Bangkok 101 Magazine September 2018 by Talisman Media

Adventures in Food

A community of like-minded nomads, united in the pursuit of food; from chefs and restaurants to street food, culinary events and international forums. Come and disover a new culinary universe with us. See the website for future events.

www.gastronauts.asia

Publisher’s Letter

n this month’s issue, we take the brave approach of celebrating Bangkok’s bright and varied nightlife. Brave, because this is the city that never sleeps with every night of the week offering up some sort of fun, crazy, strange activity. Bangkok truly is a nightlife city. We open with “My Bangkok” and meet Sillapin Gill (pg.12) who performs under the drag name “Zymone” and move into pre-event info (pg.14) for the World Gourmet Festival and their Sunday Brunch extravaganza on September 9th. We preview Eat-Drink-Pink (pg.16), held next month, with all proceeds from the event going to Queen Sirikit Centre for Breast Cancer Foundation. We have a long-form piece looking at Thai craft beer (pg.18) and another examining the live music scene in rocking Bangkok, titled “Let it Rock, Let it Roll” (pg.24). Joe Cummings tells us about some of his favourite nighttime hangouts (pg.34) and Luc Citrinot looks at Bangkok’s other ‘intangible heritage’ in his column (pg.39). For travel we head east to Trat Province (pg.48) and we have a large, in-depth look at the annual International Festival of Dance & Music (pg.62) which this year, celebrates it’s 20th anniversary. Returning to nightlife, we run a brilliant Photo Feature (pg.69) detailing some of the best cocktails in Bangkok—I’m more of a red wine guy, but would happily sample any of these delicious tipples—followed by restaurant reviews that include Nahm (pg.91), under newly installed Chef Pim Techamuanvivit—who is also interviewed in our “Breaking Bread” chef profile (pg.94). It goes without saying that our Nightlife issue is busier than usual and we have profiles of the four Bangkok bars who featured in the newly published “150 Bars You Need To Visit Before You Die” book, as well as bar reviews and all of the usual nightlife listings. All this and more—including our 101 archive and extras—can be found online at www.bangkok101. Enjoy. 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 covering, but should be, please drop us a line at Mason Florence info@talisman.asia. Publisher

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

SEPTEMBER 2018 | 5

CONTENTS 16

CITY PULSE 10

Metro Beat Find out what’s going on this month in Bangkok

My Bangkok Meet Sillapin Gill who performers under the drag

name “Zymone”

Best of BKK Hear all about the WGF Sunday Brunch

Best of BKK A preview of October’s Eat-Drink-Pink event

A Crafty Business We take a look at the craft beer movement in Bangkok

Let it Rock, Let it Roll Profiling some of Bangkok’s coolest live gig performers

SNAPSHOTS 30

Now New Next An intriguing profile of Tawn Chatchaalvong

Bizarre Thailand “Bangkok Noir”

Trat 101 An overview look at Trat Province which borders Cambodia, along the Cardamom Mountains

Joe’s Bangkok Joe gives us his favourite nighttime Bangkok hangouts

Up Country Now Travel news and events from around Thailand

Very Thai Soi Animals – Part 2

Heritage Bangkok’s Nightlife Identity

TRAVEL 42

Sustainable Tourism in Thailand A travel article based around the trailblazers of sustainable tourism in Thailand, looking at why it is so crucial to the continued beauty of this country

On the cover

An icon of Bangkok, the famed tuk tuk has become a symbol of the city and looks even more impressive at night, with many of the little motor taxis lit-up with multicoloured bulbs, glowing neon and string lighting. Bangkok nightlife is about more than just restaurants and bars, and we believe the famed tuk tuck is a great refelction of this.

ART & CULTURE 56

Art Exhibitions The latest museum gallery openings across the city

Museum Spotlight A Love Declaration to Yaowarat

Cinema Scope Film and screening news from around the city

International Festival of Dance & Music An in-depth look into the popular annual festival, which this year, celebrates its 20th anniversary

Best of the Best Symphonies Looking at the international symphonies who will be performing during the 2018 International Festival of Dance & Music

Photo by tofumax / shutterstock.com

Bangkok 101 is available at: 6 | SEPTEMBER 2018

bangkok101.com

CONTENTS 69

Signature Tipples Photo Feature A thorough run through of some of Bangkok’s most iconic cocktails

FOOD & DRINK 84

Food & Drink Updates

Meal Deals Restaurants offer amazing deals for diners

Chew On This “Taking to the River”

Restaurant Reviews Yamazato, Akira Back, Bistro M, Nahm, Featherstone

Breaking Bread with Chef Pim, Nahm

Eat Like Nym Krau Sa Ros Jad

Food & Drink Listings Capsule reviews of select restaurants in Bangkok

104

110

NIGHTLIFE 102

Nightlife Updates

104

150 Bars You Need to Visit Before You Die The new book features four Bangkok entries

110

Bar Reviews CHAR, The Bar at The House on Sathorn, HI-So

114

Nightlife Listings

SIGNING OFF 118

Did You Know?... LAX-C in Los Angeles holds an unlikely treasure trove of Thai food and products

ART DIRECTOR

GENERAL MANAGER

Narong Srisaiya

Jhone El’Mamuwaldi

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

SALES MANAGER

Thanakrit Skulchartchai

Ornuma Promsrikaew

PUBLISHER

STRATEGISTS

DISTRIBUTION & MARKETING

Mason Florence

Sebastien Berger Nathinee Chen

COORDINATOR

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

EVENT & SPECIAL PROJECTS

Parinya Krit-Hat

Jim Algie, Luc Citrinot, Kelly Harvey, Jurgen Lijcops, Robin Westley Martin, Taylor Ounsiem, Korakot (Nym) Punlopruksa, Anansit Sangsawang, Lekha Shankar, Tom Vitayakul, Charity Waltenbough

Wasin Banjerdtanakul

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Dr Jesda M. Tivayanond

MANAGING EDITOR

David J. Constable EDITOR-AT-LARGE

Joe Cummings EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS

Anansit Sangsawang

Chakkrit Rattanapan

EVENT COORDINATOR

Panisara Bunnag

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 2018. 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.

A Taste of Sicily Wine Dinner 4-Course Dinner with Italian Wine Pairing 0

Authentic Italian Food

by Roberto Panariello and Sommelier th

Thursday 20 September 7:00 p.m. â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 10:00 p.m.

THB 2,200 nett 0

(per person)

Reservations: 02 216 3700 ext. 20818 or terrazza@pprincess.com

CITY PULSE | metro beat

SEPTEMBER’S HOTTEST TICKET September 1

Having started their Bangkok tour last month, you still have one night in September to catch the Australia sexiest—and certainly its most oiled-up performance—from Thunder From Down Under. These brawny beefcakes began their Bangkok tour on August 29 at Levels Night Club (Sukhumvit Soi 11), offering plenty of sweat, screams and six-packs crammed into a 75-minute audio-visual extravaganza. The final show starts at 7pm and tickets for this 20+ event start at B2,500 (group rates available). www.ticketmelon.com/event/thunderbangkok

ACADEMIC September 21-22

In parallel with the CIS-EARCOS Institute on International Admission & Guidance taking place in Bangkok on 21-22 September, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin is pleased to invite guests to a presentation on this new program followed by a reception. The Bangkok Launch of the Columbia Trinity Dual BA Program will take place on the 21 at the Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok, between 6pm-9pm. Entrance is free. www.eventbrite.ie/e/columbia-trinitydual-ba-program-launch-in-bangkoktickets

September 6-9

The weekend of the 6th-9th will welcome concerts from three rising stars of the indie music world— Giraffage (6th), Mild High Club (7th) and Cuco (9th)— at Royal City Avenue (RCA). Ticket details for the festival will be announced soon, with organisers Medium Rare Live, Hype Events Bangkok and Conflakes promising a “well-priced” combo ticket.

September 12-October 18

Bangkok’s International Festival of Dance and Music is indeed a star-studded surprise-filled programmed that spans a whole range of genres. It is a festival that once again reaffirms Bangkok’s place as a cultural capital. The program includes classical concerts, operas, classical ballets, contemporary and folk dances, jazz and the occasional less common genres such as fado. www.bangkokfestivals.com/en

HIGHLIGHT

September 13

September 14-15

Bangkok’s Waterzonic promises to be “The Ultimate Experience Of Water Festival” featuring international artists, DJS and plenty of water fun! Highlights will include sets from Dimitri Vegas, Like Mike, DYRO, Mike Williams, Yellow Clow, Andrew Rayel and GAMMER. Get ready for the ultimate splashtastic event! Taking place at Live Park (Rama 9). www.waterzonic.com 10 | SEPTEMBER 2018

Jay Sean is a British multi-million selling and platinum award-winning artist, and he-ll be performing in Bangkok for the first time, exclusively at Levels Night Club (Sukhumvit Soi 11) on September 13. Tickets are priced at B890 and include a drink. He debuted in the UK’s Asian Underground scene as a member of the Rishi Rich Project with Dance with You, which reached No.12 in the UK Singles Chart in 2003. www.levelsclub.com/event/back-to-school-party/jay-sean-web

September 15

The Smooth-rocking Jeremy Corbinites take a break from making viral Youtube clips for Britain’s Leader of the Opposition to visit Bangkok and rock the stage at Voice Space on the 15th. Tickets are B2,200. Please note that there are only limited tickets available, be sure to secure yours. www.ticketmelon.com/event/ mangosteenmusicfest bangkok101.com

metro beat | CITY PULSE

SEPTEMBER’S HOTTEST TICKET September 17

British pop-singer Dua Lipa is performing live in Bangkok on Sep 17. You’ll be sure to hear the singer perform her self-titled 2017 album—a collection of cheeky tunes about the commitment issues and frustrations that come with modern romance—spawning hit singles like “New Rules,” “IDGAF,” “Hotter than Hell” and of course her new club banger “One Kiss” in collaboration with Calvin Harris. Tickets start at B2,000. www.thaiticketmajor.com

September 17

The Las Vegas four-piece fronted by Brandon Flowers will perform in Bangkok at the Thunder Dome (99 Popular Rd) on the 17th, with tickets already on sale priced between B2,800-3,500. After forming in 2001, the band rose to acclaim with their 2004 album Hot Fuss packed with catchy post-punk hits like Mr. Brightside, Somebody Told Me and Smile Like You Mean It. www.ticketmelon.com/viji/thekillers

FILM CLUBS Saturdays throughout September

River City Film Club will resume its Film Series this month, showcasing a special international film ever Saturday at 4pm. Four dynamic films from four diverse countries, will be screened, on subjects as varied as politics, cinema, religion, marriage. A riveting Oscar-winning movie from Argentina, a thought-provoking drama about an urban married couple from Bangladesh, a gripping thriller about a murder in a temple from Thailand, a moving tale about the ‘ Extras’ in the film industry from the Philippines. www.rivercity.com

TECHNOLOGY

September 8

DATING September 22

For all of you singletons out there, fear not, for September might just be the month during which you’ll find love, thanks to SangSom who on the 22nd present the Single Festival at The Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition Centre (Bitec Bangna). Tickets vary in price depending on if you attend solo with friends or if you are from outside of the Bangkok area, group deals are also available. www.eventpop.me/e/3736-singlefestival-2018-bangkok bangkok101.com

DevOps BKK 2018 is Thailand’s annual DevOps Technology Conference. This is a collaboration between a group of companies using DevOps technology in Thailand. The theme of this year’s event is “Why the Future of Software Development is Dev + Ops?” Suitable for Server Architecture, Infrastructure Engineer, Developer, IT Expert, System Architect, and Executives, as well as those who are interested in technology. You will have the opportunity to learn how other companies are using DevOps technology to overcome technical barriers and challenges. The work will be divided into 3 tracks, held simultaneously in 3 conference rooms, each with a different session, each session takes about 1 hour.Registration is open at 8am. Please note that all sessions will be conducted in Thai. www.eventpop. me/e/3928-devops-bkk-2018 SEPTEMBER 2018 | 11

CITY PULSE | my bangkok

Zymone Gill The first thing about drag that stands out to most people is its entertainment value and Zymone Gill’s show has that in abundance Tell us about yourself. I’m Sillapin Gill or “Zymone” (my drag queen name) and I’m 24 years old. I want to be recognized as an artist rather than a drag queen. I love doing many things as an entertainer, host, MC, rapper and artist. I have just released my first single on iTunes called Welcome to My World which is a hard-beat style hip-hop tune. The lyrics are about me and who Zymone is. My next single is out soon, followed by an album.

took some time for me to finally figure out my own style. How do you inspire people about art? Through my performances. Song, dance, fashion, dress etc. I have two different characters I perform as but my friendliness and smile are the same. Tell us the best thing about being a drag queen. I have an opportunity to entertain people from all over the world which is just amazingly random. I feel really good about that, that’s why my first single is titled Welcome to My World. We have built our own community and connection with the audience. My single is available in France and is selling well. I am now building connections not just in Thailand, but internationally.

Let’s talk about drag queens... Okay, Pangina Heals (host & judge of Rupaul’s Drag Race Season1) offered me my opportunity. We were in “Best Toei Thailand” competition together. I asked for a chance to perform and she agreed. The first time I performed was for free but a fantastic experience. I started and just kept going, mostly at Maggie Choo’s. Then, I had the chance to work at The Stranger Bar. I started to fall in love with the job, the performance aspect, and singing to the crowds.

What does a nightlife entertainer do during the daytime? Sleep! I practice my performance and write songs. I love music a lot. I always find inspiration around me and listen to what people say, overhearing conversations and then trying to create lyrics.

Describe your drag queen life. I think it is about the look. When I do extreme drag, I’m a tanned-skinned blondie with heavy makeup, like Nicole Scherzinger from The Pussycat Dolls. What about the ‘coming out of the closest’ process? I didn’t focus on that. Everything went naturally. It started when I was a little “twink” (young gay theme) and then it just became who I was. I started to take female-hormone pills when I was 18 years old and was dressing in female clothing and following a female style. Now it’s just who I am. What’s the most important thing for a nightlife entertainer? To make people happy. I perform to mixed crowds, and 40% of guests are 12 | SEPTEMBER 2018

people who have just finished work while 60% are there for a fun night out. Entertaining is about fun and happiness. And love, too. Love is so very, very important. What’s the hardest thing about being a drag queen? I was lost at first. I didn’t know how to be different from the other queens and was still finding my way. Jaja is a comedian queen. Meannie Minaj is a rapper queen. Kandy is a dancing queen. Every queen is unique. I was confused and mad at myself, and it

Your free time? I love watching cartoons a lot. Please do not laugh. Really, now I watch My Little Pony and Teen Titans Go on Netflix. Usually, I follow Cartoon Network and I love Disney so much too! I find cartoons relaxing, a breakaway from performing and listening to hip-hop music at night while working. Describe yourself in one word. Love. Everyone who meets me will experience love from me. interview by Taylor Ounsiem www.instagram.com/zymonetrp bangkok101.com

appetite

for indulgence

in collaboration with

JosĂŠ Avillez

Bernard Bach

Ryohei Hieda

Jeong Ho Kim

Martin Dalsass

Belcanto, Portugal

Le Puits SaintJacques, France

Shoun RyuGin, Taiwan

Jungsik, South Korea

Talvo by Dalsass, Switzerland

Srijith Gopinathan

Shinji Ishida

Han Li Guang

Giuseppe Iannotti

Shinya Otsuchihashi

Luigi Taglienti

Labyrinth, Singapore

KrĂ¨sios, Italy

CRAFTALE, Japan

LUME, Italy

TAJ Campton Place, Nogizaka Shin, USA Japan

Alessandra del Favero and Oliver Piras AGA Ristorante, Italy

19th World Gourmet Festival

3 - 9 September 2018 at Anantara Siam Bangkok Hotel

Thirteen Chefs. Twelve Michelin-starred Restaurants. Nine Countries. Seven Days. One Hotel. Book early to avoid disappointment. For more information and reservation, call +66 (0) 2126 8866 ext. 1707 Email wgf.asia@anantara.com or book online at www.WorldGourmetFestival.asia

Sponsors

Media Partners

CITY PULSE | best of bkk

Blue Elephant

The Never Ending Summer

100 Mahaseth

80/20

How To Reserve Your Seats

All World Gourmet Festival 2018 events will be held at the Anantara Siam Bangkok Hotel (155 Ratchadamri Rd). To find out more, or to make your reservations, call 0 2126 8866 (ext. 1707), or email: wgf.asia@anantara.com. Visit the website at: www.WorldGourmetFestival.asia 14 | SEP T EM BER 2018

bangkok101.com

best of bkk | CITY PULSE

World Gourmet Festival Sunday Brunch This is the month to experience world-class culinary happenings and as part of the annual World Gourmet Festival at Anantara Siam Bangkok, a very special Sunday Brunch will take place blending traditional Thai recipes with modern interpretations

f a host of international chefs from Michelin-starred restaurants wasn’t enough, this year, the Anantara Siam Bangkok will feature a special Sunday Brunch to close the annual World Gourmet Festival, presented in collaboration with S.Pellegrino and Gastronauts Asia. The hotel invites guests to dine either indoors at The Spice Market or Madison restaurants or go al-fresco at the iconic Aqua bar and gardens, where a local street jazz band will ensure that guests get into the swing of things! The bountiful offering of gourmet fare offers diners the opportunity to sample many of the dishes featured throughout the festival alongside dishes from renowned local restaurants Blue Elephant, The Never Ending Summer, 100 Mahaseth and 80/20. The Brunch will also feature special tastings created by Anantara’s Executive Chef Jan Van Dyk and his team, as well as BillecartSalmon Champagne with free-flow house beverages and Thai craft beer. This years marks the 19th edition of the World Gourmet Festival and to celebrate the end of a lavish week-long blowout of meals, masterclasses and frindge events, the Brunch will allow chefs and guests to mingle,

bangkok101.com

raising a toast to a successful WGF while promoting and consuming some of the very best in local Thai cuisine. As part of WGF and its role in inviting and hosting international chefs, the festival also aims to promote and celebrate Thai food, a cuisine already celebrated around the world for its unique style and use of quality ingredients. The Brunch and culinary tasting experience will offer up the best in Bangkok’s Thai culinary output, combining the likes of heritage recipes and Royal Thai Cuisine from city stalwart Blue Elephant to Isaan and northern recipes from 100 Mahaseth. Expect a blend of Thai-Western cuisine with a contemporary flourish from the much celebrated 80/20 and high-on-flavour recipes from The Never Ending Summer, who pride themselves on kitchen dishes made from starchitect Duangrit Bunnag’s family Thai recipes. This extraordinary Sunday Brunch will take place on September 9th with tickets priced at THB3,500++ including soft drinks and THB4,500++ with free-flow alcohol. For more information, please visit www.WorldGourmetFestival.asia

SEPTEMBER 2018 | 15

CITY PULSE | best of bkk

Pretty in Pink: Good Cause, Great Food The Eat Drink Pink 2018 charity event raises funds for the Queen Sirikit Centre for Breast Cancer

nce again, a select group of the city’s top restaurants and bars gather for the Eat Drink Pink charity event, with funds raised going towards the Queen Sirikit Centre for Breast Cancer (QSCBC) and the Pink Park Village. The annual fundraiser will again be held at The Peninsula Bangkok, as part of the ‘Peninsula in Pink’ campaign. Guests will have the opportunity to sample signature drinks and dishes from some of Bangkok’s elite chefs and bartenders, while raising funds to contribute towards fighting breast cancer. The event will take place on Monday 1st October and tickets are priced at B3,000 per person—all of which will be donated to the QSCBC. ABOUT THE PINK PARK VILLAGE Under the Royal Patronage of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit of Thailand, the QSCBC at Chulalongkorn Hospital is the region’s leading medical centre with respect to breast cancer diagnosis, treatment, and research. It uses stateof-the-art equipment and was also the first centre in the world to offer 3D mammography. Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of death among women in Thailand, which is why Dr. Kris Chatamra founded the non-profit organisation QSCBC Foundation in 2007. However, statistics have shown that more than half of the patients in Thailand don’t have access to adequate care, revealing the urgent need for a convalescence home and hospice centre for those deprived of financial means and family support. This led to the 2014 launch of the Pink Park Village, Thailand’s first non-profit holistic cancer care centre for the underprivileged. The idea was inspired during a project in which a team doctors and nurses from the QSCBC visited the poorest slums of Bangkok and selected patients for full screenings 16 | SEP TEM BER 2018

and examinations in the treatment centre. “What got me going most,” Dr Chatamra recalls, “was when I saw a middle-aged patient in the slum lying on the floor, under her a piece of cardboard, and beside her a tin with half-dried fried rice and a plastic container with water. We could not walk away, and that’s when we got home and said we have to do something!” The Pink Park Village is located just outside Minburi, on the outskirts of Bangkok. The goal is to make the entire complex as self-sustainable and environmentally friendly as possible, and that includes the use of solar energy and eco-friendly garbage disposal. A scale model of the project in the QSCBC building shows that the land will be divided into three areas. The word Dr Chatamra stresses the most when describing his vision is ‘dignity’. “We will look after these women as if they were our relatives and give them the dignity they deserve,” he stresses. In addition to housing, the village will also provide a day-care and activity centre for the patients, offering moral support and meaningful activities, as well as a learning and training centre for the medical staff, patients, and their families. All this is being done with the ultimate aim of establishing Pink Park Village as an advanced diagnostic leader, serving as a benchmark for the region. “Our vision for Pink Park Village is to be a place of hope and care, and a genuine sanctuary for all women in need.” Dr. Kris Chatamra To secure your place at this exceptional epicurean event contact The Peninsula Bangkok at 02 020 2888, or email diningpbk@peninsula.com. For more information, visit www.peninsula.com/pink. bangkok101.com

best of bkk

CITY PULSE | best of bkk

A Crafty Business

Craft beer is more than just a passing fad in Bangkok, it’s a fully-fledged movement growing in popularity and support By David J. Constable

eer is here in its many forms, and it doesn’t show signs of waning. In fact, Bangkok can’t get enough of it, and the craft beer influence is doing very well indeed. Following on from the likes of London, New York and Copenhagen, the Bangkok craft beer scene is booming. I’m not talking about the usual trio of Chang, Singha and Leo, but locally-brewed beers—more of that later—which, for so long, were confined to a hot underground scene and only available through hushedwhispers and friends with connections. On a rain and beer-soaked evening in late 2012, Brew Beers & Ciders played host to the first Beervana pop-up event, marking the first time American craft beer had reached our shores for distribution. Sadly, that outlet of the Brew chain is now gone, but craft beer has only increased in popularity since. In supermarkets, Family Marts, and just about every new bar with beer—even gin joints like Teens of Thailand—you’ll find bottles of beer that were 18 | SEPTEMBER 2018

never available a few years ago. More impressively, greater Bangkok alone now boasts more than two dozen beer bars, from Bang Na to neighbouring Nonthaburi. One such bar continues to blaze new trails. Over the past four years, Mikkeller Bangkok has consistently raised the bar for the local beer scene in Bangkok. Occupying a beautifully renovated two-story townhouse on Ekkamai Soi 10, the bar boasts 30 taps that rotate each week, featuring beers, ciders and even mead, that you won’t find elsewhere. That means cans of Double IPA from up-and-coming Norwegian brewery Lervig, marionberry mead from Supers on Meadery, and single kegs of beers that would be hard to find even in the bangkok101.com

best of bkk | CITY PULSE country where they’re brewed. Expect to find specialist craft beers such as AleSmith Thai Speedway Stout (12% ABV), an imperial stout made with lemongrass, ginger, chillies, and Thai herbs that, somewhat ironically, was not made with export to the Thai market in mind. On a recent visit I discovered Mikkeller’s own Zeffer Apple Crumble Cidar (5.4% ABV) on tap, alongside the likes of Inked #2 (6.6% ABV), NYC Henry Hustle (5% ABV) and some 25 other Mikkeller labels. To boot, the restaurant upstairs, aptly named Upstairs at Mikkeller, was awarded a Michelin-star last year and is celebrated for Chef Dan Barks menu creations with a specially crafted beer menu to accompany the plates.

Mikkeller Bangkok Chef Dan began serving casual à la carte fare at Mikkeller’s brewery before moving upstairs to focus on a more concentrated Tasting Menu. Confident in his kitchen output and how ingredients were complimented by the beer, he was unwavering in his approach and continued to promote and push his cuisine alongside the likes of new and unusual pale lagers and coffee stouts. Having a beer sommelier on-hand helps. Guests at Upstairs at Mikkeller are not only poured beer in a variety of different glassware to compliment the beer—from Mikkeller Whatever Belgian Wit (4.8% ABV) to AleSmith Speedway Imperial Coffee Stout—but are given a background of the origin, fermentation process and why that particular tipple was chosen to pair with the dish. “We opened Mikkeller to bring higher quality and more variety to people” Rutima Vaewvichit

The husband-and-wife founders of Mikkeller, Jakob Rasmussen and Rutima Vaewvichit, who also run a craft beer and spirits importing company called Hopsession, often bring in famous brewers, including the bar’s namesake, Mikkel Borg Bjergsø, for casual, off-the-cuff events that last long into the night. bangkok101.com

“When we started doing Hopsession, we were a bit frustrated by all the generic beer bars back then that wanted to sell only beers they had heard of, beers that were available year round, and so on,” says Vaewvichit. “We opened Mikkeller [the first sole craft beer bar in Bangkok] to bring higher quality and more variety to people that maybe didn’t know much about craft beer.” Canadian-run Hair of the Dog—the self-proclaimed “raw, edgy, alternative, childish, and damn awesome” bar, might be the polar opposite of Mikkeller concerning design, although it is run by one of the founders and a former tap master of Mikkeller Bangkok—Pete Spalding and Mike MacDonald—but the bar, which could double as a set for a horror film, shares a serious penchant for beer. Actually, there are two branches of Hair of the Dog, the original occupies a narrow space above La Monita in Phloen Chit, and feels decidedly more morgue-like than the spacious second outlet in Phrom Phong. Each has 13 taps—with at least one always pouring something heavy and extreme, such as the Melvin Brewing Rotational Imperial IPA series—as well as several fridges for drink-in or carry-out purchases. And the bar staff know what they’re talking about, so ask questions if you’re overwhelmed by the options.

Chit, from Chit Beer

As has been well documented, making—“crafting” if you will—beer in Thailand is not a straightforward procedure. Due to legal barriers—Thai law only permits state-registered breweries and brewpubs, and it is only legal if you’re making more than 10 million litres a year— beers are made in the likes of Cambodia, Vietnam, and even Australia, and then delivered to Thailand, once an import tax has been paid, to be sold and advertised as Thai craft beers. But that’s not to say that they aren’t. Ever since Wichit Saiklao, better known as ‘Chit’, launched his brewing academy and dive bar—aptly SEPTEMBER 2018 | 19

CITY PULSE | best of bkk entitled Chit Beer—on the bucolic island of Koh Kret, just north of Bangkok, in 2013, the number of Thai brewers in Bangkok has skyrocketed. Now, some are working within the laws to brew their beer legally. That means going abroad to brew, but still, within this difficult and challenging legal climate, that’s a win. “I just wanted to open a bar that served good beer for my community [Tha Sai],” explains Supapong ‘Toon’ Pruenglampoo, one of the 11 people behind the rising Thai-run beer brand called Sandport, which is a translation of Tha Sai. “But now [we see that] maybe our story, our passion, can influence people all over the world. It’s worth the risks we take.” Craft Bangkok

To try some of the fruits of this burgeoning movement, check out bottle shops like Bottles of Booze in Sathorn, where beers from Sandport, Yaksa, Ther, and more are available alongside big-name imports. A similar name, Bottle of Beers, in Sukhumvit Soi 34, features a long communal table flanked by shelves and refrigerators full of beers. It might require a bit of a trek to get to Sandport’s bar, the Fellowship of Beer (out near Lak Si), but it’s an excellent place to clink glasses with aspiring Thai brewers. “Maybe our story, our passion, can influence people all over the world. It’s worth the risks we take” Toon Pruenglampoo

Wishbeer Golden Coins Taproom in Ekkamai, where one of the former owners of the much-loved, and now defunct, Let the Boy Die, has opened his own bar with a similar concept—in both its design and rebellious spirit—serves Thai beer—brewed in Vietnam—and where all taps are dedicated to each brand’s differing styles. And speaking of Let the Boy Die’s closure, just a five minute walk from MRT Hualumphong you’ll now find Let the Girl Kill, pumping and pouring from nine taps. There’s a special bar brew called Let the Girl Kill Nightmare Black IPA (7.5% ABV) and Serious Panda Weizen (4.7% ABV). 20 | SEPTEMBER 2018

Speaking of rebellious, The Fat Cow in Lad Phrao and Dok Keaw House Bar on the periphery of Ari may fly under-the-radar, considering their locations, but both serve lots of lesser-known Thai-made beers—especially those that are still “underground” if you catch the drift. Still, if you’re curious, they’re definitely worth the trek. Rumour has it the old wooden house that Dok Keaw occupies is haunted, too. Like Chit, Taopiphop ‘Tao’ Limjittrakorn is a man on a mission and is one of the leading advocates behind the Thai craft beer movement. After an arrest in early-2017 for brewing craft beer at home—for which he spent the night in jail and paid a fine of B5,400—he bounced back to announce that he would open his own craft beer bar in Nonthaburi, with the beer brewed across the border in Cambodia, and then, seven days later, arriving in Thailand to be sold. During Tao’s trial at the Nonthaburi district court in northern metro Bangkok, Tao’s father wore a t-shirt reading “Taopiphop Ale Project” to show support for his son’s project. “The law should definitely be changed. I was in Germany 30 years ago, and there were 20,000 kinds of beer, in contrast with Thailand which only had Singha at the time,” said Tao’s father. The Taopiphop Bar Project opened in February last year, a hodgepodge space that seats about 30 people, although most of the seating inside does move around. Walls are lined with large, bottled-filled refrigerators, and any leftover space is given over to colourful graffiti works and scrawled slogans: “Good people drink good beer” and “Live like today is the last day to drink beer & coffee.” They have five rotating taps and an impressive selection of about 125 bottled craft beers—although this is increasing—from the Danish brewers, Evil Twin Brewing, to flagship beers from the Heart of Darkness Brewery, in Saigon, Vietnam: Kurtz’s Insane IPA (7.1% ABV); Loose Rivet New England IPA (7.5% ABV); Dream Alone Pale Ale (5.7% ABV); Sacred Fire IPA (4.5% ABV); and Conquistador’s Mexican Pilsner (4.2% ABV). Tao had run into further trouble after ceasing brewing operations at home and moving to the upstairs bangkok101.com

best of bkk | CITY PULSE of their—he has two other business partners—Taopiphop Bar Project. So, to adhere to rules and regulations, they shut down brewing operations, modified their name to Taopiphop Beer Project, and transformed what was an informal tasting room into a real serving bar. “Beer should be like an art,” Tao said, in an interview with the BBC last year. “Beer is what you drink with your friends, to socialise. I want to bring the good side out, you know. That’s why I did it. But I must travel to Cambodia, it’s easier to find a brewery there than in my country. Our team love to do hard things.” “The brewer brews only one day, the rest is the work of God” Tao Limjittrakorn

Blonde (5.9% ABV), Hunter’s IPA (6.2% ABV), Gorilla Stout (6.3%) and Summer Snow Champagne Ale (4.5% ABV). On the ground floor of 72 Courtyard, the Thonglor nightlife complex, you’ll find Beer Belly. The bar is decked out with a pool table, ping-pong table and various other gaming activities; everything needed for a fun night in; and a large, open-air beer garden means bews can be enjoyed outside as well as in. Plus, they have local and international craft beers rotating across 20 taps. Down the street from Beer Belly, you’ll find The Commons, an open-air concept mall chock-full of delicious eats, as well as The Beer Cap. Committed to craft beers, this fun bar utilises its draft system to serve up a wide selection of brews, rotating crafts to ensure a varied offering, so don’t expect to see the same beer twice.

Craft offer perhaps Thailand’s most extensive selection of craft beers, with a menu rotating over 170 craft beers from around the world. The bar started out back around 2014, as just a small, “pop up” located in front of the Giusto Italian restaurant on Sukhumvit Soi 23, and offering eight craft beers. Now, they have two locations—Sukhumvit 23 and at the corner of Silom and Surasak—and operate with the aim to please both beer geeks and novices alike. Having visited Craft’s second outlet, I can personally vouch for the Deschutes Fresh Squeezed IPA (6.4% ABV) with its juicy citrus and grapefruit flavour. They also serve an impressive selection of the usual suspects from Bangkok’s major suppliers, like Beervana, Hopsession, Mikkeller, Evil Twin and Brewdog.

There’s I Hate Pigeons, the curiously named bar which brings the craft beer scene to the Sribumphen area. Run by two former members of the Spicy Disc band The Messenger, this oddly named bar presents an easy-going atmosphere in a abandoned shop-house. The chalkboard above the bar advertises the rotating beers on offer with recent tipples such as Brewdog Punk IPA (5.6% ABV) and Rogue Dead Guy Ale (6.5% ABV).

Beer Republic Brewski on the 30th floor of the Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel, offer 100 craft beers and ciders plus 12 on tap—The Wild Turkey Bourbon Stout (6.9% ABV) is a highlight, but I suggest no more than two—and has become a popular drinking hole with spectacular views of the city. Nectar Café Located close by to Craft, is the 3 Bears Craft Brewary, on Sukhumvit Soi 22. The bar is set within a vaulted space where they only pour 3 Bear brews. Described on their Facebook page as the “one and only place serving in-house Tapped Craft Beers in Sukhumvit area,” they are still one of the many Thai craft beer outlets who found a way around the laws by brewing overseas—they brew in Taiwan—and then import back to Thailand. Results include Goldilocks bangkok101.com

One of the newer venues in town is Mash—a reference to the beer-brewing process—on Soi Convent, a place that has quickly established itself as a go-to bar, not just for the variety of high-quality beers—which includes big international names like Flying Dog, Stone, Modern Times and Ballast Point, as well as some of the SEPTEMBER 2018 | 21

CITY PULSE | best of bkk better cuts from the recent wave of Thai brewers who have gone overseas to brew legally, but you’ll also find beers made from locally-grown hops. One of these local tipples is Devanom IPA (6.2% ABV) which is brewed by the Ungsriwong brothers—Nattachai ‘Ob’ and Teerapat ‘Art’ Ungsriwong—who own Thailand’s first ever hops farm. It should have staying power, too. It’s a little more refined than the usual venues in this part of town, and having 16 taps certainly doesn’t hurt its cause. Mash should remain a favourite spot for office workers and travellers long after the honeymoon has ended.

Wishbeer made the most of Bangkok’s burgeoning startup scene to develop a home delivery system for beer. Then, it added a bar and bottle shop in a renovated warehouse that’s almost hidden in plain sight, just off Sukhumvit Road in Phra Khanong, where good happy hours and frequent events, including launches of new beers from Thai brewers, draw big crowds. Earlier this year, they also added garden space to their Homebar, offering a whole wealth of craft beer options that can be enjoyed in an outdoor area.

Changwon Express Two other relatively new bars bringing craft beer to the masses are Pijiu Bar (Old Town) and Nectar Café (Sathorn). Pijiu—“Beer” in Chinese—is a fresh, casual bar run by current and former Beervana employees, serving five beers on tap and many others by the bottle inside a heavily Chinese-themed shophouse on Soi Nana in Chinatown. Despite the Beervana connection, you’ll find a wide selection of beers from outside the brand’s portfolio, such as Rogue Dead, Guy Ale, Tuatara Weiz Guy Hefeweizen and Epic Brewing’s Los Cosos Mexican-style lager. Nectar is a newbie this year, having opened in March, and serves bottles and craft beers on tap, from the likes of AVBC Hop Hyzer Ale (4.9% ABV) and Bavaria Pilsner (5% ABV) to a ballsy Heretic Evil Cousin IMP IPA (8% ABV). Another 2018 addition is Beer Republic, located beneath the Holiday Inn hotel in Chidlom. Advertising themselves as “the definitive must try for beer aficionados” they stock over 70 labels, from commercial names to craft options. I suggest trying the beer flight for B500, a six mini-beer flight that allows you to choose your own tipples. Try and include the clean and refreshing Mahanakhon White Ale (5.2% ABV) from the Mahanakhon Microbrewery in Bangkok, is actually brewed—actually brewed by Cavalier Brewery in Victoria, Australia—and Peak-a-Brew IPA (6% ABV), a hazy darkish amber IPA that’s up there with the very best, marketed by Bangkok Bootleg Brothers Brewing—but also brewed in Australia. 22 | SEPTEMBER 2018

Korean expat Ted Ahn turned a tiny storefront just outside MRT Petchaburi into a haven for beer geeks, and followed this up with Changwon Express (Asoke), pouring a range of Thai and Western craft beers from up to 30 taps. An ever-changing chalkboard reveals the beers on offer, likely listing local brewers like Sandport and Outlaw. You’ll even find a Changwon IPA (4% ABV), made in collaboration with Happy New Beer, which makes a delicious session beer—thanks to a lowly ABV—which can be consumed with gusto. According to research from The Brewers Association, reporting in 2017, beer volume sales slipped 1% while craft volume was up 5%; in the US and worldwide. Individuals particularly concerned with the promotion of craft beer and home-brewing have found new ways of marketing too, aiding in the upwards drive of craft beer. “From a marketing perspective, local continues to be a huge driver of purchase decisions,” says Paul Gatza, Director of The Brewers Association. “Also, younger legal drinking age drinkers are really interested in trying things they haven’t tried before. That experiential component is double-edged… people are willing to try new brands but make it hard for brewers and distributors to build brands,” continues Gatza. “From a marketing perspective, local continues to be a huge driver of purchaser decisions” Paul Gatza In Bangkok, marketing plays a vital role in the promotion and consumption of craft beer. In many of the hotels, bars and large retailers, it’s the three big brewers who call the shots as to who gets the space—see how many signs, posters, advertising boards etc. for Chang, Singha and Leo you spot when you’re next on a night out—and yet, within craft, the shelves and distributor houses are pretty crowded. Despite local laws and legal barriers, the local craft beer movement grows and grows. Craft beers increase in popularity because of numerous factors, not just because they taste good, but consumers like the labelling and funky advertising, they like the underground sometimes furtive surroundings. Perhaps as is evident, consumers love and support the stories behind them, many exhibiting the challenges and demonstrating the perseverance required to succeed. And cheers to that! bangkok101.com

best of bkk | CITY PULSE

CRAFT BEER & CHOCOLATE: A MARRIAGE MADE IN HEAVEN

eer and chocolate. Rarely are these words seen side by side, much less as items consumed together. But, believe me—it can work. Craft beers are often noted for their unique tastes, with many consumers choosing their favourite tipples based on varying characters: hoppy, sweet, citrus, fruity etc. And, indded, it’s because of these unique characteristics, that beer pairs so well with chocolate. Of course, I’m not just talking about any old chocolate. Make sure you try your favourite craft beer with Cioccolato di Modica (or Modica Chocolate) which is a speciality Italian chocolate typical of Modica, Sicily. Few realise that Sicily was one of the first places in Europe to receive cacao from South America, thanks to being part of the Spanish kingdom in the 17th century. This particular chocolate is characterised by a centuriesold recipe that gives the chocolate a uniquely grainy texture, and the common addition of chilli pepper, cinnamon and other spices—a legacy of Aztec tradition. One of the best modern expressions of Modica chocolate may be found amongst the fine creations of producer SABADÌ. Winning the Tavoletta D’Oro for Modica Chocolate for the past seven years, SABADÌ employs only the finest raw materials in making their chocolate and use a cold process to preserve the nutritional and aromatic properties of the cacao. What regular chocolate lovers will find unique about SABADÌ is it does not contain any added cocoa butter. Not only does that mean it’s lower in fat than usual, but also, it gives rise to a refreshingly clean sensation on the palate, making it ideal for pairing with teas, coffees and alcohol-based liquids, such as wine, spirits, and of course, craft beers! When it comes to pairing SABADÌ with craft beers, the ‘marriages made in heaven’ tend to occur when the beer is craft-brewed to the highest standard and therefore, able to at once balance and showcase the flavours in the chocolate. Baladin is one of Italy’s leading craft beers and pairs very well indeed with fine

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chocolate. Below are some of my favourite pairings that you can try at home. SABADÌ Donato contains the peel of the Interdonato lemon—a particular variety that only grows in the Messina coastal area north of Taormina, Sicily. Baladin’s Isaac’s spicy but delicate harmonies of coriander and peeled oranges mingle well with the sweet aromatic citrus. SABADÌ Darino achieves a fine balance between the strong aroma of cacao Nacional and the delicacy of the Ciaculli late mandarin—a sweet variety produced in the famed Conca d’Oro in Palermo, Sicily. Baladin’s Nora, which releases notes of Eastern aromas, ginger and citrus fruit, rounds out cacao and gently complements the mandarin. SABADÌ Cino. If you like spice, take heed. The slow-release burn imparted by the organic pepperoncino in Cino turns into a flame when combined with Baladin Rock ‘n’ Roll’s peppery aroma, bitter hops and fizz. SABADÌ chocolate is available at Gourmet Market in Emporium and Siam Paragon and selected fine hotels and restaurants. Contact info@arcadia-fine-foods. com for more information. by Rosalind Yunibandhu Rosalind Yunibandhu is Founder & Managing Director of Arcadia Fine Foods. As a lover of both food and culture, she believes that food offers us much more than just a means of sustenance; to her, it’s also a vehicle through which we can tell the unique stories of the land, people and traditions from which it is borne. FB/IG: @arcadiafinefoods

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CITY PULSE | best of bkk

Let it Rock, Let it Roll Giggin’ in the city: on the music trail in Bangkok By Robin Westley Martin

angkok is an enormous city, home to millions of people, some of whom were not born here, but have chosen to make it their home. This is a story about music and musicians, specifically expat musicians in “The Big Mango” who, as well as possessing the desire to see and learn about new places, have music in their blood. The first band we are going to look at are the Midnight Ramblers, named after a well-known song by Britain’s elder statesmen of rock n’ roll, The Rolling Stones. The band comprises Eric and the ageless Joe, both from the USA, respectively on vocals and lead guitar, Cameron (Canada) on bass, Arne (Norway) on drums, Christophe (France) on rhythm guitar, and Charles (USA/Thai) on sax, with veteran musician Roddy Lorimer joining him on trumpet when he is in town. They are devotees of the Stones music,

24 | SEPTEMBER 2018

although they don’t see themselves as a covers band, but rather a tribute band, and as well as the popular favourites such as Brown Sugar they delve into the more obscure songs from The Rolling Stones extensive back catalogue. They are not a pro band, they perform because of their love of the music, and once they start to rock the whole place rocks with them. You can catch them around town in various venues, such as Fatty’s Bar, Maggie Choo’s, Check Inn 99, The Clubhouse, Queen Bee and Live Lounge, etc.

Midnight Ramblers Dream Supergroup: Drums: Buddy Rich Bass: Sid Vicious Lead Guitar: Marc Ribot (USA) Vocals: Charles Aznavour and Howling Wolf Keyboards: Burton Cummings (Guess Who)

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best of bkk | CITY PULSE

The next band are Jenny and the Scallywags, one of the most intriguing groups on the circuit. The band features Jenny (Swedish/Thai) on guitar and vocals; Will (USA) on ukulele and vocals; Charlie (Australia) on lead guitar; Ludovic (France) on drums, and Kitti (Thailand) on bass guitar. Performing, they are not like anything else out there, and the first thing you notice (apart from the gorgeous Jenny) is Will, a rather large, jovial American guy wielding a tiny ukulele, which he plays like a master. Will and Jenny share the vocals in a set that includes a few well-known tunes from the past up to the present, some more obscure classics, and also some of their own self-penned material. This is a group that have garnered an enthusiastic fan base in the city, and it’s easy to see why. Jenny said the music scene in Bangkok has improved for both musicians and music-lovers, and said, “We should all be excited to see what is coming next.” If you want to join the party they play at all the best known spots around town, but the ideal place to catch them is at Apotheke on Sukhumvit Soi 11, where they play every Sunday evening.

Jenny and the Scallywags Dream Supergroup:

Drums: Jeff Porcaro (Toto, deceased 1992) Lead Guitar: Gary Moore Vocals: Whitney Houston (Oregon, USA) Keyboards: David Paich (Toto) Bass: Tommy Emmanuel (Australia).

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CITY PULSE | best of bkk

Bangkok is nothing if not eclectic, and this carries over into the next band, Big Backyard, who have carved a niche for themselves by giving us a taste of classic soul and funk music stemming from the 1960s through to the 1980s. Band members are Gregory (USA), bass and vocals; Shin (Japan), lead guitar; Jerry (UK) guitar; Jerry (USA) drums/vocals. I first caught this band over a year ago at the train night market on Ratchadapisek Road, and I was hooked. I was originally a hard rock fan when I was younger but now appreciate most genres of music, and the way Big Backyard perform their set on stage give us sounds as good as (sometimes even better than) the originals. It is surprising to see such a versatile and passionate lead guitarist, and even more surprising when you realise that he is not from the West, but from Japan. His solos seem to come from out of nowhere, and I love the way the powerhouse drumming and cool bass lines drive the band on like an express train. They have done over 90 gigs already this year—it won’t be long before you will see them somewhere near you.

Big Backyard Dream Supergroup:

Vocals: Curtis Mayfield Bass: Charles Larkey (Carole King’s band) Keyboards: Stevie Wonder Guitar: Nile Rogers Drums: Charlie Watts. 26 | SEPTEMBER 2018

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best of bkk | CITY PULSE Next band up is the Cotton Mouth Blues Band, who were formed by Bangkok music legend Keith Nolan, the guy in Bangkok who knows just about everybody on the music scene. The band lineup is Keith (Ireland): keyboards/vocals; Andy (UK): drums; Takashi (Japan); Daniel (Australia) - guitars; Jimmy (Australia); Neung (Thailand) - bass The Cotton Mouth Blues Band add yet another facet to the musical cut in Bangkok, with their take on â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;da Bluesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. They play some original material, but also have a load of crowd-pleasers as they stamp their own style on standards by musicians such as the Allman Brothers Band, BB King, ZZ Top, Taj Mahal, and many more of your favourite blues artists. They continue to gain more followers after every gig, and they also have a taster available of their own stuff, Pardon me for Asking which you can find on Spotify and iTunes, with a new album due out this December. They play at all the usual venues, but you can catch a gig every Sunday evening at Check Inn 99 on Sukhumvit Soi 33.

Cotton Mouth Blues Band Dream Supergoup: Guitar: Billy Gibbons Bass: Willy Weeks Drums: Steve Gadd Vocals: Taj Mahal

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CITY PULSE | best of bkk

rep amongst the younger crowd in Bangkok, and are constantly being invited to do gigs all over town. Wherever they play the vibe is definitely electric, and it is not long before the dance floor is packed out.

Bang Sue Electrix Dream Supergroup: Bass: Simon Gallup (The Cure) Guitar: Adrian Belew (King Crimson) Keyboards: Brian Eno Drums: John Bonham Vocals: Chance the Rapper.

Bang Sue Electrix are not exactly a band, but a duo featuring Pavel from the Czech Republic, and young twenty-something, Bell, from Thailand. Pavel is a seasoned musician who performed and produced in Russia and Europe before ending up here. He can turn his hand to most forms of music, and in this incarnation he has teamed up with the clever wordsmith and rapper Bell, from near his home in Bang Sue, where the band gets its name from. Pavel plays guitar and creates loops and synth splashes to the spot-on lyrics and enthusiastic performances of Bell. They are currently gaining a 28 | SEPTEMBER 2018

Lastly we are going to look at the solo scene, with four of the best singer-songwriters who live in the city; Matthew Fischer (Wisconsin); John Lindsay (Newcastle, UK), Ryan Holweger (Minneapolis), and Valerie Joyce (Los Angeles). They became friends after meeting each other performing at various spots around town, and formed a bond because of their mutual respect for each other’s music. They perform almost 100 per cent their own self-penned toons, and each of them brings something special to the table. Catch them around town, or on Tuesday nights at Fatty’s Bar on Asoke Dindaeng, plus other guest performers. They are having a launch in September of a record featuring all four performers … just Google Fatty’s Bar & Diner for details of the launch party. Honourable mentions: Thomas Murcutt’s Plague Pits, Kevin Wood, Roman Anton, John Branton. All the bands, individuals, and venues mentioned in this feature have their own Facebook pages, check’em out to see what’s coming up. If you live in Bangkok, and you love your moozik, get yourself out onto the streets … there is a lot to see and enjoy. bangkok101.com

The New Concept of Dental Clinic Personalised Treatments for a Charming Smile!

“A good smile is the first impression that shows a person’s personality and helps them to create confidence.“ BDMS Wellness Clinic (BWC) are proud to announce the opening of their BWC Dental Clinic, which offers dentistry services using laser technology to achieve the ultimate aesthetics and function in digital smile design. The Perfect Smile is personalised and created to naturally enhance the individual’s facial profile. Our aim is to promote a healthy, beautiful smile that reboots self-confidence and leads to an improved quality of life overall.

Highlighted Treatments • Smile Analysis: Customized Design by Digital Technology Digital Assisted Smile Analysis is a multi-use conceptual tool that can strengthen diagnostic vision, improve communication and enhance predictability throughout treatment. • Smile Makeover Performed due to your unique concerns in order to brighten your everyday appearance and improve self-conﬁdence. • Full Mouth Rehabilitation & Dental Implants with Digital Guided Surgery The individualised treatment which you need in order to optimise the health of the entire mouth including teeth, gums and bite. • Digital CAD/ CAM (One Day Crown) BWC Dental Clinic uses the cutting-edge technology known as Computer-Aided Design/Computer-Aided Manufacturing, or CAD/CAM to create dental crowns in just a few hours instead of several weeks. • Invisalign: Clear Aligner (No Braces, No Wires) The world’s most advanced digital orthodontic treatment system which help straighten your teeth by the customised invisible braces. You can always smile conﬁdently since it’s barely noticeable.

BWC Dental Clinic Services • VIP Lounge service for guests and their family • 11 Treatment Rooms available • Full-range of Dental Specialists • Dental Lab & CEREC Machine, where you can get your personalised smile within a day • Superior Customer Experience

BWC Dental Clinic 6th Floor, 2/4 Wireless Road, Lumpini, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330 | Tel:+66 2 826 9986 |

www.bdmswellness.com

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SNAPSHOTS | insight

Tawn Chatchavalvong Shifting gear for fashion, a young designer has followed his passion and fulfilled his dream and destiny

he veneer of glamorous fashion world lures fashionistas with the ever-changing seasons of beautiful clothes and models but much goes on behind the scene. Fashion labels and fashion designers’ lives must endure through the merrygo-round cycles with persistence, hard work and unwavering passion. Tawn Chatchavalvong, a Bangkok-based fashion designer, has experienced this test of time by following his passion and fulfilling his destiny.

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Although majoring in Political Science, Tawn didn’t follow his father’s footsteps in working for the government. He evokes, “When I studied in San Francisco, I went to visit my friends in New York and they are artists, designers, and filmmakers. They opened my perspectives but with consideration, fashion schools weren’t for me then.” Tawn explains, “My life is about following up. Fortunately, after working in Public Relations for a

decade, I switched to fashion design. I was torn between the two. So I worked part-time and studied at Accadamia Italiana for half of the week. During my first year, my teacher told me to produce a collection to show with the graduating students. When my clothes were modelled on the catwalk, my instinct told me that this was my destiny. I decided to drop out and made up for the lost time.” Like a fairy tale, Tawn’s fairy godmother came in a guise of Thailand’s most legendary couturier, Somchai Keawthong or Kai. Tawn delightfully recalls, “I accompanied my friend who had her wedding gown custom-made by P Kai. I proposed to work for him and tried to show my business acumen and maturity. At first he refused but after two weeks, I was called in to design Kai’s diffusion brand, K&I. Without any sleep, I prepared the mood board and sketches of 48 looks for the next day. P Kai promptly approved and I worked in his atelier for a year. That was the best working experience I could ever have. I observed how he works and had opportunities to meet fashion editors and celebrities. This collection was featured at Bangkok International Couture Fashion Week and sold well but the brand folded afterwards. That was my first big break.” With his family’s financial backing, Tawn founded TAWN C. He enthuses, “I started 10 years too late but I want it to survive and succeed. Time is of essence and I want good business endorsers with good buyers, media exposure, and stylish clientele. I’m proud to have beautiful retail spaces but the operation costs can be too high. I prefer using my creativity solving design and production problems to handling retail issues. So I shifted the strategy and trimmed out what’s unnecessary. I have built my brand with passion and dream and it bangkok101.com

insight | SNAPSHOTS

has become my life and career, not a playground.” Tawn’s passion for travel and taste for European style inspires and fuels him. He muses, “I enjoy my routine but I also like to observe. I have my ‘uniform’ when I get dressed daily. I don’t focus on changing my own style. TAWN C. stands for timeless elegance but the mood and

NOW NEW NEXT Join Bangkok-born but internationally bred aesthete Dr. Tom Vitayakul as he meets with creative minds and artistic souls from both Thailand and overseas. From traditional, to contemporary and avant-garde, he finds out about the visions, inspirations, and creations of these talented individuals. bangkok101.com

tone evolve from one collection to another. Our DNA lies in high quality materials, refined craftsmanship, and attention to detail. I let my design process happen naturally. It begins with a story, then the shape and palette, and the technical aspect comes at the end. The material fair in Milan provides predictions on trends and influences but I also research and incorporate my signature into the collection. I like modernizing silhouettes and lines, using bold and bright colours, mixing motifs and patterns, and adding some elements. I work with five teams of seamstresses from different expertise: ready-towear, masculine tailoring, intricate lacing, fine embroidery and evening gowns with corsets and draping. I’m afraid that the crafts of creating these sumptuous gowns will be gone because of fewer talents. They are labour-intensive and have fewer demands here.” Tawn clarifies, “In my design philosophy, I empower women’s individuality. My clients are sophisticated women in their late 20s and upward, who like unique yet simple style with quality and have special occasions to attend. I like coming to the boutique during weekends and listen

to their opinions. I tried to understand their needs to improve my collections. I have to curb my ego to balance between ideas and business.” Tawn’s fruits of labour have brought him accolades. In 2016 Tawn received a Pyramid of Excellence Award from his alma mater Accademia Italiana in Florence, a recognition award giving to art, fashion, and design people with strength in creative labours. After fashion icons such as Vivienne Westwood, Carla Fendi, and Robert Capucci, Tawn is the first Thai designer to receive the award. He concludes, “Three years ago I premiered Maison TAWN C. at Paris Fashion Week and was surprised by good receptions. Thanks to European lifestyles, luxurious evening gowns sell better than ready-to-wear. With modern and clean lines, I tone down the ‘jolie madame’ look. We are in the dress-down era and real life is not a runway. I’m pleased that my brand is now distributed in Paris, New York, Kuwait, Saint Petersburg, and expanding to China’s e-commerce market after a Shanghai Fashion Week. But I feel honoured when noticing an ordinary woman in my clothes because they know my style without knowing me.” SEP TEM BER 2018 | 31

SNAPSHOTS | bizarre thailand

Bangkok Noir: The Telltale Art

Crime and corruption, hookers and hitmen, the anthology “Bangkok Noir” makes a case for hardboiled crime fiction in the Thai capital crime fiction and cinema of suspense from the ‘40s and ‘50s was infected with a lethal strain of fatalism. It’s a bleak worldview best represented in this collection by Timothy Hallinan’s Hansum Man. The author of The Queen of Patpong, a 2011 nominee for the Edgar Allan Poe best mystery novel award, tells the punchy tale of a Vietnam vet coming back to Bangkok in search of R ‘n’ R after a long time away, only to find a city that is more hostile and foreboding than he remembered. True to the genre’s downwardly mobile nature, the only way for the protagonist to go is to hit rock bottom. The elasticity of Bangkok Noir is stretched in engrossing new ways by the book’s editor, Christopher G. Moore, in Dolphins Inc. Displaying the author’s penchant for melding contemporary concerns like the annual dolphin slaughter in Japan with the imaginative realms of cyberpunk and hardboiled fiction, this genre-jumping tale rewards repeat readings. In fact, I’d challenge anyone to figure it out the first time around. FEMMES FATALES

t first glance, the book title of reads like an oxymoron. Given the sunny climate and the sunny-side-up dispositions of most Thais, invoking the word “noir” next to Bangkok seems a mite strange,

32 | SEP T EM BER 2018

That stock character of Bangkok Noir, the femme fatale, gets revamped in Thai fashion. John Burdett (Bangkok 8) adds a few touches of tastefully written erotica to a portrait of Thailand’s most infamous female phantasm in Gone East, while the eminent travel author Pico Ayer (Video Nights in Kathmandu) returns to the Bangkok scenes of because the French word for “black” is that non-fiction collection in the only more a state of existential despair than story that flirts with the city’s main a genre of film and fiction. In response tenderloin for tourists. Penetrating the love lives of Thai to two World Wars and the Great society’s elite is a subject rarely dealt Depression that carved a long dark with in English-language writing from trench between them, much of the bangkok101.com

bizarre thailand | SNAPSHOTS Thailand—until now—as local author Tew Bunnag sketches the incongruities and murderous passions in a love quadrangle of an older, bisexual politician, his younger mistress, an errant gigolo and a forsaken wife in The Mistress Wants Her Freedom. Tew’s sympathy for the plight of the young mistress at the hands of the Viagra-gobbling politician is rendered explicitly well: “He merely needed her to be there as a beautiful trinket to bolster his esteem and as a receptacle into which he could pour his artificially stimulated desire.”

In Death of a Legend, Barrett supplies the book’s cleverest and most Hitchcockesque plot twist, with the noir served up in dollops of black humour. But the riskiest story here may very well be Pol Gen Vasit Dejkunjorn’s The Sword. Of all the different crime and detective stories set in Thailand, the police procedural is off limits, for the simple reason that any author revealing the behind-the-crimescenes machinations of the force’s do-badders would be bringing down a death sentence on their own heads.

DARK INFLUENCES The term “dark influences” turns up a lot in the Thai and English press as shorthand for a murky collision between the underworld of contract killers and the realm of more respectable figures from the upper echelons of power. In this anthology, a few of the shadowy killers from the margins of society are fleshed out by veteran expat authors Collin Piprell, author of the Magic Circles sci-fi series, and Dean Barrett, now retired, who zero in on a stock figure of crime writing. Hot Enough to Kill by Piprell deglamorizes the hitman. To Chai, it’s just another job that pays better than menial labour. At the end of the workday, all he wants is do is have a cold beer and flirt with some good-looking women, like many other working stiffs.

Bizarre

Thailand Bizarre Thailand's columnist Jim Algie has parlayed his experiences living in Thailand into books like the collection of short stories entitled The Phantom Lover and Other Thrilling Tales of Thailand (2014), and Bizarre Thailand: Tales of Crime, Sex, and Black Magic. Check out www.jimalgie.club for more. bangkok101.com

robber resisted arrest, Yuddha did not waste time negotiating. The robber was gunned down in a brief firefight. With the extrajudicial killing, Yuddha joined the prestigious class of police exterminators.” The Sword—a reference to the ceremonial offerings given to graduates of the police academy by a member of royalty—takes the case of a tycoon whose driver has possibly caused the death of a motorcyclist and expands it into a much bigger tale that details how the bribery system works. In light of the Red Bull heir killing a policeman with his Ferrari, and never being charged for it, several years later, this tale has become an eerie prophecy. NOIR REDUX

Timothy Hallinan, author of eight thrillers set in Bangkok. Photo:Morgan Schmidt-Feng

In all of the country’s Thai and English newspapers, the editorial is a yearly déjà vu—Police in Need of Reform—but how does the corruption play out on a daily basis? Vasit, the late police general named a National Artist in Literature in 1998 who passed away in June 2018, fills in the blanks and grey areas of a young cop’s rise to riches: “He did not forget that criminal investigation and interrogation alone were not sufficient for his fame. To be hailed as a police idol, he would have to show that he was skilled too in crime suppression. The young superintendent consequently turned to the easiest prey: the petty thieves. His arrest records were impressively long. When an armed

After the canon of noir’s greatest exponents, such as the American novelist Jim Thompson’s Chester Himes and David Goodis, ran out of firepower and readers as the ‘60s came to a close, a new kind of crime tale emerged, typified by Elmore Leonard, Carl Hiaasen and the early films of Quentin Tarantino, which plays the darker elements for black comedy. But now, as a new post-Brexit era looms, Donald Trump makes a mockery of democracy, and Europe seethes with the biggest refugee crisis since World War II. Only the lunatics are laughing. While the world stage is set for a return to noir’s pessimism and primary theme of corruption: corruption of politics and big business, the corrupting power of sex, the betrayals of friendship and marriage that ultimately lead to the corruption of the individual’s integrity and most cherished beliefs, as happens to the crooked cop in The Sword. After all, in a country and body politic like Thailand where the last two elected prime ministers are convicted criminals on the lam and the press is now more straightjacketed than ever, Bangkok noir is a telltale art.

The new and expanded version of author Jim Algie’s latest tome, On the Night Joey Ramone Died: Tales of Rock and Punk from Bangkok, New York, Cambodia and Norway, sports a cover blurb from the renowned author Timothy Hallinan: “The funniest sad book and the saddest funny book I’ve read in a long time.” The book is currently available for purchase, both as an e-book and as a paperback, at www.amazon.com.

SEPTEMBER 2018 | 33

SNAPSHOTS | joe's bangkok

Leave the Night On

A stable of Joe’s steady, non-trendy, favourite Bangkok nightspots

Smalls

nyone who knows me knows that I like to go out at night in Bangkok. A lot. Probably more than is good for finances and health, but I like meeting people, listening to music of all kinds and catching up on the latest drink fads, as silly as they are 90 per cent of the time. Thus I’m always on the lookout for new city nightlife venues. You might catch me at the odd opening now and then, but overall I prefer to check in after a place has found its legs. Here I offer a stable of steady, non-trendy favourites that I frequent regularly. You’ll notice I have a clear preference for small- to medium-sized venues with a distinctive playlist, DJs who can handle vinyl—if the venue doesn’t supply turntables, OK, but you can always tell a vinyl guy/gal even when they’re on CDJs—or even better, live music. Laptop music is usually a deal-killer. I don’t go for big halls with theatrical themes, ladies’ nights and so on. Big-screen TVs, no thanks. Even during the World Cup. Dive bars are

34 | SEPTEMBER 2018

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great, although Bangkok only has one or two true dive bars. A place doesn’t need a vast liquor inventory, but if there isn’t at least one bourbon behind the bar, forget it. That’s what I drink, most of the time. Craft beers don’t matter to me since I rarely drink beer and they tend to draw an overly sporty, predominantly male crowd. Every bar or club benefits from feminine energy, and the conversation is better.

The 88 Surawong 88 Surawong Rd., Silom

Despite its avowed mixological orientation—it’s partially owned by Bootleggers, a local indie liquor distributor—88 is an unpretentious bar, free of theatrical menu text and other frills. Seriously good cocktail collection and a nonstop playlist of indie rock, blues and R&B.

12x12

Thararom Soi 2, Thonglor

Just up the soi from Shades of Retro, this tiny boite is a labour of love for its Japanese owners, who support

an eclectic music menu, both live and digital, just as long as it’s weird. I recently caught Degurutieni—the Captain Beefheart/Tom Waits of Japan—and Kuru Circus—avant-garde improv from India—playing on the same night, separately and together; it was intense. Bar offers Japanese and Thai craft beers and home-made plum wine, plus the usual.

Mad Bar Ari Soi 4, Ari

Kick back on the beanbags strewn on the grassy outdoor square, surrounded by a colonnade of corrugated roofing and wooden deck furnished with sofas and tables. Bartenders shake up classics along with signature concoctions, while off to the side a stage holds live bands and DJs nightly. Complete food service as well. The most commercial place on my list, but hey it’s Ari, there’s not a lot of choice.

Adhere the 13th

13 Samsen Rd., Banglamphu

I’ve been going here for what seems like decades The name makes me bangkok101.com

joe's bangkok | SNAPSHOTS

Iron Balls Gin Distillery

23 Bar & Gallery

think of glue, which is apropos since once I’m in for the evening I’m usually stuck fast to my seat listening to some of the finest performances of blues and R&B in the city. Negotiate your way through the long, narrow room past several rows of vinyl album covers and street art to reach the no-frills bar at the back where you can order up a Singha alongside the crowd of local artists, international musos and backpackers who have escaped nearby Khao San Road.

photographer David Jacobson, Smalls’ assemblage of retro furniture, custom built-ins and local art, scattered across three floors of a 1960s corner shophouse, is pretty hard to resist. An exceptionally well-stocked bar—there are at least 20 kinds of absinthe available, as well as rare bourbons like Angel Envy—plus an eclectic music policy and arguably the most interesting clientele of any nightlife venue in the city make an all-nighter here a good bet.

Smalls

Wong’s Place

Soi Suan Phlu, Sathorn

You’ve heard of destination bars? Decorated by French artist Bruno Tanquerel and managed by New York

Joe’s Bangkok

When it comes to late-night revelry, Wong’s is everyone’s staple. The narrow barroom decorated with proto-selfie Polaroids, posters and magazine covers is Bangkok’s answer to Hamburg’s famed Café Lehmitz. Open since 1987, this spot draws virtually every local barfly, from on-a-tight-budget English teachers to celebrities to drag queens. Bottled local beers are self-serve from the fridge, and you can order up your usual well drink of choice at the bar. Prepare yourself for a lethal ‘Wongover’ the next day.

Iron Balls Gin Distillery 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

Tucked away in a nondescript community mall, this micro-sized, steampunk-themed bar is attached to a laboratory occupied by company’s gleaming gin stills. DJs spin atmospheric jams of R&B, funk and jazz varieties on vinyl only, as a welldressed crowd mingles into the wee hours. A short list of creative cocktails are made with namesake Iron Balls

gin, made from a base of pineapple and coconut, including a signature G&T made with a stiff one and half shots of gin and artisan tonic, and then garnished with lime, sweet Thai basil and pineapple. The most expensive bar I frequent, by a long shot.

23 Bar & Gallery

92 Soi Nana (off Charoen Krung Rd), Talat Noi

Ordinarily you wouldn’t pair an art gallery with a dive bar, but this is a unique exception, livening up Chinatown with its reasonably priced drinks, minimal décor, rootsy artwork and magnificent rotation of rock ‘n’ roll recordings. The heart and soul of the bar is artist and rock DJ Mongkol Sanla, who moved the shop here after six years in Sukhumvit. Mongkol runs the bar as if every night were a house party, inviting guests for shots while dancing behind the bar to everything from grunge and psychedelia to Britpop. Cheapest bar on the list.

Soulbar

Next to FooJohn, Charoen Krung Rd., Talat Noi

On nights that call for a Motown soundtrack, Bangkok has you covered. Inside a renovated shophouse, live bands blast funk, disco, R&B and soul. During breaks, a house mix keeps the rhythm going with throwback sounds from James Brown and The Four Tops. The centrally anchored bar offers stiff cocktails, and a variety of local craft and imported beers. Against a dark and industrial interior, local art adds a bit of colour and contrast. SEPTEMBER 2018 | 35

SNAPSHOTS | very thai

Soi Animals

The urban zoo: cats, dogs, birds, snakes, elephants — Part 2

everal feline breeds originated here, from the Siamese and Khorat to part-Thai cats like the Oriental, Snowshoe or Himalayan. Thailand’s diverse moggies often display the Siamese cat’s smoky ‘points’ on nose, ear, paws and slim tail. Many also have broken tails, a genetic deformity causing aghast visitors to wonder if they’ve been injured or even mutilated by man or beast. Throughout Southeast Asia, Charles Darwin noted, “the cats have truncated tails about half the proper length, often with a sort of knot at the end.” He might not have believed the origin myths. One says that cat tails held Buddha images so protectively they rigidified. In another, a bathing princess kept her rings on a cat tail. Because they slipped off, next time she or the cat – tales differ – knotted the tail. Just as Thai optimism holds that bird droppings ‘bless’ those splattered, a crippled tail augurs luck. Ancient treatises describe 17 Thai cats of which two with kinked long or short tails bring wealth and power. Though Bangkok’s estimated 25,000 stray cats can fend for themselves, people put out food, partly as they catch vermin, but also because they are honoured. Killing a cat equates to killing a novice monk. So vets hate putting cats down. Out of cats’ reach, cages of songbirds hang from the eaves of many homes, especially Muslim ones. The cages of bent cane or bone have an ornate hook and a cloth shade. The pricy birds, some endangered, twitter for their owners’ pleasure and may compete in cooing contests. At Baan Ta Klang village in Surin, the family pet is rather bigger: an elephant. When Southern Isaan was second only to Africa’s savanna in numbers of large game mammals, Surin’s Kui tribe rounded up elephants for war or labour, keeping several under their extra-high stilt houses. After local forests were felled, fodder became scarce and expensive, so the village herd declined to just a few dozen. With Bangkok’s vacant lots offering better natural foraging, elephant handlers (mahouts) and their charges become itinerants, plying streets so people can pay to feed them sugar cane – or to duck under the belly for

> Very Thai

River Books by Philip Cornwel-Smith with photos by John Goss and Philip Cornwel-Smith B995 36 | SEP TEM BER 2018

luck. Since hot roads damage elephant feet, they trudge through lighter nighttime traffic wearing reflectors and lights, but still risking harm from sharp objects, potholes, drains, wires, cars. Many fret that the national animal, which once appeared on the flag, should beg, but outrage exceeds answers. Grand plans to secure the elephant’s future fizzle out despite private initiatives and recurring bans on elephants roving cities. The mahouts lack plausible options, so some elephants work in illegal logging under doses of amphetamines. Another government idea to purchase elephants for forest work undervalues the mahouts, whose skills and companionship are essential for elephants to survive safely. In the north, Lampang’s National Elephant Institute includes an elephant hospital, pachyderm sperm bank, and art and music done by trunk (both taken seriously by Western critics), as well as a school for mahouts that accepts international students – more as an experience than a skill applicable in Western capitals. The Institute offers several non-exploitative solutions, but languishes in a constant funding crisis as most interest comes from tourists. Many northern Thai elephants left unemployed by a 1988 logging ban now offer controversial elephant rides and tourist shows. Yet the tourism sector allegedly entails cruel training. It also requires an increasing number of domesticated elephants, currently around 4,000 in Thailand, which involves smuggling from abroad and the killing of mothers to grab babies from the 2,500-3,500 that survive in national parks. Wild elephants are also threatened by ivory poaching, live export and violence by encroaching farmers. Authorities bask in the prestige and Thainess of elephants, but can’t seem to manage their care and survival. Some experts predict extinction in a decade or two, since captive elephants hardly breed. The fact that so many wild or feral creatures remain visible in towns highlights the Thai bond with animals, yet their grim coexistence shows it has become a dog-eat-dog world.

Now in its expanded, updated 2nd edition, “Very Thai: Everyday Popular Culture” is a virtual bible on Thai pop culture, and an influential must-read among foreigners and many Thais. Its 70 chapters and 590 photographs guide you on an unconventional Technicolor tour of the quirky things that make Thailand truly Thai. This column is based on different chapter 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

Bangkok’s other ‘intangible heritage’

Photo by FB missladyboysfanpage

Intangible heritage generally designates oral traditions, customs and/or the characters shaping a country’s identity. So, if ladyboys, transgenders and drag queens were considered an ‘intangible heritage’ of Bangkok, then they’d go some way in defining what the city is, which they undoubtedly do, part of Bangkok’s fabric and just as iconic as the Chao Praya River

Bangkok ladyboy beauty contest

oreigners often refer to the sense of tolerance of Thai people in their daily life. The most visible aspect of this tolerance is undoubtedly a large number of ladyboys, people who identity fluctuates between a man and a woman. For some Thais, oscillating between a male and female identity is part of people’s karma. Feeling different from his or her original gender is not uncommon and will likely become a sign of destiny. Some very religious

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Buddhists think that people pay in their present life sins of their past, returning to earth with weakened sexual identity. “It could happen to anybody, and we consequently must show comprehension for those people,” explains a young gay Thai. Pattani-born Naeya Umar, an openly transgender who has made a career as a successful model and actress, believes that the modern interpretation is wrong. “I do not agree with this interpretation, as I believe

that Thais are often shy to express what they deeply think inside openly. They keep quiet although they might disagree about the existence of a transgender or a ladyboy. We need now to show that ladyboys are not just into entertaining and be funny. They need to climb the social ladder as well.” Whatever the perception, the so-called “third sex” is part of Thai modern society and Bangkok offers the sort of anonymity and normalcy that ladyboys and transgenders bangkok101.com

heritage | SNAPSHOTS are looking for. “I do not know any other places in the world where I can walk in open space as a drag queen and feel totally safe,” says Pan Pan Nakprasert—aka “Pangina Heals” at night—one of Bangkok’s most famous drag queen performers. At least, ladyboys are at ease in the entertainment industry. What would Bangkok nightlife be without the presence of drag queens and ladyboy shows? A very different scene, indeed. The Silom district concentrates most of these shows, and for a traditional cabaret performance— with its abundance of boa feathers, rhinestones and sequins—the best remains Calypso Cabaret at Asiatique The Riverfront. There are two performances a night, matching some of the very best cabaret shows in Paris. Shorter performances are also on stage at gay club DJ Station (Silom Soi 2) and gay bar The Stranger (Silom Soi 4). However, praises must definitely go to the iconic Maggie Choo’s, located at Novotel Silom. Designed by Bangkok based star of bar and restaurant designer Ashley Sutton, Maggie Choo’s is already a trip into Bangkok history. Pass the entrance which evokes an old Chinese-style restaurant from the 1930s and enter into the vaulted ceiling of the East

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

Pangina Heals at Maggie Choo’s

Asiatic Company—echoing the old warehouses—and graced by busts of an emotionless Queen Victoria. Every Sunday, a drag queen show time ensure that the place is packed, mostly with Thai upper-class kids, celebrities and a mix of tourists and expats.

Pangina Heals at Maggie Choo’s

The fame of Maggie Choo’s has much to do with the personality of its main entertainer, Pan Pan Nakprasert,

who during performances, becomes Pangina Heals. “When we looked at producing a drag queen show, I wanted to shape it as I would love to enjoy a night party in Bangkok. It should be fun, outspoken, interactive, something between performers and the public. And this is what we managed to do. At Maggie Choo’s the public can talk and cheer with us, play games with us and just have a fun time,” says Pangina Heals. Theme nights, extravagant costumes, fun talks—“outspoken is not to be rude,” stresses Nakprasert— and great music to dance to are filling Maggie Choo’s on Sundays. “It took us three years to really get successful and establish our weekly event. But now, people are coming back, and there is even a strong sense of belonging to the Maggie Choo’s family!” adds Heals. To some, the idea of such elaborate, colorful and vibrant characters may seem smutty or crass, but the community here is loving and strong and defines Bangkok. So, intangible? Not really. Out and open, yes, and happy to live, perform and thrive, yes indeed. SEPTEMBER 2018 | 39

One of Thailandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most spectacular routes, Chaloem Burapha Chonlathit Road is more than 100 km long, parallel to the beach through the city center of Rayong, Chanthaburi and Trat Province.

TRAT 101 W

e begin this month’s travel section with a story on sustainable tourism in Thailand. During a time of increased awareness around recycling, social responsibility and our ecological footprint, it’s important to remember that our actions and our movements have an impact on nature and the future of the planet. This doesn’t mean that we have to stop travelling and exploring, but instead, should be aware and considerate of how we plan our journeys. The opening article, Trailblazers of Sustainable Tourism (pg. 42-45) by Jim Algie, ponders the future of Thailand’s natural beauty, looking at how—with more than 30 million arrivals a year to the country—sustainable tourism is so crucial to the development—and preservation—of the country. The article goes further, highlighting a select number of tourism companies who each do their part in promoting travel via community-based tourism and activities offering less impact on the environment. “Tourism impacts much more than the environment,” says Peter Jenson, a tourism sustainability consultant. “It affects communities, indigenous people and often the poor.” Jenson goes further, “Consumers, who are increasingly eco-minded, deserve to take much of the opaqueness out of the industry.” Although there is no global governing body, the world’s largest environment conference, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), makes influential recommendations. The article Trailblazers of Sustainable Tourism, at the very least, can offer suggestions of what to look for when thinking about an environmentallyfriendly trip as well as act as a reminder that we should all ensure that our travel is as sustainable as possible. Leaving Bangkok and heading into Thailand’s southeastern corner, we look at Trat Province. Often overlooked by neighbouring Chanthaburi, Trat offers its own unique centrepieces, mainly long stretches of white sand beaches across numerous uninhabited islands. You’ll also discover hidden waterfalls, famed trekking routes, bird BANGKOK sanctuaries and iconic temples. In Exploring Trat Province (pg. 48-51) by David J. Constable, the article takes an overview look at this slice of the country bordering Cambodia, along the Cardamom Mountains. Although considered mostly to be a quiet, relaxing location for tourists, with peaceful beaches and sprawling national parks, Trat offers visitors plenty of activities too, particularly water-based, with numerous snorkelling and scuba diving opportunities and even shipwrecks to explore, such as HTMS Chang—the biggest shipwreck in Thailand!

Trat

TRAVEL | special feature

Trailblazers of Sustainable Tourism With more than 30 million arrivals to Thailand per year the natural beauty that draws many visitors to the kingdom has been put in peril. That’s why sustainable tourism is so crucial to the development of this sector By Jim Algie

hen the term eco-tourism was coined in 1983 by the Mexican architect Héctor Ceballos-Lascuràin, it came to encompass all sorts of nature-based trips where the onus was on the tour operator to provide an environmentally friendly excursion. As the term morphed into “responsible tourism,” the onus was more and more on the traveller to behave responsibly by respecting the local environment and customs. But as the market continued to grow, the field has evolved into “sustainable tourism,” the term most commonly used today, where the onus is on all stakeholders.

42 | SEPTEMBER 2018

All these terms, and other offshoots such as community-based tourism, are branches of the same tree that have similar roots and principles, such as low volume/ low impact, which is only common sense: the fewer travellers on any given outing, the less impact they will have on the environs. The necessity of sourcing local foods and using local transport is also easy to grasp; both contribute to a lower carbon footprint for each visitor and the company. Instead of throwing more textbook definitions at you, let’s look at the Thailand-specific picture and three of the frontrunners in this field: Lisu Lodge, Khiri Travel and Local Alike. bangkok101.com

special feature | TRAVEL

LISU LODGE When the Thai Ecotourism and Adventure Travel Association came to audit the Lisu Lodge as part of its certification process in 2012, the lodge was awarded 97 points out of 100. Lisu Lodge would have had a perfect score, but in the “recycling food” category there was no box to tick for feeding leftovers to the villagers’ pigs. That’s a good introduction to how comprehensive the lodge’s approach to sustainability is. The building, and by extension the entire brand, has been constructed around such key pillars as preserving the environs and keeping the local communities intact by respecting their cultures and providing them with employment opportunities. All the staff comes from the nearby Lisu hill-tribe village who supplied the inspiration for the name, and who work as guides, drivers, cooks, receptionists, maids and performers. The lodge itself has been constructed in a Lisu style, using only locally sourced materials save for some tiles from Bangkok and a super-efficient gas water heater from the United States that produces no emissions. In its early days, Lisu Lodge tried alternative energy sources like solar panels but found them too erratic for the guests’ convenience, while wind turbines were too noisy. To bolster local incomes and provide another activity for guests, Lisu Lodge pioneered white-water rafting in the area. And while the sport has become wildly popular, spawning dozens of independent tour operators and attracting hundreds of visitors during peak season, the lodge makes efforts to minimise environmental impacts by conducting annual tests to monitor the state of the water. The waterborne excursions offered by Lisu Lodge are only one of a raft of outdoor activities that embody the most basic elements of eco-tourism, like trekking, cycling and visiting the kingdom’s oldest tea plantation to learn how to pick the leaves and brew tea.

her company, Asian Oasis, only sells packages ranging from one to five nights or more. “If I sell room nights, people will skip the community. People will skip learning. People will skip the experiences. It’s part of what we have a commitment to do,” she said. Ann hastened to add that this is not a field with huge revenue potential. Simply put, these kinds of lodges do not have a large number of rooms or guests ever to become massive moneymakers. They also tend to be one-off experiences; repeat visitors are rare. Eco-lodges are, in fact, a niche market, but there is potential for steady growth. To ensure that long-term growth, entrepreneurs must continue to evolve.

“We have to adapt to the growing demands of the clients. People today want to experience something totally different from 20 years ago, or even 10 years ago. People are looking for bigger rooms, more comfort and different tours. We have a huge rice field because people are concerned about organic living and we grow organic vegetables too. So we are adapting all the time to the changing market. That’s what makes your business sustainable,” said Ann.

KHIRI TRAVEL

Preserving and appreciating the local culture is another speciality. That means trips to the Lisu village for guests, who can also take in performances of songs and dances by hill-tribe members. They can even request consultations with the local shaman on everything from health to mystical matters. Interactions like these are one reason that the owner of the company, Chananya “Ann” Phataraprasit, does not sell room nights, as many other eco-lodges do. Instead, bangkok101.com

Founded by Dutchman Willem Niemeijer in Bangkok in 1993, Khiri Travel adopted a sustainable tourism business model early on, he said, because the company was not interested in the high-volume market of mainstream travel. Khiri’s tours revolve around cultural and natural excursions, or educational experiences, which by definition are niche-oriented. On a practical level, it’s a model that makes a lot of economic sense in the long run. “To manage a company well, 360 degrees well, you have to look not only at a profit, but giving back to the local community and training and retaining staff, as well as providing a better working environment for the staff. Because if it’s only about money, then your staff will only be there for the money and leave for another company that offers them more,” said Willem. In the travel business, the so-called Destination Management Companies (DMCs) like Khiri Travel have a special responsibility and power because they control so much of the supply chain. DMCs recommend hotels and restaurants, hire drivers and guides, put together itineraries for tours and provide other crucial logistics. SEPTEMBER 2018 | 43

TRAVEL | special feature

These choices can make a big difference. “If we have a choice between two hotels the one with the better sustainability practices wins,” Willem said. However, with the growth of eco-tourism and its various offshoots came all the weeds of “greenwashing” as loads of tour operators and hotels began billing their operations as environmentally sound. At the time, there were no such certification bodies in place to challenge these claims. That changed with the emergence of organisations like Earth Check for hotels and Travelife for tour operators. Khiri Travel spent a year preparing for the Travelife audit in the three countries that host their most significant operations (Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar). That process included audits of its offices to measure everything from energy use to waste management, and audits of their work in the field to ensure minimal negative social and environmental impacts, as well as positive fiscal or cultural contributions to rural communities. Finally, they received the coveted certificate in 2015. 44 | SEPTEMBER 2018

The certification, rapidly becoming an industry standard in Europe, proved the DMC’s dedication to the “triple bottom line” that places people and the planet on par with profits, while also recognising that without the latter the former two get short shrift. Through the certification process, the company learned a lot about its operations, which in turn made achieving sustainability seem much more feasible. “We learned that it’s possible to make your business 100 per cent sustainable by buying carbon offsets and managing your water usage and garbage output. You can measure what you do and try to improve every year,” Willem said.

LOCAL ALIKE Somsak “Pai” Boontam earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering and an MBA in sustainability before he began to work on development projects with hill-tribe bangkok101.com

special feature | TRAVEL

communities in Thailand. After working for the Mae Fah Luang Foundation at Doi Tung in northern Thailand, he co-founded his community-based tourism company, Local Alike, with Noon Pakavaleetorn, in 2012. Local Alike offers sustainable, socially responsible and immersive travel experiences that preserve the culture and generate income for local communities. The outfit has won many competitions in Thailand and Singapore for social enterprises, attracting much media attention in the process. The real catalyst for his interest in tourism came from trips he did “in rural parts of India, Myanmar and Laos where I came to realise that tourism could be an important force for not only employment and income but also a source of hope for communities.” He adds, “Coming from a poor rice-farming village in northeastern Thailand and growing up without electricity, I could relate to the people and their struggles.” Having expanded into Vietnam in recent years, the social enterprise works with dozens of different bangkok101.com

communities in Thailand to offer an equally diverse array of itineraries. From cultural explorations to culinary classes, and living like locals do, from Chiang Rai up north, to Trat province in the east, to southern communities like Nakhon Si Thammarat and the mostly Muslim village of Koh Yao Noi. In and around Bangkok too, visitors can partake in tour opportunities like “A Day as a Fisherman,” where you visit the district of Bang Khuntian to learn about fishing and tiedying with natural dye, riding kayaks on the canals and trying local food. Or you could opt for a close-up look at life in the slums of Khlong Toei or how to make Thai-style jewellery. But how does community-based tourism benefit these communities? “They get 70 per cent of the net price of the tour, and another slice of the profit gets put into their community fund,” says Pai. “Having visitors and making money also helps to keep these families together and makes them proud of their cultures. So the communities benefit in many different ways,” he said. SEPTEMBER 2018 | 45

The Beach Natural Resort Koh Kood

We’re inviting you get back to “NATURE”...

The story begin here… Loose yourself and fall in love with The Beach Natural Resort in Koh Kood, located in the middle of the crescent shaped half-moon BangBao Bay, Koh Kood Island, widely accepted as the most beautiful and safest bay on the island.

9 villas and 18 cottages are positioned with ocean views across the calm, emerald sea.

Not far from “The Mother’s Land” of Trat Province, an eastern part of Thailand, The Beach Natural Resort is a paradise of breathtaking scenery, transporting guests back to nature and placing them amongst peace and tranquility.

THE BEACH VILLA (“Balancing Your Sensation”) Between 60 sqm. and 70 sqm. Suitable for workout & anniversary, marry & honeymoon, medical treatment, retirement The Beach Villa is the highest category for accommodation from The Beach Natural Resort, located on the beachfront area of Bang-Bao Bay. From here guests can wake up to the wonderful views and enjoy the scenes across the East Andaman Sea from their private balcony. The Villa provides high-range facilities, such as a romantic bathtub, a walk-in closet and double washbasins. The ﬁne and warm bedding is the Villa’s centrepiece, offering guests the opportunity to watch sunrises and sunsets from bed.

The combination of resort facilities and activities (inside and outside) provide all customers with plenty of options, from kayaking and snorkelling, to scooter and M-Bike rental, skin-dive packages, waterfall trips, island tours and of course, spa facilities. Wooden walkways, winding paths and singing birds lead our value customers to “Blue Coral Rest & Lounge” where

There are four accommodation types available each with state-of-the-art facilities:

THE SENSE VILLA (“Touching Your Mother Earth”) Between 70 sqm. and 80 sqm. Suitbale for couple workout & anniversary, marry & family with children (1-5 years old) The Sense Villa is located on a tiny hill on a sloped landscape, offering peace and privacy. It is surrounded by natural plants and trees with a private garden. The Villa itself will give guests a feeling of tranquility, surrounded by Mother Earth, and is designed using the ﬁnest wood. The Villa provides guests with highrange facilities such as an outdoor romantic bathtub and outdoor double sunbathing options.

THE CRESCENT COTTAGE (“Spelling your Horizon”) Between 38 sqm. and 42 sqm. (The Care Cottage is 30 sqm.) Suitbale for retirement citizen & disable customers, couple workout, personal or company groups The Crescent Cottage is located on the hillside of the Resort, where guests can savour a romantic stay, creating unforgettable memories. The location itself tells a story of Bang-Bao Bay, offering stunning sunrises and sunsets from the private balcony of the Cottage, to create precious moments. THE NATURAL COTTAGE (“Living Your Love”) Between 30 sqm. and 35 sqm. Suitable for couple workout, personal or company groups, teenage & middle age with budget concerns The Natural Cottage is the first category of the resort, located in a beautiful garden and landscape, surrounded by natural plants and trees. The Cottage was built using suitable decors and designs offering a space for guests who prefer to hideaway and spend their time living in nature. All Cottages are designed with the ﬁnest interiors and include a private balcony.

THE BEACH NATURAL RESORT’S BREEZE SEASIDE SPA Experience authentic island-style relaxation at The Breeze Seaside Spa. Try the outstanding traditional classic Thai Massage to relive stress relief and experience the immediate benefit of relaxation treatments, unwinding your tensions and lowering your stress levels. Why not take a nap by the beach, listening to the waves gently lap the shore. Book between 9am and 6pm. BLUE CORAL RESTAURANT & LOUNGE Located by the beach front area, Blue Coral Restaurant & Lounge serves both in-house guests and walkin customers with daily fresh food. The decor is a combination of “blue and white tropical Beach Island” inspired by the Koh Kood surrounding, designed as an open-style so that customers can choose to either sit indoors or outdoors to enjoy their meal. An à la carte menu is available along with a buffet breakfast which includes American and Continental options. There is also a spectacular Bar-B Q live station, positioned by the beach, serving guests fresh-catch ﬁsh and fusion creations.

The Beach Natural Resort – Koh Kood

47 Moo 5, Koh Kood, Trat 23000 Thailand | T. +66 (0) 84 717 0955 | E. thebeachnatural@gmail.com www.facebook.com/thebeachnatural | thebeachkohkood | thebeachkohkood

www.thebeachkohkood.com

TRAVEL | focus on trat

Exploring Trat Province

Numerous uninhabited islands, white-sand beaches and stunning forestry are all waiting to be explored, just east of Bangkok By David J. Constable

ocated on the southeastern corner of Thailand, Trat Province borders Cambodia along the Cardamom Mountains. Made up of pristine white-sand beaches and colourful coral reefs, much of the coastline lies within Mu Ko Chang National Park, a marine national park which includes 52 islands, including the country’s third largest: Ko Chang, after Phuket and Koh Samui. Inland, and away from the coast, Trat has exquisite, lush jungles filled with waterfalls and marked trekking trails. These trails vary in length and have become a popular hiking activity for both locals and tourists, snaking through fruit and rubber plantations and eventually leading to Ko Kut Park and the idyllic Khlong Chao Waterfalls, the largest of three falls on the island. Alternatively, you can cycle the route across mostly flat terrain. The jungles are also home to some impressive bird sanctuaries.

48 | SEPTEMBER 2018

The history of Trat can be traced back to the early 17th century during the reign of King Prasat Thong of the Ayutthaya Kingdom. Formerly known as Mueang Thung Yai, Trat has played an important role in the development of the country’s stability and economy due to its strategic location and was once a popular trading town for a community of Chinese merchants. Today, it remains a quite town, populated mostly by international tourists who visit for the beaches and trips to nearby islands. Although Trat remains a mostly peaceful and quiet location, popular for beach-dwellers and those tourists looking for a slower pace of life, there are still hedonistic party locations to be found. Lonely Beach is perhaps the most recognised of the “party beaches” and is frequented by backpackers thanks to its pristine sand beach and budget-friendly accommodation. Hip bars—almost all of which promote bangkok101.com

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“Happy Hours”—and cheap restaurants line the beach too, and you’ll find massage parlours, dive shops and a pretty good gym just a little farther inland. One of the other popular beaches is Kai Bae, a small island made up of a series of bars, restaurants and guesthouses, which offers a quieter experience than Lonely Beach. Kai Bae is probably the beach for you if other white sand beach options appear too developed or over-crowded. The beach was one of the original areas where locals first opened their homes to travellers. Nowadays, however, locals have moved on from renting out their spare room and many now own their own resorts. In fact, one extended family owns virtually all the land in the southern half of the beach and inland. They wisely refused to sell to outsiders and are now reaping the rewards. The story of the original village of Kai Bae goes that although a few Thai fishermen lived around the island, most of the current population of the island are descended from immigrants who came to Koh Chang by boat from southern China. They stopped off, looked around, saw plenty of edible wildlife and fishing opportunities and decided to stay. bangkok101.com

GETTING THERE BUS: There are standard buses and air-conditioned buses operated by The Transport Company Limited and by private bus companies from Bangkok to Trat departing from Eastern Bangkok Bus Terminal (Ekamai) on Sukhumvit Road and departing from Northern and Northeastern Bus Terminal (Mochit 2) on Kamphaeng Phet 2 Road every day. Travel time takes around 5 hours. For more information, call The Transport Company Limited call center 1490 or www. transport.co.th. Online bus ticket booking is available at www.busticket.in.th or www.thaiticketmajor.com or www.thairoute.com AIR: Bangkok Airways operates daily flights from Bangkok to Trat, 3 trips a day. Flight time is around 1 hour. For more information and ticket reservations, call 0 2270 6699 (Bangkok Office) or 0 3952 5299-300 (Trat Office) or 0 3955 1654-5 (Ko Chang Office) or visit at www.bangkokair.com

SEPTEMBER 2018 | 49

TRAVEL | focus on trat

A highlight of Trat is a visit to the market. There are two main markets to choose from: the Indoor Day Market—sprawling east from Th Sukhumvit to Th Tat Mai—and the Open Air Food Market. Located in the centre of Trat town, both markets are close to each other, easily accessible by foot. Stalls are crammed between three rows, with all the foot traffic single file only, so be prepared to sharpen your elbows and wiggle your way through. Locals visit the markets for all their cooking needs, with fish, meat and vegetables all available. Squid is fresh from the boat and snapper is fried in vats of bubbly oil to ensure a crispy skin; there’s tilapia baked in salt, piles upon piles of prickly pineapples and the zingy aroma of local curries wafts through the stalls. A cornucopia of fruit and numerous other delectables spill over, and be sure to try the iconic sôm·đam. For those who seek their frills from ocean 50 | SEPTEMBER 2018

explorations, then Trat is a great spot for scuba diving and even jellyfish hunting (yes, that’s a thing). Ko Chang, Koh Kood and Koh Mak are probably the three best dive locations with each offering dive centres open to the public. Koh Mak Divers are a British/Dutch family who run a dive shop offering PADI courses and daily dive and snorkelling trips to the nearby Koh Chang National Marine Park; and both BB Divers Koh Mak and Green Island Divers also come highly recommended. While diving in Trat, divers can enjoy various marine creatures and expect encounters with stingrays, moray eels, snappers, groupers, barracuda, parrotfish and angelfish. Apart from underwater species, divers can explore numerous shipwrecks too, such as the HTMS Chang, formally the USS Lincoln County, originally commissioned by the United States Navy during the World War II. In 1962 the ship was handed over to Thailand bangkok101.com

special feature | TRAVEL government and served in the Royal Thai Navy for almost 50 years, supplying troops and vehicles. Today it is the biggest shipwreck in Thailand.

THE MOST BEAUTIFUL DIVE SITES IN TRAT PROVINCE HTMS Chang Shipwreck The HTMS Chang, formally the USS Lincoln County, was originally commissioned by the United States Navy during the World War II. In 1962 she was handed over to the Thailand government and served in the Royal Thai Navy for almost 50 years, supplying troops and vehicles. Today, it is the biggest shipwreck in Thailand. It was sunk on the 22nd of November, 2012 for the purpose of creating an artificial reef in order to attract scuba divers to the area. The ship is 100m long and features three main decks and seven sub-decks positioned between the bridge and the bottom of the ship. The site is suitable for all diving levels and is also recommended for night diving.

Jellyfish hunting is fun activity that keeps you close to land. Jellyfish tend to congregate close to the shore—try spots off Rachakarun Beach and Ploy Daeng Beach—so it’s easy to stumble on a mass gathering. You’ll also discover that the specifies here come in a variety of colours, mostly pink and electric blue, making them easy to spot from above and below the surface. Trat also has its own museum—located on Santisuk Road—occupying a space within an attractive wooden replica of the old provincial hall, originally built in 1922. After the original museum building burned down in the mid 2000s, a new structure was rebuilt with the same design and dimensions a few years later. A series of exhibition rooms within the museum begins with a primer on the province’s 52 islands and the groups of people that have settled in Trat over the centuries, including Chinese, Vietnamese and Khmer of both the Muslim and Buddhist faiths. Historical exhibits start with 6,000-year-old stone axe heads and a 2,000-year-old bronze drum found in the area. Also, definitely worth the 2km detour from downtown Trat is Wat Buppharam, a wooden wihaan—a temple best known for its gilded statue of the sitting Buddha—reputed to be the oldest of its kind in Thailand. This Ayutthayaperiod temple has a few other surprises that make it worth the short trip from the old town, including small museum stuffed with ancient Buddha images, votive tablets, bronze implements and antique ceramics hailing from from Sukhothai, China and beyond. If you find that the museum is locked, then you’ll usually be able to find on-site monks who can open it upon request. Speaking of temples, Trat has around a half-a-dozen worth seeing. There are two main temples in downtown Trat, both within walking distance from Thanon Thana Charoen: Wat Yotha Nimit and Wat Phai Lom. Strolling around the temples is a reward in Thai culture, design and heritage; an exploration into Trat Province and the country’s past, and a thoroughfully relaxing way to spend a morning. Another example of exceptional design, can be found behind Thanon Thana Charoen, and the impressive, long wooden walkways that connect houses, shops and bars. bangkok101.com

Hin Luk Bat This is a pinnacle that is located on the southeast corner of Koh Chang, and is one of the most popular dive sites around Koh Chang. It offers refuge to many groups and varieties of fish. There are moray eels, stingrays, parrotfish, fusiliers, large grouper, butterflyfish, bannerfish, barracudas, angelfish, sometimes dolphins, and many other fish. There are a lot of different options for diving, and the pinnacle is surrounded by huge boulders with interesting nooks and crannies to investigate. On the steep walls there are both soft and hard corals. This is an ideal site for night diving and for snorkeling or training dives. The deepest point is 25m/82ft, but most of the dives take place between 5-16m/16-52ft. It is a boat dive, which is suitable for divers of all levels of experience. Hin Rap Hin Rap is situated off a small island called Koh Klum. There are actually two dive sites in the area. The first is a dive around the rocky reef, covered in barrel sponges with crowded shelves of soft corals and gorgonians. The second area is to the north, which is a little deeper and richer in corals with a small canyon, where divers can spot turtles, batfish, stingrays, white morays, big barracudas, angelfish, grouper, triggerfish, clownfish, parrotfish, and sometimes whale sharks. This is not an area for deepwater diving. The depth is 6-20m/20-66ft. It is a boat dive for more advanced divers.

SEPTEMBER 2018 | 51

TRAVEL | upcountry now PHICHIT BOAT RACE

September 1-2

The Phichit Boat Races takes place on the Nan River in Phichit province, one of the most scenic regions in Thailand. The event features long-boat competitions with great fervour amid enthusiastic cheers from crowds of spectators, both local and international, and is usually held after the homage-paying rites to the provinceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s principal Buddha statue. Preceding the Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cup Long-Boat Race are decorative boat processions, held along the Nan River in front of the Tha Luang Pier. The event is celebrated with various kinds of cultural shows, music performances as well as the OTOP Fair and local products available for sale.

TRANG ROAST PORK FESTIVAL

September 6-10

Trang Roast Pork Festival is a tourism promotion activity of Trang, held every September, and a fantastic gouremt experience for any greedy carnivores out there. The festival features plenty of roast pork activites and recipes, something which is a particularly special ingredient in the life of Trang locals, so much so that roast pork is sold daily and often eaten with morning coffee or served as part of a banquet dish for dinners and large events. The pork skin is always salted and crispy and the meat is tender, uniquely delicious due to a process by which the pig is fermented with herbs then roasted whole on a specially made grill.

CENTENNIAL MEMORIAL DAY OF KOH SI CHANG

September 19-20

Centennial Memorial Day of Koh Si Chang, a district of the Chonburi Province, is held annually during the middle of September to celebrates the birth date of King Rama V who was born on 20th September 1853. Rama V is the monarch who steered Thailand clear of colonisation and initiated the Chakri Reformation to put Thailand on the road to modernisation. As part of the event, there will be an art and cultural performance as well as a traditional outfit contest and a light and sound show to close the proceedings.

SALAK YOM AND SALAK KAPAT CEREMONY

September 22-24

Salak Yom and Salak Kapat Ceremony is held every year during the 12th lunar month according to the Thai Buddhist calendar, which can fall anywhere in September. A Salak Yom is a tall bamboo construction decorated with colourful paper. This construction contains the eight necessities of a Buddhist monk. On the first day of the ceremony the Salak Yoms will be brought to the temple in a procession. The next day, Salak Yoms will be donated to monks and in addition to this, the event includes Lanna musical performances, traditional dance spectaulars and and the impressive Salak Yom Parade. 52 | SEP TEM BER 2018

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Vacation in Paradise

Away Koh Kood Resort is the epitome of an island hideaway, located on the west coast of Koh Kood, 82 km off the coast of mainland Trat Province. From Trat central city, the resort is just a short hop to Dan Khao or Laem Sork Pier for a boat transfer to Koh Kood. The resort features spacious luxury bungalows with private terraces and sea views from almost every room. There are three types of properties available, all with ten rooms, lining up atop Away Koh Kood’s hillside: Deluxe Oceanfront Bungalow, Deluxe Oceanfront Facing Bungalow and Duplex Bungalow. Each Bungalow has a private terrace which overlooks the impressive Klong Chao Bay and the tropical rain forest surrounding the resort. Often referred to the Maldives of Thailand, Koh Kood is an untouched island with unspoiled nature

and warm, tropical hospitality. The island’s natural elements provide the perfect setting for guests to partake in numerous outdoor activities and the resort offers a wide range from snorkelling and scuba diving to kayaking, ﬁshing and island excursions. The resort has the largest activity and dive centre on the island, so guests to enjoy not only the beauty of the resort, but also the peacefulness too. We cater to guests who feel the need to escape from their fast-paced and busy life. The resort offers every opportunity to slow down and enjoy their island holiday truly. The combination of peaceful surroundings and the numerous activities available by the resort provide the perfect balance between a relaxing and fun-ﬁlled vacation. There is no better place in Thailand to get away than Away Koh Kood Resort.

AWAY kOH KOOD RESORT 43/8 Moo 2, Klong Chao, Ko Kut, Trat 23000 | Tel: 081 835 4517, 087 136 4036 | Email: book.akk@awayresorts.com @awaykohkoodresort | awaykohkood

www.awayresorts.com

ART

| ART & CULTURE

States of Suspension A duo of talented local artists depict vivid and personal works on canvas, rooted in nostalgia

havibu Art Gallery showcase 12 oil and acrylic on canvas paintings this month by two well-known Thai artists, Santi Thongsuk and Therdkiat Wangwatcharakul, in the exhibition titled States of Suspension, curated by Lesley D. Junlakan. The first exhibition to be held in Thavibu’s new gallery premises, the paintings run the gamut of figures gracefully suspended in ethereal space; rusting vehicles running on outmoded suspension; and passengers suspended by their tight grips on a boat’s rails, while the viewer exerts Coleridge’s ‘willing suspension of disbelief’ in order to fully embrace the artists’ very different worlds. The muscular, supremely supple figures in Santi Thongsuk’s Motion in Pink, Motion in Orange and Gentle Fly, are more than a little reminiscent of some of William Blake’s works, and seem aerodynamically suspended in their monochrome, boldly-brushed, space. In the haunting Another Journey Begins, the not immediately detectable, ethereal figure drifts enigmatically above the quasi-religious paraphernalia, dominated by the surreal blue skull. Therdkiat Wangwatcharakul’s canvases, like much of his work, exude a sense of melancholia and compassionate nostalgia for a way of life which has either vanished or been pushed out of sight behind Bangkok’s sleek, ultra-modern veneer. Two vehicles are depicted in bold, strong strokes: are the distinctive splashes on the canvases raindrops or are they symbolic of the vehicles’ distressed, corroding metal bodywork? The work At San Saeb portrays vulnerable, crammed commuters on an odorous Bangkok canal, suspended in their daily journey: they represent the underbelly of the metropolis, on a par with the stray dog cowering under the rusting jalopy in Pinky. Santi Thongsuk and Therdkiat Wangwatcharakul are both wellestablished and highly-regarded award-winning artists with an impressive history of solo, duo and group exhibitions in Thailand, as well as elsewhere in Southeast Asia, Europe and beyond. In 2000 Santi was represented at the Christie’s auction in Bangkok, ‘Important Thai Paintings’, while Therdkiat was awarded the Jurors’ Choice Prize in the ASEAN Art Awards in the same year. States of Suspension runs from September 12 - October 5, 2018. For additional information please call (66 2) 538 2383 or visit the website www.thavibuart.com

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SEPTEMBER 2018 | 55

ART & CULTURE | exhibitions

1 SEPTEMBER-27 OCTOBER Many Rivers

Kathmandu Photo Gallery 87 Soi Pan, Silom Rd | 02 234 6700 Tue-Sat, 11am-6pm | kathmanduphotobkk.com BTS Chong Nonsi

Many Rivers invokes the psychic creatures of Southeast Asia: dredged up from the collective unconscious, the magnetic shape of a hooded cobra with a woman’s wistful face; a young maiden in a sabai, alone beside a jungle stream—a place and time where magic, terrible or otherwise, happens. For 12 luminous years, artist Bruce Gundersen has immersed himself in fairy tales from foreign lands. These unique stories and sacred initiations have come down to us from Southeast Asian prehistory, filtered through Buddhist, Hindu and Animist cosmology. Despite his New York roots, Gundersen belongs to this tradition.

UNTIL 9 SEPTEMBER Post-Repost-Share

Bangkok Art and Culture Centre 939 Rama I Rd | 02 214 6630-8 | Tue-Sun, 10am-9pm bacc.or.th | BTS National Stadium

With the arrival of the 21st century, photographs are posted, reposted, and shared among hundreds of millions of users across the globe. From a still and lifeless media, photography, for the first time, has been transformed into a flexible media popularised and mobilized to every corner of the world. Post-Repost-Share narrates the contemporary tales that intertwine the multitude of social contexts in Southeast Asia. The similarity in stories or events told by Southeast Asian countries may serve to inspire the audience to look beyond themselves, and their borders, in order to realise the continental community of which 11 countries are a part of.

UNTIL 16 SEPTEMBER Typeface

S.A.C. Subhashok The Arts Centre Soi Phrom Chit, Sukhumvit 39 | 02 662 0299 Tue-Sat, 10am-5.30pm, Sun, 12pm-6pm facebook.com/sacbangkok | BTS Phrom Phong

Suppakijjumnong’s artworks act as significant records, inscribing the connecting and interweaving of diverse cultures. Thai alphabets express the strength of national culture whereas English is the international language which is important for communication all around the world. With her outstanding ability, the language barriers collapse; and there remains only the implication of the language, the visual aesthetics of works and the attractiveness of letters. The Typeface exhibition connects people with the sensation of happiness and valuable memory that the artist creates with great care. 56 | SEPTEMBER 2018

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exhibitions | ART & CULTURE

UNTIL 23 SEPTEMBER Our Sunshine Gallery VER

2198/10-11 Soi Narathiwat 22 | 02 103 4067 Tue-Sat, 12pm-6pm | facebook.com/galleryver

Our Sunshine is a solo exhibition by Kata Sangkhae. The name is inspired from a novel written by Australian writer, Robert Drewe. The story tells the life of a great thief of the 19th century, Ned Kelly, a commoner who was abused by the power of the state and later became a thief. In the era where law does not exist to serve the people, but rather serves the power of the state, as told in the story of this great thief. Kata used this tale of the outlaw hero as a tool to explain the current condition of Thailand, that despite a long history of nation building, should have become a stable country, yet still faces situations that seems to bring the nation back to an era prior to state building.

UNTIL 5 OCTOBER 40th Bualuang Paintings Exhibition The Queen’s Gallery

101 Ratchadamnoen Klang Rd | 02 281 5360 Thu-Tue, 10am-7pm | queengallery.org

The stunning and diverse 40th Bualuang Paintings Exhibition is an exhibition featuring the entries of 118 paintings from 90 artists. After professionally selecting and judging, there are 9 awarded pieces and 49 displayed pieces for viewers to grasp at the artist’s concept of creating masterpieces in one of the most historic prestigious art stages in Thailand. The panel of judging committee, led by Emeritus Professor Kamchorn Soonpongsri, has chosen the award winning pieces; covered in three categories including Traditional Thai painting, Semi-Traditional Thai painting, and Contemporary painting. SEA URCHIN RICE trout roe + yuzu + wasabi

LOCATION Conveniently located just 20 metres off Convent Rd (on Soi Pipat 2), in Bangkok’s Silom District OPENING HOURS 3pm–1am Every Day Full Kitchen & Bar until 1am CONTACT T: 02 238 0931 E: reservations@eatmerestaurant.com @eatmerestaurant @eatmerestaurant @eatmerestaurant

www.eatmerestaurant.com bangkok101.com

SEPTEMBER 2018 | 57

ART & CULTURE | museum spotlight

Chinatown Heritage Museum:

A love Declaration to Yaowarat

Transporting guests back to the golden age of Yaowarat Road and the Samphanthawong District, the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest Chinatown outside of China By Luc Citrinot

ocated on the Odeon Circle at the start of Yaowarat Road, the Wat Traimit temple is a high structure crowned by golden roofs. While the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest golden Buddha statue is to be seen on the top floor, the second floor of the Temple is dedicated to the Chinese community in a very well documented museum. Chinese immigrants arrived in Bangkok with the foundation of the city. As King Rama I decided to build the Grand Palace in the northern part of Rattanakosin Island in 1782, a small Chinese community was consequently relocated further south along the Chao Praya River. The

58 | SEPTEMBER 2018

area became known as Sampheng and is part today of the Samphanthawong District. As the King identified the need to have workers in construction and canal digging, Siam recruited Chinese immigrants who were reputed to be hard working. Chinese immigrants became the first foreign community in the Kingdom. Chinese were also involved in junk trade with Southern China, the primary export market for Siam. The museum recreates the interior of a junkyard. It also shows a typical Chinese village in Bangkok with its shops. Trading in junk, however, was replaced by steamships bangkok101.com

museum spotlight | ART & CULTURE

from 1860s, bringing even more Chinese immigrants and goods to Sampheng. From 1893 to 1955, over 3.33 million Chinese settled along the Chao Praya River. A room in the museum retraces the evolution of the Chinese condition in Thailand in the 20th century. Both King Rama V and King Rama VI granted the right to the population to have its institutions such as hospitals, temples and schools. The first wave of Thai citizenship attributed to Chinese took place in the 1930s. Immigration declined and came to a stop from the late 1930s to the mid-1970s as the Cold War raged. Thailand as an anti-communist stronghold cut its links with Communist China until 1975 when diplomatic relations resumed. However, to assure the faithfulness of Chinese living in the Kingdom, the Thai government further integrated its Sino-Thai community, favouring economic development. Large parts of the museum are dedicated to Yaowarat as the economic and cultural centre of Chinese Thais, bangkok101.com

especially in the 1950s, when the district was Bangkokâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s window to the world. Yaowarat had by then Bangkokâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first high-rise buildings; it was also the centre of gold trading, watches and clocks manufacturing, as well as rice export. The district also became synonymous with night entertainment. The museum allows guests the opportunity to re-explore Yaowarat and to step back in time, learning of Chinese migration and the settlements along the river. Start with the museum and then get lost in the maze of streets and markets of Bangkok's Chinatown.

Information: Chinatown Heritage Museum in Wat Tramit is open from Tuesday to Sunday, from 8am to 5pm. It is 7 minutes away by walk from MRT station Hua Lamphong. SEPTEMBER 2018 | 59

ART & CULTURE | cinema scope

Film News & Screenings A s with every month, the Friese-Greene Club (Sukhumvit 22) have a schedule of fantastic films for members, ranging from Hollywood classics to cult and even controversial film screenings. Now accepting new members, annual membership comes in at a steal, priced at only B400 a year. After the great success of the Nordic Film Festival 2017, the four Nordic Embassies in Bangkok have decided to arrange the Nordic Film Festival 2018 from 28-30 September at Quartier CineArt at the EmQuartier Mall. The festival is intended to mark how the Nordic countries are all unique but at the same time stand strongly together. Furthermore, the festival will serve as a chance to enhance the knowledge of the Nordic culture in Thailand and to celebrate the success of the Nordic films. The full schedule is due to be released soon. The River City Bangkok Film Club (RCB) is proud to present in September, four dynamic films by four directors who have won awards and created waves at festivals around the world. The diverse films include three awardwinning movies from Asia and a brilliant Oscar-winning movie from Argentina.

The second film to be screened by RCB is Under Construction, a film from Bangladesh which won prestigious awards and accolades at numerous festivals around the world. It was also the Opening Film of the Dhaka International Film Festival and tells the story of female character who attempt to breakout of traditional stereotypes. The character of Roya if the film’s main protagonist, and the audience follow her story as a middle-class housewife and her professional life as a stage actress. The Ambassador of Bangladesh, Ms H.E. Saida Muna Tasneem, will introduce the film with the event supported by the Embassy of Bangladesh, who will serve drinks and snacks after the screening, courtesy of Eastern Bank Limited.

The Bit Player

The opening film, The Secret in Their Eyes, won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 2010 and was also the second-highest grossing Argentinian film in history. In a 2016 poll of international critics for the BBC, it was voted ‘One of the 100 greatest motion pictures since 2000.’ The film is a riveting crime thriller, legal drama and love story, all rolled into one, and centres around a rape-and murder case which is re- visited 25 years after it was committed. The Ambassador of Argentina, HE Ms Alicia Sonschein, will introduce the film with the event supported by the Embassy of Argentina, who will serve drinks and snacks after the screening. 60 | SEPTEMBER 2018

The third and fourth films scheduled for screenings by RCB, are Mindfulness and Murder and The Bit Player. The first is a local film in Thai and with English subtitles, that’s based on the Father Ananda Mystery novels by noted Bangkok-based American author Nick Wilgu. The movie is a mixture of crime thriller and religious drama, directed by well-known Thai-Irish filmmaker Tom Waller and starring the actor Vithaya Pansringarm in the lead role. The fourth film from the Philippines is also foreign language with English subtitles, and is directed by the Filipino film-maker Jeffrey Jeturian, and starring Vilma Santos. The movie is a film-within-a film, and centres around a day in the life of numerous ‘bit players’ during the shooting of a melodramatic TV serial. The Ambassador of the Philippines, HE Ms Mary Jo A. Bernardo-Aragon, will introduce the film with the event supported by the Embassy of the Republic of Philippines in Bangkok, which will serve drinks and snacks after the screening. www.fgc.in.th and www.rivercitybangkok.com bangkok101.com

A UNIQUE COMING TOGETHER OF THREE CHEFS AND TWO RESTAURANTS FOR THREE NIGHTS OF COLLABORATIVE COOKING

X Thomas and Mathias Sühring, the Berlin-born twin chefs of the Michelin-rated Sühring restaurant in Bangkok, welcome Sven Elverfeld from the three Michelin-starred Aqua at The Ritz Carlton Wolfsburg, for three nights of collaborative cooking. Although the Sühring twins began learning to cook while spending summer holidays at their grandmother’s farm, it was their time spent working under Chef Sven at Aqua that cemented their craft and first put them on the road to culinary success. Following this, the twins went their separate ways: Thomas joined Heinz Beck at the three-star restaurant La Pergola in Rome and Mathias travelled to the Netherlands to work with Jonnie Boer, also at a three-star restaurant, Librije in Zwolle. The twins then travelled to Bangkok where they joined the team at lebua, after which they opened their first solo venture restaurant together, Sühring. They now invite Chef Sven to Bangkok this September for a culinary coming together of students and mentor, during which they will prepare a spectacular tasting menu incorporating all of their combined talents and experience.

WWW.RESTAURANTSUHRING.COM | WWW.RESTAURANT-AQUA.COM

SEPTEMBER, 28TH, 29TH & 30TH PRICE: THB7,900++

ART & CULTURE | special report

A Cultural Performance Like No Other Celebrating 20 years of Bangkok’s International Festival of Dance & Music, running from September 12th to October 18th

San Carlo Symphony Orchestra

he country’s most significant cultural festival begins this month, and it is a landmark year for Bangkok’s International Festival of Dance & Music, which celebrates 20 years of hosting some of the world’s most celebrated and talented artists, and this year, the event promises a schedule of performances like no other. To celebrate this landmark anniversary, two legends from the world of music—San Carlo Opera from Naples and the multi-awarded conductor Zubin Mehta—are offering a veritable feast to festival-goers over four nights, two of which will be devoted to opera, and two to symphony concerts. These four performances will mark the grand opening of the five-week-long dance and music festival, which is scheduled from September 12th

62 | SEPTEMBER 2018

to October 18th at the Thailand Cultural Centre. The opera Carmen will be the opening performance on September 12th by the San Carlo Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Mehta. On September 13th, the orchestra will play Beethoven’s Leonore Overture No.3; Symphony No. 9 with chorus and singers, and on September 15th, Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No 4”; “Symphony No 6. On September 16th, the Ju Percussion Group, from Taipei, will perform an evening of stunning virtuoso drumming, and powerful and passionate percussion. The musical shows effortlessly blends tradition and modernity in what is a not-to-be-missed performance filled with energy and noise. Following this is a two-night bangkok101.com

special report | ART & CULTURE Closing the September events sees a two-night production of the Bollywood musical extravaganza, Taj Express. The powerful and vibrant musical follows the story of ones man’s passion and another man’s genius. Young composer Shankar struggles with his music, and it’s only when he begins to follow in the footsteps of his idol, A.R. Rahman that he discovers his path to success. Taj Express rhythmically blends explosive dance with the hits of India’s most iconic composers and is brought to life by the stars of Bollywood cinema and its greatest musicians performing live on stage. It is set to an unforgettable soundtrack featuring the songs of Oscar winner A.R. Rahman. Ju Percussion Group performance on September 19th and 20th in which you’re sure to be wowed—perhaps even baffled—by The Magnificent 7, who include performers from The International Magicians Society’s Top Seven Magicians and Illusionists of The World. From magic and illusion to eclectic dances, Break the Tango/Hip-Hop is an epic mix of dance, performaning for two nights on September 22nd and 23rd. Monday, September 24th sees one of the most Ariann Black sought-after conductors of his generation, Chi-Yong Chung with the Korean Symphony Orchestra. The performance features acclaimed piano soloist Jiyeong Mun, who is the winner of the Geneva International Competition in 2014 and the Busoni International Competition in Italy in 2015. She also won the Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition in 2009, the Ettlingen International Competition for Young Pianists in Germany in Chi-Yong Chung 2012 and the Takamatsu International Piano Competition in Japan in 2014. The schedule returns to ballet on September 26th with a performance by the Singapore Dance Theatre who are celebrating their 30th anniversary with a series of classic wedding scenes from famous ballets including: Coppelia Act 3; Sleeping Beauty Act 3; and Don Quixote Act 3. The company has performed at several world-class performing arts venues to wide acclaim. Every year in Singapore, the Singapore Dance Theatre performs to the delight of ballet fans; every performance cementing the love of ballet in the hearts of the audience. bangkok101.com

Taj Express Events in October begin on the 1st of the month with the Hangzhou Philharmonic Orchestra lead by the conductor Yang Yang and violin soloist Ning Feng. Based in Berlin, Ning Feng is internationally celebrated for his great lyricism and awe-inspiring technique. He is a recipient of the Hanover International prize and winner of Queen Elizabeth and Yehudi Menuhin International violin competitions. Also performing as part of the special anniversary celebrations will be the Moscow State Classical Ballet— Ning Feng

Freebird and Rite of Spring SEPTEMBER 2018 | 63

ART & CULTURE | special report Oliver Forster, the former co-producer of the show. “With a sensational stage setting, spectacular show effects, impressive dance choreography and large number of costumes we want to create a pure goose flesh feeling.”

The Nutcracker supported by the Embassy of Russia—with three exceptional performances led by choreographers Natalia Kasatkina and Vladimir Vasilyov. They will present three famous Russian ballets on the stage: Freebird and Rite of Spring (October 5th); Nutcracker, Classical Ballet in Two Acts (October 6th); and The Legend of Swan Lake and The Ugly Duckling (October 7th). The Moscow State Classical Ballet is called, the “Ensemble of Stars,” as their soloists are much in demand for international ballet competitions. They have won 19 gold medals, received five prizes and 2 Grand Prix of the Paris Academy of Dance. The company has been granted the title of “Academic Theatre,” by the Russian government and has performed in more than 30 countries around the world and over 200 cities in Russia.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream The Karlsruhe Ballet from Germany will perform A Midsummer Night’s Dream on October 14th followed by a star-studded Gala Performance on October 15th promising an unforgettable evening with the best soloists from the Karlsruhe Ballet Company. This remarkable production by one of Europe’s most renowned dance companies will feature extracts from various classical ballets.

Los Vivancos The Legend of Swan Lake and The Ugly Duckling To celebrate what would have been Michael Jackson’s 60th birthday this year, a special tribute concert will take place on October 8th to honour the world’s greatest entertainer. A fantastic band and dancers back this stunning, not-to-bemissed theatrical concert and features some of “The King of Pop’s” greatest hits, with a set list including hits from solo albums like Thriller, as well as his early charttoppers with the Jackson 5. “Although Michael Jackson can never again be reached by us, we want to come very close to the icon with our show,” said Michael Jackson 64 | SEPTEMBER 2018

Closing the festival this year on October 18 will be Born to Dance, blending some of the all-time great musical legends into one spectacular show. This impressive new production of extreme flamenco fusion extravaganza was created by the award-winning group, Los Vivancos; brothers who have appeared in more than 35 countries performing for over one million spectators worldwide. Born To Dance has tap-dance, humour, martial arts, musical virtuosity and aerial-performances that converge with flamenco, symphonic, metal scores and live musical interpretations. In addition to this, the avant-garde wardrobe design and a daring technical production turns dance into a near balancing-act-performance. The show is an audacious display of spectacular athleticism, great technical virtuosity and artistic eclecticism. The 20th International Festival of Dance & Music takes place at the Thailand Cultural Centre, from September 12th to October 18th, 2018. To see the full schedule visit www.bangkokfestivals.com and to order tickets visit www.thaiticketmajor.com. bangkok101.com

special report | ART & CULTURE

‘ASIAN’ programs to celebrate the 2018 International Festival of Dance & Music

“

his is a historic year, and we have curated a very diverse program,” said Kukoo Uberoi, Chairman of International Cultural Promotions, which organises the yearly International Festival of Dance and Music, easily the biggest and best cultural festival in the country. This year, the Festival celebrates its 20th year, and they have a very special program lined up. Apart from top music and dance groups from Europe, Russia, the US, there are many performances from Asia. In fact, it’s probably the largest number of Asian performances to ever feature at the two-decade-long Festival. The ‘Asian’ performances this year are from Korea, China, Taiwan, Singapore and India. The Korean Symphony Orchestra, which performs on the 24th September, is the top national theatre orchestra in the country. The orchestra boasts a world-famous Conductor, Chi Yong-Chun, and the show here will bring outstanding piano soloist Jiyeong Mun, who has won numerous awards in Europe. After all, the Bangkok-performance celebrates the 60th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations between Korea and Thailand. The 120-member Hangzhou Philharmonic Orchestra from China, who will perform on the 1st October, is one of the top orchestras in the country. The Bangkok performance is noteworthy because it features worldfamous solo violinist Ning Feng, who’s based in Berlin and has won numerous awards as well as played with the top orchestras of the world.

Last but not the least, is Taj Express from India, who will perform, on the 28th and 29th September. This is a spectacular Bollywood musical, played out by a group who have ample experience in the Bollywood film industry. Director Shruti Merchant and choreographer Vaibhavi Merchant have been associated with various Bollywood films, while writer Toby Gough has been associated with many international Taj Express musicals. The lead performers are award-winning Indian dancers, and their show has dazzled audiences around the world.

Taj Express

Hangzhou Symphony The JU Percussion Group from Taiwan, who will perform on the 16th September, is a unique and outstanding percussion group, known as ‘Taiwan’s ‘Brand Performing Arts Group’. They have performed in more than 30 countries of the world and knocked out global audiences by their flamboyant style and powerful drumming. Their percussive instruments include drums, marimbas, gongs, and their East-West musical rhythms include classical, modern, pop, world music, all of which will be on display in their famed ‘Stunning Virtuosity’ concert, which they will play in Bangkok. The Singapore Dance Theatre, who will perform on the 26th September, is the premier dance company of the country. Led by Artistic Director Janek Schergen, their program entitled Classical Wedding will feature the gorgeous wedding-sequences from three famous classical ballets: Coppelia, Don Quixote, Sleeping Beauty (the famed Act 3 of each).

bangkok101.com

The story centres around a youngster who’s struggling with his muse until he hears the music of famed musical composer A.R. Rahman which changes his life. Also, the musical drama incorporates the best songs of Oscar-winning Indian music composer Rahman (for Slumdog Millionaire), which in many ways constitute the best songs of Bollywood films! The songs are accompanied by lavish sets, costumes, sound, lighting, in the best of Bollywood traditions. In fact, Bollywood superstars like Shahrukh Khan and Salman Khan have urged audiences to watch this ‘one of a kind Indian musical!' “Even for someone who hasn’t watched a Bollywood film, the show is guaranteed to have a great evening’s entertainment!” says Director Shruti Merchant, who describes Taj Express as “A pathbreaking song, dance and drama extravaganza that will entertain and enthral audiences of all ages.” In fact, on its 20th Anniversary, the Festival with its diverse, dynamic programs, especially from Asia, promises to be very special, indeed. by Lekha Shankar For more information, please see www.bangkokfestivals.com and www.thaiticketmajor.com

SEPTEMBER 2018 | 65

ART & CULTURE | special report

Best of the Best Symphonies in Bangkok Four marvellous symphonies will be showcased during Bangkok’s 20th International Festival of Dance & Music

An Evening with Beethoven

The performance celebrates 150 years of diplomatic relations between Italy and Thailand Supported by SCG and Tata Steel. Maestro Zubin Mehta along with the orchestra and chorus from San Carlo will explore two remarkable compositions that are concert hall favourites: Leonore Overture No.3—a grand symphonic work reflecting the drama of the entire opera, and Symphony No.9—‘the symphony to end all symphonies’. Symphony No. 9 features well-known singers and a chorus from Teatro di San Carlo. The singers are tenor, Saimir Pirgu, soprano, Federica Lombardi, bass, Liang Li and mezzosoprano, Veronica Simeoni. 66 | SEPTEMBER 2018

One of the world’s most highly regarded conductors, Zubin Mehta’s musical journey has led him to the forefront to some of the world’s leading orchestras, Berlin, Vienna and New York Philharmonic Orchestras. San Carlo Orchestra’s grand history can be traced back to the San Carlo opera house which opened in 1737, and was the recipient of well renowned works composed by Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti, Verdi and many others. The orchestra has worked with famous conductors including Gui, Serafin, Santini, Gavazzeni, Böhm, Fricsay, Scherchen, Cluytens, Knappertsbusch and Igor Stravinsky. Thursday, September 13th, 7.30pm bangkok101.com

special report | ART & CULTURE The Korean Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1985 and has been credited with elevating Korean symphonic music and has established itself as Korea’s leading national theatre orchestra, with more than 90 annual performances at home and abroad. Chi-Yong Chung, who is also the Music Director and Chief Conductor of the orchestra, is highly regarded for his vivid interpretations, deep musical insights, strong ensemble leadership, and virtuoso baton technique. Monday, September 24th, 7.30pm

Tchaikovsky’s Symphonies

The performance celebrates 150 years of diplomatic relations between Italy and Thailand Supported by SCG and Tata Steel. For Zubin Mehta’s second symphony concert with San Carlos Orchestra, the Maestro’s focus is on a star of the romantic period – Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, whose works are among the most popular during the classical era. The orchestra under Zubin Mehta’s baton will first tackle Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No.4 in F minor. The great composer once said, “Never yet has any of my orchestral works cost me so much labour, but I’ve never yet felt such love for any of my things.” Saturday, September 15, 7.30pm

Korean Symphony Orchestra

The performance celebrates 60 years of diplomatic relations between Republic of Korea and Thailand. The Korean Symphony Orchestra will strike up in Bangkok under one of the most sought-after conductors of his generation: Chi-Yong Chung. The performance features acclaimed piano soloist Jiyeong Mun, who is the winner of the Geneva International Competition in 2014 and the Busoni International Competition in Italy in 2015. She has also won the Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition in 2009, the Ettlingen International Competition for Young Pianists in Germany in 2012 and the Takamatsu International Piano Competition in Japan in 2014. bangkok101.com

Hangzhou Philharmonic Orchestra, People’s Republic of China Among the top five orchestras in China (from over a hundred), Hangzhou Philharmonic Orchestra (HPO) with 120 musicians have built a reputation for their masterful display. The orchestra is presenting their star violin soloist, Ning Feng in Bangkok. Based in Berlin, Ning Feng is internationally celebrated for his great lyricism and awe-inspiring technique. He is a recipient of the Hanover International prize, and winner of Queen Elizabeth and Yehudi Menuhin International violin competitions. Ning Feng was also awarded first prize of the 2005 Michael Hill International Violin Competition (New Zealand), and in 2006 the winner of the International Paganini Competition. Aside from performing with HPO, Ning has performed with the City of Birmingham Symphony, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, the BBC Scottish Symphony, the New Jersey Symphony, the Slobodeniouk Bilbao Symphony Orchestra, the China Philharmonic, the Guangzhou Symphony and the Hong Kong Philharmonic. Artistic Director and Chief Conductor Yang Yang lead the orchestra with authority and nuance. The HPO has also performed with other leading conductors including, conductor Lior Shambadal and conductor Klaus Weise and violinist & conductor Joseph Silverstein. Monday, October 1st, 7.30pm

Tickets for all performances are available at www.thaiticketmajor.com; hotline 02 262 3191 and at the counters. For more information, visit www.bangkokfestivals.com or www.facebook.com/ BangkoksInternationalFestivalOfDanceMusic SEP T EM BER 2018 | 67

Art & Culture

Photo Feature

THE CITY’S SIGNATURE TIPPLES Cocktails come and go, adapting to what’s fashionable and in-vogue at the time, but there are some iconic creations that remain. Here are a few of Bangkok’s most celebrated and widely recognised tipples along with all of the ingredients you’ll need to make them yourself.

VESPER

(VESPER) * TANQUERAY LONDON DRY * KETEL ONE * BIANCO VERMOUTH

WWW.VESPERBAR.CO

TEENS OF THAILAND

(CHRYSANTHEMUM-INFUSED GIN) * CHRYSANTHEMUM-INFUSED GIN * DASHES OF BITTERS * FEVER TREE MEDITERRANEAN TONIC * GARNISH: LEMON TWIST & THYME

FACEBOOK.COM/TEENSOFTHAILAND

BUNKER

(THE OSCAR PEREZ) * DIPLOMATICO MANTUANO RUM * SWEET VERMOUTH * CINNAMON AND CHILI PEPPER INFUSED CAMPARI * HELLFIRE BITTERS

WWW.BUNKERBKK.COM

BACKSTAGE COCKTAIL BAR

(SPEAK SOFTLY LOVE) * CIGAR INFUSED DEWARâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S 15 YEAR OLDS * HOMEMADE LIMONCELLO * ALMOND LIQUEUR * CHOCOLATE BITTERS * OLIVE BRINE SHRUB

FACEBOOK.COM/BACKSTAGECOCKTAILBARBKK

TEP BAR

(HIDDEN AGENDA) * THAI SPIRIT * SYRUP * POMEGRANATE * PASSIONFRUIT * LIME * MANGOSTEEN

FACEBOOK.COM/TEPBARBKK

EAT ME

(LABB MOO) * KETEL ONE VODKA * MINT * SHALLOT * LIME * CULANTRO * ROASTED RICE * SERRANO HAM

WWW.EATMERESTAURANT.COM

Q&A

(GLACIAL GRAIL) * BIANCO VERMOUTH * PASTIS * MINT * GRAPEFRUIT

WWW.QNABAR.COM

AQUA

(SEASONS CHANGE) * JOHNNIE WALKER GOLD LABEL RESERVE INFUSED PEACH TEA * LYCHEE JUICE * LEMON JUICE * SUGAR CANE SYRUP

WWW.ANANTARA.COM/EN/SIAM-BANGKOK/RESTAURANTS/AQUA

SMALL

(A WALK AMOUNG THE FAIRIES) * GIN * ABSINTHE * VERMOUTH BIANCO * AGAVE SYRUP * LEMON JUICE * EGG WHITE AND GRAPEFRUIT BITTERS

FACEBOOK.COM/SMALLSBKK

CRU CHAMPAGNE BAR (BANGKOK BELINI) * ABSOLUT MANDRIN * MANGO PUREE * VANILLA SYRUP * GINGER SLICE * CHAMPAGNE

WWW.CHAMPAGNECRU.COM

BAMBOO BAR

(GET THE MORTAR COCKTAIL) * BARRELHOUSE 53 VODKA * CLARIFIED TOMATO * PAPAYA * PALM SUGAR * CHILLI

WWW.MANDARINORIENTAL.COM/BANGKOK

TROPIC CITY

(WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE) * APPLETON VX RUM * BACARDI CARTA BLANCA RUM * APRICOT * PIMENTO DRAM * PINEAPPLE * ORANGE * VANILLA * LIME

Japanese eggplant with tentsuyu, ginger and itogaki

FACEBOOK.COM/TROPICCITYBKK

BLACK AMBER

(OLD FASHION COCKTAIL) * Bourbon whisky * Angostura bitter * Sugar Cube

FACEBOOK.COM/BLACKAMBERSOCIALCLUB

RABBIT HOLE

(RH GIMLET) * GIN * TUMARIC & TAMARINE CORDIAL

WWW.RABBITHOLEBKK.COM

Award-winning pizzas at Pizza Massilia in Sukhumvit, voted “Bangkok’s Best Pizzeria”

| FOOD & DRINK

AROY

Award-winning pizzas at “Bangkok’s Best Pizzeria” The argument over the city’s best pizza may just have been won. Pizza Massilia was awarded the honour of “Bangkok’s Best Pizzeria” by Gambero Rosso, the prestigious Italian food and wine magazine. Inspired by the Italian community in Marseille, Pizza Massilia produce Neapolitan-style pizzas with a soft and airy dough, topped by a wide selection of ingredients such as typical San Marzano or Piennolo tomatoes, burrata, mortadella from Bologna and many other D.O.P. products. So, perhaps it’s time to stop the pizza debate and get yourself down to the award-winning Pizza Massilia? www.pizzamassilia.com

A dedicated dessert bar celebrating sweet Thai treats Last month’s opening of Kanom Chan Thai Dessert Bar in the Phra Nakhon District (Old Town) re-introduced locals to the many sweet wonders of traditional—and often forgotten—desserts from the region. Located on the rooftop of the Na Banglamphu Hotel, the special, dessert-dedicated bar serves up both classics and rarities such as krong krang—caramelized crisps in coconut cream—and tong muan sod—rolled waffle made from tapioca, coconut milk and black sesame. Time to indulge that sweet tooth and make your way to the Old Town. www.facebook.com/kanomchanthaidesserts/

Gather round all coffee and tea aficionados This September the International Exhibition for Coffee & Tea will take place at the Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Centre (BITEC), from September 5th to 8th, as part of Thailand’s leading trade-only food and hospitality exhibition. The event showcases products like coffee shops, hotels, restaurants and retailers, all looking for the latest products, equipment and trends to meet the growing demand in coffee and tea production and consumption. With national exporters present from every corner of the globe, key industry buyers from across Thailand and focused buyer groups from Southeast Asia – the 2018 edition of FHT is Thailand’s must attend show for 2018. www.foodhotelthailand.com/food/

New showroom-slash-cafe opens its doors in Chatuchak Pompano Roasted Cafe recently opened inside The Camp Vintage Flea Market, the vintage night market in Chatuchak, and offers customers a range of coffees, cocktails and cocoas. Created by Patcharameth ‘X’ Napasinchaibun, the new hangout also sells homemade pastries and craft beers. According to ‘X’ they’ll be two more locations opening, in Ekkamai and Ram Intra, before the end of the year. www.facebook.com/Pompano-Roasted-cafe-1955317171395535/

bangkok101.com

SEPTEMBER 2018 | 85

FOOD & DRINK | meal deals

Authentic Chrysanthemum Delights

Yamazato | The Okura Prestige Bangkok, 57 Wireless Rd. Tel: 02 687 9000 | www.okurabangkok.com To celebrate the season of the chrysanthemum, Master Chef Shigeru Hagiwara at the award-winning Yamazato restaurant has created a Chrysanthemum Gozen Lunch Platter and an 8-course Kaiseki Dinner. The Kaiseki Menu includes dishes such as a starter of torched marinated mackerel, shrimp, mountain potato, maitake mushroom, tomato and caviar with Yoshino chrysanthemum vinegar, a sashimi presentation encompassing tuna, yellow tail, seasonal saury fish and sweet shrimp, and a special dish of foie gras with mushroom and leek sauce. Available from September 3rd-23rd lunch 11:30am-2:30pm.

Bubbles, Bites and Views From 54 Floors Up

Red Sky | Centara Grand at CentralWorld, 195 Phayathai Rd. Tel: 02 100 6255 | www.centarahotelsresorts.com/redsky Being as fab and extravagant as they are, you can expect the Champagne to flow (unlimited pours of G.H. Mumm Cordon Rouge) between 11:30am and 2:30pm. Our team of chefs also serve up a mouthwatering array of Spanish and Mediterranean dishes and fresh produce, such as freshly-imported seafood on ice, tapas and some samples of UNO MAS’s all-time favorite signature dishes. The next “Domingo Fabuloso” Champagne Sunday Brunch is set to be held at UNO MAS on September 2nd. If you can’t make it, the next date will be October 7th. Price is B3,555++ inclusive of all premium beverages.

Beyond Boundaries Brunch with “The Triple Double”

Dusit Thani Bangkok | 946 Rama IV Rd. Tel 02 200 9000 | www.dusit.com The Beyond Boundaries Brunch starts with an amuse bouche cooked on hot stone. During the day, the brunch features a selection of fresh organic salads, large selection of Japanese favourites, premium seafood on ice, grilled fish and lobster and a tempting array of main courses cooked to order. Brunch is priced at B2,900++ inclusive of free-flow soft drinks and juices, plus canapés and one selected drink in the evening. B3,600++ per person to include beer, wine and sparkling wine. Champagne lovers can enjoy all, plus free-flow Taittinger at B4,900++ per person. Available until end of October.

Smoky Taste Sensations

The District Grill Room & Bar | Bangkok Marriott Hotel Sukhumvit | 57 Sukhumvit Rd. Tel 02 797 0000 | thedistrictbangkok.com When it comes to the time-honored tactic of using smoke to enrich the taste of grilled meat, not just any wood makes the cut. Hardwoods—low in resin and high in flavour—produce the best smoke and each type of wood has its own distinct character. Our experienced chef has curated a menu with perfectly paired smoked meat flavours, available until end of September. Highlights of the menu are Apple-smoked Snails (B550++), Oak-smoked Wagyu Beef Burger (B1090++), Hay-smoked Whole Baby Chicken (B1590++) and Valrhona Cheesecake (B350++).

Silver Waves Restaurant Kicks Off a Tiger Prawn Promotion

Silver Waves Restaurant | Chatrium Hotel | 28 Charoenkrung Rd. Tel: 02 307 8888 | www.chatrium.com The panoramic views we are famous for are unmatched at the Silver Waves Chinese Restaurant, located within the Chatrium Hotel, perched high above the river on the 36th Floor. Our chef has created three fantastic dishes for the September promotion: Deep-fried Tiger Prawns with Chinese Red Wine Sauce and Almonds, Stir-fried Tiger Prawns with BBQ Sauce and Baked Tiger Prawns with Szechuan Chili. Priced at B789+++ net per plate. The promotion starts from September 1st and runs until October 31st.

Savor Spider Crab Specialties this September

Char Restaurant | Hotel Indigo Bangkok | 81 Wireless Rd. Tel: 02 207 4999 | www.hotelindigo.com/Bangkok From September 14th-28th, diners can indulge in a three-part serving of Spider Crab. On the main island of Honshu, located south of Hokkaido, fishermen catch the impressive spider crabs in Suruga Bay, just southwest of Tokyo. With leg spans that can reach up to 5.5 meters and bodies that have been measured 40cm across, spider crabs are a soughtafter delicacy throughout Japan, with September being the best time of year for the highest quality and size. This three-dish feast will feature every part of the Spider Crab, all for B3,200++ per person (subject to service charge and government tax).

86 | SEPTEMBER 2018

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chew on this | FOOD & DRINK

Taking to the River Wild and frightening fishing on the Chao Phraya

boarded a narrow, wooden craft in Khet Khlong San, on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River. The engine coughed, and we chugged forward, ploughing through the glossy, black water; marine waste and plastic garbage floating on the surface. Thailand may be famous for its tropical Isles and aquamarine seas, but select rivers and canals—“klongs” here—in the country’s core offer opportunities for some extraordinary adventures as well. Several major rivers like the Chao Phraya and the Mae Klong course south into the Gulf of Thailand, with dozens of tributaries and klongs connecting along the way, and it was there I was hoping to explore. I had boarded the river here for the first time with the promise of visiting the Wat Pho and Wat Arun Temples and feeding bread to the fish. Bangkok is a city best discovered on foot, yet a journey on the Chao Phraya should not be overlooked. You gain a much better understanding of a place from the water, and you see the land and the curve of the architecture from an entirely different perspective. Snaking through this land of ornate temples with golden Buddhas, spiralling condo towers and endless street markets, the Chao Phraya remains the beating heart of Bangkok—a pulsating vein and the city’s original highway. People have lived along the waterfront and its David J. Constable is a British writer currently residing in Bangkok, where he is the Acting Editor of Bangkok 101 magazine. He has written for a wide range of publications, including Condé Nast Traveller, Tatler, and Jamie Oliver magazine. He is currently working on his first book, a collection of travel assignments. www.davidjconstable.com bangkok101.com

tributaries for centuries, the river powering Bangkok’s evolution from a small settlement in the 1400s to the nation’s capital in 1782 and to one of Southeast Asia’s dominant economic centres today. We pulled out from the slipway. I was on the lookout for black-eared catfish and perhaps barramundi, after hearing that plenty of people fish and find sustinence in these waters, although having seen the waste, pollution and floating scum, I’m not sure I’d eat anything that calls this river home. I’m better off at 7-ELEVEN. I attached crankbait as angler candy to lure potential prey and in the hope of catching more than just plastic bottles or a dead hooker’s dress. After an hour, nothing. Then, I spotted several swimming, scaly beasts. One was a paddling monitor lizard, who exited the water via some steps after escaping from Lumpini Park. The river was alive with activity and had I fallen overboard or capsized, the creatures would surely have shredded my body. Some monsters were so prehistoriclooking that I was gobsmacked no one else appeared alarmed. The Captain just grinned. Another hour dangling the line, and nothing. I slumped off home empty-handed. At home and without dinner, I Googled “Animals in the Chao Phraya River” and woah, let me give you some advice: don’t. Here are what the results showed: Dog-faced Water Snakes, Goggle-eyed Gobies, Giant Mudskippers, Mangrove Pit Vipers and Crab-Eating Frogs. Dog-faced Water Snakes are seen in the mangrove mudflats. Well, plenty of those here and Mangrove Pit Vipers are more common in Phuket Province, but that doesn’t mean you’re not going to stumble upon one here. Anyway, that’s not all that far for a hungry snake to swim. The Pit Vipers are sometimes spotted along Bangkok riverbeds, feeding on lizards, wading birds and probably toddlers of the klongs. And the Crab-Eating Frogs make their way down from the coastal stream in Borneo into Thailand, but none are yet to get a reservation at Jay Fai. SEPTEMBER 2018 | 87

FOOD & DRINK | review

Yamazato

First-rate sushi at the dizzying heights of metropolitan glamour

here’s nothing to alarm a sushi novice at Yamazato, but plenty to appreciate if you know something about the craft. This Michelin Plate winner is part of the glamorous The Okura Prestige and the hotel’s trio of Japanese dining options: Yamazato offering a sushi counter with elevated views of the city; while a teppanyaki station and elegant dining room can be found tucked away, towards the back of the 24th floor. I’m offered a 6pm or 8pm reservation, deciding on 8pm, but am then told that only 6pm is available. So, at 6pm and seated at the counter, I scan two Omakase Sushi menus— B3,000 and B4,000—both consisting of seven courses with the pricier coming with added sashimi and sushi morsels. They have also recently launched a special Saturday menu, offering the omakase experience, plus free-flow soft drinks and alcohol, for B4,500. Thankfully, there’s no trundling conveyor and deliveries from Tsukiji Market three times a week is proof that they’re not scrimping on quality. Presented on the counter, you can examine the specimens up close: a row of plumped-up, fatty fishes wrapped in clingfilm, waiting to be cut into slithers,

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then popped into my mouth. The first two courses arrive from the kitchen, which is disappointing given my front row counter seat. An underwhelming starter of octopus, oyster and eringi mushrooms is followed by a colourful and elaborately presented salmon sashimi salad on ice. Starters differs from day-to-day, depending on the availability of ingredients, so perhaps you’ll have better luck than me? The food up to this point is agreeable but I can’t help but notice a distinct lack of atmosphere. Our chef— Thai, not Japanese—is not charismatic enough to lift the evening; dicing, slicing and offering morsels of fish with a somewhat sombre temper. I know Japanese craftsmanship and the laws of swanky sushi is followed with silent dedication and an almost scholarly diligence, but I need some va-va-voom at dinner. I am the only guest at the counter and the ambience is flat. Thankfully, sushi fills the void and there’s grilled Kanpachi (amberjack) marinated in Saikyo miso from Kyoto which ups the stakes and kicks my palate into gear. Then, tuna belly that’s stout and sweet, and ohhhh I want more of it; and tuna sushi

brushed with yuzo to add a piquant sweetness that cuts through the fishy fat. Then, two silken shrimps like obese baby prawns, are soft and sufficient so that you don’t even have to bite down on them, you just place them in your mouth and they wash away like gourmet marshmallows. And more follows, as I wash everything down with mugs of hot green tea. There’s fat slithers of seared eel with a dot of gel—a sharp blend of yuzo and Japanese pepper—followed by pink, plump salmon strips streaked with almost visible omega-3 fatty acids, on the pillowy opulence of shari rice. Both are pretty much flawless. I add small dabs of freshly grated wasabi to dark and moody soy, and dip each titbit of sushi before consuming. The quality and freshness is evident with each delicious mouthful. This really is spectacular stuff. by David J. Constable

Yamazato

The Okura Prestige Bangkok, 57 Wireless Rd. Open: Dinner, 6pm and 8pm seatings Tel: 02 687 9000 www.okurabangkok.com/en/restaurants-inbangkok bangkok101.com

special report | FOOD & DRINK

Akira Back

A new global outpost of Pan-Asian fare arrives in the city

kira Back Bangkok is the latest global offering from the award-winning Koreanborn, American-raised chef who has outposts of his eponymous restaurant from Vegas to Hanoi. Now Bangkok. This is the first Akira Back restaurant in Thailand, set within the Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park Hotel on the 37th floor, accessible via a swanky, dedicated elevator. The design is quaternary, comprising a main dining area, sushi bar, omakase bar and four private dining rooms. The main space is understatedly dark and soothing, big and sprawling. Firstly, there’s a refreshing Yuzu Sour (B360) cocktail, then I’m presented with a small, black stone in which two diverts hold a little water and a tightly-bound white hand/face cleanser. I remove the cloth, adding it to the water so it increases in size. It’s a nifty trick and I can’t see how bangkok101.com

anything else that’ll follow can top it. Anyway, I’ll whizz through some of the food from the long, bewildering menu that compels you to over-order. By concentrating and crosschecking the prices you can get out for less than 2,000 Baht for two. Otherwise, explore too deeply and the bill could skyrocket. There’s Yellowtail Tartare and Toro Caviar; and Seared Albacore, Miso Black Cod, Grilled Octopus and 48-Hour Wagyu Short Rib. There are Akira Signature Dishes, too. I opt for these and order Tuna Pizza (B430), thinly-sliced tuna atop a crisp Mexican tortilla, layered with umami aioli and white truffle oil. It’s fine, but doesn’t need the truffle oil. Then, four delicious AB tacos (B340), the mini corn-casings holding a wonderfully sweet, Korean-influenced wagyu bulgogi—literally “fire meat”— with roasted tomato ponzu; followed by King Crab Legs (B980) with pickled

shimeji, a plate I’d happily go back for. Unlike other sushi joints of a similar ilk, portions sizes are generous; signature rolls of “Hot Mess” (B410) arrive as eight, plump squares concealing spicy crab, sashimi poke, garlic and avocado, liberally anointed with sriracha. They’re a little punchy but not “hot” as advertised, the sriracha drizzle tasting more like a mutant béchamel. Then, Lamb Chops (B580) in a spicy Korean kochujang marinade has the most punch of the evening; a thick and intensely flavoured kochujang is powerful on the palate, but the two lamb chops are thickset and visibly fatty. When I comment on the pretty and artistic plate designs, I’m told that they’re made by the chef’s mother, ensuring a family-touch is evident whatever branch of the restaurant you’re dining in. I like them, but when you’re complimenting a restaurant on its crockery instead of its food, then there’s a problem. That’s not to say that the cooking is bad, it isn’t, but I struggle with such expansive, Pan-Asian menus in which dishes jump from imported Japanese, Korean and Australian ingredients, then apply varying techniques and styles. Puddings are a bit of an after thought, so much so that they don’t appear on the menu—in restaurant or online—and when I enquire, am recommended a Honey Yoghurt Panna Cotta (B160), which arrives with fresh raspberries and blueberries, and concealing popping rocks. A coconut sorbet is placed on top. It’s creamy and refreshing, much needed in this up-and-down menu boasting a profusion of complex flavours. by David J. Constable

Akira Back

Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park 199 Sukhumvit Soi 22 Open: Mon-Sun, Dinner, 6pm-11pm, Sun, 12pm-2:30pm Tel: 02 059 5999 www.bangkokmarriottmarquisqueenspark. com/dining/akira-back/ SEPTEMBER 2018 | 89

FOOD & DRINK | review

Bistro M

International comfort food at agreeable prices

f the many hotels and dining options up-and-down Sukhumvit Soi 24, Bistro M is given over to an impressively vast space. Sandwiched halfway up the Soi, the restaurant—advertised as a “neighbourhood café & bistro”— occupies almost half of the lower floor space of the Marriott Executive Suites, catering for residents and walk-ins around the clock, 24 hours a day. With such an expanse of universal clientele, I was worried about the culinary offering as surely they must have to cater for international guests and therefore sprawling palates that stretch the kitchen. How can you possibly please every taste? It’s a disheartening start as I’m wafted straight to the worst table in the room, a corner spot in front of a large speaker that rattles with dance tunes. 90 | SEPTEMBER 2018

I move across the floor, to a quieter spot with a more unobstructed view of the open kitchen. Scanning the menu, it is indeed vast. A mix of cuisines fill the pages, from Indian and Italian to traditional Thai classics. There’s a “Specials” board too, but it’s in the middle of the room on a blackboard, and I have to crane my neck to read it. For ease, I opt for one of two set menus, with a few added extras. The Signature Set is priced at a reasonable B720, and the Kinnagree Thai Set is a steal at B650. The first is an international offering—Ceaser Salad, Salmon 5 Spice, Coupe Danemark— and the second, more rooted in traditional Thai staples—Satay Gai, Pad Thai, Khao Niew Ma Muang—to appease local tastebuds. Plates arrive nicely presented, a skill picked up by newly appointed

Chef Teerathep ‘Tot’ Tishabhiromya while working in Melbourne, and Phuket and Samui resorts. Generous portions suggest that I may have overordered with ingredients loaded high. Still, it’s a challenge I accept. A plump Salmon 5 Spice is executed perfectly, big on flavour without being spicy or too fiery, and the Naughty Crab (B325) that followed, the crispy soft-shell variety with a fresh green mango salad, was potent and peppery, a thump of lively heat and my favourite of the evening. Larb 24 (B240) ensures that I continue my indulgence into zesty Thai classics in what is a spicy mix of beef and herbs, forcing me to reach for my Passion Fruit Soda (B135) continually. Then, Pad Thai liberally doused with palm sugar and chillies is scattered with deliciously salty peanuts and plump, fresh prawns—a dish that perfectly captures the expansive flavour wheel of Thai cooking. Dessert is part of the set meal, even though I’m at bursting point and sweating profusely. Mango and sticky rice are given the fine dining treatment with a contemporary twist and swanky decoration. The black plate is decorated with dried coconut, positioned in a half-moon shape, and the mango thinly sliced, placed around a circle of sticky rice. Coconut caviar is placed on top and pops, cooly in my mouth. It’s an attractive and ultimately luscious dessert. I’m fond of places like this, not just because they do what they’re supposed to, but because it’s a smart and straightforward offering without theatre and pretension. You’re fed well, service has a smile, and it sells precisely what you want at a wholly equitable price. by David J. Constable

Bistro M

90 Sukhumvit Soi 24 Tel: 02 302 5265 Open: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, 6am-10pm www.marriott.com bangkok101.com

review | FOOD & DRINK

Nahm

New chef, new menu, still an absolute classic

ame another restaurant in Bangkok, or Thailand, more lauded, applauded and panted over than Nahm. You see, you can’t. The very name—meaning “Water” in Thai—has long been celebrated for its exploration of Thai cuisine, and is a regular fixture of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants as well as the recipient of a Michelin star last year. Now, Nahm 2.0 to take a Noma appellation—or 3.0 given that the restaurant first opened in London in 2001—under the patronage of new chef, Pim Techamuanvivit, could very well be something entirely different. I’d never eaten at Nahm until now, so can only write from first-hand experience with this menu, but I can say confidently that this is an irresistible dining room with a menu full of invention, polish and understated food. Given the salubrious surroundings and the expectation of Chef Pim, she has designed a menu shrewdly full of comfort: curries, soups, fruits. Canapés include the traditional Thai one-bite wraps miang kham, presented here with shards of meaty lobster and chicken, green mango, snake-fruit and mixed herbs on a betel leaf, overlaid with vibrant pomegranate seeds (B500); and santol fruit dressed with dried shrimp, pork, peanuts and herbs on a crisp rice cracker (B470). Then, a choice of four curries presented to the table for sharing. I opted for Chang Mai larb of pigeon tossed with herbs, alliums and served with fresh vegetables (B790). And another, fiddlehead ferns from northern Thailand with Songkhla wild prawns and tawai dressing (B780); recipes transformed by touches of refined creativity. The spicing is long on flavour and thankfully short on heat, although she did threaten to chilli up the curries to Götterdämmerung levels if she got lip—Chef Pim is tough! I might single out the pigeon curry for particular mention. Pigeon isn’t a meat commonly used in Asian cooking, bangkok101.com

and when it is the quality is invariably hideous. This was a shredded larb of the best-quality pigeon—pork being the most commonly used in Thailand—and an excellent example of the fact that birds don’t have to be cooked with the bloody speed of an electrocution victim to be palatable. An accompanying plate of crispy catfish represents carbohydrates and cucumber, parsley and celery leaves, presented a cool palate cleanser. In an unconventional—for a Westerner—series of service, soup follows curry. Staff though are smiley and considerate, on-hand with helpful suggestions and explanations of how best to order. It seems to be the law that every “contemporary” Thai restaurant must feature tom yum, and it’s inescapable here, served with river prawns, blue foot mushrooms and a piquant chilli jam (B450). Desserts are limited but varied: tropical fruits, durian, sticky rice. My

pandanus noodles with black sticky rice & sesame coconut tuiles (B350), is a reward in pudding sweetness, after a meal already high on flavour. It’s too early to be lauding the creations of Chef Pim, as how can she be entirely comfortable with her new kitchen environment, given that it’s only been about four months. Still, this is a menu faultlessly assured. Pricey? Yes, but dishes are what they always should be, tasty. Nahm was never dated and it isn’t dated now. Instead, it is, and will continue to be, an absolute classic. by David J. Constable

Nahm

COMO Metropolitan Bangkok, South Sathorn Rd. Open: Mon-Fri, lunch 12pm-2pm, Dinner 6:30pm-10:30pm Tel: 02 625 3388 www.comohotels.com/metropolitanbangkok/ dining/nahm SEPTEMBER 2018 | 91

FOOD & DRINK | review

Featherstone Bistro Café & Lifestyle Shop

Mystical themed café offers cake lovers an Instagram check-in spot

ince café culture has become more and more popular in Bangkok over the past few years, it now seems as though they’re popping up on every corner of every road, new cafés emerging from the ground up, waiting to be visited by trendy Bangkokians and tourists. As has long been the case, Ekkamai remains one of most trendy districts in the city and offers numerous cafés and Instagram check-in options. Moreover, if you are one of those looking to upgrade your Instagram feed with new, stylish photos, then I would recommend dropping by Featherstone Bistro Café & Lifestyle Shop, hidden in the heart of Ekkamai 12. Featherstone stands strangely alone in the middle of the road— opposite Ekkamai International School—so make sure you keep an eye out for the dark facade with its wooden door and window features.

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Once I saw the black gothic-style building for the first time, the only word that came to my mind was whimsical, but yes, impressive too. Inside, the space is divided into two sections. One is a lifestyle shop, stocked with vintage accessories, oldfashion clothes, fancy hats and crystal pendants—which looks mystical and reminded me of Diagon Alley in Harry Potter. On the other side, is a restaurant space painted in dark and green decoration, very Apothecarystyle. A coloufrul and beauitful stained-glass window adds a unique focal point to the restaurant space. After an exploration of the shop, I sat and signalled the staff with a wave, notifying them that I was ready. I started with their signature Mermaid Drink (B150), a fancy glass filled with fruit, flower leaves and infused ice-cubes, served with sparkling water and a tiny blue bottle that seems to

take inspiration from a witch’s magical potion. This was followed by Peach Pie Moonshine (B150) in which a tall glass is filled with fruit-infused ice-cubes, along with separated orange peach and a little bottle served with sparkling water in apothecary bottle style. It tasted great, like a mix of orange and peach juice but with added sparkle. Another highlight, a slice of Chocolate Fudge Cake (B150), was one of the best chocolate cakes I’ve tasted. Made from a dark and milk chocolate mix, and topped with crispy peanuts, it was layered with smooth chocolate and although considered too sweet for some, was just perfect for me. And then another sweet treat—and my absolute favourite—Fresh and Fluffy Coconut Cream Pie (B80) made from fresh coconut and fluffy cream that will freshen your whole day with its sultry and creamy coconut taste. Yum! One thing that did surprise me was that upon payment, the staff direct you towards a glass jar and offer you the opportunity to pick out a piece of paper that reveales your fortune. Wow, this really is like Diagon Alley or some Harry Potter fortune-telling store of magic and wizardry. All that’s missing are the wands and broomsticks. I’d recommend visiting Featherstone with friends, so you can over-order and share and experience the drinks and delicious treats. Take photos, Instagram and grab some handmade accessories. It’s a fun place and probably one of most eccentric cafés I’ve visited in Bangkok. by Anansit Sangsawang

Featherstone Bistro Cafe & Lifestyle Shop 60 Ekkamai Soi 12 Open daily: 10.30am-10pm Tel: 097 058 6846 facebook.com/featherstonecafe

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FOOD & DRINK | breaking bread presented by sanpellegrino

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 Pim Techamuanvivit Bangkok to San Francisco and back again, there’s a changing of the guard at Thailand’s most iconic fine dining restaurant

hey’re big shoes to fill. After all, this is still Nahm. Still the same illustrious restaurant synonymous with Thai cuisine, celebrated for its exploration and celebration of heritage Thai recipes; a regular fixture of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants as well as the recipient of a Michelin star. But really, what does any of this matter to you or me? It’s not us at the stove. That’s Pim Techamuanvivit.

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Chef Pim was born in Bangkok but left to attend graduate school at the University of California, San Diego, where she studied cognitive science. And yet, it was food that captured her attention over the study of the mind, and she went on to create the food blog Chez Pim in 2001 documenting her experiences of living in America, writing posts for her friends back in Bangkok. With food an ever-growing presence in her life, she studied the

work of Christine Ferber and June Taylor and started to make and sell jam. “I learned from everybody,” she says. “… and stole from everybody.” She then published The Foodie Handbook in 2009, a series of tips, secrets, anecdotes and recipes. Here is a blogger-turned-chef who preaches what she teaches, who threw down the pen and picked up the pan, presenting authentic Thai cuisine to a mostly West Coast American crowd bangkok101.com

breaking bread presented by sanpellegrino | FOOD & DRINK

when she opened her restaurant Kin Khao in San Francisco. The restaurant was soon awarded a Michelin-star and Chef Pim’s reputation increased. Now, she has returned home to Bangkok to helm probably the most famous Thai restaurant in the world, Nahm at COMO Metropolitan Hotel. How do you absorb all of that? “Just fine,” according to Chef Pim Having lived outside of Thailand for some 17 years, Chef Pim will continue to run Kin Khao in conjunction with Nahm, seemingly taking it all in her stride. Excited for the opportunity ahead, yes, but ready to graft too. “I see this as a wonderful move. I’ll still be taking trips to the US and running Kin Khao, but I’ll be here in Bangkok too. It’s a special opportunity, and I’m used to hard work. I’m not afraid to work myself out from someone’s else’s shadow.” Chef Pim was taught to cook from her mother’s two elder sisters, who had learned from her grandmother. With the help of friends, she added to her repertoire, learning new skills and techniques, and gaining a more in-depth interest in Thai culinary heritage. Stints as an author, food blogger and restaurateur allowed her to explore Thai food further. “I have more to say about Thai food than I do jam,” she joked. bangkok101.com

The food of Chef Pim is very much an extension of her personality. Sure she can do big and solid, but she also has technique by the gallon, which allows her to do serious stuff to ingredients while retaining their essence—particularity important when approaching Thai ingredients and that unique flavour wheel that Thai cuisine is so widely recognised for. Upholding Nahm’s roots while tweaking here-and-there to reflect her own skills and take on “deep-rooted, traditional Thai cuisine,” she clarifies, “I want diners at Nahm to feel as though they’ve been to the home of their Thai friends and to experience an authentic cuisine that’s rich in flavours and cooked from the heart.” New dishes on the menu have been introduced to reflect and reinterpret 17th-century recipes, something she sees as a celebration and an essential step in preserving and showcasing the best in Thai cooking. Moreover, what about the challenges of a new kitchen, new staff, and new beginnings? “I found that I had to re-educate the staff. Not drastically, but each chef’s palate is different, and it’s important that the entire team understand this and everyone is working from the same page. Some of the recipes were

heavily salted, to me, and one of the first things we did at Nahm as a team was to go through the menu and cook together, tasting and testing along the way. We have also restructured the flow of service to include more courses so that guests experience what it’s like to eat Thai food in a Thai way, and in a Thai-style home.” On visits to Thai farms and markets, Chef Pim has connected with small growers and distributors, tracking down new ingredients to refit Nahm’s pantry: heirloom rice, rare citrus, bitter leaves, handmade palm sugars, small-batch fish sauce. A quick browse of her Instagram page and you’ll see numerous photos of her with suppliers; pounding curry paste, durian hunting around Nonthaburi, praising the fermented fish-coconut milk relish at Or Tor Kor Market. “Sourcing the best ingredients and making meals from scratch is vital to me, it raises the whole flavour profile of a dish. Grinding aromatics and making pastes from scratch will benefit the recipes. This is how I grew up making food with my family, it was labour-intensive home cooking, but the results were always worth it.” interview by David J. Constable www.comohotels.com/en/ metropolitanbangkok/dining/nahm SEPTEMBER 2018 | 95

FOOD & DRINK | street eats

96 | SEPTEMBER 2018

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street eats | FOOD & DRINK

Krau Sa Ros Jad

Home-cooked comfort food on the periphery of Bangkok

ne of the trips I made, just outside of Bangkok, to the northern side of the city, was to a friend’s favourite Thai restaurant. Krau Sa Rod Jad is the name of the restaurant and it is situated on Vipawadee Rungsit Road, on the way to reach proper Bangkok. We arrived late in the evening and as soon as we pulled the car into the parking lot, just across from the restaurant, a man walked over and asked me if i wanted to “look at Buddha amulets?” to which I replied, “Erm, no, thank you. I’m here for the food.” The man nooded, then helped us park the car. “We expect a client who wants to take a look at Buddha amulet,” he said. “Oh, right,” I replied, “But I am really here for the food.” We were led into the restaurant which had the design and appearance of a large house. Inside, I saw a big poster written on the wall which read: “Checking Buddha amulets service” alongside the restaurant name. The owner specialises in indication Buddha amulets whether its real or not, this section is on the other side of the compound. I’m thinking this is interesting! But I got distracted right away when I entered the restaurant house by seeing the decoration of the space. It feels like someone’s dining room at home. The walls are filled with portraits of Thai Kings hung gracefully.

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. bangkok101.com

We sat close to the door which allows us to have a broader perspective to look at the restaurant and we were stunned by the look of it, filled with old European statues and furniture, chandeliers and Thai music of yesteryear. Then came the menu. I had heard that they specialise in home cooking Thai food, so we ordered many dishes, such as moo satay or pork satay-style which arrived with peanut sauce and vegetable pickle. I must say that this is a love at first bite. The Moo satay was so soft and tender, and its sauce was complex in taste, there were more spices than other places I had. We all agreed that the aromatic and distinctive taste was coriander seeds that blended in the sauce. Pad tam leung moo sap is a local green leaf called Tamleung, fried with minced pork which was delicious like my grandmother used to make. There

was no complicated sauce to interfere, it was just a simple dish that we had at home when we were young. Hoy Disco or blanched cockles dish was among the most popular dish with spicy nam jim, dipping sauce (lime, fish sauce, garlic and chilli). Blanched cockles were served in big sizes and ultimately fresh. It was the same sensation as having fresh oyster. When I drop nam jim that tastes like dancing on the beach, we knew that we needed to order one more. Then Kaeng kiewwan lukchin plakai (green curry with fish meat in thick coin shape ) was aromatic with its paste and taste of curry heaven! We also ordered tom yum pla kung (tom yum river fish) that had perfume aroma of galanga, kaffir lime leave and sweet basil which made the whole experience of tom yum soup extra delightful. I admire the freshness and the intensity of the whole meal here.

Address: Krau Sa Rod Jad is in Vipavadee-Rungsit Soi 44, going straight for about 300 meters, the restaurant will be on the left and parking lot is on the right across from each other.  Tel 081 496 9181, 02 561 3355 Open daily from 11:30am-22pm (closed on 3rd Sunday of the month) SEPTEMBER 2018 | 97

FOOD & DRINK | listings

CHINESE Bai Yun

The Chinese outlet with the best view in town, and one of the highest representatives of Pearl Delta cuisine on the planet, offers high-quality ingredients you can really savour. 59F, Banyan Tree Bangkok 21/100 South Sathorn Rd. Tel: 02 679 1200 Open daily: 11:30am-2:30pm

Pagoda Chinese Restaurant This upscale venue serves traditional Cantonese cuisine in a spacious, contemporary setting. The menu focuses on healthy dishes, while ensuring that the flavours and authenticity are retained. 4F, Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park Hotel 199, Sukhumvit Soi 22 Tel: 02 059 5999 Open daily: 11:30am-2:30pm, 6pm-10pm www.marriott.com

Shang Palace

The interior is elegant, but more importantly, the food is a glowing

reminder of how Chinese food should be executed and presented. The dim sum is the obvious place to start, and the signature dishes are serious standouts. 3F, Shangri-La Hotel 89 Soi Wat Suan Plu, New Road Tel: 02 236 7777 Open daily: 6pm-10:30pm, Mon-Sat, 11:30am-2:30pm, Sun, 11am-3pm www.shangri-la.com

INTERNATIONAL The Dining Room at The House on Sathorn

Few restaurant settings in the city rival this charming colonial-era mansion where Turkish native Chef Fatih Tutak keeps things rooted in the Ottoman canon, experimenting with tastes, textures, and temperatures in a 10-course—although expect more— tasting menu. W Bangkok, 106 North Sathorn Rd. Tel: 02 344 4025 Open daily: 6pm-10:30pm www.thehouseonsathorn.com

Eat Me

Run by the always innovative Tim Butler, this cozy 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

Elements

This Michelin-starred restaurant expertly fuses Japanese and French culinary aesthetics, flavours, and precision, in a retro-futuristic space that feels like a home study but has the theatricality of a playhouse. Meanwhile, views of Bangkok’s downtown cityscape can be enjoyed from the restaurant’s open-air deck. 25F, The Okura Prestige Bangkok 57 Wireless Rd. Open daily: 6pm-10:30pm Tel: 02 687 9000 www.okurabangkok.com

Latest Recipe

A new upscale brunch offering from the signature restaurant in the Le Méridien

Cooking School & Restaurant

Amy Dabbs SINGAPORE

08/01/2017

Jarinya Thanasoonthonkul Bangkok THAILAND

08/01/2017

BANGKOK : 233 South Sathorn Rd., Sathorn Bangkok 10120 Tel : +66 2 673 9353-8, Fax : +66 2 673 9355 cooking.school@blueelephant.com

PHUKET : 96 Krabi Road, Tambon Talad Neua, Phuket 83000 Tel : +66 (076) 354 355-7, Fax : +66 (076) 354 393 phuket@blueelephant.com

www.blueelephant.com 98 | SEPTEMBER 2018

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listings | FOOD & DRINK offers a delicious and indulgent approach to wining and dining. The Medittareaninpsired “La Docle Vita” Lifestyle Buffet offers an eclectic mix of cuisines across various stations, with fresh seafood, made-to-order pasta, and free-flow wine and champagne options. 1F, Le Méridien Bangkok, 40/5, Surawong Rd. Open daily: Mon-Sat, 12pm-2:30pm, 6:30pm-9:30pm, Sun, 12pm-4pm Tel: 02 232 8888 www.latestrecipebangkok.com

Tel: 02 079 7000 137pillarsbangkok.com/en/dining/nimitr

Nimitr

Park Society

“Oriental Cuisine” inspired by a responsible gourmand chef on the 27th floor of the luxurious 137 Pillars Suites & Residences. This beautiful restaurant has an outstanding setting and prepares wonderfully fresh plates with an Oriental leaning. Choose from the likes of Chilli Crab, Szechuan Rock Lobster, Beef Massaman, Scallops and Abalone Sashimi, Teriyaki Pork Belly and a plethora of traditional favourites to tempt every palate for every occasion. 137 Pillars Suites & Residences Bangkok, 59/1 Sukhumvit Soi 39 Open: Daily 12pm-3pm, 6pm-10:30pm

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twist on buffet spreads. And on weekends, the restaurant offers an irresistable scrumptious, free-flow wine brunch buffet. 7F, SO Sofitel Bangkok, 2 North Sathorn Rd. Tel: 02 624 0000 Open daily: 6:30pm-10:30pm, Sat-Sun Wine Brunch, noon-3pm www.so-sofitel-bangkok.com

The Penthouse Bar & Grill

Park Society

By fusing Eastern flavours with Western techniques, this high-altitude restaurant has become a haven for fine dining. Ask about the chef’s amazing signature tasting menus. 29F, SO Sofitel Bangkok, 2 North Sathorn Rd. Open daily: 6pm-10:30pm Tel: 02 624 0000 www.so-sofitel-bangkok.com

Red Oven

Styled as a ‘World Food Market’, this all-day dining venue puts a contemporary

With a design concept that conjures up the fictional penthouse abode of a jetsetting adventurer, the open grill kitchen at this stunning restaurant space and cocktail bar dishes up succulent steaks and other meaty morsels. It’s also home to what has to be the coolest looking whisky room in the city. 34-36F, Park Hyatt Bangkok, 88 Wireless Rd. Open daily: 5:30pm-midnight Tel: 02 012 1234 bangkok.park.hyatt.com

Tables Grill

The award-winning restaurant features prime-cut steaks and sustainably sourced seafood in an elegantly unique setting that offers a fresh take on à la minute dining.

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FOOD & DRINK | listings Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel, 494 Rajdamri Rd. Tel: 02 254 6250 Open: Mon-Sat, 11:30am-2:30pm, 6:30pm-10pm, Sunday Brunch: 11am-3pm www.bangkok.grand.hyatt.com

Tel: 02 233 1990 www.ugolini.co.th

Up & Above

Kisso

This elegant 24th floor restaurant has fine dining down, but it also boasts a brunch to rival all others—delivering a buffet of luxurious proportions. 24F, Okura Prestige Bangkok 57 Witthayu Rd. Tel: 02 687 9000 Open daily: noon-10:30pm Sunday Brunch: noon-3pm www.okurabangkok.com

Vertigo Too Bar & Restaurant

Neither an open-air rooftop bar, nor the kind of jazz den found in smoky brickwalled basements, the al-fresco Vertigo Too deftly toes the line between the two milieus. 60F, Banyan Tree Bangkok 21/100 South Sathorn Rd. Tel: 02 679 1200 Opem daily: 5pm-1am www.banyantree.com

ITALIAN

JAPANESE Combining a modern mastery of time-honoured customs in a stylish and convivial setting, this is one of the top places for outstanding Japanese cuisine in Bangkok. 8F, The Westin Grande Sukhumvit Bangkok 259, Sukhumvit Soi 19 Tel: 02 207 8000 Open daily: 12pm-2:30pm, 6pm-10:30pm www.kissojapaneserestaurant.com

SPANISH Broken Eggs

An Ekkamai classic (after relocating from Phra Khanong’s W District) serving up tapas-dining feasts with an impressive wine and cocktail list to boot! Expect freshly prepared dishes, high on flavour, that celebrate the food of Galicia; such as Garlic Shrimps, Thai Burrata topped with Raspberries & Pistachio, and some truly outstanding crispy Iberico Ham Croquettes. 112/7 Ekkamai Rd (Sukhumvit Soi 63) 02 047 7811 Open: Tue-Sat 5pm-11.30pm, Sun 12-4pm www.brokeneggsbangkok.com

THAI Blue Elephant

Urbani

Located on the 39th floor of Sathorn Tower, this fine dining Italian restaurant boasts an impressive truffle selection and pride themselves as the world’s number-one truffle dealer. A multitude of options all burst with truffle, from creamy Tagliatelle Carbonara to a White Truffle Tirimasu. Two set dinner menus help guests with truffle options and a very reasonable set lunch menu (B590 for 3 courses) means that there’s no excuse not to visit this new truffle-centric restaurant. Sathorn Square, 39 floor, 98 North Sathorn Rd. Open: Mon-Fri, 11am-11pm, Sat, 6pm-11pm 100 | SEPTEMBER 2018

A wildly successful brand since it was first established in 1980, this restaurant (and cooking school) sits in a gorgeous historic mansion. On the menu, Chef Nooror takes a riff on the Thai food of tomorrow, but also shares her heritage with every dish. 233 South Sathorn Rd. Tel: 02 673 9353 Open daily: 11:30am-2:30pm, 6:30pm-10:30pm www.blueelephant.com

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 made from the finest fresh ingredients.

The Rose Hotel, 118 Surawongse Rd. Tel: 02 266 8268-72 Open daily: noon-11pm www.ruen-urai.com

Saffron Sky Garden

This “garden in the sky” offers stunning vistas overlooking almost all angles of Bangkok. Large bed-like grey lounge chairs adorned with bright coloured pillows provide the perfect spot to lay back and unwind while sampling the Thai tapas menu items from the hotel’s awardwinning Saffron restaurant. Kick back and eat in style, high above the city, at Saffron. 52F, Banyan Tree Bangkok 21/100 South Sathorn Rd. Open daily: 5pm-1am Tel: 02 679 1200 www.banyantree.com/bangkok

CAFÉ

The Chocolate Boutique

With a clear and strong focus on natural quality ingredients and old world craftsmanship, this chocolate café, cake, and sweet shop exudes sense of playful experimentation from the moment you begin browsing the menu. GF, Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok 89 Soi Wat Suan Plu Tel: 02 236 7777 Open daily: 8am-11pm www.shangri-la.com/bangkok

Kiosk Café

Located in The Barkyard Bangkok Complex, this dog-friendly boite is a fetching choice for an exceptional meal, a friendly cakeand-chat, or a delicious hot coffee. 65, Sukhumvit Soi 26 Tel: 02 259 4089 Open: Tue-Thu, 10:30am-9pm, Fri-Sun, 10:30am-11pm www.kiosk-cafe.com bangkok101.com

CUISINE ART

Introducing “Southern Comfort” This year Ruen Urai new special menu offerings are inspired by southern Thailand with its various ethnicities and communities that form the exotic south. Migrants such as Malay, Chinese, and Portuguese traded and cohabited. Their heritage coalesced and created sub-cultures with spicy local ﬂavours with tasteful harmony. Experience ﬁne Thai culinary arts in the oasis that is Ruen Urai, “The House of Gold.” 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

Top photo: Popular Spritz at Octave Rooftop Lounge & Bar Bottom photo: International Jazz Artists performing live at The St. Regis Bar

| NIGHTLIFE

NIGHTLIFE special beer & wings promotion If you’re visiting Beer Republic in September, then make sure you make the most out of your visit and use the special promotion! Simply notify staff when you order 2 pints of beer from the Guest Draught Beer menu, and you’ll receive 1 free dish of chicken wings (either Thai style or Buffalo style). Please quote “Bangkok 101” when ordering to receive this offer. Promotion runs from September 1st – 30th 2018. www.beerrepublicbangkok.com

enjoy popular spritz and mini taco sliders above the city Octave Rooftop Lounge and Bar brings you Italy’s most popular drink along with the perfect light meal to pair. Discover the signature Italian “Aperol Spritz” cocktail, made from Aperol, Orange and Prosecco, then meet the creation of “Siam Spritz” cocktail, inspired by Thai local ingredients, consisted of Vodka, Feijoa, Honey, Pineapple, Thai Basil, Lime and Prosecco. Cocktail Price: THB 350++ per glass. For mini bites, the small-sized tacos come with two fillings; salmon and tuna, with lime, chili, coriander and avocado. These flavourful bites will only be available in the month of September. Bites Price THB 330++ per serving. The Octave Rooftop Lounge & Bar opens daily from 5pm-2am. For further information and reservation, please call 02 797 0000 or visit www.marriott.com/hotel-restaurants/bkkms-bangkok-marriott-hotelsukhumvit/octave-bar-and-lounge/5428678/home-page.mi

enjoy live, toe-tapping jazz from international artists The “Best in Jazz” special event launches live at The St. Regis Bar, every Thursday to Saturday throughout the month of September. Introducing top international jazz artists: Athalie de Koning (every Thursday), Coco Rouzier (every Friday) and Grammy award-winning voalist, Keithen Carter (every Saturday). For more information, please call 66 2207 7777or contact fb.bangkok@stregis.com

savour the happy hour that sparkles Let there be bubbles and nibbles, and let them flow freely every evening at Le Méridien Bangkok’s Bamboo Chic Bar. The newly introduced “Sparkling Hours” invites guests to relax between Monday and Sunday, 7pm-10pm with free-flow selected sparkling cocktails, sparkling wine and petit plates. The price for one person is THB1,350 ++ and includes two hours of free-flow selected sparkling cocktails, sparkling wine + petit plates. A cheaper THB 850 ++ offer is also available, which includes free-flow selected sparkling cocktails and sparkling wine. For more information or to book, call 02 232 8888 or email: dining.lmbkk@lemeridien.com

bangkok101.com

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NIGHTLIFE | best of bkk

Bangkok Bars

Bangkok picks from the recently published, "150 Bars You Need To Visit Before You Die" By Jurgen Lijcops

verybody who knows me also knows that my first passion is wine. Until two years ago, it was also the only thread running through my work. Then along came Bar Burbure, an Antwerp cocktail bar that wants to be different from all others, and things took a new turn. Before then, few people knew about my second passion: anything related to spirits. Not just spirits themselves, but everything surrounding and springing from them. For instance, cocktails and the bars that make and serve them. Also, the unique settings that are often offered by these bars and that make you enjoy your drinks even more.

Stepping into a bar is always a unique experience. You often feel the vibe at once, one that says that everything is okay and it is going to be a magical evening. This vibe is created by the people who work there, who attract other people with that same vibe who, in turn, enhance the vibe of the place. I am proud to have had the opportunity to write this guide. Each and every bar I selected has a story to tell, which is certainly not always about the drinks. Often this story is told by the owners and the staff, or by the location.

Sky Bar TO VISIT BEFORE YOU DIE BECAUSE The round bar at the far end of the rooftop terrace is a perfect location for a glass of champagne with your loved one.

Sky Bar is on the 64th floor of the Lebua State Tower and is best known for its characteristic gold steel-and-concrete dome. This rooftop bar offers a stunning panoramic view of the Chao Phraya river and the enormous city of Bangkok with its eight million inhabitants. Sky Bar has made it to the Top 5 of the world’s most unique bars on several occasions and was used as a film set for the film The Hangover Part II (2011). Not surprisingly, the ‘Hangovertini’, made with whisky, green tea liquor, green apple juice, Martini Rosso 104 | SEPTEMBER 2018

and rosemary-infused honey, is one of the most popular cocktails on the list. In summer the Poptails—a combination of cocktail and ice pop, or ‘cocktaillolly’—are all the rage. Nothing beats the all-round view, however, which offers you the most wonderful sunsets in Bangkok. Sky Bar

Lebua Hotel, 1055 Silom Rd., Bangrak www.lebua.com/sky-bar bangkok101.com

best of bkk | NIGHTLIFE

Bamboo Bar TO VISIT BEFORE YOU DIE BECAUSE The chef ’s taster—Oscietra caviar with sea urchins, potatoes and champagne sauce—is heaven on earth.

The Bamboo Bar in the Mandarin Oriental is a shrine for music lovers and trendy people from all over the world, with live jazz on almost all week. The space itself has an exotic feel and a clubby ambience. This hotel bar has provided a getaway for those wishing to escape the hustle and bustle of the city since its inception in 1953. Not only are the music and vibe top-notch, but the cocktails are, too, and the award-winning bar team often draws bangkok101.com

inspiration from well-known jazz legends. All the ‘Bamboo Bar Originals’ are worth trying and have a permanent place reserved for them on the drinks list. Bamboo Bar

Mandarin Oriental Hotel, 8 Oriental Avenue www.mandarinoriental.com/bangkok/chao-phraya-river/fine-dining/ bars/the-bamboo-bar SEPTEMBER 2018 | 105

NIGHTLIFE | best of bkk

Red Sky TO VISIT BEFORE YOU DIE BECAUSE The DJ whips up a party atmosphere from Tuesday to Sunday. Red Sky lies in the heart of Bangkokâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vibrant Ratchaprasong shopping district, extending over two floors of the Centara Grand Hotel. The first of these, the 55th floor, it occupies completely, both inside and outside, and you can have something to eat and sip cocktails here. On the next floor, the bar takes up only the exterior part, but all of it, fully encircling the building. The view is phenomenal, and it is a wonderful place to have a drink while watching the sun go down and enjoy dinner under the stars. Red Sky has an 106 | SEPTEMBER 2018

extensive cocktail menu highlighted by 15 different Martinis and four signature Martinis. Other classic and contemporary drinks are also available, of course, and all of them may be accompanied by perfectly paired snacks. Red Sky

56F, Centara Grand & Bangkok Convention Centre at CentralWorld, 999/99 Rama 1 Rd. www.centarahotelsresorts.com/redsky bangkok101.com

best of bkk | NIGHTLIFE

Zoom Sky Bar TO VISIT BEFORE YOU DIE BECAUSE The live saxophone performances, the gorgeous view, the delicious finger food and the drinks all combine into an irresistible ‘cocktail’.

Discover another side of Bangkok while enjoying a breathtaking view of the city’s bustling streets from 40 storeys high. You can also savour French dishes with an Asian twist and sample creative drinks. There are no bad spots here, because every seat offers an unobstructed panoramic view of the city. From 5.30 p.m. until 8.00 p.m. is happy hour, so you get two drinks for the price of one.

> 150 Bars You

Need To Visit Before You Die

by Jurgen Lijcops Lannoo Publishers (August 21, 2018) bangkok101.com

You never have to reach deep into your pockets to have a fantastic evening at Zoom Sky Bar. Zoom Sky Bar

6 Naradhiwat Rajanagarindra Rd., Yan Nawa, Sathorn www.bangkok-sathorn.anantara.com/zoom-sky-bar-restaurant

Jurgen Lijcops has been working as a sommelier and spirits connoisseur in some of the most esteemed restaurants. He travels the world to constantly expand his knowledge, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that he knows the most exquisite bars, where you can sit back and enjoy some of the best cocktails and spirits around. In 2016 he started his own Bar Burbure, where he serves the most refined cocktails and long drinks. That same year it was awarded the title of best bar concept. He was elected best sommelier of Belgium and best host of Belgium twice by Gault Millau. SEPTEMBER 2018 | 107

NIGHTLIFE | special

Third Party at LEVELS London-based duo return to Bangkok

he British progressive house DJ duo of Jonnie Macaire and Harry Bass—better known as Third Party—return to Bangkok this month for a much anticipated set at LEVELS Club & Lounge, Sukhumvit Soi 11, on Thursday 20th September. Best known for their single Everyday Of My Life and the collaboration Lions in the Wild with Dutch DJ Martin Garrix— the No.1 ranked DJ on DJ magazine’s Top 100 DJs list—Third Party began their musical career as producers by releasing singles and remixes. They founded Release Records, their own record label in 2015, in partnership with Armada Music and the single Alive served as the label’s first release. They have a repuation for creating emotionally charged house music and have perofemd the world over, remixing for TV Rock’s Grant Smillie, Open Your Eyes from Alex Metric and Steve Angello and the world smash Save The World from Swedish House Mafia. Following on from supporting SHM at the Masquerade Motel, Miami Third Party completed the “One Night Only” SHM UK tour and played the summer at the 108 | SEPTEMBER 2018

Masquerade Mote at Pacha in Ibiza. They last performed in Bangkok in May 2017. Suggested Third

Party Playlist

• Waiting • Feel—with Cicada • Everyday of My Life • Lions in the Wild— with Martin Garrix

• Lights—with Steve Angello • Thank You • Midnight • Live Forever

Thursday 20th September, 2018, 9pm-2am For more information call 08 2308 3246 (2pm-9pm) and 09 5248 3897 (9pm onwards).

Levels

6th Floor, No.35, Sukhumvit Soi 11, Sukhumvit Rd. Tel: 08 2308 3246 www.levelsclub.com bangkok101.com

special | NIGHTLIFE

Jay Sean at LEVELS Get ready for a full night of urban-funk entertainment, led by Jay Sean

evels Club & Lounge on Sukhumvit Soi 11 will host international British urban artist, Jay Sean performing live in Bangkok for the first time. Born Kamaljit Singh Jhooti, the British singer and songwriter has a career that spans over 15 years. He’s gone from underground rapper to mainstream hit-maker with the iconic Cash Money Records behind him. The multi-million selling and platinum award winning artist has achieved global success with songs like Eyes On You, Stolen and US debut Down as well as performing and collaborating with mega superstar artists such as Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, Pitbull, Sean Paul and Mary J Blige. With a mix of cultural influences, growing up in London and with a heavy South Asian background, Jay Sean absorbed all genres ranging from pop, hip hop, r’n’b, reggae and dancehall that is prominent in all his music. Now, as an independent artist, he’s still rocking the music scene with alluring tracks and touring the world. His latest hit Make My Love Go which he had collaborated with Sean Paul has hit nearly 60 million streams on Spotify across Europe and the United Kingdom. bangkok101.com

You can expect a full night of entertainment featuring Levels dance troop and ‘Foreign XChange’ band warming things up before and after the live performance of Jay Sean. See below for ticket details. Jay Sean Discography: • Me Against Myself (2004) • All or Nothing (2009)

• My Own Way (2008) • Neon (2013)

Entry ticket: Pre Sale: B690 includes 1 drink (www.ticketmelon.com) and Door Sales: B890 includes 1 drink. For reservations contact info@levelsclub.com or visit www.levelsclub.com For further information contact goy@panthera-group.com or 09 8974 6974

Levels

6th Floor, No.35, Sukhumvit Soi 11, Sukhumvit Rd. Tel: 08 2308 3246 www.levelsclub.com SEPTEMBER 2018 | 109

NIGHTLIFE | review

Char Rooftop Bar

Quality over quantity at this cosy and comfortable high-rise bar

his small, intimate and sexy rooftop bar is located at Hotel Indigo Bangkok, on the 26th floor. It is a short walk from the Phloen Chit BTS station to the Hotel. Once you arrive at the rooftop, you will be immersed into the bright lights and buildings of the city, where you can see glimpses of a new world and old world Thailand coming together. Space is cosy, and with that, offers a more personal touch than some of the other larger rooftop bars. It has cocktail tables, bar countertops that face out to the city skyline and tables with lounge style chairs where you can sit back and order a bottle of champagne, and watch the twinkling lights around you. There is also a retractable roof so you can see the night sky from all seats. I choose a position by the bar where I could see the view, watch the cocktails being made and socialise with the other guests. I am greeted by the Bar Manager who guides me through their extensive cocktail list. He showcases some of

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the Signatures. I had him choose ones that he thought would be appropriate for my taste. I am a big fan of cocktails made with egg white, so I start with the "Lady Pomelo" (B330) made with gin and Pomelo and light fruit and citrus. It has a refreshing hint of sweetness, perfect for someone who enjoys a more feminine style drink. Next, "MockingBird" (B340) uses tequila, Campari, dry vermouth and pineapple. It's savoury and masculine, winning me over. They are making a conscious effort to please all palates with their Signature cocktails. With a cocktail, it is only natural to browse the food menu. The menu is not extensive due to them having a full-service restaurant on the 25th floor, but what they do have is top notch quality. I order the Vialone (B550) Nano Risotto with Hokkaido Scallops (B500), Caesar Salad (B450) & River Prawns (B450) and Avocado Toast with Diced Tuna (B450). I learned later; Chef Nikolas Ramirez comes from the beautiful island of Maui, Hawaii. He brings some of his home influence to

the menu with textures and flavours. The standout, Risotto with Hokkaido Scallops, source some of the world's best scallops and to find them on a list on a rooftop venue, means they take their culinary experience just as seriously as their cocktails. Feeling relaxed, it is time to bring up the atmosphere. The DJ, often different local ones, starts up with lounge beats to ease us in. When I am ready to leave, the roof has filled up, and the DJ has the music beating just enough to groove but not over the top where you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have a conversation. This rooftop is all about quality, bringing you a blend of cocktails and culinary experiences that them on the map as a destination venue to enjoy as a local or visitor. by Charity Waltenbaugh

Char Rooftop Bar

26F, Hotel Indigo Bangkok, 81 Wireless Rd. Tel: 02 207 4999 Open daily: 6pm-11:30pm www.hotelindigo.com/bangkok bangkok101.com

review | NIGHTLIFE

The Bar at The House on Sathorn Two crafted cocktails are always better than one

et’s face it, no one loves to work. Given a choice, we’d much rather be at home sitting on the couch with a stiff drink in one hand and a good book in the other— the thought of which often leads us to sit at our desks meticulously watching the clock. So when the hour hand finally reaches six, there is only one thing on our minds. Bangkok itself has a plethora of bars to choose from, but bars that offer its guests a sense of feeling ‘at home’ where they can truly relax after a long day at work are rare gems in the City of Angels. It’s not that they don’t exist, you need to know where to look. Located next to W Hotel Bangkok and steeped in history, The House on Sathorn is best known for being the previous location of the Russian embassy, and in more recent years for its critically acclaimed restaurant, The Dining Room. However, located just across the hallway you’ll find a gem in the form of The Bar at The House on Sathorn which offers guests Buy 1 Get 1 Free on cocktails daily between 6 pm and 8 pm. bangkok101.com

Upon arrival during a recent visit, a colleague and I found ourselves immediately greeted by a member of staff and escorted up the red-carpeted stairs, through the heavyset wooden doorway and into the house itself. To the left, The Dining Room, and to the right, The Bar. Set in one of the house’s large double-ceiling front rooms, The Bar is adorned in art deco style furnishings. Lavish leather sofas with Thai silk cushions and elegant marble tables are symmetrically placed throughout, but the centrepiece of the room is the bar itself where an extensive selection of spirits and liquors from across the world are neatly lined and illuminated from below. It’s the type of bar we all wish we could have in our own houses. The daily special covers an enticing mix of crafted seasonal cocktails. Gin is my drink of choice, so naturally, I was drawn to "The Garden", a signature cocktail that combines Tanqueray gin with chrysanthemum and thyme, chamomile tea, rosemary syrup, egg white, and lime. My guest ordered the

"I Am Sweet Enough" which features Belvedere vodka, Galliano liquor, lemongrass syrup, grapefruit juice, egg white, lime, and starfruit and came topped with a sprinkle-covered marshmallow. To accompany our well-deserved after work drinks, the staff brought us a bowl of olives and sugar and rosemary covered peanuts, of which my colleague left only crumbs. Crispy squid with tom yum mayo (B350++) and tuna tartare topped with black truffle caviar on seaweed crackers (B200 ++ per piece) also provided a salty balance to our sweet alcoholic delights. While slowly sipping our welldeserved cocktails, entirely at ease, we slowly melted into the leather sofa and felt all the stresses of the day wash away. Suddenly renewed and ready for another cocktail. by Kelly Harvey

The Bar at The House on Sathorn 106 North Sathorn Rd. Tel: 02 344 4000 www.thehouseonsathorn.com

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NIGHTLIFE | review

HI-SO Rooftop Bar

Strut your stuff above the city with this new HI-SO Ladies Night offering

ocated at the SO Sofitel Hotel Bangkok, there is a newly revamped rooftop venue for Bangkok to party at. Perched on the 29th and 30th floors of the Hotel, you have an unobstructed view of the sun setting over the city and Bangkok’s lush green Lumpini Park. Most importantly, with the new refreshed venue, HI-SO has launched a party calendar, and tonight I am here to party. I arrived as the sun was going down and the city lights were coming up. I will admit, this is one of best views of the city. What makes this rooftop view so unique is that you can directly see the skyline. You are not too high up where you are looking down on the buildings, so it gives way to understanding the architecture that Bangkok has to offer. I start on the 29th floor and grab a seat to get comfortable. Shortly after I sit, a gentleman approaches me and says, "Ladies night is on the next level." This must be where the party’s at. I find out the details of the party

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and follow the gentleman upstairs. Hands down this is probably one of the best value Ladies Night you can find in Bangkok. The party is called “Good Girls Gone Bad”—seems like an appropriate theme for many ladies I know. It is a 3-hour FREE flow with three different beverage choices starting at 7:30 pm to 10:30 pm every Wednesday night. There are two entry ranges, B300 and B850 for the gentleman or fashionably late ladies. My suggestion, get there early so you can be one of the 50 ladies that can get in for B300 and drink to your heart’s content. Again, I am approached by the same gentleman from downstairs, and he offers me a drink. I find out that his name is Kishan Rampersad and he is the resident beverage specialist. Well, I trust specialists when it comes to beverages, so I have him make me one of the SO Signature cocktails. “Lumpini’s Pride” is what he brings me. Vodka-based with a sweet and savoury flavour, that is what pleased

me the most. I hang out at one of the high top tables that looks straight out to that amazing skyline. While other guests sat in the low seating where I saw them munching away on bar nibbles. It is an international menu, so it has something for everyone By this time the DJ’s are in full effect. Beats pumping to attract people from downstairs to come upstairs and I am digging the ambience. The party is full of young, beautiful woman from all over the world strutting their stuff. I am thinking, this is a place to be seen any night of the week. Swanky, stylish and sultry is what this rooftop brings to the mix. If HI-SO continues on this path of parties, you will not want to miss out. by Charity Waltenbaugh

HI-SO Rooftop Bar

SO Sofitel Bangkok, 2 Sathorn Rd. Tel: 02 624 0000 Open: daily 5pm.-12.30am. www.so-sofitel-bangkok.com bangkok101.com

NIGHTLIFE | listings

BAR 3 Bears Craft Brewery

This craft beer bar is a collaborative project by an architect, a sound engineer, and a renowned local chef. Alongside the great locally made suds, diners can order brewpub favorites like fried chicken wings and gourmet snacks such as piquant tempura-fried calamari. 1154, Sukhumvit Soi 22 Tel: 095 456 8298 Open: Mon-Fri, 4pm-midnight Sat-Sun 11am-midnight facebook.com/3bearscb

Backstage Bar

Acclaimed as Bangkok’s best new cocktail bar, this drink spot offers a variety of cocktail menus created by talented bartenders. While a soundtrack featuring big band covers of pop songs plays on, the fun-loving staff jokes around with everyone, even the first-timers, but they also make sure all customers get the right drink for their tastes. Playhaus Thong Lor 205/22-23, Sukhumvit Soi 55 Tel: 02 712 5747 Open daily: 6pm-1am facebook.com/backstagecocktailbarbkk

Bamboo Chic Bar

Explore a selection of signature cocktails, wines, and spirits, while the culinary team prepares a variety of snacks and delicatessen favourites in a contemporary lounge setting. 4F, Le Méridien Bangkok 40/5 Surawong Rd. Open daily 5:30pm-11:30pm Tel: 02 232 8888 www.lemeridienbangkokpatpong.com

The Bar

Featuring a black and gold colour theme, and both indoor and outdoor seating, this 10th floor lounge is warm, sophisticated, quiet, and inviting—the archetype of a bar you would belly up to after a long day at work or a long flight into town. 10F, Park Hyatt Bangkok, 88 Wireless Rd. Open daily: 7am-midnight Tel: 02 012 1234 www.bangkok.park.hyatt.com

The Diplomat Bar

Drop by any night and you’re likely to find suited and booted business types chatting over martinis. Dark wood touches, soft yellow lighting, and a den-like feel partly 114 | SEP T EM BER 2018

account for the bar’s popularity, and from 8pm Monday to Thursday (and 8.30pm Friday and Saturday), a talented band entertains with jazz and R&B sounds. 1F, Conrad Bangkok Hotel, 87 Wireless Rd. Open: Sun-Thu, 7am-1am, Fri-Sat, 7am-2am Tel: 02 690 9244 facebook.com/diplomatbarconradbangkok

Duke

Although it’s in a mall, this high-end whisky and cigar lounge—full to bursting with paintings and sculptures—feels more like a SoHo warehouse loft space owned by an eccentric millionaire. 1F, Gaysorn Village, 999 Phloen Chit Rd. Tel: 094 647 8888 Open daily: 11am-midnight facebook.com/pg/duke.gaysorn

Flava Bar & Lounge

Taking its visual cue from the private wet bar of British fashion designer Paul Smith, this fun and funky hangout also boasts Bangkok’s “longest happy hour”, which stretches from 5pm till midnight, every day of the week. 2F, Dream Hotel, 10, Sukhumvit Soi 15 Open daily: 5pm-midnight Tel: 02 254 8500 www.dreamhotels.com/bangkok

Gypsy Spells Bar

A themed bar, focusing on fortune telling and Thai legends, offers a unique cocktail menu, as well as live gypsy jazz music on Friday nights and blues on Saturdays. 2, Sukhumvit Soi 29 Tel: 02 662 3060 Open daily: 5:30pm to midnight www.mahanaga.com

Inblu Bar

Located on the hotel’s lobby level, this stylish drink spot offers an extensive selection of beers, whiskies, cocktails, and wines, plus tasty nibbles and great live music seven days a week. Pullman Bangkok Grande Sukhumvit 30, Sukhumvit Soi 21 Tel: 02 204 4000 Open daily: 5pm-1am www.pullmanbankokgrandesukhumvit.com

Long Table

Although known for its massive communal dining table, you can also glug signature cocktails or new latitude wines while enjoying the view from the 25th floor. 25F, 48 Column Building, Sukhumvit Soi 16 Tel: 02 302 2557

Open daily: 11am-2am www.longtablebangkok.com

Pink Flamingo Bar

This spacious, 80s theme bar—tucked in behind Prelude restaurant—serves up decidedly 21st century cocktails. Be daring and opt for the ‘Mystery Box’, where the bartender decides your drink… no questions asked! 225/15, Arena 10, Thong Lor Soi 10 Open: Tue-Sun, 6pm-midnight Tel: 061 384 1067 facebook.com/pinkflamingobyprelude

Pirate Saloon

With walls covered in Jack Rogers skull and crossbones motifs, and a large ship hanging over the bar, the impression is that you’ve entered Davy Jones’ Locker— however, this one has an expansive drinks and dining menu. It’s a unique change of pace for groups looking for a fun night out, yearghhhh! 251/1, Thonglor Soi 13 Open daily: 6pm-2am Tel: 083 639 9919 facebook.com/piratearena.official

Rabbit Hole

A proper cocktail bar, run by industry insiders, where the drinks come first and the cool interior just tops it off. What’s more, the personable bartenders really know their spirits. 125, Sukhumvit Soi 55 Tel: 081 822 3392 Open daily: 7pm-2am www.facebook.com/rabbitholebkk

Riedel Wine Bar & Cellar

A world-class wine bar that isn’t just all about wine. There’s dozens of vinos to choose from, as well as some exciting options for the non-wine-inclined, while refined, rustic European cuisine is served up tapas-style for social dining. 2F, Gaysorn Plaza, 999 Ploenchit Rd. Tel: 02 656 1133 Open daily: 11am-midnight www.riedelwinebarbkk.com

Scarlett Wine Bar & Restaurant

This sophisticated (and elevated) drink spot and bistro offers tipplers both a novel-sized wine list, and a host of creative cocktails—many of which make use of in-house infused spirits. 37F, Pullman Hotel Bangkok G Open daily: 6pm-late bangkok101.com

listing | NIGHTLIFE Tel: 096 860 7990 www.randblab.com/scarlett-bkk

Shades of Retro

It’s Hipsterville at this Thong Lor hotspot, stuffed with vintage furniture, vinyl records, and plenty of antiques. Soi Tararom 2, Sukhumvit Soi 55 Tel: 02 714 9450 Open daily: 3am-1am www.facebook.com/shadesofretrobar

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 live jazz on Wednesdays. 186/3, Suan Phlu Soi 1 Tel: 095 585 1398 Open: Wed-Mon, 8:30pm-2am www.facebook.com/smallsbkk

TacoChela by Mikkeller

The combination of craft beer, fine spirits, and mouth-watering Mexican fare has made this taqueria an instant hit. Ari Samphan Soi 1 Open: Tue-Thu, 5pm-11pm, Fri-Sat, 5pm-midnight facebook.com/tacochelabkk

especially beef—to be enjoyed with the large selection of reasonably priced wines (available mainly by the bottle, but with some “by the glass” options as well). 1F, The Groove@CentralWorld Open daily: 11am-midnight Tel: 02 613 1037 www.wineconnection.co.th

ROOFTOP SKY BAR Aire Bar

Offering a variety of wines, beers, and artisanal cocktails, with delicious snacks to boot. Plus, one of the best views of the city (day and night). A laid-back bar perfect for unwinding… cocktail in hand. 28F, Hyatt Place Sukhumvit Bangkok 22/5, Sukhumvit Soi 24 Open: Mon-Thu, 5pm-midnight; Fri-Sat, 5pm1am; Sun, 3pm-11pm Tel: 02-055-1234 www.facebook.com/airebarbangkok

Amorosa

A sultry, Moroccan-style balcony bar offering balmy river breezes, sour-sweet cocktails, and a showstopper of a view over the Chao Phraya River and Wat Arun in the distance. 4F, Arun Residence Hotel 36-38, Soi Pratoo Nok Young, Maharat Rd. Tel: 02 221 9158 Open daily: 6pm-1am www.arunresidence.com

Attitude Thaipioka

Thaipioka

This venue hints at speakeasy culture— guests enter through an unmarked door in the Salil Hotel—but once inside you will have entered what many call one of the city’s best cocktail spots, complete with a long candlelit wooden bar and music that is soft enough to allow for conversation. 44/7, Thong Lor Soi 1 (Salil Hotel) Tel: 087 713 6943 Open daily: 7pm till late www.facebook.com/thaipiokabkk

Wine Connection The Grill There are currently 18 Wine Connection outlets in Bangkok, however this branch also focusses on grilled meats— bangkok101.com

Character Whisky & Cigar Bar

Both outlets of this cozy and comfortable smoker’s lounge—one of which doubles as a skybar—serve some of the rarest and finest single malt whiskies from Scotland (and beyond), as well as housing humidors stocked with premium handmade cigars from Cuba, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, and more. Courtyard at Anantara Siam Bangkok Hotel, 155 Rajadamri Rd, Tel: 02 254 4726 32F, Compass Skyview Hotel, 12, Sukhumvit Soi 24, Tel: 02 011 1133 www.facebook.com/characterbar

Cielo Sky Bar

A rooftop bar, with a business-casual ambiance and unbeatable views of Bangkok, serving a wide-ranging and impressive list of cocktails at fair prices. 46F, Sky Walk Condominium Sukhumvit Soi 69 Tel: 02 348 9100 Open daily: 5pm-1am www.cieloskybar.com

CRU Champagne Bar

This sky-high drinking and dining spot boasts an inventive cocktail menu, delicious tapas-sized nibbles, and Instagram-worthy desserts, but the view overlooking the river is what really commands the attention here. 26F, Avani Riverside Bangkok Hotel 257 Charoen Nakorn Rd. Tel: 02 431 9100 Open daily: 5:30pm-1am minorhotels.com/en/avani/riverside-bangkok

This high altitude hot spot is owned by G.H. Mumm Champagne brand and offers tipplers dozens of tables, as well as a circle-shaped showpiece bar. If you’re craving bottles of bubbly with a panoramic view, it doesn’t get any better than this. 59F, Centara Grand at CentralWorld 999/99 Rama 1 Rd. Tel: 02 100 1234 Open daily: 5pm-1am www.champagnecru.com

Bangkok Heightz

Mojjo

This chic and stylish semi-alfresco lounge offers great views, plus an upscale take on street food and a drinks menu full of cocktails inspired by Thai culture. 39F, The Continent Hotel 413 Sukhumvit Rd. Open daily: 6pm-1am Tel: 02 867 7000 www.facebook.com/bangkokheightz

This elegantly appointed sky-high, Latinflavoured cocktail joint offers guests exceptional views. Light meals are also on offer to accompany evening tipples. 32F, Compass SkyView Hotel 12, Sukhumvit Soi 24 Tel: 02 011 1111 Open daily: 5pm-2am www.facebook.com/mojjoloungebar SEPTEMBER 2018 | 115

NIGHTLIFE | listings

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 a romantic rendezvous. 61/64F, Banyan Tree Bangkok 21/100 South Sathorn Rd. Tel: 02 679 1200 Open daily: 5pm-1am www.banyantree.com

Octave Rooftop Lounge & Bar

Whether you choose the outdoor lounge on the 45th floor or the alfresco bar on the 49th floor, you have breathtaking views in every direction. And those in search of a sundowner should heed the 5pm-7pm happy hours, when signature cocktails are half-price. 45-49F, Bangkok Hotel Marriott Sukhumvit 2, Sukhumvit Soi 57 Open daily: 5pm-2am Tel: 02 797 0000 www.facebook.com/octavemarriott

Red Sky Bar

One of Bangkok’s most acclaimed rooftop bars—perched dramatically above the heart of the city—offers light bites and signature cocktails. 56F, Centara Grand & Bangkok Convention Centre at CentralWorld 999/99 Rama 1 Rd. Tel: 02 100 6255 Open Daily: 4pm-1am (Happy Hours: 4pm-6pm) www.centarahotelsresorts.com

Rooftop Terrace at Penthouse Bar + Grill

This dramatic skybar is the perfect spot to drink in Bangkok’s nighttime skyline in an outdoor garden lounge setting. Order anything from a bucket of drinks, to curated cocktails and expertly crafted bites. 36F, Park Hyatt Bangkok, 88 Wireless Rd. Open daily: 5:30pm-midnight Tel: 02 012 1234 bangkok.park.hyatt.com

Yào Rooftop Bar

Unwind in style at the city’s first Chinese influenced Rooftop Bar. With the glittering high-rise skyline on one side and the historic Old Town landscape on the other, the bar is the perfect backdrop for late-night light bites and Shanghaiinspired cocktails. 116 | SEP TEM BER 2018

32F, Bangkok Marriott Hotel The Surawongse 262 Surawongse Rd. Tel: 02 088 5655 Open daily: 5pm-2am www.bangkokmarriottsurawongse.com

Zest Bar and Terrace

Recently refurbished, this tippling spot entices guests with an all-new drink menu, featuring expertly crafted cocktails, and a range of gastronomic delights such as beer battered fish and chips. 7F, Westin Grande Sukhumvit, Bangkok 259 Sukhumvit Rd. Tel: 02 207 8000 Open daily: 7am-1am www.westingrandesukhumvit.com

1F, 72 Courtyard, Sukhumvit Soi 55 Tel: 02 392 7750 Open: Wed-Sat, 8pm-2am www.beamclub.com

Club SX

Each section of this ultra-glam 1,000 sq.m club—Diamond Zone, Platinum Zone, Gold Zone, Cowboy Zone, Romantic Zone, Bar Zone, and VIP karaoke rooms—features a different theme and music. Hummer limousine service is also available. 6F, Pullman Bangkok Grande Sukhumvit 30, Sukhumvit Soi 21 (Asoke Rd) Tel: 02 204 4000 Open daily: 9pm-late www.sxdance.club

The Firm

Zoom Sky Bar & Restaurant

Meet, sip, and dine overlooking the city at this well-designed venue, offering innovative culinary experiences and 360° cityscape views. 40F, Anantara Sathorn Hotel Bangkok 36 Narathiwat-Ratchanakarin Rd. Tel: 02 210 9000 Open daily: 6pm-1am bangkok-sathorn.anantara.com

CLUB 8 on Eleven

A gastro bar with a modern industrial twist and a 2nd floor dance area, this nightlife venue offers a wide selection of cocktails and classic European dishes with a modern twist. 14, Sukhumvit Soi 11 Tel: 093 421 1991 Open daily: 5pm-2am www.facebook.com/8oneleven

Beam

An honest club with a communal vibe, plus great music and one of the best sound systems. You can be yourself here—dance like you mean it, soak up the vibe, then spread the love.

Within this upscale five-storey lounge, nightclub, and all-round watering hole, the 1st and 2nd floors are home to a restaurant and bar, offering continental pan-Pacific fare, while the 3rd floor—and the VIP access 4th and 5th floors—are all about the beat, with hip hop DJs performing regularly and mixologists performing their magic behind the bar. 10/4, Sukhumvit 33 Alley Open daily: 9pm-2am Tel: 065 880 0333 www.thefirmbangkok.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 who can’t get enough. 6F, 35, Sukhumvit Soi 11 Tel: 082 308 3246 Open daily: 9pm-2am www.facebook.com/levelsclub

Mixx Discotheque

Classier than most of Bangkok’s afterhour dance clubs, the space is a two-room affair—one plays R&B and Hip Hop, the other does Techno & House— decked out with chandeliers, paintings, and billowing sheets. President Tower Arcade, 973 Ploenchit Rd. Tel: 02 656 0382 Open daily: 10pm-late www.mixx-discotheque.com/bangkok

Narz

Also known as Narcissus, this multi-level club has been keeping Bangkok’s dance crowd moving for over two decades with bangkok101.com

listing | NIGHTLIFE their wild party atmosphere. Perfect for groups who want to make it their playground for the night. 112, Sukhumvit Soi 23 Tel: 02 258 4805 Open daily: 9pm-3am www.narzclubbangkok.net

PUBS 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

Beer Republic

The familiar interior welcomes with TV screens running sports highlights and comfy seating all round. The beer selection, meanwhile, reveals a litany of Belgian, German, Danish, and British brews—a selection of over 70 beers in fact, catering to beer connoisseurs and novices alike. GF, Holiday Inn Bangkok, 971 Phloen Chit Rd. Tel: 02 656 0080 Open daily: 11:30am-1am www.beerrepublicbangkok.com

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 hours, and complimentary snacks. Four Points by Sheraton 4, Sukhumvit 15 Tel: 02 309 3255 Open daily: 10am-1am www.thedrunkenleprechaun.com

The Londoner

It’s the only purpose-built British pub in Bangkok, and it’s also the oldest microbrewery in the city (it first opened in 1997, and was originally located on Sukhumvit Soi 33). In its current location the building itself is new, but once you enter the doors you feel as though you are in an old style ‘local’. 1178 Pattanakarn Rd. Tel: 02 022 8025 Open daily: Mon-Sat, 11am-midnight, Sun, 9am-midnight www.the-londoner.com bangkok101.com

Mulligan’s Irish Bar

A Khao San institution that draws hordes of young locals and a more refined foreign crowd than the norm in the neighbourhood, thanks to great live music and day-long happy hour deals. 265 Khao San Rd. Tel: 02 629 4477 Open daily: 24 hours www.mulligansthailand.com

The Penalty Spot

The crowds that form here come mostly to check out live sports on TV, drink beer on draft, and watch the passing parade from the front window of this cozy pub. 507-511 Sukhumvit Rd. (near Soi 29) Tel: 02 661 6164 Open daily: 3pm-2am www.facebook.com/thepenaltyspot C

LIVE MUSIC Apoteka

Built to emulate a 19th-century apothecary, this lively spot has a casual old-school feel, indoor and outdoor seating, an awesome line-up of live music almost every day of the week, tasty bar snacks, and a drink selection including beer and custom craft cocktails. No dress code, no cover charge, and no pretention! 33/28, Sukhumvit Soi 11 Tel: 090 626 7655 Open daily: Mon-Thu, 5pm-1am, Fri, 5pm-2am, Sat-Sun, 3pm-midnight www.apotekabkk.com

Bamboo Bar

A small and busy landmark of the East’s past glories that is, nevertheless, romantic and intimate, thanks to the legendary jazz band that plays each night. Ideal for a boozy night out or a romantic special occasion. The Mandarin Oriental Bangkok 48 Oriental Ave (riverfront) Tel: 02 659 9000 Open daily: Sun-Thu, 11am-1am, Fri-Sat, 11am-2am www.mandarinoriental.com

Black Cabin

Half the space at Wild & Co. restaurant is given over to this brick-walled pub which eschews the mainstream Billboard 100, focusing instead on live bands. Before and after the bands play, resident DJ’s

spin vinyl, relying on personal collections rather than playlists. Wild & Co, 33/1 Soi Farm Wattana Tel: 061 515 6989 Open daily: 5:30pm-1am www.facebook.com/blackcabinbar

Maggie Choo’s

The bar’s attraction is the live jazz music, some of the best the city has to offer. The welcoming atmosphere is amplified with sultry mysticism and redolent of Shanghai’s dandyish early 20th-century gambling dens. GF, Hotel Novotel Fenix, 320 Silom Rd. Tel: 02 635 6055 Open: Tue-Sun, 6pm-2am www.facebook.com/maggiechoos

SoulBar

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: 6pm-1am www.facebook.com/livesoulbarbangkok

Spasso

A favourite among visitors and expats looking to let their hair down. By day, it’s a charming Italian restaurant. After hours, it transforms into a club and cocktail bar with live music every night of the week. 494 Rajadamri Rd. Tel: 02 254 1234 Open daily: 12pm-2.30pm, 6:30pm-2.30am bangkok. grand.hyatt.com

Saxophone

A must-visit live music joint, dishing out stiff drinks and killer blues, ska, and jazz every single night of the week. 3/8 Victory Monument, Phayathai Rd. Tel: 02 246 5472 Open daily: 6pm-2am www.saxophonepub.com

The Zuk Bar

An ideal place for aperitifs or after dinner drinks, which can be savoured alongside a selection of tapas menu items. Chill out while admiring the fabulous garden view. The Sukhothai Bangkok 13/3 South Sathorn Rd. Tel: 02 344 8888 Open daily: 5pm-1am www.sukhothai.com SEP T EM BER 2018 | 117

SIGNING OFF | did you know?

n an anonymous LA Chinatown warehouse lies an unlikely trove of treasures from Thailand. Just a short distance from the newly revamped State Historic Park, an unassuming strip mall features the offices of a Thai newspaper, a seafood spot and the Andy Ricker–approved Chimney Coffee cafe, which serves third-wave java and savory larb burgers. But tucked away behind them is the LAX-C warehouse, containing everything from Bangkok and beyond. While the exterior of the building is emblazoned with an Old West mural depicting Native Americans hunting bison, the interior feels more like Asian Costco, with rows upon rows of Thai, Indian and pan-Asian items. If you’ve ever wondered where your Phad Thai came from, this is the 118 | SEPTEMBER 2018

place. Looking for a gallon of hoisin sauce? There’s aisle after aisle of Asian marinades and hot sauces. How about Thai Tea Powder? Coconut Juice? The expansive freezer section showcases enormous boxes of dumplings and an entire hog leg or two. And seafood doesn’t get any fresher than the water tanks in the front of the compound, where live crab and lobsters await their unfortunate fate. Beyond food, there are restaurant-grade kitchen supplies, including dumpling pots and woks galore. Another wing of the compound features decorations for restaurants, such as hand-carved Buddhist statues, low-slung tea tables and roll-out sleeping mats. Need an $11,000 gamelan—that

immense percussive instrument sometimes clanging away in Björk songs? There’s one over there, under a pile of empty boxes. If you’re in for an adventure and ever find yourself in LA with a free afternoon to spare, then sneak around back to the outdoor area of LAX-C, where you’ll find even bigger altars, elaborately carved furniture and a few tuk tuk motorcycles. Test drive, maybe? With each visit, you’ll discover something new among the Thai treasures in this warehouse of wonders.

LAX-C

1100 N. Main St., Los Angeles, 90012 323 343 9000 www.lax-c.com bangkok101.com