I
Publisher’s Letter
n this special Destination Issue we profile Pattaya, sometimes known as Bangkok’s “naughty neighbour”. In the eyes of the world, the reputation of this infamous seaside resort community is usually coloured by references to less than savoury activities—most involving the holy trinity of lust, larceny, and ladyboys. Some people view the town as a mini-Las Vegas (minus the lavish casinos), and it’s oft been said that “what happens in Pattaya, stays in Pattaya!” But upon closer inspection it turns out there’s a ‘Fun City’ running parallel to this ‘Sin City’, and it offers visitors a huge variety of things to see and do… some of it downright wholesome! We’ve mapped out a number of highlights definitely worth checking out, including hotels, restaurants, and local landmarks. Have a look through our special 22-page travel feature, starting on page 30. We also cover lots of local items of interest in this issue, including a profile of the diverse neighbourhood surrounding Victory Monument (page 16), a trip to Bangkok’s last remaining mangrove forest (page 20), and a special photo feature from Marc Schultz that pays tribute to the iconic longtail boats that ply Bangkok’s mighty Chao Phraya River (page 58). For the wine and dine crowd this month’s reviews cover almost every cuisine—from Korean to Indian, Italian, Mediterranean, and Thai—and our nightlife reviews run the gamut from high-end tequila bars to underground DJ parties. Finally, our team of roving reporters brings you highlights of the best in upcoming art, film, and music related events. All this and more—including our Bangkok 101 archive and Enjoy. extras—can be found online at www.bangkok101.com. A couple of clicks are all it takes to keep in touch with what’s happening in Bangkok and beyond. And if you as a reader feel there’s something we’re not Mason Florence covering, but should be, please drop Publisher us a line at info@talisman.asia.
What is Bangkok 101 Independent and unbiased, Bangkok 101 caters to savvy travellers who yearn for more than what they find in 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.
B A N G K O K 101 P A R T N E R S
bangkok101.com
AUGUST 2016 | 5
CONTENTS 20
CITY PULSE
58
10 Metro Beat Find out what’s going on this month in and around Bangkok 14 16
My Bangkok In honour of Mother’s Day in Thailand we chat with Napat ‘Joy’ Sonto, the proud mom of a tri-lingual toddler
32
On the Block Explore the neighbourhood around Victory Monument, one of the city’s busiest transportation hubs
20 Out and About A tour of Bangkok’s last mangrove forest provides a cultural and ecological immersion into local lifestyles
SNAPSHOTS 22 Tom’s Two Satangs A better understanding to Islam and its influences in Thailand 24 Joe’s Bangkok Hua Lamphong railway station celebrates its centennial and prepares for retirement 26 Very Thai At more than one pageant per day, beauty is serious business in Thailand 28 Heritage Discover Wang Parutsakawan’s secret treasures
TRAVEL 30 Pattaya 101 In this special 22-page travel destination feature we take a closer look at Bangkok’s “naughty neighbor” 32 Pattaya Attractions There’s plenty to see and do in Pattaya—from Wats to Waterparks!
On the cover
A colourful ladyboy dancer lights up the stage at the Alcazar Cabaret in Pattaya. Read more about ladyboy cabaret shows on page 50, as part of our 22 page destination feature cover story.
36 Wine & Dine in Pattaya Beach Club@ Pullman G; Royal Grill Room & Wine Cellar 38 39 40 42
Making Merit Eco-conscious beachfront resort supports education in rural Thailand Made in Thailand Silverlake Vineyard is a boutique winery making superior Shiraz Arts Interview Interviews with ladyboy actress Aisawanya Areyawattana and Thai film director Tom Waller Where To Stay Mövenpick Siam Hotel; Hotel Baraquda; The Monttra
48 Bizarre Thailand Author Jim Algie proves looks can be deceiving in Thailand’s Sin City 50 Pattaya Nightlife Flamboyant ladyboy cabaret shows add pizzazz to Pattaya
ART & CULTURE 52 Art Updates 54 56
Art Exhibitions The latest museum gallery openings across the city Cinema Scope This month’s special film events and screenings
58 Photo Feature Chao Phraya’s longtail boats photographed by Marc Schultz
Bangkok 101 is available at: 6 | AUGUST 2016
bangkok101.com
CONTENTS 70
FOOD & DRINK
98
64 Food & Drink Updates 66 Meal Deals Restaurants offer amazing deals for Mother’s Day dining 67 Hot Plates Cocotte Farm Roast & Winery 68 Restaurant Reviews Rang Mahal; Joha; Attico; Chibi Chibi; Laem Charoen 76 Breaking Bread with chef Luca Cesarini from Rossini’s Italian restaurant
LIFE+STYLE
78 Eat Like Nym Discover a food vendor area on the backstreets of Yaowarat Road
98 Lifestyle Updates
80 Food & Drink Listings Capsule reviews of select restaurants in Bangkok
100 Spa Deals Bangkok spas offer Mother’s Day deals and discounts 101 Spa Reviews Harnn Heritage Spa Krungthep
NIGHTLIFE 86 Nightlife Updates 88 Bar Reviews Touché Hombre; Evil Man Blues
102 Spa Products Perfect pampering products for your Mother’s Day gift list
90 Imbibe Seksun Yonglek’s Old Fashioned adds flair to Humidor
103 Unique Boutique Art and craftsmanship blend seamlessly at Jirawat Leather Goods
92 Live Music 101’s Rock Philosopher reports on the live music scene
104 Style Feature Siam Discovery reopens with eco-conscious choices
93 Club Report NACC Social Club’s “BYOE”, and Studio Lam’s “Nite Ride” 94 Nightlife Listings Capsule reviews of select nightspots in Bangkok
EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS
Phen Parkpien Naritha Yonyubon
CONTRIBUTING
Julia Offenberger
PUBLISHER
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Mason Florence
ART DIRECTOR
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Narong Srisaiya
Dr Jesda M. Tivayanond
GRAPHIC DESIGNER
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER
Thanakrit Skulchartchai
Parinya Krit-Hat
Bruce Scott
106 Did You Know?... The laser-carved Buddha image at Khao Chi Chan Korakot (Nym) Punlopruksa, Craig Sauers, Lekha Shankar, Dr.Tom Vitayakul, Anne Wong
WRITER & DIGITAL EDITOR
MANAGING EDITOR
SIGNING OFF
Dave Crimaldi, Wattanapong Hotavaisaya, Marc Schultz GENERAL MANAGER
Jhone El’Mamuwaldi STRATEGISTS
SALES MANAGER
Sebastien Berger Nathinee Chen
Orawan Ratanapratum SALES AND MARKETING
Itsareeya Chatkitwaroon
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Pawika Jansamakao
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
SALES EXECUTIVE
EDITOR-AT-LARGE
Jim Algie, Gary Barber, Luc Citrinot, Philip CornwellSmith, Dave Crimaldi, Wahtihdah Shannon Duffy, Reena Hallberg,
Kiattisak Chanchay
Joe Cummings EDITORIAL COORDINATOR
Pongphop Songsiriarcha
DISTRIBUTION & MARKETING COORDINATOR
Seri Sartsanapiti
PUBLISHED BY
Talisman Media Group Co., Ltd. 54 Naradhivas Rajanagarinda Soi 4, Sathorn Tai Rd,Yannawa, Sathorn, Bangkok 10120 Tel: 02 286 7821 Fax: 02 286 7829 info@talisman.asia © Copyright Talisman Media Group Co., Ltd 2016. All rights reserved. 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.
CITY PULSE | metro beat
AUGUST’S HOTTEST TICKETS August 9
MOTHER’S DAY August 12
Mother’s Day in Thailand is celebrated on August 12th, which commemorates the birthday of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, the Mother of all Thai people. The holiday was first introduced to Thailand in 1950, and was celebrated on the 15th of April, however in 1976, the date was changed to the 12th August. In the morning, an alms-giving ceremony will be held followed by a countrywide candle-lighting ceremony and fireworks displays. In Bangkok the place to go to see the most lavish celebrations are along Ratchadamnern Road and in the Grand Palace area. Mother’s Day is, of course, also a day for treating your own mother, so check out our Meal Deals on page 66 for special dining promotions, and page 100 for spa deals.
EDM FESTIVAL August 13
The Smirnoff Sound Collective presents Tempology Music Festival 2016, a music festival for people who are passionate about underground electronic music. This annual event brings together artists and music lovers in a culture of art, design, lifestyle, and fashion—all connected by amazing EDM sounds. Head to Live RCA (Rama 9 Rd) and prepare for 3 stages and over 30 artists including GaPi, Koichi Shimizu, Duck & Noodle ft. DJ Sun, and Cut The Crab. Tickets are B700 (B600 before August 7th), and the all day event starts at 3:30pm. www.tempobkk.com 10 | AUGUST 2016
Glam rockers Of Montreal will be appearing in Bangkok as part of the Singha Light Live Series Vol. 3 at Live RCA (Royal City Avenue, Rama 9 Rd). The group, which hails from Athens, Georgia (USA), was founded by frontman Kevin Barnes back in the mid-90s, and since then they’ve blown many a collective mind with their psychedelic sounds. Along with old favourites fans will also have a chance to hear tracks from Innocence Reaches, the band’s latest album. Tickets are B1,200 and showtime is 8pm. A sold out show is expected, so get your tickets now! www.ticketmelon.com
August 12
The up and coming singing star Charlie Puth brings his Nine Track Mind Tour 2016 to Bangkok’s GMM Live House (8th Floor of CentralWorld), for one evening only. This 24 year-old rising star is already a YouTube sensation, and fans can expect to hear hit songs such as “One Call Away”, “Marvin Gaye”, and “See You Again” which is taken from The Fast and Furious 7 movie soundtrack. The special guest opening acts for this concert will be Room 39 and Ozmo. Things get underway at 7pm and tickets are priced at just B2,000 (with special VIP packages available too). www.thaiticketmajor.com
August 17
The wait is over for fans of the band Two Door Cinema Club. After being away for two years, Alex Trimble, the singer, is back with the band’s brand new third album. Formed in 2007, this group has released a number of hit singles and have a wide fan base all over the world. Enjoy a fun day of music and catch Thai bands, Tattoo Colour and Tabasco at Oasis Outdoor Arena & Creative Market (Chaturathit Rd). Tickets are B2,000 in advance and B2,500 at the door, and showtime is 7pm. www.thaiticketmajor.com bangkok101.com
metro beat | CITY PULSE
CLASSICAL MUSIC August 11
The Bangkok Symphony Orchestra (BSO) welcomes two talented conductors to Bangkok this month. The first concert features Canadian conductor Charles Olivieri-Munroe from the Krakow Philharmonic Orchestra, who will perform selections from Beethoven which include Overture Consecration of the House, Piano Concerto No. 4, and Symphony No. 3 Eroica, featuring the skilled pianist Marcela Fiorillo. The concert takes place in the Main Hall of the Thailand Cultural Centre (14 Thiam Ruam Mit Rd). Tickets are priced at B400, B800, B1,200, B1,600, and B2,000, and the performance begins at 8pm. www.bangkoksymphony.org
August 28
For the second in its international conductor series, the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra (BSO) welcomes Martin André, the only conductor to have performed for all the major British opera companies. This maestro will delight audiences with a selection Russian ballet music, accompanied by the talented ballerina Inna Bilash and other dancers from Russia’s Perm Ballet Company. The performance takes place in the Main Hall of the Thailand Cultural Centre (14 Thiam Ruam Mit Rd). Tickets are priced at B500, B1,000, B1,500, B2,000, and B2,500, and the performance begins at 8pm. www.bangkoksymphony.org
Inna Bilash
ITALIAN FESTIVAL IN THAILAND August 11
Get ready for another in a series of Italian Music Nights at the Diplomat Bar in the Conrad Hotel (87 Witthayu Rd). This month Duo Bel Canto—comprised of Alessandro Vuono and Antonio Arcuri—performs a special concert with piano and clarinet. The duo has a vast repertoire and plays fantasies of famous operatic themes (Il Barbiere di Siviglia, La Traviata, and Rigoletto), a medley of Italian soundtracks, music by modern international composers, and arrangements from classic Mediterranean tradition. The show gets underway at 9pm. www.facebook.com/ItalianFestivalThailand
August 25
As a part the 11th edition of Italian Festival in Thailand, the Bangkokbased early music ensemble Baroque Musicke will perform rare gems from their Italian baroque repertoire, starting at 7pm at the Music Hall, Chulalongkorn University. The ensemble is directed by Italian musicians Jacopo Gianninoto and Alberto Firrincieli, in collaboration with talented young Thai string players, and features rare original instruments such as the lute, the Baroque guitar, and the harpsichord. Admission is free. www.facebook.com/ItalianFestivalThailand bangkok101.com
Yellow Fang
MUSIC FESTIVAL August 6
The 24-hour online radio station Cat Radio invites food and music fans to the It’s Me Cat Foodival taking place at Makkasan Airport Rail Link Station from 11am till 11pm. The festival features cooking classes from celebrity chefs and over 60 food stalls from Thailand’s top musicians, such as crepes by Muay Scrubb, roti saimai by Boy Trai, and organic supply by Greasy Cafe. Another highlight will be the performances of various singers and bands which include big names like Stamp, Paradox, Ten To Twelve, Superbaker, Sqweez Animal, Tul Apartment Khunpa, Better Weather, and Yellow Fang. www.facebook.com/thisiscatradio
DJ EVENT August 19
One of the world’s most captivating producers, Sébastien Léger, will be coming to Live RCA (Royal City Avenue, Rama 9 Rd) this month. His outstanding dedication, passion, and effort have made him a well-known figure in the electronic music scene, and during his career in music and production this native of France has worked on such remarkable releases as 2013’s Back To Back on Mistakes. The party starts at 9pm till 3am. www.facebook.com/livercabangkok AUGUST 2016 | 11
CITY PULSE | metro beat
SPORTING EVENTS August 12
To commemorate the birthday of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, join the August Half Marathon Bangkok 2016 which kicks off at 5am from the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre (60 New Rachadapisek Rd). This is the 12th running of this popular annual event, and this year the races include a 21.1k half marathon, a 10.5k mini marathon, a 6k fun run, and a 1.8k charity walkrun. There are trophies and cash prizes for the winners, and entry fee starts from just B400. In addition, proceeds from the race will be donated to Queen Sirikit Centre for Breast Cancer (QSCBC). www.12aughalfmarathon.com Garnidelia
ANIME FESTIVAL August 19-21
Japanese pop culture comes to Bangkok in a big way this month when the Anime Festival Asia Thailand 2016, the largest and most followed J-pop culture event in Southeast Asia, takes over the Royal Paragon Hall (5th floor, Siam Paragon). The festival features an I Love Anisong concert by Japan’s best anisong artists, including Aimer, Eir Aoi, Garnidelia, and more. Other highlights include celebrity cosplayers and record label showcases. Tickets range in price from just B150 to B390, B1,900 and B3,300 (with each higher price allowing visitors access to more events). www.animefestival.asia/afath16
GUITAR MASTER
August 20
The 19 year-old guitarist Sungha Jung, who has almost 4 million subscribers on his Youtube channel, will once again be returning to Bangkok—this time for his 5th solo concert. Hailing from Korea, this teenage guitar virtuoso will be performing his unique fingerstyle solos, enchanting fans with selections from his latest album L’Atelier, which include hits like “On Cloud Nine” and “Seventh #9”. The concert takes place at M Theatre (2884/2 New Petchburi Rd.). Showtime is from 6pm till 8pm, and tickets are B2400, B1,600, and B1,100. www.thaiticketmajor.com 12 | AUGUST 2016
August 24-September 1
It’s time once again for young Muay Thai talents to compete in the 2016 IFMA Youth World Championships Thailand. Now in its 12th year, this event includes IFMA World Championship/World Cup tournaments in the Youth Divisions, as well as the Youth Wai Kru World Championships and the Youth Muay-Aerobic World Championships. And while the athletes may be young, don’t underestimate their spirit. This event is presented in cooperation with the UN Women project to end violence against women and, moreover, the event is also aimed at delivering the important message of “Sport is Your Gang”. This year’s IFMA event will take place at the Thailand National Stadium (154 Rama 1 Rd). www.ifmamuaythai.org
SPORTY STAGE SHOW & CRUISE All this month
The popular stage production Muay Thai Live: The Legend Lives at Asiatique the Riverfront — winner of a People’s Choice Awards Thailand for ‘Best Thai Show’ two years running — is currently offering a special show and sunset cruise package, priced at just B1,800 per person. Experience the beauty of a river cruise along the Chao Phraya, aboard the brand new Yodsiam boat, with one hour free flow beer, soft drinks, and snacks. Then catch this exciting stage show which combines theatre with liveaction Muay Thai fighting. The boat departs from Asiatique pier at 6:30pm and returns at 7:30pm (show starts at 8pm). Bookings must be made two days in advance by calling 02 108 5999. www.muaythailive.com
TED TALKS August 20
Fans of the innovative TedTalks series will not want to miss the upcoming TedxBangkok, which returns this year under the theme “Learn. Unlearn. Relearn.” For one day only, 16 carefully selected speakers and 4 incredible performances will take over the stage at the KBank Siam Pic-Ganesha Theatre (7th floor, Siam Square One), starting from 8am and continuing till 6pm. The talks will be both in Thai and English, with simultaneous translation. Can’t make it on the day? Don’t worry, live streaming of TEDxBangkok 2016 will also be made available online. www.tedxbangkok.net/tedxbangkok2016 bangkok101.com
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CITY PULSE | my bangkok
Napat ‘Joy’ Sonto
Each year, in honour of Mother’s Day in Thailand—which is celebrated on August 12th—we profile a local mom. This year we meet Napat ‘Joy’ Sonto, a work-from-home mother who, along with her husband, is juggling a busy professional schedule along with raising a tri-lingual toddler.
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His dad speaks French to him, I speak Thai to him, and he learns English from nursery school (and by listening to his parents speak to each other). He understands three languages, but for speaking he tends to use English the most. In some situations, he will choose the easiest language to pronounce for certain words.
s Managing Director for Le Petit Journal—an online media news source for Thailand’s French community that she operates together with her French husband Pierre—Napat ‘Joy’ Sonto certainly leads a busy life. But after the arrival of her first child, her hectic lifestyle slowed down considerably. Opening night parties were replaced with baby birthday parties, and homemade chocolate chip cookies are now preferred over canapés and fancy hors d’oeuvres. Did you grow up in Bangkok? I was born in Lampang and moved to Bangkok to attend university. After I graduated, I started working in a travel magazine called Paradise Thailand, which closed down after the 5th issue. After that I helped my family run a small stationery shop in Chatuchak market for a while, and then I was back to a full-time job at the Children’s Discovery Museum. I met my husband when I worked as a PR rep for House of Indy, an event organizer. What are some of your favourite hang out spots in Bangkok? When I was a teenager I liked to go to Khao San Road. But once I started working, and earning money, I would often go to Thong Lor and explore the new places in the Sukhumvit area. Oskar (on Sukhumvit Soi 11) is one of my favourites. What was life like before you became a mother? I used to have a really busy schedule, since one of my tasks at Le Petit Journal is to go networking—to get more advertisers—and there are opening parties or launching events almost every single day in Bangkok. I kept to my busy schedule, as usual, until I was eight months pregnant.
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Is there a large French-speaking community in Bangkok? Yes, there is. The number has been increasing in recent years due to some economic issues occurring in Europe. French people are moving to Bangkok, settling into the community, and starting work in many fields of expertise. I have two French interns in my team, helping with the online tasks. Is Bangkok a kid-friendly city? How could it improve? I don’t think the city provides enough space for kids to learn and explore. Of course, many kid-friendly spots— such Kidzania, Siam Ocean World, and Funarium—do a great job of creating fun and attractive learning environments for kids. However, these places normally have quite an expensive entrance fee, so accessibility is limited to only certain groups of kids. Government agencies should really provide more learning spaces with an affordable price… or without any entrance fee. What are your favourite family spots in Bangkok? My family likes to go to Lumpini Park. Hugo, my son, is a lively boy who loves to run around and explore nature. You are raising your child to be trilingual. Tell us about that. My son is almost three years old now and is being raised to be tri-lingual.
How do you and your husband juggle family life and business life? The perk of having a cozy home office, like we do, is that I can stay close to my son while working. I have a maid, but I’d rather babysit Hugo by myself. My husband and I agreed to take on less work for four or five years after our son was born. I think it is important for parents to spend time with their kids during this stage. Money is what we can earn anytime, but family time is what you cannot get back. Once it’s gone, it’s gone. I’d like to stay as close as possible to my son during these first important years. Now that you’re a mother, what do you appreciate the most about the way your mother raised you? Tolerance. I am amazed how my mother raised me and other two siblings on her own. I feel like a mother is someone who can handle tolerance like no other can.
www.lepetitjournal.com/bangkok bangkok101.com
RADISSON BLU RESORT HUA HIN
Photo by Ben Garrett/Flickr
CITY PULSE | on the block
Victory Monument traffic roundabout
A Day Out at Victory Monument A transport hub, residential pocket, and much more By Julia Offenberger
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ocated in Bangkok’s Ratchathewi district, Victory Monument is known for being one of the busiest transportation hubs in the metropolis. Around 40 municipal bus lines stop around the monument’s traffic circle, a major intersection where the three main roads Phahonyothin Rd, Phaya Thai Rd and Ratchawithi Rd meet. The eponymous obelisk in the centre of the four-lane roundabout was erected in 1941 to commemorate the victory of a brief war against the French colonial authorities in Indochina, resulting in Thailand annexing parts of Cambodia and Laos (which it had to give back a few years later). The area is also easily accessible by skytrain thanks to its BTS station of the same name, and is also one of the main departure places to catch minivans heading in all directions out of the city. Add this to the usual melee
16 | AUGUST 2016
of cars, taxis and motorcycles and it quickly becomes transparent why the intersection is a constant traffic jam with thousands of people passing through each day. However, despite all the chaos the neighbourhoods surrounding the monument have a lot to offer, once you manage to look behind the scenes. In the general area to the southeast of the Victory Monument traffic circle there is a surprisingly large choice of interesting restaurants, bars and chill out spots. To start your day at a relaxed pace, head to Chibi Chibi Café & Atelier (Soi Si Ayutthaya 2) for some coffee and delicious breakfast. Hidden on one of the calmer side streets just off Soi Rang Nam, this quaint and homey eatery serves great brunches, lunches, and also makes the perfect spot for an afternoon pick-me-up. (Read our full review on page 73). bangkok101.com
on the block | CITY PULSE Walking down Soi Rang Nam, you will definitely notice the igloo-shaped, glass compound known as the King Power Complex, a duty free shopping centre and one of the best known buildings in the area. If you have a flight booked, show your passport and flight number at the entrance and benefit from the promotions on offer. However you won’t get your goods right away, as they can only be picked up at the airport gate. For those who’d rather take their purchases home immediately, there are two more shopping malls close by. Centre One (Soi Ratchawithi 9) is a typical Thai shopping mall offering everything from cheap clothes and shoes, to phone covers. The ground floor resembles Siam Square and is a small labyrinth of little shops, even spilling onto the surrounding streets. Bargain shoppers can also visit the Century Movie Plaza (on the corner of Soi Rang Nam and Phaya Thai Rd) for a similar selection of stores, as well as a 7-screen cinema. In case you’re getting a bit hungry, the area is teeming with dining and snacking options. While both malls house a couple of (fast food) chain restaurants, the surrounding sois are home to a number of distinctive eateries. Great places for lunch are the traditional ‘Boat Noodle’ restaurants along the klong Sam Sen just north of the monument including Rua Thong Noodle. Traditionally, merchants on boats sold small bowls of noodles in broth with either beef or pork, and pickled curd. Nowadays these restaurants are usually found on land, overlooking the rivers, but the size of the bowls has remained the same. To reach Rua Thong Noodle,
King Power Complex
Rua Thong Noodle
5 8 Ratchawithi Rd.
1. Chibi Chibi Café & Atelier 2. King Power Complex 3. Centre One 4. Century Movie Plaza 5. Rua Thong Noodle 6. Santiphap Park 7. Let’s Say Café 8. Pathé Restaurant 9. Everest Kitchen Bangkok 10. Kuang Seafood 11. Pla Thong Mookata 12. Saxophone 9 13. Skytrain Jazz Bar 14. Eat Am Are 15. Raintree Pub & Restaurant 16. Baan Bar
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4 14 13 11 bangkok101.com
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AUGUST 2016 | 17
CITY PULSE | on the block
Pathé
Baan Bar
Santiphap Park
either cross the tiny bridge off Soi Ratchawithi 10, or follow the BTS elevated Skywalk until you reach the stairs leading down to Phahonyothin Rd. For B12 per bowl, get ready to dig into some delicious noodle soup and don’t worry, it’s normal to have more than one. Just look around and you’ll see bowls stacked high on every table. Probably one of the most surprising places in this area is Santiphap Park, located just a few hundred metres from the BTS station. Literally meaning “Peace Park” in Thai, the 3.2 hectare grounds are perfect for residents and visitors alike to escape the hustle and bustle and get some peace and quiet. Amid the concrete jungle, this well-maintained and very clean park is like a green oasis. It features three small ponds and a playground, as well as some fitness equipment, and offers plenty of benches to relax on, a bookshelf for some reading (the books are only in Thai though), and a small plant exhibition at the far end. However, we are all aware how untrustworthy rainy season can be. In case an unpredicted shower comes down, head for the adjacent Soi Ratchawithi 3 and take refuge in Let’s Say Café. The small café is impossible to miss as it’s literally the only coffee shop on an otherwise residential street. Grab a cup and climb two stories up to Turn the Tables, a board game café where you can sit out the rain while spending the afternoon playing everything from The Settlers of Catan to Camel Cup. It’s B50/person for the first hour, and you can even buy your favourite game there to take home. For evening meals there are plenty of options including Pathé Restaurant (507 Ratchawithi Rd). This quirky and brightly coloured restaurant serves delicious Thai and international cuisine at reasonable prices. Its interior is made up of mainly vintage furniture, with 60s
posters decorating the wall above the open kitchen and a jukebox playing old vinyl in the background. Other places worth trying are Everest Kitchen Bangkok (48/8 Ratchaprarop Rd) for Nepali, Indian and Halal dishes, Kuang Seafood (107/13 Soi Rang Nam), a popular place for Asian seafood, and Pla Thong Mookata (Phaya Thai Rd), a Thai BBQ buffet offering a variety of meat and vegetables to grill directly at your table—for just B169 per person! Alternatively, you can grab a quick bite at many locations along Soi Rang Nam, which is lined with numerous food stalls and restaurants. Although the area around Victory Monument might not be too big on the clubbing scene, it is home to a couple of cool bars, the most popular among them being Saxophone, a live-music jazz bar on Soi Ratchawithi 11. A great alternative, however, is Skytrain Jazz Bar (the hidden entrance is right next to Eat Am Are, a popular steakhouse on the corner of Soi Rang Nam and Phaya Thai Rd). After you’ve managed to climb the 5 stories—no lift, sorry—all the way to the top floor of the building, you will be rewarded with a great view over Bangkok and (who would have guessed?) the BTS Skytrain. This place is pretty chilled. There are about a dozen tables, a lot of greenery, and reasonably priced drinks (large Chang for B125). It’s a great spot to enjoy the sunset, and a live open mike jam takes place every Monday night. More live music can be found at Raintree Pub & Restaurant (116/63-64 Soi Rang Nam), a rustic country-styled bar with a dark wood interior. The bar serves great Thai food, and from around 9pm onwards, a live Thai folk music band entertains customers. Finally, before you end your excursion, hit the karaoke places on Ratchaprarop Rd, or maybe stop for one last drink at Baan Bar (large Chang for B95) and enjoy a homey and retro styled atmosphere.
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bangkok101.com
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CITY PULSE | out & about
Bang Khuntian, Bangkok’s last mangrove forest
Cultural Immersion On the edge of Bangkok and alternative travel By Jim Algie
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or the amount of green space afforded each denizen, Bangkok routinely places last on the list of urban centers in Southeast Asia, with only a mere meter or two per human, compared to a capacious 50-plus for the leader, which is usually Singapore. But in the desert of concrete that is the Thai capital there are a few oases of greenery, such as the overpraised Bang Krachao and the unsung Bang Khuntian. The latter resides on the border of Samut Sakhon and Samut Songkhram provinces, only a few kilometers from the Gulf of Thailand. Because of its geographical position, this district of the capital has been blessed with a cornucopia of marine creatures, birds like Asian open bill storks and red kites, along with the city’s last tracts of mangrove
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forest and even some crab-eating macaques. But it sure isn’t the easiest part of the city for visitors to navigate. Even if you’re a fluent Thai speaker your attempts to arrange a boat to explore the waterways could easily founder. So I threw my oar in with Local Alike, a community-based tourism outfit in Bangkok, which has put together a popular program called “A Day as a Fisherman.” The company, co-founded by Somsak ‘Pai’ Boontam and Noon Pakavaleetorn back in 2012, has been a trailblazer in their field, bagging some hefty awards for social enterprises in Thailand and Singapore. On their tours (now numbering 60 across the entire country) some 70 percent of the price per PAX is ploughed back into these largely agricultural communities—so
often dependent on the caprices of Mother Nature—to form a revenue stream that helps to keep the villagers’ heads above water during hard times in dire straits. Pai knows this turf well. Growing up in a poor, rice-farming community on the plains of Isaan, in a household without electricity, he later worked in Germany to finance trips through “rural parts of India, Myanmar and Laos, and came to realize that tourism could be an important force for not only employment and income, but a source of hope for these communities,” he said. It’s also a source of entertainment and amusement for the likes of Uncle Son, our boatman and guide for the day. On his long-tail boat he took us out for a canal tour of Bang Khuntian, with its green water and placid vibe. bangkok101.com
out & about | CITY PULSE
Uncle Son
Into the mangroves
After coming from the heavy metal clamor of Bangkok, via train and a songthaew (pickup truck taxi), this was a lullaby—the only thing disturbing the peace were a few other long-tail boats motoring past, leaving chevrons of foamy water to dissolve in their wakes. Among Thai foodies, the district’s most appetizing attraction is its seafood restaurants perched on stilts. Bangkok Seaview is the most renowned and, complete with English menus, the most farang-friendly too. It even has its own pier and a fleet of long-tail boats to bring you on a 15-minute jaunt to this floating smorgasbord. Uncle Son whisked us past Bangkok Seaview to visit his ramshackle shellfish farm which has a dock made out of plastic barrels roped together and boarded over with planks. I have had a few of these “local experiences” tours before, apprenticing as a rice farmer up north in Sukhothai province and learning how to cast fishing nets with Muslim fishermen in the mangrove forests of Phang-nga province. But this was a different kind of local experience. As usual, you can join in the good muddy fun too. bangkok101.com
Shell fishing
Fully clothed and with headgear to ward off the pulsating sunbeams, the shellfish collectors wade into the neck-high water to scoop up the cockle shells, a local delicacy called hoy kang luak, and put them in a little pouch they carry, tossing the juveniles back. The shellfish are ready to be harvested when they’re around eight months old. Uncle Son showed us how to determine the mollusc’s age by counting the whorls on the shell. The shellfish collecting was the last act in a gentle drama that began with a trip to a local school and learning center for mangroves where an older lady showed us how to tie-dye fabrics in the local style, with local color, only a few shades of brown, and no psychedelic plumage. They’re not making a fashion statement either; this kind of tie-dying is how they strengthen and preserve their fishing nets. Enhancing the community-based tourism vibe was a lunch break at Uncle Son’s house for some local dishes prepared by his wife served in that communal Thai way which turns every meal into a family affair. I’ve been hearing backpackers prattle on about the difference between
tourists and travelers for many years. The traveler supposedly lives like a local. The tourist lives like, well, a tourist. But times and tourism have changed enormously. Now most of the backpackers in Thailand are on package tours of Khaosan Road, the Full Moon Party, and hill-tribe villages of the Golden Triangle, whereas the higher-end ‘tourists’ are seeking out more and more of these kinds of “local experiences.” For me, it’s the difference between traveling for the sake of escapism and traveling to find out how other peoples really live, and eat, and sleep, and bathe. Granted, lurching around in the mud sweating like a suckling pig on a grill is not everyone’s idea of a great day out, but after being immersed in this fisherman’s world, chances are you won’t be complaining too much about the slow Wi-Fi in your hotel. This ain’t tourism in its shallow, old-school definition of sheer escapism. This is cultural and ecological immersion in local lifestyles. Billed as a “travel social enterprise”, you can book a tour by visitingLocal Alike’s website at: www.localalike.com AUGUST 2016 | 21
SNAPSHOTS | insight
Geometric arabesque tiling with Islamic calligraphy from the JÄ meh Mosque of Yazd, Iran. 22 | AUGUST 2016
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insight | SNAPSHOTS
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On Islam and Muslims
owadays when the words Islam and Muslims are mentioned, most tend to associate the terms with horrific things such as terrorism, warfare, ISIS, and religious extremists. However, this is only a fraction of the whole Islamic world. And Islam and Muslim communities have been a part of Thailand for centuries—their influences evident all over the country. Siam established commercial ties with Muslim countries as early as the Sukhothai Period. Through trading routes goods such as ceramics were traded, as well as teachings, cultures, lifestyles, and vocabularies. Some Persian words even found their way into Thai language. In the Ayutthaya Period, traders from Malay, Java, Persia, Arabia, and Turkey flourished. Some integrated with the society and nobility, particularly Sheikh Ahmad Qomi, a Persian merchant who lived in the Kingdom for 26 years. He was the ancestor of the illustrious Bunnag family. With his trading skills and advanced knowledge, he assisted greatly in enhancing Siam Government’s commercial activities and was recognised and appointed as Chao Krom Tha Khwa (Lord of the
Tom’s Two Satang 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 lighthearted yet learned manner. bangkok101.com
Right Pier) to supervise traders from the West—including Indians, Persians, and Europeans. He was then promoted as Phraya Sheik Ahmad Ratchasetthi (Minister of the Harbour Department) as well as Chularatchamontri (Minister of Islamic Affairs) to oversee all Shiites in Siam. Continuing to serve the Siamese kings, Sheikh Ahmad’s descendants became even more powerful in the early Rattanakosin Period because of the monarchs’ favours and the marriages with the royal family. Chuang Bunnag, or Somdej Chao Phraya Borom Maha Sri Suriyawongse, was Samuha Kalahom (Minister of Defence) during the reign of King Rama IV, and appointed as the regent during the early years of King Rama V’s reign. Like many Muslims, his later generations work in the government and remain highly influential in politics, economics, and the military. Still presided by Chularatchamontri, Islamic affairs these days are coordinated by the Central Islamic Council of Thailand (CICOT), consisting of five councillors appointed by the King. This body links the government and Islamic communities, where education, the construction of mosques, and pilgrimages to Mecca is assisted. Currently, Muslims in Thailand— from various ethnicities—make up about 5-6 percent of the population and only one-fifth of them live in the four southernmost provinces. Most Muslims in Thailand assimilate well, and mosques can be seen as far as the northern region, where Muslim Haw Chinese live. Those from the south, descending from Malay, Javanese, and Acehnese origins, speak Yawee language and maintain a strong ‘Malay’ cultural identity in their beliefs, clothes, food, art and music. In Bangkok there are a small number of Hanafi and Shiites around the Thonburi area, and in the Kudee Cheen area along the Chao Phraya River, a mosque was built near Buddhist temples, a Catholic church, and Chinese shrines. This multi-cultural community exemplifies freedom in religious choices and
practices as well as peaceful and respectful co-habitation. Thais strongly believe that every religion and culture is a main force and factor in maintaining national security. Most Muslims in Central Thailand are more progressive and open to integrative ideas for assimilation, as they are more tolerant and don’t follow the taboos of their southern counterparts. By contrast the on-going, sometimes violent, insurgency in Southern Thailand stems from the long historical struggle between a number of separatist groups and the government. Some paint this as a religious-based conflict, especially with the attacks upon Buddhist monks and laypeople. However, it’s more about ethnic identity of the Malay-Pattani culture, rather than Islam. Military rule tended to repress the Muslims in the South, where Thai authorities like to blame them as scapegoat for all the troubles. Negative portrayals of Muslims perpetuate the notion that Islam is against progress and advancement. However, Islamic heritage has contributed much to civilization and scientific development. We have benefitted from its legacies by using Arabic numerals, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, physics, chemistry, mechanics, geography, papermaking, and advances in industry. Without these scientific foundations, where would we be? In addition, Muslim influences in the Thai cuisine repertoire have given us our famous Mussamun curry, whose name came from the word musulman, or “Muslim” in French. Finally there’s the most popular pastime of all—coffee-drinking! The next time you sip a cup of qahwah (Arabic for coffee), you will appreciate that it was first drunk in the Sufi shrines of Yemen in the 15th century. Although Islam and its influences have been in Thailand for centuries, we barely know much about these friends and neighbours of ours—but we should try to understand. As Albert Einstein said, “Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.” AUGUST 2016 | 23
SNAPSHOTS | highlight
Entrance of Hua Lamphong railway station
Been a Long Train a’Comin’ Hua Lamphong station celebrates its centennial, and prepares for retirement By Joe Cummings/CPA Media
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n June 25, 1916, Bangkok Railway Station officially became the hub for Siam’s nine year-old railway system, linking trunk lines to the northern, northeastern, eastern, and southern regions of the kingdom. Workers broke ground for the grand terminal at the southeastern edge of Chinatown in 1910, under the reign of Rama V. By the time the station opened six years later, Rama VI had ascended the Thai throne. Italian architects Mario Tamagno and Annibale Rigotti, who also designed the Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall, Bang Khun Prom Palace, Oriental Hotel, and Neilson Hays Library—among other well-known royal and civil monuments in Bangkok—designed the main structure in Neo-Renaissance-style. The vaulted 24 | AUGUST 2016
iron roof and neoclassical portico were considered a state-of-the-art engineering feat at the time. The patterned, two-toned skylights below the roofline exemplify De Stijl Dutch modernism, representing one of the earliest examples of a shift towards Thai Art Deco that reached full blossom in the 1920s. Today Hua Lamphong station serves over 130 trains and approximately 60,000 passengers every day, negotiating 20 platforms and 26 ticket booths. The station is also headquarters for the Eastern and Oriental Express, a luxury excursion train which plies between Bangkok and Singapore. Since 2004 Hua Lamphong station has been directly linked to the MRT (Metropolitan Rapid Transit) subway system, allowing rail travellers the
option of avoiding heavy traffic along Rama IV Road. For decades, the station has acted as a small urban village used not only by rail passengers but also by neighbourhood residents, rural immigrants, and the homeless. Extensive facilities include shower rooms, an inexpensive food court, and a string of cafes on two mezzanine floors overlooking the terminal floor. A row of rustic barber chairs next to platform 12 is part of a hair-styling vocational school offering free haircuts to all comers. By 11pm each night, hundreds of Thais sleep on the floor along the wide porticoes of the terminal. In what was once a station hotel at the east end of the terminal, now home to SRT offices, a Muslim prayer room is provided, while nearby Wat Hua Lamphong offers a Buddhist place of worship. bangkok101.com
highlight | SNAPSHOTS
Coloured glass arch
Historic steam engine
To prepare for the its platinum jubilee—held appropriately on Saturday, June 25th, 2016—State Railway of Thailand Governor Wutthichart Kalayanamitr presided over a yearlong facelift for the venerable railway station, including a fresh paint job, a roof extension to provide more shade for commuters, and an extensive cleaning of the iconic
Joe’s Bangkok Award-winning writer Joe Cummings was born in New Orleans but became one of Lonely Planet’s first guidebook authors, creating the seminal Lonely Planet Thailand guide, as well as several other titles and updates for the region. Each month, he picks out his favourite cultural gems throughout Bangkok. bangkok101.com
Future museum
colored-glass arch which illuminates the passenger terminal. All trains and platforms also received a thorough scrubbing for the occasion at the hands of community volunteers. Four historic steam engines, rolled out from their usual home at Thonburi’s Bangkok Noi Railway Station and parked at one of the central platforms at Hua Lamphong, served as main attractions for the thousands of Bangkokians who turned up for the 100th birthday party. The oldest attraction—steam locomotive number 715—was built in Japan in 1935-37 and brought by Japanese troops during their WWII occupation of Thailand to serve along the infamous Death Railway, which was meant to link Thailand and Burma, and was built with tens of thousands of conscript labourers (including Allied prisonersof-war) at great loss of life. Maintained in near-mint condition, this locomotive is still used periodically for special rail trips between Bangkok and Nam Tok, a small terminal beyond Kanchanburi towards the Myanmar border. A vintage-style sit-on-the-ground market assembled along the station platforms, offering all manner of regional Thai dishes for the day. Thai musical and drama troupes performed for hundreds of festival
goers on a huge stage erected inside the passenger terminal. A host of temporary museum-style displays in the main terminal chronicled Thai railway history with historic photos and accompanying text. The centennial was the last such celebration before the terminal ceases operations as the main hub for the State Railway of Thailand. In 2015 the SRT announced that 80-90 percent of trunk rail services will run out of the new Bang Sue Railway Station in northern Bangkok by 2019. The venerable Hua Lamphong station will be converted into a railway museum under the SRT’s four-year renovation plan, although a few platforms will remain in use for tourist services, according to railway officials. I’m sceptical as to how this would work out, but let’s see what happens in four years’ time. Next to undergo renovation will be the diminutive Chitralada Railway Station, which stands alongside Chitrlada Place and has historically been for the exclusive use of Thai royals. Officials announced recently that after the renovations are complete, Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakkri Sirindhorn and her entourage will enjoy a train trip to Kanchanaburi. AUGUST 2016 | 25
SNAPSHOTS | very thai
Beauty Queens
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At more than one pageant per day, beauty is serious business
hais are addicted to beauty. Everyone likes good looks, and ‘face’ cultures prize beauty the most, but Thailand makes prettiness a policy and cultural standard. Beauty contestants are the pride of many a festival and a mascot of each social set, from prim Miss Thailand to cheeky Miss Condom, from fragrant Miss Durian to intellectual Mr & Ms Scientist. Contests aren’t only for women; men out-beautify men to win Mr titles, while ladyboys out-beautify everyone. Pageant fatigue has set in worldwide. In many lands, rating by looks is seen as an anachronism, a bastion of sexism or no longer a TV ratings draw. But pageants plug into this culture’s view that outward appearance expresses inner virtue. Thais insist on photos for job applications and consider facial looks even for teaching, nursing or medical school. Nevertheless, Thais, too, have cut pageants down from 700 Miss Somethings a year at their late-90s peak to a mere 500, but at nine contests a week – that’s a crowning every 17 hours – Thailand remains a hardcore beauty junkie. The acme of Thai femininity, Apasara Hongsakul won Miss Universe 1965. Her victory launched the next pageant era of demure maidens parading gowns, grins and virtue. That style changed after Pornthip Narkhirunkanok regained the title in 1988. LA-schooled, and with a US accent, Pornthip heralded a new ideal: forthright, professionally educated in the West, and often only part-Thai. Festivals often involve the appeasing of spirits or gods, and judging by the angelic faces on murals, comeliness is next to godliness. As the beautiful presumably have good
> Very Thai
River Books by Philip Cornwel-Smith with photos by John Goss and Philip Cornwel-Smith B995 26 | AUGUST 2016
Miss Tiffany Universe
karma, they get picked to embody these supernatural beings for parades, for rituals and for dozens of contests at two national festivals: Songkran and Loy Krathong. Nang Songkran (Miss Thai New Year) represents one of the seven daughters of the Brahmin god Kabila, who take yearly turns to lead the mid-April parade. At Loy Krathong in November, Nang Noppamas evokes the princess of Sukhothai credited with starting this rite for the water goddess Phra Mae Khongkha (Mother Ganges). Perhaps because beauties have long conveyed social messages, few object to them endorsing products, promoting tourism, advocating causes or even playing politics. “The national beauty contest was first held by the government on 10 December 1934 in order to honour Constitution Day so the people could understand democracy better,” reveals Prasert Jermjuthitham, a pageant expert. Each province had to join in, spreading the concept. Until Apasara, Miss Thailand was halted for several years by war, dictatorship, politics and royal mourning. The public service role requires contestants to fit a prim image of
femininity: supposed virgins unsullied by real-life womanhood. Miss Thailand World Second Runner-up 2003 was vilified and stripped of her sash for lying about having been married. Thailand’s new puritanism has consigned the swimsuit behind closed doors in Miss Thailand and banned it in Miss Thailand World, depriving Thai girls of preparation for competing abroad. An entire sector of beauty contests is devoted to transwomen. While women’s events bar ladyboys, real ladies have had to be screened out from the internationally famous ladyboy contests held by Pattaya’s Alcazar and Tiffany cabarets. Charity transwomen events like Sao Praphet Song (Miss Second Kind of Woman) and Miss ACDC (formerly Miss BBC: Beauty Brain & Creation) spoof both the industry and national costumes. Miss Tiffany Universe qualifies for America’s Miss Queen of the Universe, which Thai she-men won in 1999, 2000 and 2002, before Tiffany founded the world renowned tournament, Miss International Queen. Come each May, the media ponders who’s prettier: Miss Universe Thailand or Miss Tiffany? May the best man win.
Now out in an expanded, updated 2nd edition, “Very Thai: Everyday Popular Culture” is a book that almost every foreign resident has on their reading table, a virtual bible on Thai pop culture. Now with four extra chapters, 64 more pages and a third of the 590 photographs being new, it guides you on a unconventional Technicolor tour of the quirky things that make Thailand truly Thai. From the 70 chapters, we present a different excerpt every month. Prepare yourself for the sideways logic in what seems exotic, and buy a copy of the new edition at any good bookshop. bangkok101.com
SNAPSHOTS | heritage
A Blend of Art Nouveau and Classic Baroque The secret treasures of Wang Parutsakawan
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t stands inconspicuous, unnoticed by most visitors. The ever-changing crowds shuffle in and out of the imposing Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall or the harmonious successions of Thai roofs crowning the Marble Temple. They pass by the straw yellow low-rise also entrenched behind the high gates and walls of the Suan Dusit compound, perhaps unconsciously, or maybe out of caution. Wang Parutsakawan, meaning “the Palace of Marian Plums,” looks so quiet it might seem vacant, if not inaccessible. A traveller would be 28 | AUGUST 2016
By Luc Citrinot justified in feeling guarded at first. Brave is the soul who ventures inside a building belonging to the Royal Thai Police just for the sake of looking at it. However, this early twentieth-century building is an architectural jewel and should not be overlooked. An exquisite structure built with perfect proportions, the palace consists of two grand mansions. They were built for Prince Chakrabongse Bhuvanath, the Prince of Phitsanulok, a son of King Chulalongkorn, Rama V. The gate of the main mansion still bears the royal coat of arms of the Chakrabongse family, but the
property has been long deserted by this noble family. The palace has had a curious destiny. By 1919, no longer serving as a residence, it became the Siamese Prime Minister’s office. Later, it was handed over to the Police Department and turned into the headquarters of the National Intelligence Services. During times of unrest, the palace was bombarded by protestors or blockaded by officials—its importance to society clearly etched into history. Today, like a butterfly leaving its cocoon, Wang Parutsakawan has been transformed bangkok101.com
heritage | SNAPSHOTS
Historic
Bangkok
Paris native Luc Citrinot has lived in Southeast Asia for the past 12 years, first in Kuala Lumpur and more recently in Bangkok. A seasoned traveller, he writes about tourism, culture, and architecture. He was instrumental on a recent EU-endorsed project to establish the European Heritage Map of Bangkok and subsequent app covering all of Thailand. Luc still travels extensively in Southeast Asia, looking particularly for new architectural gems related to colonial and European history. bangkok101.com
into the striking home of the National Police Museum (the building remains a part of police headquarters). Open to the public, its status is further cemented in the Thai collective memory with each passing year. Italian architect Mario Tamagno designed the main palace for Prince Bhuvanath, who had a great fondness for Europe. Having studied in England and Russia, the building reflects his modern tastes. At that time, Art Nouveau was sweeping through Europe, its tenets proclaiming art to be a way of life. And so the palace integrates Italy’s most identifiable artistic style into everyday objects. Most iconic are the verandahs and green pediments over the windows, designed with floral motifs adhering to Art Nouveau’s all-encompassing traditions. All doors—even the details on balconies—embrace the style of the times. While the external façade exudes Art Nouveau, its rooms are more evocative of grand Baroque aesthetics. Heavy chandeliers; large mirrors;
stucco friezes; frescoes underlined by shades of purple, green, orange, and yellow—the fixtures practically transport visitors from Bangkok to Vienna or Milan. On the ground floor, a video details the history and architecture of the palace, providing information about the neighbouring facilities in the complex, including the second mansion within the compounds that, while visible, remains closed to the public. The Police Museum contains a wealth of interesting facts and figures. On display are old uniforms and documents. Inside is a replica of an old prison cell, behind whose bars visitors seem to love taking photographs. All in good fun, as they say.
Wang Parutsakawan 323 Si Ayutthaya Rd, Dusit Tel: 0 2282 5057 Open: Wed-Sun, 10am-4pm Free admission Photography allowed www.policemuseum.police.go.th
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TRAVEL |
The colourful Alcazar Cabaret Pattaya show 30 | AUGUST 2016
bangkok101.com
| TRAVEL
PATTAYA 101 L
ove it or loathe it, you can’t deny the fact that PATTAYA remains one of Thailand’s busiest tourist destinations. And it’s no hyperbole or cliché to say that this high-octane metropolis has, literally, something for everyone. And if it doesn’t have it yet, chances are someone is building it as you read this. Pattaya’s attractions run the gamut—from the sacred to the profane. The city’s notorious WALKING STREET is a gawker’s paradise—and you’ll get an eyeful if you go—but there’s also a DRINKING STREET (on 2nd Road) where sexy sirens tempt barflies and bad boys. Speaking of drinking, the city even has it’s own winery, and visitors to SILVERLAKE VINEYARD (31/62 Moo 7 Na Jomtien) can sample local wines, delicious food, and maybe catch a live musical performance. Or, if you prefer finely crafted beer with your musical entertainment, pop into HOPF BREW HOUSE (Beach Road, corner of Soi 13/1) and hoist a stein of the bar’s own lager, wheat beer, or dark beer while Lorenzo, the local opera singer, belts out operatic standards. However, if you like your live entertainment with an air of mystery, check out one of the glitzy LADYBOY CABARET shows, and try to guess which females are really males (hint: unbelievably, they’re all male). For sports fans Pattaya has hundreds of options—from Muay Thai to mountain biking, from go-karts to golf courses, just take your pick. Meanwhile thrill-seekers can try the TOWER JUMP zip-line run, which extends from the top of the 170 meter high Pattaya Park Tower (or choose to go up and down via the gondola cable car and enjoy the view without any screaming). The city also caters to all manner of water sports, so whether you like scuba diving or sport fishing, the open ocean awaits. There are also many temples and spiritual sites in Pattaya worth visiting, including BUDDHA MOUNTAIN, where a golden Buddha image over 100 meters high has been laser carved into the sheer rock face. Or, simply choose to relax on one of the district’s four most popular beaches—Pattaya Bay, Wongamat Beach, Jomtien Beach, or the idyllic white sands of nearby KOH LARN.
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ENTERTAINMENT 1 Alcazar Cabaret 2 Colosseum Show Pattaya 3 Tiffany’s Show Pattaya
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TRANSPORT 1 Airport Pattaya Bus 2 Northern Bus Terminal
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OFF THE MAP A Buddha Mountain B Cartoon Network C Nong Nooch Garden D RamaYana Waterpark E Silverlake Vineyard
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ATTRACTIONS 1 Art in Paradise 2 Bali Hai Pier 3 Big Buddha 4 Harbor Mall 5 Ocean Marina Yacht Club 6 Pattaya Park 7 Pattaya Park Tower 8 Ripley’s Believe It or Not 9 Sanctuary of Truth 10 Underwater World Pattaya 11 Walking Street
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HOTELS 1 Birds and Bees Resort 2 Hilton Pattaya 3 Hotel Baraquda Pattaya 4 Mera Mare Hotel 5 Mövenpick Siam Hotel 6 Pullman Pattaya Hotel G 7 The Monttra
RESTAURANTS & BARS 1 Drinking Street 2 Hopf Brew House 3 Royal Grill Room 4 Tahitian Queen 5 The Chocolate Factory 6 The Sky Gallery
T AY AB AY
CITY MAP
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TRAVEL | pattaya visitor guide
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Located about 7 km off the coast of Pattaya Beach, Koh Larn (also known as Coral Island) is probably the most popular day trip for visitors to Pattaya. The island itself is about 4 km long and 2 km wide, and though the terrain is mostly mountainous and covered with heavy vegetation, it is ringed with some of the most beautiful white sand beaches in the region. There are six main visitor beaches and all have facilities such as bathrooms and showers, as well as hawkers flogging souvenirs and shaded beach loungers. For those wishing to stay overnight there are quite a few resorts on the island—from budget rooms to luxury accommodations—however the majority of visitors simply take one of the inexpensive 45-minute ferries from Pattaya’s Bali Hai Pier (near Walking Street), choosing to go either to Tawaen Beach, or Naban Port. Visit www.kohlarn.com for schedules.
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pattaya attractions | TRAVEL
Scenic Splendour
There’s a lot more to Pattaya than beer bars and beach blankets
F
or many visitors Pattaya’s main draw is the beach, followed closely by the round-the-clock party atmosphere, but for those looking for something a little more scenic there are plenty of captivating options.
BIG BUDDHA: Located high atop Pratumnak Hill, on the jut of land between Pattaya Bay and Jomtien Beach, sits Wat Phra Yai, a temple built in the 1940s when Pattaya was nothing more than a fishing village. But what really draws visitors—Thai and tourist alike—to this spot is the 18 metre tall Big Buddha statue (the largest in the region). Local people come to pray here, but all visitors stop to look at the vast panoramic views of the city and ocean. There are also several smaller Buddha statues here, as well as a Buddha footprint and a pavilion hall with painted mosaics.
NONG NOOCH: Although the Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical Garden was officially opened in 1980, its official history dates back to 1954 when Khun Nongnooch Tansacha bought this 1,500 rai (600 acre) plot of land, eventually changing it from a garden of fruits to a garden of meticulously manicured flowers. Divided into thematic sections—such as the Italian garden, the Versailles-inspired French Garden, the animal sculpture garden, and Butterfly Hill—these sprawling, vibrantly coloured grounds are nothing short of breathtaking. In addition to the gardens there are daily Thai cultural performances and elephant shows, and you can even book a room and stay at the Nong Nooch Resort if you’re reluctant about leaving this bounty of natural beauty too soon.Visit the website at: www.nongnoochgardenpattaya. com for more information. SANCTUARY OF TRUTH: Arguably the most unique and visually captivating attraction in all of Pattaya, the Sanctuary of Truth is a gigantic wooden “temple” located by the seashore at Rachvate Cape. The entire complex has been constructed according to ancient Thai ingenuity—no nails or screws—and every square inch is covered with intricate carvings that reflect Thailand’s four major philosophical and artistic influences: Hindu, Khmer, Chinese, and Thai. The man behind the project is an eccentric billionaire known as “Khun Lek”, who employs an army of woodcarvers to bring his vision to life. Strictly speaking the building is still incomplete, but it’s open to visitors for a fee of B450 and compulsory tours are led through the building every 30 minutes.
bangkok101.com
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TRAVEL | pattaya attractions
Family Friendly Pattaya Outdoor Fun
Indoor Fun
RAMAYANA WATERPARK: Located just 15 km south of Pattaya City, the newly opened RamaYana Waterpark is one of the biggest water theme parks in Southeast Asia. The design is made to resemble a long forgotten city, dotted with the remains of ancient buildings, walls, and sculptures, and there are 21 awesome water rides to choose from, such as the hair-raising Aqualoop and Freefall slides. Other highlights include the double wave pool, the lazy river ride, two dedicated kid zones, a floating market, cultural shows, and an elephant park. You can even rent a private cabana for the day. The park’s construction meets the highest international standards so both your fun and your safety are guaranteed. Open daily from 10am to 6pm. www.ramayanawaterpark.com
HARBOR MALL: The recently opened Harbor Mall (190/25 Moo 9, Pattaya Klang Rd) may seem like an ordinary community mall at first but once you get to the 4th floor Toys’R’Us store, things get very kid-centric very quickly. Floors 5 through 7 are collectively known as Harbor Land, which is billed as the largest indoor playground in Asia, and each area has it’s own pricing system. Get set for three floors of arcade games, carnival games, merry-go-rounds, trampoline, and super slides (plus an indoor skating rink due in September). However the ear-splitting screams and squeals of ecstatic children fill the air without pause, so be warned! www.harbor.co.th
Other Outdoor Attractions CARTOON NETWORK: One of the city’s most popular family-friendly attractions is the Cartoon Network Amazone Waterpark, especially since everyone’s favourite TV cartoon heroes are part of the fun. The park is open daily from 10am to 6pm, and visitors can arrange for transport from downtown Pattaya—B400 round trip—via the website. Get set to get wet! www.cartoonnetworkamazone.com
ART IN PARADISE: The 5,800 sq.m Art in Paradise Interactive Art Museum is a visual funhouse where visitors interact with threedimensional, optical illusion artworks painted on the walls and floors. Charge up your camera batteries and go crazy! www.artinparadise.co.th
PATTAYA PARK: While it’s not quite as new and flashy as its competitors, Pattaya Park offers visitors a waterpark right in the heart of the city. In addition, the 240 metre high Pattaya Park Tower—which you ascend using the Sky Shuttle or Speed Shuttle—features panoramic views and the death-defying 170 metre high zip-line Tower Jump. www.pattayapark.com
UNDERWATER WORLD: Featuring a 100 metre long underwater tunnel which takes visitors underneath the aquarium’s thousands of marine creatures, Underwater World Pattaya is an exciting and educational introduction to the brilliance and diversity of undersea life. www.underwaterworldpattaya.com
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Other Indoor Attractions
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TRAVEL | wine + dine
Beach Club@Pullman G T
Beachfront playground and after-hours hotspot
here’s no denying one simple fact—the thing that put Pattaya on the map was, first and foremost, the beach. However, opinions differ as to where the best stretch of beach lies. Most agree that the scallop-shaped stretch of sand closest to the ferry docks and Walking Street is a little… err… messy (to say the least), which is what makes the area known as ‘North Beach’ so much more preferable to lovers of sand, surf and fresh sea breezes. And one venue that takes full advantage of this natural wonder is the Beach Club at the recently renovated 353-room Pullamn Pattaya Hotel G.
Visitors to the Beach Club have a lot to choose from once they arrive. The area is roughly divided into four main sections, starting with—not surprisingly—the Beach Bar. Here comfortable couches and lounge chairs let guests make the most of the beachfront views, but there are also private, cabana-style daybeds that can be reserved, with adjustable linen curtains for sun protection. For just B1,500 you’ll get all-day access, from 8am till 6pm, and receive any food and beverage item from the a la carte menu (to the value of B1,500), or choose a one-hour Thai massage for two persons.
You can also opt for a simple seat at the shaded tiki-style bar, and make some new friends over a few signature tropical cocktails. And bear in mind that the extended happy hour runs from 5pm till 9pm daily. The Pullman Pattaya G also boasts two separate swimming pools, and adjacent to the smaller of the two sits the Pool Bar, where guests can enjoy drinks and snacks seated in cushioned wingback rattan chairs or reclining on poolside sun loungers. Beside the larger, main swimming pool—which is beautifully shaped like concentric circles—guests can enjoy all-day dining at The Restaurant, an indoor/outdoor venue that features a series of rotating evening dinner specials. On weekends the popular Saturday night International Seafood BBQ (B1,390 net per person) runs from 6:30pm to 10pm and offers a buffet feast with live cooking stations, four separate carvery stations (beef, pork, lamb, and fish), fresh shucked oysters, and a mouth-watering array of cheeses, cold cuts, and brightly coloured desserts. Another weekend highlight is the Sunday Beach BBQ, from 11:30am to 3pm, where B399 gets you two meat skewers, fried rice, salad, and soft drink (B599 for seafood). Finally, poised above the main restaurant is the Sunset Lounge, an exclusive area reserved for club room guests. Enjoy magnificent sea views and glorious sunsets that colour the skies at night. NOTE: The Beach Club also plays host to G Sessions, a series of all-day pool parties where top DJs rock the house till the wee hours. Visit thebeachclubpattaya.G on Facebook to find out when the next party will take place. by Bruce Scott
Beach Club
Pullman Pattaya Hotel G 445/3 Wongamart Beach, Pattaya Pattaya-Naklua Rd, Soi 16 Tel: 03 841 1940-8 www.pullmanpattayahotelg.com 36 | AUGUST 2016
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wine + dine | TRAVEL
Royal Grill Room T
Old-school, but definitely not old-fashioned
he mammoth 474-room property known as the Royal Cliff Beach Hotel is a landmark in Pattaya. The hotel, which was established four decades ago, underwent extensive renovations in 2011 but still retains a solid link to the past, especially at the Royal Grill Room & Wine Cellar, one of the dozen dining outlets visitors can choose from here. The beautiful dark wood interior— much of it intricately hand-carved by Thai craftsmen—is at once welcoming but also lets you know this is an elegant eatery, perfect for special occasions and memorable nights out. The interior has seating for 90 indoors, and 30 outdoors on the oceanfront terrace, and also features an underground wine cellar where diners can sample wines and canapés before dinner. However I make straight for my window table, and at the Maitre D’s suggestion sample a glass of Italian Chardonnay—the 2014 Colline Pescaresi (B230). The restaurant’s wine list has received multiple awards from Wine Spectator magazine, and this buttery white is bangkok101.com
a perfect accompaniment to my first appetizer, the Pacific scallop carpaccio (B390). It’s a beautiful work of culinary art, with thinly sliced, lime-cured Hokkaido scallop sitting atop a frise salad, offset by a ruby red beetroot purée with fava beans. Next on the menu is the decadent but delicious Escalope of duck foie gras (B550), served with tomato, fig, and drizzled with a maple syrup, balsamic glaze. This course is matched with another Italian white, a 2014 Trabochetto Pecorino Colline Pescaresi (B230), and it’s a suitably divine combo. However the meaty main course is on the way so I switch to red, choosing for myself this time a 2011 Ora Sangiovese di Romagna Superiore (B320), as I can never resist a fine Sangiovese. When the Grilled Australian beef tenderloin with river prawn (B980) arrives I switch wines—on the advice of the Maitre D—to a glass of Moda Montepulciano d’Abruzzo (B240), a blended red with deep colour and lasting flavour. It pairs well with the expertly cooked-to-order beef, the plump grilled river prawn, and the
elaborately constructed five colour coleslaw salad. By this time Chef Walter Thenisch—a native of Switzerland but a resident in Thailand for over 30 years—has joined me at the table and over a couple more glasses of wine we discuss the changing face of the restaurant scene in Thailand. He agrees that it’s in a chef’s best interests to present dishes with Instagram-worthy artistry, but the quality and taste has to be consistent day in and day out, or a restaurant will not survive. And judging by his final culinary offering, the colourful Passion fruit orange mousse with salted caramel ice cream (B210), I’d say this venerable veteran has mastered both palate and presentation. by Bruce Scott
Royal Grill Room & Wine Cellar Royal Cliff Beach Hotel 353 Phra Tamnuk Rd, Pattaya Tel: 03 825 0421 Open: Wed-Mon, 6:30pm-10:30pm www.royalcliff.com
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TRAVEL | making merit
Hotel with a Heart
The Birds & Bees Resort supports education in rural Thailand By Julia Offenberger
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n the midst of lush tropical surroundings, on Pattaya’s beautiful Hu-Kwang Bay, is where you’ll find the Birds & Bees Resort. This idyllic hideaway features nicely designed rooms, two swimming pools, a secluded beach and a popular seaside restaurant. However the main difference here is that a substantial amount of the resort’s profits are donated to the Mechai Pattana School in Thailand’s northeastern Buriram province. This secondary school is part of the Mechai Viravaidya Foundation (MVF), an organisation trying to eradicate poverty by promoting philanthropy and offering education to underprivileged children and their families in rural Thailand. The school itself was opened in 2009, and is entirely constructed of
bamboo. Reflecting its commitment to preserving the environment, the bamboo campus can last for about 80 years thanks to a special preservation technique. Moreover, at 30 metres in diameter, it’s also the world’s largest bamboo geodesic dome. Besides standard education, the bamboo school puts a strong emphasis on project-based learning. With the teachers’ guidance, the students learn to identify problems and come up with solutions which also positively affect their community. In fact, the school itself serves as a life-long learning centre for the entire community to learn about agriculture, business and general vocational skills. One of its most important projects is the school garden. While parts of the produce are used for the school lunches, the rest is sold at the market,
Music lessons at the Pattaya campus
generating income to support the school. This process teaches the children both farming techniques as well as how to build their own sustainable businesses. There are no school fees, giving each child the same chances regardless of social or economic background. However, in return, the students and their parents are expected to plant trees, do community service or help with various projects throughout the year. The school operating costs are funded through an array of social enterprises, including the Birds & Bees Resort. In addition to its financial support, the resort is also home to a second bamboo campus, enabling the kids to study in a different environment, do internships and learn more about the hospitality industry throughout their studies. These innovative teaching methods have been highly praised by the Thai Ministry of Education and international institutions. As a sort of role model, the school is encouraging others to follow its example and offers teachers from rural areas training to improve their skills. Next time you are in Pattaya, take advantage of the opportunity to contribute to a good cause and enjoy a wonderful stay at a very eco-conscious beachfront resort while you’re at it (the resort’s own massive organic garden is an amazing site to see). And if you’re wondering why it’s called the Birds & Bees Resort, one clue is that it’s part of the same organisation behind Bangkok’s wildly successful Cabbages & Condoms restaurant (located on Sukhumvit Soi 12). For more information about the charity, visit www.mechaifoundation.org.
Birds & Bees Resort Birds & Bees Resort 38 | AUGUST 2016
Organic garden
366/11 Moo 12, Phra Tam Nak 4 Rd. Tel: 038 250 556 www.cabbagesandcondoms.co.th bangkok101.com
made in thailand | TRAVEL
Silverlake Vineyard T
Boutique winery, guesthouse, and restaurant all in one
hailand certainly doesn’t yet have a wine pedigree to rival Napa Valley or the Bordeaux region, but the charming Silverlake Vineyard, located about 20 minutes south of Pattaya City, certainly offers visitors a pleasant day in the country— with 480 acres of picturesque landscape centered around a large natural lake that does tend to turn a bit silvery in the setting sun. Daily shuttle bus tours take guests on a trip around the vineyard’s main scenic points, including giant windmills, colourful flower gardens, row after row of maturing grapevines, and finally to the winery itself where the fermentation and barrel-aging takes place. If you purchase the B250 tour you also get to sample two glasses of wine, whereas the B100 tour only offers a grape juice tasting (which kids and Chinese tourists seem to love). The origins of the winery date back to 2002 when Surachai Tangjaitrong and his wife Supansa Nuangpirom (a former movie starlet) envisioned a place where lovers of good wine and great music could find both in a beautifully cultivated outdoor setting. Their first vintage was ready in 2006 bangkok101.com
and currently the winery produces about 10,000 bottles a year, available through the vineyard shop. During my visit I sample the 2014 Silverlake Chenin Blanc, a crisp, pale white with a fruity aroma, as well as the 2013 Silverlake Shiraz. Unlike some of the vineyard’s blends, this red is made from 100 percent grapes grown on the property. It’s smooth, with a nice ruby colour and a hint of spiciness. The final stop on the tour is a visit to the Villago shop, styled to resemble a Tuscan village square, complete with courtyard fountain. Here you can shop for vineyard souvenirs—everything from grape juice to grape tarts—or stop for a quick snack and/or a frothy cappuccino. There’s also a nice outdoor deck overlooking the rows of grapevines that stretch out from the base of the surrounding green hillsides. Should you want to prolong your stay even more, the Silverlake Wine and Grill Restaurant and Pizza Café, located directly across the main road, serves up classic Italian fare—including delicious wood-fire oven cooked pizzas—as well as Thai specialties and a selection of sizzling steaks. Seating
consists of 90 in the high-ceilinged indoor area, and 40+ on the outdoor terrace. There’s also a sizeable wine list—Thai and international—and on the advice of restaurant manager Attapong Wachum I settle in for a late afternoon meal starting with the Smoked salmon green salad with quail egg (B290), paired with a glass of the Silverlake Chenin Blanc. I follow this with the signature Silverlake pizza (B490), topped with smoked salmon, juicy shrimps, and diced crab meat, and pair it with a glass of the Shiraz I tried earlier—a satisfying combo! NOTE: if you want to make more than just a day of it, book a cozy cottage at the charming and quirky Movie House Bed & Breakfast, where each room pays homage to Thai cinema, showcasing retro movie posters and other paraphernalia on the walls. by Bruce Scott
Silverlake Vineyard
31/62 Moo 7, Na Jomtien, Pattaya Tel: 02 261 6565 Open daily: 9am-6pm (7pm, Sat-Sun) www.silverlakevineyard.com AUGUST 2016 | 39
TRAVEL | arts interview
Leading Lady(boy) Meet Aisawanya Areyawattana, the principal “actress” in the award-winning film ‘Patong Girl’ By Lekha Shankar
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riginally released in 2014, the German-Thai co-production Patong Girl was shot on location in Pattaya (even though the Patong in the title is a major city in Phuket). The film tells the tale of a German lad on vacation in Thailand who falls in love with a local Thai girl— unaware that she is transgendered— and in an inspired bit of casting the lead female role was played by Aisawanya ‘Amp’ Areyawattana, a ladyboy in real life who enacts her role with a gentle subtlety that is beguiling. The film received critical praise, and Amp’s performance went on to win her a major prize in Germany (the prestigious Grimme-Preis award). Now 33 years of age, the actress reflects upon her experience and the attention the film brought her. To save money the film ‘Patong Girl’ was shot in Pattaya, instead of Phuket (where it is supposedly set). Do you think that was a good choice? Yes, because Pattaya is as organized and well structured a place as Phuket. This was not the case when I shot my last film there (The Last Song) in 2006. In that film, I played a dancer in Pattaya’s famed Tiffany’s Cabaret show. The Tiffany shows and Tiffany beauty contests in Pattaya have done a lot to promote the transgender community, haven’t they? Absolutely! In fact, I think they are one of the main revenue earners for Pattaya. Tourists from around the world come to Pattaya for the city’s various cabaret shows. I think it’s because of the large international community that the city is much more open towards transgenders. Would you say that Pattaya is the best city in Thailand for transgendered people?
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Germany, people accept you for what you are. If deep inside, you feel like a woman, but you are born in the wrong physical body, all you need to do is go to the hospital and set it right.
Yes. They never judge people by appearance there, but respect them for their talent. The foreigners there treat the transgender ladies with respect. That’s why I feel that Pattaya is a perfect city for us to live in, normally and happily.
What was the most difficult scene for you in the film? The most difficult scene in the film was the lovemaking scene! When I found out that I had to be topless in front of the camera I was shocked and nervous, as it was not there in the original script. I also know that Thai society is very sensitive to such scenes. But Susanna Salonen, the director, explained that the scene was important—to show that my body is as amazing as a real woman’s. Her words helped me a lot to get through that difficult scene.
How did the transgender community react to the film ‘Patong Girl’? Hundreds of people went to see the film, during its limited release, and they all loved it.
Did the German film team enjoy shooting the film in Pattaya? Everybody in the team loved Pattaya, especially the director. She had been before, studied the transgender community at length, and planned out all the locations for the film. I’m pretty sure she will come back and make another movie there.
How did you react to winning the big TV award in Germany? I was shocked, because I’d never expected the Best Actress Award to go to a transgendered person! I am the first Asian, and the first ladyboy, to receive this prestigious prize. Everyone in Germany gave me a very warm welcome.
You also have a career as a fortune teller. Did you predict that you would get this international film role? My stars tell me that I will be accepted more by Westerners. In April last year I predicted that I would get famous soon, but I didn’t know what it would entail. Suddenly in August, I received the Grimme-Preis award.
You didn’t face any discrimination there? Never. I often asked my German friends whether they were surprised that I was originally a man and whether they saw me differently because of that. They replied that in
What are your future plans? I would like to do more movies, even if it’s not the lead role. I know that I am not young enough to do teenage roles, so I would love to try other parts. Hosting and producing a TV show is a definite dream for me too. bangkok101.com
arts interview | TRAVEL
Picture Perfect
Tom Waller, well-known Thai film director and co-producer of ‘Patong Girl’, says Pattaya is a very film-friendly destination By Lekha Shankar
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hai-British filmmaker Tom Waller is a well-known name in Thailand’s film industry, both as a co-producer of international productions (Elephant King, Soi Cowboy) and a director of Thai indie films (Mindfulness and Murder, The Last Executioner). He has worked in many parts of Thailand, and his most recent project Patong Girl—a German co-production—was shot in Pattaya. In fact, Waller has shot many films in this beach town and says it’s one of the most film-friendly places in the country. Why did you shoot ‘Patong Girl’ in Pattaya, when the story is set in Patong, in Phuket? Well, Pattaya is much closer to Bangkok, so we could bring the cast here more easily, without the extra expense of flights to Phuket. We could also bring in more equipment and crew. The German and Thai crews stayed at various hotels in Jomtien Beach, and they all totally enjoyed their filming experience in Pattaya. As for the plot of the movie, it didn’t make much a difference to use locations in Pattaya, instead of Phuket, as it would not make much difference to a German TV audience for whom e the film was commissioned. W filmed mostly at the bars and outlets of downtown Pattaya Klang, near the famed Walking Street. We also did some sequences at the Tiffany’s Cabaret Show, the Royal Varuna Yacht Club, and other Pattaya landmarks. What makes Pattaya a good city to shoot films in? Pattaya is very film-friendly. There are lots of hotels at various levels to choose from, including luxury five-star for the film’s leads, and basic hotels for the film crew. It’s only two hours from Bangkok and easily accessible by motorway from the airport. Pattaya is a bangkok101.com
big Grimme-Preis award came about from the TV broadcast. This is a very prestigious TV award. In fact, the lead actress Aisawanya Areyawattana attended the prize ceremony in Germany and seems to have won many hearts!
Tom with Jessica Alba
On the set of Patong Girl
seaside resort which means beaches, a beautiful island nearby—Koh Pai—and plenty of nighttime entertainment! How many films have you shot in Pattaya so far? Apart from this film, I shot the rock music drama Glory Days in Pattaya. I also shot a substantial part of the mega-Hollywood movie Mechanic: Resurrection there, at the Ocean Marina, with big stars like Jason Statham and Jessica Alba, which will be released this month. ‘Patong Girl’ won a big German TV Prize. Can you tell us about that? The film was primarily funded by ZDF, a German television station, so the
What are some of the “hidden gems” in Pattaya that people might not know about? There are amazing beaches on Koh Pai which has clear water that rivals the Andaman. The island is maintained by the Royal Thai Navy, but you can pay a visiting fee and enjoy pristine sandy beaches. I always hire a speedboat to take my family there, and we stop at Koh Larn on the way back for seafood. Is Pattaya a favourite holiday destination for you and your family as well? Yes, I like to take my family down to Pattaya on a long weekend, to do some sailing. One has easy access to the Gulf of Thailand from Ocean Marina and the Royal Varuna Yacht Club, and it’s great! So, Pattaya does not deserve the ‘bad’ reputation that it has? It does not. Some people always have a very negative opinion of Pattaya, citing it as a place just for “sexpats”, but actually there’s something for everyone there, and I think it’s really quite family-friendly. Some great restaurants like Bacco on the Beach can keep you well away from Walking Street if that’s not your thing! What film projects are you working on now? I’m actually working on another film set in Pattaya for a Chinese producer. They love the place, and already the Chinese are coming in droves! AUGUST 2016 | 41
TRAVEL | where to stay
On the beach
Standing tall on Jomtien Beach
Pool area
Mövenpick Siam Pattaya I
Towering over the competition at Jomtien Beach
n my early 20s I spent some time living in Zürich, Switzerland, and that’s where I first discovered the Mövenpick brand. The company name is synonymous with fine food and exacting attention to detail, so it’s no surprise that all four of their properties in Thailand—there’s also one in Bangkok and two in Phuket— make excellent vacation spots. I had the opportunity to visit the Mövenpick Siam Hotel Pattaya once before, shortly after it opened earlier this year, and in the interim between then and now they’ve made a considerable number of improvements. The most striking is the completion of La Costa, the open-air poolside 42 | AUGUST 2016
restaurant that also looks out over the ocean. Open from 10am till 1am, it’s the perfect spot to enjoy sea breezes while dining on Thai and Mediterranean inspired dishes—try one of the yummy pizzas—and sampling an array of tropical cocktails, including their signature Watermelon Margarita. Directly above the restaurant is a secondary recreation level, with four curtained daybed cabanas, and several reclining lounge chairs and shade umbrellas—a nice spot to soak up the sun, or take a shady afternoon siesta. As far as the rooms go nothing much has changed, and once again I check into a 61 sq.m Junior Suite (amusingly, one floor directly above
the same room I occupied last time). The 35-storey hotel—which somewhat resembles a tall, upright sail—is designed so that all 260 guest accommodations are ocean facing, and from the 25th floor my view of the sun setting over Jomtien Beach is, in a word, spectacular! The suite itself is sleek and modern, with white walls and linens offset by natural brown hues and accents. The standard luxury room accessories are all there—mini-bar, flatscreen TV, fridge, rainforest shower—but the centerpiece of the large bathroom area, which is separated from the bedroom by a clear glass wall, is an enormous and bangkok101.com
where to stay | TRAVEL
Yacht Club
Panorama Club
very deep circular bathtub built-fortwo. I only wish I wasn’t travelling solo this time around. For dinner I choose to revisit T55, the hotel’s steakhouse-style restaurant. Specializing in prime cuts of beef, the design theme here takes its cue from New York City’s meatpacking district, complete with a glassed-in butcher shop area by the front entrance that showcases the many cuts of meat available. Joining me for dinner is Adel Mojarrad, the hotel’s Director of F&B, who points out many of the recent changes to the menu. More non-beef and vegetarian friendly items have been added, but beef still commands the spotlight here and we opt to share a mammoth Tomahawk Steak, paired beautifully with a bottle of 2014 La Posta Malbec from Argentina (a label Adel only recently added to the wine list). Other drink highlights include the Bloody Lager, a surprisingly refreshing blend of vodka, tomato juice, and beer (garnished with paprika and bacon), bangkok101.com
Junior Suite
T55 Steakhouse
while the veg-friendly Farm To Table Vegetable salad—crafted to resemble tiny veggies peeking out of dark soil— and the Waldorf Salad—a cylindrical tower—are both don’t-miss menu items. You should also not miss the chef’s excellent NYC Apple Cheesecake, served with cinnamon ice cream. Speaking of food, the beautiful and bountiful daily breakfast buffet is served in Twist, the hotel’s bright and cheerful all-day dining establishment. But for guests booked in suites— either Junior, Executive, Family or Presidential—breakfast can also be had in the Panorama Club Lounge. I much prefer this third floor private dining and relaxing area, which is full of plump sofas and cushy armchairs. And although breakfast is smaller than the one served in Twist, it still offers everything from fresh baked croissants to custom-made omlettes, fresh fruits, and piping hot coffees. It’s the perfect spot for skimming the morning paper while enjoying the
magnificent view of the swimming pool, the beach, and the neighbouring Ocean Marina Yacht Club. Before check out I pay a visit to the Wave Spa. I choose their 60-minute signature treatment, which combines traditional Thai massage with Western relaxation techniques enhanced by hot stone therapy—my favourite. I tell my masseuse not to go easy on me and she dutifully responds by giving me some healing, deep tissue muscle maintenance. NOTE: If you carefully schedule your check-in you can arrive just in time for the delightful ‘Chocolate Hour’ buffet, which takes over the area in front of Twist restaurant from 4pm till 5pm every day. by Bruce Scott
Mövenpick Siam Pattaya
55 Moo 2, Na Jomtien, Sattahip, Chonburi Tel: 03 307 8888 www.movenpick.com AUGUST 2016 | 43
TRAVEL | where to stay
Deluxe Room
Hotel Baraquda, MGallery
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Fun and funky lodgings in the heart of Pattaya City
ome visitors to Pattaya want seclusion, but for those who want to be in the thick of it, the Hotel Baraquda Pattaya (part of the MGallery by Sofitel collection) is a perfect choice. Walk out the hotel’s front door and turn left and you’re at the Ripley’s Believe it or Not museum. Turn right and you’re at a Cineplex movie theatre (part of the Pattaya Avenue community mall). Or, walk straight down lively Soi 31/2 and you’re at the beach in three minutes. Such a central location is ideal for those interested in checking out the city’s famed nightlife, but within 4 4 | AUGUST 2016
the hotel itself it’s an oasis of calm. A nautical theme runs throughout the interior’s décor, combining shades of white with cool blues and earthtoned accents. In addition the funky free-form modular furniture gives the lobby and rooms alike a chic, modern feel that is posh yet playful at the same time. There are 72 accommodation units to choose from, in three room styles, including the 80 sq.m, twolevel Baraquda Grand Suite, which might make you feel as though you’re aboard a luxury yacht. However, even the impressive 37 sq.m Deluxe
Rooms—available in king bed or twin bed configurations—are spacious and sleekly designed, with interesting marine motifs everywhere you look and a huge mirrored wall that adds to the feeling of spaciousness. The soft beds, meanwhile, come with a mountain of pillows and all have a gorgeous wraparound, curved leather headboard. This same curved theme is worked into the shape of the vanity, while the “sexy shower”—as the PR rep called it—is enclosed behind a floor to ceiling curved glass wall (with a sliding curtain should you want a little privacy). The Deluxe bangkok101.com
where to stay | TRAVEL
Swimming pool
Baraquda Grand Suite
Nauti Café
Sunset Lounge
Rooms also include a day bed and small balcony overlooking the pool, as well as a flatscreen TV, work desk, safety box, refrigerator, mini-bar, free Wi-Fi, and more. Among the hotel’s array of amenities the ground floor swimming pool, set in a sunny inner courtyard, provides plenty of space to cool down. The pool itself is divided into two separate sections—the shallower one featuring soothing Jacuzzi jets—and lining one side of the pool is a selection of reclining beach loungers, deck chairs, and rattan day beds built for two. At the far end of the pool there’s access to a fully equipped ground floor fitness centre, and one flight above the pool guests are invited to visit The Spa, where treatment rooms include a unique outdoor sala area and a special VIP room offering a secluded, serene environment. Hungry guests and visitors looking for all-day dining can visit the ground floor S.E.A Restaurant, where the hotel’s expansive breakfast buffet
is also served, or choose sunny coffee and pastries at the poolside Nauti Café. But come evening, the place to be is the Sunset Lounge rooftop restaurant, which overlooks the streets below from a 6th floor vantage point. Open from 5pm till 1am every day, this spacious outdoor venue—which can accommodate up to 100 guests—is a fantastic spot to enjoy evening cocktails and gourmet tapas style menu items while watching the sun go down and the moon come up. The wine, beer, and drink list offers a wide range of choices. One recommended signature cocktail is the pleasant but potent Jellyfish Sting, a mix of light rum, Amaretto, apple juice and fresh lime. For a healthy appetizer the Caesar Salad is available with either grilled chicken or smoked salmon (I chose the salmon), and served with a wedge of toasted garlic bread. However the marvelous Pan-Seared Tuna, served with tomato, rocket salad, balsamic, and a garnish of pesto, is not to be missed. And
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seafood lovers should also take note the hotel often has its aquatic namesake—the delicious barracuda— on special, served up with a choice of two sauces (I recommend the Thai red curry), and accompanied by white rice and a glass of white wine. Not bad for just B450! NOTE: The Hotel Baraquda Pattaya provides event organizers a customizable party space at the hotel’s third-floor Deep Bar. Set over three tiers, each with its own unique vibe, there’s plenty of space to mix, mingle, or simply relax. The high-tech sound and lighting system creates the mood you want, and full catering services, and personalized decorations can also be part of the mix. by Bruce Scott
Hotel Baraquda Pattaya MGallery by Sofitel 485 1 Moo 10 Pattaya 2nd Rd. Nongprue, Pattaya Tel: 03 876 9999 www.hotelbaraquda.com
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TRAVEL | where to stay
Canopy Suite with plunge pool
The Monttra
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Magical moments at the south end of Pattaya Bay
he word monttra means “magic” in the Thai language, and it’s a fitting moniker for The Monttra resort, an intimate retreat situated on top of a seaside cliff at the foot of Pratamnak Hill, the forested hill that sits between Jomtien Beach and South Pattaya. The relative seclusion of this 23-unit boutique property means that it’s as peaceful as it is personalized, however it’s just a short drive to the city’s notorious ‘Walking Street’ and the ferry pier, as well as many other local attractions. And, if you’re in the mood for a healthy jaunt, the famous Big Buddha lookout point is just a 15 minute uphill stroll. But for those who are interested in
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pure relaxation this pleasant property offers a truly tropical hideaway feel. Sitting by the resort’s free-form infinity swimming pool and watching the sun set over Koh Larn—which lies directly across the water—it’s easy to forget about life for a while and slip into a more meditative mode. The resort is also located directly beside the Royal Varuna Yacht Club, and watching the variety of sailboats, catamarans, and lasers criss-crossing the open waters off the beach provides a charming (distraction and endless photo-ops). The Monttra has only been open since December of 2015, but you’d guess it was longer the way the architecture has been adapted to sit
snugly amidst the tall tree canopy environment. It’s as though the forest grew up around the resort, when in fact only a single tree was cut down during the construction process. The choice of guest accommodations includes 16 lovely 42 sq.m Garden Suites, from which guests have a choice of ground floor or second floor units (the ground floor have a garden verandah and the upper units have a large private balcony). The polished cement floors in these rooms help to keep things cool in the hot weather, and the overhead fans provide a nice breeze if you want to skip switching on the air-con. Meanwhile the luxurious king size bed, bangkok101.com
where to stay | TRAVEL
Chicken+Cashew
Garden Suite
Sailing lessons
Infinity pool
Canopy Restaurant
swivel mounted flatscreen TV, capsule coffee maker, and complimentary Wi-Fi makes lounging indoors as tempting as lounging by the beach. However, for optimum luxury there are also three Sea Breeze Suites (53 sq.m) to choose from, which include stunning ocean views and private gardens, as well as four spacious, high-ceilinged Canopy Suites (83 sq.m), two of which have their own private plunge pool. Breakfast is served at the resort’s outdoor Canopy Restaurant, and guests can choose between the inventive and delicious set menus (Asian and Western tastes catered to equally), or opt for a mix’n’match custom morning meal. Throughout the day the restaurant and bar offers a varied selection to choose from, including healthy juices and smoothies, Thai classics—the Chicken with cashew nuts was terrific—curries, soups, salads, and more. Of course, in-room meal
service is also an option (the concierge actively recommends it), and it will certainly help you make the most of your luxurious suite. On request guests can even have an unforgettable dinner prepared and cooked directly on their terrace or garden. The resort’s scenic outdoor spa facility, known as the Jungle Gazebo, offers rejuvenating treatments and health therapies and, just to make sure you visit at least once, a complementary 15 minute massage is given to every guest as a welcome gift. The resort also employs a ‘Soap Concierge’ and ‘Skin Supervisor’, and the soaps on offer are all handmade locally, using no harmful chemical ingredients. Many more health and wellness services are provided on a rotating basis, including yoga on Mondays, Thai cooking on Thursdays, and massage class on Fridays, to name a few. All in all, The Monttra is the
perfect weekend or short-term getaway spot, especially suited to burned-out Bangkokians, canoodling honeymooners, small families, and groups of close friends. You really feel like you’re “away from it all”—at least for a while.
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NOTE: Alternative dining options are within easy reach as well, and it’s a relatively short walk down the road to The Chocolate Factory and The Sky Gallery. These all-day restaurants are two of the area’s most popular wine and dine hot spots, offering indoor/ outdoor seating and spectacular elevated views of the Gulf of Thailand. by Bruce Scott
The Monttra
398 Moo 12 Rajchawaroon Rd. Nongprue, Pattaya Tel: 03 830 6333 www.themonttra.com AUGUST 2016 | 47
TRAVEL | bizarre thailand
Pattaya: The Funhouse Mirror that is ‘Fun City’
In this specially selected excerpt from the book Bizarre Thailand, author Jim Algie proves looks can be deceiving in Thailand’s Sin City.
W
ith golf and scuba-diving, go-karts and shooting ranges, cheap hotels and motorcycles, bars with Happy Hours that run from 10am until 10pm, and working girls on tap 24/7, Pattaya is a young man’s—or an old lecher’s—wet dream come true. As diverse as the city and its denizens are— a motorcycle club of Harley riders who do charity work for underprivileged kids? A mosque and sizable Islamic community beside a Catholic church?—its reputation is best summarized by the popular T-shirt slogan: “Good Guy Goes to Heaven, Bad Guy Goes to Pattaya”. Try as people have to paint the city in black and white terms, or denigrate it as some Asian Babylon,
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Pattaya and its floating populace of visitors, migrant sex workers, and expats is far too colourful for those monochromatic stereotypes. In the funhouse mirror that is ‘Fun City’ appearances are distorted and deceiving. The Harley-riding bikers whose hubcap for nightlife is the Tahitian Queen Rock ‘n’ Roll Bar on Beach Road are not the outlaw motorcycle gang they resemble. Dressed in their leathers and jeans, rumbling down the roads astride their ‘hogs’ the members of the Jesters Motorcycle Club are actually good Samaritans who pride themselves on working
for underprivileged children and other charities. Their biggest event of the year is travelling en masse to Phuket for the annual “Bike Week” held every April, when motorcyclists from all over Southeast Asia gear up for rallies, revelry, tattoo contests, a Miss Phuket Bike Week pageant, and, yes, doing good deeds for the community. Opened in 1978, the Tahitian Queen is the oldest bar in the city. Run by former GIs, it has not changed much in the last three decades. There are no ‘naughty’ shows, the dancers do not strip, the décor is gilded Vegas kitsch, and bangkok101.com
bizarre thailand | TRAVEL the medleys of vintage rock, from the Doors and the Stones to KISS and Jimi Hendrix, echo the soundtrack of the Vietnam-era film Apocalypse Now, famously described by filmmaker Frances Ford Coppola as “the first rock ‘n’ roll war”. Until the late 60s Pattaya was a comatose fishing village. During the Vietnam War, it became an enclave for GIs on R ‘n’ R, catering to the soldiers with all the down-home comforts of America like go-go bars and Westernstyle clubs with Thai musicians (most notably Thailand’s last machine-gun executioner Chaovaret Jaruboon, who passed away in 2012), playing covers of rock-solid standards. Much of the city was planned and built by American engineers. That explains why the lanes along Beach Road are arranged in numerical order and why the city’s grid and wide roads make it one of the country’s most well-planned and easy-to-navigate destinations. By the time the war ended in 1975, around 700,000 GIs were descending on Pattaya every year. Many traded in their army fatigues for shorts and flip-flops, married local women and set up travel-oriented businesses and nightspots.
Bizarre
Thailand
Jim Algie has parlayed his experiences living in Thailand into books like the non-fiction collection, Bizarre Thailand: Tales of Crime, Sex and Black Magic (2010) and On the Night Joey Ramone Died: Twin Tales of Rock ‘n’ Punk from Bangkok, New York, Cambodia and Norway (2016). Check out www.jimalgie.com for more. bangkok101.com
Apocalypse Now
Over time, the American influence has waned. It’s most prominent every year during the joint naval exercises called “Cobra Gold” when the warships of the United States, Thailand and, in 2010, Korea, formed an armada of Marine Corps might. “You used to see all the American warships in Pattaya Bay,” explained an American professor of English who goes by the nickname ‘Scooter’. “But in recent years they’ve docked at Sattahip, the Thai navy base. Maybe in the past the sailors were rowdier when they came into town, but they’re pretty well behaved now. The Shore Patrol checks up on them. The Marines also get involved with some charity projects like building houses for the less fortunate.” With pillars-of-the-community gangsters, good Samaritan bikers, massive campaigns to stop violence against women, wellbehaved sailors, and quite possibly the only group of foreign police volunteers in Southeast Asia—the Foreign Tourist Police Assistants (FTPA), made up of ex-cops, exsoldiers and businessmen— what is Pattaya coming to? This might be the most philanthropy-minded citizenry in the entire country, but few of those stories will ever make it beyond the city limits. As Michael Moore discovered during the making of his documentary Bowling for
Columbine, the murder rate had actually decreased in many large American cities. At the same time, TV coverage of murders had increased by more than 700 percent. Good news means bad ratings. Hence, the majority of do-gooders will continue to get cropped out of Pattaya’s big picture so the media can blow up mug shots portraying the minority of scoundrels like Jeff Savage. The video of Savage threatening to loot and torch the Central World Plaza in Bangkok during the 2010 protests went “viral” on the Internet. The British citizen and Pattaya resident was given a 45-day sentence after pleading guilty to violating the Emergency Decree. Since he had already spent some time in jail, Savage was released from custody pending deportation. Upon hearing the judge’s verdict, he burst into tears. “It’s a miracle, I am surprised, and there is justice in Thailand. I want justice for all – the dead, red shirts and even yellow shirts,” he told the press. Lest anyone finger certain nationalities as the chief troublemakers in the city, author Christopher Moore, the Canadian novelist and Bangkok expat who penned the 2004 thriller Pattaya 24/7, shared a few words of wisdom. “No countries have a monopoly on producing morons and hooligans,” he said with a dry chuckle.
This tale and many others come from the author of Bizarre Thailand: Tales of Sex, Crime and Black Magic, which chronicles the strange, surreal and supernatural sides of Thailand, as well as the country’s weirdest museums and tourist attractions.
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TRAVEL | pattaya nightlife
Dude Looks Like a Lady! Ladyboy Cabaret Shows: where the curves may be fake, but the entertainment value is real
L
adyboys in Pattaya have adopted the role of the Vegas showgirl, adding a combination of glitz, glamour, and gaiety to the city. In fact it’s hard to imagine Pattaya without its legions of ladyboys. They’ve quite simply become part of the fabric of the city and like technicolour butterflies they display themselves most extravagantly at the grand ladyboy cabaret shows, of which there are several in the general downtown core. And if you’ve never been to one you might just be surprised at how entertaining these highly theatrical spectacles can be.
ALCAZAR CABARET: The Alcazar Cabaret began back in 1981, with about 100 performers and seating for 350 persons. However the show has grown considerably since then, and is now house in a 1,200 seat theater with state-of-the-art light and sound systems. There are four shows daily—5pm, 6:30pm, 8pm, and 9:30pm— and the 70-minute, 17 song performance covers everything from red-hot jazz numbers to Oriental fan dances, Russian numbers, and modern Korean pop. The theatre is located at 78/14 Pattaya 2nd Rd. www.alcazarthailand.com
COLOSSEUM SHOW: One of the newest contenders to the city’s ladyboy throne is the Colosseum Show Pattaya, which opened in 2013. The building itself is hard to miss, as it’s designed to look like the famed ancient colosseum in Rome. Inside there is room for 1,000 spectators, and the seats are arranged in a semi-circular arc in front of an expensive stage. The 75-minute performance, presented in 16 segments, combines professional choreography and fabulous costumes, making full use of the theatre’s futuristic light and sound system and hydraulic stage. The colosseum is located at Thepprasit Rd (between Sois 13 and 15) in South Pattaya. www.colosseumshowpattaya.com
TIFFANY’S SHOW: Now in it’s 40th year, the world famous Tiffany’s Show Pattaya is the grand dame of the city’s ladyboy cabaret parade. What began as a one-man show performed for friends one New Year’s Eve back in 1974, has grown into a household word in Thailand and beyond, thanks in part to the exceedingly popular annual Miss Tiffany beauty pageant. The show presents a variety of musical numbers, all featuring eye-popping costumes and choreography. And from now until the end of August, the “gals” are joined Tuesday through Saturday by special guest magician Joe Labero, who performs his magic act with the aid of his lovely ladyboy assistants (showtime 9pm). The theatre is located at 464 Moo 9, Pattaya 2nd Rd. www.tiffany-show.co.th 50 | AUGUST 2016
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Retreat from the daily grind and surrender to tranquillity. Unwind with spa treatments at our award-winning Banyan Tree Spa or tee off at our 18-hole championship golf course or indulge in tantalising Vietnamese delights and international favourites prepared by our skillful chefs. From now until 22 December, Banyan Tree Lăng Cô is happy to welcome *Thai Residents by offering a 2 nights stay in our opulent villas from **THB 15550++ with other inclusions. For more information or to make a reservation, please contact us directly at reservations-langco@banyantree.com, or +84 54 3695 888. * This offer is exclusively for residents of Thailand only. Valid ID and working permit are required upon check-in. Other terms and conditions apply. ** Rate applicable for minimum 2 nights stay only.
Sanctuary for the Senses CHINA • INDONESIA • KOREA • MALDIVES • MEXICO • SEYCHELLES VIETNAM • THAILAND • UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
ART
| ART & CULTURE
FEAR
New photographs and video by Manit Sriwanichpoom
A
n ambitious showcase by MANIT SRIWANICHPOOM, one of Thailand’s leading photographers is the new show entitled FEAR. It consists of ten new series of photographs and two video works, all of which are being shown concurrently in three galleries in Bangkok (as well as the Yavuz Gallery in Singapore). Daily life in Thailand continues to unfold amidst protracted political problems. Military intervention has removed two governments in a decade, and major recurring street protests have brought to the fore critical questions of a malfunctioning democracy with corporate interest and corruption affecting the electoral process. While this contemporary context is not entirely unprecedented, in the history of Thailand’s fraught process of nation-building the immediate present is distinguished by a creeping sense that, indeed, there is little light ahead. Manit’s artwork metaphorically addresses the darkening future of his home country. The works were produced between Thailand’s last election in 2011 and the recent solar eclipse of March 9, 2016, with the 2014 staged coup d’etat by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) as an obvious centerpoint. The iconography includes cool but weighty references to the three pillars of Thai identity—nation, religion and monarchy—and the depiction of crowds and queues. The artworks quietly suggest that in the current climate, all manner of signs and gestures become profoundly politicized across the continuums of a fractured society. What once may have been celebrated or even treated with indifference has now become ominous as the people of Thailand continue to grapple with questions of their country’s future. Where indeed is the nation heading? FEAR runs from July 23-September 10 at the Kathmandu Photo Gallery, the H Gallery, and the Tang Contemporary, Bangkok. Viewing hours vary according to gallery. hgallerybkk.com kathmanduphotobkk.com tangcontemporary.com
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ART & CULTURE | exhibitions
EVERY THURSDAY Canvas Thursday Cé La Vi
39F, Sathorn Square Building, 98 North Sathorn Rd. Viewing hours: Thursdays, 9pm-late Tel: 02 108 2000 | www.celavi.com
In a daring merger of nightclub and art gallery, Cé La Vi (formerly Ku De Ta) presents a weekly art series entitled Canvas Thursday. The once-a-week events will promote art and music in a fun social environment, encompassing everything from the traditional to the avant-garde, and showcasing both local and international artists—including fine artists, photographers, musicians, performers, and dancers. During the month of August two exhibitions will be displayed. Nightlife, curated by Rebel Art Space, will launch on August 4th with a live performance, and on August 18th Theekawut Boonvijit will exhibit his solo exhibition Zato.
AUGUST 6-OCTOBER 6 Minimon
Centara Grand & Bangkok Convention Centre at CentralWorld 999/99 Rama I Rd. Viewing hours: Daily, 10am-8pm Tel: 02 100 1234 | www.centarahotelsresorts.com
If you think art doesn’t belong in a hotel that’s attached to a shopping mall, perhaps the exhibition by Surachai ‘Niam’ Mawornkanong—a talented colourblind Thai artist—will change your mind. The show is being staged in the Sky Lobby, on the hotel's 23rd floor, and part of the proceeds will be donated to The Wild Animal Rescue Foundation of Thailand. This exhibit presents semi-abstract acrylic paintings on canvas, but the artist’s unique techniques make them seem like oil paintings. They tell their stories through minimon monsters, revealing hidden meanings.
AUGUST 20-SEPTEMBER 10 Nakhon Chai Si 3rd Rock Gallery
11, Rama 9, Soi 41 Viewing hours: Thu-Sun, 10:30am-8pm Tel: 087 450 6116 | www.facebook.com/3rdrockgallery
The show entitled ‘Nakhon Chai Si’ is imaginary movie in the form of a photography exhibition—the first solo show by half-Swiss, half-Malaysian fashion photographer Lee Wei Swee. In the “film”, which is narrated by Lee and set in the idyllic Thai province of Nakhon Pathom, an artist’s driver kills time waiting for his boss by daydreaming; about everything from trucks wearing more make-up and jewellery than the he(s) becoming she(s) for a night, couples kissing at traffic lights, and a monster made out of flower crowns walking by the side of the road, giving himself away to strangers until the very last petal. 54 | AUGUST 2016
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exhibitions | ART & CULTURE
UNTIL AUGUST 14 Battle
S.A.C Subhashok the Arts Centre 160/3, Sukhumvit Soi 33 Viewing hours: Tue-Fri, 10am-5pm, Sat-Sun, 11am–6:30pm Tel: 02 662 0299 | www.facebook.com/sacbangkok
In this show the gallery space is used as a battleground between two skilled and experienced artists—Gumsak Atipiboonsin and Taweesak Ujugatanond. They present their own set of unique abstract paintings together, “battling” each other, as it were. Gumsak reduces and abandons forms and stories in his paintings, leaving only the power of the colours remaining on the canvas. Taweesak finds truth in the power of nature, absorbing the movement of the wind, the water, the earth, the sky, the fields, the clouds and the mountains—revealing a smouldering heat burning under the cooling tone of his colours.
UNTIL AUGUST 31 Lifelines
Koi Art Gallery 254, Sukhumvit Soi 31 Viewing hours: Tue-Sun, 11am –7pm Tel: 02 662 3218 | www.koiartgallerybangkok.com
Lifelines is a solo exhibition showcasing the latest artworks by Thai artist Kamol Tamseewan, examining the silent moments of people through fragmented brushstrokes. The artist delves into translating people’s emotions, actions and everyday interactions into abstract portraits emphasizing a single moment where they emanate their strongest sentiment. He examines further the lines that truly display the experiences that people have gone through—ones that show on their face and not just the palms. With every face that the artist explores—from his home and in the charming town of Chiang Mai—the true “self” is exposed.
UNTIL AUGUST 31 Dream Stone Most Gallery
672/63 Charoen Krung Rd. Viewing hours: Tue-Fri, 2pm-6pm Sat-Sun, 11am-4pm Tel: 02 639 6582 | www.mostgallery.com
This mixed media series by Thai-Japanese artist Luke Satoru—artist and owner of the tattoo studio Black Pig Tattoo BKK—takes its cue from pareidolia, a psychological phenomenon involving a stimulus (an image or a sound) wherein the mind perceives a familiar pattern of something where none actually exists. Calligrapher stones, commonly known as ‘Dream Stones’, often depict scenes of mountainscapes and forests within the natural matrix of the stone. Using film photography and paint, this series is part of an ongoing artistic project exploring visual possibilities for the viewer to interpret themselves. bangkok101.com
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ART & CULTURE | cinema scope
Film News & Screenings By Bruce Scott
Kickboxer: Vengeance
Mechanic 2: Resurrection
I
t’s a bit of a slow month in Bangkok with respect to film screenings, but there’s plenty of film related news, especially with the release of two major motion pictures in one month—both of which were filmed on location in Thailand. The long awaited Mechanic 2: Resurrection opens in theatres across the country this month, showcasing the steel-eyed stare of Jason Stratham, the sensual allure of Jessica Alba, and tropical beauty of Pattaya (see our Tom Waller interview on page 41 for more on that). Portions of the film were also shot in Bangkok, Phuket, and Chantaburi province, so keep your eyes peeled for local landmarks and familiar faces when you finally get around to seeing it. And if you’re wondering what tough-guy Stratham is like to work with, he certainly made a good impression on the Thai cast and crew. “Jason was a very focused and meticulous actor who would play his part to perfection, whilst always being pleasant and friendly to those around him,” recalls Suman C. Tharan, a local actor who managed to snag a bit part in the film. Another action sequel due in cinemas later this month is Kickboxer: Vengeance, starring martial arts mega-star Jean-Claude Van Damme. The film follows the path of a pair of martial artist brothers, one of whom accepts an offer to travel to Thailand to challenge Muay Thai champion Tong Po (played by WWE’s Dave Bautista). A private advance screening of the film was held here in Bangkok recently, with an audience composed of JCVD himself, press, and members of the cast and crew of 56 | AUGUST 2016
Jack
Kickboxer-Retalliation, the third instalment in the series (set for a 2017 release), also being filmed in Thailand. In other news the Goethe Institute of Thailand continues its German film series, and this month will be presenting the 2016 film Jack, directed by Edward Berger and Dietrich Brüggemann. The film centres around a 10 year-old boy and his 6 year-old brother, both of whom go on a quest to find the mother that has unexpectedly abandoned them. The film will be presented on August 14th, at 1pm at the Thai Film Archive (Salaya), followed by a screening on August 16th at 6pm at the Cinemateque of Film Archive (2nd floor of the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre). Both screenings will be in German with English subtitles, and admission is free. And for those interested in seeing local creative minds at work can check out The 20th Thai Short Film And Video Festival, being held August 28th in the 5th floor auditorium of the Bangkok Art and Culture Center (BACC). Visit en.bacc.or.th for more details. Finally, info has just come in that a new art-house cinema is set to open at the end of August. The Bangkok Screening Room, the labour of love of three local cinephiles, will screen the type of alternative films overlooked by chain cinemas. The programs promise an eclectic mix of contemporary and classic flicks. The 50-seat theatre, located on Sala Daeng Soi 1 (formerly Whitespace Gallery), will be decked out with an ultra-high-def digital projector and professional surround sound, plus a small bar and restaurant attached. bangkok101.com
Art & Culture Photo Feature
Chao Phraya's Longtail Boats
Words and photos by Marc Schultz/Black Star Publishing
B
angkok was once known for its abundance of intersecting canals. Although, with the myriad of cars and skyscrapers now crowding the streets, one can easily overlook the richness of the city’s vast waterways. As a resident of over 20 years, I find that the best way to connect with the true essence of Bangkok’s urban lifestyle is to head down to the waterfront for a dose of wind and water. Recently I decided to meld my passion for photography with my love for the river by capturing a series of photos depicting the most infamous of all Thai boats, known as “longtails”. These long, narrow, fast moving river-rockets are a colourful feast for the eyes and a great way to take a fulfilling tour down Bangkok’s Chao Phraya River, and its many offshoot canals. To get to where the action is, my personal favourite strategy is to take the BTS Skytrain to Saphan Taksin Bridge station. This puts you right at the river front pier. From here you can jump on one of two different public boats. Either will take you on a short ride upriver to the area where the stately Royal Grand Palace sits. I prefer the more spacious "Tourist Boat" for 40 baht, with its comfortable, wide seats and moderate pace. After a short, 20 minute ride I get off at Ta Chang pier, where one can hop right onto a longtail for hire, the most personalized way to get you deeper into the sights and sounds of the river’s narrow canals. Photographing subjects here offers a mix of fast movement, colour, and endless activity— all rolled into one.
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All Photos © Marc Schultz / Black Star Publishing
FOOD & DRINK |
Uni Spoon with quail egg and caviar at Toro 64 | AUGUST 2016
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| FOOD & DRINK
AROY boston in bangkok
Since opening back in February of this year, 72 COURTYARD—an open plan community mall space at the top end of Thong Lor (Sukhumvit Soi 55)—has been hogging the spotlight when it comes to new and innovative bars and restaurants in town. One of the latest entries is TORO, the brainchild of chefs Ken Oringer and Jamie Bissonnette. The restaurant first made a name for itself in Boston (USA) with its Barcelona-inspired traditional and modern tapas dishes, and the Bangkok outpost—headed by chef Zach Watkins—has adapted the menu to suit local tastes. Try their Shimeji mushroom and mangosteen, hanger steak with red onion and green curry butter, or go Spanish with asado de huesos (bone marrow and oxtail marmalade with radish citrus salad and cocoa nib).
snacking spanish-style Bangkok now has its very first HELLO CHURROS outlet, and Barcelona-born chef Pepe Lopez is making sure they’re done right. For those who don’t know, churros are a traditional Spanish dessert item—resembling a ridged elongated doughnut—usually served with piping hot chocolate sauce. They have an almost legendary status in Spain, and to get the recipe exactly right the kitchen uses a specialized deep fryer and nozzle, imported directly from the motherland. Customers can choose traditional style, or experiment with Xuxos (filled churros), paired with a variety of ice creams and sweet toppings. Right now these tasty treats are only available at CENTRAL PLAZA LADPRAO, 3rd Floor, but a second branch will be opening soon at Central Bangna mall. www.hellochurros.com
innovative indian For lovers of Indian fine dining, the PUNJAB GRILL BANGKOK, located on the ground floor of the RADISSON SUITES BANGKOK (23/2-3 Sukhumvit Soi 13) has introduced five-course tasting menus, with vegetarian and non-vegetarian options. These tantalizing taste combos consist of a variety of the restaurant’s signature dishes, such as: crab and lentil or wild mushroom shorba; a starter combination of ajwaini jheenga tikka, malai chicken tikka and seekh kebab or tandoori Portobello; roomali paneer and beetroot kebab; and lamb rogan josh or vegetable dum biryani. Priced at only B1,490 (B990 vegetarian), both tasting menus also offer dal makhani, Indian breads and a choice of dessert.
free as a bird now Due to officially open at the very end of this month, FREEBIRD will be the latest addition to Bangkok’s ever-growing dining scene. Billed as a “social dining experience”, diners will enjoy an expertly crafted menu of modern Australian fare, paired with a best-in-Asia selection of wine offerings. Located at 28 Sukhumvit Soi 47, this eagerly anticipated addition to the city’s foodie line-up incorporates social dining into every aspect of the restaurant design—from the interior aesthetics to the menu. And in case you think the name is a mild homage to LYNYRD SKYNYRD, the moniker “freebird” actually comes from the story of the property’s caretaker, who has lived on the land for the past 27 years, taking care of rare local birds that reside in the garden. Check www.freebirdbkk.com for details about the grand opening.
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FOOD & DRINK | meal deals for mother’s day
SO Special Treat for Mothers at Red Oven SO Sofitel Bangkok | 2 North Sathorn Rd. Tel: 02 624 0000 | www.sofitel.com
This Mother’s Day, pamper mom at Red Oven, located on 7th floor of the SO Sofitel Bangkok. On Friday the 12th enjoy a special brunch, with an amazing view of Lumphini Park, priced at just B1,950++ per person, or B2,350++ per person including free-flow wine and soft drinks. The brunch runs from noon to 3pm, and all mothers will also receive a half lobster and a cash voucher for B500 to be used for your next visit in any of the hotel F&B outlets (with minimum spend of B1,000).
BBQ Fun at The House on Sathorn this Mother’s Day W Bangkok Hotel | 106 North Sathorn Rd. Tel: 02 344 4000 | www.wbangkok.com
This Mother’s Day enjoy a full-course BBQ, plus a wide range of desserts, at The House on Sathorn. Moms will receive a complimentary “Diva” cocktail or mocktail, plus one voucher for Afternoon Tea on the house at The House. On top of that, mom eats for free as part of the special ‘Come 4 pay 3’ deal, with a minimum of 4 guests per table. This meal deal is priced at B1,350++ per person, and is available from noon to 3pm (August 12th only).
Mother’s Day Dining at Yamazato
Okura Prestige Bangkok | Park Ventures Ecoplex, 57 Wiresless Rd. Tel: 02 687 9000 | www.okurabangkok.com This Mother’s Day, show your mum how much you care by surprising her with an unforgettable Gozen lunch or Kaiseki dinner at Yamazato, the Japanese fine dining restaurant at The Okura Prestige Bangkok hotel. The delicious Gozen lunch is priced at B900++ per person, while the equally tantalizing Kaiseki dinner is just B3,000++ per person. These special lunches and dinners are available from the 5th to the 14th of August, with lunch served from 11:30am to 2:30pm, and dinner from 6pm till 10:30pm.
Treat Mom to Dim Sum at Summer Palace
Intercontinental Bangkok | 973 Phloen Chit Rd. Tel: 02 656 0444, ext. 6430 | www.bangkok.intercontinental.com Treat mom to Summer Palace restaurant’s renowned all-you-can-eat dim sum lunch, featuring many Cantonese specialties. Highlights include the delicious shumai (pork dumplings), pao (steamed filled bun), and braised abalone shredded seafood with fish maw broth. And remember that all mothers receive one complimentary chocolate garland (limit one per table). This delightful Mother’s Day dim sum treat is priced at just B988++ per person, with a 20% discount for Preferred Dining members.
Mother’s Day Seafood and Grill Buffet at Seasonal Tastes The Westin Grande Sukhumvit Bangkok | 259 Sukhumvit Soi 19 Tel: 02 207 8000 | www.westingrandesukhumvit.com
Make a memorable night of it on Friday August 12th, and enjoy inspired international cuisine in a stylish and friendly setting at Seasonal Tastes restaurant. Let mom have her pick of special seafood on ice, as well as grilled selections ranging from Alaskan king crab to Australian beef. Meanwhile the live band can play all her favorite songs. The Mother’s Day dinner buffet is priced at only B2,490 net, and runs from 6pm till 10:30pm. Come 4 or more, and get 50% off when booking online.
Sunday Brunch Bargain at Latest Recipe Le Meridien Bangkok | 40/5 Surawong Rd. Tel: 02 232 8888 | www.lemeridienbangkokpatpong.com
Enjoy spending time with your loved ones by indulging in a creative Sunday brunch at Latest Recipe restaurant. The brunch includes cold cuts, salad, sashimi, and seafood, but don’t miss the highlighted items, such as pan-fried foie gras and Alaskan king crab. Priced at only B1,350++ per person, every table will also receive one Boston lobster as part of the meal. Beverage packages are also available for an extra B495++ per person (free flow of alcohol beverages such as beer, wine and sparkling wines).
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bangkok101.com
hot plates | FOOD & DRINK
Cocotte
T
Farm to table feasting that’s unforgettable
hese days restaurants in Bangkok seem to follow a common trajectory: open, survive one month on hype, become passé, fade into oblivion. However Cocotte Farm Roast & Winery has proven itself immune to this fate, and on a drizzly Tuesday night—when most restos will have more staff than clientele—this bustling bistro has people waiting for tables. So what are they doing right? Hard to say exactly, but if they could bottle it every other eatery in town would buy it. I’ve visited more than once since it opened this past May, and each time it’s been packed. The interior is stylish and welcoming, but never overpowering. Polished chrome mingles easily with wooden tables and farmhouse
knick-knack décor, making you feel like you’re in a proper restaurant as opposed to an overdressed movie set. The busy open kitchen at the back provides an animated background, and the seating options include smaller tables by the deli counter, a communal table by the bar, or seats on the terrace outside (weather permitting). Genial head chef Jeriko Van Der Wolf presents diners with a wonderfully varied menu, and the high-quality ingredients—including meats from local producer Sloane’s—translate into superb dishes that skew primarily, but not exclusively, towards classic French recipes. We begin with the Croquettas with cured Serrano ham (B220), a quartet of golden brown croquettes garnished with a tangy curry aioli and
filled with gooey Béchamel. These are followed closely by an order of Risotto and morels (B520), a new addition to the menu. Here Carnaroli rice is stewed in a morel reduction gravy, adding a satisfying, earthy quality to the overall taste further enhanced by fragrant parmesan cheese. Before moving on to mains we sample the light and lovely Poireaux vinaigrette (B360), which pairs leek —cut like penne noodles—with spicy chorizo, roasted almonds, and marjoram hollandaise. A traditional recipe I’m told, but a new one on me. Next up we “pig-out” on the Crispy pig (B520), a generous serving of slow-roasted pork belly served with apple slices and a spiced honey-beer glaze. Crunchy, fatty, tender and succulent, this diet-defying dish is quite unforgettable—I can still conjure up the taste. For mains we go down the red meat trail, choosing a 300g Black Angus ribeye (B1,160) and a 240g serving of Wagyu rump steak (B1,060). Both are perfectly cooked to order—thanks to the kitchen’s special egg-shaped, wood-fired, Kamado Joe BBQ grill oven—however I think the rump ultimately rules. Sides are ordered separately, and the Truffled mashed potatoes (B190) are divine. For non-beef mains the tender Half farmer chicken (B490) is also highly recommended. As the restaurant’s full name suggests, a fine selection of wines is available, which perhaps best compliments the meals. Desserts are given ample spotlight as well, with the exquisite Pavlova (B320)—a melange of méringue, mascarpone Chantilly, and seasonal fruits—topping my personal favourite list. by Bruce Scott
Cocotte Farm Roast & Winery GF, 39 Boulevard, Sukhumvit Soi 39 Tel: 092 664 6777 Open daily: 11am-3pm, 6pm-10:30pm (Saturdays till 11pm) www.cocotte-bangkok.com bangkok101.com
AUGUST 2016 | 67
FOOD & DRINK | review
Rang Mahal
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The most extensive Indian menu in town
recently visited Rang Mahal, the Rembrandt Hotel’s signature Indian restaurant, after a long hiatus and found that nothing had changed. The food was superb, the service excellent, the room packed with diners, and the Indian musicians were singing the same golden oldies. Located on the 26th floor, with seating for 120, Rang Mahal is the oldest Indian restaurant in the city, and Chef Rajan Misra has been running the kitchen—along with a team of Indian chefs—for fourteen years now, which probably accounts for the unchanging quality. In fact, there are bookings as far ahead as 2017, and that’s because this royal
restaurant (Rang Mahal refers to the “pleasure room” of Indian kings) has one of the most extensive Indian menus in the city. We began with the succulent Tandoori prawns (B860), which sees three jumbo prawns marinated in yoghurt, saffron, and a range of 14 spices. The only starter that could outdo this was the Raan-E-Khyber (B950), a tender lamb leg marinated for several hours in exotic spices and (surprisingly) white rum, then skewered on charcoal. For the main course, we reveled in the popular Murgh Tikka Masala (B450), where the diced chicken is slow-cooked in a wok with tomatoes, onions, spices, as well as the Rogan
Josh (B550), the famed Kashmiri dish where the pot-roasted mutton is cooked with rich onion gravy and select spices. The restaurant also has plenty of veggie cuisine and we sampled the Bhindi Do Pyaza (B350), okra fried with red and white onions, tomatoes and spices, the Mirch Aur Baingan ka Salan (B350), whole aubergines cooked in a unique yellow gravy, and the Methi Malai Mattar (B325), a recent menu addition in which green peas are cooked in a rich gravy of cashew, cream, and fenugreek. Accompanying our curries was an order of the light and fragrant Saffron rice (B225), as well as servings of butter and garlic Naan (B100 each). These soft naans are perfect for dipping into the irresistable Dal Makhni (B310), a favourite dish of black lentils cooked with garlic and tomatoes and topped with butter and cream. We were burping with satiated delight, but could not resist a few Indian desserts, including: Gulab Jamun (B195), soft cream cheese dumplings served hot in syrup; Gajjar Halwa (B195), a pudding made with grated carrots, whole milk, dried fruit, and nuts; and—my favorite—Kulfi Falooda (B240), authentic Indian ice-cream here made with a generous infusion of pistachio. The wine and drink list offers a wide selection, with several reds and whites available by the glass. However we lamented that the Indian wine label Sula was not available (we were told it’s not easy to acquire in Thailand), although the Indian beer brand Kingfisher is in plentiful supply should you crave an additional taste of the motherland. by Lekha Shankar
Rang Mahal
Rembrandt Hotel Bangkok 26F, 19 Sukhumvit Soi 18 Tel: 02 261 7100 Open daily: 6pm-midnight Sunday brunch: 11am-2:30pm www.rembrandtbkk.com 68 | AUGUST 2016
bangkok101.com
FOOD & DRINK | review
Joha
A
Beyond Kimchi and Topokki
cozy little Korean restaurant tucked away in the cool semisuburban neighbourhood Ari, Joha Korean Restaurant offers a fresh take on authentic Korean cuisine. It’s a chic, contemporary space combining white brick walls, warm wood dining tables, and floor-to-ceiling glass panels. Behind the glass of the open kitchen in the corner of this petite restaurant, you’ll find the two Korean chefs—Kay Cho and Junhee Cho— working their culinary magic. A former flight attendant and chef in multiple restaurants in Australia, Kay Cho envisioned a modern, authentic Korean restaurant in Bangkok. Featuring a menu of traditional classics, the vision has come to life in this recently opened restaurant, which also offers fun dishes that are popular and hip in Korea at the moment. Starter highlights include Mandu (B120), deep-fried Korean dumplings, which are golden in colour and in taste. The dumplings have a beautifully crisp exterior and the pork and chives stuffing within remain juicy and flavourful. We also try the Haemul 70 | AUGUST 2016
pajeo (B180), seafood with green onion pancake which is best described as a Korean seafood pizza. Though grilled on a hot pan, this savoury pancake is grease-free and the edges are delightfully crunchy. If you like cheese fondue, Kimchi bokkeum bap with cheese (B250) is a must-try. The epitome of comfort foods, this bacon kimchi fried rice is fringed with a blend of beaten egg yolks and melting cheese—and nothing beats spicy kimchi served with hot gooey cheese bubbling away on a hot pan. Another Korean classic, the Dolsot bibim bap (B220) is beautifully presented like a work of art with a festive piling of seasoned vegetables delicately arranged on top of chewy rice, sizzling in a hot stone bowl that bakes a thin chewy crust. You can select from a wide range of bibim bap here, including vegetable and tofu, beef, pork, oysters and seafood. Other than garden-fresh ingredients, Joha Bangkok also includes bracken fern in the mix, which are imported from Korea. For meat-lovers, don’t miss out on the
BBQ beef (B350), where you get to grill your own thinly sliced sirloin beef on hot stones. Garnished with sautéed onions, the beef is succulent and enhanced with an underlying sweetness. A simple dessert of shaved ice topped with sweetened azuki red beans and bean powder, the Patbingsu (B90) is both a good palate cleanser and sweet ending to your meal. As for soulful sips, go for the Soju Bomb (B110), which is one of the most popular drinks in Korean bars. The drink is a fun mix of two popular liquors—soju and beer. To those who prefer sweet cocktails, the Melona Ju (B190) is recommended. Served with Korea’s Melona ice cream bar, the creamy concoction has a teal-green hue and refreshing honeydew flavour. by Anne Wong
Joha Korean Restaurant
59/2 Soi Phahonyothin 7 Tel: 097 247 9777 Open: Mon-Sat 11.30am-9pm www.facebook.com/Johakoreanrestaurant bangkok101.com
FOOD & DRINK | review
Attico
T
The flavours of Tuscany come to Sukhumvit Road
he ‘cultural acclimation’ to a meal at Attico—the Italian restaurant located on the 28th floor of the Radisson Blu Plaza—begins the moment you step off the lift and into the spacious, rustic-bricked forecourt, typical of Italy’s Tuscany region. A corridor-tour of monochrome building portraits, mock-up wall facades of wines casks, and freshly cut firewood set the mood for the authentic Italian dining experience to come. Once seated in the high-ceilinged, dramatic city-vista dining area, a complimentary platter of “real deal” house-made Italian breads is served with capsicum mousse and olive selection—including the giant Cerignola variety—daring diners to risk filling up on their crusty and savoury goodness. The restaurant specialises in the cuisine of Tuscany, a region famed for its exceptional cooking, one delightful example of which is the Burrata cheese salad (B720), comprised of a “sack” of Mozzarella dough, handfilled with creamy-smooth straccatelli. The intriguingly amorphous, dualtextured creation comes nestled in a salad of wild rocket, basil, and
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marinated Puglia cherry tomatoes with balsamic dressing. Next up, a panful of Mediterranean mussels (B590), sautéed in garlic and white wine is further bathed in an herbed lobster bisque—a flavourful garnish that would stand on its own as a side dish. A similarly generous portion confronts us when the outsized Ragu of wild boar (B490) hits the table. Here house-made strips of Pappardelle pasta combine with imported minced pork from Italy, which has been marinated two days in red wine and then slow-braised. Things then start getting theatrical with the arrival of the Linguine Scolglio (B510). The linguine pasta is mixed with fresh seafood and served in an iron pan, dramatically draped in a bread crust ‘dome’, which is sliced off and inverted to become an edible serving bowl. Bread lovers should not neglect to peel off the crust that remains on the side of the pan, which is absolutely wonderful when dipped in the accompanying pasta sauce, or in the remaining lobster bisque. Chook aficionados should not hesitate to call “fowl” in ordering the Chicken cacciatore (B790), which
sees a trio of braised young-chicken legs done up in red wine sauce, with bell pepper and lemon zest, all served with lushly smooth potato purée, caramelised carrot and gratinated cauliflower. Desserts include the Piemonte trio (B300) of brownie, panna cotta and vanilla mascarpone mousse, as well as classics such as the Hazelnut profiteroles (B290), Tiramisu (290), and Gelato (250), all of which are equally tantalizing afters options. And with each dessert ordered, enjoy a complimentary liqueur from the restaurant’s selection, including Bailey’s, Sambuca and Grand Marnier. NOTE: Midday diners can try the Attico Set Lunch, featuring salad bar and an antipasto buffet of delicious premium imported meats and cheeses (B650/ B775). by Gary Barber
Attico
28F Radisson Blu Plaza, 489 Sukhumvit Rd. Tel: 02 302 3333 Open: Mon-Sat, noon-2:30pm, 6pm-11pm Sunday: dinner service only www.radissonblu.com bangkok101.com
review | FOOD & DRINK
Chibi Chibi
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The art of simple and authentic food
ust off Soi Rang Nam, close to Ratchaprarop Rd, Chibi ChibiCafé & Atelier offers diners a peaceful place to slow down and enjoy a tasty, home-style cooked meal. While it has recently branched out to Silom—where it follows a more dynamic concept catering quick bites to expats and business people—the original outlet remains a second home for regular customers, travellers, and families. In fact, it is located in the same building as owner Mari’s home. A former IT technician and
interior designer before opening the restaurant in September 2014, her skills came in handy and she designed the entire furniture herself, hence adding to the small café’s personal character. The light-flooded room is separated by a big bookshelf in the centre, and furnished with a handful of sleek, wood tables of different sizes. The modern and minimalistic design is combined with fun, and quirky accessories, including animal pillows, small puppet figures, a number of cookbooks and an old TV, giving it a
relaxed and homey atmosphere. It’s one of those places where you could hang out all day or even bring your laptop for some work. The Mediterranean-inspired menu perfectly matches the interior’s beauty and simplicity. The dishes may not sound very fancy or flashy, but it’s exactly this honesty which makes it such a special spot. There’s no hiding behind posh names or pretending to be something else, just bold and authentic flavours in thoughtfully prepared dishes—an art in itself. We start with a light Mixed green salad (B125) drizzled with a tangy and well-balanced balsamic dressing, followed by a satisfying Egg, bacon and cheese sandwich (B155). Simple indeed, but also simply delicious! As a main we try the Rigatoni with grilled vegetables and bacon (B195), a beautiful medley of bell pepper, aubergine, and zucchini, with bits of salty pork. Those who prefer the sweeter side of the breakfast spectrum, opt for the French toast with fruit (B195). It has a perfectly caramelised, crunchy crust and is loaded with local fruit and drizzled with bit of honey. Alternatively, but probably more suitable for dessert, try the Bananacaramel cake (B175). The gooey cake is served warm and topped with creamy honey ice cream—a true marriage of flavours. For drinks, we’d recommend either one of their quality coffees (Espresso/Americano B70), or as a more refreshing option, the pinkcoloured Lady Versailles (B90). We just fell in love with this sparkling blend of rose and lychee. If you prefer it less sweet, their Lemon infused jasmine tea (B95) makes an ideal thirst quencher. by Julia Offenberger
Chibi Chibi-Café & Atelier 112/9 Soi Sri Ayutthaya 2 Tel: 08 8399 9699 Open: Mon, Wed-Fri 10am-8pm; Sat-Sun 9am-9pm www.facebook.com/chibichibicafe bangkok101.com
AUGUST 2016 | 73
FOOD & DRINK | review
Laem Charoen Seafood Freshness coming straight from the sea
F
rom its origins in Thailand’s Rayong province, back in 1979, the famous Laem Charoen Seafood chain has expanded to a current total of 15 outlets throughout Thailand. The Siam Paragon branch, located on the 4th floor of this glitzy downtown mall, serves up Thai seafood delicacies in welcoming and comforting atmosphere. The recently refurbished entrance is a mix of white marble walls and an elegant wooden honeycomb motif, but the familiar wooden tables remain, providing seating for 150. Here the menu items are served with a touch of chili and lime courtesy of the Thai-style seafood dipping
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sauce, the restaurant’s signature recipe. For Thai people sauce and seafood are like the colours of a rainbow—they are beautiful together and cannot be divided. Reputed to be the first restaurant to introduce Deep fried sea bass with fish sauce (B420) to the market—a dish which has become wildly popular amongst locals and foreigners alike— the restaurant uses only live sea bass to ensure both freshness and consistency. Once fried, the golden brown outer skin of the fish seals in all the moist tenderness of the soft but firmly textured flesh, while the addition of the restaurant’s own homemade aromatic fish sauce adds a sublime finish.
Those craving crustaceans will definitely enjoy the Stir-fried crabs with curry powder (B140, per 100 grams), where even the smallest one is big enough for a whole family. The sweet, mild taste of crabmeat is heavenly when blended with the curry powder, which in turn is mixed with fresh milk and spices. And don’t worry, a “crab cracker” is provided to get through the hard shell. The item most often ordered from the Thai portion of the menu is undoubtedly the Tom Yum Goong (small B290/large B530). Served in a Thai-style hot pot, this hot and sour soup is flavoured with fragrant spices and herbs—to awaken your taste buds—while the shrimps add a bouncy texture and a slight crunch to the dish. Similarly, the Stir-fried squid with salted egg yolk (B220), which combines two decidedly different tastes, is currently becoming a big hit. The contrast between the sweetness of the squid and the saltiness of the egg yolk offers a dynamic duet for sophisticated palates. As an accompaniment to these main courses it is recommended to order steamed rice, or perhaps a fried rice dish. The restaurant also offers a wide range of other seafood delicacies—all straight from the sea—including favourites like oysters, mussels, and fresh caught snapper. For dessert, finish off with Salak in syrup (B65) or a Phulae pineapple ice cream (B95). For almost four decades, Laem Charoen Seafood has been growing while staying true to its original roots. Reliability with respect to ingredients and customer satisfaction has made it one of the best seafood restaurants in Thailand. by Pongphop Songsiriarcha
Laem Charoen Seafood Siam Paragon Branch 4F, 991 Rama 1 Rd. Tel: 02 610 9244 Open daily: 10am-10pm www.laemcharoenseafood.com
bangkok101.com
FOOD & DRINK | breaking bread presented by sanpellegrino
Chef Luca Cesarini
FINE DINING WATER TO ENHANCE GREAT FOOD ACQUA PANNA AND S.PELLEGRINO. THE FINE DINING WATERS. w w w.finedininglovers.com Distributed by Global Food Products Co., Ltd. Tel. +66 26831751
Breaking Bread with Luca Cesarini
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Rustic Italian fare with some deliciously interesting twists
ith Luca Cesarini, the Executive Chef at the Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit Hotel (250 Sukhumvit Rd), there are no pretensions and no gimmicks. You won’t hear a backstory of a secret book of family recipes he discovered in the attic, or tales of foraging for mushrooms on weekends at an organic farm outside of Bangkok. Here you have a chef who brings
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nothing but his vast knowledge of Italian cooking—and skills he picked up from his travels across the world—to the tables at Rossini’s Italian restaurant. Formally trained at the prestigious Erminio Maggia, the Italian College for the Culinary Arts, Luca began his gastronomic journey by working his way up at some of the best restaurants in Italy. One might think that someone who has worked in Michelin star
kitchens across the world and earned numerous culinary accolades over a 20-year career would be a food snob who reeks of self-importance, but 10 minutes with Luca and his refreshing honesty and self-depreciating humour will throw all your preconceived notions right out of the window. Just to test him, I ask why he thinks Italian cuisine has been so successful in this part of the world. bangkok101.com
breaking bread presented by sanpellegrino | FOOD & DRINK
“People here really romanticise the land,” he replies, “honestly though, Italian cooking is simple, we don’t use too much spice. But I have had to adapt to the cooking here, because real Italian food would seem too simple. And to have a successful restaurant you need to include dishes that people will love and come to enjoy over and over again.” That explains why a place like Rossini’s has been running successfully for 20 years. We begin with a Rustic Salad comprised of Burrata cheese, rocket, and cherry tomatoes, enhanced delicately with a sweet and spicy dressing. All this simplicity makes way for the intriguing Trout Tartare. The dish resembles a taco, and is meant to be eaten like one, with creamy trout mousse and pickled vegetables stuffed into phyllo pastry and topped with wild salmon roe. The dish is dressed up with vegetable foam, peppercorn droppings, and the head and tail sections of the trout in question (a daring display!). In-between courses Luca reminiscences about his early food memories. “The love for cooking of bangkok101.com
course came from my family. They are food addicts. My aunt would always tell me that certain things need to be made a certain way, the right way. There was no questioning those methods, case closed,” he laughs. “I guess I found it funny that they are so stubborn on something like food. But today I have to say I am more stubborn than them.” People often say chefs are rude. He agrees. “But you also have to understand there is no such thing as a calm chef. We are put under immense pressure.” Just then the Foie Gras— one of Rossini’s signature dishes, and one that aided in Chef Luca’s Iron Chef Thailand win—makes an appearance. Laying on top of a light butternut squash mousse, skirted with balsamic reduction and sprinkled with amaretto crumble, it’s tangy, sweet, rich, and packs in layers of flavours. For the next course Chef Luca pulls up tableside with a 46 kg Parmesan cheese wheel, in which he pours a creamy Risotto. He gently tosses the risotto while scrapping bits of Parmesan from the wheel. When the dish is finally plated in front of
us, Luca adds a final touch with thin shavings of black truffle. The earthy aroma and the melt-in-your-mouth risotto with asparagus creates the ultimate comfort food for the soul. In his final presentation—like we weren’t full already—Chef Luca brings out a mild flavoured Roasted Turbot, with an assortment of root vegetable, finished with morel foam and jus made with sautéed morels. At this point Rossini’s was winding down, so Luca could finally sit and enjoy the last course with us. Over a sinful tumbler of Rum Granite Chocolate Mousse, we get talking about his inspiration. “When I started, Nouvelle cuisine was being taken over by contemporary cuisine. Then el Bulli and molecular gastronomy was the rage. At the moment, the cuisine is down to its basics—it’s rustic. And this is where I am really having fun. If I were to open up a restaurant tomorrow, I would do simple food cooked on real charcoal—not a Josper oven that some restaurants in the city try to get by on,” he smirks. interview by Reena Karim AUGUST 2016 | 7 7
FOOD & DRINK | street eats
R
Noodle & Satay in Chinatown
oaming in Bangkok at night is one of my precious moments to enjoy this city. It’s the time that the city is mellowing down—less noise and less traffic—and many hidden scenes and lives unfold in front of my eyes. Bangkok never sleeps, indeed. I like to roam for food at night and I always keep my eyes open for something outdoorsy. I love to eat with a companion who is as excited as me. That feeling is the ingredient that makes any meal tastier. One food exploration with my Thai-Chinese girlfriend took us to her childhood area, a backstreet of bustling Yaowarat Road—Chinatown’s Main Street— where she took me to the sexier and quieter area of Songwad Road. Our mission was the search for fish ball noodle soup and I asked her to take me to her favourite one. When we compared lists of fish ball noodle soup vendors we found there were more than four around this street alone, but her choice was one I had not yet tried. Walking down Songwad Road on the right side we came to a pool of neon light brightening the area. The
eat like
Nym
Our roving roadside gourmand 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 78 | AUGUST 2016
empty space between the building of Jia Tai (CP Group’s first office), and a cluster of Chinese shophouses, was bursting with vibrancy after the sky had darkened. There were a variety of food carts dotted along the square, with smoke floating from different spots—like special effects on a period movie set. And one of these vendors was Lim Lao Ngow fish ball noodle, the love of my girlfriend’s life! She convinced me to order big flat dry noodles with fish balls, together with thin crispy fried fish skin and a bowl of soup. The flat noodle had a texture that was both firm and soft (hard to achieve), and the various types of fish balls came in different shapes, and slightly different tastes. She was overjoyed reliving the tastes of her childhood. But I inhaled something in a different territory altogether… weird gap pork satay! The burnt charcoal smell and sound of its crackling was enough to draw me in, no questions asked! I ordered moo (pork) satay and had an epiphany. The burnt charcoal smell plus the marinated curry power showered all over the satay hit me before I bit, and the big wow effect came when I chewed it up carefully. Many times, I find moo satay to be just a slab of meat on a stick with yellow curry powder colour—with the taste of just pork and no soul in it. But this one was full of soul, and the meat is succulent, soft, and
firm. The lady said her family recipe uses a particular type of curry powder and a long marinating time so all the goodies merge into one round texture and taste. More importantly to me, it has a nicely balanced mix of the fatty part and the meat part. Good satay needs to have a melt-in-the-mouth element and this one nailed it. You will find me back on Songwad Road exploring more food carts around here for sure! In addition, don’t forget to order a fresh-squeezed orange juice, “mai wan and mai khem” (not too sweet and not too much salt). This food vendor area is open every day except Monday, from 6:30 pm till 11pm. If you walk along Songwad Road (a side street of Yaowarat Road), in the direction of traffic, the collection of food carts will be on your right.
bangkok101.com
FOOD & DRINK | listings
CHINESE Chef Man
Cantonese classics in all their glory at this posh venue beloved for its dim sum and irresisible Peking duck. 3F Eastin Grand Hotel Sathorn 33/1 South Sathorn Rd. Tel: 093 135 5539 Open daily: 11.30am-2.30pm, 6pm-10pm www.chefmanrestaurant.com
Liu
A traditional place that offers all the understated grandeur of Cantonese fine dining while executing food full of contemporary notes. 3F Conrad Bangkok 87 Wireless Rd. Tel: 02 690 9999 Open daily: 11.30am-2.30pm, 6pm-10.30pm www.conradhotels3.hilton.com
GERMAN Sühring
German gastronomy comes alive using modern techniques and high-quality ingredients, while still following traditional flavour profiles. The kitchen is helmed by a pair of identical twin chefs, and the results are like nothing you’ll see anywhere else. 10 Yen Akat Soi 3 Tel: 02 287 1799 Open daily: 6pm-midnight www.facebook.com/suhringshome
INDIAN
Mei Jiang
Widely regarded as one of Bangkok’s finest Cantonese restaurants in town, Mei Jiang has built a loyal following for its dim sum, fresh classics, and behind-thescenes “Chef’s Table” concept. Garden Level, The Peninsula Bangkok 333 Charoennakorn Rd. Tel: 02 861 2888 Open daily 11.30am-2.30pm, 6pm-10.30pm www.peninsula.com
FRENCH
Bawarchi
Bawarchi
The kind of curries you’ve been missing – rich, buttery, decadent, and delicious. Check out any one of Bawarchi’s four fabulous Bangkok locations. BF Intercontinental Chidlom 973 Ploenchit Rd., Tel:02 656 0101-3 1F Ambassador Hotel Sukhumvit Soi11, Tel: 02 253 2394 India-Thai Chamber of Commerce Building, Sathorn Soi 1, Sathorn Rd., Tel: 02 677 6249 20/11 Sukhumvit Soi 4., Tel: 02 656 7357 www.bawarchiindian.com
hanging out with friends, or romantic rendezvous. 1246 Rama IV Rd. Tel: 084 459 6266 Open: Tue-Sat 11am-9pm, Sun 9am-3:30pm www.facebook.com/3nvy3nvy
Blu36
Peruvian cuisine is explored at the newly opened resto, with various dishes influenced by Peru’s long-time Spanish, African, Chinese, Japanese and Italian. Sukhumvit Soi 36 Tel: 02 661 5448 Open daily: 3pm-midnight www.facebook.com/BLU36Bangkok
Bourbon Street
New Orleans—the Big Easy—is famed for many things, from its music, to its nightlife and, of course, its distinctive Cajun food. And you’ll find it all here at this Ekkamai favourite. 9/39-40 Soi Tana Arcade, Sukhumvit Soi 63 Tel: 02 381 6801 Open daily 7am-1am www.bourbonstbkk.com
Bunker
Classically trained in French cuisine, and committed to the Slow Food movement, Chef Arnie—a new devotee of Thai cuisine—is a one-man melting pot. Take cover from ho-hum cuisine. 118/2 Soi Suksa (Sathorn Soi 12) Tel: 02 234 7749 Open daily: 6pm-midnight www.bunkerbkk.com
Charcoal
Le Boeuf
Le Boeuf
The concept at Le Boeuf is simple: high-quality steak liberally doused with a unique pea-green sauce, paired with an unlimited supply of crispy pommes frites and fresh salad. French to the core. GF Marriott Executive Apartments Mayfair 60 Soi Langsuan Tel: 02 672 12 30 Open daily 11.30am-11pm www.leboeufgroup.com 80 | AUGUST 2016
No sloppy curries swimming in ghee–only sophisticated interpretations of tandoorgrilled delicacies enjoyed by the Moghuls of old, and a unique selection of cocktails with intriguing Indian twists. 5F Fraser Suites, Sukhumvit Soi 11 Tel: 089 307 1111 Open daily: 6pm-11pm www.charcoalbkk.com
INTERNATIONAL 3nvy
European plates with a twist—from brunch favourites to comfort food—this cozy spot makes the perfect spot for
Char
Char
The amount of fantastic French and Mediterranean dishes (with a few Thai touches) that this busy rooftop restaurant can churn out in an evening means one visit most likely won’t be nearly enough. 25F-26F, Hotel Indigo 81 Wireless Rd. Tel: 02 207 4999 Open daily: 6pm-11:30pm www.hotelindigo.com/bangkok bangkok101.com
listings | FOOD & DRINK
Crepes & Co
The flavours and ingredients take in the entire sweep of the Mediterranean, borrowing heavily from Morocco and Greece, in particular. Sweet and savoury crepes are just as good for brunch as they are for a pre-bedtime treat. 59/4 Langsuan Soi 1, Tel: 02 015 3388 GF EmQuartier, Tel: 09 5251 5233 Thonglor Soi 8, Tel: 02 726 9398 7F CentralWorld, Tel: 09 2663 1386 www.facebook.com/crepesnco
Eat Me
Run by the always innovative Tim Butler, this cosy Silom restaurant is consistently ranked among the top restaurants in Asia and serves quite possibly the best steak in town. Trust us! Soi Pipat 2, Silom Rd. Tel: 02 238 0931 Open daily: 3pm-1am www.eatmerestaurant.com
are back to basics, but all will exceed your expectations. 8, Ekkamai Soi 6 Tel: 091 698 6688 Open daily: 6pm-midnight facebook.com/meatlicious
Park Society
Excite both your taste buds and eyes with a cutting-edge, elegant dinner overlooking Lumpini Park and the amazing skyline of Bangkok. Perfect for a romantic evening or a friendly get-together. Sofitel So Bangkok 2 North Sathorn Rd. Tel: 02 624 0000 Open daily: Kitchen 6pm-10.30pm, Bar 5pm-2am www.sofitel-so-bangkok.com
Meatlicious
This meat-centric restaurant is brought to you by the team behind Gaggan, voted best restaurant in Asia two years running. Some dishes are wildly inventive, some
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Scarlett
For many Bangkok residents this sky-high restaurant, with amazing city views, is one of those places that forever remains on the “favourite” list. Try their new salt aged beef main dishes, or choose from an array of superb daily specials. Pullman Bangkok Hotel G 37F, 188 Silom Rd. Tel: 02 238 1991 Open daily: 6pm-1am www.pullmanbangkokhotelg.com
Quaint
Combining an international kitchen with a few Thai twists, this charming day or evening is everything at once—café, bar, restaurant, and function venue— offering an enormous selection of food and drinks. 23 Soi Sukhumvit 61 Tel: 02 714 1998 Open daily: 8am-midnight www.facebook.com/QuaintBangkok
Red Oven Meatlicious
Tel: 02 624 0000 Open daily: 6.30pm-10.30pm, Sat-Sun Wine Brunch noon-3pm www.sofitel-so-bangkok.com
Styled as a World Food Market, this 7th-floor all-day dining venue puts a contemporary twist on buffet spreads. On weekends, the restaurant offers a scrumptious, free-flow wine brunch buffet that shouldn’t be missed. Sofitel So Bangkok 2 North Sathorn Rd.
Seed
Seed
The thrust here is toward the homey, the healthy, the rustic, the casual, and the reasonably priced. It’s designed to be the kind of place where patrons feel instantly at home. Organic wines available too. 104 Sukhumvit 39 Tel: 09 9283 6363 Open: Tues-Sun 5:30pm-midnight www.facebook.com/seedbangkok
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FOOD & DRINK | listings
Il Fumo
setting, this is one of the top places for outstanding Japanese cuisine in Bangkok. 8F The Westin Grande Sukhumvit Bangkok 259 Sukhumvit 19 Tel: 02 207 8000 Open daily: 12pm-2.30pm, 6pm-10.30pm www.kissojapaneserestaurant.com
Combining high-grade beef and traditional wood-charcoal grill cooking methods, the emphasis is on delicious smoke-flavoured Italian fare. Go for the charcoal, stay for a cocktail. 1098/2 Rama IV Rd. Tel: 02 286 8833 Open: Mon-Sat 6pm-1am (kitchen 11:30pm) www.ilfumo.co Upstairs at Mikkeller
Upstairs at Mikkeller
Upstairs is an intimate affair—just six small tables and a very open kitchen in the corner of the room where Chef Bark and his sous chef put the finishing touches on dishes before they land on your white linen tablecloth. 26 Ekkamai Soi 10, Yaek 2 Tel: 02 381 9891 Open: Fri-Sat 6:30pm-10:30pm facebook.com/upstairsatmikkellerbkk
ITALIAN Don Giovanni
The menu is full of home-style recipes, the concept rarely straying from traditional Italian. Along with neoclassical décor, the culinary approach lends this restaurant a decorous air befitting its operatic name. Centara Grand at Central Plaza Ladprao 1695 Phaholyothin Rd. Tel: 0 2541 1234 Open: Mon-Sat 11.30am-2.30pm, 8pm-10.30pm www.centarahotelsresorts.com
Taihei
Medici Kitchen & Bar
Traditional Italian cuisine in a stylish setting, dining here is like stepping into the murky waters of times past. The open kitchen combines the fresh and raw properties of authentic Liscia food ingredients, with the chef’s own culinary imagination. GF, Hotel Muse Bangkok 55/555 Langsuan Rd. Tel: 02 630 4000 Open daily: 12pm-2:30pm, 6pm-10:30pm www.medici-italian-restaurant-bangkok.com
There’s a real commitment to quality leading the charge at Taihei. The food is beautiful, and it tastes great, to boot. Honest-to-goodness Japanese served from atmospheric heights. 53/54F Banyan Tree Bangkok 21/100 South Sathorn Rd. Tel: 02 679 1200 Open daily: 11.30am-2.30pm, 6pm-10.30pm www.banyantree.com
Scalini
Italian with enough surprises to satisfy the curious diner. For example, the antipasti retain a Mediterranean base while adding lighter, Asian-influenced twists. Hilton Sukhumvit Bangkok 11 Sukhumvit Soi 24 Tel: 02 620 6666 Open daily: Noon-2.30pm, 6pm-11pm www.hilton.com
JAPANESE Kisso
Combining a modern mastery of timehonoured customs in a stylish and convivial
Shintori
Ten-Sui
Ten-Sui
High-end Japanese restaurants abound in Bangkok, but it’s hard to imagine a more authentic experience than you’ll find at this elegant eatery. 33 Soi Sukhumvit 16 Tel: 08 8540 1001 Open daily: 11.30am-2pm, 5.30pm-10pm www.tensui.co
Start your week with hearty breakfast 75/1 Sathorn soi 10 t: 02 635 3464 Open: Daily 7.00-19.00
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notjustanothercup @notjustanothercup
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listings | FOOD & DRINK
KOREAN Kong Ju
When you’re voted Bangkok’s favorite Korean restaurant 13 years running you must be doing something right. The chefs here go to painstaking lengths to ensure an authentic dining experience, by preparing meals of unparalleled culinary brilliance. Highly recommended. 2F Pathumwan Princess Hotel 444 MBK Center, Phayathai Rd. Tel: 02 216 3700 Open daily: Lunch 11:30am-2pm, Dinner 5:30pm-10pm www.pprincess.com
The Mexican
It’s worth the journey down Sukhumvit Soi 2 if you’re looking to find some of Bangkok’s most authentic Mexican food and drinks. The interior is also an eyepopping delight, with a huge mural of the Aztec Goddess Mictlantecuhtli (the First Lady of the Dead) dominating the room. 18 Rajah Complex, Sukhumvit Soi 2 Tel: 094 330 0390 Open daily: 11am-midnight www.themexicanbkk.com
SEAFOOD
MIDDLE EASTERN Beirut
A Bangkok classic serving classic Lebanese dishes at reasonable prices. The hummus and falafel are praiseworthy. Sukhumvit Soi 2, Ploenchit Center Tel: 02 656 7377 Open daily: 10am-10pm www.beirut-restaurant.com
MEXICAN
The Oyster Bar
The Oyster Bar
You know a restaurant takes seafood seriously when several pages of the menu are devoted entirely to oysters. 395 Naradhiwas Rajanagarindra 24 Tel: 0 2212 4809 Open: Mon-Sat 6pm-11pm, Sun noon-10pm www.theoysterbarbangkok.com
SPANISH/LATIN El Gaucho
Mexicano
Mexicano
Formerly Señor Pico, Bangkok’s original Mexican restaurant, this new incarnation builds on a foundation of outstanding Mexican cuisine. Rembrandt Hotel Bangkok 19 Sukhumvit Soi 18 Tel: 0 2261 7100 Open daily: 5pm-midnight, Sat brunch 12pm-3pm www.facebook.com/mexicanobkk bangkok101.com
Meat lovers will enjoy the authentic taste of Argentinian steak in all its flame-kissed goodness, the meals best rounded out with a hearty South American red wine. 8/1-7 Sukhumvit Soi 19. 02 255 2864 88/36 Sukhumvit Soi 55. 087 213 088 Open daily: 11am-late www.elgaucho.asia
Osito
New York meets Madrid. A neighbourhood Dean & DeLuca during the day, with its own smoker, churro machine, and deli sandwiches like the Reuben, it morphs into a Spanish tapas bar-cum-restaurant at night. 888/23-24 Mahatun Plaza, Ploenchit Rd. Tel: 02 651 4399 Open: Mon-Fri 10.30am-12am, Sat-Sun 10am-12am www.ositobkk.com AUGUST 2016 | 83
FOOD & DRINK | listings
STEAK & BURGER
Ruen Urai
Set in the former residence of the herbal medical doctor to King Rama V, Ruen Urai uses herbs and spices with medicinal qualities, while delivering refined Thai fare using the finest fresh ingredients. The Rose Hotel 118 Surawongse Rd. Tel: 02 266 8268-72 Open daily: noon-11pm www.ruen-urai.com
46/5 Piman 49, Sukhumvit Soi 49 Tel: 02 662 6311 Open daily: 11am-10pm www.saigon-recipe.com
VEGETARIAN
Meat & Bones
Meat & Bones
Nothing represents the very soul of stateside cooking than a smokehouse BBQ, and here the slow-smoked ribs are as traditional as it gets. The name says it all. The Commons, Thong Lor 17 Tel: 081 933 7143 Open: Mon-Thu 11:30am-2:30pm, 5:30pm-10pm, Fri-Sun, 11:30am-10:30pm facebook.com/meatandbonesbangkok
THAI Baan Rub Rong
One of the few restaurants in the area that we can confidently say is worth the effort to track down. A plainly attired, affordable bastion of very good Thai food, made the old-fashioned way. 8 Soi Mooban Seri Villa (Srinakarin Soi 55) Tel: 02 185 6029 Open: 10am-10pm www.baanrubrong.com
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Broccoli Revolution
Broccoli Revolution Paste
Paste
Delivering superlative fare with exceptional panache, and this modern riff on Thai food is not just instantly gratifying, but also truly memorable. 3F Gaysorn Shopping Centre 999 Ploenchit Rd. Tel: 02 656 1003 Open daily: noon-2pm, 6.30pm-11pm www.pastebangkok.com
VIETNAMESE Saigon Recipe
The well-designed dishes here reward closer inspection, as flavours reveal themselves in prescribed order.
The brick-walled warehouse turned veg-friendly restaurant features a menu full of bright veggie bites that could pull in the most stubborn carnivore. 899 Sukhumvit Rd. (at Soi 49) Tel: 02 662 5001 Open daily: 7am-10pm Facebook: Broccoli Revolution
CAFÉ Kiosk CafÊ
Located in The Barkyard Bangkok Complex, this dog-friendly boite, is a fetching choice for an exceptional meal, a friendly cake-and-chat, or a hot coffee. 65 Sukhumvit 26 Tel: 02 259 4089 Open: Tue-Thu 10.30am-9pm, Fri-Sun 10.30am-11pm www.kiosk-cafe.com
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CUISINE ART
Discover the Secret Oasis that is Ruen Urai Experience fine Thai culinary art in the elegant surroundings of a historic century-old golden teakwood mansion. Casual dining and bar from noon to 11 p.m. Ruen Urai at the Rose Hotel 118 Soi Na Wat Hualumphong, Surawongse Road Tel. (66) 2 266 8268-72 www.ruen-urai.com
NIGHTLIFE |
Enjoying the view at Attitude rooftop bar and restaurant 86 | AUGUST 2016
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| NIGHTLIFE
NIGHTLIFE altitude with attitude
Riding “high” on the success of their grand opening earlier this year, the AVANI RIVERSIDE BANGKOK HOTEL (257 Charoennakorn Rd) invites trendy tipplers to check out ATTITUDE rooftop bar and restaurant. Enjoy sundowner drinks, artisan cocktails, and signature tapas creations at this recently opened spacious and stylish rooftop retreat. Located by the hotel’s stunning infinity pool, guests can spend a chilled out evening gazing out over Bangkok’s glittering skyline. Open daily from 6pm till 1am, with resident DJs every night.
water, water everywhere! At a recent press lunch at the WATER LIBRARY CHAMCHURI, chef de cuisine MIRCO KELLER previewed some of his latest culinary creations and they are indeed worth the journey to this chic eatery’s flagship location—tucked away on Level 2 of CHAMCHURI SQUARE (near the Sam Yan MRT Station). The restaurant is notable for its floor-to-ceiling display of bottled water brands, as well as it’s extensive drink menu—which includes inventive Aperitif and Digestif cocktails—but the newly revamped menu is truly extraordinary. Highlights include: Gazpacho Adaluz, with mango and prawn; a Pulled Pork gourmet burger with spicy lobster mayo; and a Passion Fruit Pudding with raspberries, gianduja chocolate, and caramel corn. Yum!
stylish shuckers Enjoy an unlimited reserve of oysters during the first weekends of the next two months at VOGUE LOUNGE, located on the 6th floor of the MAHANAKHON CUBE (92 Narathiwas Ratchanakharin Rd). From 5pm until late (on August 5-7, and September 2-4) delicious Fine de Claire and Marennes Olerons Number 2 oysters, along with a half bottle of premium wine, will be available for B1,400++ per person. Choose from Prego Nero Prosecco Brut (Italy), Delas, Cote du Rhone St. Esprit (France), and Sauvignon Blanc, Antropo, Marlboroough (New Zealand), and get ready to shuck and suck in style.
more landmark losses While everyone seems to be tripping over themselves to try out all the new bars, clubs and lounges opening up all over the city week after week, some of the nightlife stalwarts that really added character and unique personality to Bangkok’s after-dark scene have, tragically, called it a day. This past month saw the demise of the “anything goes” performance space OVERGROUND (on Suhumvit Soi 22), as well as MOOSE, a favourite indie live music venue tucked away on Ekkamai Soi 21. Sadly the lesson here is we gotta enjoy these places while we can, and show them all the love we got, cuz you never know when they’ll pack it all in. July also saw the closure of the historic CHECK INN 99, however a hand-written sign taped to the door says they’ve already relocated to ADMIRAL’S BAR in the Oakwood Apartments building on Sukhumvit Soi 24.
bangkok101.com
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NIGHTLIFE | review
Touché Hombre A
Mexican mezcals and top-end tequilas
livid mural of a green tiger battling a giant Chinese serpent, sprawled across whitewashed brick on the upper floor of 72 Courtyard, announces the location of Touché Hombre. Like it’s mother branch in Melbourne, Touché Hombre is the brainchild of style-meister Davis Yu, owner and founder of three Melbourne restaurants and design studio Maison Davis. Sebastian De La Cruz, the man behind the tiki-inspired cocktails at Uncle manages the bar’s weighty tequila and mezcal archive. Mezcal, a little-understood Mexican relative of tequila, is well represented with more than 20 behind the bar and more on the way. We started with a flight of three mezcals (B1125) produced by the venerable Del Maguey label. Like all true mezcals, they’ve come from village distilleries where burros—not machines—crush baked agave hearts to produce agave extract, which is then boiled and distilled into mezcal. De La Cruz says around 90 percent of all mezcals are made from the agave espadin, as is the first sample in
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the flight. The clear, colourless liquor bears the smoky, slightly sweet profile of many fine mezcals I’ve enjoyed in Mexico City. The second mezcal, made with agave salmiana, is the smoothest of the three. Its fresh, citrusy—yet unmistakably agave—flavours could lead a blind taster to mistake it for tequila, so this is a good one for mezcal beginners. The third, squeezed out of agave cenizo, presents a strongly herbal, woody flavour, and is definitely this flight’s most unique discovery. For his tequila and mezcal cocktails, De La Cruz aims not to challenge drinkers, but to give them drinks that are full of flavour yet easy to appreciate. The Margarita del Tommy (B275) is a dangerously smooth cocktail that mixes El Jimador Resposado with lime juice and agave syrup. The latter takes the place of the Triple Sec or Cointreau found in most other margaritas. My favorite of the evening is the La Condesa (B259), a drink inspired by the Manhattan, in which bourbon is replaced with Del Maguey Vida Mezcal and El Jimador Reposado. Meanwhile red vermouth and grenadine are
joined by Cynar, an artichoke-based bittersweet liqueur that goes well with agave liquors. Among the several Mexicaninspired dishes our table raved about was Fundito del Touché (B300), a luscious blend of Mexican cheeses, fresh oregano, roasted chile pasilla, and fresh habanero, baked to bubbling perfection. Also amazing was Oven-roasted kingfish (B695) marinated in achiote paste and served with grilled lime, charred chile pasilla, pickled tomatillos and an achiote dipping sauce. Finally the Taco al Pastor (B225), made with top-quality roast local pork belly folded into a homemade corn tortilla with achiote-chile sauce, pineapple chunks, and onions, was easily one of the best tacos I’ve ever eaten anywhere on the planet. by Joe Cummings/CPA Media
Touché Hombre
Level 1, 72 Courtyard (Sukhumvit Soi 55) Tel: 02 392 7760 Open: Open daily: 6pm-1am (Fri-Sat till 2am) www.touchehombre.com bangkok101.com
review | NIGHTLIFE
Evil Man Blues
I
Neon nirvana for neighbourhood nighthawks
n the community-mall-cumentertainment-center rage in Thonglor, 72 Courtyard has upped the stakes with a gaggle of bars, gastropubs, and clubs scattered about the open-plan, concrete-andsteel complex. Evil Man Blues, one of the latest to open, occupies a groundfloor box kitted out to resemble an Art Deco American diner—the kind inspired by streamliner train cars, with a long narrow space and a barrel-vault roofline. A bar-and-stool counter, along with striking neon, uplights, and chrome accents, complete the effect. Take a stool, order a Manhattan, and imagine yourself in Edward Hopper’s iconic 1942 painting “Nighthawks.” American mixologist Liam Baer, the brains behind the bar, picked up his skills in New York, including a stint at Chinatown’s famed Apoteke. Baer’s drink credo can be summarized in one sentence, “If you can’t taste the spirit, for me it’s not a proper cocktail.” The bar stocks only top-shelf spirits, housemade mixers, and fresh garnishes. Baer starts me off with a cocktail that earned him a spot in 101 Best bangkok101.com
Cocktails, an annual selection by Gaz Regan, the Keith Richards of the cocktail world. Innocently called Honey Badger (B390), the amberhued ambrosia mixes rosemaryinfused bourbon with yellow Chartreuse, honey syrup, ginger, and lemon bitters. If you’ve come down with a rainy-season cold, this should cure it. After I confess I’m partial to bourbon, Baer offers Jetlagged (B490), a misty place where bourbon, Grand Marnier, and sweet vermouth meet and fall in love. It takes me a moment to catch the joke in the name of the next cocktail—Rum Inside Me, I’m on the Dill (B390). Although seemingly not as spirit-forward as the previous drinks, in fact it contains both gin and rum (the highly aromatic Chalong Bay, Thailand’s own), along with green Chartreuse, dill, cucumber, lemon, grapefruit soda, and a dash of salt. This is an all-rounder that should please tipplers of any age, gender, or sexual orientation. A concise bar food menu— created by chef Steven Yook—is available to soak up the fumes as you
streamline through the neon night. We enjoy a homey plate of Mac N Cheese Balls (B220), balls of crabmeat rolled with Cajun flavours, and the signature Evil Man Burger (B360), a hearty beef patty stacked with cheddar, bacon, lettuce, tomato, truffle mayo, roasted onions and mushrooms. If you need a healthy option, the Ballroom Salad (B220) combines Japanese eggplant, pumpkin, broccoli, and cauliflower, and should ease your guilt. But prepare to sin again with a dessert of Guss Damn Good (B150), an icy concoction of olive oil, bourbon and yuzu sorbets. Music-wise, the regular playlist emphasizes funk and R&B, and every Friday renowned jazz guitarist Dan Philips and his Bangkok Edge Quartet play heady sets of challenging and original music. by Joe Cummings/CPA Media
Evil Man Blues
GF, 72 Courtyard (Sukhumvit Soi 55) Tel: 02 392 7740 Open: Tues-Sun, 6pm-2am www.facebook.com/EvilManBlues AUGUST 2016 | 89
NIGHTLIFE | imbibe
Heating Up the Humidor Seksun Yonglek’s elevated Old Fashioned adds flair to the Balcony Lounge & Humidor at the Intercontinental Bangkok
As afternoon turns to evening, the vibe at the Balcony Lounge builds. Seats are taken, neckties are loosened, and jazz piano fills the space between conversations and cocktails at InterContinental Bangkok’s plush post-work gathering place. But whilst the Balcony Lounge may be ideal for sharpish out-of-office drinks, there’s no better place to decompress than the hotel’s very own Humidor cigar bar. With an incredible selection of premium cigars, most coming from Cuba—including a variety of Cohibas and Montecristos—the Humidor is 90 | AUGUST 2016
a prime destination for connoisseurs of life’s finer things. Settle into a leather sofa, order a medium-bodied Bolivar, and maybe crack open a book as the fading sunlight reflects off the room’s silver accents. The Humidor is the kind of place where time seems to slow down at your command. And it isn’t just quality cigars, soft leather, and a total lack of urgency that distinguish this space, either. Impeccable cocktails prepared by resident barman Seksun Yonglek pair perfectly with the flavours and aromas of the Cubans on offer, taking this sophisticated library-lounge to a somewhat higher echelon.
“I love the creativity of mixology,” explains Seksun, a selftaught veteran of flair competitions who, after some urging, throws a bottle of lime juice over his head with one hand, snatches it with the other, and starts to loop it around his back. “But when I’m drinking, I prefer the classics, like the Old Fashioned— a little strong, always smooth.” With his Old Fashioned, Seksun bangkok101.com
imbibe | NIGHTLIFE
doesn’t shy away from tradition—he builds on it. First, he muddles a sugar cube with Angostura bitters, marrying the two ingredients. To this he adds 50ml of Chivas Regal 18, a uniquely rich blend of malt and grain whiskies from distilleries across Scotland, including the classic Speyside malt from Strathisla. Its prominent notes of dark chocolate and orange, as well as a sweet, lingering smokiness, provide a pleasant bitterness that complements the cocktail’s mellow notes. After a few stirs, he twists orange peel over the mix and wipes the rim of the glass with it, amplifying the aromatics. The bangkok101.com
flavours and mouthfeels form a complex harmony, swirling from cool to warm and sweet to smoky, letting the whisky shine all the while. Simple, yet sublime. For pairing with cigars, especially those with roasted, earthy notes, Seksun’s Old Fashioned represents an exciting diversion from bourbon and single malts on the rocks. The drink doesn’t dominate the cigar, or vice versa. Rather, the underlying bitter elements brought out by the Chivas Regal 18 complement the finest of the Humidor’s many offerings. “The best ingredients make all the difference,” says the surprisingly
stoic Seksun, a nod to the savvy move to elevate the world’s most popular cocktail with this iconic Scotch whisky blend. You don’t have to enjoy cigars to appreciate the intricate balance of Seksun’s drinks, though. The Humidor is so well-ventilated that only a trace of cigar smoke remains in the air, like a slowly fading spritz of a sweet perfume. So stop by the Balcony Lounge for jazz and good company, or retreat to the Humidor, where you can enjoy your own company even when the room is full. No matter your taste in setting, the long-time bartender has a classic cocktail with your name on it. AUGUST 2016 | 91
NIGHTLIFE | live music
The Rock Philosopher By Dave Crimaldi
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Photo of John Will Sail by Dave Crimaldi
efore we begin the August roundup of mind mashing musical jihad, may I salute Moose on Soi Ekkamai, and Overground on Sukhumvit Soi 22—two recently departed Bangkok live music venues. Both have put on great shows in the past and will be sorely missed in the future. Meanwhile, on the local indie music front, good things are happening at Speakerbox at the Ratchada Train Night Market (located behind the Esplanade Mall at Thailand Cultural Center MRT station). There’s an open mic there every Wednesday, hosted by David Vogel and Clive Pendock, and local musicians can contact the promoters via Facebook to sign up. On August 13th, Degaruda will also grace (or destroy) Speakerbox along with Brand New Sunset, PHY and Stylish Nonsense, so mark your calendars as this is a stellar lineup that should appeal to you music fans unconcerned with the use of a hearing aid before your hair turns gray, and who don’t flinch when someone spills beer all over you in a dark stinky rock’n’roll bar.
Other Road Records has also been busy lighting aural infernos all over town. Check out Folk It!@The Commons on Wednesdays for live solo performances, including August 17th when Other Road Records founder John Will Sail performs a mix of originals and covers (the last time I saw him play I got a bit of a dopamine fix when he started a medley of covers including “Jack and Diane” by John Cougar Mellencamp, followed by at least one Bon Jovi song!). Also, check out the solo singer-songwriter performances at Kai on Sathorn Soi 12, where every Friday evening they present Thank Folk It’s Friday. Another live show that should be amazing is the Chaos Jam taking place August 17th at 12x12 (Soi Ekkamai 19), featuring revered indie music pioneers Stylish Nonsense with experimental guitarist Kota. On a very different note, fans of electrobeat might be interested in the August 9th Breakbot show at GMM Live House, (8th floor of CentralWorld mall) which also has Chiang Mai synth-pop band Polycat on the bill. Personally I hate bands using electronic drums live, which is why I might be more likely 92 | AUGUST 2016
Listen Up! Recently I saw my friends the hardcore punk band God Hates performing at Overstay (across the river in Pinklao). They gave me a CD simply titled 1926. The lyrics included with the CD are printed in a minuscule font that requires a magnifying glass to decipher, but it’s probably worth it as these songs are like hardcore punk poetry diving deep into the soul of a civilization at the end of the wick. This is not the dawn of humanity, but the apocalypse. The glass is half empty. If you are increasingly alarmed with the state of the world, daily doses of misery every day in the form of racial violence or religious extremists, God Hates is not the cure, but the cry through gnashed teeth and flying fists: God, Why do you hate us? Why have you forsaken us? The soul of punk is always with the live shows and the studio release always has to deliver the same raw power or the fans will notice. This is a great sounding CD even through the blown speakers of a 10 yearold stereo. I was at the very first God Hates shows at Fatty’s, witnessing singer James—a thoughtful, eloquent lyricist—simply explode like a time bomb on stage. Those early performances were electrifying and the band whipped the audience into a cyclone of cathartic aggression. If you count yourself as one of the forsaken, you can contact the band to buy the CD. www.facebook.com/godhatesbkk
found at the Fleshgod Apocalypse show, which is slated for August 30th at The Rock Pub (93/26-28 Hollywood St Building, at BTS Ratchathewi station). Tickets for this 5-piece Italian “death metal” band are B1,200 at the door. Also of note is the little, unknown gem on Soi 26, Queen Bee, which still features some commendable tribute acts including Sticky Fingers (Stones), Medicine Mixers (Dylan) and Roy Jet (various hard rock and classic rock). Finally, the Minnesotan songwriter Ryan Holweger, last seen guzzling beer and fighting hiccups on Soi 8, reports a CD release party happening this month at Fatty’s (date TBA so keep an eye out on Facebook). To read more about Bangkok’s music scene, visit The Rock Philosopher at davecrimaldi.weebly.com bangkok101.com
club report | NIGHTLIFE
The DJ Booth By Wahtihdah Shannon Duffy
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t was tough for me to assess whether the NACC Social Club’s “BYOE” can truly be considered a nightlife event. These “Bring Your Own Everything” nights take place at the NACC space (37 Soi Nana, off Charoenkrung Rd), and definitely don’t fit any commonplace criteria of the zillion bars and nightclubs Bangkok is home to. But the events, which now take place every Saturday (by popular demand), happen… well, during the night and include beer—which you bring yourself—and sure fit the bill for me when it comes to nightlife entertainment. What’s endlessly interesting about NACC’s “BYOE” is that it’s a new type of nighttime activity that allows the creators and appreciators of Bangkok’s art community to, literally, bring their own content into an open space media project. But don’t get too confused, the NACC Social Club is not anything near a club with a sound system and a bar decked with bottles of booze (so don’t step through the heavyset metal door with expectations of entering a spot like Dark Bar, on Soi Sukhumvit 63). Instead, the NACC is a very tastefully derelict shophouse that plays host to media projects, performances, photography exhibitions, and other installations. However, the eclectic BYOE events are set in the same type of supportive and open format each time, and give the community a chance to exhibit and share what they will. There’s a limitless potential of what to be expected every Saturday night, and it’s that unknown factor that makes it so highly anticipated. Running from 9pm till late, these Saturdays soirees can be considered more of an artistically expressive type of event—recommended for creatives who need a break from the ordinary nighttime activities of mindless inebriation and beat blasting. bangkok101.com
And while new ideas are always exciting, sometimes it’s good to review the old. Nite Ride, which has been taking place for over a year now, remains an event worth repeat visits. The event takes place on the last Saturday of each month at Studio Lam (Sukhumvit Soi 51 Alley), and pays homage to the early days of dance clubs and faceless DJ’s who played vinyl on turntables to crowds who understood the groove of the music and wanted to translate that groove into expressive dance moves. With a focus on music of the modern funk, boogie, disco, and electro-funk variety, the whole aim of the night is to return back to the times when the DJ took a backseat and let the music do the driving. Resident DJs include Boogie G, Lows, Dangdut Banget, and Gramaphone Children, and the last time I was there multiple beers were crashing onto the floor—an indication of the reckless dancing that was taking place. Nite Ride is also a night totally packed with people of all ages, all appreciating the atmosphere and music of the more classically boogie-down type. From tropical to funk, and all the way to the layered and soaring sounds of 70’s disco, being at Nite Ride means you’re always going to hear a tune that will transport you back in time to the Farrah Fawcett and moon boot days of your bell-bottom wearing parents (or maybe even your OWN bell-bottom days). In the end, it might be hard to tell if it’s the passion of the moment and special curation of groovy music, or that shot of Ya Dong in your hand, that makes you want to throw your arms up and channel Soul Train. But what we know for sure is that no one’s put the brakes on Nite Ride yet. AUGUST 2016 | 93
NIGHTLIFE | listings
BARS 22 Steps Bar
A great place to unwind, enjoying a cocktail or fine cigar while watching the world go by. Enjoy happy hour from 5pm to 9pm every day, and don’t miss Ladies’ night on Wednesday which offers women two hours of free-flow sparkling wine from 9pm-11pm. Hotel Indigo Bangkok 81, Wireless Rd. Tel: 02 207 4999 Open daily: 3pm-11.30pm www.hotelindigo.com/bangkok
Craft ‘N Roll Café
Located a bit out of the way—almost in Nonthaburi—this unique venue is worth a visit if you are interested to see what local Thai craft beer brewers are capable of producing. And the results will no doubt have you returning soon for more. 115 Soi Charan Sanitwong 95/1 Tel: 098 260 9292 Open daily: 5pm-midnight www.craftnroll.net
About Eatery
About Eatery
Smalls
Decorated with vintage furniture and art, giving it a true bohemian vibe, this wellloved, three-storey neighbourhood drink spot offers a wide selection of beers, wines, and hard-to-find liquors, as well as, the occasional live jazz band. 186/3 Suan Phlu Soi 1 Tel: 095 585 1398 Open: Wed-Mon, 8.30pm-2am www.facebook.com/smallsbkk
Badmotel
This three-floor joint is minimally decorated and painted bright white. The ground floor’s buzzing bar and tree-lined garden make a pleasant spot to sip on the venue’s “Creation Cocktails”. 331/4-5, Sukhumvit Soi 55 Tel: 02 712 7288 Open daily: 5pm-1am www.facebook.com/badmotel
Craft
Serving craft beer on draft in all its glory, this outdoor patio-bar plays host to food trucks each weekend, spins good tunes, and, most importantly, operates over 40 taps of delicious brews. 16, Sukhumvit Soi 23, Tel: 02 661 3320 981 Silom Rd., Tel: 02 258 2464 Open daily: 2pm-12am www.craftbangkok.com 94 | AUGUST 2016
Whiskey and cigars are the focal points of this rapidly expanding Bangkok empire. Each outlet is a little different, but all cater to the finer things in life. 16 Sukhumvit Soi 23, Tel: 02 664 4252 981 Silom Rd., Tel: 02 630 1997 2F Mahatun Plaza, Tel: 02 650 8157 www.whisgars.com
House of Beers (HOBS)
This Belgian-leaning chain of bar offers all sorts of imported quaffs, from wheat beers like Leffe Blonde and Hoegaarden to esoteric specials like Kwak. The refreshments are augmented by Belgian fries and tapas-style bar snacks. Penny’s Balcony, Tel: 02 392 3513 1F Groove at CentralWorld, Tel: 02 613 1322 La Villa Aree, Tel: 02 613 0572 Aree Garden, Tel: 02 617 1600 INT Intersect, Tel: 02 682 6400 Nawamin Festival Walk, Tel: 02 907 0934-5 www.houseofbeers.com
The bottom line is this: if you are a wine lover, you’ll love this place. It’s a warm and welcoming bar and restaurant that specializes in Mediterranean fare and artisan wines made using natural, biodynamic, and organic methods. GF, Ocean Tower II, Sukhumvit 21, Soi 3 Tel: 081 920 0740 Open: Mon-Fri, 11:30am-2pm, Mon-Sat, 5pm–1am www.abouteatery.com
Whisgars
The Friese-Greene Club
The Friese-Greene Club
This member’s only club (guests are always welcome), screens films in a tiny cinema on the second floor and serves reasonably priced drinks on the first. 259/6 Sukhumvit Soi 22 Tel: 087 000 0795, 080 733 8438 Open: Tue-Sun 6pm-11pm www.fgc.in.th
Wishbeer Home Bar
Wishbeer Home Bar
It’s back and bigger than ever with new digs on the corner of Sukhumvit 67, where, though it remains a work in progress, it already welcomes satisfied beer drinkers by the dozens each night. Sukhumvit Soi 67 Tel : 0 2392 1403 Open daily 7.30am-1am www.wishbeerhomebar.com
Woobar
Chic and low-lit without being cold or inaccessible, and spacious enough to find a seat without feeling vacant. Swing by for Ladies’ Night, an after-work release or, better yet, a weekend party. GF W Bangkok 106 North Sathorn Rd. Tel: 02 344 4131 Open daily: 9am-12am www.wbangkok.com
ROOFTOP / SKY BARS Above Eleven
A west-facing, 33rd-floor rooftop bar with beautiful sunsets, an outdoor wooden deck bar, an impressive cocktail list, and an electro soundtrack. 33F Fraser Suites Sukhumvit Hotel 38/8 Sukhumvit Soi 11 Tel: 02 207 9300 Open daily: 6pm-2am www.aboveeleven.com bangkok101.com
listings | NIGHTLIFE
Barley Bistro
Check out the open-air rooftop, littered with fans, bean bags, and funky barley stalk sculptures. It’s a solid choice for some post-work/pre-club cocktails. 4F Food Channel, Silom Rd. Tel: 087 033 3919 Open daily: 5pm-late www.barleybistro.com
Moon Bar & Vertigo
The top floors of the Banyan Tree Hotel offer three iconic rooftop spots: Moon Bar, Vertigo, and the 64th floor Vertigo Too. All are perfect spots for honeymooners. 61/64F Banyan Tree Bangkok 21/100 South Sathorn Rd. Tel: 02 679 1200 Open daily: 5pm-1am www.banyantree.com
56F Centara Grand & Bangkok Convention Centre at CentralWorld, 999/99 Rama 1 Rd. Tel: 02 100 6255 Open Daily: 4pm-1am (Happy Hours: 4pm-6 pm) www.centarahotelsresorts.com
ThreeSixty Lounge
Go sky high in style above Bangkok’s Chao Phraya River at Millennium Hilton Bangkok’s grand rooftop venue. With 360° panorama vistas of the city, this lounge spot truly stands out from other sky bars in the city. 31-32 F Millennium Hilton Bangkok 123 Charoennakorn Rd. Tel: 02 442 2000 Open daily: 5pm-1am www.bangkok.hilton.com
6F 35 Sukhumvit Soi 11 Tel: 082 308 3246 Open daily: 9pm-3am www.facebook.com/levelsclub
Mixx Discotheque
Classier than most of Bangkok’s afterhour clubs, a two-room affair decked out with chandeliers, paintings, and billowing sheets that lend it a desert tent feel. President Tower Arcade, 973 Ploenchit Rd. Tel: 02 656 0382 Open daily: 10pm-late www.mixx-discotheque.com/bangkok
PUBS
CLUBS Cé La Vi
Red Sky Bar
Red Sky Bar
One of Bangkok’s most acclaimed rooftop bars, Red Sky Bar is perched dramatically above the heart of the city, boasting breathtaking 360-degree views of the cityscape. Sit back and relax at dusk, indulge in light bites and drinks such as the signature Imperial Mojito and Martini-infused cocktails.
bangkok101.com
Cé La Vi Bangkok (formerly Ku De Ta Bangkok) is one of Bangkok’s top nightlife venues, a vast and glittering club with skyscraper ceilings and a long window that affords an exceptional view. 39-40F Sathorn Square Complex 98 North Sathorn Rd. Tel: 02 108 2000 Open daily: 12pm-late www.celavi.com
Levels
One of the most reliably busy nightclubs in Bangkok that welcomes a mix of resident expats, stylish Thai party animals, and wide-eyed holiday-makers that can’t get enough.
The Australian
The Australian
A wide and bright Australian import, complete with beer schooners as well as bottles from Coopers and VB, live rugby matches on TV, and rock bands on stage. 37 Sukhumvit Soi 11 Tel: 02 651 0800 Open daily: 9am-late www.theaustralianbkk.com
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NIGHTLIFE | listings
The Drunken Leprechaun
This heavily Irish-themed establishment offers delicious pub grub and drinks from the Emerald Isle and beyond. The nightly entertainment includes weekly pub quizzes, generous happy (with complimentary snacks). Four Points by Sheraton, 4 Sukhumvit 15 Tel: 02 309 3255 Open daily: 10am-1am www.thedrunkenleprechaun.com
LIVE MUSIC
SoulBar
Apoteka
Metalwork, modern art, and live Motown, funk, blues, and soul form the backbone of this stark, yet cool, shophouse turned small bar on the edge of Chinatown’s art district. 945 Charoenkrung Rd. Tel: 083 092 2266 Open daily: Mon-Fri 6pm-1am www.facebook.com/livesoulbarbangkok
Adhere the 13th Blues Bar
Tawandaeng German Brewery
Apoteka
The Huntsman
The Huntsman
English-style pub, cool and dark, with lots of nooks and crannies and a Sunday roast like no other. GF The Landmark Hotel 138 Sukhumvit Rd. Tel: 02 254 0404 Open daily: 11.30am-2am www.landmarkbangkok.com/huntsman-pub
The Pickled Liver
Pub grub, pool, quizzes, live music, and more make this landmark pub–now in its second incarnation–a perennial favourite with locals. Sukhumvit Soi 7/1 (opposite Maxim’s Hotel) Tel: 02 651 1114 Open daily: 3pm-late www.thepickledliver.com
3/8 Victory Monument, Phayathai Rd. Tel: 02 246 5472 Open daily: 6pm-2am www.saxophonepub.com
Built to emulate a 19th-century apothecary, this place has an old-school feel, an awesome line-up of live music, and a drink selection including beer and custom crafte cocktails. 33/28 Sukhumvit Soi 11 Tel: 09 0626 7655 Open daily: Mon-Thu 5pm-1am, Fri 5pm-2am, Sat-Sun 3pm-midnight www.apotekabkk.com
One of Bangkok’s funkiest, coolest hangouts, and nothing more than an aisle packed with five tables, a tiny bar, and a band that churns out cool blues, Motown, and originals. 13 Samsen Rd. (opposite Soi 2) Open daily: 6pm-midnight Tel: 089 769 4613 www.facebook.com/adhere13thbluesbar
Saxophone
A must-visit live music joint, dishing out stiff drinks and killer blues, ska, and jazz every single night of the week.
Tawandaeng German Brewery
A vast, barrel-shaped beer hall that packs in the revellers who come for towers of micro-brewed authentic German-style beer. The Thai, Chinese, and German pub grub also draws a crowd, but the famous Fong Nam house band is purely for lovers of kitsch and schmaltz. 462/61 Rama III Rd Tel: 02 678 1114 Open daily: 5pm-1am www.tawandang.co.th
H A V E A R E L A X I N G F U L L D AY E S C A P E AT 7 TH H E A V E N Enjoy your day with a friend or your special one at Conrad Bangkok Spend a minimum of THB 2,000++ at Seasons Spa, get to buy a one-day pass to enjoy the fitness facility, swimming pool, and tennis court at THB 1,000 net for two persons. Children under 12 years old enter for free. All Seasons Place, 87 Wireless Road, Bangkok 10330 Thailand For reservations call 02 690 9355 or bkkci.spa@conradhotels.com Term and Condition One-day fitness membership and access swimming pool must be used on the same day as your spa treatment.
7th Heaven AD - Bangkok 101 • size 15.6 x 7.2 cm. • Full Colors
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LIFESTYLE |
“I’m A Durian” ice cream treat from the Issaya La Pâtisserie Pastry Cookbook 98 | AUGUST 2016
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| LIFESTYLE
LIFE+STYLE eye-popping pastries If you’ve ever fantasized about becoming a high-end pastry chef, you’ll be interested to know that Bangkok’s own ISSAYA LA PÂTISSERIE has recently published its first English language pastry cookbook, featuring 56 beautifully illustrated recipes you can “attempt” to make at home (these exquisite works of pastry art go well beyond cakes and cookies). All of the recipes—from pastries and ice creams, to plated desserts and savoury snacks—were painstakingly created by renowned chefs IAN KITTICHAI and ARISARA ‘PAPER’ CHONGPHANITKUL, and are inspired by Thai food culture and French pastry techniques. Highlights include “Salted Egg” macarons, dessert versions of French fries and Cabonara, and the eye-popping “I’m a Durian” ice cream treat. The book is available exclusively at ASIA BOOKS, and the ANOTHER STORY shop at EmQuartier Helix (4th floor), and we are very proud to say that the text was written by Bangkok 101’s own JOE CUMMINGS.
tea treatments New to the SPA BY LE MÉRIDIEN (located in the Le Méridien hotel on Surawong Rd) is the body and facial treatment line THÉMAÉ. Inspired by the art of tea, this French brand makes use of the tea plant’s numerous health benefits by combining regenerating white tea, stimulating black tea, soothing red tea, and antioxidant green tea into their special Complexe des 4 Thés (4 Tea Elixir). Come and try one of their special treatments—Hydration Strategy, Purity-Radiance Facial, or Age Defying Facial—and enjoy the benefits of this amazing plant.
the family jewels At a recent fashion show for TASH FINE JEWELRY, held at the REMBRANDT HOTEL BANGKOK, statuesque models dazzled media and guests with displays of the brand’s most recent diamond and gemstone collections. Sisters Nitasha and Sukrita began the company a few years ago, but their family’s involvement in the gemstone trade stretches back more than 50 years. They offer customized designs, as well as ready-made collections, including engagement rings, necklaces, earrings, bracelets and bangles. www.tashjewelry.com
eyewear evolution Handcrafted eyewear brand ROSEMANCLUB has unveiled its latest collection, entitled the DARWIN COLLECTION. Inspired by the world’s greatest naturalist and geologist Charles Robert Darwin, the collection reflects impressive characteristics of being open-minded, adventurous and self-motivated. The exclusive skeleton clip-on acts as a protector of the prescription lens, while creating a casual unisex look with distinctive style. Darwins come in three different colours—Snow, Crimson and Cloud—and are available at the brand’s brick-and-mortar shop on Chula Soi 11 (near the Sam Yan MRT Station). www.rosemanclub.com
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LIFESTYLE | spa deals for mother’s day
Treat Your Mom Twice Over at SO Spa
SO Sofitel Bangkok | 2 North Sathorn Rd. Tel: 02 624 0000 | www.sofitel.com Escape to an urban spa retreat at the SO Sofitel Bangkok hotel, and take advantage of their SO Pampering Treatment (B3,900) which combines two carefully designed spa treatments. First there’s the relaxing Indian head massage, designed to alleviate the fatigue caused by mental stress, coupled with an invigorating aromatic jasmine massage. Jasmine, by the way, is the symbol for Mother’s Day in Thailand (celebrated on August 12th each year), making it the perfect holiday gift.
A Great Gift for Mom at Elemis Spa
The St. Regis Bangkok | 159 Rajadamri Rd. Tel: 02 207 7777 | www.elemisspabangkok.com This month, in honour of Mother’s Day (August 12th), give the gift of radiance to your mom, or anyone else on your gift list, at the Elemis Spa in The St. Regis Bangkok hotel. Experience an indulgent, one-hour Elemis White Brightening Facial, which is designed to respond to individual skin needs, helping to reduce age spots, discolouration, and dullness. The promotional price of this treatment is just B4,500 per person, so why not join mom and get a facial yourself at the same time?
Jasmine Journey at Spa Cenvaree
Centara Grand at CentralWorld | 999/99 Rama 1 Rd. Tel: 02 100 1234 | www.centarahotelsresorts.com Pamper yourself, or someone special, at Spa Cenvaree in the Centara Grand & Bangkok Convention Centre at CentralWorld. Your Oriental Jasmine Journey begins the moment you enter, as the scent of jasmine fills the air. The 120-minute treatment includes a Jasmine Salt Body Scrub, Jasmine Body Mask, and Aromatic Body Massage. This promotion, priced at B2,950 per person or B5,400 per couple, is available from now until the end of August (just in time for Mother’s Day gift giving).
All About Lavender at The Okura Spa
The Okura Prestige Bangkok | 57 Wireless Rd. Tel: 02 687 9000 | www.okurabangkok.com For those who love lavender—the most well-known essential oil in aromatherapy— the Okura Spa at the Okura Prestige Bangkok hotel has read your mind. The spa offers a 100-minute journey entitled Lavender Pampering Perfection (B3900), which includes a Lavender Foot Ritual, Lavender Aroma Massage, and a Lavender Honey Brightening Face Mask to brighten up your skin. This promotion lasts until the end of September, so book now for Mother’s Day (Friday August 12th).
Two Royal Treatments at the King & I Spa
King & I Spa | 2 locations (Sukhumvit Rd. and Sathorn Neua Rd.) Tel: 02 635 4772 | www.kingandi.co.th The King & I Spa offers two treatments, at each of their locations, from now until the end of September. First there’s the Dermalogica Facial treatment (B950), aimed at rehydrating your skin in just 75 minutes (available weekdays from 10am to 3pm). Secondly there’s the Thai Aromatic Herbal Ball promotion, which includes classical Thai massage in which groups of two or more get 30 minutes free (from 90 to 120 mins) per person for just B1,300. This promo is available daily from 10am to 11pm.
20th Anniversary Celebrations at Banyan Tree Spa
Banyan Tree Bangkok | 21/100 South Sathorn Rd. Tel: 02 679 1200 | www.banyantreespa.com To celebrate their 20th anniversary, the Banyan Tree Bangkok is offering a special Candle Massage at their award-winning Banyan Tree Spa. Comprised of a welcome foot bath, a gentle foot scrub, hand massage, and foot massage, this treatment will help you to relax and de-stress. The treatment takes 90 minutes to complete, and is being offered at the exclusive price of B4,500 (regularly B6,120) from now until the end November. So treat yourself or someone you love.
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spa review | LIFESTYLE
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Harnn Heritage Spa
mong Thai luxury spa brands Harnn is one of the most popular names, renowned both domestically and internationally. The Harnn Heritage Spa Krungthep, which recently opened at CentralWorld, tempts spa goers with a handful of pampering packages that utilize an array of premium botanical products. The spa’s location, meanwhile, is as premium as the ingredients, as this urban oasis is hidden up on the 12M floor of the prestigious Zen Tower—high enough to separate one from the general chaos of the busy Pathumwan area below. The spa is a bit complicated to find, but it’s worth the journey. The reception room is simply decorated with elegant wooden furniture and four comfy couches set by the glass wall which offers panoramic views overlooking the downtown core. Within the spa itself there are twelve treatment rooms, including a room for two, all with in-room showers. bangkok101.com
The treatments listed in the menu are designed to provide the best therapy for your health, so the selection is not excessively varied, but it’s enough to choose what best will enhance your physical and mental health. Seven of the massage therapies are inspired by the practice of traditional Asian medicine and naturopathy, focusing on restoring natural balance of body and mind. The Ploenchit Therapy (B2,000/60min, B2,800/90min, B3,000/120min) is a combination of traditional Thai massage and aromatherapy. Firm pressure, along with stretching technique, is applied throughout the body to ease muscle tension. In addition, aromatic essential oil is used during the massage to achieve a more relaxing result. For another skin benefit, Harnn natural Vitamin-E rich bran massage oil is chosen to boost inner radiance, and to nourish and moisturize your skin. Essential oils from the signature collection are blended with botanical
ingredients in appropriate proportions for balance enhancement. Essential oil blends are well suited to scented massage oil, bath waters, or interior diffusers—all of which, in turn, aid in everything from reducing stress and anxiety, to helping uplift, refresh, and invigorate your spirit. For the deepest relaxation, three holistic packages are available in carefully customized combinations to allow your body and soul to experience true rejuvenation. Each 180-minute package offers different body massages, one with added herbal streaming, one with added deep tissue massage, and one with an herbal tea bath. by Pawika Jansamakao
Harnn Heritage Spa
12MF, Zen Tower at CentralWorld 999/9 Rama I Rd. Tel: 02 252 5725 Open daily: 10am-9pm (last booking 8pm) www.harnn.com AUGUST 2016 | 101
LIFESTYLE | spa products
She’s Gotta Have It Perfect pampering products for Mother’s Day gift-giving
Sense Healing Pure-Fume Are you blindly searching for a gift for a special someone you know? Look no further than the 100 percent naturally derived Pure-Fume by Aveda (B1,800). Pure essential oils are blended using Ayurvedic techniques—the ancient healing art of India—which helps in balancing chakras (vital to your health) and improving your senses and wellness. These natural aromas will both enhance your mood and benefit your physical and mental health. This product line is available at Aveda’s hair salons and spa services throughout Bangkok, including such outlets as Siam Paragon, CentralWorld, and EmQuartier. To discover more about Aveda products in Thailand, check out: www.aveda.co.th.
Glow Sugarcane Scrub Cleanse, moisturize, and exfoliate your skin with Glow Sugarcane Scrub by Skin Syrup (B495). With its highquality, food-grade ingredients, this natural exfoliating scrub keeps the skin soft and hydrated without the need to reapply lotion or moisturizer. The benefits of sugarcane include improving blood circulation and reducing the appearance of cellulite. In addition, the coconut oil helps nourish and soothe your skin, while the vitamin E hydrates your skin naturally. The product is available at The Selected (3F Siam Center), O.D.S. (3F Siam Discovery), Organic Supply Shop (Ladprao Soi 71), and many more local outlets. You can also order it online at: www.facebook.com/ skinsyrup.
Local Lip Balm from Isaan We all know how annoying and painful it is when your lips are chapped, and it certainly makes it harder to wear lipstick. Solve this by using the natural lip balm from Nuaynard (B60), which uses Thai-grown ingredients sourced from Isaan—the northeast region of Thailand. The balm consists of natural beeswax, virgin coconut oil, and virgin black sesame oil, all of which help prevent and nourish flaking lips. The balm is suitable for all ages and skin types—even small children can use it. Plus, you can also apply it on dry skin areas instead of petroleum jelly. To find out more information, including local retail outlets, visit the website at: www.nuaynardhandcraft.com.
Natural Handcrafted Soap Low price doesn’t always mean low quality. Take for example the handcrafted and “heart-made” soaps from Urban Barn (B40). Made from natural selected local ingredients, there is a wide range of soap styles to select from, including moringa, coconut milk, coffee scrub with peppermint, lavender, cucumber with peppermint, and lemon grass with fresh ginger. All bars contain antioxidants, nutrients, and vitamins, all of which are essential to healthy skin. This product line is available at Siam Discovery, and at other organic retail outlets in and around town. To make an internet purchase visit the online shop at: www.facebook.com/urbanbarnbrand.
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unique boutique | LIFESTYLE
Jirawat Leather Goods Art and craftsmanship blended seamlessly
B
ack in the day when Jirawat Khamprom was taking a materials science course at university during his sophomore year, the charm of leather left such a strong impression on him that he turned his passion into a career in artisan leather craftsmanship. After years of trial and error, he finally launched his own label, Jirawat Leather Goods, in 2013. Located on the second floor of the bike café Aran Bicicletta, Jirawat’s boutique has a welcoming atmosphere. The blended scents of leather and glue combine with soft tapping sounds as this master leatherworker labours over his creations at his wooden desk. Most of the leather goods available in the shop are meticulously handcrafted by the young owner himself. Cutting, dyeing, and stitching are what he has been perfecting for almost a decade, and his leather goods exhibit a contemporary style that borrows design elements from Thai culture, mixed in with Jirawat’s own style—a pairing that makes the brand even more recognizable. Those who love the art and craft of leather will admire the high quality bangkok101.com
animal hides used in the manufacture of this innovative product line. The signature Utility Bifold Wallet, for instance, is all the rage in Thailand and internationally. Expertly crafted from Japanese vegetable tanned leather, this wallet features six interior card slots, one large pocket for cash, and two side pockets. The same goes for the Middle Wallet, made from Italian vegetable tanned leather, but it has six more card slots and two large pockets for banknotes. Inspired by the authentic Thai way of life along the river, Jirawat has just introduced his latest collection, entitled Into the Woods. It integrates the naturalness of wood with the art of leather craftsmanship in a truly distinctive way. This exclusive collection includes three different items—the Wood Duffle Bag, Wood Clutch Bag, and Wood Tote Bag—all available in burgundy and black. Shoppers should also check out his leather accessories, such the handsewn glasses case and the carefully designed money clip. There are also items that mingle brass with the leather, including belts, snap wallets, and key rings.
Customers are also allowed to customize their own products. There are plenty of colours, designs, and different kinds of leather to choose from—calf, alligator, python, you name it—and the brand even provides stamping services for customers who want to make the products personal, or give them as a present to others. Moreover, Jirawat is offering a lifetime warranty for all the purchased items, meaning you can send them back either for repairing or cleansing at no cost at all. Jirawat meshes design and function seamlessly, putting his heart and soul into crafting each item. To see and feel the goods in person visit the Jirawat Leather Goods studio, or check out the Pursuit Store at Siam Discovery. And follow the store’s Facebook page for news of upcoming leather workshops. by Pongphop Songsiriarcha
Jirawat Leather Goods 2F Aran Bicicletta Café 128/10 Phahonyothin 2 Tel: 080 037 8877 Open daily: 10am-8pm www.jirawatleathergoods.com
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LIFESTYLE | style feature
Sustainable Discovery When green becomes commercial
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fter major refurbishments and renovations, Siam Discovery shopping centre reopened its doors two months back, unveiling an impressive new look as well as a brand new concept. It is worth noting that among the numerous modernisations, the shopping complex has also taken a futureoriented stance regarding the environment and sustainability. In addition to its own efforts including the use of LED lamps as well as water and waste recycle systems, it also offers customers help to make eco-conscious choices with its Eco Select (EC). This term classifies sustainable products and brands in terms of goal, production and material. To make your next purchase a little greener, look out for the EC sign and check out some of our recommended brands.
MADMATTER: Every year more than 10 million tons of clothes go to landfills, despite still being in good conditions. The lifestyle brand Madmatter has made it their goal to reduce this waste by producing caps, hats, bags and shoes from 100% recycled materials. By ‘reusing’ and ‘repurposing’ second-hand clothes, they create well-made everyday items, giving them a new life.
TINY TREE: If you are looking for something to light up your home, but don’t really have a green thumb, check out these cute little terrariums from Tiny Tree. Made from recycled glass bottles which are decorated with fern and moss, these quirky, green home decorations are easy to take care of and bring a little life into every room. Alternatively, you can even make your own little garden with the ‘D.I.Y. Terrarium’ kit.
HOM FRAGRANCE: Make your home smell nice with one of these aroma candles from Hom Frangrances. Meaning “pleasant smell” in Thai, these little lights are available in different scents including apple cinnamon, eucalyptus peppermint and coco mango. The candles are made of recycled bottles, and natural soy bean wax. The oil is extracted from soybeans and hydrogenated. This process alters the melting point of the oil, making it solid at room temperatures.
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LABRADOR: The leather brand Labrador produces all kind of beautiful accessories, ranging from bags and wallets, to key chains and phone covers. All of their products are handmade from high-quality raw materials, giving them a unique character. This ensures a long-lasting durability and makes them easily recyclable as well.
SCRAP SHOP: This eco-venture was launched by Kasetsart University of Architecture aiming to promote environmental awareness among the general public. All of their products— ranging from notebooks, bags, toys and even furniture—are crafted from reusable waste materials. Design students as well as local craftspeople are involved in the development of Scrap Shop’s products, always trying to find creative solutions and innovative designs to use discarded materials.
Siam Discovery
989 Rama I Rd. Tel: 02 658 1000 Open daily: 10am-10pm www.siamdiscovery.co.th bangkok101.com
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LEADING ART GALLERIES BANGKOKARTMAP
SIGNING OFF | did you know?
Photo by Sermsak Sukwajikhlong
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id you know Thailand is home to one of the world’s largest Buddha images? Unveiled in 1996, this laser-carved image measures 109 metres tall by 70 metres wide, and almost entirely fills the sheer northern face of Khao
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Chi Chan, a solitary limestone hill located just south of—you guessed it—Pattaya. The image was designed on computer and then drawn onto the rock using a laser, after which gold was used to fill in the sculpture. Most commonly referred to as Buddha Mountain, this outdoor
attraction is located a short drive south of Pattaya City. There are no fees for entering the grounds but remember that appropriate clothing is recommended. Read more about Pattaya and all it has to offer in our cover story which begins on page 30.
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