november 2012 100 baht
The Return of
VERY THAI
Publisher’s letter Welcome to our seventh birthday issue! Since Bangkok 101 launched back in 2005, the city we cover each month has changed immensely. Malls and condominiums have been built... governments fallen... traditions faded, mutated or disappeared. Given these momentous growth spasms, it’s fitting that our birthday edition finds us reflecting on these sorts of changes with the author of Very Thai, Philip Cornwel-Smith. Why now? According to him, a new edition of his influential tome on everyday culture – a book we’ve been dipping in to (and serialising) pretty much since we started out – is coming very soon. In the meantime, flick to p.50 for our head-to-head chat with him, and also be sure to catch the spin-off exhibition in front of Zen Department Store.
TXT
Elsewhere, the magazine presents the usual editorial smorgasboard designed to help you keep you clued-up about what’s happening. Columnist Tom Vitayakul guides us throught the torturously complex origins of Loy Krathong, the beguiling night festival that falls this month. We also preview the return of the World Film Festival, a boldly-curated blitz of international arthouse and documentaries that’s now into its tenth year. And also meet the European design duo behind We*Do Gallery, an art and design concept store the likes of which the city has never seen. Moving on to matters serious, we also profile Hub Saidek, a young charity that’s empowering homeless kids in the vicinity of Hua Lamphong, the city’s main train station. As always, the diversity of Bangkok’s dining scene is echoed in our reviews. Getting a taste-test this month is recently reopened multi-kitchen rooftop diner Zense, Argentinean steakhouse El Guicho and new noodle shop Bor Ror Chor, among others. Our travel stories, meanwhile, include a heritage-focused tour of Central Java’s provincial city, Semarang, and a trip to one of the South’s most isolated yet idyllic islands, Koh Kradan. Don’t forget that all this – plus the 101 archive and extras that didn’t make the print edition – can be found online at www.bangkok101. com. A couple of clicks is all it takes to keep in touch with what’s happening. Also, if there’s something we’re not covering but you feel we should be then please let us know at info@talisman-media.com.
Enjoy.
Mason Florence Publisher
november 2012
What is Bangkok 101? Independent and unbiased, Bangkok 101 caters to savvy travellers who yearn for more than what they find in weighty, dated guidebooks. It brings together an authoritative who’s who of city residents, writers, photographers and cultural commentators. The result is a compact and intelligent hybrid of monthly travel guide and city magazine that takes you on and off the well-worn tourist track. Bangkok 101 employs the highest editorial standards, with no fluff, and no smut. Our editorial content cannot be bought. We rigorously maintain the focus on our readers, and our ongoing mission is to ensure they enjoy this great city as much as we love living in it.
Contributors
publisher
Mason Florence editor-in-chief
Dr. Jesda M. Tivayanond associate publisher
Parinya Krit-Hat Bangkok-born but internationally-bred, Dr. Tom Vitayakul has a background in communication and branding but now runs his family’s boutique hotel and Thai restaurant. An avid traveler and a bon vivant, he has contributed to magazines including Lips, Lips Luxe and the Bangkok Post’s the Magazine, and has also helped edit several books on Thai subjects such as Bangkok Found and Architecture of Thailand. Very Thai author philip cornwel-smith is a writer, editor and curator specialising in the areas of culture and travel. He has lived in Thailand for over a decade, editing its first listings magazine and the Time Out Bangkok guides, updating Thailand: A Traveller’s Companion, presenting Noodle Box: Bangkok on Discovery Channel, and squeezing Bangkok into the city’s first phone guide for Nokia. Food and travel writer howard richardson lives beside the Chao Phraya River in downtown Bangkok, from where he’s spent 12 years exploring the city as magazine editor and freelance writer. He’s contributed to publications such as GQ, the BBC’s Olive magazine and the New York Times online, and written a monthly column in Sawasdee, the Thai Airways inflight magazine. British-born writer-artist steven pettifor stopped over in Thailand 13 years ago on his way to Japan, but never left. An authority on contemporary Thai art, Steven is a commentator on the local art scene, contributing to international and domestic newspapers and journals. In 2004 he published coffee-table book Flavours: Thai Contemporary Art. When not musing, he is often found travel writing.
managing editor
Max Crosbie-Jones art director
Tawan Amonratanasereegul editorial assistant
Adul Waengmol Chaweitporn Tamthai strategists
Nathinee Chen Sebastien Berger contributing writers
Por Burapacheep, Luc Citrinot, Philip CornwelSmith, Leo Devillers, Korakot Punlopruksa, Steven Pettifor, Howard Richardson contributing photographers
Dejan Patic´, Jatuporn Rutnin, Paul Lefevre, Ludovic Cazeba, Leon Schadeberg, Marc Schultz, Niran Choonhachat, Frédéric Belge, Somchai Phongphaisarnkit director of sales & marketing
Jhone El’Mamuwaldi
director of business development
Itsareeya Chatkitwaroon Pailyn Jitchuen director of digital media
Nofel Ait Ouyahia Native-Bangkok writer, photographer and incurable travel addict, korakot (nym) punlopruksa believes in experiencing the world through food. She can usually be found canvassing the city for the best eats. Nym has been a host for music and film programmes, a radio DJ, a creative consultant for TV and a documentary scriptwriter. She is the author of several travel narratives, and her work appears in magazines including ELLE, Elle Decoration and GM.
circulation
Pradchya Kanmanee published by
Talisman Media Group Co., Ltd. 113 Soi Tonson, Ploenchit Rd Bangkok 10330 T 02-252-3900 | F 02-650-4557 info@talisman-media.com
© Copyright Talisman Media Group Co., Ltd 2012. All rights reserved.
ava i l a b l e t o b u y at:
bangkok101.com
No part of this publication may be reproduced without the express written, prior permission of the publisher. Views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the publisher, which accepts no responsibility for them.
Table of COntents city pulse
food & drink
6 metro beat 10 hot plates: zense 12 now in bangkok: 10th world film festival of bangkok 14 portrait: suraphon svetasreni
59 food & drink news 60 meal deals 62 restaurant reviews: el gaucho, hama-ichi, bor ror chor 66 eat like nym 68 cooking with poo 69 restaurants 71 all you can eat: café@2 76 wine review
S n a p s h ot s 16 tom’s two satang 18 very thai 19 chronicle of thailand
nightlife
Sightseeing 20 sightseeing focus: museum of human body 20 historic homes 20 shrines 21 temples 22 museums 24 parks & flora 25 parks – fauna & muay thai 26 day trip: koh si chang
t r av e l 28 festival focus: the surin elephant roundup 30 upcountry now 32 hotel deals 34 beach escape: koh kradan 36 over the border: semarang
a r t s & c u lt u r e 42 exhibition highlights 44 profile: cecê nobre 46 in-space: we*do gallery 49 reading & screening 50 photo feature: the return of very thai
79 one month in bangkok 80 le bar de l’hotel 82 clubs 83 hotel bars & clubs 83 bars with views 85 bars 87 live music 87 jazz clubs
shopping
90 new collection: sweetness by sretsis 92 unique boutique: spoonful zakka café 94 thai stuff 96 jatujak market 97 jj gem: somnuk lamp
wellness
98 massage & spa
communit y
100 making merit: the hub saidek foundation
reference 102 getting there 104 maps 112 my bangkok
on the cover:
The Return of Very Thai november 2012
H o t e l Pa r t n e r s
CITY PULSE
metro beat
Lectures Chris Baker and Pasuk Phongpaichit, who translated the Thai folk epic The Tale of Khun Chang Khun Phaen into English recently, mark publication of the paperback version with a talk on Gender and Sexuality in Old Siam . They note that the work contains surprising messages about sexuality, marriage and gender relations in old Siam. The lecture is at the Siam Society (131 Sukhumvit Soi 21, 02-661-6470, www.siam-society.org) on November 15 at 7pm. Non-members donation is B200.
h owa r d Richardson
by
Festivals
Film The 10th World Film Festival of Bangkok will show local and international movies from November 16-25 at various cinemas around the capital. Screenings will include shorts, features and documentaries in several categories, plus a spotlight retrospective of a director’s work. For the full schedule see www.worldfilmbkk.com. The next entry in the Cinema Diverse season at the Bangkok Art & Cul-
ture Centre (939 Rama I Rd, 02-214-6632, www.bacc.or.th) is the Bangladeshi movie The Clay Bird, showing with English subtitles on November 24 . The screening will be followed by a Q&A session with director, cast, and/or crew member.
Thailand’s beautiful water festival Loy Krathong, when people float candles, flowers and incense in banana leaf boats in respect to water spirits, will be happening on lakes, rivers and canals all over the country on November 28. There will be an illuminated boat procession along the Chao Phraya River and various entertainment options at hotels and parks such as Benjasiri, on Sukhumvit Road, Benjakitti, on Ratchadaphisek Road, and Santichaiprakan, on Phra Arthit Road. There’s a chance to see a rarely staged
Royal Kathin Barge Procession on the
Chao Phraya River on
November 9 , when a
fleet of 52 traditional barges rowed by 2,200 sailors will glide from the Wasukri royal landing up to Wat Arun temple. The event marks Awk Phansa, the end of the threemonth Buddhist rains retreat. This ancient tradition was revived by HM King Bhumibol in 1959, and has happened just 16 times since. The procession will take place from 3 to 5pm.
6 | november 2012
The Dutch Film Festival in Thailand shows at several
venues this month, starting at the Goethe Institut (18/1 Soi Goethe, Sathorn Soi 1, 02287-0942, www.goethe.de/ bangkok), from November 5-8 . The Bangkok Art & Culture Centre (939 Rama I Rd, 02214-6632, www.bacc.or.th) takes over from November 21-23 , and in-between there are also screenings at the 10th World Film Festival of Bangkok, at SF Cinema, Siam Paragon from November 16-25 (see below). The documentaries, shorts and features from the last ten years include Father and Daughter (Michael Dudok de Wit, 2001), which won the Oscar for Best Short Animated Film, and Meet the Fokkens (Rob Schroder, Gabrielle Provaas, 2011), after which there will be a free symposium on Women, Commodified Sexuality and Prostitution (Nov 23). See the full schedule at www.dutch-film-fest-in-thailand.com.
bangkok101.com
Jazz & Blues
Cl assical Somtow conducts
Sucharitkul the Siam
Philharmonic Orchestra in a performance of
Mahler’s Symphony No 10 in F sharp, described as “pushing at the very limits of harmony, tonality and colour”. This latest part of the orchestra’s complete Mahler Cycle is at the National Theatre (Ratchinee Rd, 02-224-1342) on November 5 , and features Vilmos Olah on principal violin and the Siam Sinfonietta. Tickets are B500-B5,000 from Thai Ticketmajor (02-262-3456, www.thaiticketmajor.com).
Pop & Rock The self-styled Hit Man, David Foster returns to Thailand with
David Foster and Friends Live in Bangkok 2012 at Impact
The Living Room, in the Sheraton Grande hotel (250 Sukhumvit Rd, 02-649-8353, www.sheratongrandesukhumvit.com) has a double bill of musical shows starting this month. From November 15-18 and 2225 , there’s a pastiche of Barbra Streisand called Simply Barbra , created and performed by New York cabaret artist Steven Brinberg. Time Out New York says it’s “Affectionate and wickedly funny”. And from November 29-December 2 , Richard Shelton joins the cast with his Frank Sinatra routines for four nights of Simply Barbra & Frank . Several packages are available starting at B1,700 net for show only and B3,300 net for the show with dinner.
Nightlife & Clubbing
Arena (99 Popular Rd, Pakkred, 02-504-5050, www.impact. co.th) on November 5 . The man who wrote or co-wrote hits such as ‘I Will Always Love You’, ‘Unforgettable’ and ‘Breathless’ will be accompanied by singers Chaka Khan, Babyface, Paul Young and Hayley Westenra. Get tickets (B1,000-B4,000) from Thai Ticketmajor (02-262-3456, www.thaiticketmajor.com). US
super
group Amazing Union bring power rock to the Bangkok Convention Centre (Central Plaza, Ladprao, 1695 Pahonyothin Rd, 02-541-1234) on November 7. The band is Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater), Billy Sheehan (Mr Big), Tony MacAlpine (Steve Vai) and Derek Sherinian (Black Country Communion). Tickets, available from Thai Ticketmajor (02-262-3456, www.thaiticketmajor.com), are B1,500-B2,500. Last month’s Beach Fossils gig has been rear-
ranged to play at Moonstar Studio 1 (701 Ladprao 80 (Soi Chantima), 02-5393881, www.moonstarstudio.co.th) on November 16. So we won’t have to miss the New Yorkers’ “sun drenched riffs, kaleidoscopic rhythms and hazy lyrics” on tracks like ‘Daydream’, ‘Vacation’ and ‘Lazy Day’. Doors open 6pm, tickets are B1,200 (B1,000 early bird) from haveyouheard. live@gmail.com. For more details see www.facebook. com/events/241161949337591.
bangkok101.com
Thirty local and international artists on five stages will line up for the outdoor dance and music festival Culture ONE at Lakeside, BITEC (km1, 88 Bangna-Trad Rd, 02-749-3939, www.bitec.co.th) on November 17. Highlights among a wide variety of genres include the Godskitchen Boombox Stage, created by the Parisian design collective 1024, and the FAC 51 Hacienda Stage, with original Hacienda DJs Graeme Park and 808 State. There are also live bands on the Popscene stage. Doors opens at 3pm. Tickets are B2,000-B4,000 from Cafe Democ (Silom Plaza), Dickinson’s Culture Cafe (Phra Arthit Rd) and www.we-booking. com. Get more info at www.culture-one-bkk.com.
Dance The International Dance Festival 2012 at the Bangkok Art & Culture
Centre (939 Rama I Rd, 02-2146632, www.bacc.or.th) from November 23-December 9 includes LOL (Lots of Love) by Protein Dance (UK), The Art of Faking by Odyssey Dance Theatre (Singapore) and The Zen Dance by Sun Ock Lee Dance Company (South Korea). There are also performances in Chiang Mai from Nov 30-Dec 2. Tickets are B600-B1,800 from Thai Ticketmajor (02-262-3456, www.thaiticketmajor.com). Get the full schedule from www.friends-of-the-arts.info.
november 2012 | 7
metro beat
CITY PULSE
Talks
Fairs The latest cars, motorbikes, concept vehicles and accessories will be on display at the 29th
Thailand International Motor Expo 2012 at Impact Arena (99
Popular Rd, Pakkred, 02-5045050, www.impact.co.th) from November 28-December 10.
One of Bangkok’s longest running family days, Ploenchit Fair 2012 is on November 24 at Bangkok Patana School (643 La Salle Road (Sukhumvit 105), 02-398-0200). All the usual food and drink stalls, live music, games and raffles will be offered from 10am to 8pm. See www. bctfn.com for full details.
Exhibitions The social fabric of Thailand is examined in the exhibition Hat
Tricks: Secret Stories under Siamese Headwear, which
continues at The Museum Siam (4 Thanon Sanam Chai, 02-2252777, www.museumsiam.com) until December 9 . The displays include headwear used in activities such as fashion, farming, festivals and royal ritual, plus a documentary and photographs. It’s on daily, except Monday from 10am to 6pm. Admission free. Always Prepare: Living with Changes looks at the effects of disas-
ter on cities and their communities and examines creative ideas on how to survive them. It’s at the Thailand Creative & Design Centre (TCDC, Fl 6 Emporium Shopping Complex, 622 Sukhumvit 24, 02-664-8448, www. tcdc.or.th) Tue-Sun, 10.30am-9pm, until January 6.
Theatre Democrazy Studios (Soi Sapankoo, Lumpini, 080-075-2002, www.facebook.com/democrazystudio) performs Othello: A Match of Jealousy, adapted from the original play by William Shakespeare, and directed by Damkerng Thitapiyasak. The run is from November 23-December 10 , Thursday to Monday at 8pm, plus a 4pm matinee on Saturdays. Tickets are B480. 8 | november 2012
The National Museum Volunteers Lecture Series continues at the National Museum (4 Thanon Na Phra That; tel: 0 2224 1333; www.thailandmuseum.com) every Thursday from November 1-22. The lectures, two each morning, from 9.30amnoon cover topics such as The History of Thai-Burmese Relations (Nov 8), The English Factory in Ayutthaya (16121685): Initiating 400 Years of Anglo-Thai Relations (Nov 15) and Roles of Lanna Music & Artists in an Articulation of Lanna Cultural Identity (Nov 22). Donations run from B200/day for members, B400/day for non members. There are full details at www.museumvolunteersbkk.net.
Sport The world’s top 24 teams, including Italy, Spain, Brazil and, of course, Thailand will compete at the FIFA Futsal World Cup at four stadiums from November 1-18 . Catch the games at the Bangkok Futsal Arena, the Indoor Stadium Huamark, Nimibutr Stadium and Korat ChatChai Hall. Tickets are B100-B900 from Thai Ticketmajor (02-262-3456, www.thaiticketmajor.com). People will take to the streets of Rattanakosin for the Bangkok Marathon , starting at Sanam Chai Road, beside the Grand Palace, on November 18 . There will be full, half- and mini-marathons for all age groups. Details on the course and start times are at www.bkkmarathon.com.
Food & Drink Niu’s on Silom (661 Silom Rd, 02-266-5333, www.niusonsilom.com), which includes Concerto restaurant upstairs, is now open for lunch , Mon-Fri from 11:30am-2:30pm.
Partake of Sunday Jazzy Brunch, accompanied by live jazz, in the Gourmet Experience package at the Sheraton Grande hotel (250 Sukhumvit Rd, 02-649-8353, www.sheratongrandesukhumvit.com) and you can add a dinner buffet at Orchid Café on any week night, all for the price of B2,999 net. Valid until December 30 (excluding festive dining).
bangkok101.com
bangkok101.com
november 2012 | 9
CITY PULSE
hot plates
Zense Z
ense is back, and as funky as ever. This huge space, cleverly divided into various levels, retains its wooden deck flooring and surrealist staircases leading nowhere, and now disguises the predictable factory ceiling of pipes and ducts behind a construction of white latticework. Outside, the narrow terrace is also split level, with great views particularly from the bar section and the opposite end tables (grab 312, if you can), which overlook Chidlom station and down the Skytrain lines toward Sukhumvit. And, being only the 17th floor, it feels you’re right amid the action of the Ratchaprasong high-rise lights. This is a terrific venue for cocktails (a long list of originals and vintage, from B295++), inside or out, and as before it attracts a mix of ages, some business suited, others denim clad dates cooing over the trancey soundtrack. The problems come with the dining operation, an upmarket food court theme, with several kitchens run by established Bangkok restaurants – Thai (The White Café), Japanese (Kikusui), Italian (Gianni), European (To Die For) and Indian (Red). You can eat from one or all. We tried a dish from each. Our first course, puffed salmon with green mango avocado relish – basically exploded catfish made with salmon (B350++ from) was tasty, with a good, sour, fairly spicy relish. It was the best of the night. Good, too, was the Japanese sweet crab meat and corn soup (B290++). The next three courses were all lukewarm by the time they reached the table. Shame, particularly with the Ozzie Wagyu strip loin (B1,200++), which was otherwise tasty and not too heavily marbled; and the flambéed prawn masala (B585++), in which the sauce had excellent, deep flavours. Unfortunately, the prawns were a tad overcooked, as was the grilled lemon sole with white wine lemon and caper sauce (B690++). The Sunset Creek Chardonnay (one of several wines by the glass, from B250++) stood up very well to the curry. As long as you don’t expect gourmet dining, Zense has lots to offer, including a great location. It’s sure to be buzzy.
เซนส์ เซ็นทรัลเวิลด์ ถ.ราชดำ�ริ getting there
Zense [MAP4 / G4] Fl 17 Zen World, CentralWorld, 4/1-2 Ratchadamri Rd, 02-100-9898 | BTS Siam or Chidlom OPEN Daily 5pm-1am 10 | nov ember 2012
bangkok101.com
bangkok101.com
november 2012 | 11
CITY PULSE
coming soon
The Return of Intelligent Cinema
T
he arrival of the World Film Festival line-up in our inbox is always something we look forward to and cherish. Especially as the city’s other main film festival, the corruption-scandal-tainted Bangkok International Film Festival has been languishing in purgatory for a couple of years now. Still, as ever, under the stewardship of longtime festival director Victor Silakong, the tenth edition sticks with the winning formula, offering attendees a 10-day blitz of independent arthouse and documentary, the likes of which rarely make the cineplexes. An audience not an industry festival, the focus is on flicks you wouldn’t get a chance to see otherwise, not rolling out the red carpet for cinema’s pouting elite.
If you aren’t itching to see, or at least intrigued by, some of the seventy plus offerings, many of which have already been the toast of Cannes, Berlin or Sundance, then you aren’t a cinema fan. As of writing the timings hadn’t been released, but piquing our interest from the regional Asian Contemporary section is Return to Burma. Shot surreptitiously by first time director Midi Z, it blends fact with fiction as Xing-Hong, a Burmese labourer of Chinese descent, returns home after ten years working in Taipei. We’re also looking forward to Thai art-house poster boy Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Mekong Hotel, 12 | november 2012
bangkok101.com
which will be screened at the grand opening at Siam Paragon’s Cineplex on November 16th. We expect something enthrallingly cryptic, dreamy and non-linear from this one hour experimental feature set in a hotel located beside the titular river up in the northeast. Surprisingly, over in the documentary section, there are not one, but two stories about Thai elephants. Elephant Shaman recounts the tale of an 85 year old member of the Kui minority, the most skilled elephant handlers in the region; and Windy Borman’s The Eyes Of Thailand, the story of a woman’s quest to help two elephant landmine survivors walk again. Accompanying them are docs covering a wide range of themes from Mexico, Russia, France, New Zealand, Switzerland and the Netherlands, including one of the festival’s more contentious offerings, Meet The Fokkens, which is the tale of 69-year-old twin sisters who have worked in Amsterdam’s red-light district for over 40 years. Cineastes with a yen for anything South American are in luck, as the Cine Latino section includes buzz-garnering gems such as The Bad Intentions, the dark coming-of-age story that Peru recently submitted for the Oscar race. And a grab-bag of the best in European new wave will unspool bangkok101.com
over in the Cinema Beat section too. After being award to Bela Tarr, Hungary’s master of opaque black and white cinema, last year, this year’s Lotus Award will go to Leos Carax. Whether the French director, writer and critic will come to pick up the award has yet to be confirmed, but three of his films, Holy Motor, The Lovers on the Bridge and Mauvais Sang, will definitely be shown. As is the tradition, an open-air screening of a music documentary will close this 10 day blip of cinematic excellence. While the date, November 25, and film, Fados, which is about the Portuguese music genre of the same name, have been confirmed, the location hasn’t, so check the website, where you should also find more about each film, pricings and the all important timetables.
The 10th World Film Festival of Bangkok
November 16-25
Grand Opening (November 16): Paragon Cineplex Screenings: Esplanade Cineplex, 2-5F The Esplanade, Ratchada Rd | www.worldfilmbkk.com november 2012 | 13
CITY PULSE
portrait
T H E GOVERNOR :
SURAPHON SVETASRENI The man leading Thailand’s tourist industry to a brighter, more prosperous future is surprisingly nostalgic about the past. Words by Luc Citrinot.
H
e is probably the best known public figure in Thai tourism, his job to preach the good word about the Kingdom on international TV channels or at travel exhibitions. He started his career with the Tourist Authority of Thailand, or TAT, over 33 years ago before finally becoming its governor in January 2011. Since taking up the position, Suraphon Svetasreni has not only helped steer the organisation through rocky political waters, he’s also brought a human dimension to the function, not hesitating to take positions when he thinks that a product or direction does not fit into its ideals. 14 | nov em ber 2012
We met him recently, not to hear the cover the same old tourist-industry ground, but to speak about his relationship with his homeland. Over the course of the interview we found that Suraphon likes animals, water, Isaan people and… of course, Bangkok! “I was blessed to be born in Thonburi, on the other side of the Chao Praya River,” he says with a tone that suggests a hint of regret at the winds of change that have transformed the city over the years. “In my childhood days Thonburi was very different. We felt closer to bangkok101.com
“as a child, Thainess to me was swimming in the canal and grabbing the back of a motorboat to show how courageous I was to my friend.”
nature, life being centred on the khlongs (canals) and community life. I guess it was what we now describe as ‘Thainess’ – or the ‘unbearable lightness of being Thai.’ For example, to me Thainess was swimming in the canal and grabbing the back of a motorboat to show how courageous I was to my friend, or taking care of pla kat, Siamese fighting fish. It was also going to the temples for local festivals rich with the smells of incense, flowers and food.” Suraphon’s first encounters with tourism started here in the city, no more than a few kilometres from his home. “It was when I visited the Grand Palace for the first time as a child,” he says. “Its colours and structures adorned with gold amazed me.” Back in those days, a trip to a bungalow at nearby Baeng Saen beach was as exotic as holidays got. “Just packing up our swimming trunks or gathering together the food ingredients was an adventure,” he says. “Just to go from one district to another in Bangkok brought an entirely different experience,” Suraphon goes on to say. “Outside Bangkok there were still windmills and local food and dress was often totally different. And I remember the first time I went to Chiang Mai was like going to another country. Those girls with their hair adorned with orchids biking in the streets and speaking with this slow, singing accent – it was so charming and different.”
It’s hard to imagine now, given that he’s one of Bangkok’s most vociferous champions, but Suraphon hasn’t always been a big fan. “I only started to appreciate Bangkok after being posted overseas,” he says. “Today, this city is incredible. All modern facilities are available to the visitors’ and anyone, tourists or locals, can find anything at anytime. Without being immaculate, it is also safe in comparison to many bangkok101.com
other cities around the world. And this is the place where you can find food at any corner… that is so unique. Above all, I love that this is a place where you can travel not just on roads but also water.”
Is there a side to Bangkok that he dislikes? “I hate to see locals trying to con visitors,” he says. “I especially dislike the gem factory businesses which hassle tourists. If people want to buy some, I advise them to go to a proper shop in a shopping centre. That’s where they will get the best quality and value.”
Suraphon’s City Picks
For sightseeing: “For first timers, the Grand Palace and the temples around remain a must-see. Otherwise, try a walking tour around the Wang Burapha and Yaowarat (Chinatown) areas. In the old days, the Old Siam shopping centre here was the poshest place to shop in Bangkok, the equivalent of Siam Paragon today.” For shopping: “I love Chatuchak Market and I go very often there. The plants, the animals, the handicraft, the design… it is all there and it is a wonderful tribute to Thais’ sense of creativity.” For food: “Chi Jong Who noodle and wonton shop in Wang Burapha District still has the same landlord and distinctive taste as in my childhood. Also, On Lok Yun on Charoen Krung Road: this shophouse still serves ice tea, chocolate or hot tea to people sat on wood benches, exactly like 80 years ago!” For nightlife: “Sky bars such as the one at Lebua Hotel are classy places from which to admire Bangkok’s skyline, but for something more intimate with a great view of the river and the illuminated spires of the Grand Palace, try the Supatra River House restaurant on the Thonburi side.” november 2012 | 15
SNAPSHOTS
16 | nov em ber 2012
bangkok101.com
tom’s two satang
ToTwmo ’Ssatang
G
Join Bangkok-born but internationally-bred aesthete Dr. Tom Vitayakul as he gives his own unique take on Thailand and its capital. Each month he tackles a different aspect of the local culture – from art and festivals to 21st century trends – in a light-hearted yet learned manner.
On Loy Krathong
etting caught up in the hoopla of Loy Krathong is inescapable on November’s full moon night (November 28). The nation heads en masse to canal, river or swimming pool to loy (float) krathong (vessels) and with them bid adieu to suffering, grudges and bad luck before the New Year comes. Among the myriad festivals held in the country, it’s widely considered one of the most beautiful and magical. However, while anyone can take part, there are some truths you need to know before you understand it. Firstly: its origins. If you’ve seen the gorgeous TAT posters depicting Loy Krathong in Sukhothai or Chiang Mai, you might think they’re its rightful homes. However, the truth is it didn’t originate at either or even here in the Kingdom. Rather, this practice is thought to have been around for millennia in Southeast Asia and owe its origins to India. In some ways, namely the floating of lamps along the rivers, it bears a striking resemblance to the Hindu festival Diwali.
Secondly, it’s deeply entwined with our animist beliefs. Water and earth are major elements in animist belief systems, so it’s not surprising that we Thais call rivers mae nahm—the mother of water. Following on from this, the main reason that we float krathong is to pay respect to our Goddess of Water, Phra Mae Khongkha. It is for that reason that your krathong should be bio-degradable, as we want to honour her, not pollute her. Acceptable ones should be made of banana trunk, leaves, flowers, paper and even bread (so fish will love you back too). Candles, incenses and coins are often added, and if you really want to go overboard with the float-away-the-past symbolism, you can put nail or hair cuttings in them too. Thirdly, Loy Krathong’s date is tied to the story of Lord Buddha’s life. As this has it, he was invited down to the Underwater World and there taught Dharma to the King of Nagas (water serpent). Afterwards, Lord Buddha left his footprint on the sandy bank of India’s Nandamahanathee River. Loy Krathong is also said to honour his deed which was said to happen around this time of the year. It is also based on the traditional Thai lunar calendar, like so many Buddhist religious days are. Two weeks after the night of the full moon in November (the 12th traditional Thai lunar month) the Thai Lunar New Year
bangkok101.com
falls. Confusingly, this has nothing to do with Songkran, which is based on the solar calendar; but essentially, all you need to know is that we’re nearing the end of the lunar year and that it’s time to start anew. Easier to get your head round is the fact that some of Loy Krathong’s legends are made-up. Common to celebrations nationwide are beauty contests featuring ladies made up like as Nang Nophamas, a courtier and poetess who helped inspire the festival by making pretty lotus krathong. But who was this legendary beauty? Though I don’t want to rain on any beauty pageants, the truth is that she is a fictional character that appeared in a book during the reign of King Rama III. Her purpose: to be a role model for women who wished to become an exemplary civil servant. Another Loy Krathong tradition is music, namely a traditional ram wong (circle dance) ditty that was written in 1955 and has since become the standard for the event. You can expect to hear its catchy refrain (“loy loy kratong, loy loy kratong”) ringing through the cool evening air umpteen times during the night. Away from these origins and time-honored customs, you should also understand that Loy Krathong is now many Thais’ answer to St. Valentine’s Day, only with a few twists. Think about it. It takes place in the evening and goes on into the wee hours. The air is usually cooler, the river banks brimming, and the full moon shining high in the sky. Krathong with twinkling candles bob on the water, many couples even floating one together. Up in Northern Thailand and even in Bangkok these days, khom loy, or floating lanterns, are also lit and set adrift in to the dark night. Given this collision of romantic elements, it’s no surprise that some young lovers consummate their love, and that for many its significance is now more physical than spiritual. Last but not least, don’t forget that while these meanings, myths and cross-purposes are more muddled than the Chao Phraya River, Loy Krathong is meant to be entertaining and, above all, sanuk. So just go with the flow.
nov em ber 2012 | 17
SNAPSHOTS
very thai
Inhalers
Aromatherapy becomes a daily habit
Very Thai
River Books | with photos by
John Goss & Philip Cornwel-Smith B 995
Very Thai – Everyday Popular Culture is a book that almost every foreigner living in Bangkok has on their bookshelf, a virtual bible on Thailand’s pop culture. For page after colourful page, city resident and author Philip Cornwel-Smith guides readers on an unconventional tour of the quirky everyday things that make Thailand truly Thai. From the 60-plus mini-chapters, we present a different excerpt every month. Prepare yourself properly for the sideways logic in what seems exotic, and snap up a copy of Very Thai now at any good book shop.
18 | november 2012
Forget Fendi bags, mobile phones and coloured tooth braces, the commonest Thai accessory is yaa dom – the nasal inhaler. The little white nozzle plugs into both the nose and the national psyche. Should the temperature drop beneath 30C and the nation plunge into sniffles, a dab of menthol or yaa mong (a fragrant fatty ointment, like Tiger Balm) rubbed under the nose should suffice. But even when not suffering a cold, half the population habitually pops open a plastic tube of yaa dom and sniffs. Fashion, tradition and hypochondria may play a part, but a breathing problem exists. The way the Thai now live traumatises the nasal passages, causes constant chills and dulls the immune system. Constant ducking in and out of ice-cold air-conditioning isn’t the sole culprit; millions wake up wind-dried from sleeping through the gusts of a fan. Then throughout the day, stressinduced over-breathing gets the chairbound urbanite panting through his mouth. Respiratory illness is gagging Thailand. The capital’s fumes and cement dust permeate the Central Plains, while smoke from burning forest and fields choke Northern valleys throughout the hot season. Traditions support the vapour fetish. Today’s inhalers continue an indigenous healing culture of aromatherapy and a delight in things perfumed. Aside from morphing into today’s lipstick-shaped plastic inhalers, how did yaa dom stay hip? Toted like any other cosmetic, it serves as a socially accepted prop. Yaa dom plays nose-crutch in the manner of that mouth-crutch, the cigarette. Freud would have a field day. bangkok101.com
chronicle of thailand
8 November 1986
Runaway train smashes into station Dramatic accident at Hualamphong leaves four dead and four injured Four people were killed and four others injured when a runaway train rammed through the barriers at the central Hualamphong Railway Station. The unmanned locomotive, travelling around 50km per hour, careened into the barriers and was flung upwards onto the elevated platform, skidding onto its side across the floor and stopping just five metres short of the station entrance. Most of the victims were hurt or killed by two giant timetable boards that were knocked over by the careening locomotives. A book stall, info booth, a soft drink stand and a Bangkok Bank exchange service booth were also demolished. The driverless train, towing other locomotives hit the terminus at 8.55am after leaving Bang Sue station, some eight kilometres away, which had been left unattended with its engine running, but were unable to catch it as it gathered speed, smashing through a taxi and a motorcycle at a railway crossing along its way. Hualamphong Station was alerted and hundreds of waiting passengers were evacuated just seconds before the train slammed into the platform. Allegations later surfaced that the train crash was not an accident. Nobody was ever prosecuted, not even for negligence. bangkok101.com
Chronicle of Thailand
EDM Books | editor-in-chief Nicholas Grossman | B1,450
Chronicle of Thailand is the story of Thailand during the reign of King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Beginning on the day he was crowned, 9 June 1946, the book presents a vivid eye-witnessaccount of Thailand’s development through the major news events of the last 64 years. Alongside a grandstand view of events as they unfolded and quirky aspects of daily life that just happened to make the news, the book features thousands of rare and fascinating pictures and illustrations, representing one of the most comprehensive photo collections of Thailand ever produced.
nov em ber 2012 | 19
Sightseeing
historic homes
shrine
M.R. KUKRIT’S HOUSE [map5 / H8]
ANANTA SAMAKHOM PALACE Throne Hall [map8 / F8]
Uthong Nai Rd, opp. Dusit Zoo Tue – Sun 10 am – 6 pm | B150 dress politely
Located at the tail-end of Dusit district’s stately ceremonial boulevard, Ratchadam noen, this stately parliamentary palace was built during the reign of Rama V and completed by Rama VI. Cast in white Carrara marble, it is still used for the ceremonial opening of the first parliamentary session. Influenced by Renaissance architecture, the interior is decorated with detailed frescoes by Italian Galileo Chini of royal ceremonies and festivities. Out front stands a statue of King Rama V mounted on a horse that is still worshipped today.
19 Soi Phra Pinit, Sathorn Rd BTS Chong Nonsi | 02-286-8185 Sat, Sun & Holidays 10 am – 5 pm, Mon – Fri by appt. only | B 50 / B 20 kids
Kukrit Pramoj was one of Thailand’s most-loved statesmen of the 20th century. A natural all-rounder, he was a poet, a writer and even served as prime minister. His peaceful abode with its lovely gardens is a terrific example of traditional Thai architecture.
บ้านหม่อมราชวงศ์คึกฤทธิ์ ซ.พระพินิจ สาทรใต้
ERAWAN SHRINE [map4 / G5]
Ratchadamri Rd, near Grand Hyatt Erawan BTS Chit Lom
Don’t expect serenity here. This is one of Bangkok’s busiest intersections: the crowded shrine to the Hindu creation god Brahma and his elephant Erawan is filled with worshippers lighting incense, buying lottery tickets and watching the traditional dancing group, which performs for a nominal fee.
พระพรหมเอราวัณ ถ.ราชดำ�ริ
พระที่นั่งอนันตสมาคม ถ.อู่ทองใน ดุสิต VIMANMEK MANSION [map8 / F8]
JIM THOMPSON HOUSE [map4 / A3]
6 Soi Kasemsan 2, Rama I Rd BTS National Stadium | 02-216-7368 www.jimthompsonhouse.com 9 am – 5 pm | B100 / B 50 students
American Jim Thompson was the Princeton graduate and former spook who revived the hand-woven Thai silk industry before disappearing mysteriously in Malaysia’s Cameron Highlands in 1967. One of the things to do in Bangkok is visit his tropical garden home beside a pungent canal: six traditional teak houses from around the country kept exactly as he left them, and brimful with art and antiques he acquired during his many trips around Asia. Tour guides discuss these exquisite treasures and the much-mythologised life of the man himself. There’s also a shop selling his trademark designs, an art gallery and a café. Ban Krua, the silk-weaving community he commissioned, is also nearby.
บ้านไทย จิมทอมป์สัน ซ.เกษมสันต์ 2 ตรงข้ามสนามกีฬาแห่งชาติ
GANESHA SHRINE [map4 / G3]
139 / 2 Ratchawithi Rd 02-281-1569 | 9:30 am – 4 pm | B100
Outside CentralWorld and Isetan Department Store | Ratchadamri Rd
The world’s largest teakwood building was originally built on the island of Koh Si Chang, in 1868, and then moved to Bangkok for use by King Rama V. Its 81 rooms spread over three floors overlook a beautiful garden. Inside, many of his acquisitions from international trips are on display, including possibly the first bathtub in the kingdom. Regular tours in English are held daily.
A prayer in front of this pot-bellied gold elephant – the son of Shiva and Parvati – is said to help get the creative juices flowing, as well as protect you from harm. Aside from marigold garlands, bring bananas, ripe mango or sticky rice-flour Thai desserts – Ganesha has an eternal appetite.
พระพิฆเนศวร หน้าห้างอิเซตัน
พระที่นั่งวิมานเมฆ ถ.ราชวิถี เขตดุสิต
TRIMURTI SHRINE [map4 / G3]
SUAN PAKKAD palace [MAP8 / K11]
Si Ayutthaya Rd, Ratchathewi BTS Phaya Thai | 02-245-4934 www.suanpakkad.com | 9 am – 4 pm | B100
A former market garden that was converted into a residence and garden by Princess Chumbot. Consisting of five reconstructed Thai wooden houses, Wang Suan Pakkard pays testament to her dedication to collecting Thai artefacts and antiques.
Outside Centralworld and Isetan Department Store | Ratchadamri Rd
If your love life is in the doldrums then this shrine is for you: at 9:30 pm each Thursday it’s rumoured that Lord Trimurti descends from the heavens to answer prayers of the heart. To maximise your chances you should offer nine-red incense sticks, red candles, red roses and fruit.
พระตรีมูรติ หน้าห้างอิเซตัน
วังสวนผักกาด ถ.ศรีอยุธยา ราชเทวี 20 | november 2012
bangkok101.com
TEMPLES
THE GRAND PALACE & WAT PHRA KAEW [map7 / D10]
Na Phra Lan Rd, near Sanam Luang Tha Chang Pier | 02-222-0094 8:30 am – 4:30 pm | B 400 incl. entry to Vimanmek Mansion | dress respectfully
Bangkok’s most beloved temple (and top tourist site) is a fantastical, mini-city sized royal complex enclosed by quaintly crenulated whitewalls. Building began in 1782 , the year Bangkok was founded, and every monarch subsequent to King Rama I has expanded or enhanced it. Today, despite being able to visit many sights on its grounds, much of it remains off-limits. The Chakri Mahaprasat Hall – the “Westerner in a Thai hat” – is worth seeing, and there are some state halls and rooms open to visitors. The highlight, though, is the Emerald Buddha – Thailand’s most sacred Buddhist relic – and the temple purposebuilt to house it, Wat Phra Kaew, where hundreds pay their respects each day.
พระบรมมหาราชวัง และ วัดพระแก้ว ถ.หน้าพระลาน (ใกล้สนามหลวง)
WAT PO (reclining buddha) [map7 / D12]
Chetuphon, Thai Wang Rd 02-226-0369 | www.watpho.com 8am – noon; 1 pm – 9 pm | B100
The Temple of the Reclining Buddha is the oldest and largest wat in Bangkok. Originating in the 16 th century, it houses the largest reclining Buddha statue in Thailand as well as the greatest number of Buddha images. Wat Po is also the centre for traditional Thai medicine and a learning centre for Thai massage (see p.101).
วัดโพธิ์ ถ.เชตุพน
WAT MAHATHAT [map7 / C8]
วัดสระเกศ ถ.จักรพรรดิพงษ์
WAT SUTHAT & the GIANT SWING [map7 / H9]
Bamrung Muang Rd | 02-222-9632 9 am – 5 pm | B 20
An amulet market is situated near this 18 th century centre of the Mahanikai monastic sect and an important university of Buddhist teaching. On weekends, market stalls are set up on the grounds to complement the vendors of traditional medicines and herbal potions. Courses on Buddhism are given in English.
Surrounded by perhaps the greatest concentration of Buddhist supply shops in Bangkok, Wat Suthat is one of the most important Buddhist centres in the kingdom and home to excellent examples of bronze sculpture. The city’s iconic Giant Swing, where brave men used to swing up to great heights to catch a bag of gold coins in their teeth during annual harvest ceremonies, sits out front.
WAT ARUN [map7 / B13]
วัดสุทศั น์ ถ.บำ�รุงเมือง พระนคร ตรงข้ามเสาชิงช้า
Temple of Dawn | Arun Amarin Rd Arun Pier | 02-465-5640 www.watarun.org | 8 am – 5 pm | B 20
วัดอรุณราชวราราม ถ.อรุณอัมรินทร์ ผั่งตะวันตกของแม่น้ำ�เจ้าพระยา
Referred to as the Golden Mount, this wat on a small hillock is worth the hike up 318 steps for the views of China town to the south and the Old City to the north. The hill is all that is left of the fortifications for a large chedi that Rama III planned to construct on the site that gave way under the weight. Rama V later built a smaller chedi on top.
Tha Prachan, Sanam Luang, Maharat Rd 02-221-5999 | 9 am – 5 pm | free
วัดมหาธาตุ ท่าพระจันทร์ สนามหลวง
Across the river from Wat Po is Wat Arun, or the Temple of the Dawn, one of the city’s most important religious sites. Before being moved to Wat Phra Kaew, the Emerald Buddha was temporarily housed here. The five-towered structure is covered almost entirely in pieces of colourful porcelain and designed as a representation of Mount Mehru, the Khmer home of the gods. The temple is believed to have been named by Rama I on his first sunrise visit, but in contrast with its name, it is best visited at sundown.
WAT SAKET [map7 / L8]
Chakkraphatdiphong Rd 02-233-4561 | 7:30 am – 5:30 pm | B10
WAT RATCHANATDA [map7 / K8]
Mahachai Rd | 02-224-8807 9 am – 5 pm | free
This striking temple on the corner of Ratchadamnoen and Mahachai Road features the bizarre Loha Prasat, a multi-tiered castle-like structure with 36 steel spires. Climb the spiral staircase to the top for good views of the Old City and its many temples.
วัดราชนัดดา ถ.มหาชัย พระนคร
WAT TRAIMIT [map6 / L3]
661 Mittaphap Thai-China Rd, Charoen Krung Rd | 02-623-1226 | 8 am – 5 pm | B 20
Housed safely in this unassuming Chinatown temple is the world’s largest solid gold Buddha. Weighing over five tonnes and standing over three metres high, its worth has been estimated at over 10 million US$ . The interesting Yaowarat Heritage Museum (p.27) is located on the floor beneath.
วัดไตรมิตร หัวลำ�โพง (เยาวราช) bangkok101.com
november 2012 | 21
Sightseeing
BANGKOKian museum
Museums – in town There’s a museum for every interest here – hundreds in fact. Here, some of our favourites, both in town and just outside it.
BANGKOK DOLL MUSEUM [map8 / L11, 12]
85 Soi Ratchataphan (Soi Mo Leng), Ratchaprarop Rd 02-245-3008 | www.bangkokdolls.com Mon – Sat 8 am – 5 pm | free
Since opening in 1956 the Bangkok Doll Museum has continually attracted tourists, students and aficionados alike with its remarkable collection of hand-made Thai dolls. Founded by Khunying Tongkorn Chandavimol after she completed a doll making course in Japan, it showcases collections of dolls produced by a small team of artisans in the atelier out back, and clad in traditional costumes based on designs lifted from museum originals, temple murals and illustrations from antique books.
บ้านตุ๊กตาบางกอกดอลล์ ถ.ราชปรารภ
madame tussauds
Madame tussauds [map4 / C4]
6th F, Siam Discovery Center Rama 1, Phaya Thai Rd BTS National Stadium | 02-658-0060 www.madametussauds.com/Bangkok/ 10 am – 9 pm | B 800 / B 600 kids / 15 % discount for online
Probably the best thing about Bangkok’s version of Europe's famous waxwork museum is the line-up – it’s clearly designed to keep tourists and locals alike snappy happy. About as common as international sporting legends, world leaders in sharp suits, pouting Hollywood A-listers, and sequined global pop stars here are wax likenesses of Thai and regional musicians, soap stars, sportsmen and women, famous monks, poets and statesmen. And once you’ve finished talking human rights with Aung San Suu Kyi, or admiring Angelina Jolie’s Khmer tattoo, there are lots of interactive games to stave off waxwork-fatigue too.
มาดามทุซโซ สยามดิสคัฟเวอรี่ ชั้น 6 MUSEUM OF COUNTERFEIT GOODS [MAP2 / E12]
26 F, Supalai Grand Tower Bldg Rama III Rd | BTS Surasak | 02-653-5555 www.tillekeandgibbins.com Mon – Fri 10 am – 4 pm / App. required for textile and computer collections In 1989, Thailand’s oldest international th
bangkokian MUSEUM [MAP5 / E3]
273 Charoen Krung Soi 43, Si Phraya Pier | 02-233-7027 Sat & Sun 10 am – 4 pm | free
Smack in the middle of Bangrak, one of the most traditional districts of the city, find this oasis of four traditional Thai houses, one of them lovingly converted into a private museum by the compound’s charming owner, Ms. Waraporn Surawadee. She decided to dedicate the place to the memory of her family and bygone daily life of Bangkok everymen – and open it to the public. While visitors shouldn’t expect breathtaking revelations here, the displays are nevertheless surprisingly fascinating. They include antiques, traditional household utensils and ceremonial items.
พิพิธภัณฑ์ชาวบางกอก ถ.เจริญกรุง 43 22 | november 2012
museum of siam
Museum of Siam [map7 / D13]
4 Samachai Rd | Rajini Pier 02-622-2599 | www.ndmi.or.th Tue – Sun 10 am – 6 pm | free
A truncated history of Thailand unfurls through this down-with-the-kids discovery museum, located in a beautifully restored former government building that dates back to the 1920s. Design company Story Inc! delivered the conceptual design, replacing the usual ‘don’t touch’ signs and dreary text with pop graphics and interactive games galore. Entertaining highlights include dressing up as a 20 th century nobleman, blowing up Burmese soldiers on elephant-back with a canon (a bit tasteless that one), and mapping out the borders of your own Siam using a touch screen. Tellingly, the place teems with the usually museum-shy – Thai teenagers. Afterwards, enjoy the open-sided corridors and elegant Renaissance-stylings of the building itself, which was designed by Italian architect Mario Tamagno.
พิพิธภัณฑ์การเรียนรู้แห่งชาติ ถ.สนามไชย THE NATIONAL MUSEUM [map7 / C6]
5 Chao Fa Rd, Sanam Luang 02-224-1333 | www.thailandmuseum.com Wed – Sun 9 am – 4 pm | B 200 | no photo
law firm, Tilleke & Gibbins, decided to convert their evidence of counterfeit goods into educational tools for law students. To help spread the word about the perils of buying fake it's open to Joe Public too. Over 3,500 items – from Ferrero Rocher chocolates to antimalarial tablets and a fake Ferrari motorbike – are neatly laid out, forgeries next to the originals. While its well off-the-beaten track location means it doesn't see too many drop-in visitors, it's an eye-opening experience, one that would make even the thriftiest market-goer think twice.
Previously a palace during the reign of Rama V, the National Museum features extensive displays of Thai artifacts from all of Old Siam's main historical periods, encompassing the Lanna, Ayutthaya and Sukhothai kingdoms up to the present day. Thai culture is well documented in sections on dance, music and drama. The first example of Thai literature and the Thai alphabet, inscribed by King Ramkhamhaeng on a black stone during the Sukhothai period, is also displayed. Free tours by the Natonal Museum Volunteers group are given in English, French, German and Japanese and take place on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 9:30 am.
พิพิธภัณฑ์สินค้าปลอมและเลียนแบบ ถ.พระราม 3
พิพิธภัณฑสถานแห่งชาติ ถ.เจ้าฟ้า ใกล้ท้องสนามหลวง bangkok101.com
RATTANAKOSIN EXHIBITION HALL [map7 / K7]
100 Ratchadamnoen Klang Rd, next to Wat Ratchanatda | 02-621-0044 www.nitasrattanakosin.com Tue – Fri 11 am – 8 pm; Sat, Sun & Holidays 10 am – 8 pm | B100
This multimedia museum a short walk from Khao San Road offers a skillfully abbreviated introduction to an area that many admire, but few truly understand: Rattanakosin Island, Bangkok’s glittering birthplace. Wandering its eleven rooms – free of relics but rich in models, dioramas, interactive videos, text and audio clips in Thai and English – brings the area’s hardto-fathom history, arts, communities, architecture and traditions into much clearer focus. One highlight is the room showcasing Thai performing arts; another sheds light on the trade specialities of local shophouse communities. Up on the fourth floor there's also an observation balcony from which you can peer out over the area you now have a more in-depth grasp of.
นิทรรศน์รัตนโกสินทร์ ถ.ราชดำ�เนินกลาง ROYAL BARGE MUSEUM [map7 / B4]
80/1 Rim Khlong Bangkok Noi, Arun Amarin Rd | Thonburi Railway Pier 02-424-0004 | 9 am – 5:00 pm B 30 / B100 photo / B 200 video
This collection of ornate royal barges, some of which are up to 50 metres long, is housed on the Thonburi side of the river in a series of elaborate sheds near the Pinklao Bridge. The barges are best seen in action during rare ceremonial processions on the Chao Phraya where the colourful crews can number up to 64, including rowers, umbrella holders, navigators and various musicians. Beautifully and ornately decorated, these magnificent long craft were completely renovated and restored to their former glory by the present King, who also commissioned the newest boat for his golden jubilee in 1996 .
พิพิธภัณฑ์เรือพระราชพิธี ถ.อรุณอมรินทร์
Royal Barge Museum bangkok101.com
SIRIRAJ MEDICAL MUSEUM [map7 / A7]
Siriraj Hospital | 2 Prannok Rd Thonburi Railway Pier 02-419-7000-6363 | www.si.mahidol.ac.th Mon – Sat 9 am – 4 pm | B 40
Located on the west bank of the river, in Thailand’s oldest and most prestigious hospital, the Siriraj Medical Museum is chiefly an educational facility where trainee medical students come to take notes and harden their stomachs. However, fans of the macabre can also pay a visit. Of its many chilling displays, far and away the most famous is the crisped cadaver of Si Ouey, Thailand’s notorious child killer, stood in a phone booth. Other stomach-churning exhibits include the mummified remains of murder victims, and deformed human foetuses embalmed in formaldehyde. Best come before lunch, just to err on the safe side.
พิพิธภัณฑ์การแพทย์ศิริราช ถ.พรานนก YAOWARAT CHINATOWN HERITAGE CENTRE [map6 / L3]
Wat Traimit, 661 Mittaphap Thai-China Rd, Charoen Krung Rd |MRT Hua Lamphong | 02-225-9775 |Tue – Sun 8 am – 4:30 pm | B100 / B140 incl. visit to the Golden Buddha
For Bangkok’s Thai-Chinese the story of how their forefathers fled here on leaking junk ships and rose to become an affluent and fully integrated force in Thai society is likely familiar, having been drip-fed to them over the years by their elders. But for the rest of us, the Chinatown Heritage Centre is the next best thing, presenting an engaging history of Bangkok’s Chinese community and their bustling focal point, Yaowarat. Highlights include recreations of a leaking junk ship and bustling street market, a miniature model of Yaowarat during its Golden Age, and a room commemorating the community’s high-achievers. It's located within Wat Traimit temple.
ศูนย์ประวัติศาสตร์เยาวราช ถ.มิตรภาพไทย-จีน
yaowarat heritage centre
out of town ANCIENT SIAM (MUANG BORAN) [map1 / F6]
296/1 Sukhumvit Rd Samut Prakan province | 02-709-1644 www.ancientcity.com B 500 / B 250 kids / B1,500 private guide in English for 2 hours
Samut Prakan province’s Ancient Siam crams reproductions of over a hundred of the Kingdom’s most venerable palaces, temples, stupas, stone sanctuaries and traditional houses into a huge map-ofSiam shaped plot of land only an hour’s drive from the capital. Don’t come expecting a tacky themepark. Its late founder, eccentric culture preservationist Prapai Viriyahbhun, demanded that every replica look and feel like the real thing. Teakwood, stone and brick abound; everything looks authentically aged; and amidst the scaled-down and life-size copies are lots of salvaged original buildings.
เมืองโบราณ จ.สมุทรปราการ THAI FILM MUSEUM [MAP1 / E5]
94 Moo 3 Bhuddhamonton Sai 5, Salaya Nakorn Pathom province www.nfat.org | 02-482-2013-15 Sat & Sun tours: 10 am, noon, 3 pm; Mon – Fri: by appointment | Free
The good folk at the National Film Archive of Thailand are fighting to preserve the country’s meager film heritage, whether it be by restoring ragged reels of 16mm film to their former glory, screening rare films in its cinematheque, or guiding anyone interested around their museum – for free. Thai film fiends will love inching around this nook-filled two-storey space modeled after the old Sri Krung film studio and filled with old cameras, projectors, props, costumes, posters and waxworks. Guides only speak Thai, so take a translator if possible.
พิพิธภัณฑ์ภาพยนตร์ไทย ถ.พุทธมนฑล สาย 5
ANCIENT SIAM november 2012 | 23
Sightseeing
parks – Flora LUMPINI PARK [map 8 / K,L 16]
Entrances on Rama IV, Sarasin, Witthayu and Ratchadamri Rd 5 am – 9 pm; cycling / skating 10 am – 3 pm free
The biggest and most popular slice of public space in Central Bangkok, Lumpini Park is 142 acres of trees and grass sewn together with wide, meandering concrete paths. Busy as soon as the sun rises and again around sunset, Bangkokians of every ilk take advantage of its relative cool and quiet to practice Tai Chi, do aerobics, hold hands or jog around the picturesque lakes. A surprising number of animals also like it here – from turtles and giant monitor lizards, to flocks of crows and the occasional stray cat. Activities include taking a Swanshaped pedal boat out onto the water for a quick spin and pumping iron at the outdoor gym, while live concert recitals and film screenings take place here during the cool season. There are entrances on each of its four sides, all of them open till 9pm, but the most impressive is the one at the corner of Rama IV Road and Ratchadamri Road, where a grand statue of King Rama VI stands sentinel.
bang krachao
Sukhumvit Soi 103, behind Seri Center Pravet | 02-328-1972 | 5:30am – 7 pm | B10
Next to the Phrom Phong BTS Skytrain station and Emporium shopping mall, this is a great place to escape the Sukhumvit rat race – amble around lakes, find shade under a tree, or admire modern Thai sculptures.
Bangkok's biggest park spans 200-acres and features a small museum dedicated to the King, set amongst pleasant botanical gardens with soothing water features.
Suan Rod Fai PARK [map 8 / M, n 1]
JATUJAK & QUEEN SIRIKIT PARKS [map 8 / M, N 1, 2]
Kamphaeng Phet 3 Rd | BTS Mo Chit / MRT Chatuchak Park | 02-537-9221 5 am – 9 pm | free
820 Phahonyothin Rd, Ladyao 02-272-4358 | 5 am – 6:30 pm | free
Also just north of JJ Market, this huge park has lots of open space and wild trees, plus a lotus pond, playground, basketball and tennis courts, and a butterfly garden (see opposite). Young locals flock here on weekends to hire a bike and cycle along its wide paths, and with prices for rental only B20 we highly recommend you copy them.
These two parks situated not far from the mayhem of the weekend market offer some much-needed respite. Jatujak Park hosts a collection of old railway engines and ancient automobiles. Nearby, Queen Sirikit Park has a botanical garden.
สวนจตุจักรและสวนสมเด็จพระนางเจ้าสิริกิติ์ ถ.พหลโยธิน จตุจักร
สวนรถไฟ ถ.กำ�แพงเพชร 3 จตุจักร
7
8
9
Sarasin
6 Radio Station
Lumpini Head Office
5
Raja
dam
ri
Glas House
Food Court
Elderly Center
k 7.56
Playground
Yaovarach Pavillon
Lumpini School
1
m
Youth Center
Aerobic
Bang Krachao, Phra Pradaeng, Samut Prakan | 02-461-097 6 am – 8 pm | Free
Octagon Pavillon
Lumpini Park
Lanna Thai Pavillon Library
Entertainment Building Lily Pond
4 Rama VI Statue
Silom
N
Thailand China Friendship Pavillon Lumpini Youth Center
JP
Lumpini Hall Chinese Pavillon
Indoor Stadium
Ram
a IV
Bodybuilding 3
Playground Clock Tower
20o ft 100 m
24 | november 2012
สวนหลวง ร.9 ถ.สุขุมวิท 103 (หลังพาราไดส์ พาร์ค) ประเวศ
สวนเบญจสิริ สุขุมวิท ซ.22 – ซ.24
BANG KRACHAO [map 1 / E 5]
บางกระเจ้า พระประแดง
RAMA IX ROYAL PARK [MAP 2 / K11]
Benjasiri park [map 3 / L 7]
Sukhumvit Rd, btw. Soi 22 / 24 BTS Phrom Pong | 5am-9pm
สวนลุมพินี เข้าได้ทาง ถ.พระราม 4 ถ.สารสิน ถ.วิทยุและ ถ.ราชดำ�ริ
It’s hard to believe that this oasis of lush orchards and mangroves is just opposite the concrete jungle of Klong Toey. Included within it is the 200-rai Suan Klang Central Park with a large pond where you can rent paddle boats for B30 . Or rent cycles for the same rate and ride a bike around the park then head down to the Bang Nam Pueng Floating Market.
Rama IX Royal Park
Witthayu
lumpini park
2
Lumphini
bangkok101.com
ROSE GARDEN RIVERSIDE (Suan Sampram) [map 1 / D5]
32 Phet Kasem Rd, Yai-Cha, Sampran, Nakhon Pathom Province | 03-432- 2544 www.rosegardenriverside.com 10 am – 4 pm | Garden B 50, Show B 500
Take an hour’s drive out from the city and explore this 70-acre property located beside the Ta Chine River, which includes a hotel resort, golf course, spa, organic farm and botanical gardens. The cultural shows here are as popular as the lush gardens.
โรสการ์เด้น ริเวอร์ไซด์ สวนสามพราน ถ.เพชรเกษม SARANROM PARK [map 7 / E 11]
Intersection of Rachini / Charoen Krung Rd Phra Nakhon | 5 am – 8 pm | free
This ‘green belt’ within the city is located opposite the Grand Palace, built in 1866 during the reign of Rama IV as a royal garden of the Saranrom Royal Palace. It is now a botanical garden and public park, featuring a glass house, and royal bugle pavilion.
สวนสราญรมย์ แยกราชินี ถ.เจริญกรุง
parks – Fauna BANGKOK BUTTERFLY GARDEN & insectarium [map 8 / M2]
Suan Rot Fai Park | Kamphaeng Phet 3 Rd BTS Mo Chit / MRT Chatuchak Park 02- 272-4359 | Tue – Sun & Holidays 8:30 am – 4:30 pm | free
This dome-enclosed sanctuary not from JJ Market houses over 500 species of butterflies fluttering freely in the mazes of the landscaped gardens, with their wild flowers, canopied benches, ponds and waterfalls. Besides butterfly watching, visitors can picnic or rent a bicycle for around B 30. It's located within Suan Rot Fai Park, a great big park with open spaces as well as lotus ponds, playgrounds, and basketball and tennis courts.
อุทยานผีเสื้อและแมลงกรุงเทพฯ สวนรถไฟ ถ.กำ�แพงเพชร จตุจักร
DUSIT ZOO [map 8 / F 8]
71 Rama V Rd, opposite Chitralada Palace 02-281-2000 | 8 am – 6 pm | B100 / B 50 kids
The city’s main zoo, situated to the north of Rattanakosin, is home to a large selection of mammals, reptiles and other animals. There’s also a lake with paddle boats, and playgrounds that the kids can run wild in.
สวนสัตว์ดุสิต ถ.พระราม 5 QUEEN SAOVABHA MEMORIAL INSTITUTE (SNAKE FARM) [map 5 / K 4]
1871 Rama IV Rd, Henri Dunant BTS Sala Daeng / MRT Silom | 02-25201614-120 | Mon – Fri 8:30 am – 4 pm, Sat & Sun 9:30 am – 12 pm (shows at 11am & 2:30 pm) | B 200
Mainly developing antidotes to poisonous snake bites, this research facility is open to the public. There’s an informative slide show followed by displays of live venom extraction.
สถานเสาวภา (สวนงู) ถ.พระราม 4 สภากาชาดไทย SAMPHRAN ELEPHANT GROUND & ZOO [map 1 / D 5]
Petkasem Rd km 30, Samphan Nakhon Pathom Province | 02-295-2938 | www.elephantshow.com 8:30 am – 5:30 pm | B 600/ B 350 kids
Apart from The Elephant Theme Show, watch the Crocodile Wrestling Show or ride on an elephant’s back through the tropical gardens and waterfalls.
ลานแสดงช้างและฟาร์มจระเข้สามพราน ถ.เพชรเกษม สามพราน SIAM OCEAN WORLD [map 4 / D4]
BI F, Siam Paragon | 991 Rama 1 Rd 02-687-2001 | www.siamoceanworld.com 10 am – 7 pm | B 900 / 700 kids
One of Asia's biggest aquariums. If you're not put off by the dual-pricing policy (we are, quite frankly), there’s fun to be had inside, with 8 m high tanks, glass tunnels to walk through, and shark-feeding shows.
muay thai Thai boxing or Muay Thai is very popular in Bangkok with most major bouts held at either the Lumphini or Ratchadamnoen stadiums. This brutal but graceful martial art has been practised in Thailand for centuries. Past Kings are reported to have been champion fighters and one, King Naresuan, introduced the sport as part of military training in the 16th century. Due to the high incidence of deaths during combat, the sport was banned in the 1920s but reintroduced soon after under the more safety-conscious Queensbury rules. Bouts consist of three five minute rounds during which the fighters use every part of the body (except the head) to bludgeon the opponent into defeat. Before the bout begins, a graceful and mesmerising ritual dance named ram muay is performed by both fighters to placate the spirits and show respect to the art and its teachers. Bouts are extremely boisterous, noisy affairs and should be witnessed for the spectacle alone. Be warned though, this isn’t the WWF and the blows are hard hitting and real. Another sore point (albeit a figurative rather than literal one) that puts off some: the price to watch a fight for foreigners is five or six times what the locals pay. Lumpini boxinG Stadium
Rama IV Rd | MRT Lumphini 02-251-4303; 02-252-8765 Fights Tue & Fri 6:30 pm – 10:30 pm; Sat 5 pm – 8 pm; 8:30 pm – midnight B1,000 / B1,500 / B 2,000
สนามมวยลุมพินี ถ.พระราม 4 Ratchadamnoen Stadium
Ratchadamnoen Nok Avenue 02-281-4205; 02-280-1684-6 Fights Mon, Wed, Thu 6:30 pm – 11 pm, Sun 5 pm – 8 pm; 8:30 pm – midnight B1,000 / B1,500 / B 2,000
เวทีมวยราชดำ�เนิน ถ.ราชดำ�เนิน
สยามพารากอน ถ.พระราม 1
Dusit zoo bangkok101.com
Samphran Elephant Ground
Siam Ocean World november 2012 | 25
Sightseeing
day trip
Koh Si Chang W
hen we first set foot on this 18km island gem we were astonished. Here’s an island, only 100km southeast of Bangkok, that’s friendly, unspoilt and hasn’t sold its soul to mass tourism. “It cannot be!” cried we. But it is. Chonburi province’s Koh Si Chang is an easy, one and-a-half hour sprint down Highway 7 away – and it’s wonderful. However, don’t come here expecting white sandy beaches and madcap parties packed with wildeyed Swedes. Koh Phangan this ain’t. Here is a weekend escape where Bangkok city slickers come to mellow out amidst pretty reminders of the King Rama V-era (this was his beachy retreat before it was deemed too vulnerable to marauding modern navies back in the late 1800s), venerable Chinese temples and the fishing community who still park their dinky trawlers here.
26 | november 2012
bangkok101.com
Tsang’s famous Monkey, Kuan Yin or King Chulalongkorn. The views, down onto the township below, are stunning, even more so if you climb the 500 or so steps up to the gazebo containing a replica of the Buddha’s Footprint. Five minutes from here, but on the other side of the island, is the very picturesque Chong Khao Kaad lookout. Here, the cool and briny sea breezes, saw-toothed cliffs meandering off into the distance, and carpet of glinting blue ocean laid out before you are guaranteed to seal your affection for Koh Si Chang (hint to wily entrepreneurs: open a stall here selling “I Love Koh Si Chang” T-shirts and you’ll sell a container shipload). As mentioned, King Rama V also loved Koh Si Chang. So much so, in fact, that he built a summer residence here and named it Chuthathut Palace. The original structure, the Vimanmek Mansion, was moved to Bangkok around 1900, but strolling amid the century-old frangipani trees and palace buildings that remain is still a delight. Within these grounds is also a white stupa, Wat Atsadangnimit, notable both for its curious conical shape and interior chamber which King Rama V used to meditate in – and a series of garden paths and staircases leading down to Hat Tha Wang, a surprisingly clear stretch of ocean with a long, European style jetty – a great spot for a splash.
Getting here is simple. Ferries depart Si Chang Pier in Si Ratcha town hourly, the sun-hat wearing crowds gingerly hopping starboard to grab seats. Join them and soon enough you’re speeding across the Gulf of Thailand, passing precarious looking fishing vessels and monster freight ships, reminders that this is one of Thailand’s busiest shipping lanes. Forty-five minutes later and your boat slinks up to Than Laang Pier. Fringed by fishing trawlers, and a sprawling old harbour town, here you’ll find your wheels for the day: either a moped or samlor, a sort of beefy tuk-tuk that can carry up to 5 people. We recommend the latter. The ring road that traverses the island is quite bumpy. And for only B250 a local driver will safely navigate it for you for the day, drop you off at all the must-sees, pop off to do the same for others, then nip back when you’re done. Don’t miss the multi-level Wat Saan Chao Phor Khao Yai. Smothered across a steep hillside, this rambling and august Chinese temple is one of the first things you see – and hear– from the ferry. Supplicants come to festoon its fabled cave shrines with sticks of incense and set off firecrackers to rouse their attendants, be it the hill’s father spirit, Hsuan bangkok101.com
Finish up at Hat Tham Phang, a cute sandy cove where you can chill in a shady deck-chair and munch on seafood – unsurprisingly, a specialty here – or hire a kayak, snorkeling set or rubber ring and go find Nemo for an hour or two. Should you be overcome by the urge to stay the night – and, with more to discover on the island, you wouldn’t be the first – here you can also rent yourself a cheap bungalow. Alternatively, you can kip in a boat turned bungalow at Rim Talay Resort, or, if it’s the ascetic life you’re after, deny yourself at Tham Yai Phrik Vipassana, a monastery famed for its limestone meditation caves.
accomodation Rim Talay Resort 170/22 Moo 7, Koh Lan, Chonburi |082-714-4233 www.kohlarnrimtalayresort.com Sichang View Resort 91 M00 6, Sichang, Chonburi | 038-216-210, 086-555-6578 www.sichangview.com Tham Yai Phrik Vipassana 47 Moo 2, Sichang, Chonburi | 03-821-6104
getting there
By Car: Highway No 7. At the Chonburi bypass follow the signs to Highway No 3 and travel south to Si Racha town. Turn right at sign to Samitivej Si Racha Hospital and follow until you reach a roundabout. Turn right, drive along the causeway to Koh Looy, park and board a ferry. Boats leave every hour between 7am-8pm. B100 each way. november 2012 | 27
t r av e l
28 | november 2012
bangkok101.com
upcountry now!
travel | x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
Changland words and photo by Dave Stamboulis
November 17-18: the Surin Elephant Roundup The town of Surin is a sleepy provincial capital of some 40,000 folks with one main street and a decent night market, and not a major tourist destination. However, on the third weekend of every November, the city roars to life with the arrival of the annual Elephant Roundup. In Ban Tha Klang, a small village some 60 kilometres from Surin, elephants have been raised and trained for ages by their mahouts, members of the Kui tribe, originally coming from Cambodia. Famed for capturing, domesticating, and training wild elephants, the Kui have taught the animals to become providers, work companions and lifelong friends. Elephants were traditionally used in battle, and the Elephant Roundup, which has been held since 1960, features the mighty beasts showing off some of their talents and prowess, not to mention often humorous sides. The main events take place on Saturday and Sunday mornings at the Elephant Stadium, where the big changs start off by doing acrobatic stunts, playing basketball, and painting t-shirts, amongst other novelties. As the morning heats up, the elephants engage in football and polo competitions, with a lot of betting and general hooting and hollering going on from the much appreciating spectators who line both sides of the field. Lighter antics include clown performances, and stunts like an “us versus elephant� tug of war, in which thirty or forty of Surin’s strongest young men take on a single elephant in a tug of war (needless to say, the elephants always win!). Following the fun stuff, the roundup then offers a chance to see mahouts tending their charges, washing them down, feeding them, and performing traditional ceremonies like phi pakarn, a ritual done to fend off danger during roundups of wild elephants. As elephants were a vital part of ancient warfare, the grand finale of the festival involves elaborately crafted mock battles in full traditional costume, with elephants leading the respective armies into their forays. Just as appealing as the festival itself are the accompanying celebrations. Residents of Isaan are famed for their hospitality and one will invariably be invited for shots of whiskey, baskets of sticky rice, and maybe even offered a few fried bugs, which are a big hit and local specialty in the central market. bangkok101.com
Travel Tips
The main event will take place at Si Narong Stadium from about 8:30am until 11. Tickets for the festival are priced at B300, B500 and B1,000, and can be reserved in advance, a good option if wanting the better grandstand seats (Surin Provincial Office, 04-451-2039 or 04-452-1360 for reservations and other information).
Getting There
Surin is reached by either train or bus from Bangkok (about 7-8 hours) and around B350-B700 baht by bus (depending on the company and type of bus), and maybe an hour longer and a bit cheaper by train. Getting around Surin is easy, as most of the town can be navigated on foot, although there will likely be an elephant and mahout on every corner eagerly waiting to give you a lift.
Stay
Often booked way in advance, the festival is a huge draw amongst Thais and foreigners. The Thong Tarin Hotel (60 Th. Surirat | 04-4514281 | www.thongtarinhotel. com), has rooms from B2,300. november 2012 | 29
t r av e l
upcountry now!
■■Phimai Festival The well-preserved Khmer ruins of Northeast Thailand’s Phimai Historical Park predate Cambodia’s world famous Angkor Wat and may, some scholars believe, have served as a model for its construction. Head here in the evenings over this weekend and you’ll find long-tail boat races, a light and sound show and handicraft sales taking place in the shadow of these 28-metre high sandstone ruins. Prasat Hin Phimai, to give its full name, is about one hour by bus from the main bus station in Korat (Nakhon Ratchasima).
■■Khao Sok Exploration with Thom Henley Chic eco-retreat the Thanyamundra has teamed up with worldrenowned naturalist, adventurer and author Thom Henley to blaze new trails into Khao Sok National Park. Over 3 nights and 4 days, guests will journey into the heart of this mist-shrouded wonderland, which is older than the Amazon and a treasure trove of biodiversity. Kayaking, dawn safaris and hikes in search of the rafflesia, one of the world’s biggest flowers, are just some of the activities lined up. The all inclusive package starts from B87,500 and includes three nights at the Thanyamundra (and the fourth in a floating raft house). Call 076336-000 or email reservations@thanyamundra.com for more. November
9-11
10-14
November 1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
November
17-18 ■■ A weekend in Chiang Rai province The Siam Society’s latest illuminating study trip is a weekend outing to the northernmost province of Chiang Rai. Under the stewardship of Khun James Stent, the chairman of the organisation’s Siamese Heritage Protection Program, you’ll visit temples, museums and other sites of interest, including the ruins of the Chiang Saen Kingdom, which are scattered throughout the town of the same name. The price of the trip, B14,550 per person, includes flights, four meals, entrance fees and accommodation. Contact Khun Prasert or Khun Ekkarin on 02-661-6470 or ekkarin@siam-society.org for more.
30 | november 2012
November
23-25
■■Thailand International Balloon Festival Tens of thousands flock to this annual festival to see hot air balloons drift up and away over some pretty corner of the country. Following on from past installments in Pak Chong, Ayuthaya and Nakorn Nayok, this year’s hopes to attract similar numbers to Chiang Mai with three days of paper balloon building workshops, kite flying, fire shows and live music. Thai-Russian-British singer Hugo will headline on the closing day. Tickets are B100 and the bucolic setting the Chiang Mai Gymkhana Golf Club, which is a short drive south of the city. www.thailandballoonfestival.com
bangkok101.com
■■Lopburi Monkey Banquet On the last Sunday each November, the townsfolk of Lopburi town say thanks to their 3,000 strong long-tailed macaque population for all the tourist dollars they attract with a vegetarian banquet that attracts, you guessed it, lots of tourist dollars. Resembling the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, this chaotic free-for-all takes place around the spectacular three-spired Phra Prang Sam Yot temple and usually attracts around 10,000 onlookers. The temple, a beautiful Buddhist shrine that was converted from a 13th century Hindu temple, is on Vichayen Road, about 200 metres from the railway station.
■■Loy Kratong Craft a tiny krathong (lantern) made of banana-tree trunk. Adorn it with flowers, joss sticks, candles and perhaps even a coin. Then set it adrift into the nearest stream or river and float away the troubles of the past year. These are the basics of Loy Krathong. Add thousands of rapt participants, food, the obligatory Miss Loy Krathong beauty pageant and you have Thailand’s most beguiling festival. Some of the prettiest locales to enjoy this ancient nighttime tradition of Indian Brahmin origin include the old capital, Sukhothai. Others include Chiang Mai City, which puts an aerial spin on proceedings by launching khom loy, or Lanna-style floating lanterns, into the heavens; and remote Tak province, where locals float coconut shells down the Mae Ping River. November
25
28
November
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
November
November
December
29-10
■■Silk and Phuk Seow Festival Learn everything you wanted to know about weaving and sericulture at this annual event up in Khon Kaen province. Booths and exhibitions in front of city hall will detail the process of harvesting silk and turning it into beautiful lustrous patterns unique to the northeast, such as mud mee. You will also be able to purchase silk goods, watch large street parades and partake in the phuk seow ritual, a Northeastern friendship-making tradition that entails having string tied around your wrist.
bangkok101.com
31
December
30-1
■■Stone Free Music Festival II According to their website, Thai indie label “Panda Records is on a mission to spread music from the underground through DIY aesthetics, staying leagues away from the influences of money and business.” This philosophy has clearly fed into its spin-off music festival, Stone Free. Now in its second year, this two day, two night event will feature a string of indie hipster bands performing in a setting where the music is amplified, not by some big sound system, but the stone cliff walls of the canyon it’s held in. The location is Soi Wat Nhongkrin out in Saraburi and the price (for the first 1,000 early bird tickets) B500. www.facebook.com/stonefreefest
nov em ber 2012 | 31
t r av e l
hotel deals
Until Nov 30
■■Free Nights at Starwood Properties Starwood Hotels and Resorts www.starwood-ap.com/freenights
Book a two or three night stay at any of twenty-five Starwood properties in Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia, and the hotel brand will throw in a free night in return. Stays can be anytime from now until the end of March. Alternatively, there is also an option to save 20% when you book two consecutive nights. See the website above for the full list of participating properties and terms and conditions.
■■Thai Residents’ Offer
Until Dec 19
Moevenpick Resort Bangtao Beach Phuket 35 Moo 4, Cherngtalay, Thalang Phuket | 076-310-400 www.moevenpick-hotels.com/phuket-bangtao
Thai residents and expats are being offered special rates at Phuket Island’s spacious Moevenpick Resort Bangtao Beach until late December. A two bedroom residence is going for B5,440 net per night, and a two bedroom pool suite room for B8,000 net a night. Breakfast for up to four people and Wi-Fi is included in the package, but note, you must book for a minimum stay of two nights and in advance.
■■Winter Package
Until Dec 24
U Chiang Mai 70 Ratchadamnoen Road, Sri-Poom Muang District, Chiang Mai | 053-327-000 www.uhotelsresorts.com/uchiangmai
The U Chiang Mai, a boutique hotel in the old town, is offering two winter season packages. The ‘U Discovery Package’ includes guided walks, community activities and weekly heritage talks; the ‘U Spa Package’ offers you either a traditional Thai or classical Swedish massage. Both packages start from B6,180++ per night in a superior, and B7,180++ in a deluxe. “Whenever/wherever” breakfast is included.
■■Be My Hotel package
Until Dec 25
Dune Hua-Hin 5/5 Naebhark Road, Hua Hin | 081-815-5789 www.dunehuahin.com The Dune Hua-Hin Hotel is a small cozy beachside hotel with only five rooms. Its ‘Be My Hotel’ package (B24,000 per night weekdays, B26,000 weekends) is basically an invitation to invade the place: fill its two superiors, two deluxes and single suite with your family or gang of friends. Breakfast is included, as is two bottles of Prosecco, dinner for ten people, Wi-Fi and a 10-20% discount on food, beverage and wine.
■■Adults Only Retreat Package
Until Oct 31 2013
akyra Chura Samui 99/9 Moo 2 Chaweng Beach, Bophut, Koh Samui | 02-5148112 www.theakyra.com If you are looking for a chic (and quiet) romantic retreat, the akyra Chura Samui could be for you, as from this month it’s the first ‘adults only’ resort (no children under 12) on Chaweng Beach. Marking the romantic relaunch, this five night package includes return transfers from Samui airport, a 90 minute massage, BBQ dinner, and a trip of the island with guide. The price, B34,825, is for two people.
On Going
■■adventure package
Thanyamundra Khlong Sok, Phanom, Surat Thani | 076-336-000 www.thanyamundra.com
Nine-suite boutique resort the Thanyamundra, which overlooks the mist-covered mountains and karsts of Surathani’s famous Khao Sok National Park, is offering a two night adventure package. Starting from B22,000, it includes accommodation, breakfast, dinner, airport transfers, and a half day trek into the park’s rainforest, which is older than the Amazon. Also included is a tour of the on-site organic farm. 32 | nov em ber 2012
bangkok101.com
bangkok101.com
november 2012 | 33
t r av e l
beach escape
Barefoot on Koh Kradan
Words and photos by Leon Schadeberg (Rex Features)
S
ometimes you want your beach to have all the touristy trimmings. And sometimes you just want a beach with barely a soul in sight. Koh Kradan, a pristine island located off Trang province’s coastline, marooned in the Andaman Sea, ticks the latter box. An island with no ATM’s, no villages, no shops and no roads, Koh Kradan has few, if any, of the creature comforts of better known islands, but does have one thing in abundance: beauty. With stunning white sand tracing its eastern shoreline, it is without doubt the most beautiful of all the islands in this region, a fact that goes some way to explaining why it is the location for much publicised underwater weddings every Valentine’s Day. Koh Kradan is just one of the many islands located within Hat Chao Mai National Park, which has been in existence since 1981 and is widely considered by environmental types to be one of the most scenic and unspoilt regions of the country. Most of its 600 acres fall within the jurisdiction of the park, the rest privately owned rubber and coconut plantations.
34 | november 2012
Exploring this interior, which like many of its neighbours is home to much wildlife, some of it endangered, has its appeal for some. But Koh Kradan’s beach is without doubt its best asset, as it’s one of the few in Thailand with an amazing underwater world, a full-on reef, close enough to explore. The crystal-clear water is perfect for snorkelling, with myriad breeds of colourful fish darting in and out of the coral reefs. You can also jump into a sea kayak and head to the west side of the island, where more isolated beaches await you, or wander along the path to Sunset Beach to enjoy the sunset over the Andaman Sea. Some island dwellers even opt to swim around the whole island. Otherwise, this is just a place to do, well, nothing really. Read a bestseller or three. Tie your hammock to your bungalow poles. Hop in and drift off to the sound of the emerald waters lapping at the white, powdery beach. Stare out to the horizon of endless blue by day; gaze up dreamily into the dark starlit sky by night.
bangkok101.com
As for places to stay, there are resorts scattered along the beach, but for the full-on, old-school, barefoot traveler vibe we recommend Kradan Island Resort. Tucked away at the north of the island facing a private white sand beach and crystal clear water, it’s a spot that brings to mind Thailand’s seaside back in the 1970s and 80’s, a time when the beach itself, not some overly designed and pricey hotel, was the destination. As rustic as it is simple, you won’t find a choice of deluxes or suites with private infinity pools. Some slick, sleek boutique hotel that costs a small fortune this most certainly is not. What you will find are 11 bamboostitch bungalows, all facing the beach and set under swaying coconut palms. Just behind these are the family bungalows, again all facing the beach and sea, only with two floors, some with a balcony on the higher level. For the serious beach budgeter, there are also a few bungalows at the back with shared outside bathrooms. The rooms and interiors are where things get truly basic. They consist of nothing more than a mattress, stretching across the room, a bed, a bedsheet and a mosquito net. A few pictures on the wall complete the interior decoration. But you don’t come to Kradan Island Resort to stay inside the room. Here, most of the inaction happens outside. Simple but satisfying Thai food is served at its sea-view restaurant – a popular chill-out spot at sunset. And the resorts friendly owners, Bill and Noo, even run cooking classes for those who fancy themselves as chefs. Tours around the island and to other idyllic spots, such as the Emerald Cave on Koh Muk or the nearby island of Koh Ngai, can also be arranged.
getting there
From Bangkok you can fly or catch a train or bus to Trang (note, if coming by train will need to go via Surathani). From Trang, head to Kuan Thunggu Pier by mini-van. From there a ferry to Koh Muk leaves every day at 11am. There you can arrange a pick-up to Koh Kradan. Another pier near Trang is Pak Meng. In the high season you can catch a boat direct to Koh Kradan from here, the journey time only 90 minutes. If you are on one of the islands like Phuket, Koh Phi Phi, Koh Lanta or even on one further south like Koh Lipe, Koh Libong, there is a Tigerline boat service. Stay
Kradan Island Resort 08-882-13723 (English), 08-738-23058 (Thai & English) | www.kohkradanislandresort.com | kradanresort@ gmail.com | High season (Dec-April) B700-B2,400, low season (May-Nov) B400-1,800 bangkok101.com
november 2012 | 35
t r av e l
over the border
The Streets of Semarang
Central Java’s oft-overlooked provincial capital teems with Dutch colonial heritage, discovers Luc Citrinot
C
entral Java. The name sounds like a promise, conjuring up powerful images.
There’s Borobudur temple, Southeast Asia’s oldest Buddhist sacred site. There’s Prambanan, Java’s largest Hindu temple, rising proudly in the sky, despite being shaken by a terrible earthquake in 2006. There’s the still active Merapi Volcano, its last eruption back in 2010, and also the royal city of Yogyakarta, with its old town centered around Keraton, the residence of Indonesia’s last stillfunctioning Sultanate. And then, finally, at Central Java’s northernmost tip, there is Semarang – probably the most unknown destination in the province, despite being the regional capital. 36 | nov em ber 2012
bangkok101.com
At first glance, Semarang, with its population of 1.5 million inhabitants, hills covered by woods and uncongested city centre, looks rather pleasant. And some time spent exploring confirms it: Semarang is heaven for travelers out to embrace Central Java in its utmost authenticity, especially those with a yen for colonial-era architecture. Founded in the 9th century, it grew only from 1678, when Sultan Amangkurat II promised to hand over the city to the Dutch East India Company (VOC) as part of a debt settlement. In 1705, Semarang became an official VOC city with the Dutch taking control of the city’s development. Trade developed rapidly due to Semarang’s position along Java Sea’s northern coast. Soon Semarang was a major colonial trading centre, not to mention Java’s third largest urban centre, right after Batavia (Jakarta) and Surabaya. The arrival of Java’s first rail link in around 1865 only cemented the economic boom. And by the late 19th century, the trade in agricultural products, tobacco, garments and furniture had attracted not only Javanese, Malay, Europeans and Arabs but also the Chinese. These days, Semarang’s cosmopolitan life is still largely reflected in Kota Lama, the old town (also known as ‘Little Holland’). Following a rigorous Dutch urban pattern and surrounded by a murky canal, it remains one of the best preserved colonial towns in Indonesia. To those who take the time to look, the area is akin to an open-air book itching to reveal its secrets. In one corner you might stumble across a film crew, there to capture the old charm of its
bangkok101.com
streets lined by buildings blending European, Chinese and Javanese styles. In another some locals sitting around a half collapsed old building, nattering over coffee or preparing their fighting cocks for the next bout. Like in many other Indonesian cities, Kota Lama, which spans some 31 hectares, has been neglected over the years as development takes hold. For example, despite being of exceptional architectural value, buildings such as the ‘Marba’, with its red-brick façade, and ‘De Spiegel’, with its Art Nouveau ornaments, are in a wretched condition. Indeed, only a few structures appear to have been restored: the Blenduk Gereja, Indonesia’s oldest church dating back to 1753, for example. Outside, it has a huge dome ( blenduk in Javanese) and classical portico. Inside it, sits a unique, baroque-style organ. Facing it is the Art Deco style Nilmij building, with its smart white façade courtesy of the current tenant: an insurance company. Meanwhile, just a few steps away from the crumbling “De Spiegel”, art collector Chris Dhamawan moved his Contemporary Art Gallery to an old colonial building with a courtyard in 2008. The gallery – located at Taman Srigunting Street no 5-6 – promotes local artists. Though you could argue that the rotting condition of many of the buildings adds to the nostalgic feeling of the place, there is clearly an urgent need to preserve what can still be saved. Currently, only 80 of the 105 buildings listed as worth preserving are inhabited; and only last year two of them collapsed under the effects of humidity. There is some cause for optimism, though: earlier this year the
november 2012 | 37
t r av e l municipal government announced plans to turn Kota Lama into a pedestrian area and promote it as a heritage tourist destination. The old town is not the only attraction in Semarang. During my flâneur-like strolls I also come across other heritage buildings. Tawang Rail Station, on the outskirts of the old town, is a tribute to the important role played by rail in Semarang’s rise to prosperity. The Art Nouveau style station still retains mosaics, rail symbols and its grand chandeliers in the main hall. Even more spectacular is the Lawang Sewu Building, another Semarang icon. Facing the Tugu Muda monument and city hall, it used to be the administration headquarters of the Dutch East India Railways. Nothing was too beautiful for this building commissioned by a Dutch architect back in 1903. Two Roman-style towers, multicolour stained glass, arcades and supposedly thousands of windows and doors (in Javanese lawang means door, and sewu thousand) make it one of the most striking architectural confections of the Dutch-era. A fine example of what can be achieved, the building was fully renovated last year and reopened as a museum to the public.
Getting there Indonesian carrier Garuda will add a third daily flight from Bangkok to Jakarta from December 1. From there you can take a swift, 50 minute flight from Jakarta Soekarno Hatta International Airport to Semarang. STAY Many international hotels are available including four-star properties such as Hotel Santika Premiere, the Novotel, Hotel Horison Semarang or Grand Candi. Hotel Ibis or Quest Aston Semarang are two first class properties. EAT Semarang is well known among the Indonesian for its Chinese delicacies. Lumpia (spring rolls) are so popular than in Pandanaran Street, dozens of sellers along the pavement sell bags of this bamboo-cooked delicacy SHOP All the ubiquitous modern brands are available in Semarang but more unique items include traditional batik and jamu (medicinal herbal teas). Head to traditional markets such as Pasar Johar, Pasar Gang Baru, Pasar Jatingaleh and Pasar Jati. EXPLORE Outside of Semarang, this is a land of lush tea or coffee plantations, where lost temples sit at the tip of lush hills, and male dancers in villages enter a trance when performing the Jaran Kepang, a dance performed on rattan horses. The following are worth seeking out if you have time: the temples of Gedung Songo and Borobudur; Demak Mosque (the oldest of its kind in Indonesia); the Losari Coffee Plantation (a resort in a former colonial estate); and the Ambawara Rail Museum, housed in a former old station. 38 | november 2012
bangkok101.com
ARTS & C u lt u r e
yin at Serindia Gallery 40 | november 2012
bangkok101.com
A R T s & culture | E x hibitions
Arts & Culture If there’s only one exhibition you catch this month, make it Very Thai. On display on the paved pedestrian area in front of Zen Department Store (4/5 Rajdamri Road) are large format pictures inspired by and taken from the eponymous book on everyday Thai culture that we serialise each month. They will be there until early December (and if you can’t make it, there’s always our feature about the imminent new edition; p.50). Other exhibitions worth seeking out include Dao Paoviman’s first Bangkok solo exhibition, which moves from Jam Café to Thonglor’s BKK Art House. In it, 3-D glasses will apparently whisk you to an intoxicating alternate realm. Elsewhere, two Japanese artists are helping Artery Post-Modern celebrate its 7 th anniversary; sculptor Tawatchai Puntusawasdi is channeling Marco Polo’s explorative spirit at Numthong Gallery; and four Burmese artists are exploring the country’s changing political landscape at Thavibu. Later on this month, the Jim Thompson House Art Centre (6 Soi Kasemsan 2, Rama 1 Rd, 02-612-6741, www.jimthompsonhouse.com) will also unleash the next in a stream of group shows. A reprise of a concept that first took place at Ver Gallery in 2009, Safe Place in the Future will explore the notion of a safe place within contemporary society. Those with a bent for arthouse cinema are also all in luck this month, as there are two film festivals, the Dutch Film Festival and the World Film Festival (see p.6 & 12). bangkok101.com
november 2012 | 41
ARTS & C u lt u r e
exhibition highlights Farewell to the Sarong
RMA INSTITUTE [MAP3/L7] 238 Soi Sainamthip 2, Sukhumvit 22 I 02-663-0809 I 11am-7pm I www.rmainstitute.net
Until Nov 11
Teddy Spha Palasthira’s nostalgic series of twenty-nine photographs are meant to convince us of the romance of the sarong. Unlike mini-skirts, bikinis, Levis and Armani, he believes that these indigenous wraps of fabric are flattering to the female form, enhancing the beauty of the face and lending women an air of sexual mystique.
The Omedeto
ARTERY POST-MODERN GALLERY [MAP5/D5] 2/2 Soi Silom 19, Silom Rd | 02-635-3133 | Mon-Sat 9am-7pm, Sun by Appointment | www.arterybangkok.com I BTS Surasak
Nov 1 – 30
Artery celebrates its seventh anniversary with an exhibition by two Japanese artists and an opening night party featuring Japanese and Thai live music and DJs. The optical art- style of QOTAROO and ArihiruA’s staged photographs reflect their entrenchment in Japanese underground culture, with QOTAROO organising and promoting dance party events, while Arihirua is a fashion stylist and back-up singer.
Marco Polo
Numthong Gallery at Aree [MAP8/L7] 72/3 Aree 5 (North), Phahonyothin Soi 7 Rd | 02-617-2794, 081918-5067 | www.gallerynumthong.com | BTS Aree
Nov 3 – 24
In sculptor Tawatchai Puntusawasdi’s asymmetric world physical reality and visual perception are measured in a delicate equilibrium. Laden with a hint of nostalgia, his earlier sculptural structures evoked the ancient crumbling architectural ruins of the abandoned kingdoms that dot the Thai countryside. In his latest exhibition Tawatchai looks to the pioneering explorative spirit of adventurer Marco Polo in challenging established perceptions of the world.
42 | november 2012
bangkok101.com
The Desiring Garden
KATHMANDU PHOTO GALLERY [MAP5/E5] 87 Soi Pan, Silom Rd | 02-234-6700 | Tue-Sun 11am7pm | www.kathmandu-bkk.com l BTS Chong Nonsi
Nov 3 - Dec 27
Produced within intensely urban Hanoi, Jamie Maxtone-Graham’s images prey on perceptions of the exotic. Inspired by Rousseau, the portraits feature people in fairytale-like manufactured garden environments made up of indigenous flowers, fruit, vegetables and animals and located within a small area of green city space.
Beyond Burma
Thavibu Gallery [MAP5/D5] Suite 308, Silom Galleria F3, 919/1 Silom Rd, Soi 19 | 02-266-5454 | Mon-Sat 11am-7pm |www.thavibu.com l BTS Surasak
Nov 10 – Dec 8
In 2009 Thavibu recruited Shireen Naziree to curate an exhibition of Burmese media and performance art entitled Speaking Alone. The four-artist exhibition looked at contemporary Burmese art practice within the context of isolationism under the country’s military rule. In Beyond Burma, Naziree returns with two previous exhibitors, Phyu Mon and Nyein Chan Su, who together with Phyoe Kyi, Kaung Su and San Minn, look at the deeper implications of the country’s changing political landscape.
YIN
Serindia Gallery [MAP5/b4] OP Garden, Unit 3101, 3201, 4-6 Soi Charoen Krung 36 | 02238-6410 | Tue-Sun 11am-8pm I serindiagallery@gmail.com
Until Dec 16
To counter the apparent ‘yang’ energy of their previous exhibitions, Serindia’s final presentation of the year focuses on the ‘yin’ force in Japanese photographer Kenro Izu’s still life platinum prints. Based in the U.S., the fine art photographer sets his viewfinder upon classic subject matter, namely botanic detailing, as well as the female nude.
{
}
Enjoy these highlights from our sister publication the Bangkok Art Map. BAM is a free city map containing insights into Thailand's blossoming art scene. www.bangkokartmap.com
bangkok101.com
november 2012 | 43
ARTS & C u lt u r e
profile
channelling the brazilian spirit: Cecê Nobre
S
tand in front of one of Cece Nobre’s paintings and you immediately enter his energetic, indigenous world. A rising figure on the city’s burgeoning street art scene, this Bangkok-based Brazilian uses his awareness of different cultural conflicts, tribal and tattoo motifs, unorthodox spray paint techniques, and various artistic mediums to express his style. His paintings are overwhelmingly spray painted, and the tones full of vibrancy. He is quick at using tropical colors to give the background a strong visual impact. The feeling is natural and straightforward. Although he comes from a multi-cultural background and owes his style to many diverse cultures, also hard to miss in his work is a strong sense of identity and belonging. He refers to his art as part of the ‘Quilombo’ movement, which looks to the indigenous cultures of the Americas, Africa and Asia. He intent is to help renew the spirit of lost tribal identity and to reinvigorate their culture. The intent of this movement, as he sees it, is to evolve and save the culture, art and beauty that has disappeared or become lost in the fog of globalisation. The basis for this style comes from a Brazilian philosophy and art movement referred to as “cultural cannibalism”. This entails artists devouring and absorbing, rather than imitating, foreign ideas and modern influences, in pursuit of an original Brazilian style. He lists his influences as Brasilian Tropicalia, Afrobeat, Kehinde Wiley and urban street culture. Quilombo, in its call for us to be appreciative of our cultural roots, allows him to mix all of them. Based in Bangkok, Nobre is currently also drawing inspiration from the artists he finds himself shaking aerosol cans with. The results of this cultural exchange will be exhibited at recently opened café-bar-gallery JAM from November 10th. The opening night bash on November 10th will pair displays of art by him and collaborators with a film premiere and party.
44 | november 2012
Find his work at:
JAM [MAP5 / D7] 41 Charoenrat Soi 1, Sathorn | 02-6739009 | BTS Surasak (exit 2) | Facebook: jamcafebkk | Tue-Sun 12pm - 11:45pm | (Nov 10 – Jan 10) V64 Art Studio [MAP2 / G4] Studio D1, 143/19 Changwattana Soi 1 Yaek 6 | 02-973-2681 | www.v64artstudio.com | daily 9am-6pm bangkok101.com
ad 738 odia
bangkok101.com
november 2012 | 45
ARTS & C u lt u r e
in-space
We*Do Gallery
I
On a backstreet in the heart of Thonglor sits a unique and versatile space where different creative fields happily coexist. Words by Max Crosbie-Jones.
n Bangkok’s diverse art, design and shopping landscape, We*Do Gallery defies pigeonholing. Not quite gallery, not quite accessory store, this townhouse conversion tucked down one of Thonglor’s well-heeled residential side streets is the brainchild of two European design fiends with big hopes for their business and the city they chose for it.
As far as relocations go, there’s was as modest as they come (“we arrived with only two suitcases and a small dog,” says Polo). But, after searching for, finding and repurposing their location – a big 1960s townhouse that used to be the Dutch Embassy – they’ve wasted no time in bringing their dream concept store cum design workspace to fruition.
In a way we should feel flattered they’re here at all. Back in early 2011, German architect Markus Herchet and Spanish interior designer Francisco Polo were looking to escape Europe’s economic doldrums. They narrowed down their choices to two cities on the up: Rio de Janeiro, which is to host the Olympics in 2016, and Bangkok.
Already it’s been named one of Wallpaper* magazine’s Top 20 spaces to be in Bangkok, and, though we don’t take our cue from anybody, in this case we agree with them. The wide, open, stripped-down shell is a picture of cool modern simplicity, with raw concrete floors and lines as well-defined as the techno beats that pulsate from the mini-speakers.
Obviously, it’s clear which won, but as for why, Polo explains:“ We were travelling here for nine years before we moved, so in some way it was just an easier move, but more than that we saw a development in architecture in Thailand that six years ago didn’t exist. Creative people started to move faster and in a more contemporary way.” 46 | november 2012
Objects for sale, most imported from Europe, sit on low white boxes scattered around the room. Striking art lends a welcome shock of colour to the stark white walls. And architectural plans for projects past and present lie splayed across work desks at the back. “Handpicked by us, the bangkok101.com
accessories and exhibitions are meant to compliment our design services,” says Polo. “It’s good for us, as people can see what we are all about.” He’s speaking of conceptual, limited edition pieces such as the decorative wooden dolls based on original designs by Alexander Girard (B4,900), the scarves with botanical designs by Kamui Lim (B1,500), and the stunning gold-plate and silver brooches based on natural and geometric forms by Lotocoho (B10,000-B30,000), to name just three. He’s also speaking of furniture by designers such as Moroso, Knoll, Vitra Hay and Asplund, all of which exhibits the duo’s fondness for pure, clean, simple lines, not least because there isn’t that much of it. As for the exhibitions, these rotate every few months and find the duo seeking out edgy European collaborators. For example, their first, The Oracle, paired photos by Errikos Andreou with more fey objects, such as the antique Chinese scrolls superimposed with haunting images of children, each of them drawn from old Victorian glass plates, as well as a hand-made book of spells by British writer J. L. Nash. bangkok101.com
The hope is that all the above dovetails with and feeds into their design consultancy services, helping to promote them as arbiters of European contemporary style both here and around the region. Polo, who with his cropped hair, designer stubble and simple black getup is a picture of easy going, continental chic, is especially upbeat about their next show: a display of bizarre natural polymer-based objects by internationally lauded Italian designers Formafantasma that’s due to hit in January. “It should help open up the market for us in Korea and Japan,” he says. This comment touches on a little gripe he has with the Thai design scene: though they have been getting work from local clients – from private homes to restaurants – Polo sees it as being a bit narrow-minded and inward-looking when it comes to its tastes. Then again, this is surely part of the reason why they’re in Bangkok and not Barcelona – in a city on the up, there is still a long way to go.
วีดู แกลเลอรี่ ทองหล่อ ซ.8
We*Do Gallery [MAP3 / R2] 79 Thonglor soi 8, Sukhumvit soi 55 | BTS Thong lor 02-391-4866 | www.wedo-gallery.com; www.facebook.com/wedogallery | Tue-Sat 11am-8pm nov em ber 2012 | 47
ARTS & C u lt u r e
48 | november 2012
bangkok101.com
reading & screening
A CENTURY OF THAI CINEMA
KLONGS
Dome Sukwong & Sawasdi Suwannapak | River Books | 112pp | B500
Pamela Hamburger | Bangkok Book House Co | 140pp | B995
Thai cinema is crying out for a reel-by-reel retelling – a book which does its history justice in the same way that Donald Ritchie did with Japan’s. The case for such a book has only gotten stronger in recent years too, what with Palmes d’Or winning arthouse maverick Apitchatpong Weerasethakul having raised the international profile of Thai cinema. Unfortunately, A Century of Thai Cinema isn’t the book we film buffs are waiting for. It adds mere wisps of text to the very little already written in English on the subject, instead bombarding the reader with over 2,500 colour reproductions of Thailand’s zany film posters, promotional photographs, magazine covers, records and other memorabilia. Come to it looking for scholarly insight and you’ll be disappointed. Treat it for what it is though – a glorious picturebook – and you’ll find it to be a superficial but enjoyable pleasure.
Arguably the biggest losers in Bangkok’s slapdash modernisation has been its klongs, or canals. For proof, take a trip down Klong Saen Saeb: along this poisonous central waterway you are more likely to see people holding their noses than glimpses of the fabled ‘Venice of the East’. And this is one of the lucky ones – many were filled in to make way for roads. This book offers a collection of interviews with those living along those that remain – ladies, as old as their wooden homes, mostly – topped off with Hamburger’s boat-bound snapshots. What emerges is mainly a sad indictment of Bangkok’s environmental negligence, and a testimony to the resilience of these stoic water communities. Most edifying though are the anthropological insights to be gleaned from the stories, which span everything from local Muslim and Buddhist relations and dying handicrafts to watery ghost tales.
HEART TALK: SAY WHAT YOU FEEL IN THAI
Christopher G.Moore | B595 | Heaven Lake Press | 370pp | B495 Collective language unifies a people. To understand the importance of heart – the Thai jai – is to understand Thailand. Jai is a collage of concepts essential for the Thai identity. The erudite author presents an inspiring manual to be used as magnifying glass leading straight to the heart, mind and soul of Thai society’s concept of self. But – getting off that high horse – this compendium is also helpful for understanding a conversation in Thai (almost each contains a jai-phrase). And it’s fun to browse the hundreds of types of heart (from a satisfied to a base and even a dog’s one), including even sign language. Only compulsive souls would read the thing cover to cover, but dipping into it from time to time never disappoints.
Long June
Kamol Srisawat | 1996 | US $8 from www.ethaicd.com Adapted from a popular novel, Long June is as likable as the best of Thai soap operas – that is, if you don’t mind a series of unlikely coincidences, easy reconciliations, perturbingly melodramatic music, and a few too many flashbacks. While at its surface a naïve nostalgiafilled picture of rebellious youth, it is Long June’s wholehearted attempt to champion those down on their luck which shines through. Young hot-blooded “Long June” seems to get dealt the worst possible hands in life. Born with the family’s business in disarray, he is christened Long June, the curse of bad luck. His other adversities include a near fatal incident, an arrest, and a father who deeply detests him. A capsule of nineties’ Thailand, whose youth sported long hair, raced on fast motorbikes and peppered their speech with English words, the film veers into the preachy and moralistic with seemingly tacked-on social issues from drugs and gambling to domestic violence. An attempted soufflé, then: laden with good intentions but not entirely successful. Por Burapacheep bangkok101.com
november 2012 | 49
Wai statue at Ayutthaya Floating Market
The Return of
VERY THAI
Top Left : Boxers’ tattoos at the Muay Thai Wai Khru Festival, Ayutthaya Top Right : An elephant in regalia at the Ayutthaya Floating Market
Bottom : a shrine dancer at the annual wai khru ceremony of Ajarn Mill, Thonburi
Top : Mediums gather for Ajarn Klae, Nakhon Sawan
Left : To mark 2,600 years of the Buddha’s enlightenment, 26,000 monks receive alms from devotees in front of CentralWorld Right : Than Kluay Salab festival, Wat Wachirathamsathit, Bangkok
I
t’s over seven years since Very Thai, an encyclopedic guide to everyday culture, reshaped the way outsiders look at Thailand’s colourful brand of the mundane. From whisky drinking etiquette to the truth about pink tissues and the inspiration for Thai truck bolts (the flower petal), this was the book that revealed the hidden logic and structure in Thailand’s freewheeling street life. That became the go-to gift for expats looking to enlighten visiting loved ones. That turned long stints in the toilet into a crash course in Thai pop academia. That, above all, captured that elusive Very Thai-ness that even those of us who live here struggle to put our fingers on. Now, hot on the heels of the spin-off exhibition, which runs until early December in front of Zen Department store, a new edition of the candy-hued best-seller is on its way. What can we expect? Sixty four more pages, for starters, says its author, long-time resident and cultural historian Philip Cornwel-Smith. “We wanted to increase the type font and the size, which was always a bit small,” he says speaking to us at Bangkok 101 HQ. “The book is also being
An amulet stall at Chatuchak Weekend Market
translated into other languages, and German is a much longer language than English, so we’ve given most chapters an extra page.” However, the new edition is not just more spacious and easier on the eye. Rather, it’s a top-to-bottom overhaul that, as well as featuring lots of new photographs, brings Very Thai kicking and screaming into the here and now, where it belongs. “This is a genuinely new edition,” he says, “I’ve not just added in little bits and pieces. In some cases I’ve had to completely rework the chapters or rewrite large chunks of them.” Unmistakable in the original book was the sense that this is a society in rapid transition. “In one dizzying spasm,” he wrote, “Thailand is experiencing the forces that took a century to transform the West.” During our conversation, he cites the rise of digital media, a movement towards authentic tourism and a more intrusive tabloid media as just a few examples of the cultural shifts that have taken place since its release. “Also, some of the more folky adaptations of tradition are giving way to just plain modern things,” he says.
Royal calendar, Thonburi
The new edition reflects these changes but not at the expense of the old case studies. “A lot of the research for the original was done at the turn of the millennium,” he says. “So that’s over a decade of change – of extraordinary change. I wanted to reflect that transformation in the book, not just simply change the data.” He’s also opted not to lop out topics that are fading away or nearing obsolescence. Why? Because even they, Cornwel-Smith explains, have their usefulness, offer us a conduit, a prism through which modernisation and social change can be viewed. For example, the chapter on pleng phua chiwit (Songs for Life), a socially-conscious folk-music movement that now seems little more than a quaint reminder of the deeply politicised and bloody seventies, has been kept in. “Now it’s a vehicle for talking about political changes over the past seven years,” he says, “as like much of the country the movement got split between the red and the yellow shirts.”
The boxer’s sacred dance at Muay Thai Wai Khru Festival, Ayutthaya
For other topics, the only thing that has really changed is their social context. “Thai tattoos, for example, used to be something that was looked down on and a bit improper,” he says. “But it’s been ungraded in the public perception… nowadays every second celebrity has a haa taew tattoo on her shoulder and the pronouncements are about foreigners who don’t understand traditional Thai heritage getting them.” Changes in public perceptions of the motorcycle taxi driver are another phenomenon he singles out (“they have become a bit like the tuk-tuk - cultural emblems, safe for public consumption”). So, too, is Thailand’s beach culture, which has changed so radically that he now sees the chapter on it as a “barometer of social change”. As well as tracing all these and many other cultural shifts, the new edition also includes an afterword by Thai visual culture pundit Pracha Suweeranont. “In the first edition we didn’t
Top : Lucky number 9 shirt, Thonburi
Left : Drive-in movie at a Buddha relic fair, Sanam Luang, Bangkok
Right : Original morlam band, Theppabutr, at a party by Zudrangma Records, Bangkok
have one because I there wasn’t really a question to be answered. But having looked at it over a long time, I can see certain traits and trends.” In it, Siriwan apparently explains how Very Thai helped him, a native, look at vernacular culture in a fresh way. During our meeting, Cornwel-Smith touches on many subjects: over-reaction to moral panics by the Ministry of Culture (“I think there is a legitimate concern that some things might be swept away in a rush to modernity”); the flattening effect of digital technology; the explosion of interest in street food. But one theme overarches them all: change. This begs a question: has Thailand’s breakneck development washed away any of the grittiness, the allure that first drew him to start writing about the place? “Short answer: yes,” he says. But he, a trained historian, also calls for long-range perspective. “I’m sure people would have given the same answer when all this western stuff was brought in by the aristocracy a hundred years ago: those awful, mutton-sleeved blouses, etc.”
Sweet nibbles for syrup desserts, Amphawa
“When I first released the book back in 2005, somebody said “You do realise that all this stuff will disappear? However, we shouldn’t forget that a lot of the things that we take as being traditional Thai are actually imports from other countries in the past – that Thailand has a way of making modern things its own.” In other words, the topics may transform, but the Kingdom’s ability to assimilate foreign influence in a unique and curious way – that elusive Very Thai-ness – is here to stay. The new edition of Very Thai will be published in early December by River Books. Meanwhile, the exhibition continues in front of Zen Department Store until December 6.
FOOD & DRINKS
COLD CHEESE CAKE WITH WILD BERRIES SAUCE at El Gaucho 58 | november 2012
bangkok101.com
A R O Y *delicious
food & drink news
F ood & D rinks | x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
New menu at Rossini’s Fresh from being a winner on hit TV cooking show Iron Chef Thailand, Italian Chef Stefano Merlo has created a new selection of appetizers, main courses and for the hotel restaurant he works at, Rossinis (Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit, 250 Sukhumvit Road | www.sheratongrandesukhumvit.com). The selection, which includes dishes like baccala mantecato con polenta (olive oil whipped dried cod fish with polenta) and fegato grasso con frutti di bosco (foie gras with berry drippings), complements wines from ‘primoVino by Rossini’s’, the restaurant’s recently introduced “top shelf wine at cellar prices” concept. Exclusive Grand Cru Classé Wine Dinner Panorama at the Crown Plaza Hotel (Rama IV Rd | 02-632-9000 | www.ichotelsgroup. com, www.facebook.com/crowneplazabangkok) is to host an exclusive Grand Cru Classé Wine Dinner on November 9 and 10. Although it appears hefty, the price of B3,999++ actually looks reasonable for 14 courses, especially when you look at some of the wines on offer, including two a top Bordeaux performer in the Château Figeac 2004 – a Premier Grand Cru Classé from Saint-Emilion. The 14 courses will come as two separate tasting-size dishes paired with a single wine. The night will start with a good non-vintage champagne, Montaudon Brut, Réserve Première, and light plates of Alaskan king crab leg with cereals and banana brioche, foie gras and jam, and then move slowly through the gears towards a full throttle finale. COMING SOON: two Silom burger joints Soon you’ll be able to hunker down on more burgers in the Silom area, as there are not one, but two new joints on the way. The homegrown Bangkok Burger Company is opening a fourth branch at Sala Daeng Soi 1, just a few doors down from Somtum Der. Geared towards the Thai not expatriate market, their burgers sport a broad range of influences, toppings ranging from vegemite mayo to French brie. Also coming soon is the second Bangkok branch of respected, Paris-Hilton-approved US chain Carl’s Jr. Following hot on the heels of the Sukhumvit Soi 24 branch, this one will be up in Silom Road’s Thaniya Building, which is connected by walkway to BTS Saladeang. New Openings On the ground floor of a condominium, Beans & Booze Café (SAF Residence, 408 Sukhumvit Soi 50 | Facebook: BeansandBooze) is a little slurp spot set up by three likeminded friends. Serving what it serves on the tin, the specialties are Ethiopian coffee, beers from all over (including US Craft beers sourced from importers Beervana) and, say the owners, “making sure everyone has a cozy, happy time.” Meanwhile, Australian chain The Coffee Club has just opened its first branch here on the ground floor of Major Ekkamai mall, a short walk from the skytrain station. So far its breakfasts, mains and cakes seem to be going down just as well as the frothy joe. Other new joints include a cake shop that did the treats for Hyde & Seek’s 2nd anniversary, Pastry P (1/8 Sukumvit 49 | 02-259-5663). Another is Steve Café and Cuisine (68 Sri Ayuthaya road, Soi Sri Ayuthaya 21 | www.stevecafeandcuisine.com), a Thai restaurant in a 60 year old house on the river, just a short stroll from Thewet Pier. Billy Bautista, the San Franciscan behind the popular La Monita Taqueria mexican, has also just opened El Osito (888/23-24 Mahatun Plaza, Ploenchit Rd | Facebook: elositobkk). Located next door, it’s a deli shop that rustles up hefty Reuben and pastrami sandwiches by day, a tapas bar by night. Expect a full review next month.
bangkok101.com
november 2012 | 59
FOOD & DRINKS
meal deals
■■The Festival of Lights
Nov 11-15
Banyan Tree Bangkok [map5/l8] 21/100 South Sathon Road | 02-679-1200 | www.banyantree.com
Diwali, or the ‘Festival of Lights’, is probably the best known of all Hindu Festivals. It’s a major affair in India, but also celebrated by Indian communities the world over, with colourful lanterns used to decorate homes, businesses and public places alike. To mark the occasion, the Banyan Tree’s Romsai will present a selection of rich, tasty spicy Indian dishes on the buffet during dinner. Sun- Thurs B1,250++, Friday B1,600++, Saturday B1,500++.
Until Nov 30
■■Diwali set menu
Rembrandt Hotel Bangkok [map3/j7] 19 Sukhumvit Soi 18, Sukhumvit Road | 02-261-7100 | rembrandtbkk.com
The Rembrandt’s Rang Mahal is also marking the Indian festival Diwali, with a set menu of Northern specialties. The price tag: B1199 net. The set starts with Murgh Tikka, samosas and boneless fish flavoured with saffron. Mains include murgh makhanwala (chicken curry), bhuna gosht (lamb curry) and pulao (Indian rice), and the dessert closer gulab jamnun (spongy milky balls soaked in rose scented syrup). Available lunch or dinner.
Until Nov 30
■■A Taste of the Ocean
Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit [map3/e6] 89 Sukhumvit Road Soi 13-15 | 02-126-9999 | www.sofitel.com
Through November, French chef Aurélien Poirot is staging a seafood buffet at the Sofitel Sukhumvit Hotel’s Voila! restaurant. Highlights of the spread include Alaskan King crabs, New Zealand mussels and French oysters cooked in French and Asian style. Sushi, sashimi and tempura are also on the menu, as are ice-creams and pastries. Priced at B1,999 net, with 50% off for kids under 12, it’s held every Friday and Saturday between 6-10:30pm.
Until Nov 30
■■French Foie Gras
Wine Pub, Pullman King Power [map8/k10] 8/2 Rangnam Road | 02-680-9999 | www.pullmanbangkokkingpower.com
Fans of rich, buttery foie gras should head for the Pullman King Power’s popular Wine Pub on Wednesday nights this month, when sets featuring four different types along with a bottle of house wine are going for B1,290 net. The variations include a natural foie gras terrine served with baguette and Asian pear chutney, a pan seared foie gras with Paris mushrooms marinated in olive oil, and a soft baked foie gras royal on assorted mushroom ragout.
Ongoing
■■Chocolate Buffet
The Sukhothai Bangkok [map5/l8] 13/3 South Sathorn Road | 02-344-8888 | www.sukhothai.com
Quell your chocolate craving at this gluttonous buffet for sweet tooths. Now held every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, it comprises a hot chocolate trolley featuring fifteen different imported types of the stuff, as well as cakes and pastries, chocolate truffles, macaroons, ice creams, fruit sorbets, not to mention a smattering of hot and cold savoury items. B900++ per person, or B1,350++ per person with a glass of Lombard Champagne.
Ongoing
■■Okura’s New Sunday Brunch
The Okura Prestige, Park Venture Ecoplex Bangkok [map4/l5] 57 Wireless Road | 02-687-9000 | www.okurabangkok.com
The recently opened The Okura Prestige Bangkok has just joined the Sunday brunch club. Held at the reception level’s Up & Above restaurant, theirs is a mix of Thai, Japanese and international favourites along with à la minute mains. Options include free flow cocktails, wines and beers for B2,400 and a Veuve Clicquot champagne version for B3,200. There’s also an alcohol-free option for B1,800; while kids aged 7-12 dine for B600. 60 | november 2012
bangkok101.com
bangkok101.com
nov em ber 2012 | 61
FOOD & DRINKS
El Gaucho by Max Crosbie-Jones
- a steakhouse that’s sizzling on all fronts Meat never goes out of fashion, but certain types of it seem to. Last year it was burgers that every second restaurant claimed to specialise in, and some are now predicting that nose-to-tail dining, that eat-the-wholebeast food ethos that originated in London over a decade ago, is next in line. Steakhouses, meanwhile, appear to have been neglected by the city’s independent restaurateurs, with nearly of them residing in upscale hotels. Given this state of affairs, we’re not surprised that this new, warmly lit, richly attired steakhouse located at the top of Sukhumvit Soi 19, directly opposite the Westin Grande Hotel, is already packing them in. We’ve been twice and on both occasions it ticked the ambiance, service and food boxes with aplomb. Our only real nitpick: it’s pricey. Apparently a mirror-image copy of other branches over in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh, El Gaucho draws it stylings from Argentina, the country with the second highest beef consumption rate after the US. Outside, there’s a huge seated terrace. Inside, the big, two-storey structure that gleams behind it has a bar downstairs and spacious seating area, complete with windows spanning the far wall, upstairs. Exposed brick, rusty metallic surfaces, wooden floors and black and white pictures of South American life give the 62 | nov em ber 2012
place real visual appeal. Wooden seating ranges from high tables to settees and low sit-down tables fill its warmly spot lit nooks. And topping the slick cosmopolitan setting off are uninterrupted views out across traffic-snarled Soi 19. Impor ted from the US, Australia and Argentina, the meat sits in a chiller cabinet by the front door. The first page of the menu offers you the chance to ‘be your own chef ’: select a slab on the spot and take it home raw (prime black angus from B1,490+ kg; lamb chops B1,190+ kg; homemade chorizo beef and pork B790+ kg and B590+ kg respectively). Otherwise, they’re sizzled on the grill the Argentinean way – with just a pinch of sea salt – then served to your table on heated metal trays, sans extras. Get ready to spank some money. Prime wagyu takes pride of place on the menu, a 200 gram fillet mignon of the stuff coming in at an eye-watering B2,990++. But, in our opinion, there’s no need to drop such a big wad, not when the cheaper options are this good. The Prime Black Angus ribeye (250g B1,300++) was a long and juicy slab with intense, gratifying marbling; and the fillet steak (250g B1,390++) was even better – one of the tenderest, succulent hunks of meat we’ve chomped on this year. Cheaper ‘choice’ cuts are available (250g fillet steak B980++), as is other, even more bangkok101.com
affordable meaty fare such as braised lamb shanks, chicken skewers and homemade beef burgers. The sides and sauces that you order to go with your steak are rich and comforting and good for sharing, though honestly, such is the flavour and juiciness of the meat, we could live without the latter. Our picks: the creamed spinach, garlic mashed potato (both B90++), and, if we had to pick a sauce, the traditional chimichurri or pepper. More exciting for us was the wine selection, which, as you’d expect, is heavy on the reds. Four of the 52 bottlestrong selection are available by the glass, our pick being the spicy, peppery Malbec from Argentina’s Uco Valley (B330++ per glass, B1,350++).
bangkok101.com
If El Gaucho didn’t have the talent to match its sky-high prices, it would be a spectacular failure. But it’s a slick operation that has hit the ground running, with few noticeable kinks and a relaxed vibe and sharp service (most of the staff appear to have been seconded from the other branches) in addition to its seriously spot-on meat. Little unforeseen perks like the complimentary shot of butterscotch schnapps at the end only sweeten the deal. Hotel steakhouses, you’re reign of supremacy is at an end.
เอล กัลโช่ สุขุมวิท ซ.19 getting there
El Gaucho [MAP8 / l7] Sukhumvit Soi 19 | 022-552-864 l daily 4pm-late http://elgaucho.asia/thailand
november 2012 | 63
FOOD & DRINKS
Hama-Ichi by Max Crosbie-Jones
- worth missing the last train home for There’s a new-ish izakaya in town, and a good one at that. Occupying a ground floor space at the Legacy Suites serviced apartments, HamaIchi lacks the gritty, 1950s-street-in-Tokyo atmospherics and peeling movie posters of our all time favourite, Imoya, but makes up for it with a big sake and sho-chu list and even bigger food menu. If you’re ok with dining side by side with the salarymen, grab a stool at the long bar, behind which the staff prep the food while dressed in bandanas and loud t-shirts emblazoned with the restaurant’s manga-style fish logo. Or, for more intimacy, ask to be seated at one of the tables sectioned off from each other by bamboo screens. While clearly aimed at – and mostly catering to – a Japanese clientele, the menu is easily deciphered by English readers, with a short description and small but salivating pictures accompanying the names of each of the almost 300 dishes. Dive straight in – we did, and didn’t regret any of it. The mixed tempura was done just right, not overly battered. Our pick of the sushi, the aburi-zushi gokan (seared salmon, mackerel, yellow-tail; B460++), was devoured in minutes. And our bowl of kaisendon (sashimi on rice) with accompanying blob of wasabi, a sumptuous table-pleaser. Two dishes stood out above all the others. The first was the ishikara nabe, or salmon hotpot. Thick with vegetables 64 | november 2012
and tofu as well as chunks of fish, this miso-based soup had a complex, almost creamy flavour that we just couldn’t say no to. At B250++ for a big bowlful, we’d say it’s a must. The other was a otsumami (snack) recommended to us by the waitress: p-tori miso yaki (B90++), which is a long tray of chargrilled pork neck arranged on a bed of very lightly sautéed onions and doused in miso sauce. A fatty melding of textures, we’re getting goose pimples just thinking about it. Finish up with a sake carafe or six. The selection here is extensive, with the owner, who apparently owns Ten Sui, one of the city’s best upmarket joints, importing bottles of the stuff every month. There’s also sho-chu (distilled liquor; glasses from B130++,bottles from B1,300++) and for those who don’t dig the taste of alcohol, fruity alternatives such as chu-hai (fruity sho-chu cocktails) and choya (plum wine). The slightly sterile setting means we probably won’t be coming here when we crave izakaya coziness as well as food, but in every other respect Hama-Ichi has nailed it.
เลกาซี่ สวีตส์ สุขุมวิท ซ.29
getting there
Hama-Ichi [MAP3 / J6] Legacy Suites, 12 Sukhumvit Soi 29, Klongtoey-Nua | 02-662-3376 | Mon-Sat 5pm-midnight (last order 11:30pm), Sun 4pm-11pm (last order 10:30pm) bangkok101.com
Bor Ror Chor
by Chaweitporn Tamthai / photo by Atthapol Yanyonglert
- a noodle shop with oodles of turn-of-the-century style There’s a new, quick and cheap lunchtime option in the Silom area – a cooler, less sweaty option than the usual streetside guay deow (noodle) or khao gaeng (curry over rice) stall. Peel back the sliding glass doors, step inside and you’ll notice that Bor Ror Chor looks old. Look closer, though, and you’ll see that those exposed brick or tobacco-stained walls, mosaic floors and elegant wooden chairs are actually all brand new, faux-antique stylings. Sunshine spills through the glass frontage during the day, elegant overhead lamps cast a warm glow at night. It’s a place that, if it existed in the age from which it takes its aesthetic cue, early 1900s Siam, would probably be filled with members of the top-hat wearing Thai aristocracy, peckish after a saunter in nearby Lumpini Park. Essentially, it’s a traditional pork and beef noodle shop, albeit one with a few specials that have been tacked on to keep things interesting. On one of our visits, one of the owners, Rachane (the Ror part of the restaurant’s acronym) told us that the recipe for the pork noodles was handed down to him from the mother’s side of the family, and the beef noodle one from his father’s side. While clearing away our empty bowls, he went on to explain that Bor Ror Chor is intent on keeping these culinary hand-me-downs alive so that new generations can enjoy them. Putting this earnest mission goal aside, how do they taste? For us, the soup in both the pork and beef versions is intense but in a good way, not too sweet or too salty. And bangkok101.com
the meat makes a worthy companion to it – is juicy and tender, having been braised in accordance with the family recipe. Though the noodles come in all the usual variations (with your choice of vermicelli, egg, thin or fat noodles), we’d say that the bowls here are a cut above their street equivalents. And so they should be given the higher price: B65 per bowl; B10 for any extras. As mentioned, if you’re not in the mood for plain old noodles, there are other choices, such as the Japanese-style steamed pork and egg topped on rice. Though it features all the usual ingredients, here it’s been tweaked slightly for the Thai palate. Other sides include the crunchy and moreish por pia tod ham cheeese (ham and cheese spring rolls; B70) and the feistier, spicier dab wan moo (pork liver salad; B70). And in the evenings, they also serve draught beer as well as hot pots that you can boil meat, ‘suki’-style, in. Everything’s tasty, but in the comforting not mind-blowing sense of the word, which is exactly what you should expect for a cheap and cheerful shophouse joint such as this one.
ก๋วยเตีย๋ ว บ.ร.ช. ศาลาแดง ซ.1
getting there
Bor Ror Chor [MAP8 / l7] Saladeang Soi 1 Lumphini Bangrak | 088-003-8987 | opening hours | facebook.com/borrorchor november 2012 | 65
FOOD & DRINKS
ealtike
Nym
Our roving eater Nym knows her local grub inside out – and thrives on the stories behind the dishes. Each month, she takes an offbeat tour in search of the city’s next delectable morsel …
Chinatown’s Bua Loy Nam Khing On big nights out with my friends, those nights we don’t want to end because the conversation and sensation of being outdoors is so fantastic, we often like to round things off at a street corner on Yaowarat Road, or Chinatown. Over the years I have tasted pretty much everything on both sides of this busy, neon-bathed thoroughfare – the old, the new, the savoury and the sweet – but somehow I always end up returning to this particular spot. Yes, I’m talking about desserts, but not the sugar-sweet variety that makes your teeth ache and pushes your blood sugar levels into overdrive. Bua loy nam khing, as the dish in question is called, means ‘floating lotuses in ginger soup’. The rather poetic name comes from the bua’s appearance, namely its white porcelain color and lotuslike shape, but in fact, these bulbous dumplings are made from sticky rice flour (similar to some Japanese sweets) stuffed with sweet sesame seed paste. Steeped in hot, ginger-spicy soup, the taste of this popular Chinese dish is unexpected for newbies. By the end of the bowl, though, most are agreed that the cleansing, sweet, hot soup blends together oh-so-elegantly with the dumpling’s gooey textures. As well as tasting good, it’s also the perfect bite to end the night, because the ginger soup aids digestion. 66 | november 2012
Here’s a secret bua loy eating tip that I like to call ‘bite and kiss’… After you’ve bitten in to one of the glutinous orbs, the sesame seed paste tends to rush out like lava. To stop it from spilling off the spoon or clouding the soup, you must kiss it back to seal the sticky-rice flour casing closed again. Besides bua loy nam khing, there are also iced desserts called tao teung for sale. Basically, you point at the assorted Chinese goodies – red beans, lotus roots, lotus seeds, ginkgo seeds, barley, white mushrooms and more – which are then served in longan (a lychee like fruit) syrup and crushed ice. Chinese wisdom has it that aside from being healthy, these also balance the body’s temperature, do wonders for your internal ying and yang.
บัวลอยลูกขิง ถ.เยาวราช
getting there [MAP6 / H4]
Bua Loy Luk Khing is located at the corner of Yaowarat Road and Soi Yaowapanich, right next to the UOB Bank building. Follow Yaowarat’s one-way traffic and you should spot the giant UOB sign on the left-hand side. Open 6pm-midnight everyday except last Monday of the month. bangkok101.com
nov em ber 2012 | 67
bangkok101.com Corporate Identity Design for BYT
VERTIGO :
FOOD & DRINKS
cooking with poo
Phad See Ew
Stop sniggering at the back! Poo is actually the nickname of one of the city’s most in-demand cooks, Saiyuud ‘Chom-Poo’ Diwong. A long-time resident of Bangkok’s Klong Toey slum, Poo runs her own cooking school as part of the Helping Hands initiative, a community self-help program she started with other residents. The profits help street businesses get on their feet. Each month we bring you a recipe from her cooking book, copies of which are available via her website www.cookingwithpoo.com.
ผัดซีอิ๊ว
Stir Fried Rice Noodles with Black Bean Sauce
This rice noodle dish is eaten with soy sauce and local green leaf vegetables is a popular for foreigners who don’t like spicy food. Thais tend to add pile on sugar, chillies and vinegar to add extra flavour. For maximum taste this dish should be eaten straight after cooking. ingredients
• 200g rice noodles (any size) • 2 tbs oil • 3 garlic cloves (diced) • 200g meat/seafood cut into bite size pieces • 3 eggs • 1 tsp salted soft soy beans (optional, buy in cans at Asian supermarket)
• 1 tsp black bean sauce • 2 tbs soy sauce • 1 tsp white sugar • 100g Chinese kale, broccoli or broccolini • 3 baby corn (sliced) • ½ carrot (sliced) • 1 tbs white vinegar and fresh chilli to serve
Preparation COOKING WITH POO Saiyuud Diwong UNOH Publications 112pp www.cookingwithpoo.com Aus $20
• Boil water • Add beef and boil until cooked • Drain 80% water • Add chilli, red onion, tomato, spring onions, kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass, lime juice, fish sauce, coriander and mix it all togetherGarnish with mint leaves
ad pull man
68 | november 2012
bangkok101.com
Nahm
THAI HOME KITCHEN [MAP4 / H8]
94 Langsuan Rd | BTS Chit Lom 02-253-1888, 02-254-9888 | 8am-midnight
If you want a place to come and enjoy the simple joy of eating delicious local food – no fuss, no pretence, no huge bill – check out Home Kitchen, or Khrua Nai Baan, Its two house opposite Lang Suan Soi 6 (one modern, the other a gracefully rickety wooden house) are unremarkable, yet the kitchen here shines as one of the best in town for its authentic Thai, Chinese and seafood cuisine. Don’t miss the deep fried fish with mango salad; steamed prawns with chillies and lime sauce; or the stir fried crab with curry powder. These
bangkok101.com
Praya Dining
and many offer classics simply excel here, and though this is no tourist trap, the experience is enhanced by one of the most comprehensive and well-illustrated menus in town. Unusually for a place that doesn’t specialise in it, the dim sum is also remarkably good – big and succulent.
ร้านครัวในบ้าน ถ.เพลินจิต ตรงข้ามหลังสวน ซ.7 Nahm [MAP5 / K]
The Metropolitan, 27 Sathorn Tai Road 02-625-3333 | www.metropolitan. bangkok.como.bz | daily 12 - 2pm 7pm - 10:30pm
There was much gnashing of teeth when the formerly Michelin-starred Nahm launched its Bangkok operation in September 2010. To have the ‘world’s
best Thai restaurant’ run by a foreigner 9,544km away in London was bad enough; to have that foreigner – Australian David Thompson – open up a branch in the Thai capital was, for some locals, a gauntlet too far. In the kitchen, Thompson is a traditionalist, whose dedication to his craft is such that he even sources recipes from so-called ‘funeral books’, in which old-time cooks at the end reveal their secrets, like deathbed confessions. Accordingly, he shows great finesse in dishes such as the southern curry of blue crab balanced with fiery spice, sweet coconut and bitter undertones. The local produce should delight diners who know Nahm in London, offering vegetables mysterious to foreign palates; flavours that seem to trigger unknown synapses in the brain. At B1,700++ per person, the set dinner menu is a good option, including four canapes, five mains and dessert from the à la carte menu. There’s also a lunch menu available for B1,100++ and a kanom jeen (fermented rice noodle) set lunch for B800++.
รร.เมโทรโพลิแทน สาธร Praya Dining [MAP8 / B9]
Praya Palazzo Hotel, 757/1 Somdej Prapinklao Soi 2 | 02-883-2998 www.prayapalazzo.com | 11am - 10pm
nov ember 2012 | 69
FOOD & DRINKS tourist joint, the place has a foolproof menu and some staff who speak passable English. Deliveries are also available.
ไฮ้ ส้มตำ�คอนแวนต์ ซ.คอนแวนต์
SOUTHERN THAI PHUKET TOWN [MAP 3 / R 3]
HAI SOMTUM
PHUKET TOWN
A neglected, century-old riverside mansion is a common sight, so to see one lovingly restored, like Praya Palazzo, is a joy. This once-crumbling italianate structure, visible across the water from Banglampu, is now a small hotel and restaurant with wood floors and ceilings and many original features back in place. The restaurant has two short menu lists – Thai and European – with safe items like tom yum goong, massaman curry and foie gras. Thai appetisers include tenderly cooked deep fried chicken in pandanus leaves, spring rolls and goong talai – five lusciously fatty raw shrimp served in Chinese teacups with a sweet, lightly spiced sauce. The Western dishes we tried – an undercooked (although good quality) steak and an overcooked salmon, both with flavourless sauces – were less successful. The modest wine list has bottles from B1,100 and a couple of house wines at B220 a glass. The restaurant interior will be of historic interest, particularly to locals, but the property is best viewed from the outside, so sitting by the pool in the small riverside garden will be the preferred option for most diners. There’s no road access, so call ahead to arrange a boat pick-up from Phra Arthit pier.
พระยาพาลาซโซ สมเด็จพระปิ่นเกล้า ซอย2
NORTHEASTERN THAI (ISAN) HAI SOMTUM [map 5 / I6]
2/4-5 Soi Convent (off Silom Rd) BTS Sala Daeng, MRT Silom | 02-631-0216 Mon-Fri 10:30 am-9pm, Sat 10:30 am-8pm
What this drab temple to sticky rice lacks in sophistication, it makes up for with plates of gai yang (crispy grilled chicken), tart laab (minced meat salads) and other Northeastern staples, all briskly served by efficient staff for just a shade more than streetfood prices. The real star of the show, though, is the green papaya salad, or somtum. Piled high with shredded green papaya, the kitchen-cart here knocks up almost every known variation of the spicysour-sweet cult dish. If you’re a somtum newbie, try the somtum thai – speckled with peanuts and dried shrimp, this sweet variation lacks the fermented crab that has many a rookie rushing for the nearest toilet a few hours later. Our personal favorite, though, is the somtum khai khem (salted egg), but others swear by the carrot or pla raa (smelly fermented fish) renditions. Worried about being met by blank stares from the staff? Don’t be. Though not a
160/8 Thong Lor Soi 6 (Sukhumvit 55) BTS Thong Lo | 02-714-9402 | 10:30am-10pm
Marked out by a distinctive bright yellow frontage, coloured glass windows and a hand-painted mural of its namesake, Phuket Town stands apart from anything else Thong Lor has to offer for another reason: its food. A converted shophouse, the restaurant’s exterior resembles a classic Phuket Peranakan home; dwellings known for their ornate touches and Sino-Portuguese influence. Pushing in through the small wooden doors, you enter a small space filled with vintage wooden furnishing, seating for 30, and a hand-painted wall-size mural depicting shophouses along Phuket’s Thalang Road. Although spice levels have been diluted slightly for Bangkok tastes, the menu retains a faithful array of southern-style dishes and ingredients. The owner Kitty’s mum – who still resides in Phuket – sends up shipments of hard-to-find fish, herbs, vegetables and spices twice a week. These include the excellent deep-fried sea bream with turmeric (pla sai, B70). Edible from its head to its tail, this crunchy critter is a Phuket specialty; as is their take on khanom jeen nam ya poo (B130), a rich, coconut milk crabmeat curry served with bean sprouts, green beans, cucumber, pineapple, anchovies and deep-fried chillies. The
ad novotel ss
70 | november 2012
bangkok101.com
all you can eat
Café@2
Since our last visit, The Conrad’s Café@2 has taken on a ‘French Brasserie’ theme. However, its lunch buffet still offers a smorgasboard of world cuisines, with enough variety to keep most gluttons happy. Curving commandingly around the atrium above the lobby, this spacious blonde wood diner boasts a good range of home-style hot French – a cauliflower au gratin and ratatouille, to name just two highlights – all of them made fresh by the French-Thai team led by chef de cuisine Nicholas Reynard. But swoop around Café@2’s food islands, like an eagle circling its prey, and you’ll discover more than just a heavy Gallic leaning – from other hot fare such as chicken tajines and chick pea curries to a spotless sushi and sashimi bar, vibrant/exotic salads, cold cuts, fresh crusty breads and solid Thai fare. The latter is the biggest surprise, with salads, such as the yum pla chon (snakehead fish salad), boasting spice levels that have been turned up to 11. Other nooks boast other treats, from goat cheeses to marinated vegetables and hunks of roast beef nestling under heat lamps. If you the antipasti and pre-prepared fare doesn’t appeal, you can also go à la minute with pastas, noodles and grilled seafood and meats. Or wobble over to the Peking duck stand, alongside which sits a vat containing one of the smoothest tomato basil soups in town. As for that denouement (final act) of any spread, dessert, things go a little French again as far as Café@2’s are concerned, with a preponderance of opera cakes, gateauxs, cheesecakes, macaroons, mousses and fruit tarts in addition to a smattering of traditional Thai desserts. A crepe and ice cream stand is also notable, mostly for its sumptuous, melt-in-your-mouth strawberry sorbet. All in all, while some dishes impress more than others, this is a blow-out worth skipping your breakfast for. รร.คอนราด กรุงเทพ ถ.วิทยุ getting there
Café@2 [MAP4 / L7] The Conrad Bangkok, 87 Wireless Road | 02-690-9999 BTS Chidlom (then cab) | doule check buffet timings for lunch and dinner | Lunch B790++
bangkok101.com
november 2012 | 71
FOOD & DRINKS
BANGKOK BURGER CO.
steamed fish balls (B120) are also a musttry; larger than the street side variety, they go down perfectly with the accompanying hot chili sauce. Finish up with a helping of oh-aew (jellied banana-flour mixed with boiled red bean, ice, and sweet red syrup, B55). Sweet and refreshing, it closely resembles the classic Malaysian dessert, eis cendol. Reflecting on the island’s cultural heritage, it’s a fitting way to end things.
ภูเก็ตทาวน์ ทองหล่อ ซ.6
AMERICAN BANGKOK BURGER CO. [MAP 4 / R 2]
1st F, Unit 103, Opus Building 139 Thong Lor Soi 10 | 02-715-9407 | www.bangkok burgercompany.com | 11am-11pm
The British managing director and founder
L’Appart
of the Bangkok Burger Co., Jim Moroney, has previously achieved notable success in the United Kingdom with The Living Room chain of restaurants. Despite the apparent competition here, he saw a niche in the market for a place that only served burgers, and was geared towards a Thai, rather than expatriate market. What this means in short is strategies such as making small size burgers (regular 100 grams, large 170 grams) to cater to local appetites; and employing Thai management to run the place on a day-to-day basis, so that the Bangkok Burger Co. isn’t seen as a foreigner-run restaurant. Ordering from your menu (also your place mat), you first choose your burger size (regular or large), select beef or pork, and then decide between 15 intriguing burgers, served with coleslaw,
chips or house salad – add another B30 if you want to switch to curly fries (you do) Notable burgers on the menu include the Bacon Cheese (triple crispy bacon, cheddar and burger cheeses, B 230 regular, B 295 large), and the Panang (burger simmered in panang curry sauce and Thai vegetables, B 230 – 295), with the sides on offer including salt and pepper calamari (B145); and hot Buffalo wings with blue cheese (B145). It’s all very good – but Bangkok’s best burger? You be the judge of that.
แบงคอก เบอร์เกอร์ คอมปานี ทองหล่อ ซ.10
FRENCH L’Appart [MAP3 / E6]
F32 Hotel Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit 189 Sukhumvit Road, btw Soi 13-15 02-126-9999 | 7pm-10:30pm (restaurant), 5pm-1am (bar)
Imagine a Parisian apartment: four rooms comprising restaurant, open kitchen, bar and library. The main dining space is 19th century drawing room with old clocks and slender statuettes above a marble fireplace, the neutral tones are offset by woods, velvets and granite in the (rather low) tables and chairs. Occasional tables, lamps and mirrors are scattered around. You could sit next door, watching chef
ad jim thompson
72 | november 2012
bangkok101.com
Jeremy Tourret cook at the open kitchen, his background with Daniel Boulud and other Michelin stars apparent in a sense of invention. The three section menu breaks down to Fresh from the Market (creative items that change regularly); à la carte (traditional French); and a section of cute, superior tapas (from B100). From the first, the all-sweet luscious textures work well in pan-fried foie gras ravioli with tom kha foam and ginger cracker (B700), although coconut is the only recognisable flavor as tom kha in the foam that hides three pieces of ravioli inside a refined fish bowl. From à la carte comes Beef Rossini, My Way (B1,400) the foie gras stuffed inside the beef rather than on top. It perhaps loses on presentation, and also means you get hits of foie gras when you find them, rather than when you want them. Finish with a super tart lemon tart topped with soft meringue. The short wine list (from B1,060/bottle) rolls out the red carpet with six champagnes by the glass. End with a digestif to one of those high balcony views that are now such a familiar part of the Bangkok landscape. L’Appart is busy. There is early-days curiosity, no doubt, but it’s elegant, has an interesting menu, and is reasonable on the wallet (prices are net). Expect it to remain popular and book ahead.
รร.โซฟิเทล กรุงเทพ สุขมุ วิท ถ.สุขมุ วิท (13-15)
INTERNATIONAL SEVEN SPOONS [MAP7 / M7]
211 Chakkrapatipong Road (corner of Lan Luang and Chakkrapatipong Rd) 084-539-1819 or 02-628-4588 http://sevenspoonsbkk.wordpress.com Tue-Sun 6pm - 1am, closed Mon
bangkok101.com
SEVEN SPOONS
By the same team behind wholefood delivery company Birds in a Row, Seven Spoons is quite hard to find. And it’s tiny – really tiny, with only three tables. Call ahead (Canadian co-owner Regan Suzuki recommends it, as they’ve had to turn people away in the past) and print out a map (or use your smartphone) though and you won’t regret it. The mood of this Chinese shophouse lined with slats of golden teak and warmed by the glow of stylish art deco lamps is relaxed yet elegant. And the Mediterranean influenced wholefood made with mostly organic produce (many of them vegetarian) unlike anything else in town. The menu changes regularly, but expect starters like chardonnay pate served with wholemeat crispbread or Halloumi cheese on tomato slices topped with olives and caramelised almonds . Seven Spoon’s forte – combos of a few simple ingredients into something uncomplicated yet exciting – is even more apparent with mains like pumpkin pine nut tortellini with sage butter, and white snapper with spiced chickpeas in butter ginger. Almost as surprising as the fact that the chef behind all this wholefood
SMITH
goodness, Somkiat ‘Joke’ Pairojmahakij, is self-taught are the prices. Order in four dishes and you should still have change from B1,000. Topping this natty neighbourhood gastrobar off are some excellent signature tipples, all shaken and stirred by the wellspoken bartender Khun Bee, who learnt his craft at Khao San’s Sri Poom bar and loves experimenting with local ingredients.
เซเว่น สพูนส์ ถ.จักรพรรดิพงษ์ SMITH [MAP3 /p6]
1/8 Sukhumvit Soi 49 | BTS Thong Lor 02-261-0515 | www.facebook/smith Mon-Sun 5pm-midnight
Smith is by the same dream team who brought us hit gastro-bar Hyde & Seek. Regional cocktail consultant Chanond Purananda is on tipple duties while the food is by Ian Kittichai and Peter Pitakwong: two celebrity chefs with sprawling CVs and serious cooking chops. Given the success of Hyde & Seek it’s not surprising that they’ve teamed up again. What is surprising is that they’ve gone for nose-to-tail dining – that scoff-the-whole beast food ethos that gained traction among adventurous, ethically-minded foodies back in the UK
november 2012 | 73
FOOD & DRINKS
Il Tartufo
almost a decade ago. Housed in a reclaimed 40-year-old warehouse spread over two floors, the look is slaughterhouse chic meets industrial minimalism. Illustrations of butchered meat cover the corrugated iron exterior; the walls distressed concrete or sterile white tiling; the chandeliers made of meat hooks. The menu, stapled sheets of A4 paper on our visit, is in constant flux and features familiar cuts as well as strange ones, most sourced locally. Starters included steak tartare with crispy deep-fried capers and garden herbs, and braised pig’s tail with tuna and foie gros torchon, both garnished with edible flower blossoms. Our main: the verjus glazed pork belly (B350), cooked for three days and served alongside slivers of sweet plum, lentils and yet more edible flowers. Smith’s desserts and cocktails are getting less attention, but that’s not to say they’re a letdown. Banana splits, chocolate terrine, baked alaska and a variation on strawberries and cream, the Eton Mess, were the current sweet finishes. And the drinks list is as extensive and full of surprises as you’d expect from the team behind Hyde & Seek. To name just one, the Garden of Good & Evil is a light blend of Hoegaarden, lychee and ginger that transports you to a garden in summertime Europe every time you swig it. There are also beers on tap (and four spare ones for groups who want to buy their own keg – “we give you four days to drink it,” says Chanond).
สมิธ ถ.สุขุมวิท 49
ITALIAN Il Tartufo [MAP3/P4]
64 Sukhumvit Soi 51 | 02-259-3569 www.iltartufobangkok.com Tue-Sun 11:30am-2.30pm, 6pm-10pm
The Italian-trattoria-down a-leafy-lane is a tried and trusted Bangkok formula. As hinted by its name, this one’s specialty is seasonal truffles. It’s a spacious townhouse with a traditional layout: a large room divided by mock louvre 74 | n o v e m b e r 2 0 1 2
Arabesque
doors, with a small bar at one end, and a little wooden staircase leading to a semi-private area bookable free of charge for small parties. The homey cooking fits the setting. Truffle-themed options include tagliatelle with shavings of fresh truffle and chargrilled beef tenderloin with white truffle sauce, but there are also plenty of options if you need a change, including the usual pastas and pizzas. A modest all-Italian wine list starts at B750 a bottle, running to a handful of Barolos around the B12,000 mark, plus six whites and reds by the glass. They also offer bocce (petanque) out the back, and retail wines and olive oils, and truffles at cost price if you want to take some home. Lots of parking.
อิลทาร์ทูโฟ สุขุมวิท 51
MIDDLE EASTERN Arabesque [MAP3 / B7]
68/1 Sukhumvit Soi 2, Sukhumvit Rd (500 m from JW Marriott) 02-656-9440 | www.facebook.com /ArabesqueRestaurantBangkok 11am-2am
Two things distinguish Arabesque from your typical, Nana area Middle Eastern joint: its location deep inside quiet Sukhumvit Soi 2, away from the traffic and streetwalkers; and its fine-dining ambitions. The menu is as pure Egyptian as the sandy orange interior’s Arabesque motif wood and seashell doors, window frames and pillars. As well as dishes that fans of Middle Eastern cuisine will know well, such as hummus, mousaka and tajine (clay-pot stews), it includes some they probably won’t. Koushary, for example, is an Egyptian staple of lentil, macaroni, rice, fried onions and chili tomato sauce that we’ve never seen on the menu anywhere else. After munching on the free pickled vegetables with spicy dip, we opened with a plate of hummus (B120) and a fresh, finely diced mixed salad in a vinegary/lemony dressing. Both were excellent, especially when bangkok101.com
Pie (B160) most closely resembles the real deal, with layers of walnut, dates, sliced banana, cashews and cocao.
รัสยานา สุขุมวิท ซ.39 (พร้อมมิตร)
VIETNAMESE Dalad [MAP8 / L6]
Rasayana Raw Food Café
scooped up using strips of the fresh ovenbaked pita bread. As for mains, plenty of grilled meats (shish kebab, kofta, etc) are offered but we gravitated towards Egypt’s hearty, oven-baked dishes. One was fattah, a stodgy yet satisfying rice dish that’s similar to tajine expect for the scraps of bread that are mixed into it. That might not sound appealing, but it works: to our Mozah Meat Fattah (B250) the bread added a chewy texture that worked well with its soft boiled rice and hunks of tender lamb shank. The other was a mixed mahshi platter: a big plate of grape leaves, zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes and green peppers stuffed with rice, herbs and green leaves (B250). There were no fireworks, but we enjoyed everything.
อราเบสค์ สุขุมวิท ซ.2
VEGETARIAN Rasayana Raw Food Café [MAP3 / M3]
57 Sukhumvit Soi 39 (Soi Prom-mitr), Sukhumvit Rd | 02-662-4803 | 10am-8pm daily | www.rasayanaretreat.com
Veganism is still a fresh concept in Bangkok’s food scene, with just one raw
bangkok101.com
dalad
food joint in the city – Rasayana Raw Cafe on Sukhumvit Soi 39. The eatery is part of a colon-cleansing spa retreat so you know these chefs are serious about putting healthy food in your stomach. The all-vegan menu is rooted in the idea that cooked food loses all the important enzymes and nutrients that thrive in raw and uncooked food. We normally start with a freshly squeezed juice such as the Rasayana combo (B85): a blend of carrot, beet, celery and apple juice so tasty you forget there are veggies in it. We also like the carrot cream (B150) soup made with carrots and almond milk, topped with a flavourful powder of fennel and celery that adds an extra kick to the soup. For main course, try the eggplant lasagna (B190) made of layers of marinated eggplant, zucchini, marinara and avocado sauce, which together give this pseudo-lasagna its rainbow colours. The Mushroom Burger (B180) is more filling, suitable for those with a larger appetite, and the mushroom patty almost, almost tastes like meat. Our all-time favourite though is the Hawaiian Pizza (B170) topped with fiery-looking peppers, red onions and tomatoes. Of all their sweets, the Banoffee
36/7 Phahon Yothin Soi 7 (Ari) | BTS Ari 02-271-2109 | www.facebook.com/ daladvietnamese | 11am-10pm
Everything about this cosy Vietnamese eatery is inviting. From its cute flowery front patio, to its bright and simple vintage interior, comfy atmosphere and mouthwatering menu, Dalad has got everything the Soi Ari lunch and dinner crowds crave. While it’s often true that appearances are deceiving, at Dalad, what you see is what you get. The staff are friendly. And the food fresh, tasty and inexpensive, with generous portions of the classics like pho (soup), pakmor (steamed flour rolls with shrimp) and the popular nam neung (a set of grilled pork meatballs served with bouquet of fresh herbs and veggies) coming in at B60- 150. A dish you definitely should not miss is the rarely seen kao peak yuan, a Vietnamese round noodle served in thick soup. Those who live in the area can talk advantage of the free delivery service; and those who don’t should relish the trip to Soi Ari, a hip residential enclave that’s well worth exploring.
ดาลัด พหลโยธิน ซ.7 (อารีย์)
november 2012 | 75
FOOD & DRINKS
wine bar
WINE PUB by Max Crosbie-Jones
- home of the too-good-to-pass-up wine-deal Four years on and the Pullman Bangkok’s Wine Pub is still the busiest hotel wine bar in town. What lures all the classy grownups (affluent white collar Thais, plus a smattering of expats and tourists) in to this hip windowless establishment, hidden deep in the bowels of this sleek five-star hotel? Short answer: some of the best value food and wine deals in town, from Tuesday’s All-YouCan-Eat-Pasta, to Thursday’s 5 Cheese & Cold Cuts, and Saturday’s popular All-You-Can-Eat Tapas, all three of which throw in a bottle of house plonk (other promotions vary). These creative offers, available from 6 pm-10 pm each day, have won over the city’s bon viveurs, not just because the vino and grub is of a good provenance, but also because those prices are straight-up. All of the daily promotions here are priced at B 990 net, minus the crafty “++’ (service charge and government tax) mark up – always a sore point at settle up time. Another feature is the dark and very upmarket setting, spotted with close-nit high tables and intimate private booths and soundtracked by slowly building lounge and nu-disco tunes from DJ Baptiste.
76 | nov em ber 2012
Recommended is the Cheese & Cold Cuts platter, while those who aren’t left salivating at the prospect of that evening’s deal can choose off an à la carte menu featuring everything from the rich, flavorful lobster bisque soup with puff pastry topping (B 290), to house specials, like grilled snow fish (B 790) and agreeably spiced BBQ pork spare ribs (B 690). A tapas menu with sets of three, six or nine dishes – as well as a 16-dish tapas tree option– is also available. Serious gluggers should also direct their attention towards the striking central glass cabinet, manned by wine-savvy staff and loaded with countless new and old world bottles, including 24 by the glass.
รร.พูลแมน บางกอก คิงพาวเวอร์ ถ.รางน้�ำ getting there
Wine Pub [mAP 8 / K 10] 2nd F, Pullman Bangkok King Power Hotel | Soi Rangnam BTS Victory Monument|02-6809999 | www.pullmanbangkokkingpower.com | Mon – Sun 6 pm – 2 am bangkok101.com
CUISINE ART
CENTRE: The Refined Recipes Ruen Urai, “the House of Gold,” combines fine Thai culinary art with the elegant ambience. Inspired by Thailand’s diverse regions, cultures and lifestyles, our gastronomic creations vary from royal Thai cuisine to refined home-cooking. Our gourmet journey concludes in Bangkok and the Central Plains where the most reverential and influential reside. Through centuries, the court of Siam has conceived and refined numerous recipes into world-renowned royal Thai cuisine. The intricacy of “Latiang” of “Bedhunters,” Thai sweetmeat enveloped in egg lattice, a delightful dish appearing in the poems for barge procession written by King Rama II echoes complex Thai patterns. Casual dining and bar from noon to 11 p.m. Plus happy hours from 3 to 6 p.m. daily. Ruen Urai at the Rose Hotel 118 Soi Na Wat Hualumphong, Surawongse Road, Tel: 66 (0) 2266-8268-72 Fax: 66 (0) 2266-8096 www.rosehotelbkk.com www.ruen-urai.com
Thai Gourmet Journey Ad Series No. 5
bangkok101.com
november 2012 | 77
Nightlife
Bed supperclub’s ‘x-rated’ 10th Anniversary party photograph by Jumpeega Saengchat 78 | november 2012
bangkok101.com
nightlife news
“we’re having a ball” The Water Library adds wine and live music One of the boldest restaurants on the fine-dining scene, The Water Library (The Grass Thonglor Soi 12 | 02-714-9292) has added a wine bar, outdoor terrace and live music to its very upmarket recipe. Friday nights now feature live soul and jazz music between 9pm-12am, and Saturday nights live bossa nova. Meanwhile, the bar serves wines, cocktails and tapas-style tasting menus. Bash Nightclub now open Wrestling the new Soi 11 nightclub baton off the only three months old Levels is Bash (37 Sukhumvit Soi 11 | Facebook: BashBangkok). Located up some stairs next door to the Australian pub, this new afterhours spot has glam/ tacky décor and lighting straight circa the late 1990s but certainly has a lot of room to maneuver in, with a huge house room with circular mezzanine on the mid-level and hip hop on top. If you want to rock till the early hours it’s worth checking out (it doesn’t get going until 1am), but beware the smoking policy – puff away! Admission is B300 including 1 standard mix or beer. DJ Events Since starting out three years ago, party organisers Lush (Facebook: Lushparty) have made a name for themselves by putting on ambitious, carbon-neutral shindigs. However, with their next event, a music festival at the retro-hip Talad Rot Fai, or train market, on Friday November 9, they may just have surpassed themselves. Not only have they managed to find a unique location, they’ve also lined up no less than 42 live bands and DJs, including Apartment Khunpa, T-Bone, Jay Montonn Jira, Bangkok Invaders and Stylish Nonsense. Apparently, it’ll take place in fully redecorated historical warehouses, vintage pubs and an art gallery, as well as on rooftop dance floors. Sounds great, as does the fact that 30% of the profits will go to the Thai Association of the Blind. Pre-event tickets are B500 including two drinks (or B800 for VIP) and available through www.amiando.com/lush or at Silom’s The Pintsman Pub or Sathorn Road’s Dine in the Dark restaurant. Otherwise they’ll be B700 or B1,000 on the door. One of the world’s biggest DJ’s (and objects of dance music scene vitriol), Skrillex will womp womp his way to town on Friday November 16, when he spins at Sonic (90 Sukhumvit Soi 63). Chances are the tickets for his Thai debut, which are being sold exclusively via www.amiando.com, will have sold out by the time you read this, but if you’re a sucker for the Grammy winning Calfornian’s brand of dubstep, electro and fidget house then you should probably check just to make sure. Support is from fellow dubstep luminaries 12th Planet and Alvin Risk, as well as local hip-hopper DJ Octo. Coming soon: Apoteka Sometime this month we expect the doors to creak open at Apoteka (Facebook: apotekanbangkok), a new bar just across from Q Bar. Apparently it will have a “19th century laboratory vibe”; an ethos that’s all about “service, atmosphere and great banter”; “potions” designed to “stimulate, inoculate or intoxicate”; and food that they’re calling “radical gastro nibbles.” They’ve also got a good roster of local DJs lined up. bangkok101.com
november 2012 | 79
Nightlife
bar review
Le Bar de l’Hôtel by Howard Richardson
- where bar glam meets live jam Hotel lobby bars are as safe and predictable as Justin Bieber. Which makes the Sofitel Sukhumvit’s introduction of Chai, one of Bangkok best blues guitarists, particularly welcome. And neither have they stuffed him in a suit. Dressed in jeans and T-shirt, his shaggy ZZ Top beard on full display, Chai throws the sleepy cool of Howling Wolf. And when he cranks up the guitar it sounds like grating steel. For these gigs, running every Friday and Saturday, Chai calls his band the Blues Delivery, a seven piece line up of guitar/vocals, sax, trumpet, bass, drums, keyboards and percussion. New Orleans has Dr John, Bangkok has Nurse Phattaranut, vocalist who joins the band from a few songs in, to bang out more blues, R & B and poppy soul and Motown hits like ‘Misty Blue’ and ‘Tracks of My Tears’. The only thing missing from a traditional blues night is the grungy venue. Le Bar is hotel chic, and might not be dark enough to fire up a bong, but, still, it’s an intimate 38-seat venue with a laid back vibe and slouchy sofas and cushions. They should lose the TV screen projection at the back, though. The venue is too small to need it, and it sheds way too much light. 80 | november 2012
The ‘French inspired’ tapas buffet is actually more Italian or Mediterranean with items like salami, parmesan cheese, sun dried tomatoes and dips of hummus and mutabbal. But whatever they call it, it’s B100 a plate daily before 9pm, when there are also drinks deals, including wine by the glass from B95. Thereafter, snacks like kofta, falafel and somtam run from B180 a plate and wine jumps to B260-B660, Beer Chang to B220. So get there early, stock up on food and drink and settle in for the night. Friday is also Ladies Night, with two free drinks. Other music nights with special deals include the Neung Jakkawal Band every Wednesday (cocktails from B199net) and Siam Cubano, with Salsa on Thursdays (six oysters and free flow sparkling wine, B1,499 net). All bands play from 9pm to midnight.
รร.โซฟิเทล กรุงเทพ สุขุมวิท ถ.สุขุมวิท (ซ.13 – 15) getting there
Le Bar de l’Hôtel [MAP3 / E6] Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit, 189 Sukhumvit Road (btw Soi 13-15) | 02-126-9999 | BTS Nana or Asoke | Daily 11am-midnight bangkok101.com
bangkok101.com
november 2012 | 81
Nightlife unlike the locals, foreigners are charged a B200 entry fee (but get a free drink).
รูท 66 อาร์ ซี เอ TAPAS [Map5 / J 5]
Silom Soi 4 | BTS Sala Daeng / MRT Silom 02-632-7982 | www.tapasroom. net | 8 pm-2am
BED SUPPERCLUB
Nightclubs BED SUPPERCLUB [ma p3 / C4]
26 Sukhumvit Soi 11 | 02-651-3537 www.bedsupperclub.com | 7:30 pm-1 am
With its uber-modern oval spaceship design, Bed Supperclub is a hugely successful hybrid, and a Bangkok icon: fine dining on what may be the world’s largest sofas on one side, and an adjoining bar on the other. For the past eight years, Bed has attracted a fashionable crowd, and with its à-la-page white interior is definitely a place to see and be seen. The food is world-class on the cosy restaurant side, and the sleek design extends to an all-white bar on the club side. Bed has talented resident DJs and brings over top-notch talent (including some very eclectic art) for special events. Big-name DJs tend to spin on Thursdays.
เบด ซัปเปอร์คลับ สุขุมวิท ซ.11 DEMO [map3 / R1]
Thong Lor Soi 10 (next to Funky Villa) | BTS Thong Lo | 02-711-6970 | 8 pm-1 am | free
Easily the grittiest discoteca in the swish Thong Lor area is Demo: a squat former tenement building turned graffiti daubed brick warehouse. Featuring a terrace and bar outside, and lots of dark corners inside, not only does it look like a venue you’d find in East London or some other hipster-ville; it sounds like one, too: instead of the usual mainstream hip-hop and live-bands, Demo’s DJs blast zeitgeisty nu-disco, house and electro through a kicking sound-system.
เดโม ทองหล่อ ซ.10 Funky Villa [MAP3 / R1]
Thong Lor Soi 10 | BTS Thong Lor 08-5253-2000 | 6 pm-2 am |
The name Funky Villa conjures images of roller-blading babes in bikinis, all partying at a Hugh Hefner-owned villa in the Med. The reality’s different. Steer your way 82 | november 2012
Q bar
through the fairground-sized car park, past the BMWs and chic lounge-deck area, and you’ll hit a swish one-storey house, more posh than funky. Some of Bangkok’s gilded youth chill on sofas and knock pool balls around in the front room; but most hit the fridge-cool dancehall to boogie away the week’s woes to live bands and hip-hop DJs. Forget about edgy sounds – here it’s all about getting down with the CEOs of tomorrow.
ฟังกี้ วิลล่า ทองหล่อ ซ.10 GLOW [Map3 / G5]
96/4-5 Sukhumvit Soi 23 | BTS Asok / MRT Sukhumvit | 02-261-3007 www.glowbkk.com | 6 pm-1 am
This boutique club / bar challenges Bangkok’s biggies when it comes to delivering innovative music from the world of underground electronic pleasures. An intimate, stylish cave is decked out in dark walls, funky seating, innovative lighting and a dramatic bar. The music palette changes night-tonight but always excludes hip-hop (hurrah!). For details and regular updates, check Glow’s cool website.
โกลว์ สุขุมวิท ซ.23 ROUTE 66 [Map8 / Q12]
29/33-48 Royal City Avenue | MRT Phetchaburi | www.route66club.com B200 foreigners incl. drink / free for Thais
Rammed with hordes of dressed-to-kill young Thais on most nights of the week, ‘Route’, as it is affectionately known, is RCA’s longest surviving superclub. There are three zones to explore (four if you count the toilets – probably the ritziest in town), each with its own bar, unique look and music policy. ‘The Level’ is the huge, all-lasers-blazing hip-hop room; ‘The Classic’ spins house and techno; and Thai bands bang out hits in ‘The Novel’. Route is not a good place to lose your friends but can be a blast if you all get crazy around a table, be it inside or out on the big outdoors area. One sore point:
On the groovy little enclave of Silom Soi 4, Tapas is a party institution and one of the few mixed hang-outs on a heavily gay strip of lively bars and clubs. For more than 10 years it’s been pumping out excellent house music and live, bongo-bangin’ percussion sets as well. Multi-levelled, with a dark, Moroccan feel, it’s easy to chill here, whether lounging or dancing your tail off! Weeknights are very quiet, but weekends are always hopping from about midnights onwards. And if it’s not, there’s the outside terrace: a good spot for cocktails and some of the best people watching in town. The tipples are mixed strong, and watching this soi’s comings and goings an eye-opening experience to say the least. The B200 entry fee on Fridays and Saturdays includes a drink.
ทาปาส สีลม ซ.4 THE CLUB [Map7 / F 5]
123 Khaosan Rd, Taladyod | 02-629-1010 www.theclubkhaosan.com | 6 pm-2 am B 100 (incl. one drink)
The walk-in crowd of young Thais and backpackers must surely be amazed to find they’ve entered a techno castle on Khao San Road. The sky-high windows and raised central DJ turret lend a fairy-tale vibe, while the lasers, visuals and UV lighting hark back to mid 1990s psy-trance raves. Music-wise, it’s a loud, banging house serving up the full range of 4/4 beats, usually cranium-rattling electro house and techno. The drink prices are kind to your wallet and UV glowsticks handed out for free.
เดอะคลับ ข้าวสาร Q BAR [Map3 / C4]
34 Sukhumvit Soi 11 | BTS Nana | 02-2523274 www.qbarbangkok.com | 8 pm-1 am
Long-standing, New York-style night spot Q Bar is well-known for pouring stiff drinks (there are over 70 varieties of top-shelf vodka!) and its strong music policy, with big name international DJs appearing regularly. Q Bar raised the ‘bar’ for Bangkok nightlife twelve years ago and is still going strong, with a flirty crowd every night and a recent top-to-bottom renovation giving the venue a maximalist bangkok101.com
style injection. Now, there’s more room to dance and more lounge space, especially at QUP, the more downtempo upstairs area. Some relative solitude and a pick ‘n’ mix of the expat and jetset scene can usually be found up here and on the outdoor terrace, which is perfect for a breather, people watching and a late evening snack. Ladies get free entry on Wednesday nights – and two free drinks!
คิว บาร์ ถ.สุขุมวิท ซ.11
hotel bars & clubs BARSU [map3 / F 6, 7]
1st F, Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit 250 Sukhumvit Rd | 02-649-8358 www.barsubangkok.com | 6 pm-2 am
The informal yet sleek and minimally styled BarSu features the tagline ‘eat, play, dance,’ and appeals to the over-30 Bangkok crowd who feel disenfranchised by the city’s current nightlife offerings. To this end, there are five live bands for each night of the week. Comprised of students from Silpakorn University’s Faculty of Jazz, Tenon Round’ are a gifted young quartet who perform every Tuesday from 8 to 10pm. The other bands, JazzPlayground, P.O.8, Rhythm Nation and Hot Gossip, play from Wednesday to Saturday respectively. In between sets, the multitalented DJ D’Zier spins an infectious blend of house, r&b, soul, latin and whatever else keeps you movin’. As well as creative cocktails (our pick: the tom yum yum - a cold cocktail version of the iconic hot and spicy soup), a ‘Night Bites’ menu of delicious premium finger food is also on hand to keep those energy levels up.
รร.เชอราตัน แกรนด์ สุขุมวิท สุขุมวิท 12 CM2 [map4 / D5]
B1 F, Novotel Siam Square |392/44 Siam Square Soi 6 | BTS Siam | 02-209-8888 www.cm2bkk. Com | 10 pm – 2 am
The Novotel Siam Square Hotel’s subterranean party cave still packs them in sixteen years after it first opened, especially on weekends when it heaves with tourists and nocturnal beauties. The big and quite 1980s disco looking (black and metal and neon lighting rule) complex has lots of lounging space facing the dancefloor, plus a sports bar with pool tables, smoking room, and an Absolut Vodka Lounge. It’s mainstream all the way. DJs play what the crowd wants, when they want it, usually the latest electro, funky house or hip-grinding R&B tune, while the rotating line-up of live bangkok101.com
bands from Canada, Europe and Asia perform as if every song is a potentially life-changing audition. International / Thai food and a huge cocktail list is served, as is what they claim is Bangkok’s biggest pour – all drinks feature double shots for no extra charge. Stalk their Facebook page for news of their popular monthly theme parties and drinks promotions.
รร.โนโวเทลสยามสแควร์ สยามสแควร์ ซ.6 ST. REGIS BAR [map4 / G 7]
12th F, St. Regis Bangkok Hotel 159 Rajadamri Rd | BTS Ratchadamri 02-207-7777 | www.stregis.com Mo-Fr 10 am-1 am, Sat & Sun 10 am-2 am
At 6:30 pm each day a butler struts out onto the terrace of The St. Regis Bar, a saber in one hand, a bottle of Moet & Chandon in the other. He then flicks at the collar until ‘pop!’, the cork flies off and bubbly spurts gently out onto the terrace. Come for this, stay for the view. Stretching along a plate glass window, the rectangle venue – with its suave masculine vibe, long bar, clubby sofas and high-ceilings – eyeballs the city’s Royal Bangkok Sports Club. It’s a lovely spot at sunset, even better on every second Sunday afternoon, when you can spy on the horseracing with a fine malt whisky in hand.
รร. เดอะ เซนต์ รีจิส กรุงเทพฯ ถ.ราชดำ�ริ
Bars with views Above Eleven [MAP3 / C4]
33rd Fl Frasers Suite Sukhumvit Hotel, 38/8 Sukhumvit Soi 11 | BTS Nana 02-207-9300 | www.aboveeleven.com 6pm-2am
A west-facing 33rd floor rooftop bar with beautiful sunsets, Above Eleven is a winning combination. The outdoor wooden deck bar with glass walls for maximum view has a central bar, dining tables, lounge areas and huge daybeds for parties to slumber on. Tip: choose a seat on the north side – it gets windy to the south. There’s a great view,
ST.Regis bar
an impressive cocktail list, an electro soundtrack with special DJ nights on Wednesday (Salsa), Friday (Hip Hop) and Saturday (House), and this is Bangkok’s only Peruvian restaurant, a cuisine with a bit of worldwide buzz. It will suit the adventurous.
เฟรเซอร์ สวีทส์ สุขุมวิท สุขุมวิท ซ.11 AMOROSA [Map7 / C 12]
4th F, Arun Residence Hotel |36-38 Soi Pratoo Nok Young, Maharat Rd (near Wat Po) 02-221-9158 | www.arunresidence.com 6 pm-1 am
Amorosa is a sultry, Moroccan-style balcony bar offering balmy river breezes, sour-sweet cocktails and a so-so wine list. The showstopper though is the view: perched on the roof of a fourstorey boutique hotel, guests gaze out from its balcony terrace onto the Chao Phraya River and Wat Arun, the stunning Temple of Dawn, on the banks beyond. Go before sundown and enjoy watching the sun sink slowly behind it. Or come later, when amber floodlights make it glow against the night sky.
อรุณเรสสิเดนซ์ ซ.ประตูนกยูง ถ.มหาราช LONG TABLE [Map3 / H8]
25th F, 48 Column Bldg | Sukhumvit Soi 16 BTS Asok / MRT Sukhumvit | 02-302-2557-9 www.longtablebangkok.om | 11 am-2:00 am
Top-end Thai food isn’t the only thing that draws Bangkok’s nouveau riche to this impossibly swish restaurant-cumbar. There’s also the trend-setting twist: a sleek communal dining table so long it makes the medieval banquet bench look positively petite. However, it’s what happens at the end of the room that propels this place deep into the nightlife stratosphere. Where the long table ends, a tall plate glass window and huge poolside patio, complete with bar, begins. Out here, 25 floors up, you can glug signature ‘long-tail’ cocktails or new latitude wines with the best of high-flying
cm2 november 2012 | 83
Nightlife
The Speakeasy [MAP4 / J6]
Hotel Muse | 55/555 Lang Suan Rd 02-630-4000 | www.hotelmusebangkok.com 6 pm-1 am
long table
Bangkok: a glitzy hotchpotch of celebrities, models and power players; hair-tousling breezes; and – best of all – wide-screen city vistas. A Sukhumvit high point.
อาคารคอลัมน์ สุขุมวิท ซ.16 MOON BAR [Map5 / K, l8]
61st F, Banyan Tree Bangkok | 21/100 South Sathorn Rd | 02-679-1200 www.banyantree.com | 5 pm-1 am
This is one place that will get you closer to the moon. The open-air bar lets you take in the urban Moloch from up-above in smart surroundings. With stunning 360° views, the hotel’s rooftop has been turned into a slick grill restaurant; one end is occupied by the bar. Nothing obstructs your view here, almost 200 metres high up. It’s the perfect spot for honeymooners – take a seat on the smart sofa stations, sip on a classy Martini or a yummy signature cocktail and feel romance welling up. For voyeurs, the telescope and binoculars come in handy. Glamour girls and unwinding business guys feel right at home here, too. Stay until the wee hours, nibble on sophisticated snacks, take in the light jazz – and never ever forget your camera.
รร.บันยันทรี ถ.สาทรใต้ NEST [Map3 / C4]
9th F, Le Fenix | 33/33 Sukhumvit Soi 11 BTS Nana | 02-305-4000 www.lefenixsukhumvit.com | 5 pm-2 am
An all-white and urbane open-air oasis on the ninth floor of the sleek Le Fenix Hotel, Nest is a loungey and laid-back spot on weekdays and early evenings, with couples enjoying signature martinis and upmarket nibbles from the comfort of Thai-style swing beds and Nest-shaped rattan chairs. But on weekends, a more up-for-it crowd ascends, especially during special party nights. These include MODE, a shindig every second Saturday of the month that pumps hip-hop and house beats rather than the usual smooth Balearic sounds. What are the views alike? With buildings looming above 84 | november 2012
the speakeasy
you, not below you, here you feel part of the cityscape rather than detached from it.
เลอฟินิกซ์ สุขุมวิท ซ.11 PHRANAKORN BAR [map7 / G6]
Soi Damnoen Klang Tai, Ratchadamnoen Rd. 02-622-0282 | 6pm-1am
Only a five minute walk from Khao San Road, multi-level Phranakorn Bar is an old favourite of local art students and creatives, mostly for its indie/80s/90s worshipping playlist and mellow trestle-and-vine rooftop offering splendid views, over old-city rooftops, towards the floodlit Golden Mount temple. The booze and Thai food is cheap, as is most of the modern art hanging on the second floor. Tried to find it before but failed? You wouldn’t be the first. From the Burger King end of Khao San Road, turn right onto Ratchadamnoen, right again and it’s down the first soi on your left hand-side.
พระนครบาร์ ซ.ดำ�เนินกลางใต้ ถ.ราชดำ�เนิน RED SKY [Map4 / F 3]
56th F, Centara Grand at CentralWorld Rama 1 Rd | BTS Chit Lom / Siam | 02-100-1234 www.centarahotelresorts.com | 5 pm-1 am
Encircling the 56th floor turret of CentralWorld’s adjoining Centara Grand Hotel, the al fresco Red Sky offers panoramas in every direction. Just before sunset is the time to come – plonk yourself down on a rattan chair or oversized daybed and wait for the lightshow to begin. When daylight fades and the city lights up like a circuit-board, a live jazz band kicks in and Bangkok takes on a glam cosmopolitan aura. Upscale bar snacks like slow-cooked baby back pork ribs and martinis, cocktails and wines are on hand to keep you company while your eyes explore the scenery. It’s not cheap, but the daily happy hours (50% off selected wines, beers and cocktails between 5-7pm) help.
รร.เซ็นทาร่าแกรนด์ แอทเซ็นทรัลเวิลด์ ถ.พระราม 1
One of the newest al fresco rooftop bars, The Speakeasy has several sections, all radiating from the Long Bar, which you enter from the elevator. As the name suggests, the complex evokes the glamour of Prohibition Era USA, with fusion Deco details, mirrored wall panels and carved wood screens. Everything’s distressed, the parquet floors unvarnished – it’s a well-oiled joint with a warm, lived-in feel. On the wooden deck Terrace Bar people fill the lounge areas and tall tables that hug the classical balustrades overlooking Lang Suan. A long international snack menu stands out for decent portions at reasonable prices; spirits (from B 270) include luxury cognacs and malts; wines are B300-B600 a glass, while cocktails (from B 290) include home-made vodka infusions.
รร.โฮเทล มิวส์ ซ.หลังสวน SKY BAR / DISTI L [map5 / C5]
63rd F, State Tower | 1055 Silom Rd 02-624-9555 | www.thedomebkk.com 6 pm-1 am
Among the world’s highest outdoor bars, Sky bar – attached to Med restaurant Sirocco – offers panoramic views of the city and river below, earning its popularity with visitors new to the City of Angels and those intent on rediscovering it. Indoor-outdoor Distil boasts a roomful of comfy sofas, beyond premium liquor and The Dome’s signature breathtaking view. Adjacent to Asian seafood eatery Breeze, Ocean 52 sports yet another stunning view from the 51st – 52nd floors. These places are definitely not spots for the casual beach bum, so be sure to leave your flip-flops and shopping bags at home – a strict smart casual dress code is enforced.
สเตททาวเวอร์ สีลม
BARS BARLEY BISTRO [map C4]
4/F Food Channel, Silom Road | BTS Sala Daeng | 087-033-3919 | daily 5pm-late www.barleybistro.com
Hidden up some stairs at the Food Channel, an enclave of franchise-like restaurants, Barley Bistro is slick and snazzy. The design is chic (blacks and greys, white-on-black stencil art); the drinks funky (lychee mojitos, testtube cocktails etc); the food new-fangled (spaghetti kimchi etc); and the clientele bangkok101.com
wholesome (Thai office workers mostly). Do check out the open-air rooftop. Though not quite worthy of our ‘Bars with a View’ section – it’s boxed in by buildings – it’s littered with cooling fans, huge bean bags and funky barley-stalk sculptures and good for postwork/ pre-club cocktails. Live bands play in the bar most nights.
บาร์ลี่ย์บิสโทร ฟู้ดชาแนล ถ.สีลม CAFÉ TRIO [map4 / H6]
36/11-12 Soi Lang Suan | BTS Chit Lom 02-252- 6572 | 6 pm-1 am, closed on the 2nd and 4th Sun of the month
Cafe Trio is just about the only bar worth seeking out on Lang Suan Road. Tucked down a narrow alley just off the upmarket residential street, this cozy jazz bar & art gallery is a welcome alternative to Bangkok’s raucous pubs and haughty lounge bars – a true neighbourhood place. Cafe Trio overflows with plush couches, the lighting delightfully soft, the music always subdued. The vivacious owner and bartender Patti holds court nightly and has plastered the walls with her Modigliani-esque, Vietnamese inspired paintings – have a few drinks and don’t be surprised to find yourself taking one home. To find it, look for the Chinese restaurant across from Starbucks and head 50m down the road.
คาเฟ่ทริโอ ซ.หลังสวน CHEAP CHARLIE’S [map3 / D6]
Sukhumvit Soi 11 | BTS Nana | 02-253-4648 Mon-Sat 5 pm-midnight
This joint is a Bangkok institution, bringing the charm of a rickety hole-in-the-wall bar to one of Sukhumvit’s swankiest Sois. A no-brainer meet-up spot, Cheap Charlie’s draws crowds of expats, NGOers and tourists in-the-know to fill up on B 70 beers and pocket-change G&Ts before heading off to eat and party – though don’t be surprised if you end up here all night. Its location is a winner, situated as it is on a cool little sub-soi (first on the left as you walk down from Sukhumvit) packed with restaurants and a short walk from hallowed Bangkok gin-palaces Q Bar and Bed Supperclub.
ชีพ ชาร์ลีย์ ถ.สุขุมวิท 11 (ซอยแรก) CLOUDS [Map3 / Q2]
1st F, SeenSpace | 251/1 Thong Lor Soi 13, (Sukhumvit Soi 55) | BTS Thong Lo 02-185-2365 | www.cloudslounge.com
The third bar by Australian Ashley Sutton – the mad scientist of Bangkok’s bar scene – is, as we’ve come to expect, something entirely unexpected. Evoking a bangkok101.com
cheap charlie‘s
clouds
future where ‘there are no more natural resources’, this slim concrete shell at the rear of hip lifestyle mall SeenSpace has a living tree encased in glass in one corner, and concrete blocks, topped with lumps of translucent leaf-encasing acrylic, for tables. Vodka-based cocktails (B 280) by New York mixultant Joseph Boroski are prepped by ‘NASA technicians’ in white overalls; and the food offerings tasty misshapen pizzas, cooked in a gas-oven behind the bar and served in steel trays. A lively crowd-puller with indoor and outdoor seating, the result is enjoyably bizarre: think space-station drinking hole.
buildings and thriving flora, it’s just bigger and bolder. The Face Bar is a dimly-lit place that summons deluxe drinkers with its cosy settees, ambient soundscape, and giant cocktails. Though often empty, the big drink list will stop your body clock pretty fast. The three restaurants – Hazara serving Northern Indian, Misaki serving Japanese, and Lan Na Thai serving traditional Thai – are full of fab all-Asian decor; they’re romantic and inviting, but you might be let down by the tiny portions, and the flamboyant prices. Stay in the Bar and order from the snack menu instead. And have another Japanese Slipper.
คลาวด์ โครงการการซีสเปซ ซ.ทองหล่อ 13
เฟซแบงคอก สุขุมวิท ซ.38
ESCAPADE [MAP7 / E3]
112 Pra-Artit Rd, Pranakorn | 08-73632629, 08-1406-3773 | Tue-Sun 12pm-12am www.facebook.com/escaburgersandshakes
FAT GUT’Z [map3 / Q2]
264 Soi 12, Sukhumvit Soi 55 (Thong Lor) 027-149-832 | www.fatgutz.com | 6 pm-2 am
Unlike most bars in the Khao San Road area, the owners of this bohemian hole-in-thewall, Khun Karn and Khun Van, are the sorts of locals you might actually strike up a conversion with. Karn, a former bartender at the Shangri-La and Mandarin Oriental, mixes creative, tasty and strong cocktails to order for only B140-B200. Tell him your wildest alcohol-sodden fantasies and he’ll deliver you the tipple of your dreams in minutes. Van, meanwhile, rustles up lip smacking bar grub: hot dogs buried in jalapeno peppers and sizzling bacon; baskets of honey-glazed deep-fried chicken, etc. Perhaps the most memorable thing about Escapade, though, are its proportions: you have to squeeze past strangers to enter, a quirk which makes it more intimate than most.
This sleek saloon is packed nightly with beautiful people, there to listen to live blues, indulge in carefully crafted drinks, and, perhaps, catch a glimpse of its in-demand owner, Ashley Sutton, the Australian behind the legendary Iron Fairies. Unlike his first bar, Fat Gut’z displays a less obvious sense of whimsy – here, the random fittings and industrial decor are replaced by straight lines and black-coloured, modern furnishings. It all feels rather serious, until you open the drinks menu. Sutton brought in master New York mixologist Joseph Boroski to create 16 unique cocktails (B285 each), all named after famous WWII shipwrecks. This nautical theme loosely ties in with the short menu, from which the most popular dish is, of course, the fish ‘n’ chips (B320 for one person, B600 for two).
เอสกาเพด เบอร์เกอร์ แอนด์ เชค ถ.พระอาทิตย์
แฟท กัซ สุขุมวิท ซ.55
FACE BANGKOK [Map3 / S7]
29 Sukhumvit Soi 38 | BTS Thong Lo 02-713-6048 | www.facebars.com 11:30 am-1 am
Jim Thompson, move over. Face’s visually stunning complex is reminiscent of Jim’s former mansion, with Ayutthaya-style
FIVE Gastronomy & Mixology [MAP3 / O9]
Room 103, K Village, Sukhumvit Soi 26 BTS Phrom Phong | 088-524-5550 www.facebook.com/fivebkk | 6pm-1am daily
Five brings a welcome wand blast of gothic whimsy to K Village, an otherwise november 2012 | 85
Nightlife
or business, but also a lively pick-up joint without the pressure of full-on dress-tokill. Book ahead if you want a table.
ออสการ์ บิสโทร สุขุมวิท ซ.11 TUBA [Map8 / S14]
34 Room 11-12A, Soi Cham Chun (Ekkamai Soi 21) | 02-711-5500 www.design-athome.com | 11 am-2 am marshmallow
aesthetically uninspiring community mall. Its owner, Pattriya Na Nakorn, invited bar entrepreneur Ashley Sutton to work his magic with a vacant plot on the ground floor. And, completing her dream team is Joseph Boroski, the same New York based cocktail ‘mixologist’ that Sutton uses. His bars always engage the daydreamy part of your brain and this black magic themed one is no different. Think clanking pulleys, monumental iron piping and flickering candles. Indeed, even the staff look like they’ve stumbled off the set of Harry Potter. Creepily-monikered eats include fried bat wings (herb-coated chicken wings). And Boroski potions worth necking include the Prescription Brandy Suzerac: a strong, earthy mix of Italian brandy, lime, honey and cinnamon served in a small poison bottle. It’s not cheap, but Five casts an intoxicating spell.
ไฟว์ เควิลเลจ สุขุมวิท 26 HYDE & SEEK [Map4 / L5]
tuba
MARSHMALLOW [map3 / C5]
33/18 Sukhumvit Soi 11 | BTS Nana 02-254-1971 | Facebook: Marshmallow | 11 am-1 am
Occupying the corner building where Sukhumvit 11 turns left towards Q Bar, this gastro bar has a raised terrace that wraps around its perimeter, beside tall steel and glass doors that are fully retractable. Dark wood-planks line the walls and pillars; there’s a metalwork-backed bar; and a bohemian touch, bird cage lamps, dangling over the tables at one end. Cocktails come in at a very reasonable B190; champagne and sparkling cocktails B 220; local beers B90. “Food was never meant to be the focus,” the partner Fred Jungo, a resident DJ at nearby Bed Supperclub, told us. However, judging by the dishes we tucked in to – a bright and fresh haloumi cheese salad, a slab of Australian tenderloin with mash and boiled veg (B 550) – it could become their forte. An affordable and brilliantly located (in Soi 11 clubber terms) spot for drinks and bites.
65/1 Athenée Residence, Soi Ruamrudee BTS Phloen Chit | 02-168-5152 www.hydeandseek.com | 11 am-1 am
มาร์ชเมลโล่ สุขุมวิท ซ.11
This stylish downtown gastro bar is a deadringer for those chic London haunts that draw the after-work crowd for pick-meup cocktails and good food that doesn’t break the bank. Heading the kitchen is Ian Kittichai, the brains behind the successful Kittichai restaurant in New York, while the bar is helmed by the boys behind Flow, the cocktail consultancy that inspires much drunken fun around the region. The sleek, Georgian-influenced décor has paneled walls, clubby chairs and a large central bar, where snacks like beer battered popcorn shrimps and baby back ribs glazed with chocolate and chilli go well with fancy, custom-made cocktails or Belgian ales. Outside, there’s a spacious terrace with swing seats and a mini-maze of tea plants to partition dining areas.
24 Sukhumvit Soi 11 | BTS Nana | 02-255 3377 4 pm-2 am; kitchen open till 11:30 pm
แอนธินีเรซซิเดนซ์ ซ.ร่วมฤดี 86 | november 2012
OSKAR BISTRO [map3 / D5]
Lively Oskar has the electro music and low ceiling cellar dimensions to qualify as clubby; and, with a dominant central bar, it’s perhaps more brasserie than bistro. The food choice includes sandwiches, the Oskar burger (wagyu beef – what else?), pizzas and a section of cocottes. Almost all are under B300, which for food of this surprising quality is a steal. Most people come here though not for the food but for a pre-club libation or two: be it glass of wine (from B145 a glass), imported bottle beer, or reasonably priced cocktail. Close to Bed Supperclub and Q Bar, its own ambient, loungey sounds crank up as the night matures, and – although there’s no dance space – many of the mixed Thai-farang crowd are happy to linger. It’s a good meal and drinks option for a date
Owned by the same hoarders behind furniture warehouse Papaya, Tuba is a Bangkok classic: room upon room of haphazardly arranged kitsch, all of which you’re free to skulk through at your leisure. Some come here to snag a comfy sofa, retro sign or goofy tchotchke. Others come for the big menu of Italian and Thai dishes tweaked for the local palate. But for us, it works best as a bar, as the setting and generous happy hours (buy one get one free between 5-8pm daily) mean there really are few cooler places to kick back with a sweet cocktail in hand (or two hands in some cases – the glassware can be that big!). A word to the wise: one glass too many and you may leave with more than you bargained for. Another caveat: smokers are allowed to puff away.
ทูบา ถ.สุขุมวิท 63 (เอกมัย 21) THE IRON FAIRIEs [Map3 / Q2]
394 Thong Lor (Sukhumvit Soi 55), Thong Lor Soi 12 | BTS Thong Lo 084-520-2301 | www.theironfairies.com
Bangkok’s most bizarre bar is a functioning iron foundry that just happens to serve booze. Drawing heavily from the steampunk genre, it has the labyrinthine otherworldliness of a Terry Gilliam film-set. Walls are daubed black, silent movies are projected on the walls upstairs, an in-house magician tours the tables, and Doris Day classics are belted out from the cast-iron spiral staircase. Beers start from B120 a bottle, a well mixed dirty martini goes for B280 and the burgers, served pinned to a wooden chopping board with a steak knife, divine. The moneyed Thong Lor set fill it nightly.
ดิไอรอนแฟรี่ส์แอนด์โค ซ.ทองหล่อ SALT [MAP8 / L7]
Soi Ari (near Soi 4) | 02-619-6886 6pm-midnight (closed Tuesdays)
Worth heading to Soi Ari for, Salt is a hipster-luring gastro bar with a postmodern finish. Seating is either out on an outdoor terrace or in a minimalist concrete shell – a former condominium sales office no less – with a bar at the far end and lots of raw marble, stone and wooden furniture. bangkok101.com
Behind them sits an old wooden house which is used to project digital animations on and offers extra seating. This is the sort of uber-trendy space that the editors of Wallpaper* and other design bibles kneel down and kiss the floor at, but what makes Salt is the global cuisine that’s coming out the kitchen, from fresh sashimi platters to generously dressed thin-crust pizzas cooked in a proper wood fire. Creative concoctions like the Bangkok Mule (a long glass of Mekong rum, brown sugar, ginger ale and diced raw lemongrass) are the work of one of the mixologists from Soi Ruam Rudee’s designer cocktail bar Hyde & Seek.
ซอล์ท ซ.อารีย์ SHADES OF RETRO [Map8 / s14]
Soi Tararom 2, Thong Lor | BTS Thong Lo 081-824-8011 | 3 pm-1 am | cash only
Hipster attic, here we come – Shades of Retro is a hidden Thong Lor spot awash in neo-nostalgia and stuffed with vintage furniture, vinyl records, old rotary telephones. A combo furniture storecafé,Shades provides a quiet hangout for the writer/designer/artiste crowd by day, funpeople-watching at night, and nice jazz at all times. Curl up on a nubby couch, flip through a Wallpaper* magazine and soak up the atmosphere, which flirts with being too ironic for its pants. A cool, friendly crowd and bracing cocktails or coffee served up with popcorn humanizes the hip, thankfully.
เฉดส์ ออฟ เรโทร ซ.ธารารมย์ 2 ทองหล่อ VIVA AVIV [map5 / C2]
River City-Unit 118 | 23 Trok Rongnamkhaeng, Charoen Krung Soi 30 | 02-639-6305 | www.vivaaviv.com 11am-midnight, later on weekends
Viva Aviv reminds us of one of the hipper bars along Singapore’s Clarke Quay. Not only does it have the bar tables and stools jutting across a riverside promenade, inside there’s also a hip designer interior in full effect. Think tropical maritime chic meets dashes of outright whimsy. While the owner, Khun Ae, is responsible for this rustic look, the bar is being looked after by the cocktail designers behind popular gastrobar Hyde and Seek. Their ‘Rough Cut’ Signatures, many of them underpinned with rum (tequila is so last year, apparently), come in slightly cheaper than over at Hyde & Seek, B250. Food is also served; our favourite dish the risotto-filled croquet balls with yoghurt dip.
02-286-1558 | Mon-Sat 10 pm-late
It’s amazing how Wong’s Place stays in business. It’s not near any public transport; opens when it wants, closes when it wants; plays crackly videos from Top of the Pops in 1985; has a couple of serve-yourself beer fridges and is not much bigger than a living room. Yet it attracts a fiercely loyal crowd of expat journalists, English teachers, hipsters, creative Thais and professional barflies who have been coming here for years and regard owner Sam as a kind of benevolent dictator, knowing better than to take advantage of the beer fridges honour system. Come before midnight and it’s usually pretty dead (the Wong’s Place at the wong time?). Come after the other bars close – it’s a mere hop skip and a jump from Silom – and watch the night unfold.
วองส์ เพลส ซ.งามดูพลี WTF [Map3 / Q6]
7 Sukhumvit Soi 51 | BTS Thong Lo 02- 626-6246 | www.wtfbangkok.com | Tue-Sun 6 pm-1 am / gallery from 3 pm
This tiny shophouse – signposted by graffiti on a corrugated tin wall in the street opposite – has a bar on the ground floor, decked out with mirrors along one wall, old Thai movie posters on the other, and found items like wooden screen doors and chairs. It works. The Thaifarang owners (an art manager, hotelier and photographer by trade) have made a good fist of cocktails (from B130) with rye whiskies and unusual bitters in the mix, while plates of tapas consist of Thai and Euro choices such as Portuguese chorizo and feta salad. Expect occasional live gigs, art exhibitions upstairs and a mix of indie hipsters, journos and artscensters to chew the fat with.
ดับเบิลยู ทีเอฟ สุขุมวิท ซ.51
LIVE MUSIC ADHERE the 13TH [Map7 / G3]
13 Samsen Rd (opposite Soi 2) 089- 769-4613 | 5 pm-midnight |
Funky, jammy, bare – one of Bangkok’s
coolest hangouts is nothing more than an aisle packed with five tables, a tiny bar and instruments. It’s a joint you’d expect to find on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, except forthe Chang beer. North of Khao San Road (ask for ‘Ad Here’, once in the quarter), this down-to-earth, bohemian hang-out packs ’em in nightly. On weekends, young Thais, expats and tourists spill out on the sidewalk when the joint is jumpin’. The resident band churns out cool blues, Motown and Janis Joplin; Georgia, the city’s only true Blues Mama, has a voice and figure to match, and would never sing Hotel California.
แอดเฮีย 13 ถ.สามเสน บางลำ�ภู BRICK BAR [Map7 / G6]
265 Khaosan Rd | 02-629-4477 www.brickbarkhaosan.com Mon-Sun 7 pm-1am | Mon-Thu free / Fri-Sat B150 incl. one drink
Found at the rear of the Buddy Lodge shopping arcade, this dark and airy red brick vault features benches downstairs, an upstairs terrace for people or band watching and plenty of nooks and crannies to party in. A magnet for young live music lovers, it’s jumping most nights of the week with freshfaced twentysomethings out to catch some of Thailand’s biggest ska, reggae, funk and blues bands, many of whom play their own material. Perfect for friends who’ve just hit town.
บริคบาร์ ถ.ข้าวสาร COSMIC CAFE [Map8 / Q12]
RCA Block C | Rama IX Rd | MRT Rama 9
The rebel in RCA’s ranks, Cosmic Café serves up a mixed diet of sonic eclecticism in a grungy, open-sided corner bar with outdoor seating and a small dance floor. On one night you might the place jumping to a rare live performance by mor lam legend Dao Bandon, on another a house band dishing out some surf guitar, ska, electronic or blues. The edgiest joint on the block, it draws a lively, musically discerning crowd, from skinny jeaned art-school hipster types to
อาคารริเวอร์ซิตี้ เจริญกรุง ซ.30 WONG’S PLACE [Map8 / L17]
27/3 Soi Sri Bumphen, Soi Ngam Duplee, near Malaysia Hotel | MRT Lumpini bangkok101.com
viva aviv
WT F november 2012 | 87
Nightlife
saxophone pub
teddy boy expats. An insider’s must.
คอสมิค คาเฟ่ อาร์ซีเอ PARKING TOYS [MAP2 / G5]
17/22 Soi Maiyalap, Kaset-Navamin | Highway, Bang Khen | (pier 135-136 on left hand side) Lat Phrao district | BTS Mo Chit (then taxi) 02-907-2228 | 6 pm-1am
Inside this ex-garage out in the northern suburbs it’s pure sensory overload. Wallto- wall retro furniture becomes instant eye-candy, while chairs without upholstery dangle from the ceiling. Here, there is a band for every alternative music lover; in just one weekend night you can catch reggae, electronic, rockabilly, and metal. It’s a hike and not easy to find, but worth it.
ปาร์คกิ้งทอย ซ.มัยลาภ เกษตรนวมินทร์ THE ROCK PUB [Map4 / C2]
93/26-28 Radchatewee, Phaya Thai Rd, (opposite Asia Hotel) | BTS Ratchathewi www.therockpubbangkok. com | 9:30 pm-2 am
If Def Leppard, Aerosmith or Wayne and Garth were in town you’d find them reliving the glory years here, at Bangkok’s very own Castle of Rock. A tacky fauxturret exterior, visible from the Ratchatewi BTS Station, makes you wonder what kind of weird, 1980s theme-park ride you’ve stumbled on, while inside local metal bands sporting Brian May hairdos and crotch-hugging jeans thrash out note-perfect renditions of everything from Black Sabbath to Sweet Child O’Mine and Motorhead’s Ace of Spades. Fans of the extended drum interlude or lightening fast guitar solo will not be disappointed – or able to resist doing the Devil’s Horn.
เดอะ ร็อคผับ RAINTREE PUB [Map8 / K10]
116 / 63 - 34 Soi Ruamjit, Rang Nam Rd BTS Victory Monument | 02-245-7230, www.raintreepub.com | 5pm-1am
This rustic Thai ‘country’ bar is a sort 88 | november 2012
sonic
of all-wooden, pre-consumerist age timecapsule. Raintree hosts musicians playing Pleng Peua Chiwit (Songs for Life), the once phenomenally popular 1970’s folk protest music and soundtrack for Thailand’s politically disaffected. On a stage decorated with the movement’s trademark buffalo skulls, two artists strum nightly: a long-haired singer croons plaintive songs at 8:30 pm, a grizzled band steps up at around 11 pm. Owner Porn Pimon opened Raintree 19 years ago and has changed little since. And why should she? The people are friendly, the beer snacks cheap and tasty, and the music, made famous by household names like Caravan and Caribou, often soul-stirring.
เรนทรีผับ ซ.ร่วมจิต ถ.รางน้ำ� SAXOPHONE PUB [Map8 / K10]
3 / 8 Phaya Thai Rd | BTS Victory Monument 02-246-5472 | www.saxophonepub.com 6 pm-2 am
Just a stone’s throw from the Victory Monument Skytrain Station, this cozy, unpretentious place is a Bangkok landmark when it comes to solid live jazz and blues. Attracting youngish Thais and the odd foreigner, the spacious joint can pack up to 400 people on its homey, low-ceilinged, woodfilled floors. Each night, two talented Thai bands belt out sincere jazz, jazzy funk and R&B while the crowd feasts on hearty Thai and Western fare. All the local live music scene greats have played here and many still pop by when they can.
แซ๊กโซโฟนผับ ถ.พญาไท Sonic [MAP3 / T2]
90 Ekamai (Sukhumvit Soi 63) |BTS Ekamai 02-382-3396 | facebook: sonic.ekamai 6 pm-2 am
Hip, mural-splattered Sonic is dedicated to bringing you assorted musical jollies. Not the same old Thai bands or David Guetta wannabes, but nights that sit at the more alternative end of the spectrum, with a tilt toward the indie side. There’s
a big semi-outdoor seating area with DJ booth, an indoor bar and deeper in is the main room. On quieter nights stools and tables fill this high-ceilinged, warehouselike space with a bar in one corner and funky brass lamps dangling overhead, but for gigs and other crowd-pullers they strip it bare. Since opening, Sonic has blasted its way into the affections of the city’s hard-to-please nightlife clans with a string of unusual live gigs and themed nights. See their Facebook page for the next.
โซนิค ซ.เอกมัย (ระหว่าง ซ.10 และบิ๊กซี) TAWANDAENG GERMAN BREWERY [MAP2 /E11]
462 / 61 Rama III Rd | Yan Nawa district 02- 678-1114 | www.tawandang.co.th
The one place that every taxi driver seems to know, this vast, barrel-shaped beer hall packs in the revelers nightly. They come for the towers of micro-brewed beer, the Thai, Chinese and German grub (especially the deep-fried pork knuckle and sausage), and, not least, the famous Fong Nam houseband. It’s laidback early on, but by 10pm, when the Thai/Western pop, luk krung and mor lam songs are at full pelt, everybody is on their feet and the place going bananas. Great for large groups, especially birthday par ties and office outings, but make sure you reserve ahead for the best tables nearest the stage.
โรงเบียร์เยอรมันตะวันแดง พระราม 3
Jazz clubs BAMBOO BAR [Map5 / B4]
The Oriental Bangkok | 48 Oriental Ave 02-659-9000 | www.mandarinoriental.com Sun-Thu 11 am-1 am, Fri & Sat 11 am-2 am
This Bangkok landmark is a symbol of past glories of the East. Situated in one of the city’s most sophisticated hotels, the 50-year-old bar oozes class, sophistication and style. Reminiscent of a tropical film noir-setting, it features a jungle theme – bamboo, palm fronds and furry patterns. Small and busy, it’s never theless romantic and intimate – balanced by the legendary Russian jazz band that’s been on the stage here for ages. Monday through Saturday nights catch the sultry sounds of their current resident songstress, Cynthia Utterbach. Everybody’s sipping on faultless cocktails, mixed by skilled old-school bar tenders and served by a superb staff. Ideal for a boozy night on your honeymoon. A definite big Bangkok must.
รร.โอเรียลเต็ล ถ.โอเรียลเต็ล
bangkok101.com
Brown Sugar [Map7 / J5]
469 Phrasumen Road | 089-499-1378 www.brownsugarbangkok.com | 6 pm-1 am
Little over a month after it closed down, one of Bangkok’s oldest cosiest jazz venue was back with a new, bigger location near Khao San. Now a restaurant and coffee house by day, it morphs into a world-class, jazz café-style haunt where renditions of bebop and ragtime draw an audience of locals and visitors by night. Its exterior is impressive, resembling a ritzy old cinema house. And inside, it’s huge, with a daytime coffeeshop up front, a versatile 200-seater ‘Playhouse’ upstairs, and the big, open-plan jazz pub and restaurant out back. Six house bands fill up the week, and on the last Friday or Saturday of each month they showcase an international act that’s passing through.
บราวน์ ชูการ์ ถ.พระสุเมร DIPLOMAT BAR [Map4 / K7]
Conrad Bangkok | 87 Witthayu Rd BTS Ploen Chit |02-690-9999 www.conradbangkok.com | Sun-Thu 6 pm-1 am; Fri & Sat 6 pm-2 am
An architecturally striking hotel bar, mixing a funky, stylish décor with soft teak sofas and an arresting chandelier hanging over the massive round bar. Bronze silks and wood dominate this dark, contemporary, but always relaxed place. A boozy, high-profile crowd fills the Diplomat Bar nightly, especially during the elongated, buyone-get-onefree Happy Hour from 4 – 7 pm (standard drinks only). It’s very hip among the diplomatic corps (Witthayu is stuffed with embassies), trendy guys in suits and glitzy society ladies – ideal for
bangkok101.com
brown sugar
people-ogling. But the main attraction here is more aural than visual and exceptional jazz acts are de rigueur.
รร.คอนราด ถ.วิทยุ THE LIVING ROOM [Map4 / F6]
Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit, 250 Sukhumvit Rd BTS Asok / MRT Sukhumvit | 02-649-8888 www.thelivingroomatbangkok. com | 9am-12am
Perhaps the cosiest of all Bangkok’s luxury hotel bars, the leather couches at The Living Room are so snug it’ll be hard to get up again once you’re seated. It’s a stylish place, and the usually middleaged patrons live it up on great wines, champagne and strong cocktails in a quiet way. The high-ceilinged foyer offers perfect acoustics for the fabulous jazz band. Be prepared to be well-entertained. World class talents are booked in continuously, guaranteeing top-notch jazz and always a warm audience rapport. Currently, the Living Room plays host to Randy Cannon and his trio, including ex-James Brown drummer Erik Hargrove
the living room
and leading Thai bass player Therdsak Wongvichien, from Thurs-Sun from 9:15pm until midnight. Until November 15, Singaporean pianist Kerong Chok plays with a trio from Mon-Wed (6:15-8pm, 9:15-11pm) and Thu-Fri (6:15-8pm), after which the Don Gomes trio takes over.
รร.เชอราตันแกรนด์ สุขุมวิท Niu’s on Silom [Map5 / E5]
2nd F, 661 Silom Rd | 02-266-5333 www.niusonsilom.com | 5 pm-1 am
This New York-style lounge – with its hot jazz, old leather armchairs and roses on candlelit tables – has a house band with some of Bangkok’s better local talent. They provide the backbone for various international acts who perform regularly. There’s also a jazz jam every Sunday and occasional concerts featuring established overseas visitors. Niu’s is a class act, but still casual, comfor table for beers or brandy; and you can eat bar snacks or dine formally in the impressive Concer to Italian restaurant upstairs. Outside seating also available.
นิวส์ ออน สีลม บ้านสีลม
november 2012 | 89
SHOPPING
90 | november 2012
bangkok101.com
new collection
‘Sweetness’ by Sretsis Words by Gaby Doman
Sretsis are one of the few Thai brands who’ve managed to leap beyond Siam Square and into international recognition. And it’s not by chance. The talented sisters have an eye for a strong fashion angle, and their autumn/winter 2012 collection, Sweetness, is no exception. Cutesy cherry prints are nothing new – especially in the Thai market which is so fond of girlie innocence – but Sretsis’ designs have given the fruity designs a distinctly sexy edge. But the brand knows better than to just plonk some cherry prints on an unexpectedly tailored piece and call it ironic. Instead, the tongue-in-cheek innuendo of cherries and large chocolate dipped, peeled bananas is given a new lease of life with lady-like tailoring, including knee length sleeved dresses with a sexy back spilt, or toughened up with silvercollared shirts, giant flares and over-sized jumpers. The overall look manages to avoid the bored eye-roll that typical cherry print designs tend to bring on by steering well clear of sugary innocence and toeing the line between whimsical and sexy instead. While cherry and banana prints are the collection’s focus, there are plenty of items for the fashionista who doesn’t want to step out looking like a bowl of fruit. The rest of the collection is the frothy, sugary whipped cream accompaniment to the fruity staples. Think coffee-coloured ruffled shirts, high-waisted white satin tuxedo pants, swirly lilac and pink dresses with a cheeky flash of shoulder.
available at:
Sretsis Boutique Gaysorn 2F Gaysorn Plaza, Ploenchit Rd | 02-656-1125 Siam Paragon Department Store 1F, Rama I Rd | 02-610-7881 Emporium 1F, Sukhumvit 24 Rd | 02-259-8905 www.sretsis.com
bangkok101.com
At this point, the collection may sound as though it’s getting just a little too sweet to stomach. But that’s never the case with Sretsis. With silver and black accents and some clever tailoring (pussy cat bows, high-waisted cropped trousers, a side-slit here and a flash of flesh there), the collection is more old-school elegant than high-school kitsch. It will appeal to women who don’t take themselves too seriously and are brave enough to work statement fashions; let’s face it, no wallflower is going to step out in a white cherry print jumpsuit or a lilac-collared silver a-line mini dress.
Sweetness is complemented by a jewellery collection by Sretsis sister Matina Amanita, which includes fifties-inspired sugared and chocolate-dipped cherry earrings and a fruit salad ring – the perfect combination of bold, statement pieces in quirky fun designs. november 2012 | 91
SHOPPING
unique boutique
Spoonful Zakka Café Langsuan Road, realm of the white collar worker and aimlessly roaming expat housewife, hides a place where you can cool down, enjoy a brew and also shop. Stocking everything from kitchenware to stationery to clothing (all of it registering in the red on our cuteometer), Spoonful Zakka Café is a stylish space that owes its philosophy to the Japanese design and fashion phenomenon known as zakka . In a nutshell, this term refers to everything and anything that improves your home, life and appearance – objects that make daily life that little bit easier and, also, stylish. Writing in the New York Times about the trend back in 2001, Kaori Shoji remarked that “the value of a zakka is also measured on the atmosphere of the shop where it was bought,” and also that “it’s impossible to step into any of them and not feel transported into an extremely posh and private museum.” This most definitely applies to Spoonful, with its eclectically stocked shelves lined with everything from cartoon stamp seals (B115) and knitted shoulder bags to Scandinavian92 | nov em ber 2012
style wooden spoons and forks (B45-60) and umbrellas imported from Japan. “We strive to stock items not seen anywhere in town and also rotate it in accordance with Japan’s four seasons,” says owner and Japanophile Sitanan Wuttivej. Coming soon, she says, is ‘Itsumo’ – Spoonful’s first tableware collection.
Once you’ve finished fondling all the slightly corny, yet highly practical, trinkets and gifts, definitely be sure to check out the on-site café. This was founded on the belief that a good cup of tea (B145) or homemade scone (B160 for two pieces) is just as important to good living as a pretty notebook or roll of patterned masking tape. Indeed, one bite of their matcha (green tea flavoured) scones made with powder from Kyoto should be enough to convince you that they’re on to something.
สปูนฟู ถ.หลังสวน
getting there
Spoonful Zakka Café [MAP4 / J6] unit 201 The Portico, Lang Suan Road | 02-652-2278 www.spoonfulzakka.com bangkok101.com
bangkok101.com
november 2012 | 93
SHOPPING
thai stuff
Aromatherapy & Spa
Get a whiff of this lot! Bangkok teems with holistic, spa-inspired local product lines for the body and the home. As a rule the well-established ones are easily found, usually in the special Thai products sections of the major department stores, while the up-and-comers have their own outlets or independent stockists.
AnyaDharu Done out like a Victorian-era apothecary, AnyaDharu dabbles in healthimbuing natural oils, bath and massage oils, shower gels, soaps and body lotions as well as incense sticks, candles and scented sachets. Instead of complex composite aromas they focus on simple ones like green tea, lemongrass, peach, amber, orange blossom and damask rose, and all their products come in opulent, old-world-style packaging.
Chatuchak (Section 3, Soi 3); Isetan (4F MBK) www.anyadharu.com
Karmakamet At both of Karmakamet’s stores chequered floors and chandeliers dangling overhead provide an elegant atmosphere in which to sniff their nostalgically packaged smellies. Scented glass-candles and sachets with drawstring cloth pouches are among their bestsellers for the home, while their body pampering ranges from massage oils to soaps like ‘The Embrace’, a luscious blend of orange blossom and mint. 2F CentralWorld; Section 2, Soi 3 Chatuchak Market www.karmakamet.co.th
94 | november 2012
Erb A department-store staple, Erb employs ancient Thai traditions and herbs to create skincare and home fragrances with holistic benefits as well as heady scents. For example, they claim that the ginger and marigold extracts in their Spice & Shine body lotion stimulate circulation and sooth the skin. Sustainability is also important to Erb: all of their ingredients are certified organic and sourced locally.
5F Central Chidlom; 5F The Emporium; GF & 5F Siam Paragon | www.erbasia.com
Primmalai Launched earlier this year, Primmalai’s range of body lotions, hand creams, shower gels, body polishes, massage oils and scents for the home is currently limited to six fragrances, all of them made from tropical Thai plants. These include the phikun, the white-flowered gardenia, pandanus, Thai magnolias, the cananga and malai flowers. Currently they’re only stocked at one place: Central Chidlom department store. 5F Central Chidlom www.primmalai.com
Harnn Since 1999, Harnn has been harnessing Eastern herbal know-how for its holistic beauty and aromatherapy range. Think black rice and charcoal soaps; gingseng and green tea foot soaks; and eucalyptus, lavender and ylang-ylang bath oils. Recent additions to the Harnn family include sunscreens made with Indian sal butter; and you’ll be pleased to hear that their Siam Paragon and Emporium branches double up as dreamy spas.
GF & 4F Siam Paragon; 5F Central Chidlom; 1F & 3F; CentralWorld Plaza; 2F & 5F Emporium www.harnn.com
Thann
A highlight of a massage treatment at Thann – just one of many local skincare brands to dabble in the spa business – is getting to lather up with its deliciously scented toiletries afterwards. Its worldly mixtures for washing, moisturising, cleansing and relaxing come in slick modern packaging and grounded in ancient and modern science. Our picks: their logo-embossed rice grain soap bar and exotic tea collection.
MF, GF & 5F Siam Paragon; 4F Siam Discovery; 3F Emporium; 2F CentralWorld (incl. spa); 3F Gaysorn (incl. spa) www.thann.info
bangkok101.com
SHOPPING
jatujak market
Jatujak Market
Forget designer malls. Jatujak weekend market is Bangkok’s true paragon of retail. This is shopping as survival of the fittest: only those with finely tuned consumer instincts shall persevere The rest can go and get lost – literally.
Taking a wrong turn’s almost a given in this sprawling, city-sized marketplace, upon which thousands descend every weekend, to trade everything from Burmese antiques to pedigree livestock. Originally a flea market, Jatujak (also spelled as Chatuchak) quickly outgrew the confines of the insect world to become much more than the sum of its disparate parts. These days, young Thai designers take advantage of the low onsite rent to punt their creative wares; if you so desire, you can peruse piles of customised Zippos that once belonged to American GIs; and tasty pickings conveniently punctuate every which way. Additionally, the exotic pet section particularly supports the theory that Jatujak has evolved its own diverse eco-system (albeit one that periodically gets busted for obviously illegal activites). All this can be a bit overwhelming at first, but persevere and a semblance of order should begin to crystallise from the chaos. Go in the early morning or late afternoon to avoid the worst of the heat and the crowds. Or come for a leisurely browse on Friday before the real deluge hits; although only the weekend gig gives ardent shopaholics the fullyblown, unadulterated Jatujak fix they desire. ตลาดนัดจตุจักร
96 | november 2012
The Jatujak market of Bangkok
Amber House Books | hardcover B1,950
The Jatujak Market of Bangkok presents photographer Simon Bonython’s visual interpretation of Bangkok’s world famous weekend market, giving particular emphasis on candid snaps of the general public and the characters who work there. In spite of the dark alleys and typically poorly lit stalls, Simon avoided using a tripod or flash, making for spontaneous, natural shots that capture the heat, buzz and colour of this labyrinthine treasure trove.
bangkok101.com
jj gem
Somnuk Lamp by Pattarasuda Prajittanond
Somnuk Lamp started out selling old, King Rama V era glass lamps to collectors at Bangkok’s Sanam Luang, the public green in front of the Grand Palace. But when demand for these illuminating antiques based on European or Moroccan designs outstripped supply, the owners moved into reproductions instead. Today, Somnuk Lamp is where JJ goers head to add an elegant, old-world glow and brassy finish to their home or business, with faux-antique, factorymade lamps of all shapes, patterns, hues and sizes dangling chaotically from its rafters. There are also freestanding table-lamps and wall-lamps on sale, as well as a selection of mock-vintage home décor items, like shelf brackets, mirrors, door knobs, brass fans and fully functioning gramophones. Local or international shipping is available, but only for wholesale orders unfortunately.
146-147 Soi 36/1 Section 1 | 084-015-3273 www.jrdlamp.com
Antiques and Collectibles 1, 26 Section 20, Soi 2 | 089-185-8894
Soi
Art and Gallery 7 Books 1, 27 Ceramics 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 25 Clothing, Accessories 2 – 6, 10 – 26 Handicrafts 8 – 11 Food and Beverage 2 – 4, 23 – 27 Furniture, Decorations 1, 3, 4, 7, 8 Misc 2 – 6, 22, 25, 26 Pets and Accessories 8, 9, 11, 13 Plants and Tools 3, 4
JJ Mall
1 2 3 4
C
5 6
1
2
68
1
1
27
ha en gP he t4
19
17
15
13
9 61
16
14
12
60
18
21
22 56
55
23 54
24 53
52
25
26 51
50
48
49
28
29 47
Ka
mp
3
ha
g en
ph
et
3
Chatuchak Park
57
46
N
4
58
27
59
45
6
20
t1
20
19
he
10 21
i6
2
18
ngp
30
44
Clock Tower
22
31
So
62
hae
3
17
mp
23
43
7
8
11
32
42
15
14
13
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
20
16
Ka
41
Jatujak Information Service
64 5
22 33
H. M. Queen Sirikit Park
10
4
34
40
9
mp
37
2
8
D
65 3
39
7
A
66
25
24
k
11
2
26
38
cha
a
Ka
36
Soi
Kamphaengphet
C
u hat
z Pla
67
35
Ka
mp
n hae
gP
het
B
69
5 3
Phahon Yothin Mo Chit
bangkok101.com
Chatuchak
november 2012 | 97
WELLNESS
profile
Holistic Medicine Man :
Ken Rosen
K
en Rosen has been studying medicine since he was diagnosed with cancer over thirty years ago. A qualified Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) specialist with over a decade of experience, Ken is now in residence at the Six Senses Spa at Soneva Kiri Resort, down on the island of Koh Kood, until November 9, after which it’s on to the Mandarin Oriental Spa here in town from November 16 until December 15. We asked him to outline his holistic approach, and found a man with a creative mind as well as caring hands.
What exactly is TCM and what does it entail? There are five branches of Traditional Chinese Medicine designed to keep people healthy. Acupuncture, the most well-known and accepted form of TCM in the Western World, is the third branch. First, is lifestyle or exercise which could include everything from prayer to yoga to rest. The second branch involves the study of nutrition and diet, followed by acupuncture, herbal medicine, and massage. They all interact as proactive and preventative methods of maintaining wellness and to treat illness/ pain/imbalance before it occurs. When and how did you start to know about it? I had cancer as a young boy and later I had another diagnosis of cancer as a result of the radiation from the first cancer. That is when I decided to take my health into my own hands. I started reading many books on alternative health care, nutrition, yoga, Taosim and just learning about well-being. I first learned about TCM from reading a book called Staying Healthy with the Seasons by Dr. Elson Haas. Many more books and proper schooling followed. How have you benefited from it? Understanding how the body is connected to the mind, diagnosis and ultimately balance in your life is really is how I have benefited. TCM is a great framework with yin/yang, five elements, and so on to help empower you toward better balance in life. What are the most common reasons people come to see you? Without a doubt the majority of cases I deal with are due to stress, overwork, aches and pains. I also treat people with chronic pain and a variety of illnesses. The thing 98 | november 2012
about acupuncture is that even people who feel well and have no known health issues can benefit from having a treatment as it is hugely beneficial, not only physically but also mentally. Those little tiny needles mysteriously vibrate in your body, unwinding your nervous system so your mind, body and spirit can be restored to balance.
How do see you the function of TCM in spa? TCM is a solid framework for understanding the body, mind and spirit. The spa industry is craving more than just pampering treatments. I think introducing treatments that go beyond pampering is a good idea. People want results and I don’t blame them. Also, don’t forget that the first and most important branch of TCM is exercise. Spas can really use the strength of traditions like yoga, qi gung, meditation, and tai qi instead of trying to plug people into a treadmill for an hour as the only way to move the body. What is your favourite spa treatment? My favourite spa treatment is still a good two hour Thai massage. With its slow, rhythmic nature, it works on the energy lines or meridians of the body, helping to connect the body with the mind. As you rest, you heal. Bliss.
รร.โอเรียลเต็ล ถ.โอเรียลเต็ล November 16 - December 15 getting there
The Oriental Spa [MAP5 / B4] Mandarin Oriental Bangkok, 48 Oriental Avenue 02-659-9000 www.mandarinoriental.com/bangkok/luxury-spa Find out more about his work at www.spatcm.com bangkok101.com
signature treatment
Shin shin’s silk essence body oil therapy
L
ocated at the Jasmine Resort Hotel, on the same floor as the hotel pool and outdoor garden, the recently opened Shin Shin Spa offers modestly priced treatments in a clean, modern, minimally styled space. It’s not a big place by any means – there are two oil treatment rooms and a Thai massage room, and that’s it. However, Shin Shin’s size is no reflection of the quality on offer. In fact, as well as standards such as the wheatgrass welcome drink and aromatherapy foot cleansing ritual, it has a couple of aces up its sleeve that we’ve not come across before. First and foremost is the spa’s signature circular motion massage technique (Shin Shin translates as ‘vortex’ in Japanese). This is said to increase blood circulation and aid the absorption of oils into the skin. Secondly, a ‘silk essence’ lends a, well, silkiness to some of the massage treatments, including our pick: Shin Shin’s self-titled signature treatment. This kicked off with a fresh milky body scrub (B600++ for 30min) that does what it says on the tin: exfoliates the body. After that, the Silk Essence Body Oil Therapy (B1600++ for 90min, and B2000++ for 120min) paired the silk essence with our choice of the three gem stone massage oils, each one with its own purported benefits. The Rose Quartz is women’s favourite; the Citrine bursts with lemon and lime scent; and, our choice, the Amethyst has an intense aroma, while also apparently aiding sleeping. Clearly in a safe pair of hands, we enjoyed the whole ritual immensely. As well as aiding absorbed through the skin, the vortex massage doesn’t half feel good. And we emerged relaxed and refreshed, not at all drowsy. getting there
SHIN SHIN Spa [MAP3 / y6] L-floor Jasmine Resort Hotel, 1511 Sukhumvit Rd, Klongtoey-Nua | 02-335-5022 | BTS Phra Khanong | 10am-8pm | www.shinshinspa.com bangkok101.com
november 2012 | 99
Communit y
making merit
Empowering Homeless Kids :
W
The Hub Saidek Foundation
hen neglected children from around Thailand run away from home and head to Bangkok, it is in the hope that they will encounter a better future. Sadly, the reality usually is that they walk off the train at Hua Lamphong, the city’s main railway terminus, head out on to the street… and stay there.
Located just a short walk from the station, the Hub Saidek is a shelter offering support to these and other homeless and disadvantaged children. Founded in March 2011, currently the centre offers basic health and welfare services such as meals, clothing and medical checks. While they don’t provide overnight accommodation due to limited resources and space, they also offer recreational activities and something called the ‘Skills for Living’ programme: structured learning tailored to the needs of each child, the aim being to help reconnect them with the real world.
100 | nov ember 2012
Runaway children arriving are classified into two groups. One is the child who has only recently abandoned their family, and so has more chance of being reunited with them. Typically in these cases the Hub Saidek will, with the child’s consent, try to contact the family for them. The second type has been on the streets for a long time and needs more than just advice – health checks, education, even counseling. On a typical day, the children gather at the shelter for a morning meal. Later on volunteers supervise activities such as football, life skills, drama and English classes. The aim is to stimulate their mental, physical and social development and also introduce structure, a semblance of normalcy to their lives. Lunch and dinner are also provided. Children are not restricted to stay in the centre – in fact, they can come and go as they please – but the Hub Saidek does keep a record on each kid. bangkok101.com
Nighttime is when things get harder. With no one to care for them, the children have to stick together and look out for each another when sleeping. According to the staff, this is very important, as there are gangsters who, if they spot the kids, chase and beat them. Why? Even though the children at Hub Saidek rarely cause trouble, the gangster sees them as being ‘not one of their own’. If they get caught, it has even been known for the gangsters to take the children and sexually abuse them. How can we help these vulnerable children? The centre is open to corporate and individual donations of cash and equipment. Practical everyday items such as food, toiletries, toothbrushes, cleaning products and towels are all needed. Secondhand or used clothing, office and classroom furniture and classroom materials (books, games, toys, paints, colouring pens, etc) are also gratefully received. The centre is still in its infancy, so if you can tell your friends or arrange a charity event or presentation that helps get the word out there, they would appreciate that too. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly of all, you can volunteer to help out at the centre. From assisting in bangkok101.com
tutorial sessions, to playing games, providing children’s entertainment and serving food, volunteering for as little as one hour a week has a big impact on both the services the organisation can provide and the lives of the children. Note: for child-safety purposes, all applicants must be willing to undergo a criminal history check and sign The Hub’s child safety code of conduct.
เดอะ ฮับ สายเด็ก หัวลำ�โพง
Childline 1387 The Hub Saidek also operates Childline Thailand: a 24-hour emergency telephone service. Reached by simply dialing 1387, it links kids in need to important information and services, from advice on what to do if they are being abused to where they can find food and shelter in their area. Currently the centre answers around 150,000 calls a year. getting there
The Hub Saidek Foundation [MAP6 / L2] 402-408 Maitri Chit Road, Pomprab District | 02-6233814 | Sun-Thu 10am-6pm, Fri-Sat 10am -8pm | http:// thehub.childlinethailand.org nov ember 2012 | 101
getting there
victory monument Photographer : Walid Penpan 102 | nov ember 2012
bangkok101.com
RAIL
SKYTRAIN (BTS) The Bangkok Transit System, or BTS, is a two-line elevated train network covering the major commercial areas. Trains run every few minutes from 6 am to midnight, making the BTS a quick and reliable transport option, especially during heavy traffic jams. Fares range from B 15 to B 55; special tourist passes allowing unlimited travel for one day (B120) are available. BTS also provides free shuttle buses which transit passengers to and from stations and nearby areas. www.bts.co.th SUBWAY (MRT) Bangkok’s Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) is another fast and reliable way to get across town. The 18-station line stretches 20 kms from Hualamphong (near the central railway station) up to Bang Sue in the north. Subways run from 6 am to midnight daily, with trains arriving every 5 – 7 minutes. The underground connects with the BTS at MRT Silom / BTS Sala Daeng, MRT Sukhumvit / BTS Asok and MRT Chatuchak Park / BTS Mo Chit stations. Subway fares range from about B15 to B 39. www.bangkokmetro.co.th Airport Rail Link A 28 km long monorail links the city’s main international airport, Suvarnabhumi, with three stops in downtown Bangktok and four stops in the eastern suburbs. Trains run from 6am to midnight every day and follow two lines along the same route. The City Line stops at all stations (journey time: 30 minutes) and costs B15-45 per journey. The Express Line stops at downtown stations Makkasan (journey time: 13-14 minutes, trains leave every 40 minutes) or Phayathai (journey time: 17 minutes, trains leave every 30 minutes), the only one that intersects with the Skytrain. One-way Express Line tickets cost B90 while roundtrip tickets are available at the promotional fare of B150 as part of a drive to increase passenger numbers. http://airportraillink.railway.co.th bangkok101.com
ROAD
BUS Bangkok has an extensive and inexpensive public bus service. Both open-air and air-conditioned vehicles are available, respectively for B 5 and B 7.50 – B 23. As most destinations are noted only in Thai, it is advisable to get a bus route map (available at hotels, TAT offices and bookshops).
RIVER
CANAL BOAT Khlong Saen Saep canal boats operate from Phan Fa Leelard bridge, on the edge of the Old City, and zip east to Ramkhamhaeng University. However, you have to be quick to board them as they don’t usually wait around. Canal (khlong) boats tend to be frequent and cost around B 9 to B19. Tickets are bought onboard. Note that the piers are a little hidden away, which makes them sometimes difficult to find. EXPRESS RIVER BOAT Bangkok’s vast network of intercity waterways offer a quick and colourful alternative for getting around the city. Express boats ply the Chao Phraya River from the Saphan Taksin Bridge up to Nonthaburi, stopping at some 30 main piers altogether. Fares range from B 9 to B 32 depending on the distance, while tickets can either be bought on the boat or at the pier, depending on how much time you have. Boats depart every 20 minutes or so between 5:30 am and 6 pm. Crossriver services operate throughout the day from each pier for just B 3.
MOTORCYCLE TAXI In Bangkok’s heavy traffic, motorcycle taxis are the fastest, albeit most dangerous, form of road transport. Easily recognisable by their colourful vests, motorbike taxi drivers gather in groups. As with tuk-tuks, fares should be negotiated beforehand. TAXI Bangkok has thousands of metered, air-con taxis available 24 hours. Flag fall is B 35 (for the first 2 k ms) and the fare climbs in B 2 increments. Be sure the driver switches the meter on. No tipping, but rounding the fare up to the nearest B 5 or B 10 is common. Additional passengers are not charged, nor is baggage. For trips to and from the airport, passengers should pay the expressway toll fees. When boarding from the queue outside the terminal, an additional B 50 surcharge is added. TUK-TUK Those three-wheeled taxis (or samlor) are best known as tuktuks, named for the steady whirr of their engines. A 10-minute ride should cost around B 40, but always bargain before boarding. Beware: if a tuk-tuk driver offers to deliver you anywhere for B 10, it’s part of a setup that will lead you to an overpriced souvenir or jewellery shop. nov ember 2012 | 103
REFERENCE
Map 1 Greater Bangkok A
B
Greater Bangkok & the Chao Phraya Map 2 >
C
D
E
F
G
H
J
K
L MYANMAR
Uthai Thani
1
UTHAI THANI
CHAI NAT
2
Chiang Mai
LOP BURI
Nakhon Ratchasima c
Udon Thani
Nakhon Ratchasima
Lop Buri
Kanchanaburi
Pattaya CAMBODIA Koh Samet Koh Chang
NAKHON RATCHASIM A
SARABURI
3
Andaman Sea
Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya
Koh Samui
AYUTTHAYA
Phuket
PATHUM THANI 5
b
1 2
MALAYSIA
PRACHIN BURI
f c
RATCHABURI
VIETNAM
Gulf of Thailand
Krabi
NAKHON NAYOK
4
NAKHON PATHOM
Ubon
Bangkok
ANG THONG
KANCHANABURI
LAOS
THAILAND
SING BURI
SUPHAN BURI
6
M
3
2
SA KAEO
BANGKOK f a
SAMUT SAKHON
CHACHOENGSAO
SAMUT
1 PRAKAN
SAMUT SONGKHRAM
CA M BODI A CHON BURI
Phetchaburi
7
Ko Sichang
PHETCHABURI 8
Pattaya RAYONG
Cha-am
CHANTHABURI
Rayong Hua Hin
Ko Samet
Muang Chantaburi
9
PRACHUAP KHIRI KHAN 10
Trat
Gulf of Thailand
M YA N M A R
Ko Chang
Prachuap Khiri Khan
11
Ko Kut
N
20 km 20 miles Country Border Boarder Crossing Province Border
104 | nov ember 2012
Sightseeing a
Bang Krachao b Rose Garden Riverside c Samphran Elephant Ground & Zoo d Ancient Siam (Muang Boran) e Safari World f Rama IX Royal Park
floating Markets Damnoen Saduak 2 Amphawa 1
Museums
Nightlife 1 2
Parking Toys Tawandang German
Hotels
1 Anantara Bangkok Erawan Museum Riverside Resort and Spa House of Museum 3 Thai Film Museum 4 Museum of Counterfeit Goods 1
2
bangkok101.com
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
J
K
L
M
N 
F
Tanya Tanee
PAK KRET
Don Mueng
2
Don Mueng Int. Airport
Ko Kret
Sai Mai
F
Royal Irrigation Dept.
3
Lak Si
F
F
Rajpruek
The Legacy
F
Northpark
4
e
Khlong Sam wa
Royal Thai Army Sport Center
F5
1
Thanont
F
Chatuchak Bang Sue
Bang Phlat
Bueng Kum
8
Huai Khwang
Saphan Sung
Bang Kapi
F
Pathumwan
Bangkok Yai Wongwian Yai
Bang Rak
Khlong San
Thon Buri 1
Chom Thong
*
Bang Kholaem
F
Lat Krabang
Suan Luang
Khlong Toei
Sathorn
60th Anniversary Queen Sirikit Park
Krungthep Unico Kreetha Grande
Watthana
Lumpini
7
Wang Thong lang
DinDaeng Ratchathewi
Mini Buri
F
Navatanee
Phayathai
Taling Chan
6
Khan na Yao
Mo Chit
Dusit
Bangkok Noi
Panya Indra
Lat Phrao
Chatuchak
Bang Sue
Bang Bon
Bang Khen
F
MUENG NONTHABURI
Phasi Charoen
1
9
10
Prawet Yan 2 Nawa
Rat Burana
Phra Khanong 4
Phra Pradaeng
f
11
Suan Luang Rama IX
Suvarnabhumi Int. Airport
Bang Na
12
F
Summit Windmill
Bearing
Bang Khun Thian
13
F
Mueang Kaew
Thung Khru
14
F
Green Valley
15
PHRA SAMUT CHEDI
SAMUT PRAKAN
16
F
d
17
Bangpoo
Gulf of Thailand
bangkok101.com
18
nov ember 2012 | 105
REFERENCE
Map 3 Sukhumvit Road
Su kh
rom
um vit
n Po
i4 9/
kh
13
Su
9/
om hr
i3 9
Si 2
Ch
it
So
Si
1
h iP
m ro
Ch
ai
Soi
Pho
41
Soi 26
2–
4
Sa
i1
iN
11
Soi 24
i2
3 5
Benjasiri Park
am
i
ip
ha
Th
kC
nS
9
am
Soi Methi Niwet
ra
n
n
4
Ex an
i1 6–
iY ag
isa
Soi Met
m
m
itr
Mi
asem
am
ek
t
mR udi
BTS Silom Line BTS Sukhumvit Line
Hotels
malls
1 Robinsons Conrad Bangkok 2 Terminal 21 2 Sheraton Grande 3 Emporium 3 Seven 4 JW Marriot Markets 5 Rembrandt 6 Four Points 4 Sukhumvit 7 Aloft Sukhumvit 11 8 Ramada Encore 9 Imperial Queen’s Park 10 Westin Grande Sukhumvit 11 Marriott Executive Sukhumvit Park 12 Grande Centre Point Terminal 21 13 Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit 1
hi Niwet Soi K
so
iS
his
So
ap
Rua
Benjakiti Park
So
So
ad
ay
i
aH
tch
sw So
m Sa
Ra
es pr Soi Canal Boat
106 | nov ember 2012
Soi
15 13
39 Soi 7 ng - Soi 3
IR
So
0
8
i2
i1
So
So
So
5
Su
ea
oh ak 200 m 1 000 ft
Railway
Mit
Phrom Phong
16 Asok
oi
iS
ida
N
N
Subway Line
om Phr
om Phr
31
29
i 23
27
33
14 NO
Soi 35
Soi
3
Soi
Soi
Soi
y bo
-So
ow
mit
iC
h
i
m hro
3
san
So
iP
i4
iP
So nS
iP
Pra
a
12 2
So
So
So
vit
om hr
it
han
2 7 9
–S
Pr
uk
i Ta
aS
na
o –S
oi
Na
Ph
3
13
anm
att iW
Sukhumvit
10
12
–S
oi
oi
i6
Soi
i8
–S
Soi 6
i4
–S
rm
So
8
9/
ras
So
4
Soi 1 0
So
So
Nana
1
i4
um ho
S
P oi
9–
5 6
So
11
So
g– iP
i So
4
23
iP
10
So
adt
2
Soi
So
i1
2
Saw
2
vit
oi 1S
So
Soi
i
hum
2 vit
adt
k Yae
1 i3
i1
15
13
13
1 i2
ale 1 6
n Si
31 Saw
Suk
So
21
hum
4
Soi
23
Suk
aek 31 Y
Soi
vit
Soi
vit
M
So
Soi
Soi
9
11
Soi
Soi
7
5
So
Ch UA
QA
it
31 hum
vit
23
ai
han
Ch
gC
uam
aen
Soi
Soi
t Sin
8
1 NZ
pM
Soi Suk
hum
Soi
iR
iS
11
Soi
8
9
LK
So
So
S
et
Phloen Chit
oi 3
um ukh
Sukhumvit
11
Suk
vit
3
1
Loe
vit
3
hum
Soi
Suk
i Lo
7
1S
1
ot ai Y
12
Soi
ital
ea
osp
Nu
dH
na
Ch
4
vit
hum
5
i1
i1
So
So
ri
vit
vit 1
i1
7
Na
gra
Na
it
ont
um
i1
So
d
2
Pho
Suk
kM
kh
So
vit
gra
6
Soi
run
run
IN
Soi
S2
1
3
Bum
Soi
Ch
Eye
Aso
Su
vit
um
Soi
Soi
Bum
um
um
kh
vit
4
kh
kh
Su
hum
Nana
Su
Su
Soi 36
Suk
i
6
R
International School
3
5
Ro
in uth
1
43
Soi
a
oi 3
Soi
Soi 41
Soi 39
2
n
an tch
Soi
L Ph
Asoke
K
Pho
ri abu Phetchaburi
J
hum
tch
H
vit S
Phe
G
Soi
t
F
Suk
Phe
eng
E
hum
pha
D
Suk
Kam
1
C
38
B
Soi
A
Arts & Culture 1
Japan Foundation Koi Art Gallery 3 Attic Studios 4 La Lanta 5 TCDC (Thailand Creative & Design Centre 6 Nang Kwak 7 WTF 8 The Pickture Gallery 9 ARDEL's Third Place Gallery 10 BKK Art House 2
bangkok101.com
q
o
Ek
7
ka
m
ai
So
2
i6
Ek
ka
ma
iS
4 oi
gL
2
ru
or
ek
1 on
iE
5
kk ai
ut
am
hab
So
i4
9/
11
9
6
Sukhumvit Ekkamai
–
6
0–
8
i4
i3
So
So
Science Museum
iB ar
Su
kC
ha
i
nC ha i
iS
ang
So
ph
ae nS
So
a iS
ma
ab
nC
ha
ai –S uk hu mv
So
hic
7 ha
iS
t2
i
ae
i So
iP
bo
i Ta
iS
i Su
a iS
en
Kluaynamthai
n
gC
ha
n
Ra
ma
36
Clubs 1
Q Bar 2 Bed Supperclub 3 Insomnia 10 Glow 24 Demo
pubs 11
12
13
14 15
16
The Hanrahans The Pickled Liver The Robin Hood The Royal Oak The Londoner Black Swan
bangkok101.com
Nightlife 4
Long Table 5 Beervault 6 Diplomat Bar 7 The Living Room 8 Cheap Charlie's 9 Barsu 19 WTF 17 Tokyo Joe's 18 Club Perdomo 20 The Iron Fairies 21 Clouds 22 Fat Gut'z 23 Shades of Retro 25 diVino
Embassies IN
India
IR Iran LK
aw a
t
8
IV
it
11
So
42
ua
k
Kl
Su
So
So
ri
asem
Soi A
Soi K
1
So
Soi
ti
nasan
an
an
iB
iS
So
So
– Ban
et
Niwet i Methi
Phra Khanong
Vasant
Thong Lor
Soi 3
34
Soi 30
Soi 28
Soi 26
Soi 24
17
Soi
PH
18
69
67
65
63
61
Sukhumvit
Soi
Soi
Soi
oi
oi
7
59
i5
oi
–S
–S
–S
So
1
3
5
oi 5
oi 5
–S
–S
ana
adi
i5
i4
5
7
i4
i4
So
So
So
41
43
So
Soi
Soi
39 Soi 7 ng - Soi 3
Lor
Ch
ett
So
iS
un
ng
iM
Pho
Pad
iB
So
Th
So
r1
Phong
So
3
ph
gL
6
4
3 or
Lo ong
oi
iya
on
4
Tho
Soi
om Phr
Th
5
iS
ai gY
or
or
ma
on kT
gL
gL
a kk
1
on Th
9
on
Th
7 19
Mit
oi 1
E
Th
g
ne
e Ya
or
9/1 lan Soi K
aro
ao
gL
i4
Mit
Ch
Kh
on
Soi 4
So
om Phr
ai S
Soi
ng
Th
Soi
i3
ua
Soi 49/3
8
1
Ph
gL
i
k6
on
ama
am
Cha
ae 0Y
2
Th
i5
ne haro
i1
Si 1
Ekk
r9
y
ma
g
Ekk
Soi C
ka
Thon
ai So
x
t
n
Ekkam
w
Ek
ho 4 T
Ekkam i7 ai So Ekkam
Thong Lor 8
1 Lor 1
v
Mi
m ro Si
49/
24
22 23 6 e Suk 9 oi Charon S
20
13
o
u
ne
Ph Soi
or gL
ng L
21 10
6
13
m ro
Tho
rani i Su P
t
i9 ai So
aro
iP
So
49/
9/
So
vit
i4
/
ak
hum
So
49
Ph
s
Ch
25
Suk
it
i So
13
m hro
r r 16
ha
p
iC
o
So
n
Sri Lanka
PH Philippines
Qatar Ukraine NO Norway
QA UA
nov ember 2012 | 107
9
REFERENCE
Map 4 Siam / Chit Lom A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
J
K
L
M
5 Soi 3
Soi 31 Soi 33
Soi 25
Soi 29
12
Soi Tonson
Henri Dunant
Soi Lang Suan
NL
Soi Nai Lert 15
UA
13
d
Soi 2 Soi 3
Royal Bangkok Sports Club
8
Soi 4
Soi 3
i2
Ratchadamri
2
US
Soi 4
Soi 5
Soi 5
Chulalongkorn University Area
N
Hotels 1
1 000 ft Canal Boat BTS Silom Line BTS Sukhumvit Line Railway Airwalk Market
Soi Ruam Rudi
Soi 7
Sarasin
Sightseeing
malls
Embassies
Jim Thomson House b Museum of Imagery Technology c Madame Tussads d Queen Savang Vadhana Museum e Siam Ocean World f Ganesha and Trimurti Shrine g Erawan Shrine h Goddess Tubtim Shrine
MBK Siam Discovery 3 Siam Center 4 Siam Paragon 5 Panthip Plaza 6 Platinum Fashion Mall 7 CentralWorld 8 Zen @ CentralWorld 9 Pratunam Center 10 Gaysorn 11 Erawan Plaza 12 The Peninsula Plaza 13 Amarin Plaza 14 Central Chidlom 15 All Seasons Place
CH
Pathumwan Princess Novotel Siam 3 Siam Kempinski 4 Baiyoke Sky Hotel 5 Amari Watergate 6 Novotel Platinum 7 Grand Hyatt Erawan 8 The Four Seasons 9 The St. Regis 10 InterContinental 11 Holiday Inn 12 Swissôtel Nai Lert Park 13 Conrad Bangkok Nightlife 14 Centara Grand at CentralWorld a CM2 15 Hotel Muse b Red Sky Bar 16 Okura Prestige c Balcony Humidor & Cigar Bar Arts & Culture d P&L Club e Café Trio 1 BACC – Bangkok Art f Hyde & Seek and Culture Centre 2
108 | nov ember 2012
BR
Lumphini Park
a
2
200 m
KH
Sarasin
Soi 6
9
1
2
Switzerland
BR Brazil FI Finnland ID Indonesia KH Cambodia NL Netherlands NZ
New Zealand
QA Quatar UA Ukraine UK
United Kingdom
US USA VN Vietnam
Shopping 16 17
Rud
b
NZ QA
uam
Soi Lang Suan1
Soi R
9
2
15
8
an
Ratchadamri
Soi 6
Soi 5
Soi 4
Soi11
Soi 3
Soi10
Soi 2
Soi 1 Soi 8
f
Soi Mahatlek Luang 2
Soi Mahatlek Luang 3
7
VN
mvit
e
Phloen Chit 16
hith
Soi Mahatlek Luang1
12
Phloen Chit
Chit Lom FI
ukhu
Phaya Thai
13
ng P
Rajamangala University
g 11 7
Soi S
1
2 c
Dua
1
Soi 7
Soi 9
Siam 16 Siam Square
CH
ay
14
Th. Witthayu
c 10 11
UK
Witthayu
10
8
Nai Lert Park
w ress
4 e 3
f
Soi Som Khit
7
Wat Pathum Wanaram
Soi Chit Lom
d
Ratchaprarop
h
Soi Sukhumvit 1
Chit Lom
Soi Ruam Rudi
Soi 23
Soi 19
Soi 15
Soi 27
Soi 32
Soi 30
Witthayu Bridge
Exp
Soi Kaesem San1
6
Saeb
ohn Nak
Soi Kaesem San 2
Soi 17
Khlong San
14 b
c 2
National Stadium
6
9
6
Prathunam
Rama I 5
5
3
Srapathum Palace
1
17
lerm
a
4
ID
Hua Chang Bridge
3
5
Soi 20
Ratchathewi 2
uri
Cha
Phetchaburi Soi 18
Phetchab
Soi 22
1
Soi 13
4
Siam Square Pratunam Market
Tonson Gallery bangkok101.com
Silom / Sathorn Map 5 E
kho 2
t are akh
Chulalongkorn University
Royal Bangkok Sports Club
Ph
Soi S
aya
ong
Th
ai
Phra
aN Phr Soi
t nr y He
8 Than Tawan Soi 6
Thaniya
St. Joseph School
b
14 CA
Ra
Sala Daeng 1/1
6
m
Sala Daeng 1
aI
V
16
Soi 5
SG
5
Silom
Soi 6
Soi 7
Soi 9
or n S oi 1 1
Soi 8
Soi 14
So i S a
Soi 4
Patpong 1 Patpong 2
j
4
Lumpini Park
Sala Daeng l
Convent
Pan
Soi 11 Yaek 3
k
Soi 1
h
Chulalongkorn Hospital
5 o m 12 n BT
4
Chong Nonsi
TW
a
Surawong
Sala Daeng
Trok Klue
11
Soi 3
Soi 12
Soi 10 Soi 7
g
3
Du
Sam Yan
Soi 9
Decho
Soi 14
10
2
nan
chit
Sap
Naret
Soi Nom
Soi 11
Soi 13
Soi 1 8 Soi 16
6 Soi 2
Soi 2 2 Soi P/2 – Prach radit um
k 0 Soi 3 9
Cha
M
1
Soi Phra Phinit
Suan Phlu Soi 1
Suan Phlu – Sathron Soi 3
Rat
L
V
int Lo
en
Soi 13
Charo aro
roen
Ch
Ch
Soi 13
1
63
aI
Soi Phiphat 2
Sathorn Nuea Sathorn Tai Surasak King Mongkut’s University of Technology
K
BE
u i se – S a t h
rn tho Sa oi
3
f
Soi 15
So
en Ra
t
i2
1
un Kr 5
gS
3
MM
So i 51 i5 3
7
run
2 8
m
Soi Santiphap
ot
suri
So
n ar oe Ch an
i5
Iam
Rat
2
g
i5
chai
Pramuan
Saphan Taksin
an
Ch
Suras
ak
6
44
46
S So oi 5 Ch i 61 9 aro en K
7 d
4
i5 1 0
e
Soi 1
i4
4
i4
Kam
J
Phloi
Surawong
Silom
2
So
i5
Soi 38 Soi 40
i4
So
e
SathornSo
So
6
So So
So
Soi 3
Soi Puttha Os
Maha Se
b 5 c
1
3
idg
FR
Oriental
Taksin
Br
Rak–
4
sway
Soi 3
2 n d Sta
Dumax
in
Ra
4
pres
Cha
2
Bang
N
Ma
en Kr Post
Wat Muang Khae 1 1Wat Suwan
Trok Ph et
Soi 32
H
Hua Lamphong
Si Phraya
Soi 39
Soi 30
Si Phraya PT
ha
ung
Na 3
Charo
Nak roen
N
6
te E x
hon
2
2a Khlong San
N
Tak s
ang
G
AU
95
Sathorn Nuea Sathorn Tai
MY
13
MX GR
15
p
7 Soi 1
Soi Saw
n
Marine Dept.
Lat Ya
F
Soi 5
D
anagarindra
4
Naradhiwas Raj
C N
as Naradhiwind Rajanagar ra
B
Soi Wanit 2
A
DE DK
Suan
Phlu 6
Ph Suan
AT
Soi Nantha Mozart
lu 8
9
Immigration Office
Hotels 1
bars with views
a Threesixty The Peninsula 2 Millenium Hilton d Sky Bar 3 Shangri-La o Panorama 4 Center Point Silom p Moon Bar 5 Mandarin Oriental 6 Royal Orchid Sheraton Nightlife 7 Lebua at State Tower 8 Holiday Inn b La Casa Del Habano 9 Chaydon Sathorn c Bamboo Bar f Niu's on Silom Bangkok 10 Pullman Bangkok g Barley Bistro & Bar j Eat Me Hotel G 11 Le Meridien k Tapas 12 Crowne Plaza Bangkok Lumpini Pubs 13 Banyan Tree 14 Dusit Thani e Jameson's 15 The Sukothai h The Pintsman 16 Sofitel SO l Molly Malone's m The Barbican n O'Reilly's
Arts & Culture 1
Serindia Gallery 2 Silom Galleria: Number 1 Gallery, Tang Contemporary Art, Taivibu Gallery, Gossip Gallery 3 H Gallery 4 Bangkokian Museum 5 Alliance Francaise
Shopping 1
Robinsons 2 River City Shopping 3 Silom Village 4 Silom / Patpong Night-Market 5 Jim Thompson Store
N
AT Austria AU Australia BE Belgium
200 m
BT Bhutan
1 000 ft
CA Canada DK Denmark GR Greece FR France MY Malaysia MX Mexico
1
N
River Ferry River Cross Ferry BTS Silom Line Subway Line Market
MM Myanmar PT Portugal SG Singapore TW Taiwan
Sightseeing a b
bangkok101.com
Embassies
DE Germany
8
Snake Farm M.R. Kukrit’s House nov ember 2012 | 109
REFERENCE
Map 6 Yaowarat / Pahurat (Chinatown & Little India ) A
B
C
1
F
G
H
Ma
M ai
Ba n D ok
h1u li n
E
J
itri
Ch
K
L
M
it
Tr
iP
r ad
u
M it tr ph an
So
Hua Lamphong
Ch aro en Ya ow a r at K r So
i7
3 h
g j i1
Y So i 3
So
Y
un
Y5
2
So ng Saw at
So
i2
Rama IV Y
Phadungdao–Soi Texas
Y So i 9
Pl an g N am
So i 18
So i 6
S oi 4
Y
C
at
Tr i M si ang
2
P
S ong W
a n it 1
it
g
S oi W
ur han
So i 16
So i 21
on M an gk
So i 19
Soi 14 Y Soi 15
Soi 8 Y Soi 17
Y Soi 21 Y Soi 19
Soi 17
Su ap a Ratch awon g
Y S 10 CK S 12
na
Du
ang
5
ut an P h Sa p h
t Phu
6
g
han
N
ae n
S ap
Phu
t
han
Tha Din Daeng
S ap
Memorial Bridge
Hotels Grand China Princess Bangkok Shanghai Mansion 1
200 m 1 000 ft River Ferry River Cross Ferry Subway Line Railway Market
Arts & Culture 1
Chalermkrung Theatre Samphanthawong Museum 3 Yaowarat Chinatown Heritage Centre 2
Th
a
Princess Mother Memorial Park
2
1
Na
Temples
Markets
1 Long Krasuang Market Wat Ratburana School 2 Ban Mo ( Hi-Fi Market) Wat Pra Phiren c Wat Bophit Phimuk 3 Pak Khlong Talat d Wat Chakrawat (Flower Market) e Wat Chaichana Songkhram 4 Yot Phimai Market f Wat Mangkon Kamalawat 5 Pahurat –Indian Fabric Market g Wat Samphanthawongsaram 6 Sampeng Market 7 Woeng Nakhon Kasem Worawiharn h Wat Traimit (Temple of (Thieves Market) 8 Khlong Tom Market the Golden Buddha) 9 Talat Kao (Old Market) 10 Talat Mai (New Market) Sightseeing a
b
j
110 | nov ember 2012
w Ta
Marine Dept.
et i Ph e pir
4
Em
aK
R at
N
N
Hua Lamphong Central Railway Station
Rajchawongse
Ba
ha
la n g
Ma
it
a
o nM 3
Ch
i So
N
Th S oi
9
g wo n
9
Y Soi 11
Ch aiy aphun
t
Y Soi 23
Ma ha Ch ak d
nt
c
1
Rachi ni Atsad ang
8
it 1
A nu
2
7
Sam peng Lane – Soi Wan
10
Trok Itsaranuphap
i
6
Sa
Ma ngkon
ar
at hur5 Pha
Lu ean Rit
Soi 8
Soi 10
ha r ap
S
4 oi
1
f
itri
D Din
6
at
W
Yaow
t ar a
Soi Aner Keng
ip Th
m
So i 15
So i 11
9 S oi
6 i So
So
nu
j
i
Ch ak kr aw at
ha
nu
gs Ran
C ha kp he
P ok
oe
Pha
ng
ru nK 1
e
So
i5 Tr
ar
7
t Yo
Bu
Ch
m
So i 13
h at Bo
Charoen Krun g
iP S ir
is
ut
i3
kW
Ti 5
rip
ai Ch ha Ma
an ak Ugn
n ho
on
g
o Tr
Th
4
Sa
8
Ma
p
em
Romaneenart Park
g
a iph
as
3
K h lo n
en
gK
ip
t P h ir
un
i S ir
Wa Thom
Kr
So
b
k Wor ac ha
2
ng
Si Thamm athirat
Lua h at
Trok
Sida
S oi C
D
Chinatown Gate at the Odient Circle
bangkok101.com
an
N
4
K
So
i2
9
Map 7 Rattanakosin (Oldtown) A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
Ra
ma
14
N
So
Rama VIII Bridge
J
K
L
M
Ph
its
VII
I
et md
k
ata
ha e Ka iC
ok noe Dam Rat
cha
Dinso
6
Memorial Bridge
Boriphat
Chai Maha
Bat
Wo rach ak
ng A
ng
11
ara
So
iB
op
t
hit
Ch ak kr aw at
Yao w
ph
im uk
Wat Wat Bophit Chakrawat Phimuk
wat kkra Cha
Son
gW at
en
Kr
ho
mW at
Phi
12
ren
un
g 13
14
Ya ow a
ra
Anu
won g
t
aw on g
N
10
15
tch
Market Tot Phimai Market
Soi B an
Ti Thong
ng O
Soi Mahannop 2
Unakan Siri Phong
Chai ng
aro
Ka
7
Cha kph e Pak Khlong t
9
Ra
Ya i k ko ng Ba
Wat Liap
Kh N
So iW at Ka nla ya
apho
Ch
gT
Ma ha Ch an k
Ta l lo
Th
Wat Kanlayannamit
lon
t
m
ng
aK
Phir
Tri Ph e
Set
Rajinee
g lon Kh
bangkok101.com
an thak
ha
i So
Kh
Sri
n ari Am un Ar
N
Phahurat Ban Mo
Soi
Wat Arun (Temple of the dawn)
Phra Phi Phit
Museum of Siam
8
Wat Saket
g
Royal Theatre
Thip Wari
7
Luan
Bor iph at
tu
Che
at
Saphan Phut
at har Ma
Wat Arun
n pho
Soi Sirip at
Sam Yot
Trok Phan um
Lan Luang
Muang
Rommaninat Park
Soi Sa Song Soi Long Tha
6
an
Saw
Phan Fah Leelard
Bumrung
Wat Suthat
Burapha
Tha Tien
Rat
Soi Siric hai 2 Soi Siric hai 1
Ch ak ra Ph sem et
Wat Pho
8
mran
Charoen Krung
at
N
Soi Phra ya Si
i Sanam Cha
Tha
Ratchabophit
Wat Ratchabophit
Saranrom Park
ng i Wa
Trok Sukha 2
Soi Sa
Giant Swing
n kho
ng Rak
g Tai
City Hall
Trok Sukha1
isut
Grand Palace
5
Damro
Klan
Wat Ratchanatdaram
uang
Fuang Nakhon
Khlong Lot
Saranrom
Wat
Tanao
Buranasat
aitri
Wat Ratchapradit
noen
Trok Ratchanatdaram Sin
Bumrung M
Kalayana M
Chao Phraya
Trok Nava
Phraeng Phuthon
Wat Phra Kaew
o
Na
Dam
Ph ra Po kk lao
Tha Chang
Phraeng Nara
Lak Mueang
Na Phra Lan
nL
Democracy Monument
Mahannop
hrut
K Trok
ei Na Hap Pho
Trok W
Soi Silipakorn
Bunsiri
g Nuea
Klang
Trok hep T Sath hida ien Ram
Tri Phet
Wat Rakhang
lang Tai
k Khro lonSgake L ot W at T
ee Rachin ang d a ts A
Ratcha Damn oen N ai
ra Tha
Sanam Luang
Ba
Khlo
noen K
t
Maharat
Wat Mahathat
9
noen Klan
noen
T
Silpokaorn University N
Soi Dam
Soi Dam
Na Ph
Amulet Market
an
Tro k
Dinso
ao
an a Dam
a Ch
g
nN
Tr ok
ho
Ch
i ttr
Kl
Wang Lang
4
on
hu
Bowonniwet ViHara
Ratch
Thammasart University Maharaj Ph r
i
aos
an T ula
10
ap h
So
iS am Ph long sen ra 2 Su Bang me L Wat n amp
Bu
p sa Ka
Pin ra Ph
Kh
Du
N
Kh
ais
Tan i
m Ra
ok Tr
t de m So ge rid
aB National Museum
iW or
Kr
kr aP
ray Ph
National Arts Gallery
National Theatre
So
ng
Wat Chana Songkhram
S
ak
o ha
Bu
Maha
i
ttr
am
R oi
3
Pra cha T
t
asa
C et md
Thonburi N11 Thonburi Railway Railway
tK isu
P
13
N
Phra Atith
hip
W
So
Khlong Bangkok Noi
ith
At
a hr
2
m
i
Sam
ao
s en
Kl 12
N
se g an Ka Lu g k un Lu Kr
Pin ra Ph
Wat Saodung
Phra Pin Klao Bridge
1
an ulo
N
16
5
Rajchawongse
november 2012 | 111
m y b a n g ko k
Chawadee Nualkhair
When it comes to seeking out the best local grub, one of the handiest little books on the market is Bangkok’s Top 50 Street Food Stalls. Having grazed our way through it over the past year, and being left hungry for more, we asked (ok, begged) its American-Thai author, mother of two and food journalist Chawadee Nualkhair, to divulge some more of her no-nonsense streetfood intel (if you ain’t hungry now, you will be!). For more, check out her blog: the aptly titled bangkokglutton.com.
Best place for breakfast I always try to make it to Go Pi Hia Thai Gi (there are two, one on Dinsor Road and the other at the Wisut Kasat intersection). I love their kai gata (baked eggs), but they also have dim sum and steak and eggs – anything I could ever want for breakfast. Best place for lunch I love the Chinese swing area, especially Dinso Road. There is a great aharn tham sung (made-to-order) stall there called So Nah Wang, which makes my absolute favorite mee pad krachet (rice vermicelli stir-fried with acacia leaves): spicy, filling and quick (my favorite option is with seafood). They also do a delicious moo ob (baked pork) on rice. Best place for dinner I talk about this place all the time, so people are sick of hearing about it: Uncle John in Suan Plu Soi 8. Western-style street food is such a good idea, I’m jealous that I didn’t think of it myself. I order whatever is on the specials board, which gives the whole experience a little hint of danger. Best place for noodles I’ve had brief flirtations with other noodle stands, but the place I return to again and again is the bamee kai (egg noodles with egg) vendor on the corner of Ekamai 19, open from 8pm to late. I’ve heard people refer to this place as “Bamee Slow” because a wait for these noodles can last up to half an hour. The wait is worth it, though: silky noodles, crunchy greens and deliciously sweet red pork crowned with a barely-boiled egg.
THE SHORTLIST:
So Nah Wang [map 7 / h8]
156/2 Dinso Rd, Phra Nakorn 02-622-1525; 02-224-2588 11am – 11:30pm Go Pi Hia Thai Gi [MAP 7 / J 9] 37 on the corner of Samran Rat Rd and Siri Phong Rd, Phra Nakorn 081-635-1056; 02-621-0828 7am – 8pm Uncle John [MAP 5 / K 9] Suan Plu Soi 8 (4th shophouse down on the left) | 081-373-3865 6:30 pm – 10:30 pm Aor Thor Kor [MAP 8 / L 4] Kamphaeng Phet Rd, Jatujak BTS Mo Chit / MRT Kampaeng Phet 02-621-0828 | 7 am – 8 pm 112 | november 2012
Best place for Isaan food I don’t really want to say. I’ve even avoided blogging about it. But here goes: it’s the one to the right of the entrance to Suan Plu Soi 3. Lots of people like it (so I’m not sure why I want to keep it a big secret), and everyone has his or her own favorite. My favorite is the jiao hon, or Isaan-style sukiyaki – a spicy tom sap-like broth that comes with a platter of raw pork, chicken, liver, egg, vegetables, etc, that you cook yourself. It’s a dish that’s not that easy to find in Bangkok, much less on the street! Best place for desserts Nam kaeng sai (shaved ice desserts) is my favorite type of Thai sweet, probably because I am always sweating like a pig. The one in Suan Luang is really famous, but I prefer the one located in Sukhumvit Soi 38, because it has just as much variety with less of a crowd. That means I can umm and ahh as much as I like and take as much time as I please choosing what will go in my bowl. Best place for fresh produce Without question, if you’re cooking Thai food, it’s Aor Thor Kor. I think most people know it’s the best place for fresh produce, but don’t go there often it because it’s such a trek. My friend calls it the “Whole Foods” of wet markets – beautiful fruits and vegetables, obscure varieties of nam prik (chili paste) and gaeng (curries) ... you get the picture.
bangkok101.com
E
F
Wat Khema
G
H
L
M
Wat Soi Thong
22
Prach a Rat Sai 2
N
Dir Domection est Don ic A irp Muen ort g
23
N
Rama VII Bridge
Province Border
Bang Po
River Ferry
1
K
en
24
N
N
N
J
25 Pilbul 1
N
a Chu
D
on tha bu ri
C
P ra c h
B
Kru ng the p-N
A
Suan W Bench
Queen Sirkit Park
Jat P
Canal Boat BTS Silom Line BTS Sukhumvit Line
21
N
t han
Am
18
N
Payap Wat Thepnahree
17
N
Na
16
ko
N
rn
nu
ay
Ch
in
v y
Na
Witt ha
Son
Su an
yu
Ratchadamri
Marine Dept.
n
Sri Ph N
r ay a
Sam Yan
Lumpini Park
Si Lom
10
3
N
S ur a
2
Wat Muang Khae Wongwian Yai Railway
Phloen Chit
Royal Bangkok Sports Club
4 – SI A M / Ch it Lo m
Hua Lamphong
4
Si Phraya
N
wo n
g
S ilom
Krung Thon Buri
u Chong Nonsi
orn 5 – s
Saphan Taksin
Sathorn
Sala Daeng
S at h
1
Oriental Wongwian Yai
ha Vip
es sw ay
Hua Lamphong Central Railway Station
gW at
N
ow
Chit Lom
un ant
t
Siam
hai
ra
Son
5
at
g
Soi To n
C h
un
Wireless
National Stadium Thong
Kr
N
Pratunam
Soi La ng
6 –
Krung Kasem
en
Ya ow a
Rajchawongse
C h at
Chit Lom
Ph ay a T
N
Ram
k halo ank S aw w ay re s s E xp
ak Wora ch
Maha
Chai
Ti Thon et.
aro
6
Memorial Bridge
Ratchapraprop
s
Phaya Thai
ri
Baan Krua Nua Sapan Hua Chang
Ba nt hat
N
11
Ratchathewi
2 nd State Ex pr
Rajinee
7
Sapan Charoenpol
Ch Ch ak ra Ph et Ch akk raw at
7
Cha kph 1 et
habu
H enri D
Dinso
Bumrung Muang
hit
N
Phra Phi Phit
Pe t c
Talad Bobae
l
1
Phaya Thai
ri C
d 5
8
Lan Luang
Phan Fa Lilat
k
wa
i ata Thip
cha
Pra
j Klang
Charoen Krung
9 Victory Monument
8
Mait
at har Ma
Tha Tien 1
m
g
ng i Wa Tha
Tri Ph
8
ai Sanam Ch
N
f
Royal Turf Club
ess
en ms Sa
ng ho aP kr
ak
Ch
Ratcha Damno en Nai
Rachinee Atsadang
h
itri
Kalayana Ma
Grand Palace b
6
6
Victory Monument
m
3
ay a
se
noen
Sanan Pao
Ka
9
Tha Chang
n
t th
ng
Kh 2 2 aos an Ratch4 a Dam
me
Ay u
p
ok
g Kru
g
ul
an
10
N
a
Su
hi
Chitralada Palace
Sri
Lu
4
c
N
ra
an
k
t
1 Wang Lang
Ph
it s
Lu
5
ith
At
asa
3
tK
11
N
isu
N
Phra Atith e
Thonburi Railway
W
Thonburi Railway
13 ra Ph
N
wit
S t at
Ph
Ari
2 nd
14
12
2
cha
o
N
aV
V
R at
7
t 1s S t a t e E x pr
Thewej
Rama VIII Bridge
ir i
ai
Dusit Zoo
3
N
Phra Pin Klao Bridge
at
am
ma
oth
n
7 – Oldtown
kr
Ra
Suk
15
ais
ng
Pradiph
I
Krung Thon Bridge
So
Saphan K
Tho
Tet c Kheaw Khai ka
20
N
Irrigation N19 Dept.
Kamphaeng Phet
et D
ha
Tha
Wa ni
Airport Rail Link
M
6
5
Bang Sue
Kjak Kai
i
Railway
amr
MRT Subway Line
Surasak
t
ilo
m /
S a
th
or n
Lumphini 9 10
Kh
N
O
P
Q
R
S
t
reference | B angk o k cit y M ap 8
Phahon Yothin
1
Wachira hathat t
Map 8 Bangkok
29
2
tujak Park
Lat Phrao
Sightseeing a
Wat Arun Grand Palace c Wat Mahathat d Wat Pho e Wat Chana Songkhram f Wat Ratchabophit g Wat Bowornniwet Viharn h Wat Suthat & Giant Swing j Democracy Monument k Wat Ratchanatda l Wat Saket m Ratchadamnoen Boxing Stadium n Vimanmek Mansion o Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall p Wat Benchamabophit s Suan Pakkad Palace t Bangkok Butterfly Garden u Lumpini Boxing Stadium Arts & Culture b
3
Chatuchak Park
Mo Chit
Ratchadapisek
La
Khwai
tP
hra
4 o
5
Sutthisan Sutthisan
6
7
gsi
t
Huai Khwang
an
iR
v ad
t ur at
Siriraj Medical Museum Royal Barges Museum 3 National Museum 4 National Theatre 5 Museum of Siam 6 Rattanakosin Exhibiton Hall 7 Numthong Gallery 8 Aksra Theatre 9 Goethe Institut 10 Galerie N 11 Bangkok Doll Museum 12 Siam Niramit 1
2
8
12
9
Thailand Cultural Centre
10
Phra Rama 9
hit / E
11
Ram a IX
x pre s
2 nd S
s w ay
Phetchaburi
Nana Nua
12
Italthai
Nana Chard
Wat Maichonglom
Bandon Mosque
Prasanmit
E xpr
essw
2
ay
Direction Internat Suvanabhum ional A i irport
Asoke/Phetchaburi
Pe tc h
12
13
a b u ri
14
ana oi 5
5
Sukhumvit vit S hum
um
S oi 6 umvit Suk h
16
m ai –
kh
vit
Ekka
Su
15
3
S uk or – ng L
Benjasiri Park
Tho
Benjakiti Park
Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre
Thong Lo
hlong Toei
3 – Ram
a IV
S u
kh
D BT irect S S ion tat ion
um
Ekkamai
vi
t
17
Be
Amorosa The Club 3 Phranakorn Bar 4 Brick Bar 5 Adhere The 13th 6 Rolling Bar 7 Pullman 8 Raintree Pub 9 Saxophone Pub 10 Wong‘s Place 11 Route 66 12 Cosmic Cafe 2
Klongton Bridge
Phrom Phong
nighlife
Ratchapraprop
1
Charn Issara
Asok
Pak Khlong Talad Khao San Road 3 Thewet 4 Ratchada Night Market 5 Talat Rot Fai 6 Jatujak Weekend Market 1
t ate
Makasan 11
Markets
Hotels 1
Pullman King Power
ari
Phra Khanong
ng
18
© Copyright Talisman Media Group Co., Ltd 2012. www.bangkok101.com
Step into the Parisian Penthouse Flutes of Champagne and fierce French flavour, high up in the air. From dusk ’til dawn, rendez-vous at the rooftop lounge,amplified by DJ beats. Indulge yourself. Open daily from 5pm-1am.
Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit 189 Sukhumvit Road Soi 13-15, Klongtoey Nua Wattana, Bangkok 10110 Thailand Tel: 02 126 9999 - www.sofitel.com