february 2013 100 baht
STER T MON T AR E E R ST SION INVA ENT! IN IM M
BUKRUK on the
Rampage
publisher’s letter rom sell-out exhibitions to corporate commissions, Bangkok’s street art scene has been on the rise for sometime, and this month will see its biggest burst of creativity yet: BUKRUK. Kicking off on Feb 16 with an open-air party, this monster new festival will showcase Thai and European artists at indoor and outdoor locales. Many of the Thai artists taking part are actually graphic designers or illustrators, not die-hard street artists, but still, we’re pumped, to put to mildly. Head to p.52 for a full preview of all the spray-can action that’s coming to a wall near you soon. This month we’re also once again championing an issue that’s dear to our hearts: heritage preservation. In City Pulse an interview with the head of the Association of Siamese Architects, one of the organisations battling to save the city’s old buildings, appears alongside a preview of the Kadeejeen Art of Three Piers, a festival on the Thonburi side of the river that they organise. Moving on to the city’s top pastime, shopping, we also bring you news of the refurbished Siam Center, the city’s oldest mall. For our arts coverage, we’ve got interviews with Thai female ceramist Nino Sarabutra, who’s current exhibition comprised of over a 120,000 miniature porcelain skulls is an existential brainteaser; and Jørn Middelborg, the owner of respected art gallery Thavibu. Meanwhile, in our travel section, Dave Stambolis experiences a form of time-travel in Northern Laos’ Luang Nam Tha, a place where “everything is made by hand, the pace of life is slow, and people have plenty of time to smile,” he says. And for the foodies among you, we supply you nourishment in the form of five reviews, including new upmarket steakhouse Peter’s Pan and Chon, the signature Thai restaurant at the exquisite The Siam hotel. Remember, all this – plus the 101 archive and extras that didn’t make the print edition – can be found online at www.bangkok101. com. A couple of clicks is all it takes to keep in touch with what’s happening. Also, if there’s something we’re not covering but you feel we should be then please let us know at info@talisman-media.com.
Enjoy.
Mason Florence Publisher
‘Bangkok Dream’ by Kruella D’Enfer
?
What is Bangkok 101 Independent and unbiased, Bangkok 101 caters to savvy travellers who yearn for more than what they find in weighty, dated guidebooks. It brings together an authoritative who’s who of city residents, writers, photographers and cultural commentators. The result is a compact and intelligent hybrid of monthly travel guide and city magazine that takes you on and off the well-worn tourist track. Bangkok 101 employs the highest editorial standards, with no fluff, and no smut. Our editorial content cannot be bought. We rigorously maintain the focus on our readers, and our ongoing mission is to ensure they enjoy this great city as much as we love living in it.
ja n ua ry 2013
Contributors
publisher
Mason Florence editor-in-chief
Dr. Jesda M. Tivayanond associate publisher
Parinya Krit-Hat managing editor
Max Crosbie-Jones editorial assistant
Bangkok-born but internationally-bred, Dr. Tom Vitayakul has a background in communication and branding but now runs his family’s boutique hotel and Thai restaurant. An avid traveler and a bon vivant, he has contributed to magazines including Lips, Lips Luxe and the Bangkok Post’s the Magazine, and has also helped edit several books on Thai subjects such as Bangkok Found and Architecture of Thailand.
Very Thai author philip cornwel-smith is a writer, editor and curator specialising in the areas of culture and travel. He has lived in Thailand for over a decade, editing its first listings magazine and the Time Out Bangkok guides, updating Thailand: A Traveller’s Companion, presenting Noodle Box: Bangkok on Discovery Channel, and squeezing Bangkok into the city’s first phone guide for Nokia.
Food and travel writer howard richardson lives beside the Chao Phraya River in downtown Bangkok, from where he’s spent 12 years exploring the city as magazine editor and freelance writer. He’s contributed to publications such as GQ, the BBC’s Olive magazine and the New York Times online, and written a monthly column in Sawasdee, the Thai Airways inflight magazine.
Adul Waengmol Chaweitporn Tamthai strategists
Nathinee Chen Sebastien Berger contributing writers
Elizabeth Preger, Gaby Doman, Urasa Por Burapacheep, Luc Citrinot, Philip Cornwel-Smith, Leo Devillers, Korakot Punlopruksa, Diana Pajkovski contributing photographers
Dejan Patic´, Jatuporn Rutnin, Paul Lefevre, Ludovic Cazeba, Leon Schadeberg, Marc Schultz, Niran Choonhachat, Frédéric Belge, Somchai Phongphaisarnkit director of sales & marketing
Jhone El’Mamuwaldi
director of business development
Itsareeya Chatkitwaroon account executive
Pailyn Jitchuen
director of digital media
Nowfel Ait Ouyahia British-born writer-artist steven pettifor stopped over in Thailand 13 years ago on his way to Japan, but never left. An authority on contemporary Thai art, Steven is a commentator on the local art scene, contributing to international and domestic newspapers and journals. In 2004 he published coffeetable book Flavours: Thai Contemporary Art. When not musing, he is often found travel writing.
Native-Bangkok writer, photographer and incurable travel addict, korakot (nym) punlopruksa believes in experiencing the world through food. She can usually be found canvassing the city for the best eats. Nym has been a host for music and film programmes, a radio DJ, a creative consultant for TV and a documentary scriptwriter. She is the author of several travel narratives, and her work appears in magazines including ELLE, Elle Decoration and GM.
circulation
Pradchya Kanmanee published by
Talisman Media Group Co., Ltd. 113 Soi Tonson, Ploenchit Rd Bangkok 10330 T 02-252-3900 | F 02-650-4557 info@talisman-media.com
© Copyright Talisman Media Group Co., Ltd 2013. 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.
bangkok101.com
CONTENTS
table of city pulse
food & drink
6
59
10 12 14 16
metro beat hot plates: chon at the siam siam center reopens kadeejeen festival profile: pongkwan lassus
60 62
66 68
s n a p s h ot 20
tom’s two satang 22 very thai 23 chronicle of thailand 23 still life in moving vehicles
71 72 73 74
food & drink news meal deals restaurant reviews: peter’s pan, Il bolognese, senor pico, taling pling valentine’s day bangkok’s best cooking schools street eat eat like nym cooking with poo restaurants
nightlife Sightseeing 24
26 26 27 28
sightseeing focus: wat mahathat historic homes shrines temples museums
t r av e l 30
upcountry now 32 hotel deals 34 upcountry escape: songkhla city 38 over the border: luang nam tha
81 82 84 86 87 89 90 91
nightlife news venue review: bash clubs hotel bars & clubs bars with views bars live music jazz clubs
shopping 92
new collection: tipayaphong unique boutique: papaya 97 jatujak market 97 jj gem 94
wellness a r t s & c u lt u r e 44 46 48 51 52
exhibition highlights profile: nino sarabutra in-space: thavibu reading & screening photo feature: bukruk street art festival
98 99
massage & spa spa review
comm u nit y 100 making merit:
dream project foundation
reference 102 getting there 104 maps 112
my bangkok
bangkok 101
February 2013 100 baht
Bangkok by Hand | City pulse
Beervana | Food & drink
Supanniga Dining Room | shopping
Kemissara
BUKRUK on the
February 2013
Rampage
F E B RUARY 2 0 1 3
on the cover BUKRUK Street Art Festival’s monster mascot rampages into town
H o t e l Pa r t n e r s
CCII T Y P U ULLSSEE
metro beat
SHOPPING The shopping mall Siam Center (989 Rama I Rd, 02-658-1000, www.siamcenter.co.th) reopened last month after a 1.8 billion baht investment bought “Absolute Siam DNA, unexpected products and services”, and an “ideaopolis of new ideas and trends”. See the feature on page 12 to see exactly what they have in store for us.
by Howard Richardson
POP & ROCK Japanese rockers Luna Sea are at Impact Arena (99 Popular Rd, Pakkred, 02504-5050, www. impact.co.th) as part of their End of Dream Zepp Tour on February 5, when vocalist Ryuichi and the band will perform tracks such as ‘Time is Dead’, ‘True Blue’ and ‘Gravity’. Thai Ticketmajor (02-262-3456, www.thaiticketmajor.com) have tickets from B1,000-B4,500. US alternative rock band Paramore, nominated for a Best New Artist Grammy in 2008, play their first Thailand show at Centerpoint Studio (9-11 Sukhumvit Soi 105, 02-361-9229) on February 12. Following their third album, Brand New Eyes (2009), which went platinum in the UK and gold in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, the band will release their fourth album later this year. Support is from US compatriots mewithoutYou. Get tickets priced B1,800-B2,500 from Thai Ticketmajor (02-262-3456, www.thaiticketmajor.com).
6 | F EBrua ry 2013
Rhythm of the Earth 8 bills itself as a “borderless celebration of the human race”. And if that’s not enough reason to support it, it’s also free. The feast of live world music accompanied by an Asean-Pacific barbecue is at CentralWorld (991 Rama 1 Rd, 02-640-7000, www.centralworld.co.th), 5pm-11pm daily, from February 20-24. San Diego band Pierce The Veil and their “rabid fan base” will tear up Mello Yello (RCA, Zone S, 02-641-4283, www.facebook.com/melloyellojazz) on February 20. Touring on the back of their new album Collide With The Sky, they promise “defiant progressive post hardcore” with “pockets of calm in the chaos”. Support comes from Sleeping With Sirens. Listen in at www.piercetheveil.net. Singer-song writer Didier Wampas, founder of French yeye-rock band Les Wampas, gives a concert at the Alliance Française (29 Sathorn Tai Rd, 02-670-4200, www. alliance-francaise.or.th) on February 28. Delivering “punk rock/psychobilly vibes”, he will be accompanied by Asian and French musicians he met during the filming of the movie Bangkok Jam. It’s in the gardens of the Alliance Française at 7.30pm. Food and drink will be on sale. Admission free. bangkok101.com
Fat Radio presents FatLive Smallroom, a concert of 17 bands at Thunderdome Muang Thong Thani (99 Popular Rd, Pakkred, 02-504-5050, www.impact.co.th) on March 2. Acts include The Richman Toy, Slur, Superbaker and Lemonsoup; standing tickets are B600 and B900, sitting B1,200 from www.we-booking. com. See www.facebook.com/ fatradio for more.
Carlos Santana, voted number 20 in Rolling Stone’s 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time, leads his band Santana at Impact Arena (99 Popular Rd, Pakkred, 02-504-5050, www. impact.co.th) on March 6. Santana have won 10 Grammy Awards, been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and became with The Rolling Stones one of only two artists to have Top Ten albums in each decade from the 1960s onwards. The Latin-rock legends, who will play through classics like ‘Smooth’, ‘Black Magic Women’ and ‘Oye Como Va’, will be supported by Thailand’s own legends, the Songs for Life band Carabao, who paid tribute in the 1999 album Carabao Santana (3 Cha Latin). Tickets are B1,000-B5,000 from Thai Ticketmajor (02-262-3456, www.thaiticketmajor.com).
CLASSICAL Opera Siam performs the Southeast Asian premiere of Verdi’s Otello at the Thailand Cultural Centre (Thiem Ruammitr Rd, 02-247-0028) on February 28 in celebration of Verdi’s 200th anniversary and the 100th anniversary of HM King Rama VI’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s Othello. The performance, directed and conducted by Somtow Sucharitkul, incorporates King Rama VI’s adaptation, set in the Srivijaya Empire that governed Southeast Asia from Sumatra a thousand years ago. Covent Garden’s Phillip Joll and Spanish tenor Javier Agulló take the leading roles, with music by the Siam Philharmonic Orchestra. The show starts at 8pm, tickets are B500-B3,000 from Thai Ticketmajor (02-262-3456, www. thaiticketmajor.com).
The ASEAN Contemporary Music Ensemble, comprising 15 musicians from Thailand Singapore and Malaysia, joins the Cologne-based ensemble musikFabrik for a concert at the Bangkok Art & Culture Centre (939 Rama I Rd, 02-214-6632, www.bacc.or.th) on February 5. They will play new works by composers from Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Germany. The concert starts at 6pm, admission is free.
JAZZ & BLUES
Also on March 6, the Canada pop-punk, alt rockers Sum 41 headline the Back to School Party at Centerpoint Studio (9-11 Sukhumvit Soi 105, 02-361-9229). The band has worked with Iggy Pop, Tommy Lee and Tenacious D, among others, and has sold over 12 million albums featuring tracks like ‘Fat Lip’, ‘The Hell Song’ and ‘In Too Deep’. The audience is encouraged to dress as whatever they wanted to be at school or as students, teachers, cheerleaders, nerds or jocks. Supporting acts include Brand New Sunset and The Yers. Tickets are B1,500 from Thai Ticketmajor (02-262-3456, www.thaiticketmajor.com). bangkok101.com
The regular list of nightly live jazz at Niu’s on Silom (661 Silom Rd, 02-266-5333, www. niusonsilom.com) includes weekly changing bands on Fridays. Heading up this month is New York composer and sax player Joseph Marchione leading a quartet (Feb 1), with follow up gigs from guitarist Dan Phillips Quartet (Feb 8) and one of Denmark’s top sax players leading the Jakob Dinesen Quartet on Feb 15. The month closes with the Jerry Byrd Quartet, featuring the ex-Dizzy Gillespie guitarist on Feb 22. Admission free to all gigs. F EBrua ry 2013 | 7
CITY PULSE
metro beat
FESTIVALS It’s out with the dragon, in with the snake for Chinese New Year, which will see parades of lions, drums and fireworks in Chinatown from February 9-11. Much of the action, including Chinese opera, fashion shows and food stalls, will be around Yaowarat Road, where people will make merit at temples for good luck in the New Year.
WORKSHOP Term Meetem gives workshops entitled Study the Ancient Thai Scripts at The Siam Society (131 Sukhumvit Soi 21, 02-661-6470, www.siam-society.org) on successive weekends, Feb 23-24 and March 2-3. As well as the Siamese system of writing, the workshops will include the regional systems of Khom, used in Ayutthaya, and Tham, used in Lanna and Lan Xang (Laos). Term has previously transcribed and transliterated the Siam Society’s bai lan palm leaf manuscript collection. The workshop will be in Thai, and costs B1,500.
THEATRE FILM German, Swiss and Austrian films continue in the Open Air Cinema season at the Goethe Institut (18/1 Soi Goethe, Sathorn Soi 1, 02-2870942, www.goethe.de/ bangkok) every Tuesday until the end of February.The month starts with If not us, who? on Feb 5, then runs through Breath of Heaven (12th); Lessons of a Dream (19th) and 4 Days in May (29th). Screenings are in German with English subtitles, at 7.30 pm. Entrance free
With Valentine’s Day in view, Clap! French Film Festival has Amour, one of the hits of 2012, including the Golden Palm at Cannes, in its run at SFX Cinema (Fl 6 Emporium, 622 Sukhumvit Rd, 02-268-8888, www.sfcinemacity.com) from February 13-20. Other notables are Polisse (2011 Cannes Jury Prize), The Rabbi’s Cat (Best Animation at the 2011 Annecy International Animation Film Festival) and two screenings (The Artist and The Intouchables) in the gardens of Museum Siam (Feb 14, admission free). Tickets for other films are B120. All have Thai and English subtitles. See www.cooperationambafrance-th.org/clap for the full programme. 8 | F EBrua ry 2013
Theatre Guild begins its 2013 season with the Yasmina Reza comedy Art at the BlueBox Studio @ M Theatre (2884/2 New Petchaburi Rd, 02-3197641). The French language play translated into English by Christopher Hampton sees a discussion about the definition of art degenerate into a personal argument that threatens to destroy friendships. Tickets are B450 for shows at 7.30pm on March 1 and 2, and 4pm on March 3. See www.thetheatreguild.webs.com for more details.
SPORT The Four Seasons hotel (155 Ratchadamri Rd, 02-126-8866, www.fourseasons.com/bangkok) holds its 6th Cancer Care Charity Fun Run at Lumpini Park on February 23. There will be 5 km and 10 km routes suitable for runners and walkers of all ages, while various activities and games offer prizes. Registration is from 7am to 7.45am for an 8.05am start. There’s a minimum donation of B350, with proceeds going to research projects at the Hematological Cancer Research Centre at Chulalongkorn Hospital. Last year’s run apparently had 3,000 runners, and raised B3.7 million.
bangkok101.com
ART The exhibition Siam App at the Bangkok Art & Culture Centre (939 Rama I Rd, 02-2146632, www.bacc.or.th) until February 17 is subtitled “A passage to access Thai Art ”. It offers artworks and photographs by 50 contemporary artists inspired by the forms and techniques of Buddhist art and local culture in an attempt to define “Thai art” in the modern era.
The UK exhibition iN-PUBLiC: An Exhibition of Street Photography arrives in Bangkok showing works by photographers from around the world at the Thailand Creative & Design Centre (TCDC, Fl 6 Emporium Shopping Complex, 622 Sukhumvit 24, 02-664-8448, www.tcdc.or.th) from February 5-March 24. The photography group, founded by Nick Turpin and now with 21 members, works in public spaces from Mumbai to New York, Sydney to London. Admission free. There is an accompanying Bangkok: Street Photography Workshop. For more information see www.in-public.com. TCDC is closed on Mondays. Twenty-six artists from Europe and Thailand will collaborate in the Bukruk Street Art Festival, due to launch with an outdoor party from noon to nightfall at the Rama VI-Rama I intersection on February 16. The party will feature live painting and music, performance, a hip-hop battle and shopping booths. The full exhibition follows at the Bangkok Art & Culture Centre (939 Rama I Rd, 02-214-6632, www.bacc.or.th) from February 23-March 17, with outdoor spaces used for a public exhibition of graffiti. Among the artists are Amandine Urruty (France), Hattie Stuart (UK) and Tawan Wattuya (Thailand). Admission free. bangkok101.com
This year marks the 10th anniversary of 100 Tonson Gallery (100 Soi Tonson, 02-684-1527, www.100tonsongallery.com) and they celebrate with a number of exhibitions, starting with HolyProduction by Prateep Suthathongthai, which hangs from until April 7. The works focus on the commercialisation of faith. Eleven local and international artists muse on the idea of security in the exhibition Safe Place in the Future at the Jim Thompson House Art Centre (6 Soi Kasemsan 2, Rama 1 Rd, 02-612-6741, www. jimthompsonhouse. com) until March 3. Working within three chapters – Ungovernable Power, Invisible Structure and New Hope – under the theme Dystopia Now, Utopia Never, the works include sculpture, interactive media, films and photography. There will also be a lecture series and discussions.
TRADE FAIRS The 51st Bangkok Gems & Jewelry Fair brings traditional and urban jewellery, precious and semiprecious stones, gem collections and designers, together with multimedia presentations, fashion shows and design awards at Impact Arena (99 Popular Rd, Pakkred, 02-504-5050, www.impact.co.th) from February 26-March 2. See www.bangkokgemsfair.com for the full info. F EBrua ry 2013 | 9
CITY PULSE
hot plates
Chon by Howard Richardson
1100 || FFEEBBrru ua arrYy 22001133
bangkok101.com bangkok101.com
he signature Thai restaurant at the exquisite Siam hotel sits in one of three beautifully preserved wooden houses once owned by Connie Mangskau, a friend of silk pioneer Jim Thompson. A wooden statue of mother and child greets as you enter, lying on a table to resemble a reclining Buddha. There are orchids and candles on the tables, old mirrors on the walls, and slender standing lamps that cast light from delicate grilled metal shades. Viewed through wooden shuttered windows, the river flows beyond the palms. Blair Mathieson, who was previously chef for three years at the Chedi, in Chiang Mai has designed a small home-style menu, with food far more impressive than the slightly insipid Siam Mojitos on the list of cocktails (B390++). Dishes worth returning for include the pomelo salad, Yum Som O (B320++), which has the textural addition of water chestnut and occasional pieces of toasted coconut to add interest. For luxury, a sliver of lobster tail lies on top. Sa Lat Phed Todd (B350++) has juicy soft, almost pâté-like slow roasted duck flesh contrasting with light crispy skin, gained by flash frying in a wok. It’s a delicious dish, served with a sticky sweet tamarind sauce like melted toffee. Another standout is Gaeng Chapoo Poo (B460++), an enticing bowl of dark red curry with large meaty gobs of crab and those beautiful tangles of green chapoo leaves that lift from the surface like healthy pond life. It’s one of the great saliva-inducing sights of a Thai dinner table, the moment you know it will taste good and strange. Many hotel Thai restaurants – with an eye on tourist newbies – lower the heat and sour elements of traditional dishes and leave them too sweet. Not at Chon, where the flavours, though restrained, are as finely balanced as the surroundings. The dinner hour traffic is heavy in this part of town, so it’s best to get the hotel shuttle boat, which leaves Taksin Pier regularly until 6.30pm and can be arranged by phone to stop at piers along the way.
รร.เดอะ สยาม ถ.ขาว ดุสิต bangkok101.com
Chon
[Map8 / E6]
The Siam hotel, 3/2 Khao Rd, Dusit | 02-206-6999 | www.thesiamhotel.com | Daily noon-11pm F EBrua ry 2013 | 11
CITY PULSE
out & about
iam Center’s second coming After a mega bucks refurbishment lasting six long months, the mall that brought Thai fashion in off the street is back with an art-driven new look and concept that only enhances its pop culture cred. Words by Gaby Doman. f you were in Bangkok on 11th January, chances are you were one of the thousands of shoppers crammed into the newly re-vamped Siam Center which re-opened in a redcarpeted, Magnum ice-cream and champagne fuelled extravaganza, featuring some of the world’s best loved stars and an abundance of new stores. Since it first opened in 1973, Siam Center has always been known for its cutting edge style, cool Thai brands and young shoppers, having been the first mall to house the ohso-cool Soda Pop, Greyhound and Theatre stores. Now, 40 years after its grand opening, its latest 1,800 million baht revamp is the biggest the region has ever seen, with both store owners and the mall’s owner and operator, Siam Piwat, pitching in the cash for the mall’s most dramatic and expensive incarnation to date, which they hope will make the mall not only the best of its kind in the region, but propel it to international standards. And, if the three dayopening, featuring Gossip Girl stars Ed Westwick and Leighton Meester, actor Adrien Brody and Korean singer Kim Bum, British singer Taio Cruz and countless Thai superstars was anything to go by, Siam Center is certainly back on the map. “To mark our 40th anniversary we spent 18 months re-branding Siam Center in a novel way that will keep the consumer excited and engaged,” said Chadatip Chutrakul, CEO of Siam Piwat. “We’ll do this with a venue that undergoes constant change, from customised stores and exclusive products to interactive video walls,” The result of all this brainstorming is the new theme, “Ideaopolis”, a nod to the mall’s past – and intended future –as a springboard for Thai designers and a hub for the city’s pop
12 | F EBrua ry 2013
bangkok101.com
Upcoming Designers to Die For It was the diversity of stores at the recent reopening bash – not the stars – that had us excited. Head to the third floor dedicated to Thai designers and, as well as labels that have gone global, you’ll find up-andcomers such as DA+PP, the younger sibling of Dapper (which also has a clothes and a shoe store in the mall). The teen-driven brand’s current collection features a series of hunt-inspired pieces – cute fox-print dresses, three-quarter length onesies and t-shirts printed with hounds. Meanwhile, Workshop is a more affordable option, featuring more basic garments and a fab accessories range, including delicate neon bracelets, chunky chains and twee scarves all at pocketchange prices. If you prefer your accessories with a side of gothic, Raven’s Heaven is a small but beautiful store to peruse beautifully handcrafted leather bags which, despite the otherworldly feel of the store, are very wearable.
culture. As well as dozens of one-of-a-kind stores, it now boasts an exhibition of prints by Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein as well as some of Thailand’s favourite international brands, plus displays of valuable archive collections by Yohji Yamamoto, Issey Miyake and Comme des Garcons alongside Thai brands Playhound by Greyhound and Wonder Anatomie. The urban hipster theme is continued throughout the mall, with a number of digital attractions. More than 70 million baht of the mall’s budget went on technology, including over 500 LED screens and a digital fitting room in which you can try and clothes and immediately upload the shots to Siam Center’s Instagram and Facebook pages, a feature bound to appeal to the fashion-conscious teen crowd. In a city crammed with malls full of luxury goods by international brands or bargain-basement throw-away fashion, the charm of Siam Center has always lain in its diversity and innovation. It’s been a meeting point for fashon-forward teens and has helped unknown designers become some of Thailand’s best known, and its latest reopening has proven it’s still streets ahead when it comes bangkok101.com
to showcasing new names. Fashion lovers have plenty to get excited about with its clutch of new stores stocking fashion you won’t see elsewhere from all of Thailand’s coolest brands. Long before Terminal 21 came along, Siam Center helped Thai designers move from market stalls onto a global stage, saysVery Thai author, Philip Cornwel-Smith. “Siam Center, being the first Thai mall outside the old city, has an important lineage, especially as it has been the platform for so many Thai designers progressing from stalls to their own boutique, some of whom have progressed into higher echelons or abroad. The history of popular culture doesn’t get taken very seriously in Thailand, so it’s gratifying to see Siam Piwat connecting this latest incarnation of the mall to its lineage, but not in a nostalgic way. They’ve made renewal their theme and done it with some flair.”
Siam Center [MAP4/C4] 989 Rama I Rd | BTS Siam | 02-658-100-19 | www.facebook.com/siamcenter | daily 10am-9pm F EBrua ry 2013 | 13
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out & about
The Night Charms of
Kadeejeen Back for a fourth installment, the after-dark Art of Three Piers festival will once again light up two old neighbourhoods on the ‘other’ side of the river.
t last year’s Kadeejeen Art of Three Piers, a heritage-championing community festival on the Thonburi side of the river, we had an evening to remember, one that restored our faith in the capital’s commitment to preservation and sense of community spirit. We strolled along backstreets lit up by the glow of funky lighting installations, down riverside streets with space set aside for video screenings, through shophouse-communities lined with heaving market stalls, into parks alive with live music and dance performances, as well as church courtyards filled with people and the strains of classical folk music. As we write this, the culturally-inclined flâneur in us has its fingers crossed for this year’s edition, which, after a run of small events at specific locales since November, culminates on Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 with the neighbourhood wide Art of Three Piers: Art in Tune - Accents of the Folk festival. Now in its fourth year, this festival is aimed at promoting conservation of the Kadeejeen and Klong San communities, both historic areas famous for their multicultural population, yet-to-be-compromised architecture and traditional way of life. To that end the organisers, which include the local community and around 70 state and private organisations as well as the Association of Siamese Architects (ASA), have lined up a series of art and culture events between 5pm until 9pm each evening. Highlights you can expect to stumble across include lighting installations. Last year students from Chulalongkorn, King Mongkut and Silpakorn universities each created a series, and you can expect more of their weird and wonderful creations to light up proceedings this time around. Another is a walking street along Trok Dilokchan. This old, shophouse lined alley located a short 14 | F EBrua ry 2013
bangkok101.com
walk from Saphan Phut bridge and connecting to Klong San’s Princess Mother Memorial Park will be lined with stalls selling snacks and trinkets. There will also be live music performances as part of OK Pasa, a series of concerts that have been highlighting the multiculturalism of the area. While other performances have featured songs relating to the western and Mon-tribe influence, among other ethnic groups that have lived in the area in the past, this one will focus on Chinese ditties. Other activities include a “Three Piers’ cycling tour by the Bangkok Metropolitan Authority, or BMA (last year they took place in the mornings and there were free bikes available, but check the Facebook page to be sure); a walking tour of an old Chinese tycoon’s white mansion; and an intriguing sounding art installation entitled “Half-Being”. Though it doesn’t appear to be playing a big role in the festival, we also recommend seeking out Wat Prayoon, a Buddhist temple near Saphan Phut (Memorial Bridge) with an imposing white chedi ringed by a circular cloister. Atmospheric bangkok101.com
at night, it was built by the Bunnags, an influential Persiandescended family that had a big impact on the area. Head back towards the bridge from here and a riverside walkway also runs northwest up to the Santa Cruz Catholic Church, formerly the heart of the Portuguese community, and on to another important Buddhist temple, Wat Kalayanamit. Bangkok’s growing sketchbook community will also be doing its thing in the area, with groups from Malaysia and Singapore flying in for the weekend-long Sketchwalk Chaophraya festival especially. Details on how to register for this can be found at a separate Facebook page: www.facebook.com/sketchwalkchaophraya.
Art of Three Piers: Art in Tune Accents of the Folk [map8 / C14] Saturday 23-Sunday 24 5-9pm at the Kadeejeen and Klong San neighbourhoods | Facebook: Love Kadeejeen F EBrua ry 2013 | 15
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profile
High-Priestess ofHeritage:
Pongkwan
Lassus
Modernity is closing in on Bangkok’s old architectural heritage from all sides. Pongkwan Lassus, head of the Association of Siamese Architects, is on a mission to stop it. She explains to Luc Citrinot how and why.
er life is not just about a passion for architecture but also the fight for it. Architect and interior designer Pongkwan Lassus is also the head of the Association of Siamese Architects (ASA). Her job: to make people understand that architecture is a part of Thailand’s cultural legacy and should be saved for future generations. Bangkok has a complex heritage stemming from its various functions and the various ethnicities that have come to live here over the centuries. But, according to Lassus, this is all under threat: “Unfortunately, the old wisdom that Bangkok’s canals should disperse the waters to the delta and provide natural spaces has been jeopardised by modern life,” she says. “We’ve managed to turn a city that used to live harmoniously with water into a city that’s prone to flooding and pollution. But despite the woes that we now face, destruction of our old continues unabated,” she laments. The job of the ASA, in coordination with Thailand’s Department of Fine Arts, is not only to raise awareness about this but also to actively protect and classify buildings of historical value all over the country. “But unfortunately,” she says, “registering a building as a national heritage is an extremely time-consuming exercise. Due to the lack of funds from the Ministry of Culture, the Department of Fine Arts lists on average only twenty buildings a year. So far, 2,000 buildings have been recorded as being of importance to national heritage. But we estimate the total at being around 8,000 buildings. This means that the Department will probably need another 300 years to complete its task!” There is also a problem of education, she explains. “For most Thais, especially officials in the administration, architecture does not mean anything. Yes, they understand the notion of ‘building construction’, but they lack knowledge and education in urban preservation. Given this, it’s no wonder that aesthetics and environment protection are rarely taken into account.” The battle to convince authorities not to demolish structures of historical value can sometimes get nasty. Lassus and the ASA are currently fighting a few cases in Bangkok, the most sensitive and public one being the demolition of the Supreme Court Building along Sanam Luang.
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“There is an urgent need to teach Bangkok people to value architecture” In contrast to the golden spires and multicoloured roof tiles of the nearby Grand Palace, it looks fairly bland, it must be said. But it is significant to Thailand’s history, Lassus believes. Built during the era of Prime Minister Field Marshal Plaek Phibulsonggram, the courthouse was completed in 1939 and inspired by the ideology that held sway following the change from absolute to constitutional monarchy. It’s most symbolic aspect is a front façade divided by six pillars, each one representing one of the six principles of the ruling People’s Party. “Lots of people in Thailand feel that this architecture does not truly reflect our nation. But this is really a piece of our history and we shouldn’t eradicate it, especially as it has been recognised of historical value,” she says, adding “replacing the structure by an average-quality structure that supposedly better reflects “our Thainess” is a complete nonsense.” ASA gave a conservation award to the Supreme Court back in 2009 while Thailand’s Department of Fine Arts declared the building of historical value. Since news of the plan to demolish it broke, Pongkwan Lassus and the ASA have launched a public petition to block the project. The ASA in conjunction with the Society for the Conservation of National Treasures and Environment (Sconte) have also called for state agencies – including the Fine Arts Department and the National Human Rights Commission – to intervene and block the Supreme Court’s demolition plan, even if it means going to court. And this is not Lassus’ only fight. “We are also concerned about plans to redevelop an old rail depot at Makkasan Station,” she says. “It is a remarkable industrial building and it should not be converted into a shopping mall with offices”. Other cases the ASA are fighting include Chinatown’s Charoen Chai, a community of early 20th century shophouses that are due to be demolished to make way for a new MRT underground station. Have there been any success? The odd one. At Wat Suan Phlu, an old temple across from the Shangri La Hotel, the ASA recently managed to save four of six old wooden pavilions dating back to the late 18th century. “It is hard to believe but abbots in temples are some of the strongest opponents to preservation. We had to fight hard to make monks understand that they should keep historical buildings as part of the temple’s heritage. And sometimes this is not easy, as expanding a temple by building a larger structure can be a way of showing the monk’s influence,” she says.
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F EBrua ry 2013 | 17
CITY PULSE
profile
If so much has been lost, where is her kind of Bangkok? “The city of my childhood has mostly disappeared, except along the canals of Thonburi. Life there is still more relaxed, more authentic and simpler. For example, I like going to the Klong Baan Luang community. Here all the religions in Bangkok live together. I’m also a fan of the artist Chumphon Akhpantanond: he restored an old house here and turned it into an artist’s community that’s open to visitors. Activities include puppeteers from Joe Louis Theater, who perform free every day and educate kids. It’s wonderful.” “I also love walking around Yaowarat, or Chinatown,” she says. “It’s a living, breathing heritage area full of activities. The joss stick sellers, market vendors, food – it’s very lively and in the moment and yet, at the same time, very traditional.”
PONGKWAN LASSUS’ CITY PICKS Visit:
“Khlong Baan Luang: an old canalside community with all religions represented. Its biggest draw, Baan Sinlapin, is an artist centre in an old traditional house that also offers traditional puppet shows.” “Yaowarrat (Chinatown) for its authentic character and its traditional activities”.
Museum:
“The Bangkokian Museum. I love the idea of having preserved all the elements of daily life from old days in an old house owned by various generations of the same family.”
Shopping:
“On weekends I love exploring Chatuchak Market, admiring the incredible creativity of young designers”.
Eating:
“I still like to go to places offering an old Bangkok atmosphere such as Harmonique near the French Embassy or Cafe de Laos, near Silom. I like also Café Norasingha at Phaya Thai Palace with its art nouveau elements.”
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F EBrua ry 2013 | 19
SSNAPSHOTS N A P S H OT S
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tom’s two satang
ToTwmo ’Ssatang
Join Bangkok-born but internationally-bred aesthete Dr. Tom Vitayakul as he gives his own unique take on Thailand and its capital. Each month he tackles a different aspect of the local culture – from art and festivals to 21st century trends – in a light-hearted yet learned manner.
On the Nose o walk down any of Bangkok’s streets is to be bombarded by stimuli: bright colours, curious shapes, clanging sounds, heat, humidity, and, of course, smells, both pleasant and unpleasant. All kinds of aromas help make up the Thai experience; they feature not only in the obvious, our toiletries, but also our food, offerings, homes and transportation. Some of these scents make Thailand special and different from other countries. Though some of our flowering plants bloom all year round, each season smells different depending on the natural phenomena occuring at that time of year. In the rainy season, for example, the smell of damp grass and earth makes the air smell fresher and the city just a bit greener. In the cool season, when we get wafted by cooler breezes for a week or two, the air is drier and lacks much of a scent at all. And in summer, the heat, dust and pollution collide to create smog. The atmosphere becomes oppressive and muggy, and the stench from garbage stronger due to the high temperatures. Living in the tropics, perspiration is inevitable but manageable. The tradition of perfuming ourselves predates the arrival of modern deodorants. Talcum powder scented with essence from flowers and herbs has been used for a long time. As has Thai eau de cologne, nahm ob Thai: a complex scent made from flowers, fruits, spices, talc and minerals and scented candle smoke. Its fragrance can be overwhelming, so it’s used sparing by diluting in water for bathing. It’s also used to sprinkle on Buddha images as well as in the water we pour over the hands of elders as a sign of respect during Songkran, the Thai New Year festival that falls during the height of summer. In the olden days courtiers even scented their clothes with these powders and perfumes. It has been said that Thai people are among the best smelling in the world, due mainly due to our attention to hygiene. We don’t want to offend anyone else’s nose, of course, but smelling good for us is also part and parcel of being perceived as desirable and
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beautiful. In Thai literature, plain and sweet-smelling flowers are seen as more attractive than colourful yet odorless ones. And for many if not most of Thais, the hom kaem – an affectionate sniff of another person’s cheek – is more sensuous than a full-on kiss. There are several ways we stay fresh. We shower a lot – some of us two or three times a day and pre and post-coital. Our diet is also full of herbs and spices which aids detoxification. In daily life, we also use flowers to deodorise as well as decorate. Garlands, for example, are hung over the dashboard to mask any body odor that permeates the cab during the shift. And in Thai homes, garlands, a whiff of fresh jasmine or jampaca (Asiatic magnolia), or a maan (curtain) of flowers arranged along the window frame are used to scent as well as beautify. Our food is also more scented than most. On the refined side, we use scented candles to add alluring aromas to desserts and even coconut milk and water. Water perfumed with rose and jasmine is used for khao chae (rice in iced water), a dish designed to cool us in the height of summer. Influenced by Chinese cooking methods, we also like to season a new wok before we use it. By season, I mean burning it so that your stirfried noodles are imparted with wok qi, a slightly charred flavour. On the other reeking side, we also love pungent food such as fermented ghapi (shrimp paste), nam pla (fish sauce), pla raa (pickled fish), sator (stinky beans) and, the mother of all foul-smelling food, durian. Once cooked or combined with herbs and spices, these ingredients’ putrid smells are masked and complemented with other flavours and aromas. So it is all about balance to achieve a certain acquired taste. It’s been scientifically proven that scents trigger memories. So which smells will be forever linked with your memories of Thailand? Jasmine garlands? Wok-charred noodles? Fresh markets? Wet sand in the morning? Or, something less endearing, such as an open drain on a sweltering day, or a bar filled with cigarette smoke?
F E B RUARY 2 0 1 3 | 2 1
S N A P S H OT S SNAPSHOTS
very thai
Nang Kwak
hose who don’t ask don’t get” runs the English proverb and Thai shopkeepers aren’t shy to ask for more custom. Most unambiguous of all the trade talismans, nang kwak (beckoning lady) ushers in business at restaurants, shops and stalls. Many assume she’s a copy of maneki-neko, the Japanese beckoning cat often seen performing the same role beside her, but nang kwak has a separate local origin. Dressed in traditional costume and crown, she sits Thai-style – legs tucked in, left hand on floor or thigh – her right arm half-raised to beckon. In the courteous way that Thais summon taxis, waiters or social juniors, her palm faces down. Were nang kwak’s fingers pointing up, trade would suffer. Made by men, that rude gesture aggressively challenges; made by women, it’s a raunchy signal to “come hither”. Actually, nang kwak does have a sexy side. Like many amulets, she doubles as a love charm, though in the form of leaves from the plant of the same name. “In junior high school half a dozen girls in my class would wrap nang kwak leaves in a handkerchief to place in their top pocket to find a boyfriend,” recalls Chatchai Ngoenprakairat, 24. Coloured red or green with a white centre, these leaves curl down – an auspicious trait seen as beckoning. Leaves have a limited life however, so their power was extended by carving a beckoning figure from the herb’s tuber root. Over time, the sculptures were enlarged and executed in ivory, bronze, clay or a particular wood (notably the fig tree). Most elegant in gold leafed black lacquer, they’re often now plaster or plastic, moulded and painted with the same imprecision as spirit house attendant figures, among whom nang kwak sometimes sits.
The beckoning lady brings business and love > Very Thai
River Books | with photos by John Goss & Philip Cornwel-Smith | B 995
Very Thai – Everyday Popular Culture is a book that almost every foreigner living in Bangkok has on their bookshelf, a virtual bible on Thailand’s pop culture. For page after colourful page, city resident and author Philip Cornwel-Smith guides readers on an unconventional tour of the quirky everyday things that make Thailand truly Thai. From the 60-plus mini-chapters, we present a different excerpt every month. Prepare yourself for the sideways logic in what seems exotic, and snap up a copy of Very Thai now at any good book shop.
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chronicle of thailand chronicle of thailand
21 FEBRUARY 1971
‘Impossible’
dream fulfilled
DRUG LORD KHUN Sa
OUSTeD
Local band wins ‘best band’ title for the third year running armed forces drive ‘opium king’
fter winning the annual best band award at the King’s Cup for the third year running, from Thai stronghold The Impossibles proved that homegrown Thai pop bands could hold their own among the best of imported competition. Chiang Rai Thai forces launched their largest operation to date “We had to work very hard because there good bands up againsta sighting us,” against drug lordwere Khunlots Sa,of after intelligence reported of said lead guitarist Sithi Amornphant. Wining the trophy for the third helpedborder. launch The his 200-mule opium caravan near the time Thai-Burma Impossiles to new heights and the band’s earnings skyrocketed they moved away from Several thousand army, policeasand ranger forces, supported the small bars of Phetchaburi Road to playand bigger concerts. by planes helicopters, attacked the opium warlord’s The Impossibles formed in 1967 and were theand firstbattled Thai pop bands to cover stronghold at Banamong Hin Taek his Shan United Army Western songs. The band quickly(SUA). buildAt a least large1,000 following, writing a host songs forboth the sides reinforcements were of called in on soundtracks of popular films, such ‘Chuen Rak’ and Rotfai’ for the 1970 hit Tone. as as fierce fighting flared for‘Roeng two weeks. The Impossibles played from written music rather songs by ear. This, to they After Thai andthan SUAcopying officers met in early February discuss claimed, enabled them to work out far more sophisticated that Minister their local a truce proposal put forwardarrangements by Khun Sa, Prime Prem contemporaries. After winning over Thailand,stated: the band set their Tinsulanond “A criminal likesights Khun on Sa,the whoworld, deals and with in 1972 got a gig playing in Hawaii. narcotics The Impossibles played for over aThe year before hitting trafficking, faces there only execution. government will Europe and becoming the first Thai band its to drive record an English-language overseas. continue against him until his forcesalbum are completely
> Chronicle of Thailand
EDM Books | editor-in-chief Nicholas Grossman | B1,450
Chronicle of Thailand is the story of Thailand during the reign of King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Beginning on the day he was crowned, 9 June 1946, the book presents a vivide eye-witnessaccount of Thailand’s development through the major news events of the last 64 years. Alongside a grandstand view of events and quirky aspects of daily life that just happened to make the news, the book features thousands of rare and fascinating pictures and illustrations, representing one of the most comprehensive photo Chronicle of Thailand collections of Thailand ever EDM Books | editor-in-chief produced.
21 January 1982 >
Nicholas Grossman | B1,450
destroyed.” It was estimated that Khun Sa produced 70 percent of the region’s heroin. Thai troops demolished the drug lord’s extensive headquarters and seized large amounts of weapons and equipment as casualties mounted on both sides. In July, Khun Sa’s forces, joined by Kuomintang and Lahu troops, fought against the Wa Nationalist Army on the Burmese side of Doi Lang mountain, near the junction of Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai provinces. The fight for control of the opium trail displaced hundreds of villagers, who sought protection from Border Patrol Police. In October, 1,500 Thai troops struck Khun Sa’s new base on Doi Lang after surveillance revealed he had constructed 200 buildings and continued to cross into Thailand. Chronicle of Thailand is the story of Thailand during the reign of King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Beginning on the day he was crowned, 9 June 1946, the book presents a vivid eye-witness account of Thailand’s development through the major news events of the last 64 years. Alongside a grandstand view of events as they unfolded and quirky aspects of daily life that just happened to make the news, the book features thousands of rare and fascinating pictures and illustrations, representing one of the most comprehensive photo collections still life in moving vehicles of Thailand ever produced.
Lady
CiTy vS. COUNTRy Available
Still Life in Moving Vehicles
This cabby literally wears two hats. He dons a baseball cap when he’s driving his cab and puts on this straw hat when he’s farming. This is not uncommon in Bangkok as many cabbies here come from the countryside to drive a taxi between rice plantings and harvests, or when extra income is desperately needed. I asked the driver of this taxi which job he prefers and he told me that he would much rather do farming than drive in this city full of traffic jams and crazy people. Visual artist and academic, Dale Konstanz snaps photos of the sacred decorations and other bits and bobs he finds in Bangkok taxis, then writes about them on his blog, Still Life in Moving Vehicles (http://lifeinmovingvehicle.blogspot.com). Published by River Books, the spin-off book, Thai Taxi Talismans, is available at bookstores around town for B995. bangkok101.com
he driver of this taxi wants to make sure that every potential passenger knows about her gender by advertising that she is a lady on a sign facing out the front windshield. She believes that being a woman taxi driver is an advantage in this city and that she is a novelty due to the scarcity of them here. She told me that many of her female passengers have expressed their preference for lady cab drivers. She also mentioned that she has many male customers, but she admitted to being single. So, I joked with her that her illuminated red wahng sign, meaning “available” in English, already publicises her marriage status. F E B RUARY 2 0 1 3 | 2 3
Sightseeing
focus
Temple of the Great Relic:
Wat Mahathat By Annette Heile
hite is the dominant colour at Wat Mahathat, a welcome contrast to the colourful splendour of the nearby Grand Palace and one of the few Old City temples where worshippers outnumber tourists. Like many it’s said to house a Buddha relic (it’s actually known as the Temple of the Great Relic), but more intriguingly for foreigners Wat Mahathat is a great place to glimpse Thai beliefs and spirituality, as it serves as the headquarters of the Mahanikai school of Buddhism and is also home to a well known centre of Buddhist meditation. Also, just outside it, a sprawling daily amulet market does a brisk trade. It was built during the Ayutthaya period, before the Rattanakosin area, where it is located, became the capital of Old Siam. Originally named Wat Salak it has undergone numerous name changes and renovations over the years – the latest being a renovation of the central viharn building where the main Buddha image is enshrined. In Thailand’s strict hierarchy of wats, this is one of the most revered, belonging to the category of first class royal temples. Important royal ceremonies and funerals took place here, and its site houses the oldest theological university for Buddhist monks in Thailand, the unutterably named Maha Chulalongkorn Rajavidyalaya University. A shady arcade along the walls enclosing the temple compound houses hundreds of Golden Buddha images. Peace and serenity prevail, 2 4 | F E B RUARY 2 0 1 3
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even the construction work being no more than a distant noise. In the corner of the compound, the walkway opens up to a quiet white courtyard that houses a pagoda. Right behind it are the two almost identical main ceremonial halls, the ubosot and viharn buildings sittingside by side. The temple complex extends further into an array of alleys and smaller buildings that serve as the living quarters of the up to 200 monks who live here. Don’t feel like you’re intruding – you are most welcome, as this is where the International Meditation Center teaches Thai and Foreign visitors alike in vippassana (insight) meditation. Roughly 800 to 900 visitors stay at the Meditation Study and Retreat Center each year. “Insight meditation can be practiced by anyone,” explains the venerable Phra Suputh Kosalo, a senior monk and meditation instructor who has over the past thirteen years introduced many an inquisitive soul to the practices of meditation and the teachings of Lord Buddha. A stay at the meditation retreat is recommended for those who have practiced meditation before. However, if meditation is new territory for you, following the strict all day routine might be a challenge. Instead, consider attending one of more of the open daily meditation classes first. Less intense, these sessions take place three times a day, in the morning, midday and evening. Drop in for any of these and monks will instruct you in the basic principles of sitting and walking meditation. Adjacent to the temple grounds, stretching along Tha Phrachan Road, is one of Bangkok’s most famous markets for amulets – much loved for their powers to protect the wearer from mishap and mischief (and ranging in price from B20 to tens of thousands). It’s well worth a little stroll down the road to gaze at these and other good luck charms, for people-watching or to pick up some unique souvenirs.
วัดมหาธาตุ ถ.มหาราช
Wat Mahathat [MAP 7 /C8] Tha Prachan, Maharat Rd | Phra Nakorn district | 02-221-5999 | 9 am – 5 pm | admission free
International Meditation Center and Retreat Wat Mahathat (Section 5) | Maharat Rd | 02-222-6011 | Contact: venerable Phra Suputh Kosalo
Meditation Class Walk-in meditation classes are available three times a day | Morning session: 7 – 10 am; Midday session: 1 – 4 pm; Evening session: 6 – 8 pm bangkok101.com
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Sightseeing
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Sightseeing
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t r av e l
upcountry now!
February 1 - 3 37th Chiang Mai Flower Festival Outside of Japan’s Sakura Flower Festival, you’ve probably never seen such amazing things done with flowers. Head down to Buak Hat Park at the southwest corner of the Old City and check out amazing floats festooned with fanciful, exuberant floral designs that would melt even the brittlest Bauhaus heart. There’ll also be several floral art installations and the requisite beauty contests, music and petalled stuff for purchase. Make sure to wear some flowers in your hair.
February 1 - 14 Reflection of Nature Pro and amateur painters alike will present depictions of Mother Nature at this group exhibition at Chiang Mai University’s Art Centre (239 Nimmanhemin Rd | www.cmuartcenter.org). As trite as that sounds, the selection is sure to be worth a look, given that the list of exhibitors includes well-known Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai artists such as Angkrit Ajchariyasophon. The involvement of JeOn Art Booth, a Bangkok art group led by Korean artist Gi-ok Jeon and specialising in East Asian brush painting, is another reason to pop by.
February 8 - 10 Ban Chiang World Heritage Festival A highlight of the Northeast is Udon Thani’s Ban Chiang, an archeological site where red pottery shards discovered in the 1960s turned out to be remnants of Asia’s oldest Bronze Age settlement. Cultural performances from Thailand, Laos and Vietnam, sales of local produce, and a light and sound show will all feature in this celebration of the treasured UNESCO World Heritage site.
February 8 - 14 Chiang Mai Documentary Arts Festival Organised by Documentary Arts Asia, this annual film and photography brings work and players from all across the region to Chiang Mai town. While the list of screenings wasn’t forthcoming, exhibitions lined up include a showcase of work by women documentary photographers, and speakers include garlanded Bangladeshi photographer Shahidul Alam. There will also be film and photo-related workshops, book showcases and portfolio reviews offering the chance to have your work torn to shreds by the experts. www.cdaf.asia
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February 8 - 17 Chainat’s Straw-bird Festival In Chainat, a little known province in the Central Plains, the locals have taken to fashioning hay into massive bird-shaped stacks known as hoon fang. Staged in front of the provincial town’s City Hall, this annual festival offers you the chance to admire their outlandish handiwork, plus catch straw-bird making contests, village handicraft competitions and light and sound shows, not to mention shop for a straw-bird of your very own.
February 13 - 15 Trang Underwater Wedding Ceremony Seventeen years after the first mass underwater wedding ceremony, blushing brides will again be squeezing garters over their wetsuits and descending into the deep blue seas just off Trang province’s Koh Kradan island. Amazingly popular, dozensof couples sign up every year with the intention of saying “I do” using divers’ sign language. Packages start at B35,000 percouple and include meals, costumes, diving equipment and avideotape to wow the grandchildren with. www.underwaterwedding.com
February 15 - 22 King Narai Festival One of the great kings of the legendary Ayutthaya period, King Narai was a great believer in international relations. What better way to honour his memory, then, than a tourist-friendly tribute around the ruins of Lop Buri province’s Phra Narai Ratchanivet, the palace he built? Visitors can enjoy a sound and light show, a traditional-style open-air market, demonstrations of folk games and Thai boxing, a song contest by village elders, cultural performances by the Lop Buri Fine Arts College, and a fashion show of traditional Thai costumes.
February 21 - 23 Re:Earth Festival Go green, top up your tan and get your groove on at Koh Samui’s Reearth Festival: a “musical solution to earth’s evolution” bringing aural entertainment and eco-friendly initiatives to a remote beach. DJs will spin chill out tunes by day, and live acts and DJs play more pumping beats come night. After the two day event head on over to nearby Koh Tao on March 1 for a rocking after-party. Two day passes start from $38; three day camping passes $65, and there are (paid-for) volunteer opportunities available too. http://reearth.com
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F E B RUARY 2 0 1 3 | 3 1
t r av e l
hotel deals
The Luxury of Being Yourself
Until Feb 14
Conrad Koh Samui 49/8-9 Moo 4, Hillcrest Road, Koh Samui | 077-915888 | http://conradkohsamuiresort.hilton.co.th
Book in at this luxury resort anytime in 2013 and the resort will offer you two options : a complimentary room upgrade or breakfast for two. Room rates start from B16,000 per night in an ocean-view pool villa. They are also offering another promotion called “Any Weekend Anywhere”: 25% off the best available rate if you book before Feb 14 for any stay through 2013.
Until Feb 28
Romantic River Package U Inchantree Kanchanaburi 443 Mae Nam Kwai Road, Kanchanaburi | 034-521-584 | www.uhotelsresorts.com/uinchantreekanchanaburi
Heading to Kanchanaburi for a romantic break? As well as a candlelit dinner menu on Feb 13 and 14, this resort nestled on a pretty stretch of the River Kwai is offering the special Romantic River Package for B4,400 per night. As well as a superior room, the deal includes chocolates, heart-shaped balloons, bottle of wine, Thai massage for two, a gift and prize draw entry to win a complimentary room.
Until March 31
Splash Out! Package Centara Grand West Sands Resort & Villas Phuket 65 Moo 4, Mai Khao Soi 4, Phuket | 07-637-2000 | www.centarahotelsresorts.com
Located on the west coast of Phuket, this resort is ideal for families thanks to its 500 metres of beachfront and Splash Jungle Water Park, with its 12 waterslides and lazy river. Rates until the end of March are B6,675 a night for a one-bedroom suite and B16,275 a night for a deluxe twobedroom pool villa, including breakfast and free entry to the water wonderland.
Until March 31
Romantic Hideaway Package Angsana Laguna Phuket 10 Moo 4 Srisoonthorn Road, Phuket | 076-324-101 | www.angsana.com/en/phuket Following its recent US$30 million refurbishment, the Angsana Laguna is inviting couples for a romantic getaway. A minimum stay of three consecutive nights is required to take advantage of this B11,000 net per room per night deal including welcome bottle of wine, breakfast in bed, and a 3-course dinner at the Mediterranean steakhouse. Roundtrip airport transfers and a one hour massage are also included.
Until October 31
Family Villa Dreams Package Dusit Thani Laguna Phuket Bang Tao Beach, Phuket | 076-362-999 | www.dusit.com
Planning to take a trip to Phuket with friends and family? The Dusit Thani Laguna Phuket is offering a stays in a luxury 2-bedroom pool villa from B28,800+++ per night. Choose from stunning view of Andaman Sea or a pristine lagoon. The package includes daily buffet breakfast, private roundtrip airport transfer, daily afternoon tea and other activities. A minimum of 2 nights stay is required.
Until Dec 31
Lanna Romance Honeymoon Package Le Méridien Chiang Rai Resort 221 / 2 Moo 20 Kwaewai Road, Chiang Rai | 053-603-333 | www.lemeridien.com/chiangrai Aimed at loved-up couples, the Le Meridian Chiang Rai’s Lanna Romance package offers 2 nights in a deluxe river view room for B11,750++. The package includes a welcome fruit basket, breakfast for two, a romantic dinner set at Favola riverside Italian restaurant, roundtrip airport transfers and a one hour aromatherapy massage. They are also throwing in a 20% discount on all spa treatments.
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over the border
Time Travel in
Northern
Laos Story and Photos by Dave Stamboulis
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hese days it is pretty simple to get up to northern Laos. One can hop on a daily Lao Airlines flight via Vientiane to get to Luang Nam Tha, or if traveling by land from Chiang Khong (a few hours east of Chiang Rai), cross the Mekong into Huay Xai, from where it is only a few hours ride in a mini-van to get to a place that used to take eight or nine hours in a truck packed with diesel cans, goats and furniture, bouncing along on a bed of rocks posing as a road. While it may be this fast thanks to modern technology and convenience, and even if you can get the best wood fire pizza in the country in Luang Nam Tha these days, this part of the world still remains in a time warp where one can be magically transported back some twenty to thirty years, to the days of simplicity, where everything is made by hand, the pace of life is slow, and people have plenty of time to smile. The big draw of Luang Nam Tha (LNT) nowadays is the Nam Ha Protected Area, an area of over 200,000 hectares of mountain, forest and rivers, named as an ASEAN Heritage site in 2005. Home to tropical rainforest and hundreds of species of wildlife, birds and plants, the Nam Ha beckons travelers to go trekking and kayaking, all of which can easily be accessed from Luang Nam Tha. While the wildlife spotting can be pretty sparse due to the density and depth of the forest, and while mountain trekking lovers might certainly be better off heading to Nepal or the Andes, the cultural aspect of the Nam Ha area is what makes a visit here a sure winner, along with some fantastic kayaking to boot. Vast numbers of ethnic minorities inhabit the areas around LNT, including the Akha, Lanten, Yao, Thai Dam, and Phu Noi to name but a few. bangkok101.com
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All of these groups continue to live in small villages leading agricultural lifestyles. Homes are made out of bamboo thatch and wood, villagers spend time weaving bamboo baskets (used to carry everything brought in or out of each village) and cooking on open hearths, and while most villages now have electricity and satellite dishes, nights still tend to be quiet and dark, as everyone continues the old ways of early to bed and early to rise. While some of the ethnic groups are more traditional than others (Lanten women still shave their eyebrows after marriage and the Akha still wear ornate headdresses), even the ones who have adopted western dress still offer a fascinating glimpse into a way of life that has long vanished on this side of the border. Old men sit and weave fishing nets and baskets, pigs get slaughtered by hand in front of the entire village, and the women and children often walk miles carrying wood for cooking . While statistics show Laos to be a “poor� country, it is blessed by having the lowest population density in SE Asia, and, as everyone has a place to live, food, and plenty of space without cars, pollution, crime, and few of the other modern ills that plague the world outside, it is no wonder that the children run around freely constantly wishing visitors a big sabai dee (hello) everywhere one goes. Of course no paradise is as idyllic as it seems. The Chinese have big plans for Luang Nam Tha, as the proposed rail line that will run from Kunming to Bangkok is going to come through here, and there are signs of building and construction on the horizon. But for now, the area remains a highly worthwhile visit whether it be for a weekend or longer.
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Stay:
Zeula Guesthouse offers simple and comfortable rooms with guaranteed hot water (a rarity in LNT), WiFi, and plenty of other amenities in several gorgeous teak buildings. Rooms here only run about B300 a night, yet they are some of the best in town. For something a bit more secluded, The Boat Landing charges the highest prices (B750) and is 10 kilometres out of town, but does have a quiet and intimate hideaway along the Nam Tha River. www.zuela-guesthouse.com www.theboatlanding.laopdr.com
Do:
There are a lot of options for trekking around LNT, both in type of trek and whom one does it with. Highly recommended is kayaking on the Nam Ha River, which gives some of the best views of the forest and allows visits to multiple villages along the way. The best operator to do this with is The Forest Retreat, a new restaurant/café/ trekking agency that is the talk of the town in LNT. Run by a pair of Kiwis with a love of the surroundings, it’s focused on creating sustainable eco-tourism in the region, and their guides are well trained and speak English. Additionally, the restaurant churns out some of the best wood fire pizzas in Asia, along with all sorts of baked goodies, gourmet coffees, and things you’d never imagine getting in this far flung neck of the woods. http://forestretreatlaos.com
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Songkhla
Southern Thailand’s Heritage Jewel:
City
by Luc Citrinot
eard of Songkhla? If you have, chances are you associate this province with Hat Yai, Southern Thailand’s largest metropolis. But Songkhla is also the name of a middle-sized city, located a mere 28km away, or 30 minutes car-drive, from Hat Yai. Despite their proximity, the two cities are miles apart. Hat Yai has a population of a quarter million. It is brash, crowded, polluted and has very little charm with countless buildings showing the very worst of 70s and 80s architecture. It is, however, bustling with life, attracting Southern Thais looking for work and Malaysians, who come mostly for the cheap goods and fun. Songkhla City, by contrast, has a mere 80,000 inhabitants and seems to have been frozen in time, as if there was a need to redress the excesses of its bigger, brasher neighbour. Don’t expect high-rise buildings, nor fancy shopping centres or trendy ‘hi-so’ shops. Instead, what you will find is a quiet city with a breezy coastal location (parts of it are nestled along the sea, face out towards the Gulf of Thailand, others back on to Thailand’s largest inner lake) and historic charm in spades. Its old port was a busy centre of trading for 300 years. In the latter half of the 17th century, towards the end of the Thai Kingdom of Ayutthaya, Hokkien Chinese traders settled, bringing prosperity to the city. They then received the endorsement of various Thai Kings. Today, the heritage of these Chinese traders is still very much alive and Songkhla City can probably be considered the best preserved and most authentic Chinese enclave in all Thailand. bangkok101.com
Some of the area’s old shophouses back to the King Rama III-era (around 1840). Most, however, were built eighty to hundred years ago, and – with their mix of western and oriental styles, wooden balconies and carved facades painted in fading colours – bear a striking similarity with the shophouses found in Penang and Phuket. The old quarter is demarked by Nang Ngam Road, Songkhla’s main street, as well as Nakhon Nai, Nakhon Nok, Yala, Yaring and Pattani streets. Walking between these roads, venturing into the old-school shops, is like entering a time-warp into a by-gone age. Restaurants with multi-coloured tiles are still cooled by their original fans; old ladies sell cakes in front of their houses; and more than a few coffee shops double up as antique shops. A few batik (traditional textile) workshops also survive. Amidst this living heritage, there are a couple of structures not to be missed. In the heart of the old town stands Wat Matchimawat, a temple built during the late Ayutthaya period. The complex is an eclectic mix of styles, the main chapel (Phra Ubosot) decorated with exquisite frescoes depicting life in the old port. Nearby is the City Pillar shrine, a typical Chinese structure looking like a gate. The most stunning building in the city centre, though, is the Songkhla National Museum (Wed-Sun 9am-4pm). Built between 1879 and 1894 in traditional Chinese-style, the former residence of Songkhla’s governor has recently been restored and now hosts a very comprehensive collection of art from across Southern Thailand. F E B RUARY 2 0 1 3 | 3 9
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Getting there
They are a dozen daily flights between Bangkok and Hat Yai as well as scheduled flights from Chiang Mai and Phuket. Check the websites of Nok Air, Orient Thai, Thai AirAsia and Thai Airways. From Hat Yai, mini-buses commute to Songkhla City in 30 minutes, with buses departing almost every 30 minutes from locations in Hat Yai City centre and the airport.
Not all of Songkhla’s charms are man-made. There are also pristine beaches near the city centre – ones that have beenspared the concrete eyesores that plague many a Thai coastal city. The only man-made element you are likely to come across, in fact, is likely to be on Samila beach, where bronze statues of a mermaid, and a cat and mouse, both inspired by Thai folklore, draw tourists with cameras. What could be the secret of Songkhla City’s resilience to overdevelopment? Maybe it has something to do with General Prem Tinnasulanonda. The former Prime Minister and President of the Privy Council of Thailand, a body of appointed advisors to His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, is Muang Songkhla’s most famous citizen and the driving force behind Songkhla’s preservation. The Pathammarong Museum – a simple structure – displays memorabilia owned by him and his family. Finally, a sojourn in Songkhla City could not be complete without spending a few hours exploring the neighbouring Island of Ko Yo. Located in the midst of Songhkla’s great lake, Ko Yo Island is populated by fishers’ communities who live in wooden houses with a distinct architectural style. Also, dominating the island in the vicinity of the Tinnasulanon Bridge, is the Institute of Southern Thai Studies. As well as a small museum depicting the lifestyles, folklore and customs of Southern people, it offers stunning views of the island and Muang Songkhla. There is no question that the distance from Bangkok, lack of worldclass hotels and the slow-burning Muslim separatist violence that has plagued the region for years now (check your country’s travel advice so you can make an informed decision) are holding back Songkhla’s desire to become a major tourist destination. But, given the city’s history, culture and laidback character, it’s surely only a matter of time before this southern jewel gets to shine? 4 0 | F E B RUARY 2 0 1 3
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OIDA Gallery
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‘Bloodolls’ By Charinthorn Rachurutchata 4 2 | F E B RUARY 2 0 1 3
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Arts & Culture
If street art’s your thing, February is going to be a good month, as the arrival of a monster festival featuring almost 30 of Europe and Asia’s top artists, BUKRUK, is imminent. See p.52 to find out all about this invasion of spray-can activity, which kicks off February 16 with a rocking openair party. Meanwhile, back in the gallery, our exhibition picks include Look Khun Noo (pictured opposite), by emerging female artist Charinthorn Rachurutchata. On view at Number 1 Gallery, the show focuses on Thailand’s children of privilege and the psychological and emotional repercussions on them of being reared largely by domestic household employees. While this only runs until February 9, there are plenty of other offerings to keep you going all month, including ceramic artist Nino Sarabutra’s latest participatory and thought-provoking show (see p.46 for our interview with her). There’s also The Desires of Nonthok, a politically-engaged series of paintings centered on a demon drawn from Thailand’s folk epic, the Ramakien. It’s hanging at Thavibu, the 15-year-old gallery featuring in this month’s In Space column (see p.48). Meanwhile, the BACC’s expansive survey of local spiritual art, Siam App, continues until February 17 up on the 8th floor. If none of those pique your fancy, see overleaf for more exhibition ideas or pickup a copy of our free sister publication BAM, or the Bangkok Art Map, which covers the lot.
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exhibitions
Look Khun Noo
Number 1 Gallery [MAP5 / D5] Silom Galleria B26-27, 919/1 Soi 19 Silom Rd | 02-630-3381 | Mon-Sat 10am-7pm | www.number1gallery.com | BTS Surasak
Until Feb 9 Initially trained as a fashion photographer, female digital artist Charinthorn Rachurutchata’s third solo exhibition explores the psychological ramifications of children that are raised primarily in the care of household employees. Within the gilded caged glamour of her surrounds, the prepubescent girl at its centre projects a jaded awareness that is beyond her years.
Bangkok on the Go
Dialogue Coffee and Gallery [MAP7 / K6] 533 Phrasumen Rd, Phranakorn | Tue-Sun 11am-10pm | 084-754-8799 | facebook.com/dialogue.bkk
Until Feb 14 Local photographer Piyapat ‘Pia’ Chieovanich presents a series of black and white photos of her neighborhood in downtown Bangkok. Centered on the urban spaces of Ratchathewi, Bangrak and surrounding areas, the collection focuses on the diverse, complex transportation systems in those areas and the experiences of the commuters who interact with them.
Abandon/Decay
Kathmandu Photo Gallery [MAP5 / E5] 87 Soi Pan, Silom Rd |Tue-Sun 11 am-7pm | 02-234-6700 | www.kathmandu-bkk.com | BTS Chong Nonsi
Until Feb 24 In his series of detritus focused photographs, Bangkok-based Canadian photo-artist and filmmaker Liam Morgan explores the symbolic nature of abandonment and decay. He presents the notion that the manner by which we disregard objects has an emotional impact that dictates the process of deterioration.
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Ballad of the Black Cloud Koi Art Gallery [MAP3 / K8] 43/12 Soi 31 Sukhumvit Rd | 02-662-3218 | 10am-7pm | www.koiartgallerybangkok.com | BTS Phrom Phong
Until Feb 28 In Pomm Jitrapuk’s latest series of surreal illustrative paintings he explores the fantasy of our subconscious and how we suppress hidden desires within the reality of social norms. Previously influenced by the 19th century erotic illustrations of Aubrey Beardsley, Pomm’s graphic compositions are executed in a stylistic melange that draws from both British Victoriana and contemporary Asian animation.
Giving Up Is Not An Option
Serindia Gallery [MAP5 / B4] OP Garden, Unit 3101, 3201, 4-6 Soi 36 | Charoen Krung Rd | Tue-Sun 11 am-8 pm | 02-238-6410 | www.serindiagallery.com
Until Feb 28 The first exhibition in an ongoing partnership between Serindia and the newly established Thaillywood Contemporary Artist Residency; is German artist Ole Ukena’s multi-disciplined presentation pertaining to interrelated opposites. The fruition of a year-long residency at the foundation, Ukena’s work features a witty mix of sculpture, text, photography, drawing, collage and film.
Holy-Production
100 Tonson Gallery [MAP4 / J8] 100 Soi Tonson, Phloenchit | Thu-Sun 11 am-7 pm | 02-684-1527 | www.100tonsongallery.com Rd | BTS Chitlom
Until Apr 7 Superstition, animism and the consumptive worth of protective talismans is a topic already established in artist Jakkai Siributr’s recent creations. Now Prateep Suthathongthai plunders similar themes in his series of reworked amulet imagery that ponder interpretative value and speculative demand. While the artist’s critical intent appears aimed at Thai society, such themes are also pertinent to the art market.
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Cerebral Ceramicist:
Nino Sarabutra
ilpakorn University graduate Nino Sarabutra had a lucrative career in advertising before she gave it all up to become a full-time ceramic artist six years ago. Following on from 2012’s To Live or to Live a Good Life, in which audiences answered questions about what would make them happier, Sarabutra’s latest participatory exhibition asks an even deeper and more personal question: “what will you leave behind?” In the build-up, the public posted their answers on her website (www.ninosarabutra.com). Gallery goers will be able to see them projected on to the walls at Ardel’s Third Space, but not before they’ve walked across a carpet of around 120,000 miniature porcelain skulls. “If today was your last on earth, what will you leave behind?” How did you come up with the concept and question for your latest show? There is an Isan proverb that says “Death follows you every step. Until waking up in the morning and seeing each other’s face, it’s uncertain we are still alive.” I always think life is short, so you cannot waste it: You’d better do something when you still alive. In this show I want to push the idea a step further both for me and for the audience. It’s only today that you have the power, the freedom to create something great. So, I want everyone to think about this and get out there and do something. The question is sentimental. Are you a sentimental person? I am a sentimental realist. What are you going to do with the answers? Project them onto the gallery wall so people and see and also they can share with their friends and family on the internet. The important thing is not the answers; it is the process of answering: it makes people think about their life, what they are doing, what they are achieving. Lots of people find it impossible to answer: that is an answer in itself.
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“I want people to be aware that any day could be their last.” How were the skulls created and by who? They are made of porcelain using the press mold technique and they were made by everybody! I created about 200 prototypes and made 200 plaster molds out of them and I then invited my family, friends, their children and family to come and help. We talked, we ate, we partied, and we had great conversations along the way talking about our lives, hopes and plans. What will you do with them afterwards? What I do with them after depends on what happens at the show. We’ll see. What are you hoping visitors will feel when visiting the show? That is the important question! The show is about making people think about their life, how they live, how they behave. The idea of the show is to stimulate people’s thoughts. I would like people to be aware that any day could be their last. When people were making the skulls the conversations were not sad or morbid. They were emotional, heartfelt and also realistic. Talking about death soon turned into a conversation about what they have done, what they want to do and, most of all, how important it is to make the most of the time we have. What made you quit advertising and concentrate on art full-time? It was my plan. I studied ceramic arts and I wanted to make art at some point in my life. Advertising was a great career. It trained me how to communicate in a simple and articulate way. Art is a natural extension for me. Was it an easy transition? It took me some time to leave advertising but once I got started and found ways to express my message, it was like catching a strong wind in your sail out in the open sea. bangkok101.com
What do ceramics offer that other art forms don’t? It depends on how you look at it. Ceramics can last thousands of years. They can stand outside in flood or in the heat. The have amazing colours and texture that you may not be able to achieve in other mediums. But don’t get too hung up on the ceramics. My art is more about the message rather than the medium. Do you dabble in any other art forms? Sometimes. Painting, print, photography. Tell us about your some of your past shows, preferably the ones you are happiest with. I am happy with the way my work has transformed since I became a full-time artist. The last show, To Live or to Live a Good Life, simply talked about happiness and let people decide by themselves how happy they are. The objects were just simple 365 porcelain bowls engraved with different messages suspended in the air. This show was my first involving people and, through the internet and by being shown in Berlin, it took the message across the globe. The show was so simple even children enjoyed it. Do you have any other shows planned for 2013? Nothing major yet, but I should be appearing in one or two group shows.
What Will You Leave Behind? Until March 3 ARDEL’S THIRD PLACE GALLERY [MAP3/R6] The Third Place, Thonglor Soi 10, Soi 55 Sukhumvit Rd| 02422-2092, 084-772-2887 | 10am–8:30pm | www.ardelgallery. com I BTS Thonglor F E B RUARY 2 0 1 3 | 4 7
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in-space
Thavibu Words by Max Crosbie-Jones
n the scene since 1998, Thavibu is renowned and respected for being the first gallery in town to put art from Burma on the same pedestal as art from Thailand and Vietnam (its name is derived from the first letters in the three countries’ names). In the run up to its latest exhibition – politically charged paintings by the up-and-coming Jirapat Tatsanasomboon – and a relocation to a new and improved space on the fourth floor of Silom Galleria, founder Jørn Middelborg looks back and looks forward. What was the driving motivation for founding Thavibu? I came to Bangkok in 1994 to work for UNESCO and I traveled quite extensively in the region for my UN work. During this time I bought paintings and art works, and I have actually been collecting paintings on a small scale since I was a teenager. For me, opening Thavibu to concentrate on art full time was a natural step up from this. You were the first in town to champion Burmese art. What drew you to it? 4 8 | F E B RUARY 2 0 1 3
I visited Myanmar several times in the 1990s and also worked on UNESCO projects in the country. During my time there I came by interesting art works on display in Yangon. Considering that Myanmar was an isolated place and few people knew anything about the art scene there, I decided to bring them out to a wider audience. What was the reaction to it when you first started out and how does that contrast with now? Interest in Myanmar contemporary art was growing steadily, but that has certainly grown during the last couple of years since the country started to open up. Tell us about some of the Myanmar artists you’ve exhibited. There are two quite separate groups, both interesting. One group consists of master painters such as U Lun Gywe and Aung Kyaw Htet. All produce stunning and beautiful paintings related to the country’s culture: monks, temples and Buddhist imagery. The other group is more political and includes Nyein Chan Su, Phyu Mon, Phyoe Kyi and Nge Lay. They are the younger generation and apt at
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utilising new media such as video, prints, installations, performances, photography and so on. What about Vietnamese artists? We have exhibited works by Hanoi artists such as Le Quang Ha, Pham An Hai and the lacquer painters Dinh Quan, Trinh Tuan and Truong Tan. Truong Tan was recently selected for the Guggenheim’s Asian exhibition ‘No Country’ in New York, which is due to start on the 22 of this month. In fact, Thavibu Gallery represents half of the artists from Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar that are featuring in this exhibition, including Aung Myint and Navin Rawanchaikul. And Thai? We’ve exhibited works both by established artists such as Lolay (Thaweesak Srithongdee) and Pinaree Sanpitak as well as upcoming ones. We have had a particular focus on younger sculptors such as Rattana Salee and Angkana Kongpetch. The most interesting upcoming Thai artist is probably Jirapat Tatsanasomboon. His works have been exhibited at important venues internationally including at the Beijing Olympics, and at the ArtScience Museum in Singapore as part of last year’s Andy Warhol show ‘15 Minutes Eternal’. His works also regularly sell at international auctions in Singapore and Hong Kong. What do you look for in artists you work with and represent? Quality, originality, innovation, technical skills. In the end, it boils down to the question: how interesting is this work really? What have been Thavibu’s most important shows? The Myanmar exhibitions professionally curated by Shireen Naziree, an art historian and independent curator based in Kuala Lumpur.
Current show, ‘The Desires of Nonthok’ by Jirapat Tatsanasomboon, “illustrates the gap and the conflict between the haves and have-nots.” What does Jurapat say about Thailand’s political divisions that hasn’t been said already? The exhibition is based on a sub-section of the Ramakien, Thailand’s folk epic. The character in it, the demon Nonthok, comes from humble beginnings, rises up and ends his life in a dramatic way. It is a narrative about abuse of power and integrity and, since these are universal traits, it can be interpreted not only in a Thai context but also an international one. What else do you have lined up for 2013? Our next show ‘A Tale of Two Tribes’ is a combined Vietnamese/Myanmar show by Nguyen Quang Huy and Zaw Win Pe. Both the artists have traveled to ethnic minority areas in their respective countries and painted landscapes and people residing there, so it should make for an interesting juxtaposition. After that there will be a solo show by Maitree Siriboon, a Thai artist from the Northeast who just appeared at Art Stage Singapore. Anything else we should know about? By the end of January Thavibu Gallery will move to the fourth floor of the Silom Galleria building together with five other galleries in the complex, as the building is undergoing renovation. The gallery space on the fourth floor is better than before, and my only regret is that we cannot bring the column painted by Thaweesak Srithongdee, or Lolay, with us, as it’s been a gallery hallmark since we opened in 2000.
The Desires of Nonthok Feb 2 - March 2 THAVIBU GALLERY
[MAP5/D5]
4F Suite 433, The Silom Galleria, 919/1 Soi 19 Silom Rd | 02-266-5454 | Mon-Sat 11am-7pm | www.thavibu.com l BTS Surasak
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reading & screening
KILLER KARMA
THAILAND AT RANDOM
BANGKOK FOUND
Nicholas Grossman & Grissarin Chungsiriwat | Editions Didier Millet | 160pp | B585
Nick Wilgus | Silkworm Books 224pp | B524
Alex Kerr | River Books 316pp | B580
Who invented the dish pad thai and why? What is the prime minister’s monthly salary? What are the most common nicknames? Which Thai films won acclaim abroad? What will you be fined for the unlawful possession of an elephant? An illustrated collection of domestic trivia, Thailand at Random is filled with fun anecdotes, statistics, quotes, idioms, cultural explanations, historical asides, facts, folklore and other unusual but insightful tidbits. This veritable treasure trove of information is arranged, as the title suggests, randomly, so that readers come to expect the unexpected on each and every page. Designed in a charmingly classic style, and peppered with original illustrations by Kathy MacLeod, Thailand at Random is a quirky and irresistible celebration of everything you didn’t know you wanted to know about this one-of-a-kind country.
In this installment in Nick Wilgus’s monastic mystery series, Father Ananda – a former Bangkok homicide detective turned crime-busting monk – is called to a coastal wat in Chanthiburi where female ghosts, or phi krasue, are drawing crowds each full moon. Is it a hoax staged by monks looking to drive up ailing attendance figures? Or is, as one eco-warrior monk believes, the spirit world peeved at the destruction of local mangrove forests by fishing trawlers? When this agitator is murdered, Ananda, aided by his young, devil-may-care sidekick Jak (the ghost-fearing believer to his logical empiricist), investigates. This gripping, well-paced yarn has an eye-opener of a sub-plot (the book is dedicated to the Bangkok Post and their coverage of Thai marine ecology) and offers insights aplenty into day-to-day temple life. It’d make a superb, culturally edifying, Columbo-style TV series.
On the face of it, this is just another book by just another westerner out to fathom the unfathomable: this great, baffling city. But Alex Kerr is not just another westerner. He grew up in Japan, won a prestigious literary prize there, knows Asia inside out. And this is what makes these essays about how he ended up here so engaging. Kerr opines on many trite topics (the wai and Grand Palace among them) but by contrasting Thailand with Japan and Asia at large he puts many fresh, revelatory spins on them. Chapters we have already earmarked for rereading include his enjoyably rambling meditations on Thailand’s baroque notion of beauty (“etherealization” he calls it), its dance, flowers, food and what he considers its greatest cultural capital, its “cult of gentleness”. Highly recommended, this book will open doors you didn’t even know were there.
Bangkok Love Story Poj Arnon | 2007 | US$16.95 | www.dvdasian.com Meet Mehk, an assassin financially supporting his HIV-infected family. Then there is the man he is stalking and later kidnaps but whose life he ends up saving. Together the two retreat to a barely liveable shack to hide from their enemies and the world. Instead of bromance, comes romance. While the confusion of gritty and urban Bangkok is refreshingly – and beautifully – presented through old town landmarks, it is the film’s uncontained kitschness that renders it flawed. Extremely self-conscious and unable to decide what it wants to be, it seems a little too eager to tick the boxes for all cinematic gimmicks a movie could manage. Even moments of passion seem designed for erotic effect, forsaking believability for a choreographed aesthetic. For all that, Bangkok Love Story is Thailand’s first of its kind: a romance that portrays homosexuals as victims, touching on society’s hostility, male prostitution, and AIDS. A vastly important film for a country where the third gender is so overtly prevalent. bangkok101.com
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Saddo
tawan wattuya
Prepare for a monster of a street art festival, warns Max Crosbie-Jones. ake no mistake, Thai street art is coming of age. For a while now the artists usually found spraying rot-stained walls at derelict locations around town have been coming in off the street. Sell-out gallery exhibitions and commissions from Thailand’s pop culture co-opting mainstream – from magazines to music promoters – are some of the most obvious signs. But BUKRUK, a dedicated street art festival rampaging its way into town this month, looks set to be the biggest yet. According to organizers, 11 of Thailand’s most cutting-edge street artists will work alongside 15 of their European counterparts. In the European corner will be big names such as Germany’s Low Bros, Portugal’s Kruella D’Enfer, the UK’s Ben Eine and France’s Nicholas Barrome. And in the Thai one, stands a smaller and less internationally acclaimed, but no less talented, collective that includes Alex Face, MAMAFAKA and P7, among others. A critic looking to pick holes in the line-up could say that many of the Thai artists are actually graphic designers or illustrators by trade, not die-hard street artists with a subversive message, à la Banksy, but, fingers crossed, what they lack in activist spirit
they’ll make up for with artistry. The spraying will commence pretty much as soon as they’ve arrived, February 14 or 15, and not in some sterile indoor space, but out on the street. Somehow the organisers have finagled permission from the authorities to create a graffiti wall path that will run north from the Pathumwan intersection beside the Bangkok Art & Culture Centre towards a plot of vacant land, then dogleg down Khlong Saen Saep canal. Whether you’re on the walkway or on a canal taxi boat, organizers say you’ll be able to see paintings by the artists all the way down to Rama IV Road, where the opening party will be. Kicking off noon Saturday Feb 16 on a scrap of land near the Rama 1 Road junction, this, by all accounts, will be a big one. Local party organizers Duck & Noodle have been enlisted to curate the line-up of bands and DJs, and there will be hip-hop battles, market stalls and free runners showing off their skills. Most eyes, though, are sure to on the artists, who will be demonstrating their talents with the aerosol can or brush live.
A week later, Saturday Feb 23, the indoor part of the festival commences: a 40 0m² pop-up concept store up on the fourth floor of the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre, or BACC. Scheduled to run for three weeks, this will not only bring street art into the gallery, but also the street as well. “It will be a swarm of noise, insects, recycled materials and people,” says Camille Lacadee of design studio [eIf/ bʌt/c], “and the layout will mimic the nature of the city’s soi , with each aisle specialising in a different sort of product.” Everything from the paintings to the sculptures, prints, illustrations and prints will apparently be for sale, so there should be plenty of opportunities to bag yourself a slice of affordable street art. Who’s responsible for BUKRUK? Props for the project must go to the three local organisers: Toot Yung Gallery’s Myrtille Tibayrenc, BKK Arthouse Gallery’s Bow Wazinondh and Bangkok-based graphic designer and illustrator Nicolas Dali. According to them, the original plan was to do a small exhibition of European street artists, but the idea quickly grew into the unstoppable (and lurid orange) monster looming before us. Far from taking all the credit, though, they are keen to point out that none of it would have happened were it not for some open-minded financial backers, namely EUNIC Thailand, a network of six cultural institutes belonging to European Union member states that was recently launched in Bangkok. “One of our aims it to combine our efforts together to make as many European cultural events as we can in Thailand,” says current head Jeremy Opritesco, who is also the head of the cultural section of the French Embassy. “When the organisers came to us six months ago we were very enthusiastic about the quality of the artists they selected and quickly realized the symbolic value of all these European young artists coming and making art with their Thai counterparts. For us it was the perfect event to get behind.” So there you have it, suits championing street art – you won’t find a clearer sign of the medium’s monster appeal than that.
kruella d’eNfer
tika
BUKRUK
23 Feb to 17 Mar 4th Floor, BANGKOK ARTS & CULTURE CENTRE (BACC) 939 Rama I Rd, Pathumwan (note: the outdoor leg kicks off Feb 16 with an open-air party on a vacat plot of land on Rama 6 Road, near the Rama 1 intersection) | www.bukruk.com
[map 4 / B4]
bonom
dem nicolas barrome
daan botlek
yuree kensaku
alex face
unchalee anantawat
tawan wattuya
p7
mamafaka
rukkit
TRK
FOOD & DRINKS
Sukhumvit Soi 20’s Peter’s Pan (p.61) 5 8 | F E B RUARY 2 0 1 3
bangkok101.com
food & drink news
AROy New Chef’s Menu at Niu’s
Niu’s on Silom (661 Silom Rd, 02-266-5333, www.niusonsilom.com) has just launched a monthly changing Chef’s special menu priced at B900++ for three courses. It’s available in the jazz bar, on the terrace or upstairs in Concerto restaurant.
Alfredo Russo at Rossini
Alfredo Russo, chef at the Michelin starred Il Dolce Stil Novo, in Turin, Italy is guesting in the kitchens of Rossini, in the Sheraton Grande hotel (250 Sukhumvit Rd, 02-649-8353, www.sheratongrandesukhumvit.com) until February 6. He will prepare à la carte and set dinner menus of modern Italian cuisine nightly until the final night, when there is a wine dinner (B4,950 net per person) of duck dishes paired with labels from Piedmont.
Beervana hooks up with Brewerkz
Craft beer importers Beervana, who revealed in our feature with them last month that they plan to import a total of only five brands, have just hooked up with one of the most respected microbreweries in the region. Starting this month, they’ll be distributing suds by Singapore’s Brewerkz, including concoctions such as Honey Apricot Ale. Bottles have already starting arriving and Beervana’s first draught, Golden Ale, will come in March. See www.seekbeervana.com for a list of stockists.
Organic Thai Cuisine Arrives at Basil
The organic craze continues to spread: pesticide-free vegetables are now being served at Basil (1F Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit, 250 Sukhumvit Rd | 02649-8366 | www. basilbangkok.com) in the form of a six-course set menu. For this permanent addition to the menu, Chef Kesinee Wanta is now creating dishes such as larb hed pla hima grob (mushroom salad with crispy snow fish) and yam hua plee nua poo (banana blossom salad with Alaskan King crab) using greens sourced from the Royal Mae Fah Luang Project in Northern Thailand.
Sad times at Sra Bua
The excellent modern Thai restaurant Sra Bua (Siam Kempinski hotel, 991/9 Rama I Rd, 02-162-9000, www.kempinski.com) has taken its signature dish of frozen red curry ice cream off the set menu, and you now have to pay an extra B350 for it. As they only serve set menus (six or ten courses, B1,800++ and B2,400++) that’s up to 20% extra on your tab if you want to try it.
bangkok101.com
F E B RUARY 2 0 1 3 | 5 9
FOOD & DRINKS
meal deals
On Feb 10
Fortune and Wealth Set menu The Peninsula Bangkok
[MAP5/A4]
333 Charoennakorn Road | 02-861-2888 | www.peninsula.com/Bangkok
Celebrate Chinese New Year with two special set menus from Mei Jiang Chinese restaurant. The Fortune set menu priced at B2,280 per person includes Yusheng salmon sashimi, stewed sun-dried oyster, deep-fried fillet of garoupa, while the Wealth menu, priced at B2,680, includes double-boiled matsutake mushrooms, braised sliced abalone, pan-seared Australian pork tenderloin and roasted duck.
Until Feb
Crab Crazy Buffet Eastin Grand Hotel Sathorn Bangkok [MAP5/D7]
3/1 South Sathorn Road | 02-210-8100 | www.eastingrandsathorn.com The Eastin’s The Glass House has a new promotion for you to get your claws into: a Saturday and Sunday evenings only Crab Crazy buffet. For B1,199++ per person, you can hunker down on fresh crab, including Alaskan King Crab, served as you like it, be it crispy fried, Singaporean- chili style or eaten chilled with dips and sauces.
Wealth and Gold Set Menu
Feb 9-16
Shangri-La Hotel Bangkok [MAP5/B5]
89 Soi Wat Suan Plu, New Road | 02-236-7777 | www.shangri-la.com/bangkok/shangrila To celebrate the start of the year of the Snake, the Shangri-La’s Shang Palace is serving two set menus by Hong Kong masterchef Jacky Chan. Both the Wealth menu, B22,888 ++, and the Gold menu, B26,888++, will feature auspicious dishes and be able to feed hungry tables of up to 10. A special à la carte menu is also available during the festival, and all guests will receive “lucky money” in red packets.
Feb 9-15
Chinese New Year at Summer Palace InterContinental Bangkok [MAP4/H4]
973 Ploenchit Road | 02-656-0444 | www.ichotelsgroup.com/intercontinental/hotels/gb/en/bangkok/bkkhb/hoteldetail Salmon yee sang and deep-fried crispy Chinese New Year cake with taro are just two of the auspicious dishes featuring in Summer Place’s Chinese New Year set menus, which start at B11,880++ for a table of 10 people. Special extras include a Lion dance during lunch on Feb 9; a Gu-Zheng live music show during dinner on Feb 9-10; and complimentary family photo shooting during lunch on Feb 10.
Feb 9-14
Chinese New Year at Yuan Millennium Hilton Bangkok
[MAP5/B2]
123 Charoennakorn Road, Klongsan | 02-442-2000 | www.hilton.co.th/Bangkok For its Chinese New Year celebrations, the Millennium Hilton’s Yuan is offering menus ranging from B17,500 net to B61,200 net for 10 persons. Alternatively, there’s à la carte dim sum or a buffet from Feb 12-14. A free-flow beverage package (including wine and beer) is also available for B1,200 nett per person. Everyone gets a free ang pao and a fortune cookie with a chance to win a room stay.
On Feb 10
Chinese Buffet Brunch Novotel Bangkok Platinum MAP4/G2
220 Petchaburi Road Ratchatevee | 02-160-7100 | www.novotel.com/Platinum-Hotel Rounding off our selection of Chinese New Year offerings, the Novotel Platinum’s The Square is serving a Chinese buffet brunch on February 10. Priced at a good-luck garnering B888++, expect to find all the favourites, from crispy pork, and dim sum to roasted Peking duck. Kids under 12 get a 50% discount, kids under 5 eat for free; and there will be dragon dances and a Chinese drum show to entertain them.
6 0 | F E B RUARY 2 0 1 3
bangkok101.com
peter’s pan by Max Crosbie-Jones
- raising the steaks Fine-dining in malls is something we find hard to get used to. But get used to it we must, as it seems the trend is here to stay, especially as our favourite locales for these sorts of restaurants – characterful old buildings – seem to be disappearing as the city continues to saunter recklessly down the path marked modernity. Given our thoughts on the matter, then, it was with low expectations that we entered newcomer Peter’s Pan, only to find that it’s about as stylish a mall joint as you can find in this town. The owner, the titular Peter Pilara, got in local design firm Architect Kidd, and they’ve combined a modern finish and muted colour palette with his impressive antique collection. Pottery from Ban Chiang and Khmer stone relics grace the shelves, while a glass display case containing 1,000 year old Tang Dynasty figurines separates an intimate cushioned banquette area from the dining tables. And yet, despite all the museum-pieces, the space feels fresh and modern. A job well done, we reckon. Given the Asian exotica, one might expect exotic Asian food from Peter’s Pan, but it actually specialises in upmarket western classics. From the appetizers and salads we opted for the foie gras with mango and red cabbage (B350) and a mixed green salad with preserved fruits and pomegranate (B190) – both excellent, the latter especially so, packing a good crunch and zing, thanks to its dressing. Roast prime ribs and steaks are the specialty, but eager to try the seafood too, we went for the surf and turf (B1,500). bangkok101.com
The Maine Lobster was a big healthy specimen, its succulent flesh marrying well with a spicy nam jim butter. The nicely braised and juicy Black Angus fillet alongside it, meanwhile, sat atop a puddle of red wine sauce (worth noting: though this was US beef, other cuts are sourced from Japan and Australia, while the signature roast-prime ribs are Thai-French beef). As well as other meat dishes – from pork chops to lamb shanks and short rib stews – there are also pastas. Our spaghetti in cream cheese sauce (B490) came with two juicy scallops and was boldly seasoned for Thai tongues, packing a peppery kick. Currently still pretty quiet, Peter’s Pan is not quite the steakhouse of our dreams – it loses points for the mall location, plus the staff lacked confidence and warmth – but it’s stylish and the food is solid. We’ll definitely be back. Backing things up is a drinks list, cocktails coming in at B180 and Australian wine by the glass for B250.
มิลล์ มอลล์ สุขุมวิท ซ.20
Peter’s Pan
[MAP3 / L11]
2F Mille Malle, 66/4 Sukhumvit Soi 20 | 02-663-4560 | www.peters-pan.com
F E B RUARY 2 0 1 3 | 6 1
FOOD & DRINKS
Il Bolognese by Howard Richardson
- mediterranean moods and slices If the name itself doesn’t tip you off, then the living room décor will: Il Bolognese says tradition from the floor-toceiling of its spacious low room in the glass conservatory extension of a soi villa. Just inside the entrance are a brick crescent moon counter and wood fired pizza oven, where they flip and paddle thin and thick crust pizzas. There are cold cuts and cheese displays; wooden wine racks; and shelves with hanging hams and strings of garlic bulbs. Simple square wooden tables stand on terracotta tiles with Mediterranean floral inlays similar to fragments at Pompeii and Rome’s Ostia Antica. And the food completes the picture, with both the à la carte and a special menu that changes every 15 days including surprising regional dishes that leave you with an impression of actually having travelled to Italy for a couple of hours. Good quality cold cuts (B420++ and B650++) come with home-pickled vegetables and gnocco fritto (small diamond shapes of light, deep fried bread, all puffed and airy in the middle) that are a clean and crispy foil for the tasty meats. Tortellini Emiliani (B350++) is billed as “not mama’s or grandmama’s, but the original recipe”. The pasta rings have 6 2 | F E B RUARY 2 0 1 3
fillings of ground pork and beef, all topped with a rich creamy sauce finished with nutmeg and parmesan. And the lasagna spinach with Bolognese sauce (B300++) has spinach mixed into the pasta dough, which allows an unusually soft texture. On the all-Italian wine list, with bottles from B900++-B6,900++, there’s one sparkling and three each of red and white by the glass (from B190++, also available in half and full litre carafes B450++ and B800++). Add well priced meats, including Aussie tenderloin with porcini sauce and rib eye with red wine sauce at B750++ and B780++ respectively, and Il Bolognese ticks a lot of boxes. It’s a 15 minute walk from Chong Nonsi, with entrances on both Sathorn Tai Soi 7 and Narathiwat Soi 7.
อิล โบโลก์นีเซ่ สาทร ซ.7
Il Bolognese
[MAP5 / H8]
139/3 Sathorn Tai Soi 7 | 02-286-8805 | www.ilbolognesebangkok.com 11:30am-2:30pm, 5.30pm-11pm | BTS Chong Nonsi
bangkok101.com
SEÑOR PICO by Urasa Por Burapacheep
- modern mexican & tequila bar When you think Mexican, you won’t think Bangkok. And when you think Mexican in Bangkok, you probably won’t think Señor Pico. For 17 years, the city’s first Mexican restaurant, an erstwhile L.A. import, has kept a surprisingly low profile. Now, at long last, it has just been given a well-deserved overhaul. In the flavour department, the Mexican chef now running its kitchen promises more authenticity and less compromise for local taste, as well as some attempts at fusion. The new décor boasts dimmed lighting for the more private booths ringing the stage, where diners take in Latin beats from the friendly Cuban band (all evenings except Mondays), while those wanting a restaurant instead of bar feel can grab the quieter and more casual tables further back. For appetisers, opt for the excellent pinchos de camarones (B395++). The dish of grilled prawns doused in garlic, cilantro and jalapenos is warm and peppery with a fresh tang. The guacamole, made fresh tableside in a Mexican mortar and pestle, also pleasantly exceeded expectations (B250++). For mains, the best choice for espetadas is the fragrant, tender, and extremely flavourful Angus Ribeye (B995++) which is rubbed with garlic, salt, and bay leaf, chargrilled, and carved tableside. Though its accompaniments—slightly plain herb marinated rice, refried black beans, and flour tortillas—are not as spectacular. The more intrepid would note the restaurant’s ventures into fusion, including seared tuna rubbed in Mexican spices (B595++) and foie gras served with corn cake, mango pico de gallo and bangkok101.com
a raspberry and dried chili sauce (B495++). The even more intrepid should note that what’s written on its drinks menu is not all marketing-speak, so when it tells you to “pop the piñata” or “prepare for Pico’s slap across the face and whip yourself into submission,” take heed. The customary famous sangria, South American wine, and imaginative margaritas all have a tendency to go to your head. But the place does have “tequila bar” affixed to its name for a reason. The mind-boggling range – reputed as the biggest in town – boasts nuances of all things from peppercorn and wild herbs to cinnamon and caramel. The midrange Herradura Reposado 100% De Agave (B300++) has a rich taste which will have you ditching the otherwise obligatory lime and salt. Once satisfied, ride that slightly inebriated euphoria into the land of Mexican-inspired – and, yes, often alcohol-infused – desserts (all at B195++). Our favourite: pay de limón y tequila, where key lime, tequila, and coconut are presented in a mousse-like texture. Citrusy, zingy, and extremely smooth. We reckon it’s a fittingly sassy way to end the evening.
รร.แรมแบรนดท์ สุขุมวิท ซ.18
SEÑOR PICO [MAP3 / K11] Rembrandt Hotel, Sukhumvit Soi 18, Klong Toei, Vadhana | 02-261-7100 | 5pm-1am (last order midnight) F E B RUARY 2 0 1 3 | 6 3
FOOD & DRINKS
Taling Pling by Tammy Dejsupa
- old-timer gets natty new location On entering the new branch of Taling Pling, an old-timer whose main Pan Road branch we were a big fan of until it was demolished, we had to pinch ourselves to test that we hadn’t walked into the Mad Hatter’sDe tea party. A black and white checkered floor covers its floor, providing a stark contrast to the fuchsia-pink, faux-rattan chairs. Seating options vary from a private, secluded area at the back of the restaurant to the well-lit dining area with a view of the garden – lending you a landscape for your eyes to feast on. The menu varies from curries to neighborhood nosh such as beef noodles. We started off with a gaeng kiew waan moo (green pork curry) that has been stewed to a succulent, buttery texture that melts in your mouth. It has a fiery flavour that’s sure to set your palette a jittering; but no worries, as the accompanying side dish of crispy fried rotis is enough to extinguish the heat. For the fried options, we opted for another signature dish of theirs: ma karm gai yarng (fried chicken with tammarind) with strips of moist chicken thigh lathered with sweep of tamarind sauce, and topped off with crushed peanuts and fried thin onion slices to give extra crunch and texture. Another spectacular dish was the yum plaa salid taling pling, a fried fish salad that was at once simple yet sophisticated, 6 4 | F E B RUARY 2 0 1 3
showcasing Thai cuisine’s five essential flavors and featuring the restaurant’s namesake sour fruit, Taling Pling, under a handful of crispy basil leaves, giving it an aromatic twist. Drinks-wise, we say opt for their refreshing fragrant signature mocktail, Lime Fresh – a blend of mint, brown sugar, honey and olieng tea. Taling Pling also boasts a great selection of classic Thai desserts, most of them turned into something finer. We went for the lod chong (green jelly noodles), which came with a handful of rice crackers, resembling a breakfast cereal atop a clump of shaved ice that’s shielding away the main goodies of the dish – a fabulously sweet jelly of green-goodness and brown-honeyed water that’s filled with cubes of sweetened taro. Delicious, no-frills Thai food at sane prices was what we went to the original branch for and, apart from a more stylish and spacious setting perfect for large gatherings and families, nothing much has changed at this new one.
ตะลิงปลิง สุขุมวิท ซ.34 Taling Pling [MAP3/Q12] 25 Sukhumvit Soi 34 | 11am-10pm | 02-258-5308-9 bangkok101.com
CUISINE
AIR: Wind, Weather and Weaving Ruen Urai’s second Thai gourmet journey explores the natural elements that represent significant meanings in Thai food and customs. After the rainy monsoon is gone, the cooler air from South China Sea blows southward from the northeast. This post-harvest weather signals the lunar New Year and a new season of weaving. New pieces of textiles are created. Like the overlaying patterns of textiles, a touch of curry sauce on grilled river prawns intertwines simple and complex flavours. Combining rich ingredients with a deft touch makes this dish light as air.
ART
Casual dining and bar from noon to 11 p.m. Plus happy hours from 3 to 6 p.m. daily. Ruen Urai at the Rose Hotel 118 Soi Na Wat Hualumphong, Surawongse Road Tel: 66 (0) 2266-8268-72 Fax: 66 (0) 2266-8096 www.rosehotelbkk.com www.ruen-urai.com
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F E B RUARY 2 0 1 3 | 6 5
FOOD & DRINKS
Valentine’s Day Deals Just a friendly reminder: February 14 is coming up, so mark this all-important date on your calendar now. Restaurants all over town will be wheeling out the red roses and glasses of bubbly, but here are the most seductive deals we’ve come across. Book now to avoid a long night on the sofa.
Conrad Bangkok [MAP4/L7] 87 Wireless Road, Phatumwan | 02-690-9999 | http://conradhotels3.hilton.com Executive Sous Chef Boonserm will cook up a global buffet spread at Café@2 for B2,900 per couple. The menu will range from Japanese sashimi and sushi to Thai spicy salads, Indian delights and pastas. Meanwhile, a four-course poolside dinner with complimentary glass of rose sparkling wine is B2,900; and the full-on, valentine’s chocolate buffet at the Diplomat Bar is only B1,300 per couple.
Crowne Plaza Bangkok Lumpini Park [MAP5/K4] 952 Rama 4 Road | 02-632-9000 | www.ichotelsgroup.com Crowne Plaza Bangkok Lumpini Park is offering 3 packages for lovers. The Valentine set menu (B3,999) includes welcome glass of champers, South American dishes and panoramic city view; the Champagne and violin Dinner (B9,999) includes an 8-course pool-side dinner; and the Dom Pérignon Dinner (B29,999) an overnight stay and private table at Panorama restaurant with private chef and butler.
Four Points by Sheraton Bangkok [MAP3/G9] Sukhumvit Soi 15 | 02-309-3201 | starwoodhotels.com/fourpoints/ The hotel’s al fresco rooftop bar and steakhouse amBar will serves couples an seafood appetizer platter, a full buffet line that includes special strawberry collection desserts and chocolate fountain, as well as a complimentary bottle of wine, all for B4,000 net. A live band will also entertain throughout the night.
Lebua [MAP5/C5] State Tower, 1055 Silom Road | 02-624-9555 | www.lebua.com Indulge your love with an eight-course set menu, 63rd floor views and live music at the al fresco Sirocco (B21,999 per couple). Alternatively, enjoy a bottle of G.H Mumm Cordon Rouge Champagne at Sky Bar for B9,500 ++ per couple or B4,500 ++for single guests. Both deals include a complimentary rose.
The Okura Prestige Bangkok [MAP4/L5] Park Ventures Ecoplex 57 Wireless Road | 02-687-9000 | www.okurabangkok.com ‘Elements’ will be a romantic scene, with couples tucking into a five-course set menu with a bottle of pink sparkling (B9,000++ per couple). You can opt between dining close to the Chef’s table or at a table on the al fresco, 25th floor dining terrace. Japanese restaurant Yamazato is also getting in on the action with a special set dinner for two, including bottle of sparking sake (B9,500++ per couple).
Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel & Towers [MAP5/C2] 2 Charoen Krung Road Soi 30 | 02-665-3458 | www.royalorchidsheraton.com/ The hotel’s riverside restaurant etc…on the river will serve an international buffet (B4,000) including 2 glasses of sparkling wine; Sambal Bar & Grill restaurant a delightful barbeque steak set (B3,200); Giorgio’s Italian restaurant a 4-course Menu (B3,500); and Thai restaurant, Thara Thong, will serve a set menu (B3,000). All couples will get two glasses of sparkling wine plus a complimentary rose.
6 6 | F E B RUARY 2 0 1 3
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F E B RUARY 2 0 1 3 | 6 7
FOOD & DRINKS
Bangkok’s best cooking schools Want to recreate the magic back home? From schools in slums to pricier classes at the upmarket hotels, Thai to Vegetarian and even Indian, here’s our pick of Bangkok’s hands-on cooking classes.
AMITA THAI COOKING CLASS [map 2 / B9] 162/17 Soi Wutthakat 14, Wutthakat Rd | Talad Plu, Thonburi |02-466-8966 | www.amitathaicooking.com | 9:30 am – 1:30 pm (except Wed) | B 3,000 Held in a charming old canalside home in Thonburi, Amita Thai’s setting is far and away the most picturesque. Owner Tam Piyawadi Jantrupon teaches a changing roster of four Thai favourites to classes of no more than 10, but not before she’s led them through her nursery herb garden to handpick their own fresh ingredients. At the end of the class the four-course meal you’ve prepared is served in a Thai-style sala overlooking the canal. Another nice touch: if you’re staying in central Bangkok pick up and drop off by car is included.
รร.สอนทำ�อาหารไทยอมิตา วุฒากาศ ซ.14
BAIPAI COOKING SCHOOL [map 2 / E5] 8/91 Ngam Wongwan Soi 54 | Ladyao, Chatuchak | 02-561-1404 |www.baipai.com | Mon – Sat 8.30 am – 5.30 pm | B 2,200 No sitting back and just watching at this leafy two-storey townhouse. Shortly after being passed an apron and given a brief demonstration of how to cook four dishes it’s over to you. Fortunately the breezy open-plan workshop, personal cooking stations and pre-prepped ingredients mean cooking here is no chore. Plus, the staff are smiley and professional, as they answer your questions (“But what if I can’t find kaffir lime leaves?”) and ensure you don’t singe your spring rolls. Some take home recipes and a souvenir fridge magnet featuring a snap of you in action completes the four-hour morning or afternoon experience.
รร.สอนทำ�อาหารไทยใบพาย ถ.งามวงศ์วาน ซ.54
BLUE ELEPHANT [map 5 / D7] Thai Chine Building, 233 South Sathorn Rd | 02-673-9353 | www.blueelephant.com | B2,800++ half day / B5,000++ full day The class offered at this classy restaurant is very hands-on and easy to follow. The morning class is preferable since it starts with a visit to the Bang Rak market with the chef, where you’re shown the ingredients you’ll use later. Equipped with apron, knives and wok, each student works at a personal cooking station in a spacious kitchen after short, informative demonstrations. No reason to limit yourself to just tom yam goong and phad thai – each session includes four innovative dishes; the selection changes daily. Perfect for tourists on a short Bangkok stint.
บลู เอเลแฟนท์ ถ.สาทรใต้ (รถไฟฟ้าสุรศักดิ์) 6 8 | F E B RUARY 2 0 1 3
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HELPING HANDS THAI COOKING SCHOOL [map 8 / N18] Klong Toey Slum | www.cookingwithpoo.com | thai 087-686-3714, engl. 084-901-8717 | 8:30 am – 1 pm | B1,200 For the past two years Khun Poo, a long-time resident of Klong Toey, one of the city’s most impoverished slums, has been running her own cooking school as part of the Helping Hands initiative, a community self-help program that she instigated with four other slum residents. Held in the slum, the classes for up to ten offer the chance to see a little-known side of Bangkok in a safe environment as well as master four classic Thai dishes. The price includes return pick-up/drop-off near BTS Phrom Phong, a market tour, and some printed recipe cards.
รร.สอนทำ�อาหารไทยเฮลพ์ปิ้งแฮนดส์ ชุมชนคลองเตย
MAY KAIDEE’S [map 7 / G1] 33 Samsen Rd (near Soi 2) Watsamphraya | Phranakorn | 02-281-7699 | www.maykaidee.com | B1,200 Learn to whip up meatless Thai dishes at this yellow Samsen Road shophouse, one of three popular vegetarian restaurants run by northeasterner Sommay Jaijong, or May, in the Banglamphu area. Like her restaurants, her cooking school has been a big draw with backpackers for 23 years. As well as learning how to cook eight recipes, morning classes include how to make the all important chili paste using a mortar and pestle, a discussion of Thai herbs and spices, and a trip to a local market. Less in-demand afternoon classes tend to be more one-on-one and let you pick what recipes you learn. Fruit carving classes also available.
หมายขายดี ถ.สามเสน
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FOOD & DRINKS
THE POWER OF LOVE
Celebrate the month of romance right at the top, at Bangkok’s most stunning bar with unhindered, wrap-around views of the city. Throughout the month of February, our expert Mixologist will help you set the mood with a selection of seductive cocktails like “Love Potion”, “Strawberry Mojito”, “Chocolate Af fection” and many more sexy libations. 61st Floor Open Daily: 5.00pm - 1.00am Opening hours are subject to weather conditions
Banyan Tree Bangkok 21/100 South Sathon Road, Sathon, Bangkok 10120, Thailand Tel: 0 2679 1200 Fax: 0 2679 1199 Email: hostesses-bangkok@banyantree.com, www.banyantree.com
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street eats
lao tang s Yaowarat, Bangkok’s endearingly rot-stained Chinatown, the best spot in town for street eats? The jury’s out but shophouse kitchens such as this one sure do make its case a strong one. Several doors down from faux-period boutique hotel Shanghai Mansion sits Lao Tang’s glass and metal stall with hung brown geese – a rare treat in this chicken and duck obsessed city – and just behind it the restaurant’s interior. If you notice more foot traffic than you’re used to, that’s because this narrow hole-in-the-wall is actually an alleyway with ten stainless steel tables lining its white-tiled sides. While some people use Lao Tang as a shortcut, others are just heading for the A/C room – a cool spot when you’re hot and sticky. For almost 40 years now passersby have been drawn in to Lao Tang by the sounds of staff chop-chop-chopping out the portions. What brings them back though is the palo (five spice soup), something the second generation owner Khun Wsant hasn’t meddled with since taking over from this father. The goose meat is also juicy, tender and sweet, a result of having been gently stewed for an hour and a half in the soup. As well as the obvious, white rice, sides you should also scarf include bittercucumber soup and stir fried fish with Chinese celery. Though it closes at 3pm each day, come before 1pm to avoid disappointment – these geese still have wings, literally flying off the hanging racks and onto the plates of hungry Thai-Chinese. Sizes of the fowl range from small to large, and it’s possible to order a whole one, something many locals do during Chinese religious festivals. One other thing: don’t go asking for the usual Thai-style fork and spoon. Here, in the heart of Chinatown, its chopsticks only.
เล่าตั๊งลือชื่อห่านพะโล้ ถ.เยาวราช
LAO TANG [MAP6/G4] 467/1 Yaowarat Rd |02-221-6070, 02-223-8934 | MRT Hua Lamphong |OPEN Daily 8am-3pm |PRICE B150-300 per plate bangkok101.com
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FOOD & DRINKS
ealtike
Nym
Our roving eater Nym knows her local grub inside out – and thrives on the stories behind the dishes. Each month, she takes an offbeat tour in search of the city’s next delectable morsel …
Nang Loeng market ld market communities survive here but you need to go looking for them. Tucked down an alley on Nakhon Sawan Road, just a few minutes northeast of the Old City by taxi, Nang Loeng is one of them. In the past the local cinema, the famous Salerm Chalerm Thani, and the market that sits in the middle of this hidden enclave, surrounded by King Rama V era shophouses, had a symbiotic relationship. People would come here because they could catch a flick and do their daily shop. Fast forward to the present and the two storied, barnlike wooden structure that was the cinema has long since closed, now a weathered husk, but the area still well worth checking out. Full of noisy merchants hawking their wares, the circa 1899 market here, which was given a makeover in 2006, still packs as wide a selection of local delicacies as it always has, many of them legendary. One must try among the many is a curry over rice stand, Khao Kaeng Rattana, located at the far end of the cinema house. Though pre-prepared, its range of meat curries, stuffed omelets, stir fries and spicy 7 2 | F E B RUARY 2 0 1 3
salads is excellent and much loved, many of the recipes dating back to the owner’s grandfather, who apparently cooked in the Royal Palace’s kitchens. Unusual dishes include kaeng kati sai bau (lotus stems in coconut milk with garcinia), and pad phak thong (pumpkin fried with eggs). A staple, kaeng kiew wan (green curry), is also delicious, its blend of green curry paste, fragrant kaffir lime leaves and fresh coconut milk just right. The ran khao gaeng (curry over rice stand) is often avoided by tourists worried about food poisoning. But busy ones like this one, where the food sells out quickly, are a great way to learn more about obscure Thai food – just point to the dishes that look appealing. ข้าวแกงรัตนา ตลาดนางเลิ้ง
Khao Kaeng Rattana
[map 8 / F10]
Nakhorn Sawan Soi 6 (inside Nang Loeng Market compound) | Mon-Sat 10am-2pm
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cooking with poo
Cooking with Poo Stop sniggering at the back! Poo is actually the nickname of one of the city’s most in-demand cooks, Saiyuud ‘Chom-Poo’ Diwong. A long-time resident of Bangkok’s Klong Toey slum, Poo runs her own cooking school as part of the Helping Hands initiative, a community self-help program she started with other residents. The profits help street businesses get on their feet. Each month we bring you a recipe from her cooking book, copies of which are available via her website www.cookingwithpoo.com.
Chicken with Basil ผัดกระเพาไก่ Phad Ga Pow Gai
COOKING WITH POOSaiyuud Diwong | UNOH Publications | 112pp | www.cookingwithpoo. com | Aus $20
Eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner, this dish is a favourite among Thai people and foreigners alike. Chicken with Basil is traditionally made with lots of chilli, and Thais love eating it during the cold and rainy seasons to warm them up. ingredients 2 tbsp oil 3 cloves garlic, crushed 3 red chillies (the smaller you dice it, the spicier your dish will be) 400g chicken (sliced or minced) 2 tbsp oyster sauce 1 tsp soy sauce 30 leaves Thai basil a lime for garnish Preparation • Heat oil in frypan • Add garlic and chilli and stir fry for 1 minute • Add chicken, stir fry until cooked through • Add oyster sauce and soy sauce and mix together for 1 minute • Add Thai basil • Serve with rice and a wedge of lime
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FOOD & DRINKS
THAI The Local [MAP3 /J8] 32 Sukhumvit Soi 23, Klong Toey | BTS Asok / MRT Sukhumvit | 02-664-0664 | http://www. thelocalthaicuisine.com | 11:30 am – 2:30 pm; 5:30 pm – 11:00 pm It’s hard to not compare The Local with Bo.lan, the hit restaurant that shook up the Thai fine-dining scene a few years back. Both are located in converted townhouses tucked deep inside Sukhumvit soi, both aim to preserve Thai culinary heritage (and plunder old recipe books in their search for near-extinct dishes), and both source all their ingredients, yes, locally. However, The Local is a much bigger proposition housed across two quite over-the-top buildings. Also unlike Bo.lan, which offers a balanced set menu, here there’s only a flowery à la carte menu to pick from, one that even the locals find baffling in places. Dishes on our table ranged from the slightly unusual, such as the satisfyingly crunchy fried curried shrimp cakes with polyscias leaves (B180), to the head-scratchingly obscure, such as the pla ta pia dtom khem (B 380), a bony fish that they stew for 30 hours, until the bones have disintegrated and the meat is borderline pate (tastier than it sounds). For us, though, no dish sums up The Local experience better than the gaeng lan juan (B240): a nam prik-based beef curry with a backstory as complex as its sour, scouringly hot flavours. Did we adore every dish? No. Still, if you consider yourself open-minded or a food adventurist, this is one ‘authentic’ new Thai restaurant that you should try.
The local
Steve Café & Cuisine [MAP3 /J6] 68 Sri Ayuthaya road, Soi Sri Ayuthaya 21 (Devet), Dusit district | 081-868-0744, 02-281-0915 | www.stevecafeandcuisine.com Steve Café is a riverside Thai restaurant with a couple of aces up its sleeve: pleasant (not quite stunning) river views from its breezy outdoor terrace, and a talented Grandma in the kitchen. Adding to its low-key charms, it’s the last wooden house in a small community of them tucked away at the back of Wat Devarajkoonchon, a temple only a short walk from Thewet Pier. The menu straddles the four corners of the Kingdom with confidence. Connoisseurs will be pleased to find some old, hard-to-find dishes such as bai leang pad khai (stir-fried leang leaves with egg) and pla salid tod song kruang (fried salid fish minced with sweet sauce); the adventurous be tempted by audacious specials such as goong chare nam pla wasabi (raw prawns with fish sauce and wasabi); and green horns probably find that the flavours are bolder and more sweat-raising than they’re used to. Despite the setting, a tourist joint this is not. The cook, a mother of one of the owners, used to work in the kitchen at venerable live music venue Ad Makers (now on Soi Ruam Rudee). Her talent at klup klaem,
steve café & cuisine
or local bar snacks, is unmistakable in dishes like the moreish krok ostrich (slices of ostrich sausage pitted with black pepper; B160), with its fetching brown colour and succulent taste. The real highlight, though, is her southern dishes. The gaeng luang sai bua pla (sour yellow curry with fish and lotus roots; B160) had us sweating buckets, but something about its pungent flavour kept us coming back for more. Even harder to resist was the stir-fry sataw pad goong (B160), which paired its main component, bitter green sator beans, with fat juicy prawns and smashed garlic and chilly to scrumptious effect.
Tabchang [MAP2 / G6] 1 Nakniwat 41, Ladphrao 71, Ladphrao Road | 081-812-2868 | www.tabchang.com | Tue – Sun 5:30 pm – 12 pm Worth doing battle with Ladphrao’s rush hour traffic for, Tabchang is housed in a open-sided pavilion peppered with antiques and fringed by lawns, a pond and a gnarled Banyan tree. The setting is sumptuous, but what really marks it out is its ancestral Siamese food, dating back to the late 18th century and slow-cooked in accordance with the owner Supada Rattagan’s rules of
novotel ss
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tabchang
cooking. These are: (1) only use the best, most authentic ingredients; (2) only use Thai cooking methods; (3) only use Thai cooks; and (4) don’t compromise your flavours. This ambitious stack of cards would all come tumbling down if the food were no good. But it is. We opened with a dish new to us, mu krong krang, wok-fried pork nuggets coated in palm sugar (delicious, chewy), and a yum som-o salad (fresh, spicy and super sour due to the breed of polemo used).Of the curries we plumped for the beef massaman (an old family recipe). And for a soup, the pork rib stew with Chamuang leaves from Chantaburi (the sour star of our table). An exotic and modestly priced journey back through the recipe books, the only thing that isn’t excellent at Tabchang is the service, which is a bit abrupt and short on polish.
ทับช้าง ถ.ลาดพร้าว
Northeastern Thai (Isan) SOMTUM DER [MAP5 / K6] 5/5 Saladaeng Road, Silom. Bangrak | BTS Sala daeng/MRT Silom | 02-632-4499 |Facebook:
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somtum der
Somtum Der | Mon-Sat 11am - 10pm Neither fine-dining nor kerbside, the setting at Somtum Der is relaxed and inviting. The air-conditioned shophouse on Sala Daeng Soi 1has an outdoor decking area and an upbeat almost art café feel, with lots of light wood and accents of red and orange. Bamboo fish net and rice basket lampshades cast a warm glow both downstairs and upstairs, where photos of pastoral Isan life line the walls. As for the food – about 20 varieties of the namesake raw papaya salad, plus 15 or so other Northeastern dishes – we think this could well become a word-of-mouth hit. Not only is it reasonably priced (the cheapest dish is B55, the most expensive B105), it’s also no mere copy of what’s served on the streets. One of Somtum Der’s nine partners, Korn from Sakhon Nakorn, is responsible for making sure all of the dishes “stick to their roots”, as they put it. The result is a slim yet plucky menu that’s full of surprises (for Bangkok at least), such as the somtum pla tu khao mun, a sweet-and-sour variation starring grilled mackerel and coconut rice. Another, the somtum sua Sakhon Nakorn, stars kanom jeen (rice noodles), crab and eggplant and
comes sprinkled with kratin seeds, which add a pleasant nuttiness and crunch. Backup comes from an also intriguing range of specials and other dishes: moo ping kati (sticks of grilled pork marinated with coconut and served alongside three little spindles of vermicelli); a feisty laab pla duk (minced grilled catfish salad with a crispy, crunchy texture thanks to the addition of sundried then deep-fried sticky rice); laab tod (balls of deepfried minced pork); among others.
ส้มตำ�เด้อ ซ.ศาลาแดง สีลม
surface
FRENCH Surface [MAP3 / R8] 107 Soi Renu, Sukhumvit 53 (enter through Samitivej Parking lot Thong Lor Soi 11) | 02258-2858 | facebook: surface | Mon – Fri 6pm – midnight, Sat – Sun 11am – 3pm, 6pm - midnight Tucked away at the backend of a carpark near Thonglor Soi 11, well out of sight of passing car and foot traffic, no one is going to stumble across Surface. This is a shame: the setting at this recently opened French bistro is laidback, idyllic even, and the food by co-owner Charlee, a chef with six years
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FOOD & DRINKS
Mutton Chutni Walla are of the thick and strongly spiced but not too oily sort. And the soft, piping hot nan bread makes the perfect vehicle for scooping them up with.
หิมาลี ชาช่า สุขุมวิท ซ.31
himali cha cha
experience at the French Ambassador’s residence, decent (if a tad pricey). The gentrified 1960s townhouse features a posh, six-table dining room with bar, but we were more drawn to the outdoor area, with its range of garden seating and comfy limegreen sofas, candlelight, soft lamps and herb garden flanked by a row of smart blue daybeds. Cliché inter and Thai food usually features at these sorts of low-key townhouse setups, but here it’s classic French all the way, albeit with the odd fusion-y flourish (think foie gros with pomelo and hoisin sauce). Everything’s made with imported proteins and local veg and herbs, plated with modern flair, and to back things up there’s a small selection of Australian and Californian wines and an even smaller cocktail list. We enjoyed all our choices, but were a bit taken aback at some of the price tags. Our opener, a tasty enough black risotto stuffed calamari, came on a bed of ratatouille and spinach (B280), on an odd-shaped plate with a pipsqueak of garnish. Mains were simple, hearty, comforting dishes, like lamb rack on a bed of spinach and potato puree (B790), and tenderloin truffle risotto (B470).
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INTERNATIONAL
el osito
El Osito [MAP3/C10]
INDIAN HIMALI CHA CHA
[MAP3 / K5]
Sukhumvit Soi 31 | BTS Phrom Phong | 02-2596677 | www.himalichacha.com | 11am – 3:30pm, 6pm – 10:30pm | $$ Sometimes it takes a backstory to set you apart. Fortunately for this Indian old-timer with four branches scattered around the city, they have a good one: its Bangladeshi-Indian founder, Mr. Cha Cha, spent the early 1940s, those turbulent years before India gained independence from British rule, cooking for the Mountbattens. Does Himali Cha Cha live up to its heritage? In a nutshell, yes. Set back from Sukhumvit Soi 31, at the end of a leafy driveway, their biggest branch is a charming 1960s Thai townhouse with a warm, woody, Moghulthemed look. As for the food, there’s certainly a confidence to the cooking here. The menu features curryhouse staples aplenty, from thick dahl to refreshing lassis and ramsmali desserts, as well as Mr Cha Cha’s North Indian signatures. Starters include lightlyfried onion bajis; crispy-outside, soft-inside mutton shami kebab cutlets, all served with fresh, tangy dips and chutneys. Slow cooked curries like the Bengali fish and
888/23-24 Mahatun Plaza, Ploenchit Rd | 02-6509581 | BTS Ploenchit | Mon-Sat 11am-11:30pm New York meets Madrid at Billy Bautista’s new place El Osito, less than a minute’s walk from Ploenchit Skytrain station. San Franciscan Billy and his wife Oh also run Bangkok’s go-to Mexican, La Monita, which is right next door. El Osito is decked out with photos of their families, including a full-wall shot of Uncle Pablo in his full matador outfit, and the Spanish recipes largely come from Billy’s dad, a native of Madrid. The polished concrete walls, exposed wires and bare bulbs hung from the ceiling hold to the prevailing warehouse/factory ambiance of modern Bangkok diners, but they did most of the work themselves, and so avoided the cookie-cutter predictability, and managed a homier vibe than many. The toilets have a pastiche of Picasso’s Guernica, painted by Billy, Oh and friends over a few inspirational beers. A neighbourhood Dean & DeLuca during the day with its own smoker and churro machine and deli stalwart sandwiches such as Reuben and home-made pastrami (B190-B250), El Osito morphs into a Spanish tapas barcum-restaurant at night. The menu runs from pinchos (light drinking snacks like
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little beast
shredded duck with crispy skin, and a vinaigrette with minced tomato, onion and jalapeno, served on toast, B80/two pieces) that wash down perfectly with a sangria, a sparkling mojito (B350) or one of several American craft beers, which, to the delight of anyone who’s read tales of the Prohibition, are served in Mason jars. Among the tapas are several tortillas, slightly undercooked, so they have a good, light creamy texture (from B75 a slice), and plates like gambas al ajillo (B175) with fried parsley, lots of olive oil and garlic, and a crispy crust, light French stick to mop up the juices. At the end is a four dish selection of Platos, including a ribeye, cooked medium rare (B550) with a mushroom, cream and chipotle sauce that throws good smoky flavour and medium spice. Good food, good location, good prices, and a place to hang out over beers to the 80s’ New Wave soundtrack: how can it fail?
อาคารมหาทุนพลาซ่า ถ.เพลินจิต Little Beast [MAP3 / Q6] 44/9-10 Thonglor Soi 13 | BTS Thonglor | 02185-2670 | www.facebook.com/littlebeastbar | Tue - Sat 5:30pm-1am, Sun 5:30-midnight This cosy, clubby little gastro-bar is an intimate spot suited to grazing and glugging, or a bit of both. Rustled up by the female chef Nana Bunyasaranand, the food is New American, which essentially means that they serve exotic twists on old world standbys. Exciting sounding stuff, not that it always works on the plate. The jerk chicken hearts with a pineapple salsa were overdone and quickly became tiresome, for example. Much better was the asparagus and watercress salad, a light, fresh palate cleanser; and the lamb meat balls with spicy sour cream and cucumber salad. Also good was the pork belly, the crispy exterior and fatty marrying well with the maple brown butter sauce. ‘Bites’ and ‘plates’ such as these come in tapas-sized portions meant for sharing, but, as the menu points out, Little Beast also dishes up bangkok101.com
antonio’s
heartier specials. Backup comes from a handful of desserts (our pick: the snickerdoddle and salted caramel ice-cream sandwich) as well as malt whiskies, beers and some creative, old-world themed cocktails. A venue that would sit as comfortably in an episode of Boardwalk Empire as it does here in terribly-hip Thonglor, we’d say it’s currently solid rather than spectacular. However, like the fierce looking bulldog that is its mascot, we expect Little Beast to mature fast, not least because the chef has a welcome adventurous streak.
ลิตเติ้ลบีสต์ ทองหล่อ ซ.13
ITALIAN ANTONIO’S [MAP3 / L9] 26 Soi Sukhumvit 31 | BTS Phrom Phong | 02662-1001 | 6pm – midnight | $$ It only takes a few seconds after crossing the threshold of this classy Italian to be struck by the passion of the place. From the built-to-last brick and glass finishes to the attentiveness of Antonio himself, who works the place like a circus ringmaster, this 1960s Thai townhouse turned Italian classic is impressive. The first page of the menu tells Antonio’s life story, but even more compelling is the fact that every dish on it is made with the finest produce the garrulous Italian-Australian can get his hands on. His signature giant ravioli with porchini mushrooms and cream of truffle sauce alone is worth the trip. Nightly specials, like marbled Australian rib-eye steak and Phuket lobster linguine, are shown to the table before cooking – a testament to the quality in all that he serves. Desserts deport themselves equally well (think panna cotta with pistachio cream and raspberry sauce) and the wine list features mostly Italian and a very quaffable house red. Tables fill up here fast of an evening, and we’re in absolutely no doubt as to why – Antonio’s is top-drawer.
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FOOD & DRINKS
ten sui
JAPANESE Ten Sui [MAP3 / K11] Sukhumvit Soi 16 |02-663-2281|11:30am-2pm, 5.30pm-10pm | $$$$ Modeled on a ryotei (an exclusive, referral-only type of Japanese restaurant where discreet business lunches take place, often in the company of a Geisha), Ten Sui is one of the best – and most expensive – Japanese restaurants in town. Expect first-rate hospitality and food in a traditional gated Zen garden setting. The converted Thai townhouse with range of seating options (sushi/ sashimi bar; conservatory with leather sofas; private tatami mat rooms upstairs) is the real deal. And the food confirms it. The kitchen sources all its ingredients from Japan, even presenting dishes on different lacquerware in different
seasons, as is the face-gaining Japanese tradition. The lunch set menus here offer the best value, and there’s a lavish à la carte menu too. However, if keen to splurge, we recommend calling ahead to book a kaiseki. Ten Sui’s specialty, these multi-course set menus can be customised to your tastes and budget, and star a selection of elaborate seasonal dishes that you’ve probably never heard of, let alone tried. Think simmered tilefish stuffed with grated yam and garnished with edible Chrysanthemum. Accompanying these intricate works of culinary art is one of the city’s most regularly replenished selections of premium imported sake.
เทนซุย สุขุมวิท 16
VEGETARIAN Na Aroon [MAP 3 / A5] Ariyasom Villa, 65 Sukhumvit Soi 1, Sukhumvit Rd | BTS Ploenchit | 02-254-8880 | www.ariyasom. com | 6:30 am – 11 pm; last order 10 pm Na Aroon serves some of the tastiest reasons we know of for lopping meat out of your diet. One of the most authentically classic dining rooms in town, it’s a bright,
na aroon
woody space where rotating ceiling fans, teardrop chandeliers and tall teak shutters that open on to the hotel’s tropical garden whisk you back to the 1940s (when it was built). The owner David Lees is a wholefood fanatic, always baking up new puddings and tarts and heading up to Or Tor Kor market to source fresh, seasonal ingredients. Most things here sound and look tempting, from the quiches to the pad thai malagor (stir-fried raw papaya, served with a pleasantly sweet tamarind sauce) and delectable (if a tad oversweet) puddings like the apple crumble. Look out also for special menu items such as the khao kluk laab (spicy, stir-fried mushroom and rice, B165++) and more participatory dishes, such as the kanom jeen (soft, lightly fermented rice noodles, B195++).
อริยศรมวิลล่า ถ.สุขุมวิท ซ.1
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MRS.BALBIR’S
Indian Mrs. Balbir’s [MAP3 / D6] 155/1-2 Sukhumvit Soi 11/1 | 02-651-0498 | www. mrsbalbirs.com | BTS Nana | Tue-Sun (closed on Mon) 11:30am – 11pm Progressive new curryhouses may have stolen the limelight, but Mrs Balbir’s still has a loyal following. The fresh, cream white dining room, with its marble floors, tall-back patterned velvet chairs and furniture and finishes redolent of a camp Maharajas neo-classical palace, is an unexpectedly upscale setting for this gritty part of town, but the real coup here is the good old-fashioned cooking. The friendly owner, Vinder Balbir, a local celeb and former TV chef who divulges her secrets at her popular cooking classes upstairs, offers unswervingly traditional North Indian made using recipes and spice blends that she’s fine-tuned over the years. Our starters, spinach cutlets, were soft, warm, fragrantly spiced bricks served with coriander chutney. They vanished in seconds. Following were lamb tandoori kebabs with a diced onion and spicy
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CHARLEY BROWN’S MEXICANA
dip and the meat done just right. Mains include a bewildering range of regional curries and tandoori dishes, including an elegantly smooth butter chicken, and a grittier, bolder, more complex Punjabi chicken kadai. Paratha and naans were hot and fresh and good for dipping; but it was an emblematic dessert – rasmalai (soft dumplings in a refreshing chilled sweet milk flavoured with cardamom, almonds and pistachio) – that had us itching to log on and check air ticket prices to the Subcontinent.
มิสซิส บัลบีร์ สุขุมวิท ซ.11
MEXICAN
with rich purple and striking pink walls covered with paintings done in equally kaleidoscopic colours. Comfortable sofas and booths have replaced the rickety wooden benches, creating an excellent casual dining experience where you can really sink in and enjoy your meal. It’s a great place for a fun first date, as long as you don’t choke on the home made hot sauce that you’ll be tempted to drizzle over your enchiladas, fajitas and tacos. Don’t leave without sampling their freshly made Margarita, with its power to instantly catapult you into party mode. Our favorite promotion: Margarita Madness Tuesdays, which starts from 5pm onwards, giving diners a killer half price deal on the sinfully sweet drinks. Other special promotions give diners something to look forward to every evening. On Sundays, the ‘Cheap Charley Brown’s’ deal offers B70 beers and spirits or wine at only B100 a glass. ‘Street Food and Nibbles’ on Wednesdays is the best time to try Charlie Brown’s light bites and appetizers which are buy three, pay for two.
ชาร์ลี บราวน์ส เม็กซิกาน่า สุขุมวิท ซ.11
Charley Brown’s Mexicana [MAP3/F8]
Sukhumvit Soi 11 | BTS Nana| 02-651-2215 | www. charleybrowns.asia | Tue – Sun 11:30 am-midnight; Mon 5pm-midnight One of the best loved Tex-Mex food joints in Bangkok, Charley Brown’s Mexicana recently got a wall-to-wall face lift. The 8 year old restaurant is now glowing
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Nightlife
meet the green fairy at Q Bar’s Le Derriere RED SKY BAR
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Nightlife News
Nightlife 2nd Levels DJ Festival
Levels (p.84), the Soi 11 nightclub that has shaken things up by doing away with an entry fee, will host an 18 DJ strong festival on Wednesday February 6. For the event – which costs zilch to enter and kicks off at 9pm – they will split the club into outdoor, progressive house and electro club areas. Most of the DJs are locals, but the headliner a globe-trotting biggie: Grammy-nominated US house producer Wolfgang Gartner.
Animal Machine at Cosmic Café
Thai drum ‘n’ bass? Believe it or not there is such a thing, most of it made by Animal Machine. This local group will take the stage at Cosmic Café (RCA Block C, Rama 9 Road | 0896703720 | www.facebook.com/cosmiccafe.bkk) on Saturday 9 to play rolling tunes such as new single ‘What You’ve Lied’ and ‘Shining Day’, which got plays on Channel V and Fat Radio. Entry is free.
Two Top DJs in Two Days
Promoters Champion Sound are keeping the top DJs coming at Bed Supperclub (p.84). On Valentine’s Day, the UK’s Jackmaster, a DJ who has just secured a show on BBC Radio One, will spin his anything-goes blend of house, techno, funk and disco. And the very next evening, Friday night, German techno legend Sven Väth steps up for a three hour set. Tickets are B500 including one drink, but only if you click ‘going’ on the Facebook event page, which is at Facebook: championsoundbangkok.
Q Bar kicks butt with Le Derriere
Soi 11’s Q Bar (p.84) has a new spot hidden away at the back, just behind the DJ booth: a French champagne bar with full-on fin-de-siecle stylings and an absinthe cocktail list. Enter through the revolving door and you’ll find yourself transported to a bar that appears to have been beamed to the present from 1930s Paris. Antique lights, velvet couches and a custom made serpentine Zinc Bar featuring four-spigot water fountains are just some of the touches dreamt up by designer Bruno Tanquerel and Q Bar co-owner David Jacobson. Other features: Le Derrière’s manager Benoit Raynal delights in educating visitors about all the different varieties of absinthe and wine available; snacks include fine French cheese and cold cut plates; and its semi open-air, so you can puff away on a fine Cohiba cigar too. A full review coming soon. Facebook: LeDerriereQBarBangkok
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Nightlife
BASH - loud and proud minimalist, stripped-down affair where the DJ spends all night huddled over his laptop this “upscale late nightclub” on Sukhumvit Soi 11 is most definitely not. Bash is brash and it’s proud. American owner Daryl Scott, whose parents were apparently players on New York’s disco club scene back in the day, has spliced strands of global clubbing DNA into the usually sleazy after-hours club concept. There are burlesque dancers ranging from midgets and robots on stilts to cross-dressing whacker Pan Pan (the shows bring to mind risqué superclub Manumission at times); the fixtures and furniture are of the glammed-up sort (gleaming faux-Louis XV furniture, etc); and the DJs are the exhibitionist, hands-in-the-air sort and often big names. “Bash is a proper banging international nightclub; an out-of-the-box party spot,” says the slightly intimidating looking but actually very approachable entrepreneur while clasping his tattooed fists. Over the years, this well-known club scene figure has opened some of the city’s best known party spots, not least the much-mythologised Mystique and Lang Suan Road’s on-again-off-again afterhours joint The Tunnel. While he’s proud of his past ventures, even flicking through pictures of them on his smartphone for our benefit, Bash is his dream club, his baby. Apparently the name has been on ice for years, only coming out of storage recently, when he found out that a building on Soi 11 was available. Once he’d secured a lease, he gutted the place top-to-bottom. End result: everything from the fire escapes to the lift shaft and the faux-antique but actually state-of-the-art lift that zips up and down it is brand new. But enough behind-the-scenes… what’s Bash actually like? Head up the stairs lined with misshapen mirrors and you’ll find three floors of ear-drum-rattlin’ fun, two of them taken up by the main room and the mezzanine which overlooks it. In the LED-wrapped booth here, DJs spin mainly house and techno, while on the top floor, with its bars on either side, it’s mainly hip-hop.
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bangkok101.com
That sounds pretty standard. However, Daryl points out that they mix things up. Unlike most of the after-hours competition (glorified meat-markets that spin the same selection of tried-and-tested, lowest common denominator tunes night in, night out), here there’s a different theme every night. As things stand, Monday and Tuesday are house music nights; Wednesday is ‘Super Foxes Ladies Night’; Thursdays is when DJs from local online dance music station Underground Bangkok spin; Fridays is Roctopussy (DJ Octo) and ‘Friday night in the House’; Saturday is ‘Samurai Night Fever and Substance; and Sunday is ‘Sucka Free Sundays.. the After Party.’ More details about what you can expect, plus the slightly crude, mid-nineties-style flyers that Bash seems to be trying to revive, can be found on the club’s Facebook page, as can details of appearances by international DJs. This month that roster includes Dub Pistols’ Barry Ashworth (17), breakbeat maestro Lee Coombs (21), and house DJ Malente (24). Open until “very late”, Bash isn’t doing everything right – the maximalist décor won’t be to everyone’s taste, and it would good to find an after-hours joint that banned smoking, for example – but in the underground beats and keeping-yourpunters-entertained department, it’s a big step in the right direction. แบช สุข มุ ว ทิ ซ.11
BASH
[MAP3/F8]
37 Sukhumvit Soi 11 (entrance next to the Australian Pub midnight-very late | www.bashbangkok.com, Facebook: BashBangkok | B300 including one standard drink
BASH 37 Sukhumvit Soi 11 (entrance next to the Australian Pub | midnight-very late | www.bashbangkok.com, Facebook: BashBangkok | B300 including one standard drink bangkok101.com
F E B RUARY 2 0 1 3 | 8 3
Nightlife
www.route66club.com B200 foreigners incl. drink / free for Thais
Bed Supperclub
Nightclubs BED SUPPERCLUB [ma p3 / C4] 26 Sukhumvit Soi 11 | 02-651-3537 www.bedsupperclub.com | 7:30 pm-1 am
With its uber-modern oval spaceship design, Bed Supperclub is a hugely successful hybrid, and a Bangkok icon: fine dining on what may be the world’s largest sofas on one side, and an adjoining bar on the other. For the past eight years, Bed has attracted a fashionable crowd, and with its à-la-page white interior is definitely a place to see and be seen. The food is world-class on the cosy restaurant side, and the sleek design extends to an all-white bar on the club side. Bed has talented resident DJs and brings over top-notch talent (including some very eclectic art) for special events. Bigname DJs tend to spin on Thursdays.
เบด ซัปเปอร์คลับ สุขุมวิท ซ.11 DEMO [map3 / R1] Thong Lor Soi 10 (next to Funky Villa) | BTS Thong Lo | 02-711-6970 | 8 pm-1 am | free
Easily the grittiest discoteca in the swish Thong Lor area is Demo: a squat former tenement building turned graffiti daubed brick warehouse. Featuring a terrace and bar outside, and lots of dark corners inside, not only does it look like a venue you’d find in East London or some other hipster-ville; it sounds like one, too: instead of the usual mainstream hip-hop and live-bands, Demo’s DJs blast zeitgeisty nu-disco, house and electro through a kicking sound-system.
เดโม ทองหล่อ ซ.10 Funky Villa [MAP3 / R1] Thong Lor Soi 10 | BTS Thong Lor 08-5253-2000 | 6 pm-2 am |
The name Funky Villa conjures images of roller-blading babes in bikinis, all partying at a Hugh Hefner-owned villa in the Med. The reality’s different. Steer your way through the fairground-sized car park, past the BMWs and chic lounge-deck area, and you’ll hit a swish one-storey house, more posh than funky. Some of Bangkok’s gilded youth chill on sofas and knock pool balls around in the 8 4 | F E B RUARY 2 0 1 3
Q bar
front room; but most hit the fridge-cool dancehall to boogie away the week’s woes to live bands and hip-hop DJs. Forget about edgy sounds – here it’s all about getting down with the CEOs of tomorrow.
ฟังกี้ วิลล่า ทองหล่อ ซ.10 GLOW [Map3 / G5] 96/4-5 Sukhumvit Soi 23 | BTS Asok / MRT Sukhumvit | 02-261-3007 | www.glowbkk.com 6 pm-1 am
This boutique club / bar challenges Bangkok’s biggies when it comes to delivering innovative music from the world of underground electronic pleasures. An intimate, stylish cave is decked out in dark walls, funky seating, innovative lighting and a dramatic bar. The music palette changes night-tonight but always excludes hip-hop (hurrah!). For details and regular updates, check Glow’s cool website.
โกลว์ สุขุมวิท ซ.23 LEVELS [Map3 / E8] 6th Floor, Aloft Hotel, Sukhumvit Soi 11 | 082308-3246 | 9pm-3am daily | www.levelsclub.com
One of the newest clubs on Soi 11 (along with Bash) is drawing big crowds, especially during weekends and international DJ fly-ins. Located in the front annex of the Aloft Hotel, directly opposite Bed, entry is via a lift. Step out of it and you emerge out on to a semi-open air terrace lit by a glowing bar. Our favourite spot: the banquettes with a birds-eye view down over the soi. The rest of the club hasn’t made such a big impression on us, yet. At the far end of the huge main room, a DJ spins mainly house music in front of a tiered danceflooor spotted with tables and podiums. Dancers step up to get the crowd going. There’s also a low-ceilinged room at the back that opens up later. On Thursdays ladies get 3 free drinks, and Fri-Sat there’s a free bar until 11pm for B500, but the biggest reason for its success appears to be the lack of an entry fee.
เลเวลส์ รร.เอลอฟท์ แบงคอก สุขุมวิท ซ.11 ROUTE 66 [Map8 / Q12] 29/33-48 Royal City Avenue | MRT Phetchaburi |
Rammed with hordes of dressed-to-kill young Thais on most nights of the week, ‘Route’, as it is affectionately known, is RCA’s longest surviving superclub. There are three zones to explore (four if you count the toilets – probably the ritziest in town), each with its own bar, unique look and music policy. ‘The Level’ is the huge, all-lasers-blazing hip-hop room; ‘The Classic’ spins house and techno; and Thai bands bang out hits in ‘The Novel’. Route is not a good place to lose your friends but can be a blast if you all get crazy around a table, be it inside or out on the big outdoors area. One sore point: unlike the locals, foreigners are charged a B200 entry fee (but get a free drink).
รูท 66 อาร์ ซี เอ TAPAS [Map5 / J 5] Silom Soi 4 | BTS Sala Daeng / MRT Silom 02-632-7982 | www.tapasroom.net | 8 pm-2am
On the groovy little enclave of Silom Soi 4, Tapas is a party institution and one of the few mixed hang-outs on a heavily gay strip of lively bars and clubs. For more than 10 years it’s been pumping out excellent house music and live, bongo-bangin’ percussion sets as well. Multi-levelled, with a dark, Moroccan feel, it’s easy to chill here, whether lounging or dancing your tail off! Weeknights are very quiet, but weekends are always hopping from about midnights onwards. And if it’s not, there’s the outside terrace: a good spot for cocktails and some of the best people watching in town. The tipples are mixed strong, and watching this soi’s comings and goings an eye-opening experience to say the least. The B200 entry fee on Fridays and Saturdays includes a drink.
ทาปาส สีลม ซ.4 THE CLUB [Map7 / F 5] 123 Khaosan Rd, Taladyod | 02-629-1010 www.theclubkhaosan.com | 6 pm-2 am B 100 (incl. one drink)
The walk-in crowd of young Thais and backpackers must surely be amazed to find they’ve entered a techno castle on Khao San Road. The sky-high windows and raised central DJ turret lend a fairy-tale vibe, while the lasers, visuals and UV lighting hark back to mid 1990s psy-trance raves. Music-wise, it’s a loud, banging house serving up the full range of 4/4 beats, usually cranium-rattling electro house and techno. The drink prices are kind to your wallet and UV glowsticks handed out for free.
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Q BAR [Map3 / C4] 34 Sukhumvit Soi 11 | BTS Nana | 02-252-3274 www.qbarbangkok.com | 8 pm-1 am
Long-standing, New York-style night spot Q Bar is well-known for pouring stiff drinks (there are over 70 varieties of top-shelf vodka!) and its strong music policy, with big name international DJs appearing regularly. Q Bar raised the ‘bar’ for Bangkok nightlife twelve years ago and is still going strong, with a flirty crowd every night and a recent top-to-bottom renovation giving the venue a maximalist style injection. Now, there’s more room to dance and more lounge space, especially at QUP, the more downtempo upstairs area. Some relative solitude and a pick ‘n’ mix of the expat and jetset scene can usually be found up here and on the outdoor terrace, which is perfect for a breather, people watching and a late evening snack. Ladies get free entry on Wednesday nights – and two free drinks!
คิว บาร์ ถ.สุขุมวิท ซ.11
hotel bars & clubs BARSU [map3 / F 6, 7] 1st F, Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit 250, Sukhumvit Rd | 02-649-8358 | www. barsubangkok.com | 6 pm-2 am
The informal yet sleek and minimally styled BarSu features the tagline ‘eat, play, dance,’ and appeals to the over-30 Bangkok crowd who feel disenfranchised by the city’s current nightlife offerings. To this end, there are five live bands for each night of the week. Comprised of students from Silpakorn University’s Faculty of Jazz, Tenon Round’ are a gifted young quartet who perform every Tuesday from 8 to 10pm. The other bands, JazzPlayground, P.O.8, Rhythm Nation and Hot Gossip, play from Wednesday to Saturday respectively. In between sets, the multi-talented DJ D’Zier spins an infectious blend of house, r&b, soul, latin and whatever else keeps you movin’. As well as creative cocktails (our pick: the tom yum yum - a cold cocktail version of the iconic hot and spicy soup), a ‘Night Bites’ menu of delicious premium finger food is also on hand to keep those energy levels up.
รร.เชอราตัน แกรนด์ สุขุมวิท สุขุมวิท 12 CM2 [map4 / D5] B1 F, Novotel Siam Square |392/44 Siam Square Soi 6 | BTS Siam | 02-209-8888 www.cm2bkk. Com | 10 pm – 2 am
The Novotel Siam Square Hotel’s subterranean party cave still packs them in sixteen years after it first opened, especially on weekends bangkok101.com
ST.Regis bar
when it heaves with tourists and nocturnal beauties. The big and quite 1980s disco looking (black and metal and neon lighting rule) complex has lots of lounging space facing the dance floor, plus a sports bar with pool tables, smoking room, and an Absolut Vodka Lounge. It’s mainstream all the way. DJs play what the crowd wants, when they want it, usually the latest electro, funky house or hip-grinding R&B tune, while the live bands from Canada, Europe and Asia perform as if every song is a potentially lifechanging audition. Currently that includes the impressive Crush Crew, who perform their renditions of modern hip-hop, R&B and other charting hits daily except Tuesday from 10:45pm onwards. International / Thai food and a huge cocktail list are served, as is what they claim is Bangkok’s biggest pour – all drinks feature double shots for no extra charge. Currently the entrance fee is B550 (2 drinks included). However ladies during the popular ‘Ladies Night’ every Monday and Thursday girls get in free, plus two standard drinks. Stalk their Facebook page for news of their popular monthly theme parties and drinks promotions.
รร.โนโวเทลสยามสแควร์ สยามสแควร์ ซ.6 ST. REGIS BAR [map4 / G 7] 12th F, St. Regis Bangkok Hotel, 159 Rajadamri Rd BTS Ratchadamri | 02-207-7777 | www.stregis.com
Mo-Fr 10 am-1 am, Sat & Sun 10 am-2 am At 6:30 pm each day a butler struts out onto the terrace of The St. Regis Bar, a saber in one hand, a bottle of Moet & Chandon in the other. He then flicks at the collar until ‘pop!’, the cork flies off and bubbly spurts gently out onto the terrace. Come for this, stay for the view. Stretching along a plate glass window, the rectangle venue – with its suave masculine vibe, long bar, clubby sofas and high-ceilings – eyeballs the city’s Royal Bangkok Sports Club. It’s a lovely spot at sunset, even better on every second Sunday afternoon, when you can spy on the horseracing with a fine malt whisky in hand.
รร. เดอะ เซนต์ รีจิส กรุงเทพฯ ถ.ราชดำ�ริ
CM2
Bars with views Above Eleven [MAP3 / C4] 33rd Fl Fraser Suites Sukhumvit Hotel, 38/8 Sukhumvit Soi 11 | BTS Nana 02-207-9300 | www.aboveeleven.com | 6pm-2am
A west-facing 33rd floor rooftop bar with beautiful sunsets, Above Eleven is a winning combination. The outdoor wooden deck bar with glass walls for maximum view has a central bar, dining tables, lounge areas and huge daybeds for parties to slumber on. Tip: choose a seat on the north side – it gets windy to the south. There’s a great view, an impressive cocktail list, an electro soundtrack with special DJ nights on Wednesday (Salsa), Friday (Hip Hop) and Saturday (House), and this is Bangkok’s only Peruvian restaurant, a cuisine with a bit of worldwide buzz. It will suit the adventurous.
เฟรเซอร์ สวีทส์ สุขุมวิท สุขุมวิท ซ.11 AMOROSA [Map7 / C 12] 4th F, Arun Residence Hotel |36-38 Soi Pratoo Nok Young, Maharat Rd (near Wat Po) 02-221-9158 | www.arunresidence.com 6 pm-1 am
Amorosa is a sultry, Moroccan-style balcony bar offering balmy river breezes, soursweet cocktails and a so-so wine list. The showstopper though is the view: perched on the roof of a four-storey boutique hotel, guests gaze out from its balcony terrace onto the Chao Phraya River and Wat Arun, the stunning Temple of Dawn, on the banks beyond. Go before sundown and enjoy watching the sun sink slowly behind it. Or come later, when amber floodlights make it glow against the night sky.
อรุณเรสสิเดนซ์ ซ.ประตูนกยูง ถ.มหาราช LONG TABLE [Map3 / H8] 25th F, 48 Column Bldg | Sukhumvit Soi 16 BTS Asok / MRT Sukhumvit | 02-302-2557-9 www.longtablebangkok.om | 11 am-2:00 am
Top-end Thai food isn’t the only thing that draws Bangkok’s nouveau riche to this impossibly swish restaurant-cum-bar. There’s also the trendF E B RUARY 2 0 1 3 | 8 5
Nightlife
The Speakeasy [MAP4 / J6] Hotel Muse | 55/555 Lang Suan Rd 02-630-4000 | www.hotelmusebangkok.com 6 pm-1 am
Long table
setting twist: a sleek communal dining table so long it makes the medieval banquet bench look positively petite. However, it’s what happens at the end of the room that propels this place deep into the nightlife stratosphere. Where the long table ends, a tall plate glass window and huge poolside patio, complete with bar, begins. Out here, 25 floors up, you can glug signature ‘long-tail’ cocktails or new latitude wines with the best of high-flying Bangkok: a glitzy hotchpotch of celebrities, models and power players; hairtousling breezes; and – best of all – wide-screen city vistas. A Sukhumvit high point.
อาคารคอลัมน์ สุขุมวิท ซ.16 MOON BAR [Map5 / K, l8] 61st F, Banyan Tree Bangkok | 21/100 South Sathorn Rd | 02-679-1200 www.banyantree.com | 5 pm-1 am
This is one place that will get you closer to the moon. The open-air bar lets you take in the urban Moloch from up-above in smart surroundings. With stunning 360° views, the hotel’s rooftop has been turned into a slick grill restaurant; one end is occupied by the bar. Nothing obstructs your view here, almost 200 metres high up. It’s the perfect spot for honeymooners – take a seat on the smart sofa stations, sip on a classy Martini or a yummy signature cocktail and feel romance welling up. For voyeurs, the telescope and binoculars come in handy. Glamour girls and unwinding business guys feel right at home here, too. Stay until the wee hours, nibble on sophisticated snacks, take in the light jazz – and never ever forget your camera.
รร.บันยันทรี ถ.สาทรใต้ NEST [Map3 / C4] 9th F, Le Fenix | 33/33 Sukhumvit Soi 11 BTS Nana | 02-305-4000 www.lefenixsukhumvit.com | 5 pm-2 am
An all-white and urbane open-air oasis on the ninth floor of the sleek Le Fenix Hotel, Nest is a loungey and laid-back spot on weekdays and early evenings, with couples enjoying signature martinis and upmarket nibbles from the comfort of Thai-style swing beds and Nest-shaped rattan chairs. But on weekends, a more up-for-it crowd ascends, especially during 8 6 | F E B RUARY 2 0 1 3
the speakeasy
special party nights. These include MODE, a shindig every second Saturday of the month that pumps hip-hop and house beats rather than the usual smooth Balearic sounds. What are the views alike? With buildings looming above you, not below you, here you feel part of the cityscape rather than detached from it.
เลอฟินิกซ์ สุขุมวิท ซ.11 PHRANAKORN BAR [map7 / G6] Soi Damnoen Klang Tai, Ratchadamnoen Rd. 02-622-0282 | 6pm-1am
Only a five minute walk from Khao San Road, multi-level Phranakorn Bar is an old favourite of local art students and creatives, mostly for its indie/80s/90s worshipping playlist and mellow trestle-and-vine rooftop offering splendid views, over old-city rooftops, towards the floodlit Golden Mount temple. The booze and Thai food is cheap, as is most of the modern art hanging on the second floor. Tried to find it before but failed? You wouldn’t be the first. From the Burger King end of Khao San Road, turn right onto Ratchadamnoen, right again and it’s down the first soi on your left hand-side.
พระนครบาร์ ซ.ดำ�เนินกลางใต้ ถ.ราชดำ�เนิน RED SKY [Map4 / F 3] 56th F, Centara Grand at CentralWorld Rama 1 Rd | BTS Chit Lom / Siam | 02-100-1234 www.centarahotelresorts.com | 5 pm-1 am
Encircling the 56th floor turret of CentralWorld’s adjoining Centara Grand Hotel, the al fresco Red Sky offers panoramas in every direction. Just before sunset is the time to come – plonk yourself down on a rattan chair or oversized daybed and wait for the lightshow to begin. When daylight fades and the city lights up like a circuit-board, a live jazz band kicks in and Bangkok takes on a glam cosmopolitan aura. Upscale bar snacks like slow-cooked baby back pork ribs and martinis, cocktails and wines are on hand to keep you company while your eyes explore the scenery. It’s not cheap, but the daily happy hours (buy one get one drink on selected wine, beer and cocktails from 5pm-7pm).
รร.เซ็นทาร่าแกรนด์ แอทเซ็นทรัลเวิลด์ ถ.พระราม 1
One of the newest al fresco rooftop bars, The Speakeasy has several sections, all radiating from the Long Bar, which you enter from the elevator. As the name suggests, the complex evokes the glamour of Prohibition Era USA, with fusion Deco details, mirrored wall panels and carved wood screens. Everything’s distressed, the parquet floors unvarnished – it’s a well-oiled joint with a warm, lived-in feel. On the wooden deck Terrace Bar people fill the lounge areas and tall tables that hug the classical balustrades overlooking Lang Suan. A long international snack menu stands out for decent portions at reasonable prices; spirits (from B 270) include luxury cognacs and malts; wines are B300-B600 a glass, while cocktails (from B 290) include home-made vodka infusions.
รร.โฮเทล มิวส์ ซ.หลังสวน SKY BAR / DISTIL [map5 / C5] 63rd F, State Tower | 1055 Silom Rd 02-624-9555 | www.thedomebkk.com 6 pm-1 am
Among the world’s highest outdoor bars, Sky bar – attached to Med restaurant Sirocco – offers panoramic views of the city and river below, earning its popularity with visitors new to the City of Angels and those intent on rediscovering it. Indoor-outdoor Distil boasts a roomful of comfy sofas, beyond premium liquor and The Dome’s signature breathtaking view. Adjacent to Asian seafood eatery Breeze, Ocean 52 sports yet another stunning view from the 51st – 52nd floors. These places are definitely not spots for the casual beach bum, so be sure to leave your flip-flops and shopping bags at home – a strict smart casual dress code is enforced.
สเตททาวเวอร์ สีลม
BARS THE ALCHEMIST [map3 / e8] 1/19 Sukhumvit Soi 11 | BTS Nana | 083-5492055 | Facebook: thealchemistbkk | Tue-Sun 5pm-midnight
Fitting somewhere between Soi 11’s swank cocktail bars and the rickety dive bar aesthetic of the legendary Cheap Charlie’s, which it neighbours, The Alchemist is a stylishly stripped down drinking hole. Nothing more, nothing less. We approve, and so too, it seems, do the punters. Not only does it attract the spill-over from Cheap Charlie’s, it also draws a loyal crowd of its own, who savour the intimate atmosphere, occasional live music, proper his and her bangkok101.com
toilets (Cheap Charlie’s are infamous for their dinginess) and, above all, drinks prices. Currently rocking the drinks list are assorted martinis (dry, passionfruit and espresso), classic cocktails, random shooters, and some of the best mojitos you’ll find on this end of Sukhumvit.
ดิ อัลเคมิส สุขุมวิท ซ.11 BARLEY BISTRO [map C4] 4/F Food Channel, Silom Road | BTS Sala Daeng | 087-033-3919 | daily 5pm-late www.barleybistro.com
Hidden up some stairs at the Food Channel, an enclave of franchise-like restaurants, Barley Bistro is slick and snazzy. The design is chic (blacks and greys, white-on-black stencil art); the drinks funky (lychee mojitos, testtube cocktails etc); the food new-fangled (spaghetti kimchi etc); and the clientele wholesome (Thai office workers mostly). Do check out the open-air rooftop. Though not quite worthy of our ‘Bars with a View’ section – it’s boxed in by buildings – it’s littered with cooling fans, huge bean bags and funky barley-stalk sculptures and good for postwork/ pre-club cocktails. Live bands play in the bar most nights.
บาร์ลี่ย์บิสโทร ฟู้ดชาแนล ถ.สีลม BREW [map 3 / Q6] Seen Space, Thonglor Soi 13 | BTS Thonglor | 02-185-2366 | www.brewbkk.com | Mon-Sun 4pm-2am
It wasn’t so long ago that the beer selection here was comprised entirely of the ubiquitous local lagers and the Heinekens and Carlsbergs of this world. The fact that it doesn’t anymore is largely thanks to Chris Foo, the owner of this beer bar tucked away on the ground floor of Thonglor Soi 13’s happening mini-mall Seenspace. Depending on what time of year it
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is, Brew stocks between 140 and 170 bottles of ales, lagers, ciders, you name it. Currently, the setting in which you sip them is hip in Thonglor circles. That’s not so much down to Brew’s tiny interior, with its exposed piping and bar flanked by kegs of beer and brick walls, as the buzzing outdoor area it shares with futuristic cocktail bar Clouds and the nautically-themed Fat’r Gutz. Due to Thailand’s head-smackingly high import duties, most bottles hover around the B240260 mark.
ซีน สเปซ ทองหล่อ ซ.13 CAFÉ TRIO [map4 / H6] 36/11-12 Soi Lang Suan | BTS Chit Lom 02-2526572 | 6 pm-1 am, closed on the 2nd and 4th Sun of the month
Cafe Trio is just about the only bar worth seeking out on Lang Suan Road. Tucked down a narrow alley just off the upmarket residential street, this cozy jazz bar & art gallery is a welcome alternative to Bangkok’s raucous pubs and haughty lounge bars – a true neighbourhood place. Cafe Trio overflows with plush couches, the lighting delightfully soft, the music always subdued. The vivacious owner and bartender Patti holds court nightly and has plastered the walls with her Modigliani-esque, Vietnamese inspired paintings – have a few drinks and don’t be surprised to find yourself taking one home. To find it, look for the Chinese restaurant across from Starbucks and head 50m down the road.
คาเฟ่ทริโอ ซ.หลังสวน CHEAP CHARLIE’S [map3 / D6] Sukhumvit Soi 11 | BTS Nana | 02-253-4648 Mon-Sat 5 pm-midnight
clouds
This joint is a Bangkok institution, bringing the charm of a rickety hole-in-the-wall bar to one of Sukhumvit’s swankiest Sois. A no-brainer meet-up spot, Cheap Charlie’s draws crowds of expats, NGOers and tourists in-the-know to fill up on B 70 beers and pocket-change G&Ts before heading off to eat and party – though don’t be surprised if you end up here all night. Its location is a winner, situated as it is on a cool little sub-soi (first on the left as you walk down from Sukhumvit) packed with restaurants and a short walk from hallowed Bangkok gin-palaces Q Bar and Bed Supperclub.
ชีพ ชาร์ลีย์ ถ.สุขุมวิท 11 (ซอยแรก) CLOUDS [Map3 / Q2] 1st F, SeenSpace | 251/1 Thong Lor Soi 13, (Sukhumvit Soi 55) | BTS Thong Lo 02-185-2365 | www.cloudslounge.com
The third bar by Australian Ashley Sutton – the mad scientist of Bangkok’s bar scene – is, as we’ve come to expect, something entirely unexpected. Evoking a future where ‘there are no more natural resources’, this slim concrete shell at the rear of hip lifestyle mall SeenSpace has a living tree encased in glass in one corner, and concrete blocks, topped with lumps of translucent leaf-encasing acrylic, for tables. Vodka-based cocktails (B 280) by New
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menu, from which the most popular dish is, of course, the fish ‘n’ chips (B320 for one person, B600 for two).
แฟท กัซ สุขุมวิท ซ.55 FIVE Gastronomy & Mixology [MAP3 / O9]
marshmallow
York mixultant Joseph Boroski are prepped by ‘NASA technicians’ in white overalls; and the food offerings tasty misshapen pizzas, cooked in a gas-oven behind the bar and served in steel trays. A lively crowd-puller with indoor and outdoor seating, the result is enjoyably bizarre: think space-station drinking hole.
คลาวด์ โครงการการซีสเปซ ซ.ทองหล่อ 13 ESCAPADE [MAP7 / E3] 112 Pra-Artit Rd, Pranakorn | 08-7363-2629, 08-1406-3773 | Tue-Sun 12pm-12am www.facebook.com/escaburgersandshakes
Unlike most bars in the Khao San Road area, the owners of this bohemian hole-in-the-wall, Khun Karn and Khun Van, are the sorts of locals you might actually strike up a conversion with. Karn, a former bartender at the Shangri-La and Mandarin Oriental, mixes creative, tasty and strong cocktails to order for only B140-B200. Tell him your wildest alcohol-sodden fantasies and he’ll deliver you the tipple of your dreams in minutes. Van, meanwhile, rustles up lip smacking bar grub: hot dogs buried in jalapeno peppers and sizzling bacon; baskets of honeyglazed deep-fried chicken, etc. Perhaps the most memorable thing about Escapade, though, are its proportions: you have to squeeze past strangers to enter, a quirk which makes it more intimate than most.
เอสกาเพด เบอร์เกอร์ แอนด์ เชค ถ.พระอาทิตย์ FAT GUT’Z [map3 / Q2] 264 Soi 12, Sukhumvit Soi 55 (Thong Lor) ] 027-149-832 | www.fatgutz.com | 6 pm-2 am
This sleek saloon is packed nightly with beautiful people, there to listen to live blues, indulge in carefully crafted drinks, and, perhaps, catch a glimpse of its in-demand owner, Ashley Sutton, the Australian behind the legendary Iron Fairies. Unlike his first bar, Fat Gut’z displays a less obvious sense of whimsy – here, the random fittings and industrial decor are replaced by straight lines and black-coloured, modern furnishings. It all feels rather serious, until you open the drinks menu. Sutton brought in master New York mixologist Joseph Boroski to create 16 unique cocktails (B285 each), all named after famous WWII shipwrecks. This nautical theme loosely ties in with the short 8 8 | F E B RUARY 2 0 1 3
Room 103, K Village, Sukhumvit Soi 26 BTS Phrom Phong | 088-524-5550 www.facebook.com/fivebkk | 6pm-1am daily
Five brings a welcome wand blast of gothic whimsy to K Village, an otherwise aesthetically uninspiring community mall. Its owner, Pattriya Na Nakorn, invited bar entrepreneur Ashley Sutton to work his magic with a vacant plot on the ground floor. And, completing her dream team is Joseph Boroski, the same New York based cocktail ‘mixologist’ that Sutton uses. His bars always engage the day-dreamy part of your brain and this black magic themed one is no different. Think clanking pulleys, monumental iron piping and flickering candles. Indeed, even the staff look like they’ve stumbled off the set of Harry Potter. Creepilymonikered eats include fried bat wings (herbcoated chicken wings). And Boroski potions worth necking include the Prescription Brandy Suzerac: a strong, earthy mix of Italian brandy, lime, honey and cinnamon served in a small poison bottle. It’s not cheap, but Five casts an intoxicating spell.
ไฟว์ เควิลเลจ สุขุมวิท 26 HYDE & SEEK [Map4 / L5] 65/1 Athenée Residence, Soi Ruamrudee BTS Phloen Chit | 02-168-5152 | 11 am-1 am www.hydeandseek.com
This stylish downtown gastro bar is a deadringer for those chic London haunts that draw the after-work crowd for pick-meup cocktails and good food that doesn’t break the bank. Heading the kitchen is Ian Kittichai, the brains behind the successful Kittichai restaurant in New York, while the bar is helmed by the boys behind Flow, the cocktail consultancy that inspires much drunken fun around the region. The sleek, Georgian-influenced décor has paneled walls, clubby chairs and a large central bar, where snacks like beer battered popcorn shrimps and baby back ribs glazed with chocolate and chilli go well with fancy, custommade cocktails or Belgian ales. Outside, there’s a spacious terrace with swing seats and a minimaze of tea plants to partition dining areas.
แอนธินีเรซซิเดนซ์ ซ.ร่วมฤดี MARSHMALLOW [map3 / C5] 33/18 Sukhumvit Soi 11 | BTS Nana | 02-254-1971 Facebook: Marshmallow | 11 am-1 am
Occupying the corner building where Sukhumvit 11 turns left towards Q Bar, this
gastro bar has a raised terrace that wraps around its perimeter, beside tall steel and glass doors that are fully retractable. Dark wood-planks line the walls and pillars; there’s a metalwork-backed bar; and a bohemian touch, bird cage lamps, dangling over the tables at one end. Cocktails come in at a very reasonable B190; champagne and sparkling cocktails B 220; local beers B90. “Food was never meant to be the focus,” the partner Fred Jungo, a resident DJ at nearby Bed Supperclub, told us. However, judging by the dishes we tucked in to – a bright and fresh haloumi cheese salad, a slab of Australian tenderloin with mash and boiled veg (B 550) – it could become their forte. An affordable and brilliantly located (in Soi 11 clubber terms) spot for drinks and bites.
มาร์ชเมลโล่ สุขุมวิท ซ.11 OSKAR BISTRO [map3 / D5] 24 Sukhumvit Soi 11 | BTS Nana | 02-255 3377 4 pm-2 am; kitchen open till 11:30 pm
Lively Oskar has the electro music and low ceiling cellar dimensions to qualify as clubby; and, with a dominant central bar, it’s perhaps more brasserie than bistro. The food choice includes sandwiches, the Oskar burger (wagyu beef – what else?), pizzas and a section of cocottes. Almost all are under B300, which for food of this surprising quality is a steal. Most people come here though not for the food but for a pre-club libation or two: be it glass of wine (from B145 a glass), imported bottle beer, or reasonably priced cocktail. Close to Bed Supperclub and Q Bar, its own ambient, loungey sounds crank up as the night matures, and – although there’s no dance space – many of the mixed Thai-farang crowd are happy to linger. It’s a good meal and drinks option for a date or business, but also a lively pick-up joint without the pressure of full-on dress-to-kill. Book ahead if you want a table.
ออสการ์ บิสโทร สุขุมวิท ซ.11 TUBA [Map8 / S14] 34 Room 11-12A, Ekkamai Soi 21 | 02-711-5500 www.design-athome.com | 11 am-2 am
Owned by the same hoarders behind furniture warehouse Papaya, Tuba is a Bangkok classic: room upon room of haphazardly arranged kitsch, all of which you’re free to skulk through at your leisure. Some come here to snag a comfy sofa, retro sign or goofy tchotchke. Others come for the big menu of Italian and Thai dishes tweaked for the local palate. But for us, it works best as a bar, as the setting and generous happy hours (buy one get one free between 5-8pm daily) mean there really are few cooler places to kick back with a sweet cocktail in hand (or two hands in some cases – the glassware can be that big!). A word to the wise: one glass too many and you may leave bangkok101.com
with more than you bargained for. Another caveat: smokers are allowed to puff away.
ทูบา ถ.สุขุมวิท 63 (เอกมัย 21) THE IRON FAIRIEs [Map3 / Q2] 394 Thong Lor (Sukhumvit Soi 55), Thong Lor Soi 12 | BTS Thong Lo | 084-520-2301 www.theironfairies.com
Bangkok’s most bizarre bar is a functioning iron foundry that just happens to serve booze. Drawing heavily from the steampunk genre, it has the labyrinthine otherworldliness of a Terry Gilliam film-set. Walls are daubed black, silent movies are projected on the walls upstairs, an in-house magician tours the tables, and Doris Day classics are belted out from the cast-iron spiral staircase. Beers start from B120 a bottle, a well mixed dirty martini goes for B280 and the burgers, served pinned to a wooden chopping board with a steak knife, divine. The moneyed Thong Lor set fill it nightly.
generously dressed thin-crust pizzas cooked in a proper wood fire. Creative concoctions like the Bangkok Mule (a long glass of Mekong rum, brown sugar, ginger ale and diced raw lemongrass) are the work of one of the mixologists from Soi Ruam Rudee’s designer cocktail bar Hyde & Seek.
ดิไอรอนแฟรี่ส์แอนด์โค ซ.ทองหล่อ
Soi Tararom 2, Thong Lor | BTS Thong Lo 081-824-8011 | 3 pm-1 am | cash only
SALT [MAP8 / L7] Soi Ari (near Soi 4) | 02-619-6886 6pm-midnight
Worth heading to Soi Ari for, Salt is a hipsterluring gastro bar with a post-modern finish. Seating is either out on an outdoor terrace or in a minimalist concrete shell – a former condominium sales office no less – with a bar at the far end and lots of raw marble, stone and wooden furniture. Behind them sits an old wooden house which is used to project digital animations on and offers extra seating. This is the sort of uber-trendy space that the editors of Wallpaper* and other design bibles kneel down and kiss the floor at, but what makes Salt is the global cuisine that’s coming out the kitchen, from fresh sashimi platters to
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tuba
ซอล์ท ซ.อารีย์ SHADES OF RETRO [Map8 / s14] Hipster attic, here we come – Shades of Retro is a hidden Thong Lor spot awash in neo-nostalgia and stuffed with vintage furniture, vinyl records, old rotary telephones. A combo furniture store-café,Shades provides a quiet hangout for the writer/ designer/artiste crowd by day, funpeoplewatching at night, and nice jazz at all times. Curl up on a nubby couch, flip through a Wallpaper* magazine and soak up the atmosphere, which flirts with being too ironic for its pants. A cool, friendly crowd and bracing cocktails or coffee served up with popcorn humanizes the hip, thankfully.
เฉดส์ ออฟ เรโทร ซ.ธารารมย์ 2 ทองหล่อ VIVA AVIV [map5 / C2]
wtf
River City-Unit 118 | 23 Trok Rongnamkhaeng, Charoen Krung Soi 30 | 02-639-6305 | www. vivaaviv.com 11am-midnight, later on weekends
Viva Aviv reminds us of one of the hipper bars along Singapore’s Clarke Quay. Not only does it have the bar tables and stools jutting across a riverside promenade, inside there’s also a hip designer interior in full effect. Think tropical maritime chic meets dashes of outright whimsy. While the owner, Khun Ae, is responsible for this rustic look, the bar is being looked after by the cocktail designers behind popular gastrobar Hyde and Seek. Their ‘Rough Cut’ Signatures, many of them underpinned with rum (tequila is so last year, apparently), come in slightly cheaper than over at Hyde & Seek, B250. Food is also served; our favourite dish the risottofilled croquet balls with yoghurt dip.
อาคารริเวอร์ซิตี้ เจริญกรุง ซ.30 WONG’S PLACE [Map8 / L17] 27/3 Soi Sri Bumphen, Soi Ngam Duplee, near Malaysia Hotel | MRT Lumpini 02-286-1558 | Mon-Sat 10 pm-late
It’s amazing how Wong’s Place stays in business. It’s not near any public transport; opens when it wants, closes when it wants; plays crackly videos from Top of the Pops in 1985; has a couple of serve-yourself beer fridges and is not much
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bigger than a living room. Yet it attracts a fiercely loyal crowd of expat journalists, English teachers, hipsters, creative Thais and professional barflies who have been coming here for years and regard owner Sam as a kind of benevolent dictator, knowing better than to take advantage of the beer fridges honour system. Come before midnight and it’s usually pretty dead (the Wong’s Place at the wong time?). Come after the other bars close – it’s a mere hop skip and a jump from Silom – and watch the night unfold.
วองส์ เพลส ซ.งามดูพลี WTF [Map3 / Q6] 7 Sukhumvit Soi 51 | BTS Thong Lo 02- 626-6246 | www.wtfbangkok.com | Tue-Sun 6 pm-1 am / gallery from 3 pm
This tiny shophouse – signposted by graffiti on a corrugated tin wall in the street opposite – has a bar on the ground floor, decked out with mirrors along one wall, old Thai movie posters on the other, and found items like wooden screen doors and chairs. It works. The Thaifarang owners (an art manager, hotelier and photographer by trade) have made a good fist of cocktails (from B130) with rye whiskies and unusual bitters in the mix, while plates of tapas consist of Thai and Euro choices such as Portuguese chorizo and feta salad. Expect occasional live gigs, art exhibitions upstairs and a mix of indie hipsters, journos and artscensters to chew the fat with.
ดับเบิลยู ทีเอฟ สุขุมวิท ซ.51
LIVE MUSIC ADHERE the 13TH [Map7 / G3] 13 Samsen Rd (opposite Soi 2) 089- 769-4613 | 5 pm-midnight |
Funky, jammy, bare – one of Bangkok’s coolest hangouts is nothing more than an aisle packed with five tables, a tiny bar and instruments. It’s a joint you’d expect to find on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, except forthe Chang beer. North of Khao San Road (ask for ‘Ad Here’, once in the quarter), this down-to-earth, bohemian hang-out packs ’em in nightly. On weekends, young Thais, expats and tourists spill out on the sidewalk when the joint is jumpin’. The resident band churns out cool blues, Motown and Janis Joplin; Georgia, the city’s only true Blues Mama, has a voice and figure to match, and would never sing Hotel California.
แอดเฮีย 13 ถ.สามเสน บางลำ�ภู COSMIC CAFE [Map8 / Q12] RCA Block C | Rama IX Rd | MRT Rama 9
The rebel in RCA’s ranks, Cosmic Café serves up a mixed diet of sonic eclecticism in a grungy, open-sided corner bar with outdoor seating and 9 0 | F E B RUARY 2 0 1 3
saxophone pub
sonic
a small dance floor. On one night you might the place jumping to a rare live performance by mor lam legend Dao Bandon, on another a house band dishing out some surf guitar, ska, electronic or blues. The edgiest joint on the block, it draws a lively, musically discerning crowd, from skinny jeaned art-school hipster types to teddy boy expats. An insider’s must.
inside local metal bands sporting Brian May hairdos and crotch-hugging jeans thrash out note-perfect renditions of everything from Black Sabbath to Sweet Child O’Mine and Motorhead’s Ace of Spades. Fans of the extended drum interl ude or lightening fast guitar solo will not be disappointed – or able to resist doing the Devil’s Horn.
คอสมิค คาเฟ่ อาร์ซีเอ
เดอะ ร็อคผับ
Le Bar de l’Hôtel [Map3 / G9]
RAINTREE PUB [Map8 / K10]
Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit, 189 Sukhumvit Road (btw Soi 13-15) | 02-126-9999 | BTS Nana or Asoke | Daily 11am-midnight
116 / 63 - 34 Soi Ruamjit, Rang Nam Rd BTS Victory Monument | 02-245-7230, www.raintreepub.com | 5pm-1am
Hotel lobby bars are as safe and predictable as Justin Bieber. Which makes the Sofitel Sukhumvit’s introduction of Chai, one of Bangkok best blues guitarists, particularly welcome. And neither have they stuffed him in a suit. Dressed in jeans and T-shirt, his shaggy ZZ Top beard on full display, Chai throws the sleepy cool of Howling Wolf. And when he cranks up the guitar it sounds like grating steel. For these gigs, running every Friday and Saturday, Chai calls his band the Blues Delivery, a seven piece line up of guitar/ vocals, sax, trumpet, bass, drums, keyboards and percussion. The only thing missing from a traditional blues night is the grungy venue. Le Bar is hotel chic: an intimate 38-seat venue with a laid back vibe and slouchy sofas and cushions. Other music nights with special deals include the Neung Jakkawal Band every Wednesday (cocktails from B199net) and Siam Cubano, with Salsa on Thursdays (six oysters and free flow sparkling wine, B1,499 net). All bands play from 9pm to midnight.
This rustic Thai ‘country’ bar is a sort of all-wooden, pre-consumerist age timecapsule. Raintree hosts musicians playing Pleng Peua Chiwit (Songs for Life), the once phenomenally popular 1970’s folk protest music and soundtrack for Thailand’s politically disaffected. On a stage decorated with the movement’s trademark buffalo skulls, two artists strum nightly: a long-haired singer croons plaintive songs at 8:30 pm, a grizzled band steps up at around 11 pm. Owner Porn Pimon opened Raintree 19 years ago and has changed little since. And why should she? The people are friendly, the beer snacks cheap and tasty, and the music, made famous by household names like Caravan and Caribou, often soul-stirring.
โซฟิเทล แบงคอก สุขุมวิท
Just a stone’s throw from the Victory Monument Skytrain Station, this cozy, unpretentious place is a Bangkok landmark when it comes to solid live jazz and blues. Attracting youngish Thais and the odd foreigner, the spacious joint can pack up to 400 people on its homey, low-ceilinged, woodfilled floors. Each night, two talented Thai bands belt out sincere jazz, jazzy funk and R&B while the crowd feasts on hearty Thai and Western fare. All the local live music scene greats have played here and many still pop by when they can.
THE ROCK PUB [Map4 / C2] 93/26-28 Radchatewee, Phaya Thai Rd, (opposite Asia Hotel) | BTS Ratchathewi www.therockpubbangkok.com | 9:30 pm-2 am
If Def Leppard, Aerosmith or Wayne and Garth were in town you’d find them reliving the glory years here, at Bangkok’s very own Castle of Rock. A tacky faux-turret exterior, visible from the Ratchatewi BTS Station, makes you wonder what kind of weird, 1980s theme-park ride you’ve stumbled on, while
เรนทรีผับ ซ.ร่วมจิต ถ.รางน้ำ� SAXOPHONE PUB [Map8 / K10] 3 / 8 Phaya Thai Rd | BTS Victory Monument 02-246-5472 | www.saxophonepub.com 6 pm-2 am
แซ๊กโซโฟนผับ ถ.พญาไท bangkok101.com
Sonic [MAP3 / T2] 90 Ekamai (Sukhumvit Soi 63) |BTS Ekamai 02-382-3396 | facebook: sonic.ekamai 6 pm-2 am
Hip, mural-splattered Sonic is dedicated to bringing you assorted musical jollies. Not the same old Thai bands or David Guetta wannabes, but nights that sit at the more alternative end of the spectrum, with a tilt toward the indie side. There’s a big semi-outdoor seating area with DJ booth, an indoor bar and deeper in is the main room. On quieter nights stools and tables fill this high-ceilinged, warehouse-like space with a bar in one corner and funky brass lamps dangling overhead, but for gigs and other crowd-pullers they strip it bare. Since opening, Sonic has blasted its way into the affections of the city’s hard-to-please nightlife clans with a string of unusual live gigs and themed nights. See their Facebook page for the next.
โซนิค ซ.เอกมัย (ระหว่าง ซ.10 และบิ๊กซี) TAWANDAENG GERMAN BREWERY [MAP2 /E11]
462 / 61 Rama III Rd | Yan Nawa district 02- 6781114 | www.tawandang.co.th
The one place that every taxi driver seems to know, this vast, barrel-shaped beer hall packs in the revelers nightly. They come for the towers of micro-brewed beer, the Thai, Chinese and German grub (especially the deep-fried pork knuckle and sausage), and, not least, the famous Fong Nam houseband. It’s laidback early on, but by 10pm, when the Thai/Western pop, luk krung and mor lam songs are at full pelt, everybody is on their feet and the place going bananas. Great for large groups, especially birthday par ties and office outings, but make sure you reserve ahead for the best tables nearest the stage.
โรงเบียร์เยอรมันตะวันแดง พระราม 3
Jazz clubs BAMBOO BAR [Map5 / B4] The Oriental Bangkok | 48 Oriental Ave 02-659-9000 | www.mandarinoriental.com Sun-Thu 11 am-1 am, Fri & Sat 11 am-2 am
This Bangkok landmark is a symbol of past glories of the East. Situated in one of the city’s most sophisticated hotels, the 50-year-old bar oozes class, sophistication and style. Reminiscent of a tropical film noir-setting, it features a jungle theme – bamboo, palm fronds and furry patterns. Small and busy, it’s never theless romantic and intimate – balanced by the legendary bangkok101.com
brown sugar
Russian jazz band that’s been on the stage here for ages. Monday through Saturday nights catch the sultry sounds of their current resident songstress, Cynthia Utterbach. Everybody’s sipping on faultless cocktails, mixed by skilled old-school bar tenders and served by a superb staff. Ideal for a boozy night on your honeymoon. A definite big Bangkok must.
รร.โอเรียลเต็ล ถ.โอเรียลเต็ล Brown Sugar [Map7 / J5] 469 Phrasumen Road | 089-499-1378 www.brownsugarbangkok.com | 6 pm-1 am
Little over a month after it closed down, one of Bangkok’s oldest cosiest jazz venue was back with a new, bigger location near Khao San. Now a restaurant and coffee house by day, it morphs into a world-class, jazz café-style haunt where renditions of bebop and ragtime draw an audience of locals and visitors by night. Its exterior is impressive, resembling a ritzy old cinema house. And inside, it’s huge, with a daytime coffeeshop up front, a versatile 200-seater ‘Playhouse’ upstairs, and the big, open-plan jazz pub and restaurant out back. Six house bands fill up the week, and on the last Friday or Saturday of each month they showcase an international act that’s passing through.
บราวน์ ชูการ์ ถ.พระสุเมร DIPLOMAT BAR [Map4 / K7] Conrad Bangkok | 87 Witthayu Rd BTS Ploen Chit |02-690-9999 | www.conradbangkok.com | Sun-Thu 6 pm-1 am; Fri & Sat 6 pm-2 am
An architecturally striking hotel bar, mixing a funky, stylish décor with soft teak sofas and an arresting chandelier hanging over the massive round bar. Bronze silks and wood dominate this dark, contemporary, but always relaxed place. A boozy, highprofile crowd fills the Diplomat Bar nightly, especially during the elongated, buyoneget-onefree Happy Hour from 4 – 7 pm (standard drinks only). It’s very hip among the diplomatic corps (Witthayu is stuffed with embassies), trendy guys in suits and glitzy society ladies – ideal for peopleogling. But the main attraction here is
the living room
more aural than visual and exceptional jazz acts are de rigueur.
รร.คอนราด ถ.วิทยุ THE LIVING ROOM [Map4 / F6] Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit, 250 Sukhumvit Rd BTS Asok / MRT Sukhumvit | 02-649-8888 www.thelivingroomatbangkok.com | 9am-12am
Perhaps the cosiest of all Bangkok’s luxury hotel bars, the leather couches at The Living Room are so snug it’ll be hard to get up again once you’re seated. It’s a stylish place, and the usually middle-aged patrons live it up on great wines, champagne and strong cocktails in a quiet way. The high-ceilinged foyer offers perfect acoustics for the fabulous jazz band. Be prepared to be well-entertained. World class talents are booked in continuously, guaranteeing top-notch jazz and always a warm audience rapport. Currently, pianist Randy Cannon and his trio play Wed-Thurs (9:15pm-midnight); The Cannon Brothers Friday-Sunday; trumpeter Steve Canon and his band play Mon-Tues (9:15pm-midnight), and pianist Tim Hedges plays with his trio Mon-Sat 6pm-8:45pm and also the hotel’s popular Sunday Jazzy Brunch. This month, “New York’s Diva”, Pucci Amanda Jhones, sings with the Randy Cannon Group Feb 2, 6 and 9 and Cherryl Hayes Feb 13-16 and Feb 20-23.
รร.เชอราตันแกรนด์ สุขุมวิท Niu’s on Silom [Map5 / E5] 2nd F, 661 Silom Rd | 02-266-5333 www.niusonsilom.com | 5 pm-1 am This New York-style lounge – with its hot jazz, old leather armchairs and roses on candlelit tables – has a house band with some of Bangkok’s better local talent. They provide the backbone for various international acts who perform regularly. There’s also a jazz jam every Sunday and occasional concerts featuring established overseas visitors. Niu’s is a class act, but still casual, comfor table for beers or brandy; and you can eat bar snacks or dine formally in the impressive Concer to Italian restaurant upstairs. Outside seating also available.
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new collection
Tipayaphong Poosanaphong’s
spring collection Words by Gaby Doman
available at: Bangkok
magine you’re going to a well-to-do party in the UK suburbs thrown by a host with a penchant for titillation. If you can imagine that, you’re getting close to what Poosanaphong’s spring 2013 collection looks like. The women’s collection is dominated by beautiful seductively to below the cleavage and accessorised with leather or lace gloves. For men, the fetish-y edge is more pronounced, with leather cumberbands teamed with tight three-quarter length trousers which reveal a tantalising flash of ankle and some very form-fitting shirts indeed. These playful details are countered by a touch of class, as you’d expect from Tipayaphong Poosanaphong. Think young country gentleman with a kinky twist and you’re getting close. The men’s collection is peppered with various fedoras, tweed, patterned shirts, waistcoats, bowties and suit jackets. It’s a deliciously tongue-in-cheek take on the theme. But this look has been done to death, right? Tipayaphong avoids the staid look with a few fun details. Clashing prints, floral silhouettes and a carefully chosen palette ensure the collection has enough boyish charm and is cheeky enough in style to remain fun and young and never veer into stuffy middle aged farmer territory. Dapper is the word. If the man’s collection is innocently provocative, the women’s is purely predatory. Bringing to mind young British socialites, the pieces are designed to bring out your inner femme fatale, while remaining refined. The dress’s cuts are modern and overtly sexual, the fabrics are luxurious (sequins, lace and metallics) and accessories are simple, but pack a punch; leather gloves, knee socks, fabulous fascinators and capes. Yes, if you’re planning a hi-so wife swap party next season, this is the collection to shop from. But, even if you prefer to keep your car keys safely in your pocket, you’re bound to attract plenty of admirers.
Code 10, 1Fl Siam Paragon | Rama I Rd | 02-610-8794
Head Office
1/74 Ratchathanee 7, Saimai Soi 23/1, Saimai Rd, District Saimai, Bangkok 10220 | 02-159-4723
Phukeะt
Island Paradise, Taladmai, Muang, Phuket | 076-256-418
www.tipayaphong.com
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SHOPPING
unique boutique
Papaya Words by Chaweitporn Tamthai
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apaya is a rich man’s treasure box: a 3-storey maze of a warehouse filled with antiques and vintage items, and with only a small path to wind through. On our visit we found the fifty something owner Supoj Siripornlertkul, or “P’ Tong”, smoking while his wife was organising things in the warehouse. Papaya has been here for only six years, he explained, but items have been accumulating for more than twenty. So big is their collection that they also set up Tuba, a restaurant bar in Ekamai with a similar retro sprawl. “I started collecting vintage and antiques when I was in high school. I don’t know why I did it, but I like it,” he sort of explains. “Papaya is same, same like Apple Computers,” he adds with a laugh and a smirk, “we are both fruits that have grown over time and are now very popular.” Items range from old transistor radios, television sets, chairs, sofa, clock to beverage signs, live-sized superheroes, and even Star Wars’ Jar Jar Binks… you name it. If you don’t see what you’re looking for, don’t go looking for a map or helpful staff member, just keep looking. Even though items are not sorted by type, an organised chaos does prevail and chances are, if it’s here, you’ll find it, eventually. Bumped into something you’re dying to take home with you? The best way to find out the price is to capture the picture with your mobile, trudge back to the front office and show it to the shopkeeper. Prices aren’t expensive, but they’re not super cheap either. On a par with Suan Rot Fai, the retro railway night market, we’d say. The most expensive item we came across is a white fiber boomerang desk for a cool B1.5m. The price tags for the life-size models of Batman, Captain America and the Green Lantern among other superheroes are pretty eye-watering, too – around B70,000-80,000. As for the ones of Marlon Brando and James Dean located by the bar counter on the first floor, both of these come in at B250,000 each – if you catch “P’ Tong” on a good day and can convince him to sell you them that is. Therein lies the rub: over the years, “P’ Tong” has grown attached to much of his stock. So much so, in fact, that he refuses to sell whole swathes of it. What’s the point of that you may reasonably ask? The short answer is that Papaya does very nicely just be renting out much of its stock, usually for around 30% of its value and for a period that has to be negotiated on a deal-by-deal basis. In fact, its best customers are not your average joe but production designers from TV and film production companies and magazine fashion shoots, who come here to hire props to bring their sets to life with. That said, everyone’s welcome. ปาปาญ่า ลาดพร้าว ซ.55/2
Travel tip:
We recommend catching the subway to MRT Ladprao then taking a cab to Ladprao Soi 55/2s
Papaya
[MAP2 / G7]
Ladprao Soi 55/2, Ladprao Road | 02-539-8220 | www.design-athome.com | 9am-7pm
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jj gem
TWENTY SECOND asual street clobber and vintage may be what Jatuchak excels at, fashion wise, but the urbane modern man can also find some natty threads if he looks hard enough. One of the best places to do so is TwentySecond, a little shirt store (and it is more store than stall) hidden amid all the girly boutiques strung along Section 3. The shirts here are quite phaeng (expensive) in JJ terms – prices start at around B1,000 and peak at around B1,290 – but worth it, as they’re made from 100% Japanese or Egyptian cotton and the designs classic yet cool. Stripe, check and square pattern blends of two or three colours, as well as simple white, black and grey shirts with contrasting tapering are the most common designs. Examine them up close and slip one on and you’ll see the tailoring, for this part of town at least, is (twenty)second to none. They also have a shop on Siam Square Soi 2.
TWENTY SECOND JJ Market Room 409, Section 3, Soi 2 | 08-1896-8918 Facebook: The Twentysecond
Jatujak Market
Forget designer malls. Jatujak weekend market is Bangkok’s true paragon of retail. This is shopping as survival of the fittest: only those with finely tuned consumer instincts shall persevere The rest can go and get lost – literally. aking a wrong turn’s almost a given in this sprawling, city-sized marketplace, upon which thousands descend every weekend, to trade everything from Burmese antiques to pedigree livestock. Originally a flea market, Jatujak (also spelled as Chatuchak) quickly outgrew the confines of the insect world to become much more than the sum of its disparate parts. These days, young Thai designers take advantage of the low onsite rent to punt their creative wares; if you so desire, you can peruse piles of customised Zippos that once belonged to American GIs; and tasty pickings conveniently punctuate every which way. Additionally, the exotic pet section particularly supports the theory that Jatujak has evolved its own diverse eco-system (albeit one that periodically gets busted for obviously illegal activites). All this can be a bit overwhelming at first, but persevere and a semblance of order should begin to crystallise from the chaos. Go in the early morning or late afternoon to avoid the worst of the heat and the crowds. Or come for a leisurely browse on Friday before the real deluge hits; although only the weekend gig gives ardent shopaholics the fully-blown, unadulterated Jatujak fix they desire.
ตลาดนัดจตุจักร bangkok101.com
> The Jatujak market of Bangkok Amber House Books | hardcover | B1,950
The Jatujak Market of Bangkok presents photographer Simon Bonython’s visual inter pretation of Bangkok’s world famous weekend market, giving particular emphasis on candid snaps of the general public and the characters who work there. In spite of the dark alleys and typically poorly lit stalls, Simon avoided using a tripod or flash, making for spontaneous, natural shots that capture the heat, buzz and colour of this labyrinthine treasure trove. F E B RUARY 2 0 1 3 | 9 7
WELLNESS
BA-YA HEALTH AND SPA [map 5 / G7] 23 Sukhumvit Soi 87 | BTS On Nut |02-311-4772 | www.bayaspa.com|10:30am - 9pm | $$$
Lying a bit beyond the usual tourist track, Ba-Ya spa is popular with native Thais and Asian tourists, who like the affordable prices and down-to-earth spa menu. The spa is set in a cute house, giving it a cozy, comfortable feel. Spa offerings are well-priced and avoid gimmicks, and are focused more on massages and other kinds of bodywork rather than high-frill aesthetic services. Massages are fairly standard – therapists follow the usual circuit quite well, but don’t seek out and destroy problem areas the way a true tailor-made rubdown might encourage. Service is also a bit on the sweet but informal side – the front may not have change, but they’ll run and get it for you. A potential choice for those staying on the outskirts of the city, perhaps, or those wanting a spa experience at a more affordable price. Those seeking intensive, individualized work or luxe touches may want to explore elsewhere.
บาหยาเฮลท์แอนด์สปา สุขุมวิท ซ.87 HARNN HERITAGE SPA [map 4 / D 4] 4th F, Siam Paragon | BTS Siam |02-610-9715-6 | 10am-9pm | $$$
Before you drop from shopping at the monster mall that is the Paragon, stop in here for a spot of soothing. An extension of the high-end Harnn beauty product line, this tiny spa is all Thai, all the time, and offers excellent, traditional therapies. Done up entirely in black stone, the rooms are small but high-ceilinged to compensate for tight quarters. Despite the excellent layout, however, rooms can feel cramped and crypt-like. Once a treatment begins, any claustrophobia melts away – the 9 8 | F E B RUARY 2 0 1 3
signature package, which includes a thorough sesame scrub, a very relaxing oil massage, and a hot sesame compress applied to key meridians on the body, is a very complete pampering session. Staffs are wonderfully professional and personable. Done relaxing? Pick up some Harnn products to continue the spa experience at home.
สยามพารากอน ถ.พระราม 1 LAVANA [map 3 / H11] 4 Sukhumvit Soi 12 | BTS Asok /MRT Sukhumvit | 02-229-4510-2 | 9 am – 11:30 pm | $$$
Lavana does its treatments right. Spa options are refreshingly clear-cut, and primarily focused on massage. Scrubs and facials are also available, along with the unusual and intriguing Shirodhara oil treatment, in which warm oil is drizzled along the “third eye” in the forehead and massaged into the head and neck. Those seeking a tidier signature option should choose the herbal ball oil massage – Lavana’s dedicated therapists manage to pack a restful eternity into a well-priced 90 minutes. Masseuses combine long Swedish and sports-massage strokes with very detailed work on problem areas – they take computer-knotted shoulders and other ailments as a matter of personal concern, and banish those tweaks and twinges with wonderfully intense kneading and muscle release work. The deep-tissue work can border
on painful, but therapists are careful to adjust to your responses.
ลาวาน่าสปา สุขุมวิท ซ.12 ROYAL NATURAL SPA [map5 / J4] 878 Rama 4 Rd | MRT Silom / MRT Sam Yan / BTS Sala Daeng |02-637-1032-3 | www. royalnaturalspa.com | 10:30am–8pm | $$$
Hmm…opulent or over the top? Royal Natural Spa takes its moniker seriously, which results in Thai décor with an ornate, “royal European” touch – brocade, jacquard, chandeliers, you name it. The spa is expansive, with huge, luxurious rooms –once you start steaming away in your own gilded birdcage of a shower-sauna, you may decide…opulent, indeed. Services make good use of the natural part of the name, drawing on Thai herbs and fruits – you may get scrubbed down with plai, lemongrass, and ginger, and then basted with a tamarind paste. Packages are creative, well-conceived and change on a monthly basis, so there’s always something new for the spa fanatic. Therapists are expertly thorough and communicate clearly, ensuring that the whole experience is luxurious and polished without being snobbish in the least. Royal and natural – why aren’t more spas like this?
รอยัลเนเชอรัลสปา ถ.พระราม 4 Spa costs $ :: under B600 $$ :: B600-B1,000 $$$ :: B1,000-B2,000 $$$$ :: B2,000+ bangkok101.com
Signature treatment
Pranali Marvellous Herbal Compress his futuristic spa located at the end of Siam Paragon’s furniture-store heavy third floor delivers ancient healing techniques to burnt-out mall shoppers. Its sleek white storefront sells Pranali’s high-end body products – but it’s out back, in the seven Zen-opulent rooms, where the magic happens. Very popular here is a quick facial, waxing, foot massage or body polish; but those with the time should opt for one of their more spun-out treatments. Of these, the smugly-titled Pranali Marvellous Herbal Compress should thrill multiple-style fans. After discussing weak points and pressure preferences (and coyly slipping out of your robe in the wafer-thin slips provided), your therapist gives a lavender-scented oil massage to your legs, arms and body using deep, long strokes. A series of equally thorough – and invigorating – hot herbal compresses follows (steamed flannel pouches containing 7 herbs). Throughout, the land of dreamy nod is never far off – until, that is, the final neck, shoulder and head massage. We requested strong upper-body work and, boy, we got it. Fleeting tension-twinges were elicited as she honed in on knots of tension – but, sipping lemongrass tea afterwards, we were grateful for the resulting uplift. The scented oils also leave your skin nourished – and, if the “what’s that lovely smell?” comments are to be trusted, you as a walking talking air freshener.
สยามพารากอน ถ.พระราม 1 Pranali Wellness Spa
[MAP4/D4]
Unit 334, 3F Siam Paragon Shopping Centre | 02-610-9596 | www.pranaliwellness.com | BTS Siam | 10am – 9:30pm (last booking 8pm) | 60 mins B2,400 / 90 mins B3,200 bangkok101.com
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comm u nit y
making merit
DREAM Project Foundation
Making freedom the a reality
Words by Kat Payne
he Dream Project Foundation was founded back in 2011 to support Dream House, an orphanage and children’s home based near the isolated town of Sangkhlaburi, near the border with Myanmar. Though the organisation aims to end human trafficking, Dream House is its main ongoing project, and currently money from donations go to keeping the home running and providing over 30 children with an education, shelter and food. The house is run by a lady called Khun Vhic, and all the children have different reasons as to why they have come into her care. Some are orphans, their parents killed due to issues in Myanmar; others have been handed over to Vhic by their own parents as they are not able to look after them properly; and some were just found wandering around a market and were picked up by a caring local. However, one thing these children all have in common is they have nowhere else to go. The majority of them are originally from hill tribes in Myanmar, which aren’t recognised by the government there, and so they are regarded as stateless, with absolutely no entitlements. They have no belongings, passports and most of them don’t have last names or know when their birthdays are.
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Dream House exists to keep these children safe, the hope being that this allows them to grow up and lead a life free from the fear of having no food, no family, or of being trafficked. Currently a new Dream House is being built, which will be able to house up to double the amount of children in a safe and loving environment, allowing more children to be given a second chance at life. Currently the Dream Project Foundation are urgently working to fundraise the $180,000 needed to complete the new house, so these children can continue to have a safe place to live.
How can you help? Fundraise: hold a bake sale, run 10km, hold other original fundraising events (email the team at info@dreamprojectfoundation.org) Volunteer: come help out and you’ll get to meet all the children who make Dream House such a special place. Virtual volunteering: if you have skills in marketing, web development or events etc, you can help them out from the comfort of your own home. Spread the word: like them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter and tell your friends and family. www.dreamprojectfoundation.org www.facebook.com/dreamprojectf
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getting there
victory monument Photographer : Walid Penpan 1 0 2 | F E B RUARY 2 0 1 3
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RAIL SKYTRAIN (BTS) The Bangkok Transit System, or BTS, is a two-line elevated train network covering the major commercial areas. Trains run every few minutes from 6 am to midnight, making the BTS a quick and reliable transport option, especially during heavy traffic jams. Fares range from B 15 to B 55; special tourist passes allowing unlimited travel for one day (B120) are available. BTS also provides free shuttle buses which transit passengers to and from stations and nearby areas. www.bts.co.th
ROAD BUS Bangkok has an extensive and inexpensive public bus service. Both open-air and air-conditioned vehicles are available, respectively for B 5 and B 7.50 – B 23. As most destinations are noted only in Thai, it is advisable to get a bus route map (available at hotels, TAT offices and bookshops).
SUBWAY (MRT) Bangkok’s Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) is another fast and reliable way to get across town. The 18-station line stretches 20 kms from Hualamphong (near the central railway station) up to Bang Sue in the north. Subways run from 6 am to midnight daily, with trains arriving every 5 – 7 minutes. The underground connects with the BTS at MRT Silom / BTS Sala Daeng, MRT Sukhumvit / BTS Asok and MRT Chatuchak Park / BTS Mo Chit stations. Subway fares range from about B15 to B 39. www.bangkokmetro.co.th
Airport Rail Link A 28 km long monorail links the city’s main international airport, Suvarnabhumi, with three stops in downtown Bangktok and four stops in the eastern suburbs. Trains run from 6am to midnight every day and follow two lines along the same route. The City Line stops at all stations (journey time: 30 minutes) and costs B1545 per journey. The Express Line stops at downtown stations Makkasan (journey time: 13-14 minutes, trains leave every 40 minutes) or Phayathai (journey time: 17 minutes, trains leave every 30 minutes), the only one that intersects with the Skytrain. One-way Express Line tickets cost B90 while roundtrip tickets are available at the promotional fare of B150 as part of a drive to increase passenger numbers. http://airportraillink.railway.co.th bangkok101.com
MOTORCYCLE TAXI
RIVER CANAL BOAT Khlong Saen Saep canal boats operate from Phan Fa Leelard bridge, on the edge of the Old City, and zip east to Ramkhamhaeng University. However, you have to be quick to board them as they don’t usually wait around. Canal (khlong) boats tend to be frequent and cost around B 9 to B19. Tickets are bought onboard. Note that the piers are a little hidden away, which makes them sometimes difficult to find.
EXPRESS RIVER BOAT Bangkok’s vast network of inter-city waterways offer a quick and colourful alternative for getting around the city. Express boats ply the Chao Phraya River from the Saphan Taksin Bridge up to Nonthaburi, stopping at some 30 main piers altogether. Fares range from B 9 to B 32 depending on the distance, while tickets can either be bought on the boat or at the pier, depending on how much time you have. Boats depart every 20 minutes or so between 5:30 am and 6 pm. Cross-river services operate throughout the day from each pier for just B 3.
In Bangkok’s heavy traffic, motorcycle taxis are the fastest, albeit most dangerous, form of road transport. Easily recognisable by their colourful vests, motorbike taxi drivers gather in groups. As with tuk-tuks, fares should be negotiated beforehand.
TAXI Bangkok has thousands of metered, air-con taxis available 24 hours. Flag fall is B 35 (for the first 2 kms) and the fare climbs in B 2 increments. Be sure the driver switches the meter on. No tipping, but rounding the fare up to the nearest B 5 or B 10 is common. Additional passengers are not charged, nor is baggage. For trips to and from the airport, passengers should pay the expressway toll fees. When boarding from the queue outside the terminal, an additional B 50 surcharge is added.
TUK-TUK Those three-wheeled taxis (or samlor) are best known as tuk-tuks, named for the steady whirr of their engines. A 10-minute ride should cost around B 40, but always bargain before boarding. Beware: if a tuktuk driver offers to deliver you anywhere for B 10, it’s part of a setup that will lead you to an overpriced souvenir or jewellery shop. F E B RUARY 2 0 1 3 | 1 0 3
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Asiatique The Riverfront [free shuttle boat from Sathorn pier everyday 4.00-11.30 pm.]
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Snake Farm M.R. Kukrit’s House F E B RUARY 2 0 1 3 | 1 0 9
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m y b a n g ko k
DJ
AYE
Waving the female flag in a male-dominated industry, 24-year-old DJ Aye has made a name for herself on the local club circuit since graduating from Bangkok University in 2010. Though she looks like a sweetheart (and cynics may argue that’s helped her), her mean mixing skills are not to be underestimated, as proven when she walked off with the Pioneer Lady DJ Champion award last year. Since then, she’s been spinning house and electro at venues all over town, from Levels to The Cliff and Narz, as well as clubs in Malaysia and Vietnam. You can catch her regularly at Thonglor Soi 10’s Demo.
Best place to eat out? As I’m a big fan of Korean food I like to hit Korean Town (Sukhumvit Plaza, Sukhumvit 12 | Map 3 / G10) with my friends. Best place to take visitors? Wat Pra Keaw (Na Phra Lan Rd, near Sanam Luang | Map 7/D10) is the most important temple in the city – the one every tourist should see. Best place to shop? JJ market, Platinum Mall (222 Petchaburi Rd | Map 4/H2) and Huay Kwang market are without doubt all the best places for cheap clothes.
Best place for a real Bangkok experience? Believe it or not, Khao San Road offers the real Bangkok experience for me, because you find Thais mingling together with others from all over the world. Also, you can pretty much do it all there – chilling, drinking, eating, shopping and clubbing. Best places to hear local DJs? Demo on Thonglor and Flix at RCA are where all the top DJs in town spin.
Best place for relaxing? Don’t laugh, but I think of the Starbucks on Thonglor as my own little private zone. I spend my time off there sipping my favourite beverage while plugged into my music. Best place for night clubbing? Demo (Thong Lor Soi 10 | Map 3/R1) and Esco Bar are the best nightclubs in the Thonglor area and I always spend my time after work there. Another one is Safehouse Club – the crowd always goes crazy.
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