit more direct when it comes to some food - delivered in an elegant, beautiful gourmet style, so the international market can view this [Rocket] as something trendy and fresh rather than hardcore ‘Swedish Restaurant’ formula with Swedish flags and all the rest of it. Stockholm’s involvement in Rocket is more about the coffee culture vibe. And quite a lot of Scandinavian line in the design. And some bakery firsts for Bangkok: Mazarin pastries and cinnamon buns.” “Should Bennie, Dannie, Jeff and I allow May 2015 • ScandAsia.Thailand 15
ourselves to be Swedish nerds completely there are no limits to what one could produce! But now it’s more about expanding quite fast and therefore things accelerate and are not always planned; oppor tunities popping up that one jumps on board, so also hunting one’s own tail on a daily basis.” Sydney, meanwhile, represents an enormous passion for food and beverage. And with perfectionism. “Austr alia, being ver y far away from everything else, takes inspiration from the entire world. And since they have so many resources and are so far away they create things themselves. Down under they have fresh produce to an unbelievably extent and all so robust. And I think that’s what has created such a passion among people working within this trade.” “Sydney is a very unique city, with a vibrancy that is just beyond! And cafés … there are so many in Sydney doing it the way we also want, and in such a beautiful, effort-less way; open from
7 am, and even though being the same outlet transforming throughout the day and into the night, meeting various needs and wishes. You can come for a take-away coffee and a sandwich in the morning, and at lunch full of energy and socialising. Or for a relaxed afternoon coffee, and perhaps sundowner cocktails, or wine, after work.” “And San Francisco is a leading city within third wave coffee; small cafés mushrooming up and battling with large chains. Plus they have a big passion for the farm-to-table concept.” We let Thomas end with a philosophical thought about their approach in their business conduct (in reflecting on how customers tend to see their food as ‘healthy’): “We produce things ourselves; putting our heart and soul in everything we do. At least one can feel good to consume these things with devotion, since we know all the ingredients in the products and where they originate and how they are made. For us that’s most important and what we can realistically do.”
Jeff Oberg the baker
I
n nod to the international café culture, and with some key Swedish flavours added to the menu - including bakery temptations such as Swedish cinnamon bun, chocolate balls and the winter classic ‘semla’ bun - make the skills of a Swedish baker most welcome! Jeff Oberg from Halmstad, is the man in charge of the group’s bakery team, and, in the process, making these Swedish delicacies known to the Bangkok audience.The ‘mazarin’ has gained great recognition among the Rocket Coffeebar guests. Jeff is from the same Swedish town as two of the founders, the Ben-David and Dannie brothers, where they had met in the early days - working for a restaurant. That is where Jeff worked himself up the ladder from scratch. “I am self-learned and have attended paid courses. And I earned opportunities to work in kitchens with very skilled chefs and partake and learn; working with chefs from Skåne Kulinar [skanekulinar.se] and learning a lot also from chef Stefan Holmström at restaurant L´ecurie in Falkenberg. Step by step I worked myself up the ladder.” He was given responsibility over the starters and eventually ended up doing the desser ts, which became his niche. He first arrived to Thailand in the summer of 2012 when they opened the first Rocket on Sathorn road. After 1,5 years he went back home for a break, before returning again. “I was keen on coming here, without knowing what that actually meant. Because, there is a difference in working culture here and back home in Sweden - about everything! I found that I had to adjust myself a lot in order for things to work.” “I took time-out to digest what I had experienced. And then, coming back again, I knew what I was heading back into - which also made
16 ScandAsia.Thailand • May 2015
things much easier. It’s a very different culture; collision on all frontiers!” “I am responsible for the pastr y group, daytime, and the bakery team night time, so I must train pastry, attend meetings with the management team, plus join night time to manage the bakery team, and training how to bake with sourdough. Only now in 2015 have I reached the stage where they are doing it right on all levels and are self-running. So my days are back to being normal.” On using sourdough: “For me there is a large benefit here in that the bread keeps its humidity much longer. And I think it’s more fun as it is more about craft and being more creative. And also quality-wise, with the tastes coming out better.” “I like modern things - I want to create things, test things. I can also work with fruits and vegetables in desserts,” he also says. ‘I like to mix - classic but making it in modern style. Take a classic Princess Cake and put on a plate for you so that it looks like a piece of art.” He thinks certain other cafés that are very popular really aren’t anything special. “Then I think that why could we not make a dessert with five-star looks but you get to pay a reasonable price for it! It’s about having the willingness, which we have here. We present modern food, or desserts, with straightforward, nice tastes and make people having a wow experience!” “Of cour se we str ive towards being different - I want to be innovative, while at the same time get all the others to follow. In our team, I like when people strive towards something good and create great things and learn from each other.”
And in the formula for success, and which is the big challenge, having the right kind of people is essential. “It’s more about that than venue and equipment; it’s all in the hands of the people we are recruiting within the whole group. It does not matter how cool address and how nice the café is and expensive equipment you have; it is the staff that can take it further and make the product fantastic and living.” This also requires being that demanding manager. “One must stand up and be stubborn and dare to be that demanding, rather annoying person who is not satisfied with just O.K but that it should be top-notch every time.” Three more Swedes have been brought into the team to deal with these demands.
Bartender team reinforced with Sebastian De la Cruz
S
apparot Group, looking to strengthen its team of skilled bartenders, as the owners increasingly have to manage, and let go of their favourite function of being hands-on cocktail shakers, has hand-picked the Swedish ‘tiki’ expert Sebastian De La Cruz (plus another Swede; Filip). Sebastian’s claim to fame is having worked at Sweden’s only genuine tiki bar (and also a stint at legendary Berns Salonger in Stockholm gives merits to his CV). “Tiki is a very special genre within cocktails originating from the U.S in the early 1940s. They created an entirely imaginary world - a tropical, Polynesian setting,” says Sebastian. It enabled Americans to experience an entirely new exotic world - but without travelling. It’s all about escaping to the tropics, with fruity rum cocktails and the good island life under the sun. “Nobody was really doing that in Stockholm so I had a niche where I could profile myself as the Tiki guy in town. In addition I am very fund of rum, which is what made me hook on it, aside the lifestyle; the relaxed Caribbean culture.” He describes himself as self-trained and very dedicated. In the early days he read a lot and searched for information. “Gradually I understood the difference between an ordinary nightclub’s drinks compared to cocktails and began to befriend skilled bar tenders in Stockholm. Heading down that road I could learn from those leading the scene.” In 2010 he chose to make it Whole-heartedly into his full time job. A trip to New York, where he got very inspired by the bartenders in action, was the real game-changer. “I left university to follow my passion. Like: follow your path and do what you like to be doing. Then my learning curve started showing great progress, and I joined competitions.”
Sebastian finds the restaurant environs interesting, a very special work place. “It sounds like a cliché, but you don’t find the restaurant business - it finds you. One must have a certain character to work within this. It suited me very well.” How he found his way to Bangkok is a bit of a coincidence. He knew another Swedish bartender that worked for the group, whom he replaced. He let Sapparot Group know that he was interested in coming here. Most stimulating about being here he thinks are the incredibly varied people he encounters. “It feels like living in a place with an international population - much more so than in Stockholm, and anyone from local Thais to extremely well travelled people who have been around the world. It’s great fun.” On the other hand what he could bring along from Stockholm was the knowledge gained, based on the Nordic city being cocktail-wise so much more in the forefront, and “a bit more minimalistthinking”. The next step was to adapt that to the local market. “Here, our Thai guests appreciate more the looks and they want to have a show. So we’ve had to change our thinking a bit, as we go about introducing our style that may not fully work. Here it’s so much more; they get the wow feeling if the cocktail is good-looking. At the same time we want to educate our guests on the internatinoal cocktail scene.” On the agenda onwards: Increasingly doing also catering and events. And continuing the creative process: “The rethinking: conjuring up new cocktails and never resting on one’s laurels but dreaming up new things”.
May 2015 • ScandAsia.Thailand 17
มุมภาษาไทย l mum pha:să: thai l Thai Language Corner
Colourful Thai By Klavs Johansen (thai@snakthai.dk)
O
ften, and with good reason, some of the first useful words to be learned in any language are the names of the colours and so also in Thai. In writing this column, we always attempt - probably with varying degrees of success - to address topics both from the perspective of the beginner and from the perspective of the more advanced learner of Thai and this month we will be naming colours. For the beginner, the names of the colours offer great pronunciation practice, covering all 5 tones and most of the vowels. In the December 2013 column, you can read about the tones and the way we write them here at the Thai Language Corner. As always, get help from a Thai close to you and say the words out loud imitating the Thai. สี / sĭ: / is the word for colour and as such it often precedes the name of the specific colour in Thai. Let’s take the less colourful first:
สีดำ� / sĭ: dam / ~ black, สีขาว / sĭ: khă:o / ~ white, สีเทา / sĭ: thao / ~ grey. The primary colours are:
สีแดง / sĭ: dae:ng / ~ red, สีเหลือง / sĭ: lŭeang / ~ yellow, and สีน้ำ�เงิน / sĭ: ná:m ngoen / ~ blue. The secondary colours are:
สีม่วง / sĭ: mûang / ~ purple, สีเขียว / sĭ: khĭao / ~ green, and สีส้ม / sĭ: sôm / ~ orange, with ส้ม / sôm / also being the name of the
fruit as in English.
Some easy-to-remember colours are:
สีฟ้า / sĭ: fá: / ~ sky blue, where ฟ้า / fá: / means the ‘sky’, and สีน้ำ�ตาล / sĭ: ná:m ta:n / ~ brown, where น้ำ�ตาล / ná:m ta:n / means
‘sugar’, brown being the colour of raw sugar.
18 ScandAsia.Thailand • May 2015
Other colours not to be missed are:
สีชมพู / sĭ: chomphu: / ~ pink, สีทอง / sĭ: thor:ng / ~ golden, สีเงิน / sĭ: ngoen / ~ silver, สีทับทิบ / sĭ: tháp thim / ~ ruby, สีคราม / sĭ: khra:m / ~ indigo, สีถ่าน / sĭ: thà:n / ~ charcoal, and สีนวล / sĭ: nuan / ~ cream.
To name lighter shades of the colours, the word อ่อน / òr:n /, actually meaning ‘weak’, is added, and we get for example:
สีเขียวอ่อน / sĭ: khĭao òr:n / ~ light green, and สีเหลืองอ่อน / sĭ: lŭeang òr:n / ~ light yellow.
Similarly, to name darker shades, we add the word เข้ม / khêm /, with the basic meaning of ‘strong’ or ‘intense’, and we get for example:
สีน้ำ�เงินเข้ม / sĭ: ná:m ngoen khêm / ~ dark blue, and สีม่วงเข้ม / sĭ: mûang khêm / ~ dark purple.
Bright colours are named adding สด / sòt /, while pale colours are named adding จาง / ja:ng/, so we get:
สีแดงสด / sĭ: dae:ng sòt / ~ bright red, and สีฟ้าจาง / sĭ: fá: ja:ng / ~ pale blue.
To name a blend of two colours, the word อม / om / is used between them, for instance:
สีแดงอมส้ม / sĭ: dae:ng om sôm / ~ orange red, เหลืองอมเชียว /sĭ: lŭeang om khĭao / ~ yellow green.
Finally, you may want to review the piece about Thai intensifiers in the August 2014 column, where among other examples you will find the Thai words for ‘pitch black’ and ‘chalky white’. โชคดีนะ / chô:k di: ná’ / ~ good luck, and remember that you can ask questions or suggest topics to be treated at the Thai Language Corner by contacting us at the email above.
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May 2015 • ScandAsia.Thailand 19
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