Bangkok 101 Magazine September 2015 by Talisman Media

The heart of the capital. The height of luxury.

( 2 minute walk )

PUBLISHER’S LETTER Bangkok is abuzz with coffee talk. Walk down Thong Lo, for example, and you’ll be hard-pressed to ignore signs touting the siphon method, home-baked goods, and single estate Thai beans. Coffee culture might have brewed slowly here, but now it is yielding excellent new cafés and savvy crowds. This month, we spill the beans about the city’s booming coffee scene, as Best of Bangkok shines light on the crème de la crème of local cafés, breaking them down by neighbourhood. In Food for Thought, Rachel Kwok talks roasting, brewing, and sourcing with the Brave Roasters. We chat with a painter using coffee grounds to make watercolour masterpieces in Arts & Culture. And Jones the Grocer, a café-cum-gourmet store from Australia and EmQuartier’s latest gem, claims the Hot Plate. Further afield, Luc Citrinot examines the lesservisited coffee plantations in Chumphon, where Robusta beans flourish in the misty hills, while the Bolaven Plateau in southern Laos, flush with coffee farms and towering waterfalls, gets a closer look in Over the Border. As always, we delve into the city’s top dining and nightlife destinations in Food & Drink, including favourites new and old. All this, as well as our 101 archive and extras, can be found online at bangkok101.com. A couple of clicks are all it takes to keep in touch with what’s happening. If there’s something you feel we’re not covering, but should be, please drop us a line at info@talisman.asia.

WHAT IS BANGKOK 101 Independent and unbiased, Bangkok 101 caters to savvy travellers who yearn for more than what they find in guidebooks. It brings together an authoritative who’s who of city residents, writers, photographers and cultural commentators. The result is a compact and intelligent hybrid of monthly travel guide and city magazine that takes you on and off the well-worn tourist track. Bangkok 101 employs the highest editorial standards, with no fluff, and no smut. Our editorial content cannot be bought. We rigorously maintain the focus on our readers, and our ongoing mission is to ensure they enjoy this great city as much as we love living in it.

Enjoy.

Mason Florence Publisher

B A NGKOK 101 PA R T N E R S

bangkok101.com

SEPTEMBER 2015 | 5

publisher

Mason Florence

CONTRIBUTORS

editor-in-chief

Dr Jesda M. Tivayanond associate publisher

Parinya Krit-Hat managing editor

Craig Sauers

associate editor

Pawika Jansamakao editor-at-large

Joe Cummings editorial coordinator

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 traveller 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.

Award-winning writer JOE CUMMINGS was born in New Orleans and grew up in France, California and Washington, DC. Joe became one of Lonely Planet’s first guidebook authors, creating the seminal Lonely Planet Thailand guide. Joe has also written illustrated reference books such as Buddhist Stupas in Asia; Sacred Tattoos of Thailand; Muay Thai; World Food Thailand; Buddhist Temples of Thailand; Chiang Mai Style and Lanna Renaissance.

GABY DOMAN is a Bangkokbased writer with a serious social media habit. When she’s not at the gym, she can be found undoing all her good work in a bakery or a bar. A brownie or Dirty Martini (respectively), if you’re buying.

Pongphop Songsiriarcha art director

Narong Srisaiya graphic designer

Thanakrit Skulchartchai strategists

Nathinee Chen Sebastien Berger contributing writers

Rachel Kwok, Nads Willow, Nan Tohchoodee, Adam O’Keefe, Jim Algie, Marco Ferrarese, Laurence Civil, Nicola Jones-Crossley, Matt Wilde, Michael Moore contributing photographers

Willem Deenik, Greg Powell, Jatuporn Rutnin, Paul Lefevre, Ludovic Cazeba, Marc Schultz, Niran Choonhachat general manager

Jhone El’Mamuwaldi director sales and marketing

A Brit with three decades of Bangkok living, KEITH MUNDY has been a freelance travel writer and photographer for 26 years. Trained in languages and literature (English, French, Spanish), he has been a traveller since the age of 14, visited 96 countries so far and been kicked out of a couple. His work has appeared in travel and lifestyle magazines worldwide, including the inflight magazines of several major airlines, and he is the author of guidebooks to Thailand and Mexico, plus Thai corporate and cultural histories.

AVAILABLE AT:

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. Her work appears in magazines, including Elle, Elle Decoration and GM .

Paris native LUC CITRINOT has lived in Southeast Asia for the past 12 years, first in Kuala Lumpur and more recently in Bangkok. A seasoned traveller, he writes about tourism, culture, and architecture. He was instrumental on a recent EU-endorsed project to establish the European Heritage Map of Bangkok and subsequent app covering all of Thailand. Luc still travels extensively in Southeast Asia, looking particularly for new architectural gems related to colonial and European history.

Itsareeya Chatkitwaroon account executive

Orawan Ratanapratum circulation

Phichet Reangchit interns

Clara Schmitt, Qisheng Wang, Kanyawee Petchana published by

Talisman Media Group Co., Ltd. 54 Naradhivas Rajanagarinda Soi 4, Sathorn Tai Rd, Yannawa, Sathorn, Bangkok 10120 T 0 2286 7821 | F 0 2286 7829 info@talisman.asia © Copyright Talisman Media Group Co., Ltd 2015. 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.

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CONTENTS 50

22 56

CITY PULSE

56 over the border: the

10 metro beat

bolaven plateau

14 my bangkok: kru

NIGHTLIFE 110 nightlife news 112 review: peek-a-boo

mued

ART & CULTURE

16 hot plates:

62 exhibition highlights

jones the grocer

66 interview: pornchai

18 out & about: by

68 cheat notes

hand and by heart

70 photo feature:

22 best of bkk: caffeine

fcct/light rocket

120

kick 32 making merit:

FOOD & DRINK

helplive foundation

78 food & drink news

34 on the block: soi ari

80 meal deals

SNAPSHOTS

baan, al saray, blue

36 tom’s two satang

elephant, dean & deluca,

38 joe’s bangkok

summer palace, vertigo

120 new collection: milin 66 84 122unique boutique:

40 bizarre thailand

90 features: chef sato,

vinyl die hards

42 very thai

gelinaz! shuffle, sofitel

44 heritage: italian

so amazing chefs

WELLNESS

bridges

98 food for thought:

124 jouvence spa

81 restaurant reviews:

SHOPPING

brave roasters

TRAVEL

100 in the kitchen: chef

REFERENCE

46 upcountry now

joke

126 sightseeing listings

50 upcountry escape:

101 eat like nym: sendai

chumphon coffee

miso

ON THE COVER Hot Latte at Ink & Lion Photo taken by Qisheng Wang. 8 | SEPTEMBER 2015

bangkok101.com

REACHING FOR THE STARS It’s the perfect location to celebrate life’s happy moments. Fifty-five storeys above the bustle of central Bangkok, Red Sky at the Centara Grand at CentralWorld, one of the city’s top dining destinations, serves up jaw-dropping panoramic vistas, an inspired menu, and a remarkable well-balanced wine list. At the entrance, an eightmeter-high glass wine cellar stands guard, holding over 2,000 bottles that straddle both old and new world. Outside, the glass-wrapped alfresco bar and bistro showcases nighttime Bangkok as far as the eye can see. At one end is a long bar dominated by an imposing glowing arch that frames the city beyond. The menu is imaginative and excites the senses with an outstanding recipe of tastes and textures. Chef Hugo Coudurier’s Signature additions are a combination of both classical and contemporary bistro dishes that are designed to wow the senses. Start of your gastronomic experience with the sublime Hokkaido Crab Bisque accompanied by

RedSkyCentaraGrandCentralWorld

a tender claw tempura & crème fraiche. Then the delicate flavours that come together perfectly in his elegant Summer Black Truffle Pappardelle Pasta, with brown butter & freshly shaved truffle. Other standouts include Charcoal Oven Baked Atlantic Cod and a personal favourite, the Poached Bresse “Poussin” baby chicken with Truffle & Foie gras Fragrant Basmati Rice and a magnificent velvety Albufera sauce. Showcasing his classical culinary upbringing is a fork tender Wagyu Beef Tenderloin “Rossini” with Foie Gras, Black Truffle, Wild Mushrooms and Madeira sauce, and another timeless dish, Warm Oldfashioned Apple Tart and Vanilla Bourbon Ice Cream. So what better place than Red Sky to impress an outof-town guest, celebrate the closure of a business deal, or even pop the question? With its spectacular setting, outstanding food, and jazzy music it is the perfect formula for a great night out.

CentaraGrand_CentralWorld

999/99 Rama 1 Road, Pathumwan, Bangkok, Thailand 10330 FOR RESERVATION PLEASE CONTACT centarahotelsresorts.com 02-100-6255 Email : diningcgcw@chr.co.th

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metro beat

ROCK, POP & INDIE

Stamp Fah Pa

ELECTRONIC

On September 19, heartthrob Stamp strums his pop songs to legions of fans at Impact Arena (Muang Thong Thani, 99 Popular Rd). For the uninitiated, Stamp is something like the Thai Ed Sheeran: acoustic guitar, mellifluous voice, charismatic smile. He really hit the spotlight as a voice coach on The Voice Thailand, Channel 3’s spin on the modern TV mainstay. Stamp Fah Pa promises three hours of light-hearted pop tunes. Tickets range in price, from B1000 to B3500, and are available at all ThaiTicketMajor outlets, as well as online at thaiticketmajor.com. Japanese hip-hop duo P.O.P. headlines a night of indie and underground music at Tha Beatlounge at RCA on September 20. The group is actually two twin brothers, laying down fun-loving lyrics over smooth tracks. Before the twins take stage, local acts Wednesday, aire, Animal Machine, and KUNT play. Tickets are B150, and doors open at 6pm. After the bands finish their sets, DJ Spydamonkee and a couple of secret MCs will keep the party going until the cool predawn hours.

Marc Vedo On September 3, American duo Tritonal debut in Thailand at Levels (Sukhumvit 11). Having released over 200 original productions and remixed for the likes of ZEDD and Hardwell, the guys have scored serious cachet in recent years. In fact, in 2014 and 2015, three of their records broke into the top ten of the Billboard Dance chart. It should be a long night of non-stop action fed by high-energy trance music. The show starts at 9pm, and entry costs B500. Visit facebook.com/levelsclub for more details. The venerated DJ Mag is throwing its first party in Thailand on September 11. To celebrate, they’re bringing latenight legend Marc Vedo to Live RCA (Rama IX Rd). There will be three levels, non-stop action, and most likely many bottles of Heineken, which is the sponsor. Tickets cost B500 (includes one drink) and the party starts at 6pm. Visit facebook.com/epicbangkok for more information. 10 | SEPTEMBER 2015

Muse British arena rockers Muse visit Bangkok on September 23. As part of a tour of Asia, the band stops by Bangkok for the first time, doubtless filling Impact Arena (Muang Thong Thani, 99 Popular Rd) in the process. Muse is known for its theatrics. Past performances have included chandeliers of LED screens, laser lights, and even acrobats. The show comes in the wake of the band’s latest release, the politically-charged Drones. Tickets, between B2000 and B5000 in price, are available at ThaiTicketMajor outlets and online at thaiticketmajor.com. Call 0 2262 3838 for more details. bangkok101.com

metro beat

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FOOD & DRINK

World Gourmet Festival The 16th Annual World Gourmet Festival takes place this year from September 7 to 13 at the Anantara Siam Bangkok Hotel. Some of the top chefs, winemakers, and food critics on the planet unite for a week-long foodie feast. The participating chefs boast a trophy shelf of Michelin stars. The lineup includes Chefs Francesc Rovira from Girona, Jean-François Bérard from Provence, Francesc Gimeno Manduley from Barcelona, Pierre Crépaud from Switzerland, Patrick Raingeard from the French Riviera, Sean Connolly from Adelaide, and Hirofumi Imamura from Hong Kong. Each chef will host two evenings in one of the hotel’s restaurants. This year, there will be a new activity on the agenda — an exclusive sake tasting and pairing with Thai dishes led by sake sage Keith Norum, an American who has worked with Miyasaka Brewing Company in Japan since 2005. To make a reservation, or for more information, call 0 2126 8866 or email reservations.asia@anantara.com.

PERFORMANCE

Swan Lake

Featuring 20 performances and 1000 artists over five weeks, Bangkok’s International Festival of Dance and Music returns for its 17th year. Artists from all over the world — Brazil, France, England, Uruguay — take their talents to the Thailand Cultural Centre (MRT Thailand Cultural Centre) from September 11 until October 18. The performances begin with “The Butterfly Lovers,” a Chinese opera, from September 11 to 13. The programme that follows includes a Lady Gaga tribute concert, a Spanish flamenco ballet, “Swan Lake,” and a tribute to the Blues Brothers, among others. Night-time shows start at 7.30pm. The few afternoon shows, held on weekends, begin at 2.30pm. Late-comers will not be let in, however, so make sure to arrive on time. Ticket prices vary from show to show. To find out more, visit bangkokfestivals.com.

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metro beat

CITY TRAVEL

FAIRS & EXPOS Expats new and established are invited to Bumrungrad Hospital (Sukhumvit Soi 3) for the 17th Living in Bangkok fair on September 19, held in the clinic building. From 9am until 5pm, dozens of organizations, community groups, and service providers will be on hand to provide information aimed at helping expats carve out a comfortable life in the City of Angels. The focus this year is on staying healthy and active. Among the many exhibitors are SpiceRoads Cycle Tour, ThaiCraft, The British Club, various international schools, Neilson Hays Library, Radiance Whole Foods, The Racquet Club, and Flow House Bangkok. For more information, log on to bumrungrad.com/livinginbangkok.

Rattanakosin Exhibition Hall

Living in Bangkok

THEATRE Phya Thai Palace Grab your Muse Pass while you still have time. Until October 31, visitors and expats can purchase the Muse Pass — in essence, a ticket book — and enjoy access to 32 museums in Thailand, comprised of 24 in Bangkok and eight in other provinces. Participating museums include the Siriraj Museums, the Southeast Asian Ceramics Museum, the Batcat Museum & Toys Thailand, Phya Thai Palace, and the Thaihua Museum in Phuket. Priced at B199, each book contains coupons for entry to each museum that are valid until December 31.

ART For four days only, from September 10-13, visit Cho Why (Soi Nana 17, Chinatown) for a special audio-visual installation by award-winning Spanish journalist Raül Gallego Abellan. Called Motion Still, the exhibition challenges the way we consume news and information, posing the question, “What would happen if we freeze and remove sound from short-lived moments in TV news?” The artist, whose past work has involved stints in war-torn countries like Libya and Afghanistan, illuminates the role of mass media in shaping our perceptions of the world in which we live. email chowhybkk@gmail.com for more information. 12 | SEPTEMBER 2015

The Sound of Memories Time moves like a flash of lightning in The Sound of Memories. The protagonist, I, a playwright, suddenly finds himself transplanted to earlier days, a time before mobile devices, Wi-Fi, and high-rise malls. Here, he meets his parents in their youth, learning about himself in the process. Written and directed by Shogo Tanikawa, the play will be performed at Bluebox Studio (M Theatre, Petchaburi Rd) from September 3-6 at 7.30pm (2pm and 7.30pm on Saturday and Sunday). The show is in spoken Thai with Japanese and English subtitles. Tickets are B400 for general admission, B300 for students, and free for mothers. Call 08 7569 0680 or 08 1473 2772 for more information. bangkok101.com

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my bangkok

Prasart

THONG-ARAM A recently retired specialist in Thai culture and history, Master Prasart Thong-aram, better known as “Kru Mued,” has devoted his life to Khon, the world-renowned Thai performance art based on the Ramayana. He took time out of his suddenly less packed schedule to chat with Bangkok 101 about his inspiration in life and work.

How long did you work for the Department of Performing Arts at the National Theatre? I’ve been here all my adult life. I was a student at the school [Bunditpatanasilpa Institute] in 1961. Back then, kids studying dramatic arts were all poor. It was a way to make money and still afford to be a student. I was lucky. I studied under Ajarn Seri Wangnaitham, the master of all masters of Thai performing arts, and I received a royal scholarship. As soon as I stepped foot here, I couldn’t imagine ever leaving. So I decided then to work here after I graduated. What sparked your interest in Thai performing arts? What inspires you now? My grandfather played the reed pipe, a Thai instrument, in a band. I loved going to his shows. As a child, I was always picking up the instruments he left lying around and singing along with songs he played. I liked to watch Thai dance and all kinds of dramatic performances, too, especially Khon, the highest performing art form in Thailand. I was amazed at how the Hanuman troop would excite the audience, how powerful and passionate was the narrator’s voice, and how beautiful were the movements. What makes Khon so special to you? Khon’s charms are obvious as soon as the performance begins. There’s a reason why it has been held in high 14 | SEP T EM BER 2015

esteem since ancient times. Khon involves singing, dancing, acting, acrobatics, and music, but only a perfect combination of the disciplines makes Khon classic. The art takes dynamic skill. As there aren’t any conversations in the story, each character is distinguished by music, costumes, masks, and gestures. Every single feature remains the same as it was when it was born hundreds years ago. I think that’s amazing. It’s not very easy to see Khon nowadays — it never was, frankly. We only see it during important events or royal ceremonies. It has an important place in Thai society, which adds to our nation’s mystique. How do you feel about the modern transformation of Khon in popular culture? Often, people working on stage dramas and movies will pay me a visit as part of their research. I’m happy to support works of art that will put Khon in the spotlight, even if it isn’t in a pure, traditional style. True Khon depicts only the story of Ramakien, which is derived from the Hindu Ramayana. As long as the original pattern and core ideas are delivered, though, it’s fine with me. Lots of neighbouring countries stage Khon performances, as well, but we all know whom does it best. Where is the best venue to watch such a performance? There are two places to watch Khon in Bangkok: Sala Chalermkrung

Royal Theatre and the National Theatre. If you want to experience a traditional Khon performance, I would recommend the National Theatre (the tickets are cheaper there, too). What are you doing with your free time now that you’ve retired? Even though I’ve retired, I’m still a consultant for the government’s Department of Performing Arts. I’m also writing a story for a Khon performance at the National Theatre based on two graceful versions originally composed by King Rama II and King Rama VI, respectively. So I guess I’m only retired in title. Besides Khon, what is your favourite form of art? I like Thai paintings, especially the classic ones that line temple walls. I could spend hours soaking them up. It’s not only the lines and colours, but also the story told across the massive wall, that I love. Where do you take visitors in Bangkok? I like to take guests to explore traditional Thailand. That means making merit and visiting temples. There are tons of beautiful temples in Bangkok, after all — in Rattanakosin, in particular. Wat Phra Kaew, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, is a must-see for any visitor. Wat Pho is great, because you can gain some knowledge about Thai poetry and also learn about Thai massage. Or get a Thai massage, of course. bangkok101.com

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hot plates

Jones the Grocer By Tom Vitayakul

ounded in the posh Woollahra suburb of Sydney, Australia, about 18 years ago, Jones the Grocer now has over 15 stores across the globe. Its latest branch graces Bangkok at EmQuartier, the chic shopping complex that doubles as an epicurean heaven. Promising to be a purveyor of gourmet food for everyday living, as well as a café, bakery, and restaurant, Jones the Grocer lives up to its billing. Here, breakfast is served all day, the smell of coffee constantly permeates the air, and desserts fly off the shelf. Jones is as cosy and welcoming as a gourmet store can get. With a vast array of beverages, from wine and cocktails to boutique brews such as Gypsy Inc. from Denmark, Coopers from Adelaide, and Zeffer from New Zealand, those in the mood for a drink are spoilt for choice. For local liquids, fresh, all-natural juices from Twist offer nice variety — Velvet Express blends a silky concoction of mango, pineapple, guava, beetroot, and lime, while Guilty Passion beguilingly extracts confessions from passion fruit, carrot, banana, pineapple, lime, and honey (B80 each). In the kitchen, Paolo Fadda from Rome mans the helm as executive chef while Jade Yok Pornprasit directs the pastry team. Healthy hipsters start afresh with Jones’s salads. Funky Beets (B235), made of poached beetroot, white beans, hazelnut crumble, and snow pea shoots in grape dressing, is augmented by lush whipped ricotta cheese. Dressed in pomegranate honey, Super Foods (B280) comes jam-packed with goodies like broccoli, almonds, barley, carrot, chickpeas, green lentils, and red grapes. With a nod to Thai and Asian influences, crunchy salt and pepper calamari is paired with yuzu-laced mayonnaise and a Thai herb salad spritzed with a tamarind, chilli, and lime dressing. Crab angel hair pasta (B420) is a delicate signature. Al dente capellini d’angelo, tossed with chunky blue swimmer crab meat, gets spiced up by lemon zest, confit of chilli and garlic, and rocket. The Juicy Jones Burger (B495) serves up something more substantial. The house-made bun bursts with a beef patty, bacon, melted Swiss cheese, truffle mayonnaise, pickles, yellow mustard, and caramelised onions. Made from premium Australian wagyu, the burger is best savoured medium. The dessert display is delightfully daunting. It starts with brownies, cookies, and cakes, and unfolds into colourful macarons in the flavours of the moment. A hearty choice is the sticky date pudding, doused in salted caramel sauce and impeccably matched with vanilla bean ice cream (B220). Born in Brisbane, lamingtons are as Australian as it gets, and, of course, Jones has imported its own version. Made from squares of sponge cake, coated with chocolate sauce and desiccated coconut, and glued together by strawberry jam, it is perfect for afternoon tea (B148). However, the most luscious of all is the blueberry and vanilla custard tart (B148). It is to die for. Selections from the grocery are essential for entertaining. Pick up some bread, cold cuts, pasta, sauces, cheese, chocolate, nougat, and wine. Then presto, dinner is served. High-quality ingredients, such as superfine Arborio rice from Rustichella d’Abruzzo, fleur de sel from le Saunier de Camargue, and numerous gourmet products from Thailand, add oomph to dishes. With this level of variety, one should be so lucky as to have Jones the Grocer in the neighbourhood.

JONES THE GROCER GF, EmQuartier, The Waterfall Quartier | 0 2261 0382 facebook.com/jonesthegrocerthailand | daily 10am-11pm

16 | SEP TEM BER 2015

bangkok101.com

J U N E 2014 | 17

Men at work: baristas undergo rigorous training before hitting the floor at Roots 18 | SEPTEMBER 2015

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out & about

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By Hand and by Heart Behind the Scenes at Roots, Where Baristas Come Equipped with Knowledge and Passion WORDS BY CRAIG SAUERS – PHOTOS BY MEGAN FERRERA

loy sets the timer, and the seconds march toward zero. Without pausing for conversation — or checking the clock, for that matter — the young barista darts from task to task. She secures a tawny funnel with her fingertips and pours hot water from a gooseneck kettle over coarse grounds. Her hands are steady. When she does speak, her voice barely exceeds a whisper. She’s something of a relic, wearing a bob cut straight out of Amélie and an apron that looks like a blacksmith’s

Tam adds hot water to the French press bangkok101.com

overalls. Her quiet demeanour, Steampunk look, and razor-sharp focus betray her industry. As the timer ticks down, the pot fills with mahogany-hued coffee, steam cloaking the sides of the glass, and a smile splits her lips. She’s made another perfect pour of a single origin Papua New Guinea grind. It’s early in the afternoon of a Saturday in August. The air is humid and the sky overcast, threatening showers. Within the warm clutter of Roots on Soi Ekamai,

Ploy at the slow-pour counter SEPTEMBER 2015 | 19

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out & about

Two baristas tackle the steamed milk and espresso stations however, few are bothered by the storm brewing outside. Customers trickle in every couple of minutes, grabbing a seat at one of the few tables or settling in at the wooden bar, wedged between the pastry kitchen for Roast and the window, where they get an unadulterated view of baristas like Ploy hard at work. One man listens to music on his iPhone. Two girls chitchat. A couple strike up conversation with one of the baristas.

BARISTAS AT ROOTS ARE TRAINED IN EVERY FACET OF COFFEE MAKING AND MANAGEMENT, FROM STEAMED MILK AND LATTE ART TO ROASTING BEANS, EXTRACTION AND STRENGTH, FINDING THE PROPER GRIND, AND FLOOR EXPERIENCE. THAT MAKES THEM LESS COGS IN A MACHINE THAN JACKS-OF-ALL-TRADES. Despite the profusion of cafés popping up suggesting otherwise — and the overwhelming volume of coffee 20 | SEPTEMBER 2015

shop photos appearing on Instagram — the life of a barista is neither as simple, nor as quaint, as it would seem. Witsawawit “Tam” Chantaweesomboon, a head barista and floor manager at Roots, began to appreciate the nuance in coffee while studying in Australia, but it took years for him to sharpen the skills he would need to climb the ladder at Roots. While customers are eagerly suggested to learn about the process behind their coffee, upstart baristas must know it inside and out. “It starts with knowledge. You have to understand coffee before you can practice,” says Tam. As he describes the factors that influence taste, Tam’s eyes light up behind his glasses. He mentions the varietal Catimor as if it were common knowledge, and returns repeatedly to blueberry as the true indicator of ideal flavour. “If it tastes like green banana, the beans aren’t ripe,” he says. “When the packaging is loose, or the bag has been on the ground, that affects the quality. Soil, altitude, the side of the mountain the plants grown on, if the beans are too dry — that all affects taste.” In its three-plus years of existence, Roots has become a willing lodestone for coffee connoisseurs. The atmosphere at the café is communal, home-like, and its no-frills, lived-in character has attracted hosts of regulars. So too has its simple “pay what you think is fair” policy for drinks and pastries. On this Saturday, one customer has come from Singapore on the recommendation of a friend. “It’s amazing how coffee has changed here,” he bangkok101.com

The greatest way for lovers of Vietnamese food to enjoy and sample a rich selection of Vietnamese cuisine. Our Vietnamese chef is preparing daily the ďŹ nest Vietnamese dishes for our a la carte buffet at Le Danang, take your time and have a really leisurely meal. THB 650++ / person

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND RESERVATION PLEASE CONTACT KHUN YING (F&B RESERVATION COORDINATOR) T: 02 541 1234 EXT. 4151 | E: FB_OFFICE@CHR.CO.TH

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out & about

Suggested prices lend a laid-back vibe to Roots

Slow-pour coffee has rocketed in popularity

Finishing off an iced latte

says between sips of the house blend espresso, chased, to his bemusement, with the palate-cleansing sparkling water served with his coffee. “It’s like in Singapore, [where] there’s a tradition of mixing that really thick, oilblack coffee with incredibly sweet condensed milk. That’s how our grandfathers enjoyed it. This is a far cry from those days.” As Ploy works the pour-over station, Tam sidles up beside her. He adjusts his glasses before scooping grounds into a French press, covering them evenly with near-boiling water. Baristas at Roots, he explains, are trained in every facet of coffee making and management, from steamed milk and latte art to roasting beans, extraction and strength, finding the proper grind, and floor experience. That makes them less cogs in a machine than jacks-of-all-trades. Every week, they switch stations — next week, Ploy might man the espresso machine, or perhaps the steamed milk station, where cups are polished off with latte art, a skill that takes months of daily practice to perfect — not only to fend off boredom, but also to better understand harmony in coffee, from the fruit to the cup. During this shift, three baristas work behind the narrow bar, bound by a wall on one side and swinging gates on the other. Tam, the floor manager, lends a hand when necessary. Space is tight. The bar is not a bar, in the traditional sense. Espresso machines, French presses, siphons, AeroPress devices, and beaker-like cold brew gear

provide a laboratory-like effect; their presence is symbolic, speaking to the encyclopaedic knowledge of the staff, but they also represent the café’s unkempt style. The machines are decorated with curled paper artwork. The dishrags are mismatched. About the only thing that’s uniform is the Machine Age look of the baristas. The men are clad in denim and magnolia blue, their facial hair either scruffy or moustachioed, resembling mechanics in the shop. As Tam looks over the bar and into the pastry kitchen, where two chefs are sprinkling cinnamon sugar onto flattened dough, he explains that new baristas typically train four hours in the shop each week, but they’re more or less expected to practice at home, and often. Though the café is open only on the weekend, the team meets each Friday, sharing new knowledge and coming together for coffee cuppings. They learn each day so that they can spread knowledge to their customers, says Tam. It’s a holistic approach to coffee that keeps energy levels high and passion on point. Working mechanically, Ploy puts the finishing touches on another pour-over coffee. She fills a Ball jar with the piping hot liquid and places it on a tray with a ceramic cup and a business-card-sized piece of cardstock, emblazoned with the Roots logo, which provides information about this particular brew. She moves on to the next task, adding 20 grams of fresh grounds to the filter. Then she resets the clock to two minutes and ten seconds. When the time is right, Ploy starts over again.

22 | SEPTEMBER 2015

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best of bkk

Local coffee shops, like the quaint Ink & Lion, have infused Bangkok’s café culture with a double shot of energy 24 | SEPTEMBER 2015

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best of bkk

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Caffeine Kick With such an abundance of cafés, it’s hard to know what’s truly good. Here are Bangkok’s top cafés – chosen by us, chosen by you – broken down by neighbourhood.

t’s hard to believe the ways coffee has changed in the past decade. From saccharine Nescafé toted in plastic bags to shade-grown Ethiopian Arabica beans locally roasted, hand-ground, and brewed in an AeroPress, coffee appreciation has radically transformed in Bangkok. So, too, has café culture. It’s hard to reconcile a love for gafe bolan with a taste for cold-brewed coffee and siphon filters, and yet

we do. Some of the most traditional Thai coffee shops are still kicking, adored by generations young and old. At the same time, doe-eyed baristas, rapt in the science of brewing, are opening cafés by the week. Is Bangkok a Melbourne in waiting? Maybe, maybe not. But one thing is for sure: coffee is on the rise in Thailand, especially Bangkok. With the scene booming, now is a great time to hit the streets, mug in hand.

hong Lo – Ekamai

The density of poured-over, French-pressed cafés in these interconnected neighbourhoods, equal parts hipster and hi-so, speaks to the strength of coffee culture not only here, but in Bangkok on the whole. – Among the many excellent options, the young Ink & Lion in Ekamai is making a name for itself. The beans largely come from local roasters Brave, Ceresia, and Pacamara, and desserts from Size S Bakery. All of the goodies are treated with the level of care they deserve—slow-drip coffee and photo-worthy latte art prepared by au fait baristas. The space doubles as an art gallery, begging for slow mornings spent lingering over an espresso and a fresh waffle served with homemade ice cream. Roots and its trailblazing affiliate Roast are institutions, the latter a must-visit brunch spot as well as a café. Try the cold-brewed coffee at Roots, and be sure to chat up the baristas; their coffee knowledge is encyclopaedic, to say the least. Nikko Café, with its garden seating, well-made coffee, and gentle foray into nightlife with Japanese-inspired cocktails, is a pleasant place to while away the hours. On the corner of Petchaburi Road, Fu.5 Coffee is a cosy 24-hour joint that serves a mean banh mi and refreshing fruit concoctions, as well as coffee and tea. On critically endangered street food haven Soi 38, Hands and Heart has gone all-in on minimalism, offering single origin slow pours in a stark white-and-black space.

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Over in Ekamai, Kaizen Coffee Co. takes the soul of the Australian scene up a notch, dabbling in gadgetry like nitrogen-brewed coffee. Check out Phil Coffee for another take on cold-brewed coffee. One Ounce for Onion, the café-shop attached to the phenomenal Brave Roasters, is every bit as good as expected. Like so much of Bangkok, Elmar Offwhite is caught up in the South Korean craze, churning out delicious gawkworthy desserts (Dutch Babies, Bingsu, Strawberry Woo U) as well as smooth, creamy coffee.

Elmar Offwhite

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best of bkk

athorn – Silom

Quaint coffee shops speckle the Sathorn landscape like dandelions. Home to skyscrapers, office towers, luxury hotels, and sky-high serviced apartments, this bustling community has transformed in recent years. Now, there’s no shortage of places to enjoy a quality cup of joe, whether at the kiosk or café.

Rocket

Too Fast To Sleep

– There’s more than espresso brewing at Rocket Coffee Bar. This Swedish-owned café is as beloved for caffeinated creations as it is Instagraminducing dishes, all adhering to an organic, farm-to-table philosophy. From fresh-squeezed juice blends to coldbrewed Rocket Fuel, and from light wood tables to a central serving bar, everything about this place screams cutting-edge and cosmopolitan. For a sure thing, visit one of the Dean & Deluca branches, in particular the one in MahaNakhon Cube; it takes the form of a dine-in restaurant and deli, and the coffee never lets you down. Up the road, latenight worker bees flock to Too Fast To Sleep, one of Bangkok’s favourite 24-hour cafés. Coffee Society, in the proverbial heart of Silom Road, also serves roundthe-clock jolts. On Soi Ngam Du Phli, Size S Coffee & Bakery makes some tooth-tickling desserts, which go perfectly with pour-over coffees. Next to BTS Sala Daeng, Flair the Espresso Bar prides itself on velvety coffee with cute, innovative latte art.

ukhumvit

Not to be one-upped, the neighbourhoods along the lurching BTS present a grab-bag of cafés, each with its own distinct local flavour. Dare we say “spoilt for choice”?

– At Hello Strangers, the coffee has a nice fruit-like taste and balanced acidity, and the latte art—swans, lions, flowers—melts hearts. Set back in Sukhumvit 26, the café achieves a laid-back vibe conducive to reading, writing, or simply meditating over a brownie or two. Also on Sukhumvit 26, KIOSKcafe offers a sophisticated aspect to the scene, playing host to performance art on occasion. Check out Japaneseinspired Li-Bra-Ry for a moment of Zen with a caramel macchiato and a good book to read. Right on Sukhumvit, California import Artís serves beautiful single origin coffees and desserts. Part roaster, part café, the minimally decorated Ceresia serves a wonderful flat white, among other options; you can pick up premium house-roasted beans here, too. Low-lit Wonderwall the Kaffebar bakes pastries each day, fine foils to its strong small batch coffee. 26 | SEPTEMBER 2015

Hello Strangers

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Urban expansion hasn’t hit Ari as it has other parts of the city. Sprawl means something different here. This neighbourhood carries residential undertones, and those, in turn, have influenced its café scene. – In a word, Porcupine Café is cutesy. Or hipster. Or kitsch. Who cares? The coffees, teas, and desserts taste great, and the space is perfect for getting work done. That is, as long as you can resist posting photos of the interior décor on your Instagram account.

Porcupine Café

Other standout cafés in this tight-knit community include Puritan; the hodgepodge decorations might make it resemble an antique store, but the beautiful desserts say otherwise. Case Lapin X Ari marks another notch in the belt as the café gradually takes over the city, one neighbourhood at a time. Try the French press coffee for a clear brew. Another quaint hangout has also expanded to Ari. Kaffe by Li-Bra-Ry offers the same kind of relaxed air, spot-on coffees, and tasty desserts as its sister venue in Phrom Pong.

Case Lapin X Ari

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best of bkk

ld Town

Not just a place where the beauty of tradition is on display, Rattanakosin—Bangkok’s Old Town—also claims a handful of cafés that echo of the olden days. – On Lok Yun is a time capsule. This shophouse has hardly changed since it opened 80 years ago. Even the owners might be the same—it sure feels that way. With only ten tables, finding a seat can be a challenge, but when you get one, do as the locals do: order olieng with sangkaya toast. Before you know it, you might find yourself talking politics with the regular cast of elderly Thai-Chinese men. On Lok Yun isn’t the only game in town. Kopi Hya Tai Kee, located next to the Giant Swing, has served strong, milky coffee with its special khai ga ta since 1953. Eiah Sae, in Yaowarat, is gritty and old and wonderful, overflowing with grandpas playing chess and reading the paper; drop in for a glass of the black stuff with condensed milk. It’s not all old, either. There are plenty of modern cafés, like Farm to Table, which occupies an old building near Pak Klong Talad; Favour Café, famous for its unique style of brewing coffee with an octagonal moka pot; and Café Velodome, a bikefriendly café near Thammasat.

On Lok Yun

iam – Phyathai

This junction of fashion and trends doesn’t have a lot of places to enjoy a good cup of coffee, but the few that are here offer cool café vibes.

– At the Bangkok Art & Cultural Centre, Gallery Drip Coffee is a destination through and through, thanks to its slow-life dedication to the art of coffee. All beans are fair trade, roasted by the owners in Bangkok, and hand-ground in the café before being brewed using the pour-over method. The various single origin beans from northern Thailand are especially worth a taste. Not to mention this supports Thai farmers.

Gallery Drip Coffee

Outside of Gallery Drip, pickings are slim, although Factory Café & Brew Bar, near Victory Monument, begs to differ. Baristas offer a variety of brewing methods, including siphon and à la mode AeroPress.

YOUR PICK – ROCKET COFFEE BAR We asked you to name your favourite café in Bangkok. You said Rocket. It’s hard to find fault with that selection. All three branches of the Scandinavian-tinged Rocket are at the forefront of café culture in the city, with their fresh menus and bold, clear coffee. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us, and congratulations to everyone at Rocket!

28 | SEPTEMBER 2015

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café listings

ARI CASA LAPIN X ARI 8 Noble Rifrom Building, Soi Phaholyothin 7 | 0 2116 3308 | facebook. com/CasaLapin | 7am-10pm

COFFEE MODEL 190/1 Pradipat Rd | 08 1991 0000 facebook.com/CoffeeModel | daily 10.30am-10pm

KAFFE BY LIBRARY Noble Space, 8/2 Soi Phaholyothin 7 daily 9.30am-8.30pm

MY COFFEE BTS Ari Exit 1 | 09 7952 7665 facebook.com/saymycoffee | daily 9am9pm

PORCUPINE CAFÉ 111/1 Soi Phaholyothin 7 | 08 6889 9210, 09 4691 4649 | facebook.com/ porcupineari | daily 10am-10pm

PURITAN 46/1 Soi Aree 5 | 0 2357 1099 facebook.com/Puritan.cafe | Tues-Fri 1pm-10pm, Sat-Sun 11am-10pm

OLD TOWN CAFÉ VELODOME

available here Thammasat University, Tha Prachan 0 2623 6340 | facebook.com/ CafeVelodome | 8am-8pm

CAFFERINO KHAO SAN ROAD

available here 259 Rikka Inn Hotel, Khao San Rd 08 1353 0983 | daily 7.30am-4.30pm

DIALOGUE COFFEE AND GALLERY 533 Thanon Phra Sumen | 08 4754 8799 facebook.com/Dialogue.bkk | Tue-Sun 11am-11pm

DOUBLE DOGS

available here 406 Yaowarat Rd | 08 6329 3075 facebook.com/DoubleDogsTeaRoom Tues-Thurs 1pm-9pm, Fri-Sun 1pm10pm

EIAH SAE 1-103 Yaowarat Rd | 08 1868 989 daily 4am-8pm 30 | SEPTEMBER 2015

FARM TO TABLE 179 Atsadang Rd | 0 2115 2625 facebook.com/FarmToTableOrganicCafe daily 10am-8pm

FAVOUR CAFÉ Tha Maharaj | 0 9925 64659 facebook. com/favourcafe | daily 10am-9pm

FOONG COFFEE AND BAR Phra Athit Rd. | 09 8565 8565 facebook.com/foongcoffeebar | daily 8am-10pm

JAYWALK CAFÉ 90 Phra Athit Rd | 08 6061 7000 facebook.com/jaywalkcafe | Mon-Thur 8am-6pm, Fri-Sun 8am-9pm

KOPI HYA TAI KEE Soi Samranrat, next to the Giant Swing 0 2621 0828 | 7am-8.30pm

MITRAMITR TEAHOUSE

available here 32 Thanon Phra Sumen, Banglumpoo 0 2126 6567 |Facebook.com/ mitramitteahouse | daily 11am-11pm

MOKA COFFEE & GALLERY 92 Soi Rambutree Rd. | mokaworld.net Mon-Sat 11am-9pm

ON LOK YUN 72 Charoenkrung Rd | 0 2223 9621 6am-4pm

SATHORN – SILOM DEAN AND DELUCA

available here GF, The Cube, Mahanakhon Narathiwas Rd | 0 2234 1434 | deandeluca.co.th 7am-11pm

EVERYDAY KARMAKAMET 1F, Yada Building, Silom Rd | BTS Sala Daeng, MRT Silom | 0 237 1148 everydaykmkm.com | Mon-Fri 8am10pm, Sat-Sun 11am-10pm

FLAIR THE ESPRESSO BAR Thaniya Plaza, Silom Rd | 09 5245 4942 facebook.com/flairbkk Mon-Fri 7.30am6pm, Sat-Sun 10am-6pm.

MOKO COFFEE & EATERY

available here Soi Sathon 10 | 0 2635 3673 | facebook. com/MokoRestaurant | 8am-10pm

PEONY TEAFE

available here Soi Saladaeng 1 | 0 2235 5369 | peonyhouse.com |Mon-Fri 7am-8pm, Sat-Sun 9am-5pm

ROCKET COFFEE BAR 149, Sathorn Soi 12 | 0 26350 404 rocketcoffeebar.com | daily 7am-9pm

SIZE S COFFEE & BAKERY

available here 5/25 Soi Ngam Du Phli | 0 2286 6117 facebook.com/sizescafe | Mon-Sat 7.30am-6pm

TOO FAST TO SLEEP

available here 762 Rama IV Rd | MRT Sam Yan 08 6300 9955 | facebook.com/ toofasttosleep | daily, 24 hours

SUKHUMVIT ARTIS

available here 390/20 Sukhumvit Rd, Soi 18 | 0 2262 0760 | facebook.com/artisbangkok | daily 6.30am-7pm

CAFÉ LITTLE SPOON

available here Sukhumvit 21, BTS Asoke | MRT Sukhumvit | 08 7983 9001 | facebook. com/cafelittlespoon | Tues-Thurs, Sun 10am-9pm, Fri-Sat 10am-10pm

CERESIA COFFEE ROASTER

available here 593/29-41 Sukhumvit 33/1 | BTS Phrom Phong | 09 8251 4327 | Mon-Fri 8am6pm, Sat 9am-5pm

ELYSIAN TEA Sukhumvit 49/1 | 0 2662 6964 | elysiantea.com | Tues-Sun 9am-8pm

HELLO STRANGERS 61/45 Sukhumvit 26 | 09 0994 8760 facebook.com/hellostrangerscafe | MonFri 8am-8pm, Sat-Sun 10am-8pm

KIOSKCAFE 65 Sukhumvit 26 | 0 2259 4089 | kioskcafe.com | Tues-Thurs 10.30am-9pm, Fri-Sun 10.30am-11pm

KUPPA 39 Sukhumvit Soi 16 | 0 2663 0450 kuppa.co.th daily 10am-11pm bangkok101.com

café listings LI-BRA-RY CAFÉ 2 Soi Metheenivet, Sukhumvit 24 | BTS Phrom Phong | 0 2259 2878 | facebook. com/librarycafe 8am-9pm

PACAMARA

available here 2F Rain Hill, Sukhumvit Soi 47 | 0 2261 7830 | facebook.com/pacamaracoffee

PARDEN 2F The Manor, 32/1 Sukhumvit 39 0 2204 2205 | facebook.com/Parden. Bangkok | Tues-Sun 11am-5.45pm

SERENDIB TEAHOUSE

available here 120/24 Sukhumvit Soi 23 | 0 2115 2144 facebook.com/Serendibtearoom | daily 11am-7pm

TINPRESSO 341/1, Wachiratham Sathit 21, Sukhumwit 101/1 | 08 1636 9531 facebook.com/ TINPRESSO | daily 9.15am-6.30pm

WONDERWALL THE KAFFEBAR

available here Avora 31 Residence, 28 Sukhumvit 31 | 08 6528 2824 | facebook.com/ WKaffebar | Mon-Sat 7.30am-7pm, Sun 10am-7pm

THONG LO – EKAMAI CAFE D’LA FLEUR Fifty Fifth Plaza, Soi Thong Lo 2 08 1495 1783 | 9am-9pm

ELMAR OFFWHITE CAFÉ 50/5 Sukhumvit 63 Rd | 09 9194 6169 facebook.com/elmarcoffee | daily 11am10pm

FU.5 COFFEE 1F Thru Thonglor Condo, 2790 Phetchaburi Rd | 09 2097 2990 facebook.com/fu.5coffee | open daily 24 hrs

HANDS AND HEART Ascella Condominium, 33 Sukhumvit Soi 38 | 08 1442 7977 facebook.com/ handsandheartcoffee | daily 7am-9pm

INK & LION CAFÉ

available here 1/7 Ekkamai Soi 2 | 09 1559 0994 facebook.com/inkandlioncafe | Mon-Fri 9am-6pm, Sat-Sun 10am-7pm bangkok101.com

KAIZEN COFFEE CO.

available here Tai Ping Tower, 582/5 Sukhumvit 63 09 8831 6009 | facebook.com/ kaizencoffeeco | daily 7am-7pm

MR BEAN COFFEE SHOP 154 Soi Sukhumvit 55 | BTS Thong Lo 09 2503 7315 mrbeanthailand.com | daily 7am-11pm

NIKKO CAFE

available here Ekkamai 12 | 0 2381 5291 | nikkocafe. com, facebook.com/NikkoCafe | daily 10am-11.50pm

ONE OUNCE FOR ONION 19/12 Ekkamai Soi 12 | 0 2046 6885 facebook.com/oneounceforonion 8am-8pm

PEACE ORIENTAL TEAHOUSE

available here 70/5 Sukhumvit 63 | 09 7267 2626 peaceteahouse.com | Sun-Thurs 10am8.30pm, Fri-Sat 10am-11pm

PERHAPS RABBITS’ 5/1 Ekkamai 10 Alley | 09 6616 3314 facebook.com/perhapsrabbits | daily 9am-9pm

PHIL COFFEE

available here 21 Sukhumvit 61 | 0 2001 5850 philscoffeecompany.com | Tues-Sun 9am-6pm

ROAST CAFÉ

available here 2F Seenspace, Thong Lo 13 | 0 2185 2866 | roastbkk.com | Mon-Thurs 10am11pm, Fri-Sat 9am-11pm, Sun 9am-10pm

ROOTS

available here Ekamai Soi 17 | 08 0190 5950 | rootsbkk. com | Sat-Sun 12pm-8pm

TEALILY CAFÉ

available here Sukhumvit 39 | 0 2019 8287 | facebook. com/tealilycafe | 9.30am-6.30pm closed on Wednesday

TINY CUP CAFÉ

available here 411/2 between Thong Lo 21-23 | 0 2712 5112 | facebook.com/TinyCupBKK daily 7am-7pm

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SIAM – PHYATHAI CAFÉ AT EASE

available here 38/1 Soi Kasemson 2 | BTS National Stadium | 08 7799 0781 | facebook.com/ cafeateasebangkok | daily 8.30am-6.30p

CAFÉ DE NORASINGHA Phyathai Palace, 315 Ratchawithi Rd 0 2354 8376 | Mon-Fri 8.30am-7pm, SatSun 10.30am-7pm

CATURDAY CAT CAFE 115 Phyathai Rd | BTS Rachathewi Exit 2 | 0 2115 1335 | facebook.com/ Caturdaycatcafe | daily 12pm-9pm

FACTORY CAFE & BREW BAR

available here BTS Phyathai | 08 5145 4184 | facebook. com/factoryespressobar | Mon-Sat 9am7.30pm, Sun 10am-4pm

GALLERY DRIP COFFEE

available here 1F Bangkok Art & Culture Centre, 08 1917 2131 | facebook.com/ GalleryDripCoffee | Tues-Sun 11am-9pm

HELLO KITTY HOUSE BANGKOK Siam Square1 | 0 2115 1335 hellokittyhousebangkok.com | daily 10am-10pm

HOLLYS COFFEE

available here Siam Square1, 4th floor | 0 2252 3387 facebook.com/HollysThailand | daily 10am-10pm

I+D STYLE CAFÉ X BRAVE ROASTERS 1F Siam Center | 0 2678 5000 | facebook. com/braveroasters | daily 8am-10pm

QUEST CONNAISSEUR CAFÉ BTS Phyathai | 0 2612 1442 | facebook. com/questcafebkk | daily 6am-10pm

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making merit

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making merit

CITY PU LSE

HelpLive Building a Better Future for Children on the Border and Beyond BY PONGPHOP SONGSIRIARCHA

he story begins at Tha Song Yang in Tak Province, the secluded border between Thailand and Myanmar. Children in this village rarely ate three meals a day. Often it was one meal, if that. “I always wanted to help,” says Indian-born Kilang Pongen. “When I found out about the number of displaced children in need [in Tha Song Yang], I knew that that was where I could really help.” In 2009, Pongen established HelpLive, a charity aimed at improving the living conditions of at-risk children, like those in the oft-neglected border town in Tak. The charity helps villages and orphanages obtain greater access to education, housing, clothing, hygienic needs, and medical care. HelpLive also sends them a monthly supply of food. At first, HelpLive sought contributions from various groups in Bangkok, in particular from fellow members of the Christian community. Money from donations proved inconsistent, though, and so Pongen sought creative solutions to increase funding. Three years later, in 2012, he and his friend, Warong “Yo” Niwedrangsan, came up with the idea of running an affiliated business that would send a portion of its profits to the charity. “We saw how much people were drinking coffee, and we thought, ‘Maybe this could work,’ ” says Pongen. And so HelpLive Coffee was born, its first kiosk set up in from of Adams Organic, the owner a friend who wanted to help the mission, as well. HelpLive Coffee gets its beans directly from a plantation in Chiang Rai and roasts them in Bangkok. The menu is simple—just six choices: espresso, americano, cappuccino, latte, mocha, cocoa, and green tea. Today, there are three kiosks located in Bangkok: Sala Deang Road, BTS Chong Nonsi, and Farm to Table Organic bangkok101.com

Café (Pak Klong Talad). A portion from each purchase, amounting to one simple meal, goes to the charity. A year after launching the coffee project, Pongen organized HelpLive’s first teacher training programme. So far, there have been five, and there are more in the works. The project sends volunteers from international schools in Bangkok upcountry for a weekend, where they train local Thai and Burmese teachers, also volunteers, in formal education practices. HelpLive has also hired a farmer to plant different kinds of fruits and vegetables in the villages to support their food supplies. The driving idea is to empower the communities to lift themselves up despite dire straits, working toward independence and self-sustainability. Since 2012, HelpLive has constructed houses, classrooms, and playgrounds; provided electricity and water systems; arranged dental check-ups for children; and founded the HelpLive networking centre. It has even organized charity concerts to raise funding for and awareness of kids in need. So far, HelpLive has built homes and provided food to over 80 children directly, serving in a sense as caretakers, and has impacted the lives of nearly 1000 others. Pongen also plans to expand the charity to India, where there are many thousands of children in need of help.

HelpLive is always on the lookout for donations and volunteers. To get more information about the programmes, visit helplive.org or e-mail helplivethailand@gmail. com. Of course, you can always add to the cause by purchasing a cup of coffee at any of the kiosks on your way home or to work. SEPTEMBER 2015 | 33

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on the block

Numthong Gallery at Aree

Aran Bicicleta

Laliart Coffee 34 | SEPTEMBER 2015

Casa Azul bangkok101.com

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nan Akso

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Fa ng

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CASA AZUL

Art Space

SALT FAT BIRD

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garnishes, and top shelf liquor. The old fashioned is quite the treat. If beers are your bag, O’Glee is stacked with weird and wonderful IPAs, wheat ales, and pale ales from across the world. A bottle of Evil Twin Hipster, anyone? While booze and photo-friendly eats are a big appeal of Ari, a visit to the area should include a poke around Numthong Gallery at Aree, one of the city’s best and most underrated art galleries, which showcases both local and international talents, as well as an art research library in its 130 square metre exhibition space. One night, quite frankly, isn’t enough when it comes to dinner in Ari. You’re spoiled for choice with cultfavourite Fat Bird offering up substantial portions of western and Thai favourites served up in a deliberately shabby renovated shop house. Alternatively, Hanazen is a low-key restaurant which offers affordable Japanese cuisine and a well-stocked sake bar. Summer Street is Bangkok’s most photogenic food truck, serving generous buckets overflowing with seafood. Casa Azul is one of the area’s newest openings, which is a perfect stop-off for good quality, light Mexican fare. But it’s Salt that still has the city’s heart, even after all these years. The glass-walled dining room is one of the city’s sexiest, and a menu of wood-fired pizzas, Italian, French, and Japanese cuisine keep even the pickiest of fine diners satisfied. Pair dinner with a good glug of something from the restaurant’s wellchosen wine list and you’ve got yourself an Ari evening that’s hard to beat. iK

ove long weekends with nothing to do but chill out with friends and feel a bit cultured while you do it? That’s where Ari’s laidback charms lure you in. This cool little corner of the city manages to stay cutting-edge and stylish while simultaneously avoiding most of the hype new venues elsewhere in the city seem unable to escape. The beauty of it? It’s just a couple of stops too far on the BTS for most of the sociable types to bother with much. There’s something about Ari that sums up perfect weekends: a lazy afternoon (drip) coffee and wandering through an art gallery leads to a relaxed bite to eat and then evening (craft) beers that end in the small hours. It’s punctuated by artsy venues that lend themselves to lingering in, ensuring you’ll get some quality Instagram snaps in the process. Casa Lapin x Ari is an ideal first stop. One of the area’s well-established venyes, it’s a sure-thing when you need a good, strong coffee and a perhaps a slice of cake, too. We don’t want to use the “H” word, but wooden tables, copies of Kinfolk, and beautiful latte art do invite a vintage filter. It isn’t the only spot in the neighbourhood that’s been daubed by the hipster brush. Tokyobike Thailand is a one-stop shot for all your cool-kid needs, with both lightweight Japanese bikes and a coffee shop, Laliart Coffee, on site. Aran Bicicletta, another local bike café, hosts Barka, which serves up some of the best cocktails in the city; we’re talking homemade infusions, elaborate

BY GABY DOMAN

ri S am iA So

hah

SEPTEMBER 2015 | 35

GENDER BENDERS LIKE GENE KASIDIT REPRESENT THE COMPLEX NATURE OF THAI SEXUAL IDENTITY

36 | SEP TEM BER 2015

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insight

S N A P S H OT S

Tom’s Two Satang Join Bangkok-born but internationally bred aesthete Dr. Tom Vitayakul as he gives his own unique take on Thailand and its capital. Each month he tackles a different aspect of the local culture – from art and festivals to 21st-century trends – in a lighthearted yet learned manner

ON GENDER

ontrasting our Buddhist façade, we Thais have a rather relaxed and tolerant attitude toward sexuality and gender. No brassieres were burnt during the sexual revolution. Often compared to the elephant’s hind legs, Thai women stay behind to support their men—they are, however, often the ones who hold the purse strings in households. Standard male-female relationships aside, Thailand’s third sex has thrust sexual intricacy over the rainbow. The titles Mr and Ms have gone amiss here. On the surface, gays and lesbians are prominent in both urban and rural Thai communities. Gender diversity is as old as time itself. The oft-used word “kathoey,” originally Khmer, actually means “hermaphrodite.” To some extent, its use broadly covers homosexuals, transvestites, and transsexuals. However, in the 70s, the word “gay” was adopted to represent gays and lesbians. Long before Caitlyn Jenner made the news, Thais weren’t even batting their eyelids over gay and transgender public figures. When I was young, Paan Bunnag, a famous hairdresser, was at the forefront of the gay crowd. Later, Parinya Charoenphol’s life was made into an award-winning film, “The Beautiful Boxer.” Although caricatured portrayals of gays in mainstream media have become more balanced and realistic, most roles are still comically or tragically conceived. Gays seem to be socially accepted working within certain professions, such as fashion, beauty, design, communication, hospitality, and entertainment. But if involved in politics or upper management, a closet can be comforting. Coming out isn’t hard for most, but acceptance is another story. Conservative or homophobic families may not be able to cope easily with their family members’ sexual expression. Trauma from anxiety, stress, and depression is common; suicide is sometimes seen an easy way out. While some keep their closet’s door ajar, others seek safety-net solutions, such as covering up their secrets with marriage. The current state of human sexuality is more perplexing than a Pedro Almodóvar movie. Recently coined terms, like intersex and pansexual, create more confusion within an already confusing field—fathoming the fluidity of the mind is enough of a challenge, not to mention having to consider sexual ambiguity. If Dr. Kinsey and his team were conducting their research at present, they would be bangkok101.com

having a field day. The spectrum of gender identity, role, orientation, and attraction now stretches over 50 shades of sexuality. Bisexuality is no longer shocking—it can double or triple your chances on any given night. Yet when it comes to serious matters, such as equality and legal and marital rights, the Thai LGBTI (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual, and Intersex) community still faces a gauntlet of obstacles. Ladyboys are typically associated with the country’s nightlife, and Thailand performs the most sexual reassignment surgeries in the world. But is there life beyond cabaret shows and the cosmetics counter? Although there are other choices, many choose to bare their bodies for business. It’s because social and occupational discrimination makes it difficult to find employment outside these environs. So this is how most choose to make a living and, perhaps, find love. But can “straight” men who go out with them notice the differences? Or are they attracted to unusually tall, bosomy, deep-voiced girls with big hands and feet, who also happen to be equipped with male genitalia? For several years, the Thai national assembly has debated allowing transgender persons to legally change their titles after having a sex change operation. Most cannot. So their titles remain the same, but their newly minted names may not represent their birth gender. Looking at someone’s Thai ID cards or passports can be confusing—Mr Desirée sounds quite fetching, doesn’t it? The Thai LGBTI community has never really fought for their rights in marriage or civil partnership. When premarital and extramarital sex is the norm, regardless of sexual orientation, why let legal papers ruin spontaneous love? So what happens after “happily ever after”? Like in many countries, de facto partners don’t have rights to hospital visits or common properties. Since we don’t look after ourselves, we are then looked over. As long as we don’t make too many waves, we are deemed fine. While much of the Western world is celebrating samesex marriage, a harbinger for social equality, Thailand, the “Land of Sexual Freedom,” hasn’t yet fully acknowledged the rights of its LGBTI community. Love may win, but do we have the courage to ask for what is justly ours: equal rights and protections irrespective of origin, religion, or sex, to have all judgment cast aside? As RuPaul said, “We’re born naked, and the rest is drag.” SEPTEMBER 2015 | 37

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Joe’s Bangkok Award-winning writer Joe Cummings was born in New Orleans but became one of Lonely Planet’s first guidebook authors, creating the seminal Lonely Planet Thailand guide, as well as several other titles and updates for the region. Each month, he picks out his favourite cultural gems throughout Bangkok.

GOLD DOMES AND RED CURRY EVERY FRIDAY, ONE OF BANGKOK’S OLDEST MUSLIM NEIGHBOURHOODS COMES ALIVE.

ucked away down a narrow alley off Charoen Krung 36 — re-christened “Rue de Brest” in 2013, in honour of the French port where Siamese emissaries disembarked in 1686 to visit King Louis XIV — Haroon Mosque is one of Bangkok’s oldest places of Muslim worship. It is also the heart of a spirited neighbourhood that’s home to more than 500 residents, most of them followers of Islam, whose forebears immigrated to the city from southern Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. At the west end of Rue de Brest, the historic French Ambassador’s Residence overlooks the Chao Phraya 38 | SEPTEMBER 2015

River, while Silom Road skyscrapers loom over the neighbourhood to the east. Meanwhile, the venerable Mandarin Oriental can be found one soi to the south in Charoen Krung 38. Oral histories say Bangkok’s first mosque was built near Wat Arun on the Thonburi side of the river around 400 years ago, most likely by a transplanted Persian community. Nothing remains of the original structure, but century-old Tonson Mosque stands in its place. The city’s second mosque came about after a devout Muslim named Toh Haroon Bafadel immigrated to Thailand from his home town of Pontianak, Indonesia, bangkok101.com

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around 1820. With the help of other immigrants in the area, he completed a one-story wooden mosque in 1828, in a blend of Javanese and Ayuthaya styles, and served as its first imam. He was succeeded by his son Haji Muhammed Yusup, and after more Muslims moved into the neighbourhood, the original mosque was replaced with a larger and more substantial building with brick walls in 1934. Some of the wood salvaged from the old building was used in the construction of a second story, which today is the most beautiful section of the mosque, with its arched windows topped with delicately carved ventilators. Non-Muslims aren’t permitted to enter Haroon Mosque, but visitors are welcome to admire the building from the outside, relax amid the trees and benches of the community park in back, or wander the adjacent alleys to track down Muslim culinary treats. The best time visit the Haroon Mosque neighbourhood is on a Friday, when Muslims from near and far gather for morning and midday prayers. Haroon’s current imam delivers the Friday sermon in English as well as Thai, a relative anomaly which draws a huge number of non-Thai worshippers. Another Friday attraction is the food vendors who fill the adjacent alleyways from early morning until early afternoon, offering everything from rich Muslim curries to rose-scented rice pudding, combining influences from southern Thailand, Malaysia, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. My favourite graze on a Friday morning is a humble table topped with two huge curry pots and managed by an elderly Thai Muslim couple. The two curries, available for takeaway only, change from week to week. The kaeng janda, a deep red masala filled with chicken and long chunks of Asian eggplant, is easily one of the best curries bangkok101.com

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I’ve ever tasted, in any country. I’m also crazy about a thick and very spicy yoghurt-based kurma made with large pieces of bone-in chicken and boiled chicken eggs. The couple refers to it as kaeng hindoo. A little further up the soi, toward Charoen Krung, is a humble one-story house serving tasty biryani — khao mok in Thai — in both chicken and mutton versions. Most of the supply is reserved for post-prayer donations to mosque devotees, but if there is any left over, the owners are happy to sell takeaways. If you’re Muslim and have finished praying in the mosque, you can have it for free. Elsewhere, look for samosas (pastry triangles filled with spiced chicken and potato) and head-ripping southernstyle fish curry. Near the entrance to the alley leading to the mosque is a small sundries stall where the owner makes excellent kopi (southern Thai-style coffee) using fresh-ground beans from the south and drawing hot water from a type of steel boiler rarely seen in Bangkok these days. Close to the mosque, a small shop sells simple and fancy haji caps, Arab-style prayer robes, and various other accoutrements of Muslim religious life. The biggest day of the year for Haroon Mosque is the end of the annual Ramadan fast during the 10th month of the Islamic lunar calendar. The number of devotees easily doubles, and the assortment of foods multiplies to meet the demand. For a sit-down meal, head to Home Cuisine Islamic Restaurant (0 2630 8766) on Rue de Brest, and take in its 1970s-style dining room decorated in green suede and leather. The 100-percent halal menu covers everything from traditional Thai green curry to mutton masala. SEPTEMBER 2015 | 39

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Bizarre

Thailand

A long-term resident of Thailand, Jim Algie has compiled some of his strangest trips, weirdest experiences and funniest stories into the nonfiction compilation ‘Bizarre Thailand’ (Marshall Cavendish 2010). More bytes and pixels at www.jimalgie.com.

LUCIFER’S CABBIE VS. THE LEGENDARY BIFFER

Of all the Bangkok expat tales of the ‘90s, this anecdote of a Western guy who dared to take on a surly Thai cabbie has become something of an urban legend. Jim Algie, whose latest book is the short-fiction collection, The Phantom Lover and Other Thrilling Tales from Thailand, disentangles the facts from the fabrications.

hat resident or visitor has not at one time or another wanted to smack or berate a Thai cabbie for a variety of offenses? Refusing to take you somewhere, refusing to use the meter and quoting you an outrageous fare, driving too fast, driving too slowly or stupidly, being rude or drunk… the litany of complaints is as long as an Englishman’s face in the cold winter rain of London. But one expat male, hailed as a hero by many, dared to settle a score with a surly cabbie and the anecdote lingers on as one of the most popular Bangkok expat tales of the ‘90s. Almost an urban legend of sorts, it’s been recounted so many different times by so many different

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folks that it’s inevitably been retouched on occasion or embellished with a few falsehoods. Since I once knew the man in question and questioned him about the ordeal more than a few times, this version is one for the record and history books. Nobody gets a nickname like “The Biffer” for being a wallflower. True to his nickname, after downing a few pints, he was prone to arguments and the occasional flurry of fisticuffs. Otherwise he was a very polite and articulate guy, well traveled and well read, or we would not have put up with his Mr. Hyde side. On one inebriated evening down around Thaniya Plaza (the Japanese strip of upscale hostess clubs) and Patpong bangkok101.com

highlight (the dying bazaar of bogus knock-offs and spurious sex) he was trying to hail a taxi. Surprise, surprise, but some con man in cabbie guise quoted him an outrageous fare. The Biffer slammed the door and stormed off. After jumping into another cab, as they drove past the first driver, Biff rolled down his window and gave him the finger. That gesture and contemptuous grin drove the cabbie into a furious rage that went from zero to 100 in a few seconds. Barreling down Surawong like he was in a car chase scene in an action movie, he caught up to the Biffer’s cab and cut them off at a red light. The taxi driver leapt out of his green and yellow vehicle. Seeing him opening the trunk of his cab, the Biffer ran over to confront him. The cabbie whipped out a tire iron and tried to smack him with it, but surprisingly agile for such a brawny guy, the Biffer ducked it and jumped up to grab his wrists with both hands. As they grappled and grunted, trying to knock each other off balance on a dark street stained with orange streetlights and the shadows of trees, they stumbled towards the curb and fell into a traffic cop sitting astride on his motorcycle. Both the cop and his bike hit the ground. Fortunately for the Biffer, he spoke excellent Thai, so he could rebut the cabbie’s lies as they argued their cases to the traffic cop, known in Thai slang as “ping pong ball heads” because of their white helmets. DRIVER 666 Here is where the different retellings of this folkloric tale differ. Some say that the cop and the Biffer hit it off and drove the cabbie into a dark soi, where they beat the snot out of him and divvied up the contents of his wallet. Others

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claim that in fact it was the cabbie and the expat who made up and, to toast their new friendship, they went out drinking and brothel-hopping together. Still other farangs have put a more diabolical spin on the story. In these tales, the Biffer’s blows unhinged the driver’s tenuous grip on sanity. Ever since he has held a grudge against white foreigners, rips them off whenever he has the chance, and to scare the bejesus out of them, has dyed his hair as red as Lucifer and uses the Satanic driver’s license number 666. For years I wrote this Bangkok expat tale off as apocryphal. Now I’m forced to conclude that it may be the gospel truth. Only recently did my friend Don Linder, who wrote the award-winning screenplay for the terrific biopic The Last Executioner, send me this photo. No Photoshop involved, folks. This is the real unaltered deal. YELLOW LIGHTS Before any of you start thinking of emulating the Biffer’s macho antics, please heed the yellow light of caution and slow down a little. Only two years ago a middle-aged American executive, stuck in a rumbling traffic jam on Sukhumvit Road and about to blow a gasket of frustration, got out of a taxi after refusing to pay, and found the driver chasing him down with a samurai sword. The cabbie slashed him a few times. As another friend of mine said, “Imagine lying there bleeding to death and thinking, ‘I’m gonna die over 50 baht.’ Bloody stupid if you ask me.” There is a CCTV video on Youtube that doesn’t show the slashing but does show the cabbie chasing after him with a sword. I have had a couple of near-death experiences in Thai taxis myself. The closest call came in 1995 when catching a cab home with a brash and outspoken Western woman who, upon arriving at her house, swore at the cabbie for taking the long way home and ripping us off. Exasperated by the communication barrier and his insipid smiles and laughs, she screamed “Fuck you!” at him to drive her point home with the hammer of an exclamation mark. He understood that perfectly well. Then he reached under his seat, came up with a gun and pointed it at her. “No, fuck you!” A tense standoff—all stares, glares and dares— charged the atmosphere like an electrical storm was on its way. As a general rule, my levels of charm and Thai fluency tend to spike when confronted with firearms. Some fast talking and gentle grins on my part defused the threat. Personally, I would steer clear of such altercations unless you’re as good with your fists and Thai tones as the Biffer, who is perhaps the only farang that can lay claim to revenging himself upon a Thai cabbie and living to let me tell the tale. This blog excerpt comes from the author of Bizarre Thailand: Tales of Sex, Crime and Black Magic, which chronicles the strange, surreal and supernatural sides of Thailand, as well as the country’s weirdest museums and tourist attractions.

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very thai

DRINK IN A BAG QUENCHING THIRST WITH COFFEE, TEA, SODA, JUICE AND HERBAL TINCTURES PHILIP CORNWEL-SMITH

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Waiter, there’s salt in my drink!” No mistake, salt is often added to drinks in Thailand, especially fruit juice. One gulp from freshly squeezed and salted orange and many a foreigner sputters. Some, though, find they like the heady mix of citrus and sodium chloride. Many other drinks in Thailand have distinct character, whether coffee filtered through a sock, water tinted with herbs, syrups spritzed through a rocketshaped soda foundation, or cold beverages served in a bag, and dangled from an elastic band. Just as in Thai cooking, where condiments balance out the principal flavours — sweet vs sour, salty vs bitter — so with drinks. Salt softens water, and so counteracts tartness from the lime. In this climate, minerals need replenishment, so Thais take all they need (glucose, salt, water, vitamin C) in one go... No drink is deemed too sweet, thanks to lashings of palm water, granules or condensed milk. Instead of by

> Very Thai

River Books by Philip Cornwel-Smith with photos by John Goss and Philip Cornwel-Smith B 995

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the spoonful or lump, you could measure the sugar by its depth: “One centimetre or two?” Though Thai tea is brick red, the sock filter is stained black with many inundations of powdered tea, brewed earlier in a tin. Most tea vendors also have apparatus for coffee. Same drill, whether sweet black Chinese oliang or sweet brown gafae. Ordered hot, it comes in a cup. Decanted over ice, it can be taken away in a bag with handles or in a cup dangled from loops on a plastic sleeve. Shaved ice gets shovelled into the bag, the hot tea or coffee is then poured on top, plus a further slick of sweetened milk from a can. The resulting swirl of white on orange adds an essential touch of beauty. Stick in a straw — plus another for your friend — and you’re off. Same goes for juices, shakes, Coke and saccharine soft drinks flavoured red or green. Unlike spill-prone plastic cups, the pendulous bag makes a steady mobile vessel. Just don’t try to sit it down… look for a hook!

Now out in an expanded, updated 2nd edition, “Very Thai: Everyday Popular Culture” is a book that almost every foreign resident has on their reading table, a virtual bible on Thai pop culture. Now with four extra chapters, 64 more pages and a third of the 590 photographs being new, it guides you on a unconventional Technicolor tour of the quirky things that make Thailand truly Thai. From the 70 chapters, we present a different excerpt every month. Prepare yourself for the sideways logic in what seems exotic, and buy a copy of the new edition at any good bookshop.

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A WEEPING WOMAN AND HER CHILD GRACE MAHADTHAI UTHIT BRIDGE

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STILL LIFE WITH VESTALS ITALIAN ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE LIVES ON IN RATTANAKOSIN BY LUC CITRINOT

n engineer by trade, Carlo Allegri was something of a Renaissance Man. Arriving in Siam in 1889 to work for the Grassi Brothers, a construction company based in the capital, Allegri moved quickly up the ranks, becoming the chief of the newly created Public Works Department. He held this position for nearly thirty years, before he returned to Italy for good in 1916. The fruits of his reign remain in Bangkok today. Under his supervision, the Marble Temple (Wat Benjamabophit) and Ananda Samakhom Hall were brought to life. The Italian was also behind the construction of two bridges, Phan Fa Lilat Bridge and Mahadthai Uthit Bridge. In these two architectural masterpieces—often crossed by drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians, but not always appreciated— his poetic sensibilities endure. The cast iron Phan Fa Lilat Bridge links Ratchadamnoen Klang and Ratchadamnoen Nok in what is Bangkok’s rough equivalent to France’s Champs Elysées. Nearby Mahadthai Uthit Bridge adds a romantic touch to one of the old town’s numerous canals on the way to the Golden Mount. Phan Fa Lilat was completed in 1906. The elegant bridge was designed in Roman style. It is flanked by

Phan Fa Lilat Bridge bangkok101.com

four marble pillars embellished with cast iron boats that evoke the power of the Siamese Navy as well as the various victories of King Rama V, who consolidated his regional power and prominence in Bangkok. The most amazing element is the cast iron balustrade. Adorned with intertwined sunflowers, its floral motifs embody the purest traditions of the Art Nouveau movement, which had spread throughout Europe and was soon transplanted across the globe by artists such as Allegri and his contemporaries. The bridge was renovated in the 1970s, but most of its original elements were preserved and integrated into the structure. A short walk from Phan Fa Lilat Bridge stands what is considered to be Bangkok’s most Italian bridge—Mahadthai Uthit Bridge, located between King Prajadhipok Museum and Pom Mahakan, the old white fortress. This simple, classical structure, with its European-style pillars, features unusual bas-reliefs. These are nothing like traditional Thai motifs. Indeed, they are quite the contrary. The pillars are decorated with weeping vestal-like women accompanied by a child, and thus the moniker “the weeping bridge.” The figures represent the mourning of King Rama V, who had died four years before the construction of the bridge, which was finished in 1914. The structure was dedicated to the departed King Chulalongkorn by his son, King Rama VI. In its construction, Allegri and sculptor Vittorio Novi obviously reproduced the style of the small bridges that had existed in ancient Roman times and returned to popularity at end of the 19th century, during the revival movement following Italian unification. Is it pure coincidence or poetic irony that the weeping bridge was designed by Allegri? His name, of course, means “cheerful” in Italian. Phan Fa Lilat Bridge is at the start of Ratchadamnoen Klang Avenue, over Rob Krung Canal, while Mahadthai Uthit Bridge is located along Boriphat Road.

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GOODNIGHT MOON: MOUNDS OF SWEET GOLDEN MOONCAKES ARE A FAMILIAR SIGHT EACH SEPTEMBER 46 | SEPTEMBER 2015

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MOONCAKE FESTIVAL

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hen the harvest moon hangs over the Thai sky, the streets and san jao become bathed in red. During the eighth lunar month in the Chinese calendar, when the moon is at its fullest and brightest, families gather to give thanks and honour ancestors. They also share gifts of mooncakes, the revered round sweets the colour of threshed rice. Some see mooncakes as symbols of the sacrifices once made to Chang E, the moon goddess of immortality, during the harvest season. According to another legend, when the Mongols ruled China, mooncakes were used to traffic secret messages between villages, helping the Han overthrow their rulers. In any case, the treats are now as indivisibly linked to autumn as are turning leaves in other parts of the world. One of the most important festivals for Thai-Chinese communities, the celebration spans the country. In Bangkok, Yaowarat Road rattles with the noise of cultural activities. Down south, the old quarters of Phuket Town are the centre of attention. And, in Chiang Mai, the Pung Tao Gong temple near Warorot Market draws the crowds. Still, the spirit of the Mooncake Festival shines brightest at home. This is a time for families to convene, pay their respects to the departed, and chow down on mooncakes: lotus, red bean, sesame, salted egg, and durian, the flavours as varied as the people enjoying them.

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September 4-6 Trang Roast Pork Festival Pack your appetite and head to Trang this September. The southern province’s annual Roast Pork Festival is back, promising pile after pile of the crispy good stuff. Trang’s roasted pork is renowned nation-wide for its sweet taste and toothsome texture, both of which stem from special recipes passed down from generation to generation. Besides mounds of pork to peruse, the festival also offers locals a platform to share preparation techniques. So you walk away with a little homecooked knowledge, too.

September 6 Rip Curl GromSearch International Championships For those unfamiliar with the lingo, a grom is a young athlete doing extreme sports. In this case, they’re waxing down, popping up, and riding waves as they flock to Phuket for a day of surfing and sea awareness. The winner of this competition earns a spot in the Southeast Asian championships, held at a yet-to-be-disclosed site in Indonesia this October. Non-surfers will be treated to constant action, too, so there’s plenty of reason to visit. Go to asia.ripcurl.com for more details.

September 12-19 Fish-Flock-Shellfish Festival Get your shucking hands ready. This annual Cha-Am festival serves a smorgasbord of fresh seafood, including prawns, fish, squid, oysters, and crab cooked by the city’s top hotel chefs. Apart from delicious food, there’s also a variety of evening entertainment, live music, squid fishing, rides, games, and more. Don’t miss the local goods and various OTOP products for sale, either.

September 19 Singha Trail Running Festival Celebrate running in its purest, rawest form. Held at a specially designed course in the great outdoors of Chiang Rai, the festival caters to trail running rookies and veterans alike. There are three distances to run — 3k, 10k, and 21k — and all of it off-road. Enjoy hills, vegetation, and sweeping vistas as you connect with nature. Your safety is most important, so look sharp. Besides, you’ll want to take part in post-race festivities, too. Visit amaevents.com for more details.

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Until the end of September Shrimp Parade at Ubon Rachathani When the sun sets, shrimp emerge. Every year, around the tail end of rainy season, little kung foy migrate up Lam Dome Yai in Ubon Ratchathani. This parade of tiny shrimp only takes place at dark, when predators won’t spot the creatures. Witness tens of thousands of shrimp climbing out of the water and onto the wet rocks next to Kaeng Lamduan Waterfall. From there, they scuttle in packs until reaching a point where the stream is calm enough for them to continue their upstream swim.

Throughout September Cha-Am/Hua Hin Golf Festival 2015 Tee off throughout September at some of Thailand’s top golf courses. This year, for the 13th annual festival, nine courses in Petchaburi and Prachuap Khiri Khan Provinces will offer discounted green and caddy fees — B1600 or B2400 per round, depending on the course, including a dinner and special prize — and also play host to weekend tournaments. All in all, a pretty great deal. For more information, visit ppgathailand.com/ golf-festival-2015.

Raw Energy: Unripe Robusta beans grow in abundance in Chumphonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wet, misty mountains

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While most associate coffee with the cool hills of northern Thailand, the coffee growing tradition begins with premium Robusta beans down south, in and around Chumphon. BY LUC CITRINOT

ittle known fact: Thailand produces far more Robusta beans than it does Arabica. While roughly 800 tonnes of Arabica are harvested annually in the North, over 80000 tonnes of Robusta are plucked from the South, in particular from Chumphon. While Arabica is prized for its velvety texture on the palate and blueberrylike taste, Robusta offers potency—nearly twice the level of caffeine—rich flavour, and ideal crema. Plus, it’s cheaper than Arabica. It is no wonder the bean is making a comeback in Thailand.

Civet coffee looks a lot like candy bars before being washed bangkok101.com

About 130 coffee farmers ply their trade in Chumphon, many of whom came from Isaan, having arrived in the late 1970s in search of better living conditions. All grow and gather the durable Robusta beans, which can be cultivated at lower altitudes, and in harsher climates, than the finicky Arabica. Yet while northern plantations draw camerawielding crowds, few visitors pay attention to southern farms. This is due, in part, to a lack of promotion, something that Apichai Aranyik, Director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand in Chumphon, acknowledges as a point of

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An old temple has been restored amid Chumphon’s coffee trail concern. “We want to create a kind of coffee trail where all our outlets and plantations are indicated on a map,” he says, offering snippets from campaign brainstorming sessions held with designs of drawing tourists to southern plantations.

AS CHUMPHON WAKES UP TO THE IDEA OF TURNING COFFEE INTO A TOURIST COMMODITY, THAILAND’S LARGEST PLANTATION IS NOW BEING PROMOTED TO VISITORS. JUST A FEW METRES FROM THE BORDER WITH MYANMAR, THE DOMAIN STRETCHES OVER SOFT HILLS, EMBRACING VILLAGES AND FARMS. “Tourism has long been neglected in Chumphon,” he continues. “It represents only 10 to 12 per cent of the local GDP, far behind fishery and agriculture. However, with rising interest in coffee, we can finally link agriculture and tourism, and also help local communities reap the benefits of tourism.” The lack of awareness of Chumphon as a coffee centre also results from the terrain in which Robusta grows. The 52 | SEP TEM BER 2015

landscape looks less spectacular— less mist-shrouded and vivid—compared to the mountain slopes of Chiang Rai. However, for fans of Thai coffee, Chumphon is a true destination. The province is home to some of the most renowned coffee brands in the Kingdom. The mere mention of Kao Thalu elicits inexhaustible praise from locals. With good reason: not only is it one of the most famous varieties in Thailand, it has also received numerous awards for its quality, including a few OTOP gold medals. In the factory, opened to the public by request, a few employees fill bags with aromatic coffee powder. Every year, the small unit roasts about 500 tonnes of coffee from local farmers. Kao Thalu has long been sought after for its freezedried coffee, mostly from international brands, but now, explains the factory manager, it will be available in Thai supermarkets under its own name. As Chumphon wakes up to the idea of turning coffee into a tourist commodity, Thailand’s largest plantation is now being promoted to visitors. It takes an hour in a car, snaking along sinuous roads, cutting through mountains, to reach Ban Panwal village in Tha Sae district. Just a few metres from the border with Myanmar, the domain stretches over soft hills, embracing villages and farms and even a small temple where Buddhist rituals are practiced in the purest Isaan traditions. One particularly interesting production in Tha Sae is Thamsing Coffee, a co-operative involving nearly 400 farmers not only from Chumphon, bangkok101.com

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The highly caffeinated Thamsing Coffee mascot

Billy shows off his goods at Gong Coffee but also from provinces such as Surat Thani, Songkhla, Samut Songkran, and Petchaburi. Plantation owners provide tours of the grounds, offering coffee- and fruit-tasting, too. For families with children, the most interesting producer to visit is Chinnawat Coffee, known for its curious, and very exotic-sounding, civet coffee. “The idea came to me by chance,” says Chinnawat Monthiprasart, owner of Chinnawat Coffee and Goat Coffee, a name steeped in irony, considering its fame for producing civet coffee. “I had become aware that Thai civets were either being killed by hunters or dying in captivity after eating fish. So I asked a specialist at Kasetsart University what civets eat, and he told me mostly bananas and coffee beans. Then I heard about civet coffee production as part of the Royal Project in the North and decided to do the same with Robusta coffee in Chumphon.” Monthiprasart’s farm has about four dozen civets. The lithe creatures select their preferred coffee beans, swallow them, and let digestion run its course. The coffee beans are then carefully washed and dried for nine months before being roasted. “It’s a long process and the yield is meagre. Each civet only produces five kilos of ‘Kopi Luwak,’ which is what civet coffee is called in Indonesia. This is why it’s among the most expensive in the world: around B20000 per kilo,” adds the amiable owner, who is generally pleased to introduce guests to his furry coffee workers. Coffee production in the South has seen its share of controversy, partly for its use of pesticides. More and more 54 | SEPTEMBER 2015

Chumphon, from a temple on a hill farms are now turning to organic production. The trend has received the fervent support of Supot Kornprasitwat, who is also known as “Billy the Gong.” The laid-back, soft-spoken entrepreneur has travelled across the world, living at times in European villages. He is just beginning his small coffee production, which he runs out of his Gong Valley Resort in Kraburi, a district in Ranong, just a few kilometres from Chumphon’s official boundaries. After Billy realized that Robusta beans could develop their full flavour when roasted on a wok, a common tool in Thai households, he decided to teach farmers how to select and roast their best beans. Now, at his resort, he gives free lessons to any and all on producing and roasting excellent coffee. “I receive 100,000 visitors each year,” he says with pride. Since opening three years ago, he has already produced 200 tonnes of coffee picked by 40 local farming families. Ever generous, Billy carries on the spirit of Flower Power utopians from the late sixties. “My purpose is to educate farmers so that they can make the best possible coffee and generate more individual income, because big coffee companies drag prices down,” he says. A cup of coffee at Gong is indeed unique. The beans are roasted, out in the open, to the perfect taste, balancing acidity with deep, earthy flavours. “Robusta is as good as Arabica,” says Billy. “There are so many flavours to explore.” Such a fitting line for Thailand’s lesser-known coffee growing region. bangkok101.com

Goat crossing: on the long, open road through the Bolaven Plateau, travellers often encounter a wilder side of life

over the border

T R AV E L

Going Green Cof f e e, Communit y, and Cold Wat er f alls in the Bola ve n Plat e au WORDS BY CRAIG SAUERS - PHOTOS BY MEGAN FERRERA

ows graze in a sloping patch of grass. A couple of chickens dart across the road. Hills are shrouded in the haze that falls from the sky. In the frosty daybreak, half a dozen travellers idle outside a bare concrete building. Its yellow paint is mildewed and dirty, denuded, in parts, by the monsoon rains. The interior looks as vacant as the view. As if wanting to keep warm, but wrestling with the paradox of closeness in such a vast space, we’re all standing separately, with arms folded and hands tucked under opposing pits. A barrel-chested man rocks on his

Coffee beans grow on the branch near Tad Fane bangkok101.com

heels, decidedly not cold. “Poor guy must be burning up,” he says, nodding in the direction of a short-haired mutt dressed in a shabby red t-shirt. The man has on a sleeveless sports top, a hat worn backwards, and Reeboks. His accent is thick with Massachusetts. He’s here with family. A woman — his sister, maybe his wife — chats with an elderly woman in Lao. A feeling like amor fati floats around here. The excitement is palpable. Guarding against the December chill, I’m wrapped up in flannel. I’m also dishevelled and exhausted, with the kind of greasy hair and cudgelled eyes that follow restive

Beans dry along the road to Pakxong SEPTEMBER 2015 | 57

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over the border

An elephant lumbers into his flowing bath in Tad Lo nights, positive that I look suspicious to all but my partner (and, possibly, to her, too). We’ve taken a bus from Bangkok to Vang Tao, an equally dishevelled border town east of Ubon Ratchathani, etched into history as the site of a curious, but rapid-fire, uprising in 2000, when about forty rebels attacked a customs building and were put down swiftly. The Vang Tao Incident, as it’s called, was aired live on Thai television. That blip notwithstanding, this humdrum outpost quietly serves as the gateway to southern Laos. A little after 8 in the morning, a border agent dressed in khaki appears behind the dark glass window. He collects passports and tea money and disappears. Thirty minutes later, we’re passing through customs with visas scribbled by the agent’s hand and climbing aboard a Korean-built bus to Pakse, a town of 87 thousand, the third largest in the country, but today, for us, a stopover. To varying degrees, Laos is dusty, austere, lonesome, lush, and beautiful. Where the country abuts Cambodia, the map is rippled like meringue — soft peaks formed over basins, green and golden in equal parts — and rewards deeper exploration. East of Pakse, roads rise from the banks of the Mekong, tracing an oval-shaped track along Attapeu, Champasak, Sekong, and Salavan Provinces. The space between is the thousand-metre-high Bolaven Plateau. It’s speckled with sheer cascades and hedge-like coffee plantations that nearly all its villagers tend to for a living. Though it’s far from a paragon of prosperity, the 58 | SEPTEMBER 2015

Bolaven Plateau is, in fact, the second wealthiest region in Laos. And it’s all thanks to coffee. We rent a motorbike in Pakse and head for the hills. The road is potholed, poorly marked, and lacking lane lines. The throttle vibrates in my grip. My cheeks jiggle as we cross gravel patches. After an hour, we reach two waterfalls, Tad Fane and Tad Yueang, spitting distance from one another. My muscles are still trembling from the journey. Surrounding Tad Fane is Xe Pian Forest. Here, elephants, yellow-cheeked gibbons, sun bears, and the critically endangered pangolin roam. Hiking down the red dirt path, carved out of the forest, we’re greeted by a brassy roar. The air grows chillier at the base of the towering twin falls, the country’s tallest. Two kilometres down the road, we visit, Tad Yueang. It thunders with the same merciless vigour, its white water diving into a basin painted with a patina of vegetation. From this perspective, it’s easy to understand why this kind of scenery is either gluttonously consumed or lavishly praised. Before we stray too far, we climb back on the hard vinyl seat of the bike and drive to Sabaidee Valley, a Thaiand Lao-owned resort that overlooks the verdant scree to the south. It’s one of very few resorts in the Bolaven. While its Thai roots are undeniable — a quaint café and gift shop, signage reminiscent of “Pai in Love” — the handful of high-end villas, built in the Lao vernacular, and the tight relationship of the manager, Noppon, with the local community indicates a clearly defined sense bangkok101.com

Entrec么te Caf茅 de Paris

The Last Dance

Cold Seafood Platter

Hot Foie Gras

T R AV E L

over the border

Tad Lo purrs like a motor, day in, day out

The towering Tad Yuang dives into a basin

Tyson Adams of Jhai brings water to the village

of place. He says we should visit Jhai Coffee House, an NGO based in Pakxong. From the road, the coffee house looks as nondescript as any building in Pakxong, but the lounge-like space is decorated with indigenous tapestries, specialty coffee appliances, and an acoustic guitar or two. In other words, it could be transplanted anywhere along the Banana Pancake Trail and fit in just fine. Jhai purchases coffee beans at 25 per cent above fair trade price, roasts and brews them in-house, and re-invests the profits in the form of clean water and hygiene education projects in the community that farmed the beans. The NGO was founded by Tyson Adams, a hirsute young American from Seattle. When he talks, his cadence flows from even-keeled to feverish as he reveals the project’s reason for being. “Really, it’s a lack of education,” he says. “So you have a nice house, a nice farm, a nice tractor. Great. Your kids are still sick. [Our efforts are] more about providing hygiene to the villagers and the teachers themselves so that they can replicate them in the future.” In one-and-a-half years, Adams and the “Jhai tribe” have installed nearly a dozen clean water wells, instituted hygiene programmes in schools, and built a warehouse where they train farmers how to roast and dry their own coffee. More importantly, the farmers have been able to taste their coffee and compare it with other brews. In other words, they’re learning what makes good coffee good. The villagers pay 15 per cent of the initial costs for

water pumps and 50 per cent for water filtration units, an arrangement that Adams says empowers the communities to lift themselves out of poverty. Another two hours on the bike, and we arrive at Tad Lo. A series of guesthouses has been fenced off, forming a sort of sustainable tourist zone near a stubby waterfall. It’s peaceful. Roving to the other side of the river, we find a middle-aged foreign man hacking at a tree with a hand axe. He’s moving with noticeable effort, sort of convulsing with urgency, like Clark Griswold stringing up Christmas lights, but he nevertheless interjects when he hears us gushing about the natural beauty of this fertile commune. His name is Klaus. He’s the manager-cum-groundskeeper of Tad Lo Lodge. “This is it, man. I mean, mmm,” he says, with a little fist pump for good measure. “I came here twenty years ago. All I thought about was when I was gonna come back.” He implores us to visit the riverbanks behind his lodge at 5 in the evening, when the mahouts bathe their elephants in the river. As the sun casts a fiery farewell on the treetops, the elephants lumber into the water and Klaus appears, brandishing a smile. As if forever relishing the last bite of chocolate cake, he can’t get enough of it, the devouring raptures of living in his paradise. “I wake up every day and I get to have this,” he says, sweeping his arms to embrace the falls, the village, the mahouts scrubbing the elephants with their sandals in the fading light. “You come here and you just get it, man. That’s all.”

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A R bangkok101.com

PAUSE Red light breaks through gaps in the billboards as a jingle about cat food plays on a digital signboard, where the regional stock report is also displayed. Gold is down, the US dollar is up. The train lurches into position like a mechanical caterpillar. On the platform stand scores of office workers, playing on phones, waiting to be ushered to their separate towers, as a new jingle about womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s deodorant starts to play. The lightning pace of development has left a glittering tarnish on the modern world. In PAUSE, an exhibition of photographic works from across Southeast Asia, the artists have removed themselves from the proverbial rat race. They have instead focused inward, examining their cultures from more intimate, and often rural, vantage points. In a word, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve paused to reflect. Some shots feature rivers and fields in the country; others, including the iconic shot of an old man fiddling with a point-and-shoot camera, take a look at the intersection of new and old in urban life. The exhibition was organized by PhotoBangkok, in collaboration with the BACC Exhibition Department, and curated by Ark Fongsmut. Participating are Kim Hak and Sophal Neak (Cambodia); Mes 56 (Indonesia); Souliya Phoumivong (Laos); Minstrel Kuik Ching Chieh and Nazaruddin Abdul Hamed (Malaysia); May Co Naing (Myanmar); Jed Escueta and Yason Banal (Philippines); Ang Song Nian and Robert Zhao Renhui (Singapore); Naruebes Vadvaree and Prateep Suthathongthai (Thailand); and Bui huu Phuoc and Phan Quang (Vietnam). PAUSE runs until November 1 at the main gallery of the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre, on the ninth floor.

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exhibitions

PACHIMON – A PARALLEL UNIVERSE ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE BANGKOK (ART CENTRE) 179 Witthayu Rd | 0 2670 4232 Mon-Sat 10am-6pm

September 12-October 10 As part of PhotoBangkok, the French photographer Claude Estèbe uses Pachimon — a colloquial Japanese term for cheap copies of toys derived from monster movies and TV shows, like Godzilla and Gundam — to explore the space between the original and its copies. The show is presented by the nomadic Toot Yung Gallery in cooperation with Alliance Française Bangkok.

GAZE

LA LANTA FINE ART 245/14 Soi 31 Sukhumvit Rd | 0 2260 5381, 0 2204 0583 | Tue-Sat 10am-7pm; Sun by appointment | lalanta.com | BTS Phrom Phong

Until September 16 For her first exhibition in Thailand, Korean artist Hayun Choi layers portraits with an imaginative combination of materials. Featuring images of family, friends, and strangers in Seoul and London, Choi attempts to recreate the feel of brushstrokes by placing thin threads across actual portrait photographs.

TROPICAL MALICE

H GALLERY 201 Soi 12 Sathorn Rd | 08 1310 4428 | 10am-6pm, Tue by appointment | hgallerybkk.com I BTS Surasak

Until September 27 Splitting time between Australia and Thailand, Giles Ryder has recently undertaken an Asialink Arts Residency at Ne’Na Contemporary Artspace in Chiang Mai. The fruits of his labour are a series of geometric abstractions and adapted light structures interrelated in an installation of metallic colour paintings and LED animations, presented at H in Bangkok and its partner space in Chiang Mai.

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exhibitions

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MELO HOUSE

BANGKOK CITYCITY GALLERY 13/3 Sathorn Soi 1 I 0 83087 2725 I Wed-Sun 2-8pm I bangkokcitycity.com I MRT Lumpini

Until October 11 With YenakArt Villa having recently opened in the same neighbourhood, the construction of a new, purpose-built, white cube gallery on Sathorn 1 is sure to generate further cultural gravitas to the neighbourhood. The sizeable Bangkok CityCity Gallery, with a café and garden, aims to be a platform for all forms of contemporary art. It opens its doors with an exhibition by popular animator Wisut Ponnimit.

BLOOD, SWEAT & RUST

SATHORN 11 ART SPACE 404 Sathorn 11 | 0 2004 1199 | sathorn11.com BTS Surasak

September 19-October 20 In his first series, a portrait of the Thai working class, Sarawut Thaichuai conveys the corrosion of life in down-and-out Thailand. Using an avant-garde approach dubbed “Living Art,” the paintings have a lifespan of 35 to 50 years; as times passes, the rust mixed into the paint will eat away the images, causing them to crack and flake. This is a limited collection, as the toxic ingredients used in the process are hazardous to the artist’s health.

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SEPTEMBER 2015 | 65

Caffeinated Colours Venerated Painter Pornchai Lerttamasiri Talks about his Signature Coffee Painting Style BY PONGPHOP SONGSIRIARCHA

66 | SEPTEMBER 2015

bangkok101.com

interview

or the artist Pornchai Lerttamasiri, this was a natural transition. A specialist in watercolours, he wanted to create something fresh and offbeat, something in a new medium. So he turned to coffee. Ever since, his name has climbed the ranks on the international scene. His work has appeared in Portland, Oregon; as part of a group exhibition in South Korea; and three times as a solo exhibition in Singapore. How did you come up with the idea of coffee painting? Studying art taught me to think differently – think in ways other people didn’t. I tried many unusual media, such as wine, tea, and fruit, before coming up with the idea to paint with coffee. At first, I used coffee applied to watercolours to get an old and warm look. Then I realized I should just use coffee instead of watercolour. For years, I tried very hard to experiment, and my hard work has finally paid off. How difficult is it to paint with coffee compared to watercolours? For me, there isn’t much difference between the two techniques, but coffee painting is a bit more complicated. Coffee gives you elastic textures, which are stickier. That makes it harder to apply the brush as well as to control the tone of the colour. You have to dilute the coffee with the right amount of water. If you use too much coffee, the paint becomes almost like syrup. It may cause cracks to appear, as well as unwanted flakes when the paint dries. Moreover, since the coffee doesn’t dry easily, you have

A RT & C U LT U R E

to be very careful; the coffee might peel off the paper, or, even worse, mould might grow on your piece. Where do you find inspiration? Art never stops, and neither do I. I work extremely hard and keep practicing every day. Just from working more and more, inspiration seems to pop up automatically. From using only coffee to paint, I’ve come up with many new coffee-related projects, like creating images of dancers wearing skirts made from coffee filters and using coffee to dye silk, giving it a glamorous gold colour. I’ve found a new style, too. After I’ve put paint on the paper, I spritz it with water. This gives the work a foggy, mysterious look. What’s more, I like painting while things are going on around me. I find live events very inspiring. What work do you have in the pipeline? I travel around the country quite often. I have an offroad vehicle, so I take my supplies and paint in the great outdoors. I also teach a class during weekdays. Then, every month, my friend and I go upcountry to teach art to children in the name of the Pu Kan San Jorn project. We give them the art supplies they need to get active. We also help to build libraries and art centres in schools. What is the value of art in contemporary society? Art makes people happy. It isn’t something difficult to understand. All it requires is an open mind. Allow yourself to feel the beauty of art and you will find it easy to understand and appreciate.

To learn more about Pornchai and his work, contact him at facebook.com/pornchai.lerttamasiri or call 08 1914 4660. Guests can visit his house and studio at 56/230 Soi Muban Phana Son 6, Nimitmai Rd, Klongsamwa, Bangkok. bangkok101.com

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cheat notes

BOHEMIAN REVELRY BY JIM ALGIE

any of us were first drawn to the idea of being expat artists and debauchees—or some combination thereof—after hearing about the “lost generation” of American expat authors in France in the 1920s, like F. Scott Fitzgerald and Hemingway, followed by Henry Miller in the 1930s, and William Burroughs in the 1950s. The latter and his cohorts, like Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, and Brion Gysin, stayed at the infamous Beat Hotel in Paris. Kevin Cummings has reimagined that notorious haunt as the Checkinn99 in Bangkok, the nerve centre of his non-fiction collection Bangkok Beat. Originally known as the Copa, this was one of the capital’s first Western-style nightclubs. When it opened in 1957 in the Nana area, Sukhumvit Road was a muddy path on the fringes of the city. The club’s isolation made for an anything-goes attitude. Over the decades it lured in everyone from Bob Hope to David Bowie. Kevin, who has lived in Thailand on and off for more than a decade, chronicles the club’s transition from celebrity hangout to seedy dive with short-time rooms upstairs to its present and much more respectable reincarnation under the sure hands of owner Chris Catto-Smith and his Thai wife, Jiraporn Sriharach, a policewoman. Nowadays, the club, with its long-serving Filipino cover band, has become a nucleus for a Bohemian scene of expat musicians, painters, photographers, and authors. Kevin profiles many of these leading lights, such as noir author Christopher G. Moore; the expressionist painter of Bangkok’s lurid nightlife, Chris Coles; photographer Eric Nelson; and musicians like William Wait, a saxophonist and former psychologist, who regularly join the club’s Sunday afternoon jam sessions. One of the most fascinating aspects of Bangkok Beat is that, in the collaborative spirit of the venue, which hosts other events like the Rocky Horror Picture Show 68 | SEPTEMBER 2015

and Bangkok Noir nights of readings, Kevin ropes in some of the regulars as contributors. So James Newman, the hardboiled author, wrote the introduction. John Gartland, the so-called “poet noir,” contributes some of his best work. T. Hunt Locke, the author of Thailand-set thrillers like Jim Thomson Is Alive, tosses in a sterling story about how he met the Checkinn’s one-time mamasan and mistress to celebrities, Mama Noi, who still shows up there on occasion, and how she helped him research the aforementioned novel. Then there’s photographer Alasdair McLeod, who adds some much-needed pictorial content. The author excels at asking intriguing questions of his interview subjects. For example, he queried the city’s most famous expat author, John Burdett, known for his gruesome murder scenes, what tops his list of horrors these days. John gives him a long and complex answer that draws parallels between the Dark Ages of feudalism and the neocon economics of today. An early chapter is called “I’m Not a Writer – and Why the World Needs Them.” I wouldn’t say that, but his inexperience does show in places when he takes shortcuts, telling us that so-and-so is interesting, or suchand-such a night was fun, without explaining why, which breaks the elementary writing rule, “Show, don’t tell.” For my liking, the book is a little unbalanced. Most of the people profiled are writers. A few more portraits of other expats, particularly women, as he does with Muay Thai championship fighter and blogger Melissa Ray, would have been welcome. Overall, this is a fun read, told in a warm and humble voice devoid of literary pretensions or highfalutin prose, reminding readers of one of Bangkok’s chief virtues: It’s teeming with all sorts of eccentric expat characters endowed with hugely entertaining backstories. Aavailable at amazon.com, bangkokbeat.bigcartel. com, and the iTunes store (e-book format). bangkok101.com

Dispatches

From The

Regi n TOP PHOTOJOURNALISTS ON DISPLAY AT THE FCCT Until the coup, like a pot of milk on the flame, tension between pro- and anti-government factions bubbled and popped across Bangkok. It was a tumultuous time — the nights irradiated by rallies, the days a rattle of whistles, plastic clappers, and unofficial parades, all masking, if not foreboding, catastrophe. Violence felt inevitable. The Swedish-born, Bangkok-based photographer Jonas Gratzer took to the streets in the heat of these clashes. At Laksi, he captured anti-government protestors opening fire against their counterpart red shirts, as the fragile banner of vocal, but peaceful, disagreement finally disbanded. “Before I knew what was happening, both sides started to shoot at each other. I ended up with the anti-government protesters,” says Grazter. “My pulse was obviously beating pretty fast. I was lying flat on the ground when I took [the winning picture]. Above my head bullets were flying through the air. I was only able to take a few frames before the protesters stopped me from taking more. For me, it’s an important picture because it shows the outside world, or in my case the Swedish readers, another side of Thailand than the [exotic paradise] they generally have in mind. It’s a country in crisis.” Gratzer’s shots of the protests recently earned recognition at the FCCT/LightRocket Asia-Pacific Photojournalism Contest, where he claimed first place in Spot News and was named Photographer of the Year. The contest, in its 7th year, was put on by the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand (FCCT) and LightRocket, a regional online photo platform, to support photojournalists in an age when economic pressures have resulted in declining compensation for work. It attracted submissions from more than 140 photographers, who filed over 3000 images collectively. Judges selected winners in four categories: Spot News, Feature Photography, the Environment, and Photo Essay; they also named the Photographer of the Year, the contest’s top prize. In crowning Gratzer, the judges noted the dizzying breadth of his work across Asia and the Indian Subcontinent, often in difficult reporting conditions, in which he revealed fresh insights about exploited regions. The following photographs are snapshots from the winning portfolios, which are on display at the FCCT (Penthouse Fl, Maneeya Bldg, Chitlom) until the end of September.

art & culture photofeature

SPOT NEWS

FIRST PLACE: JONAS GR ATZER (THAILAND PROTESTS)

FEATURE PHOTOGRAPHY

FIRST PLACE: PROBAL R ASHID (BANGLADESH POWER-LINE WORKERS)

FEATURE PHOTOGRAPHY

HONOUR ABLE MENTION: DENNIS M. SABANGAN (COLOUR OF LIFE PHILIPPINES)

SPOT NEWS

HONOUR ABLE MENTION: PAULA BRONSTEIN (ROHINGYA REFUGEES IN MYANMAR)

PHOTO ESSAY

PHOTOGR APH OF THE YEAR: JONAS GR ATZER (prison fights in thailand)

PHOTO ESSAY

FIRST PLACE: ANIK R AHMAN (BANGLADESH FERRY DISASTER)

PHOTO ESSAY

PHOTOGR APH OF THE YEAR: JONAS GR ATZER (ACEH 10 YEARS AFTER THE TSUNAMI)

PHOTO ESSAY

PHOTOGR APH OF THE YEAR: JONAS GR ATZER (LIFE ON A LEATHER TANNERY IN DHAKA)

PHOTO ESSAY

HONOUR ABLE MENTION: MINZAYAR OO (JADE MINING IN MYANMAR)

THE ENVIRONMENT

FIRST PLACE: RUBÉN SALGADO ESCUDERO (SOLAR POWER IN MYANMAR)

THE ENVIRONMENT

HONOUR ABLE MENTION: NARENDR A SHRESTHA (PROTECTING TREES IN NEPAL)

THE ENVIRONMENT

PHOTOGR APH OF THE YEAR: JONAS GR ATZER (TOXIC COAL MINES OF INDIA)

THE ENVIRONMENT

HONOUR ABLE MENTION: DANILO O. VICTORIANO JR. (CHURCHGOERS FIGHTING CLIMATE CHANGE)

THE DEAN BURGER AT DEAN & DELUCA, SEE P82

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AROY A BRILLIANT NEW BRUNCH

The cutting-edge J’AIME at U Sathorn is now serving an elegant Sunday brunch based on creative French dishes and free-flow Chandon. Dishes include innovative takes on classics created by award-winning Chef Jean-Michel Lorain, including a spin on certain family recipes, and are prepared by rising Chef Amerigo Sesti. Enjoy grilled Maine lobster, Lyon charcuterie from Michel Augier, pan-seared foie gras, and more for B3999 per person with champagne or B2999 for food only. Brunch is available every Sunday from noon to 3pm. Call 0 2119 4899 or email reserve@jaime-bangkok.com to book a table.

CHOCOLATE COUTURE

Chocolab at Sofitel So Bangkok, famous for its Cocoa Rush Hour, recently unveiled its debut designer chocolate collection. Called I SO BK, the series was specially designed by Bangkok-based fashion label Tawn C. and features seventeen variations of the chocolate bon bon. The fillings take tastes up a level, with flavours like orange yuzu, crunchy hazelnut, jasmine, salted caramel, white peach, and matcha. Tawn C. also designed a special gift box to commemorate the collection. Boxes of nine cost B320. Visit Chocolab, or call 0 2624 0000, for more information.

HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS

Paying homage to Khun Surat Prajakjitr, the long-time caretaker of the owners, Ruen Urai has crafted a new menu called Homegrown Originals, inspired by her home-style cooking. Dishes include Dtawjiew Lhon, a relish of preserved soya beans with minced pork and prawn simmered in coconut milk; Ghaeng Thepo, a red curry of salted mackerel and pork belly with fresh morning glory or Thai watercress; and Khai Jeaw Bpu, crabmeat omelette served with Sriracha sauce and fresh chillies in fish sauce. The menu will be available starting this September.

BIENVENIDOS A BANGKOK

River Café & Terrace at The Peninsula Bangkok goes south of the border this September, serving up the flavours of Mexico. Visiting Mexican Chef Carmela de Ponte will showcase her Mexican creations from September 4 to 11, including dishes such as pechuga de pollo con mole poblano (chicken breast in traditional mole sauce) and tostaditas de cochinta pibil (hand-made corn tostadas filled with slow-roasted pork). On September 7, at 11am, Chef Carmela will lead a special cooking class, priced at B1800++. For dinner or cooking class reservations, call 0 2861 2888.

BOMBANA IN BANGKOK

Chef Umberto Bombana, dubbed the “King of White Truffles,” and owner of the renowned 8½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana in Hong Kong, which has received a rare three Michelin stars each of the past four years, visits Bangkok for two special nights of fine Italian dining. On September 8 and 9 from 7pm, the maestro takes the reins at La Scala, The Sukothai Bangkok’s stunning signature restaurant. It’s sure to be a can’t-miss event. Prices for the seven-course degustation dinner are B7000++ (food only) and B9200++ (food and wine). Seating is very limited. In fact, dinner on September 8 has already sold out. To reserve your seat, call 0 2344 8888 or email promotions@sukothai.com.

bangkok101.com

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FOOD & DRIN K

meal deals

A PROFUSION OF PORCINIS EASTIN GRAND SATHORN BANGKOK 33/1 South Sathorn Rd | 0 2210 8100 | eastingrandsathorn.com Throughout September, enjoy an array of enticing menus at Luce, each featuring fresh porcini mushrooms imported from Italy. Enjoy rich, earthy treasure, such as porcinis sautéed with Hokkaido scallops (B350), porcini risotto with Parmesan and goat cheese (B450), and porcini velouté (B270), finished with white beans sprinkled with rosemary oil.

GET DOWN TO BUSINESS HOTEL INDIGO BANGKOK WIRELESS ROAD 81 Wireless Rd | 0 2207 4999 | hotelindigo.com/bangkok Calling all office workers: check in at Metro on Wireless for a three-course lunch set, and never go back to work hungry again. The Thai set menu (B290++) features favourite local dishes, like spicy grilled pork salad, pork ribs in a spicy soup, and deep-fried chicken. The Western lunch set (B390++) includes tuna salad with fresh vegetables, Mexican pork chops, and seared sea bass with chilli sauce. Lunch is available from 11.30am until 4.30pm every day.

GO BIG FOR SUNDAY BRUNCH LE MERIDIEN BANGKOK 40/5 Surawong Rd | 0 2232 8888 | lemeridienbangkokpatpong.com Settle into Sunday with brunch at Le Meridien. Start off with cold cuts, a variety of salads, and fresh sashimi before diving into highlights like pan-fried foie gras, Alaskan king crab, rock lobster, and New Zealand mussels. European favourites and spicy Thai temptations are available at separate stations, too. Cap it off with dessert: Le Méridien’s signature éclair, homemade ice cream, cakes, and more. Brunch costs B1350++ per person and includes free-flow soft drinks and a cup of coffee or tea.

SIZZLING SATSUMA WAGYU THE OKURA PRESTIGE BANGKOK Park Ventures Ecoplex, 57 Wireless Rd | 0 2687 9000 | okurabangkok.com Yamazato, the signature Japanese restaurant at The Okura Prestige, has added brand-new à la carte dinner items featuring Japan’s finest Satsuma wagyu. Enjoy succulent dishes such as grilled sirloin with foie gras, hot pot, steamed shabu, and Satsuma wagyu hamburg with cheese. The new menu items are available from September 12 until October 4, starting from B450++.

HOT FOR HYDERABAD REMBRANDT HOTEL 19 Sukhumvit Soi 18| 0 2261 7100| rembrandtbkk.com Get transported to Hyderabad at Rang Mahal, where Hyderabadi cuisine takes over the menu and a live Indian band provides the soundtrack from September 22 until October 15. Highlight dishes include Shikampuri Kebabs, Gosht Haleem, Gosht Pulao, and Sheer Kurma. The set menu costs B900 for the non-vegetarian meals and B800 for the vegetarian set. Available for dinner from 6pm-12am.

SAY GOODBYE TO SUMMER AT KISSO THE WESTIN GRANDE SUKHUMVIT 259 Sukhumvit 19, Sukhumvit Rd | 0 2207 8032 | westin.com/Bangkok Chef Shinsuke invites guests to experience seasonal delights at Kisso, where black cod and Satsuma beef send summer out in style. Enjoy a range of mouth-watering dishes, such as black cod teriyaki, grilled marinated miso black cod, Satsuma beef and foie gras sushi rolls, and Satsuma beef sashimi. Act fast: once September ends, the menu will change, too, incorporating a new set of Japanese ingredients in season in the early days of autumn. 80 | SEPTEMBER 2015

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BAAN - Thai Food for the Soul Chef Thitid “Ton” Tassanakajohn opened his first Bangkok restaurant, Le Du, at the end of 2013, after polishing his craft in Michelin-starred Jean-Georges and The Modern in New York. Le Du’s experimental approach to modern Thai cooking quickly gathered a cult following. For his second restaurant, the chef returns to his roots, working with more traditional recipes collected from his own family. Le Du is about passion, while Baan is about soul. The stylishly modern dining room occupies the lower floor of a small two-story building on Withayu Road. Upstairs is an open kitchen with a window to a private, reservation-only dining area. As at Le Du, all meats, seafood, eggs, and produce that go into the meticulously re-created home cooking hail from small farms which practice all-natural, environmentally sustainable farming and ranching. Even the jasmine rice is organic. Chef Ton, who is a certified sommelier, has put together an exemplary wine list intended to pair well with Thai dishes. Particularly tasty is the cabernet from Argentina. Somtum Thai starts things off with stimulating tartness and plenty of chilli. Somtum Pu, with fermented crab, and Somtam Pu Pla Ra, with fermented crab and raw fish sauce (B120 each), cater to those with a taste for the funky. Phla Kor Moo Yang (B350), one of Baan’s signature dishes, departs from the traditional by mating delicate bangkok101.com

slices of pork jowl with the lime juice and seasonings normally reserved for raw seafood. Once you get used to the flavours, it’s irresistible. More traditional Phla Kung – shrimp marinated in typical phla manner – is also available. Fried sun-dried pork, a staple of almost every Thai restaurant in the kingdom, reaches new levels in Moo Dad Deaw by adding sesame to the savoury marinade. Better order two plates as it disappears fast. Kaphrao Nua (B350), made with dry-aged minced beef, is a big hit. This humble dish seems to get increasingly less respect in Thailand these days, yet here it receives the royal treatment with a perfect balance of flavours. Another iconoclastic dish on the menu is Kai Palo Tom Saab (B280), a successful marriage between Thai-Chinese five-spice egg and Isan spicy soul-food soup. Other promising riffs include the southern Thai-style yellow curry with sea bass and the Po Tak, a spicy seafood soup laced with basil, both good to share. For those flying solo, or simply wanting to eat their own meals, one-dish choices, such as rice fried with tom yum seafood or rice noodles stir-fried with seafood, have you covered.

BAAN 139/5 Withayu Rd | 0 2655 8995 baanbkk.com | Wed-Mon 11.30am-2.30pm, 6pm-10.30pm

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AL SARAY - Authentic Lebanese, as Good as it Gets While Lebanese restaurants have been around in Bangkok for decades, the launch of Al Saray three years ago has elevated local standards considerably. Linked to Bangkok General Hospital, the restaurant relies heavily on hospital visitors who hail from India and the Gulf, along with embassy staff from these regions. Head Chef Hassan Farran, who was born into a family of chefs in Beirut, and spent several years cooking for five-star resorts in Beirut and Dubai, works with New Delhi-born Chef Sampooran “Sam” Singh Panwar to offer a meticulously curated menu of Middle Eastern and Indian dishes. “What we serve here are authentic, traditional recipes passed down from generation to generation,” says Farran. “Even our hummus plates come from Lebanon. They’re the same style my great grandfather used when serving hummus to his family.” Pointing to a gleaming bowl of chicken biryani on the table, Chef Sam adds, “And that is a deghra, the traditional biryani plate in northern India.” The chef suggests starting with a simple Lebanese plate of hummus, mashed chickpeas with sesame paste; mutable, grilled eggplant with sesame paste; and tabouleh, salad of bulgur wheat, fresh parsley, tomatoes, olive oil, and lemon juice. Then, he serves shanklishe (B180), an aged, spice-coated cheese made in-house. According to Farran, Al Saray is the only place in Bangkok you’ll find it. Al Saray’s kitchen also prepares its own labneh (B160), 82 | SEPTEMBER 2015

a traditional Lebanese yoghurt cheese, and paneer, a fresh cheese used in north Indian dishes. Meanwhile the haloumi (B180), a semi-hard, un-ripened brined cheese made from goat’s and sheep’s milk, is imported from Cyprus. For mains, rogan josh (B320), a chocolate-brown Kashmiri curry made with chunks of boneless Australian lamb, is served in a traditional copper-clad kadai. The sublime biryani (B220) sees the chicken marinated with yoghurt and spices for six hours before being baked with long-grained basmati rice and Kashmiri seasonings. The Al Saray Special Mix Grill (B1000), a platter heaving with grilled lamb meatballs, lamb kebabs, marinated chicken kebabs, and Lebanese grilled chicken, comes with two impressive sauces, toum and tahine. The toum, a fluffy emulsion of olive oil, lemon, and garlic, is the most delicious version available in the city, bar none, and the tahine, a smooth sesame paste, pairs beautifully with the lamb. At dessert, strong Lebanese coffee, served in a traditional coffeepot, is the perfect foil to mohalabieh (B100), a luscious, cooling milk pudding flavoured with rosewater and pistachio powder.

AL SARAY 4F, Bangkok Plaza Building, Bangkok General Hospital, Soi Soonvijai 7 0 2319 4388 | alsarayrestaurant.com | daily 9am-10pm

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BLUE ELEPHANT - Tradition, Reinvented Thirteen years have passed since Blue Elephant returned home. Thirteen years on top of decades of spreading the gospel of Thai food around the world. It feels as if nothing and everything has changed. The extremely likable Chef Nooror Somany Steppe and her dutiful culinary team still craft dishes as they always have—premium local ingredients and house-made Blue Elephant products stirred, fried, boiled, and pounded with the utmost precision—yet the menus continue to evolve. Chef Nooror constantly excavates regional Thai traditions, bringing to life flavours rarely experienced at such a lofty level. The menu features dashes of what was offered when the restaurant first opened, but is updated regularly for the sake of diversity. A typical meal starts with bite-sized appetizers of the day. Those should be followed by spicy chicken soup, a massage for taste buds in preparation of the main courses. Kua kling gai, minced chicken stir-fried in a spicy dried curry paste, pairs with yard-long beans and sliced cucumber. Chef Nooror recommends eating it with a bite of her Eggs Benedict, topped with tamarind sauce instead of hollandaise, to counter the spice. Sour soup with tiger prawns and young papaya is not too spicy, yet leads with powerful, fragrant flavours from garlic, turmeric, ginger, and the tang of tamarind. A recently added dish is fried bangkok101.com

sea bass topped with tamarind sauce and sliced ginger. A scoop of steamed Jasmine or brown rice is the perfect foil to the rolled fillet soaked in sweet-and-sour sauce. A complimentary array of fresh vegetables with nam phrik—a kind of spicy dip, like the cheese plate of Thai cuisine—lends a traditional flair to meals. Desserts are memorable, to say the least. Apart from signature treats loved worldwide, such as juicy mango with sticky rice and coconut milk, the team prepares a cool bounty of creative goodies. Gingko nuts taste heavenly in coconut paste served in a little maroon cup. It arrives alongside panna cotta with a jam of gac—also known as baby jackfruit—presented in a see-through mason jar leaning like the Tower of Pisa. Refreshments, including herbal drinks, fruit juices, mocktails, and cocktails, are mixed at the bar on the second floor. Blue Elephant’s own organic wine is also available for pairing with dinner. The service here is second to none, of course. That starts with the acclaimed chef and extends to her approachable staff. As always, a meal at Blue Elephant leaves a lasting impression, for any occasion.

BLUE ELEPHANT 233 South Sathorn Rd | BTS Surasak | 0 2673 9353 blueelephant.com | lunch 11.30am-2.30pm, dinner 6.30pm-10.30pm

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DEAN & DELUCA - Not Your Average Café Part café, part deli, Dean & Deluca won the hearts of New Yorkers with its marbled, minimal, neoindustrial—and therefore very New York—style, not to mention its cornucopia of gourmet goods. As the brand expanded, becoming a hybrid restaurantstore-coffee shop with dine-in menus, beer and wine, and house-made sweets, it seemed only natural that it would arrive in cosmopolitan Bangkok. Today, Dean & Deluca cleaves to its highbred beginnings. Its latest branch, under the waterfall in destination mall EmQuartier—part of the Thai-owned company’s aggressive growth plan to open hundreds of new stores worldwide—feels as if the brand has arrived in the right place at the right time. And its menu, an approachable composite of American comfort food, spiced to local levels with the aid of local ingredients, should solidify its reputation for first-class casual dining in the city. A primer: many dishes involve such products as belly bacon from Sloane’s, mushrooms from ACK Hydro Farms, and honey from Chiang Rai. So local really means local. Take the riff on caprese salad for example. Sweet seasonal tomatoes are tossed with Kampot peppercorn, basil from the Royal Project, and balls of bocconcini (B185/B370/ B555). This refreshing starter, which could be confused for a meal when ordered in one of its larger portion sizes, sets the table for heavier fare. 84 | SEPTEMBER 2015

The half-slab of Sriracha-lime BBQ ribs (B695), marinated in Hitachino beer, dial up the heat on an American tradition, yet add a Thai touch through charred lime on the side and sweet, garlic-laced chilli sauce on top. Good ribs are hard to find in Bangkok. With a little crisp on the meat, and serious tang in a sauce that borders on cloying, but doesn’t quite go over the edge, these rank high. The namesake Dean Burger (B445) is not for the faint of heart, or those wearing white shirts. Brioche buns barely contain the stack of Thai wagyu, crisscrossed bacon, Rogue Ale mustard sauce, and aged cheddar. Its marigold-coloured sauce, which is seasoned with nam prik pao, also provides kick. Black truffle macaroni and cheese (B295) won’t qualify as Thai-inspired, but that shouldn’t preclude you from ordering it. Earthy truffle elevates the decadent blend of asiago, tallegio, and provolone. Of course, being a café, there’s a prime selection of smooth coffees, too, including a hot caramel macchiato, which pairs pretty perfectly with tropical pancakes (B295). Mango, pineapple, banana, and strawberry salsa crown a fluffy brown four-stack. Have it for brunch, but leave the pyjamas at home—it’s in EmQuartier, after all.

DEAN & DELUCA GF EmQuartier, The Waterfall Quartier | 0 2261 0464 deandeluca.co.th | daily 10am-10pm

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SUMMER PALACE - Plate after Plate of Delicate Dim Sum Dim sum, which literally means “touch of the heart,” is the Cantonese version of brunch. While others dive into pancakes or eggs, with cups of steaming tea in hand, happy Cantonese families spend early afternoons at the table, sharing petite, handcrafted dishes. At Summer Palace’s dim sum buffet (weekdays B688++, weekend B988++), you can order dim sum to your heart’s content while enjoying the elegant pitch of the guzheng (Chinese zither) in the background. Chef Khor Eng Yew is a native of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, who has dedicated his culinary career to creating traditional Cantonese dim sum since 1995. Over the last half decade, he has added a touch of modern Asian influences to his cuisine, introducing fun, original creations to the menu at Summer Palace. Such talents even netted him a win over Peter Lai in “Iron Chef Thailand.” Finely tuned skills are needed to achieve the quality of dim sum at Summer Palace. The labour-intensive handiwork comes to the fore in the flavours and textures. Beautifully folded, steamed dumplings rest in bamboo steamers, the bright pink chunks of prawn blushing through thin translucent wrappers. Order a wide selection of steamed dumplings—pork dumplings with shrimp roe, spicy seafood dumplings, scallop and spinach dumplings— the communal nature of dim sum makes it easy to sample all the dishes on the all-you-can-eat buffet menu, even the 86 | SEPTEMBER 2015

supporting fare, which runs the gamut from soups to wokfried items, from noodles and congee to desserts. In buns and dumplings, the fillings feature sophisticated flavours. This keeps the dim sum from feeling hefty. The seemingly humble steamed custard buns contain molten, marigold-hued salted egg custard inside pillow-soft sweet buns, an elevated finish to a familiar food. The deep-fried taro stuffed with shrimp is also a fun and tasty bite—moist mashed taro and shrimp are wrapped with delicate, yet crispy, net coating: a delightful juxtaposition of textures. On the à la carte menu, search for the deep-fried crispy almond prawn balls (B120). Dressed in a layer of almond flakes and decorated with mango salsa and finely minced red chilli, the dish has a delightful tropical accent. The oven-baked snow fish (B590) is also a must-try, as the honey teriyaki glaze complements the fish’s delicate flavour perfectly. Before you round out your dim sum feast at Summer Palace, refresh your palate with Chinese pear poached in sweet-and-sour plum syrup. Finally, with a cup of Jasmine tea, toast your good food and good companions at the table, soaking up tradition to the fullest.

SUMMER PALACE InterContinental Bangkok, 973 Phloen Chit Rd | 0 2656 0444 ext. 6434 | icbangkok.com | lunch 11.30am-2.30pm, dinner 6.30pm-10.30pm

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MON (CLOSED), TUE-SUN (10AM-10PM), START YOUR DAYS WITH AN ENERGY BOOST FROM OUR BRUNCH. WE NOW SERVE BRUNCH ALL DAY.

SHUFFLE IS EXTENDING

ITS HOURS TO

BETTER SERVE

OUR CUSTOMERS

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FINE DINING WATER TO ENHANCE GREAT FOOD ACQUA PANNA AND S. PELLEGRINO. THE FINE DINING WATERS. Sanpellegrino Asia| sanpellegrino@sanpellegrino.com.sg Distributed by Global Food Products Co., Ltd. Tel. +66 26831751

VERTIGO

VERTIGO Banyan Tree Bangkok, 21/100 South Sathorn Rd 0 2679 1200 | banyantree.com daily 6pm-11pm

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The stairway to floor 61 leads to Vertigo, a cinematic rise to The Banyan Tree’s panoramic views of Bangkok. From here, sip on tropical cocktails, like Vertigo Sunset or Vanilla Sky (B570 each), as you soak up sunset hues and watch the night settle in. From the sleek, black rooftop terrace, city roads glitter like ribbons of light. There could hardly be a more beguiling setting in which to indulge at dinnertime—a feast for the eyes, as well as the appetite. The Vertigo set menu (3-4 courses with/without spirits from B2900-5150++) offers variety, consistency, and an easy choice in the moment. Combining Latin American and Asian flavours, the spicy tuna ceviche with guacamole, cilantro, and lemon caviar is a light starter with a hint of heat. The olive oil poached red river prawns with yellow frisee and red spinach comes with a side of gazpacho sorbet; this frozen component adds an element of surprise on the palate and complements the dish with a mellow, tangy effect. Vertigo doles out bright, seasonal sorbets as palate cleansers in between courses—a French tradition—to clear the taste buds for bold flavours, such as those in the Australian pasture-fed tournedos steak, a grass-fed filet mignon, with sautéed mushrooms, buttery Béarnaise sauce, and roasted vine tomatoes. The herb-crusted Atlantic cod is a great catch, too; the flaky fish has a mild sweetness and delightful crispy skin. It sits on a salty, citrus-laced green pea mash and a splash of rich lobster bisque sauce. Those with a sweet tooth will enjoy breaking the brittle shell of the Chinese green tea crème brûlée and savouring the rich, creamy custard underneath. Ask for the vanilla bean ice cream to be served on the side to keep the crunch intact. The champagne-coloured lychee and ginger macaroon with honey crème Anglaise is studded with lychees and decorated with an edible pansy; this presentation speaks to the lightness of the dessert. Aware of the perils of rainy season, the wait staff is prepared with a plan B in case clouds float in, ensuring an easy transition to another dining room downstairs. And with complimentary photographs snapped and printed before diners depart, Vertigo’s reputation for serving stunning special occasions is set in stone. bangkok101.com

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PERFECT PAIRINGS Water, Wine, and Japanese-French Fusion for Fine Dining Lovers

hef Hideaki Sato arrived in Bangkok in early July, his verve evident from the moment he set foot on the ground. With a team from his brand-new Ta Vie, the latest project kick-started by the acclaimed Ryugin group, he soaked up the sights like any good tourist, diving in to street food, taking photos with a Ronald McDonald in wai pose, and more or less painting the town red. But the chef wasn’t any regular tourist. Eager and impassioned, he was here on business, working on the second instalment of the Fine Dining Lovers guest chef series. Chef Sato played an integral part in a water and wine pairing event at KU DÉ TA, a collaborative effort with Sanpellegrino and Acqua Panna, G Four fine wines, and Bangkok 101. The event sought to educate a savvy crowd of journalists and top local chefs on the intricacies of Acqua Panna’s natural mineral water. The group known for its industry-leading Fine Dining Lovers web platform also brought in the award-winning chef — who led Tenku Ryugin in Hong Kong to its 24th place rank among Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2015 before opening Ta Vie, a restaurant defined by his innovative French-Japanese style — to illustrate the role high-quality mineral water plays in the dining experience.

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The afternoon started with impresarios leading a water and wine pairing course. Then, Chef Sato provided a live cooking demonstration, crafting three plates from a six-course degustation menu he would prepare later that evening, which featured dishes such as “surrealism,” a poached oyster wrapped with wagyu and finished with grated celeriac and ponzu jelly; braised pork belly with beetroot, cherry compote, and pickled onion, served with beetroot mustard; and Japanese snow crab “alla carbonara,” served with cauliflower. Diners enjoyed top-shelf wines and sake with their dishes, including a Bellavista Cuve Brut 2007 Magnum and a Kotsuzumi Rojoh-Hana-Ari Tohka. From the water and wine pairing to the masterclass and through the six-course dinner, Chef Sato exuded palpable élan, a reflection of the warm welcome and support he and his sous chefs received from the world-class team at KU DÉ TA. His energy elevated the experience for the guests in attendance, pairing perfectly with the philosophy of Fine Dining Lovers. In fact, thanks to this culinary teaser, many of the guests are now licking their chops to get to Hong Kong to savour more of Chef Sato’s menu at Ta Vie.

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Chef Redzepi gets a fresh pour at Ceresia Coffee Roasters

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TRADING PLACES Noma’s Réné Redzepi Pops up at Nahm for the Grand GELINAZ! Shuffle

n the night of July 9, across multiple time zones, the world witnessed an unprecedented food happening. Thirty-seven top chefs across the globe left the comfort of home, swapping lives for a week with a fellow chef — not only kitchens, but also homes, spouses, kids, pets, and house chores. Billed the Grand GELINAZ! Shuffle, this was the latest in a series of out-of-the-box, avant-garde culinary events curated by eminent food writer and influencer Andrea Petrini and his partner-in-crime,

The Noma sous chefs check out fish at Or Tor Kor bangkok101.com

Alexandra Swenden. It was every bit as wild as the duo could have imagined. Petrini may have been the only person in the world able to pull off such an audacious tour de force, seeing as he has most of the chefs on speed dial. Among the 37 culinary superstars he signed on for the shuffle were France’s Alain Ducasse; Italy’s Massimo Bottura, whose Osteria Francescana ranks second on the 2015 World’s 50 Best Restaurants list; Alex Atala from DOM in Brazil;

Led by the team at Nahm, the sous chefs buy fresh produce SEPTEMBER 2015 | 93

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Noma and Nahm together in the kitchen

Preparing young coconut for the dinner Slovenia’s Ana Ros from Hiša Franko; and South Carolina BBQ guru Sean Brock. In other words, it was a varied and visionary bunch. The cherry-picked chefs invited were randomly dispatched to one of the other 36 restaurants, quite literally like drawing straws (picture House Swap, but with a sense of irony). So the masterful Albert Adria could end up in, say, Sao Paolo or Argentinian Mauro Colagreco could take over for David Chang in New York. Just two chefs were invited from Asia: Tokyo’s Yoshihiro Narisawa, who was dispatched to Ben Shewry’s Attica in Melboune, and David Thompson from Bangkok’s beloved Nahm, who filled Alain Ducasse’s sizable shoes at Le Plaza Athénée in Paris. The result of this wild selection process saw one of Time magazine’s “Gods of Food,” Réné Redzepi of the widely acclaimed Noma in Denmark, landing in Bangkok, where he presided over Nahm for a night. Bangkok hooked a big one in Redzepi. In a video welcome 94 | SEPTEMBER 2015

Fun and games: it’s not all serious business message, David Thompson quipped, “The Nordic forager is in for a rude shock if he dares to forage on the streets of Bangkok.” Fortunately, he chose not to pick from the sidewalk’s growing greenery, instead visiting local markets, where he and his team tasted the fresh Thai produce they would use in their dishes. In a briefing, the chefs were instructed to arrive a few days before the dinner and figure it out on the fly. They were forbidden to bring ingredients with them, nor replicate menus from home, as is often the case when star chefs travel. On the same token, they were not meant to attempt to cook the cuisine of the host restaurant. The Grand GELINAZ! Shuffle was designed to test the skills of the chefs, get them working intimately with the host kitchen team, finding out what’s in season, sourcing local produce, and creating new, original menus from scratch in just 72 hours. Most importantly, the identity of the guest chef could not be revealed until after the dinner. bangkok101.com

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One last look at the night’s menu

Unripe Watermelon

Luminaries unite at Nahm

Ambassador Mason Florence works with Chef Redzepi Redzepi presented a four-course multi-dish spread for sharing, embracing Thai style. The first course included a pairing of durian with cabbage, and a delicate unripe watermelon, one of the standout dishes of the night. The second course featured young corn with carp and pumpkin with sweet fish sauce, with the third course showcasing pork and tamarind beside soft shell crab with aubergine. For dessert, it was a Noma-esque ant egg omelette with rice, pork skin, sweet potato with snake skin fruit, and sugarcane. To the delight of the 85 dinner guests — a mixed crowd of local foodies and fellow chefs — he spent most of the dinner service on the floor chatting with them, explaining the concept, signing menus, and posing for key Instagram shots. As expected he was warmly received. In addition to a host team at each of the 37 restaurants, an ambassador was assigned to take care bangkok101.com

Tamarind Leaves on Pork Crackling of the visiting chef, and to be the sole witness, as it were. Bangkok 101 Publisher Mason Florence had the honour of watching over the amiable Redzepi during his stay, to “tuck him in at night if things got out of control,” according to the Mission Impossible-style brief. Shortly after arriving from a whirlwind trip — his flights went from Copenhagen to Frankfurt to Singapore to Bangkok — Redzepi requested a simple comfort, a good strong espresso. Florence took him to a favourite local café, Ceresia Coffee Roasters, before the chef unpacked his bags and got to work. The following photos give a brief behind-the-scenes glimpse of the Noma and Nahm teams during the Grand GELINAZ! Shuffle, from the markets to the kitchen to the dining room floor and after party. For a closer look at the action, including an in-depth gallery of photos and videos, visit bangkok101.com. To see other participating chefs at work, dive into the digital wall at gelinaz.com. SEPTEMBER 2015 | 95

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SO AMAZING CHEFS - Have Fork, Will Travel Fine dining is on the rise. Or, perhaps, it’s fully risen. Bangkok’s lingua franca is laced with sauces, foams, and French techniques — foreign wine, degustation menus, and Michelin stars. Few places have captured the spirit of this gourmet golden age as fervently as Sofitel So. Over the past four years, its So Amazing Chefs has grown from platform to destination, becoming a place where, if only for a week, foodies can fulfil their most decadent dreams. This year, twelve culinary virtuosos will come together at the chic hotel, including familiar faces from previous events: Stéphane Bonnat from Voiron, France; Laurent Peugeot from Burgundy; Alain Caron and Ferry van Houten from Amsterdam; Chris Salans from Bali, who took part in the inaugural edition; Didier Corlou from Hanoi; and Sofitel So’s own Paul Smart. Joining them are Menno Post, Hervé Rodriguez, Jacques Pourcel, Loïc Villemin, and Thierry Renou, a formidable line-up of Michelin-decorated chefs. So Amazing Chefs kicks off on October 6 with a four-course dinner prepared by Chef Corlou (B3900++). A collaboration of six chefs — Caron, Post, Salans, Pourcel, van Houten, and Smart — takes place the following evening, and this really sets the trend for the entire event. From cheese master classes to chocolate cooking lessons, every day and night is hallmarked by culinary pedigree, interactive programmes, and cutting-edge food styles. 96 | SEPTEMBER 2015

While dinners and classes should draw hungry crowds, the culinary showdown ranks as the can’t-miss event. The chefs split into teams and do battle, preparing threecourse dinners judged by a panel, as well as the audience, on October 9 (B2500++, including a welcome cocktail). Think “Iron Chef,” but with teams pitted against one another rather than individuals and their sous chefs. A new wrinkle this year sees the chefs taking over brunch at Red Oven on Saturday, October 10, and Sunday, October 11. On Saturday, the So Amazing Brunch brings Caron, Salans, van Houten, and Pourcel to the brunch stations (B1950++/B2350++ with free-flow wine); later that evening, they present their signature menus at Park Society (B9500++ for 11 courses/B12000++ paired with wine). The next afternoon is the Michelin Star Brunch, the participating chefs having earned six stars between them — no small feat. Afterward, they, too, get a chance to roll out their signature menus (B6400++ for five courses/B7400++ paired with wine). Once all the crumbs have settled, the ceremonies close in fitting style with a party at Hi-So.

SOFITEL SO 2 North Sathorn Rd | 0 2624 0000 sofitel.com

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food for thought

Brave Roasters Spilling the Beans about Thai Coffee BY RACHEL KWOK

arm smells of freshly roasted coffee emanate from the churning roaster as Fah Veratumpoonsawat, one of the three founders of Brave Roasters, explains, “This is our last batch of Jom Thong for today, one of the two types of beans we use in our signature blend, Flag Bearer Espresso.” She scoops a handful of roasted coffee beans and lifts them to my nose. I take in the toasted hazelnut-like scent daintily, but with pleasure. “Jom Thong has a nice acidity, and Papae gives the blend body and a sweet aftertaste,” says Fah. “Our concept is to improve the Thai coffee scene, to make it well-known worldwide. That’s why it’s important for us to use Thai beans in our signature blend.” The art of roasting coffee happens at One Ounce for Onion on Ekamai Soi 12, a collaborative fashion café between Brave Roasters and the clothing retailer, Onion. Behind the coffee cup, each of the three founders infuses their own expertise to perfect the coffee they put forward. House Chanmantana, the guitarist of the indie-rock band Slur, is the brains behind the hip retail side of the café. It was House’s idea to combine his online clothing and accessories store with Brave Roasters, so that they could open their very own café. As an avid coffee drinker, he visits roasters abroad to keep an eye on global trends for the team. Tay Witvasutti’s sharp sense of smell and taste guided him to roast coffee. These skills give him a distinctive edge in sourcing beans and developing new brews. He learned the basics during his apprenticeship at Happy Espresso in Chiang Mai and mastered his trade with every different whiff he came across. 98 | SEPTEMBER 2015

Using her background in chemistry, Fah frequently tweaks the roasting formulas. “Coffee roasting is like a mixture of art and science,” she says. The brave roasters must trust their senses, knowing when to end the roast by the smell of sugar caramelising or a bean about to burn. The I+D Style Café X Brave Roasters in Siam Center is their mainstream retail shop and café, which offers a wide range of coffees. Other than their signature filtered coffee and cold brews, try sparkling black—an espresso with sparkling water (B120)—or coffee beer float, comprised of root beer with vanilla ice cream and espresso (B160). The Onion Store: Aree, on the other hand, takes an alternative concept. It encourages customers to ditch their regular Americano and try something different off the petite and always temporary menu. “To learn about coffee, you must open your mind,” says Tay. With a stir of curiosity, I order their weekly creative coffee—lemongrass- and cinnamon-infused iced coffee with basil syrup (B130). At the minimalist wooden coffee counter, Tay walks me through the steps of crafting this coffee elixir. As weird as it might sound, the fresh fragrance of lemongrass complements the espresso beautifully, and the sweet anise flavour in the basil balances the bitter notes of the roast. The Brave Roasters are a group of young, fearless individuals who roll up their sleeves and pour their hearts into coffee. Fah urges all city residents to get involved with the growing scene, too. “Drink more coffee, and there will be more coffee,” she says. bangkok101.com

Introducing Home-grown Originals This year, paying homage to Khun Surat Prajakjitr, Ruen Urai owners' nanny, our new menu offerings are inspired by her home-style cooking. Through the owners' childhood, Khun Surat’s modest methods yet sumptuous flavours nourish the whole family. True sophistication often lies in simplicity. Experience fine Thai culinary arts in the oasis that is Ruen Urai, “The House of Gold.” Casual dining and bar from noon to 11 p.m. Ruen Urai at the Rose Hotel 118 Soi Na Wat Hualumphong, Surawongse Road Tel. (66) 2 266 8268-72 Fax. (66) 2 266 8096 www.rosehotelbkk.com www.ruen-urai.com bangkok101.com

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in the kitchen

SOMKIAT “JOKE” PAIROJMAHAKIJ talks to Nads Willow

Bangkok born and bred, Somkiat “Joke” Pairojmahakij jumped from running a busy bar in the madness of Khao San Road to the far more refined world of organic foods, sustainability, and locally sourced ingredients. Inspired by his Canadian wife’s work in forestry and climate change, along with her understanding of the local NGO community, Joke began delivering healthful lunches to the international office crowd. Adding a few tables and chairs to his kitchen, Seven Spoons was born in 2011. Although it moved to bigger premises in 2013, the latest incarnation of Seven Spoons retains the same independent attitude and loyal support that has long made it stand out as a culinary leader among the try-hard fashion food followers. The restaurant is infused with Joke’s energy. Primarily self-taught, the chef has a palpable enthusiasm for his culinary creations. His spirit lends a certain kind of honesty to his dishes, which are packed with flavour and underlined by health-consciousness. “I love spices, and real food, like stews, but what I enjoy most is creating new dishes,” he says. “Innovation.” In the heat of his first floor kitchen, Joke creates a dish he’s adding to the new evening menu, one inspired by Nepalese cuisine: paneer cheese with ginger and lentils. First, he takes four thick slices of Indian paneer and lightly pan fries them in a drizzle of oil, patting each browned wedge of cheese that comes off the pan. On the stove, as he describes his hearty stew, it’s clear that Joke’s passion is rooted in the ingredients, locally sourced 100 | SEPTEMBER 2015

wherever possible, rather than complexity, hubris, or showmanship. “The ginger in this dish is local,” he explains. “I get it just a few doors down from here, from a woman who grows it in the area.” Onion, ginger, thyme, garlic, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, and lentils are added to vegetable stock and left to simmer for three hours, or more. Joke then whips up a salad, new to the lunch menu. He combines smoked salmon, asparagus, radish, sundried tomatoes, gruyere, bits of almond brittle for crunch, and longan from Ratchaburi. Alongside the mixture he serves up his own version of head cheese—or brawn—a pork terrine from Europe with pickles and organic pink peppercorns from Kampot in Cambodia. The seasonal lunch and dinner menus at Seven Spoons revolve around a philosophy of invention. Joke crafts new dishes with local ingredients, or simply cooks lesser known meals differently, driven to create good, wholesome food rather than fancy fare. The menu never neglects the comfort food factor. For a chef who has spent his life in Bangkok, Joke’s greatest skill is his openness to adventure. With a smile on his face and a hard-working attitude, he explores global flavours, inviting eager diners to join him for the ride.

SEVEN SPOONS 211/8 Chakkrapatipong Rd | 0 2629 9214 sevenspoonsbkk.com | Tues-Sun 11am-3pm, 6pm-1am

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street eats

FOOD & DRIN K

eat like

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

LATE NIGHT SHOWS WITH SPICY MISO SOUP

ogether we chart a cautious yet cheerful course in the darkness, navigating between potholes and broken paving stones. We’re in that relatively quiet zone on Thong Lo, before you reach Sukhumvit and away from the chic eateries that draw the golden crowds further up the street. We’ve just watched a dance show by my friend, Japanese-American performer Michael Sakamoto. The conversation flows, our imaginations brimming, but our stomachs are empty. Having eyed up a few vendors and scanned the darkness for the alluring glow of a cosy restaurant, we’ve finally come across a quaint and quirky Japanese café-cumrestaurant called Sendai Ramen Mokkori—a welcome port in our gathering storm of indecision and hunger. As we pass through sliding doors, we’re greeted with the widest of smiles from the restaurant’s Japanese owner, who is stationed at the front counter, deftly preparing noodles. He waves his giant chopsticks like the conductor of an orchestra of noodles. Have I walked out of one show and into another? Rows of partially empty sake bottles jostle for space on shelves above a hand-written sign declaring “Keep 3 Months.” A mosaic of faded photos depicts happy-

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looking celebrities. It appears Sendai Ramen has earned a following over the years. Perhaps part of the appeal is its beer policy: 1 for B149 or 2 for B209. While my friends snap selfies, I get down to business. No ramen expert, I deploy my restaurant radar, using instinct to make my selection. I end up with a spicy karamiso soup, which is, of course, from Sendai— Sendai Karamiso Shashu Men. Before long, selfies complete, there’s more than one pair of chopsticks jabbing at my noodles, more than one spoon scooping up my soup. The noodles are smooth and al dente, complemented by butterlike shashu and the startling, aromatic spice of karamiso (roasted chilli miso) that melts into the rusty-brown soup. The whole table keeps quiet as we let the food do the talking for once. Sendai Ramen Mokkori is on 8/3 Soi Sukhumvit 55, or Soi Thong Lo 2. About 200 metres from Sukhumvit, you will notice some red Japanese lanterns hanging in front of a restaurant on the right side. Open between 11am and 1am. Cash only. Tel: 0 2392 0811.

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listings

AMERICAN BOURBON STREET BAR & GRILL 9/39-40 Soi Tana Arcade, Sukhumvit 63, Ekamai | 0 2381 6801 | bourbonstbkk.com 7am-1am A Cajun-Creole cut-out whose vast menu explores the patois of the Louisiana bayou and shines in dishes like crawfish étouffée, jambalaya, and barbeque ribs.

LITTLE BEAST 44/9-10 Thonglor Soi 13 | 0 2185 2670 facebook.com/littlebeastbar | Tue-Sat 5.30pm1am, Sun 5.30-midnight An intimate gastro-bar suited to grazing and glugging or a bit of both, featuring a menu of New American dishes, which are delicious and exotic twists on old world standbys (e.g. truffle fries).

THE MAYFLOWER Dusit Thani Bangkok, 946 Rama IV Rd | 0 2200 9000 | dusit.com | 11.30am-2pm, 6pm-10pm Authenticity is the name of the game at the Dusit Thani’s cool ground-level restaurant. The menu here is exceptionally satisfying and interesting enough to start a tug-of-war over the Lazy Susan.

XIN TIAN DI Crowne Plaza Bangkok Lumpini Park, 952 Rama IV Rd | 0 2632 9000 | crowneplazabkk. com | 11.30am-2.30pm; 6pm-10.30pm The restaurant is renowned not only for its stylish atmosphere and views, but for its dim sum, set lunches, and a la carte dinners, including what many regard as the best Peking duck in Bangkok.

CHINESE CHEF MAN Eastin Grand Hotel Sathorn, 33/1 South Sathorn Rd | 09 3135 5539 | chefmanrestaurant. com | Lunch 11.30am-2.30pm, Dinner 6pm10pm Cantonese classics in all their glory at this posh venue beloved for its dim sum and Peking duck.

LIU 3F Conrad Bangkok, 87 Wireless Rd | 0 2690 9999 | conradhotels3.hilton.com | 2pm-12am A traditional place that offers all the understated grandeur of Cantonese fine dining while executing food full of contemporary notes.

MEI JIANG The Peninsula Bangkok, 333 Charoennakorn Rd | 0 2861 2888 | peninsula.com | 11.30am2.30pm, 6pm-10.30pm Widely regarded as one of Bangkok’s finest Cantonese restaurants in town, Mei Jiang has built a loyal following for its dim sum, fresh classics, and behind-thescenes “Chef’s Table” concept.

SHANG PALACE 3F Shangri-La Hotel, 89 Soi Wat Suan Plu, New Road | 0 2236 7777 | shangri-la.com 11am-3pm, 5.30pm-10.30pm The interior is elegant, but, more importantly, the food is a glowing reminder of how Chinese food should be executed and presented. The dim sum is the obvious place to start, and the signature dishes are serious standouts. 102 | SEPTEMBER 2015

great bread, seafood, and meat. Those in the mood for a proper French feast won’t be disappointed. Stop in for happy hour to round out your meal with a glass of wine or a discounted beer.

CAFÉ RIVIERA 110/1 Soi Prasanmitr, first street on the right in Sukhumvit 23 | 0 2259 3033 | caferivierabkk. com| 11.30am-10pm A Parisian bistro set in the gullet of a bustling Bangkok soi, serving tartare, cold cuts, carpaccio, duck, cheese, and more. Check the chalkboard for the daily specials.

J’AIME BY JEAN-MICHEL LORAIN U Sathorn Bangkok, 105,105/1 Soi Ngam Duphli | 0 2119 4899 | jaime-bangkok.com The classic cuisine lives up to lofty expectations, even rising above, thanks to the vibrancy in taste and colour of the dishes. You might even find yourself trying to re-create certain ones the next day.

LE BOEUF

ITALICS 63/3 Soi Ruamrudee | 0 2253 2410 italicsrestaurant.com | daily 8am-11pm Italics bucks the norm, using ingredients sourced directly from Thai farmers and local foodie entrepreneurs to create an intriguing take on Italian classics. The eclectic menu is the brainchild of James Noble, a Michelindecorated chef, who proclaims, “It’s a mix of dishes I’d like to eat.” The presentation is eye-catching, and interesting combinations abound, all of which are complemented by a glass of wine from the likes of Hua Hin Hills. Apart from Thai wines, other thirstquenchers include house-crafted cocktails and fresh juices. As should be expected from any good Italian place, Italics also makes a high-quality cup of joe, perfect for an after-dinner wind-down.

FRENCH CHEZ PAPE 1/28-29 Soi Sukhumvit 11 | 0 2255 2492 chezpape.com | 5pm-11.30pm, Sat-Sun also 11.30am-2.30pm The menu brims with traditional French fare, an indulgent roll call of sauces and

Marriott Executive Apartments Mayfair, 60 Soi Langsuan | 093 971 8081 | leboeufgroup.com The concept at Le Boeuf is simple: highquality steak liberally doused with a unique pea-green sauce, paired with an unlimited supply of crispy pommes frites and fresh salad. French to the core.

L’APPART 32F, Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit, 189 Sukhumvit | 08 5924 1565 | sofitel.com 7pm-12am One of the most gorgeous, interesting spaces in Bangkok. A meal here feels like you’ve been invited for a fabulous dinner party at a successful friend’s penthouse. Traditional cuisine charts an adventurous new course.

SAVELBERG Ground floor, Oriental Residence, Wireless Rd | 0 2252 800 | facebook.com/savelbergth Open Mon-Sat, noon-2.30pm, 6pm-10pm French in flavour and elegance, but imbued with influences from the Netherlands, the food is befitting the chef’s pedigree. Considering the quality of the dishes and the restaurant’s refined ambience, it’s easy to see why this place is becoming a neighbourhood favourite.

THE GLASS BANGKOK 8/8 Civic Horizon, Sukhumvit Soi 63 | 0 2108 8982 | theglassbangkok.co.th | Sun-Thurs 11.30am-10.30pm, Fri-Sat 11.30am-11pm bangkok101.com

listings Not everyone is a wine expert or familiar with French cuisine, but that’s where The Glass shines. The kitchen is consistent, serving class French dishes, and guests can pick from wines they may have thought they would never try.

INDIAN BAWARCHI Level B, InterContinental Chidlom, 973 Ploenchit Rd | 0 2656 0383 | bawarchiindian. com | 11am-midnight These are the kind of curries you’ve been missing. Rich, buttery, decadent, and delicious: Indian comfort food, in other words. You won’t leave disappointed.

CHARCOAL 5th flr Fraser Suites, Sukhumvit 11 | 08 9307 1111 | charcoalbkk.com | Open daily 6pm11pm No sloppy curries swimming in ghee here: only sophisticated interpretations of tandoor-grilled delicacies enjoyed by the Moghuls of old, and a unique selection of cocktails with intriguing Indian twists designed by Joseph Boroski.

MAYA 29F Holiday Inn Bangkok Sukhumvit 22, 1 Sukhumvit Soi 22 | 0 2683 4888 mayathailand.com | 5pm-1am A high-flying joint that contains more than a few surprises, from cocktails with Indian twists to food that marries ingredients unusual in Indian cuisine with classic manifestations from the Subcontinent.

RANG MAHAL 26F Rembrandt Hotel, 19 Sukhumvit Soi 18 0 2261 7100 | rembrandtbkk.com | 11.30am2.30pm, 6.30pm-11pm Meaning “palace of colours,” Rang Mahal sure does have a courtly air, down to the refined, delicate food. The proceedings go up another notch when the kebabs and curries come out.

THE GREAT KABAB FACTORY Majestic Grande Hotel, 12 Sukhumvit Soi 2 0 2262 2999 | thegreatkakabfactory.com/ Bangkok | 6pm-11pm Built around memorable service and menus that are entirely different in look and taste from the ubiquitous MiddleEastern kebabs. This Nana institution boasts an extensive inventory of more than 450 kinds of kebab, so there’s sure to be enough to satisfy all tastes. bangkok101.com

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INTERNATIONAL 22 KITCHEN & BAR 946 Thanon Rama IV | 0 2200 9000 | dusit. com | Bar 4pm-Midnight, Dinner 6pm-10pm Impeccable meals from the Pacific Rim, bridging Peruvian, West Coast American, Japanese, and Taiwanese cuisine. Led by the exuberant, innovative Nikolas Ramirez, this restaurant is one not to miss.

BARSU Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit, 250 Sukhumvit Rd | 0 2649 8358 | barsubangkok.com | Open daily 10am-11pm A former “drink, dine, dance” destination turned into a modern gastro lounge with a playful menu and a philosophy of rustic “down-to-earth food at down-to-earth prices.”

CREPES & CO 59/4 Langsuan Soi 1, Ploenchit Rd, (also CentralWorld) | 0 2652 0208 crepesnco.com | 9am-11pm The flavours and ingredients take in the entire sweep of the Mediterranean, borrowing heavily from Morocco and Greece, in particular. Sweet and savoury crepes are just as good for brunch as they are for a pre-bedtime treat.

EAT ME Soi Pipat 2, Silom | 0 2238 0931 eatmerestaurant.com | 3pm-1am Run by the innovative Tim Butler, this cosy Silom restaurant is consistently ranked among the top restaurants in Asia and serves quite possibly the best steak in town.

ELEMENTS Fl25 The Okura Prestige Bangkok, Park Ventures Ecoplex, 57 Wireless Rd | 0 2687 9000 | okurabangkok.com | 6pm-10.30pm An imposing space with a list billed as “modern logical cuisine,” translated as the use of seasonal produce. The menu is divided into an a la carte menu and four tasting menus, including a vegetarian option.

THE GARDENS OF DINSOR PALACE 1217/2 Sukhumvit Rd, between Soi 59 and 61 0 2714 2112 | thegardenspalace.com Breakfast/ brunch from 8am, lunch from 11am-2.30pm, dinner from 5pm daily Using imported and local ingredients, some of which are grown in the hydroponic vegetable garden out back, chefs produce modern dishes with a SEPTEMBER 2015 | 103

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distinct French influence. Take time to visit the verdant grounds.

HARVEST 24 Sukhumvit Soi 31 | 0 2262 0762, 09 7235 8286 | facebook.com/ HARVESTrestaurantBKK | 5.30pm-12am Rustic to the core, this wood-decorated venue in Phrom Pong relies heavily on Italian influences and high-quality seafood, but the menu incorporates a touch of Spanish and French flair, as well.

HYDE & SEEK GF Athenee Residence, 65/1 Soi Ruamrudee 0 2168 5152 | hydeandseek.com | 11am-1am A superior gastro-bar that delivers in both drinks and food. The cocktails, in particular, draw a varied after-work crowd to the stools that surround the chunky bar.

OPPOSITE MESS HALL Sukhumvit Soi 51 | 0 2662 6330 oppositebangkok.com | Tue-Sun 6.30pm-Late One of the city’s most talented chefs serves rustic, memorable meals that won’t break the bank. Worth the buzz and then some.

PANORAMA Crowne Plaza Lumpini Park | Rama IV Rd 0 2632 9000 | crowneplazabkk.com | Noon2pm, 6pm-10.30pm Serves breakfast and lunch, but the dinner buffet really has tongues wagging. The buffet changes every few months, from Mexican to Japanese, from Brazilian “Samba San” to a fresh seafood bounty.

KAI Sathorn Soi 12 | 0 2635 3800 | kai-bangkok. com | Mon-Fri 9.30am-11.30pm, 8.30am11.30pm This handsome eatery makes an impressive go of answering the question: What does “Kiwi cuisine” actually mean? It’s an appealing culinary destination in one of the city’s emerging food hubs.

MAD MOA 211/8 Lan Luang Intersection, Chakrapaddhipong Rd | 085 155 2601 | facebook.com/MadMoa | Tue and Sun 6pm11pm A four-table shophouse serving hearty Polynesian and American food, like burgers, bacon-wrapped hot dogs, and slow-cooked ribs, as well as fantastic locally brewed beer.

MONDO GF Hilton Sukhumvit Bangkok, 11 Sukhumvit Soi 24 | 0 2620 6666 | hilton.com | 7am11pm Styled after popular neighbourhood salumerias (delis) and formaggerias (cheese shops) found on street corners throughout Italy. The food here is bitesized and meant to be shared.

MOODZ 308 Sukhumvit Soi 55 | 0 2170 8440 facebook.com/moodzthailand | 5pm-Midnight With a menu that riffs on modern European cuisines, leaning heavily on Italian for inspiration, this blue-and-gold beauty is a fine addition to Thong Lo’s urban dining scene. 104 | SEPTEMBER 2015

QUINCE Sukhumvit Soi 45 | 0 2662 4478 quincebangkok.com | 11.30am-late Serves straightforward food: farmhouse presentation, not too many flavours, focusing on quality ingredients and letting it fly. The chef buys sustainable goods — local, when possible — and changes the menu frequently.

RED OVEN Sofitel So Bangkok, 2 North Sathorn Rd 0 2624 0000 | sofitel-so-bangkok.com 6.30pm-10.30pm Styled as a World Food Market, this 7thfloor all-day dining venue, named after the restaurant’s red Molteni oven, offers dishes reminiscent of traditional street food with a contemporary twist in buffet spreads. On weekends, the restaurant puts on a scrumptious, free-flow wine brunch buffet.

SHEEPSHANK

KOM-BA-WA 39/19 Soi Suan Phlu, Sathorn Rd | 0 2679 3775 | kombawa.com Bangkok-based entrepreneur Frederic Meyer takes a leap into progressive Japanese fare at his latest culinary venture. Meaning “good evening” in Japanese, KomBa-Wa occupies a shophouse on hip Suan Phlu. The high-ceiling dining room is adorned with flamboyant red and gold wallpaper, Japanese prints, polished hardwoods, and antiques, including kiri cabinets from Nagoya and brass empire chandeliers from France. The dishes are a modern interpretation of traditional cuisine. Fish and shellfish, which make up a significant portion of the menu, are imported direct from Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo. Interested in sushi and sashimi? The best bet is to order the chef’s choice platters.

PARK SOCIETY Sofitel So Bangkok, 2 North Sathorn Rd 0 2624 0000 | sofitel-so-bangkok.com 6.30pm-10.30pm Excite both your taste buds and eyes with a cutting-edge, elegant dinner overlooking Lumpini Park and the amazing skyline of Bangkok. Perfect for a romantic evening or a friendly get-together.

47 Phra Arthit Rd | 0 2629 5165 sheepshankpublichouse.com | Tues-Sun 6pmmidnight A chalkboard announces specials while a one-page table menu keeps the decisionmaking pleasantly minimal. Fresh organic, fair-trade ingredients produce hearty flavours in grilled meats and seafood.

TABLES GRILL Grand Hyatt Erawan, 494 Ratchadamri Rd 0 2254 1234 | bangkok.grand.hyatt.com Noon-2.30pm, 6.30pm-11pm The theme is based on the tableside preparation seen in many traditional French restaurants, and the menu, billed as pan-European, takes full advantage of the theatre. As entertaining as it is satisfying.

THE DISTRICT Bangkok Marriott Sukhumvit, 2 Sukhumvit Soi 57 | 0 2797 0000 | marriott.com | 6pm-11pm The name of the restaurant refers to New York’s meat packing district. That shines through in the menu as well as the impressive cocktails. The highlight at is the seafood. Lobster, prawns, oysters, scallops, crab — you name it.

THE KITCHEN TABLE 2/F, W Bangkok, 106 North Sathorn Rd 0 2344 4000 | whotels.com/Bangkok | 9am10pm A modern bistro with food that is honest, wholesome, and full of flavour. Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Good food bangkok101.com

listings and an ambiance that matches modern day lifestyles.

ITALIAN APPIA 20/4 Sukhumvit Soi 31 | 0 2261 2056 | appiabangkok.com | Tue-Sun 6.30pm-11pm Amazing Roman-style cuisine that, to the benefit of diners, is limited to a small, special menu. Extremely popular, and with good reason.

DON GIOVANNI 1695 Phaholyothin Rd, Centara Grand at Central Plaza Ladprao Bangkok | 0 2541 1234 centarahotelsresorts.com The menu is full of home-style recipes, the concept rarely straying from traditional Italian. Along with neo-classical décor, the culinary approach lends Don Giovanni a decorous air befitting its operatic name.

ENOTECA ITALIANA BANGKOK 39 Sukhumvit Soi 27 | 0 2258 4386 enotecabangkok.com | 6pm-midnight Traditional Italian to the bones, rustic from the barn-like roof to the homemade breads, cured meats, and salami on the countertop. There’s a long list of vino to enjoy, and impeccable a la carte and degustation menus to explore.

GARIBALDI’S Somserset Lake Point Tower A, 41 Sukhumvit 16 | 0 2262 0835 | garibaldisbangkok.com open daily Featuring cuisines running the length of the Mediterranean, the most memorable dishes nevertheless return to the restaurant’s Italian roots, dishes filled with energy and flair.

IL BOLOGNESE 139/3 Sathorn Tai Soi 7 | 0 2286 8805 ilbolognesebangkok.com | 11.30am-2.30pm, 5.30pm-11pm It shouts “tradition” from floor to ceiling. Cold cuts and cheese, wooden wine racks, and wood-fired pizza: original recipes meet high-quality ingredients here, and the results always satisfy. One of the best pizzas in town.

JOJO The St Regis Bangkok, 159 Ratchadamri Rd 0 2207 7777 | stregis.com/bangkok | noon3pm, 6pm-11pm One of the few outlets proudly flying the flag for Venetian fare, with ingredients bangkok101.com

FOOD & DRIN K

imported from the region conjuring authentic flavours of the Veneto. Has a magnificent wine cellar, too.

LA BOTTEGA DI LUCA The 49 Terrace, Sukhumvit 49 | 0 2204 1731 labottega.name | 10.30am-11.30pm A relaxed, welcoming space with indooroutdoor seating. Chef Luca updates the menu regularly and orders produce from Italy every fortnight. It’s all rustic, filling, flavoursome Italian cooking, delivered with real passion.

LENZI Lenzi Tuscan Kitchen, Ruam Rudee Soi 2 0 2001 0116 | lenzibangkok.com | Lunch 11.45-2pm, Dinner 6pm-10.45pm Many ingredients are sourced directly from the chef’s native Tuscany — including fresh white truffles and a butcher’s bounty of hams and salami. It just doesn’t get much more Italian than this in Bangkok.

PEPPINA 27/1 Sukhumvit Rd | 0 2119 7677 peppinabkk.com | 11am-3pm, 6.30pm-12am, closed on Monday Quite possibly the best pizza in the city is available here, and at reasonable prices to boot — this is a welcome and muchlauded addition to the upper crust of Bangkok’s dining scene.

ROSSINI’S Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit, 250 Sukhumvit Rd | 0 2653 0333 | sheratongrandesukhumvit. com | 6pm-10.30pm, Mon-Fri noon-2.30pm The menu has lots of modern touches that reimagine traditional Italian styles. Also has more reasonable wine prices than many restaurants in this bracket, promising “top shelf wines at cellar prices.”

SENSI Narathiwat Soi 17 (Yaek 5) | 0 2117 1618 facebook.com/sensibangkok | Mon-Sat 6pm-12pm Intense flavours are spun from fresh produce and complemented by sophisticated reductions and emulsions. The interplay between rich and zesty, complexity and straightforwardness, results in amazing creations.

SCALINI Hilton Sukhumvit Bangkok, 11 Sukhumvit Soi 24 | 0 2620 6666 | hilton.com | Noon-2.30pm, 6pm-11pm The cuisine is Italian, but with enough surprises to satisfy the curious diner. SEPTEMBER 2015 | 105

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For example, the antipasti retain a Mediterranean base but are infused with lighter, Asian-influenced twists. All of the dishes are prepared with impeccable touch. Don’t forget dessert: they alone are worthy of a visit.

JAPANESE GENJI GF Swissotel Nai Lert Park, 2 Wireless Rd | 0 2655 4265 | genji-restaurant.com | 11.30am2.30pm, 6pm-10.30pm A Bangkok institution for more than 30 years, where presentation has always been crucial to the overall effect. Expect top-quality and well-executed Japanese cuisine every time.

HAMA-ICHI Legacy Suites, 12 Sukhumvit Soi 29, Klongtoey-Nua | 0 2662 3376 | facebook.com/ hamaichibangkok | Mon-Sat 5pm-midnight, Sun 4pm-11pm Almost 300 dishes. Dive right in to tempura, seared salmon, wasabi-paired sashimi, and a number of hotpots, dining side-by-side with salarymen at the long bar or in private at one of the tables sectioned off by bamboo screens.

SHINTORI Level 18, Zen World, Zen Department Stores 0 2100 9000 | shintoribangkok.com | 5.30pmlate If you’re looking for a dinner that impresses on all fronts, it’s worth forking out for a meal here, as the combination of a thrilling setting and exciting food is still hard to find in this town.

TAIHEI 53F Banyan Tree Bangkok, 21/100 South Sathorn Rd | 0 2679 1200 | banyantree.com 11.30am-2pm, 6pm-11pm There’s a real commitment to quality leading the charge at Taihei. The food is beautiful, and it tastes great, to boot. Honest-to-goodness Japanese served from atmospheric heights.

TEN-SUI 33 Soi Sukhumvit 16 | 08 8540 1001 | tensui.co 11.30am-2pm, 5.30pm-10pm Japanese restaurants abound in Bangkok, but it’s hard to imagine a more authentic experience than at Ten-Sui. It’s worth noting that this place is high-end, with prices to match.

TORO SUSHI No.88 in soi connecting Thong Lor 5 to 9, Sukhumvit 55 | 0 2712 8447 | facebook.com/ torofreshsushi | Mon-Fri 4pm-11pm, Sat-Sun 11am-11pm Rather old-fashioned, there’s nothing fancy about this place —in a city where style often strong-arms substance, that’s part of its charm. Reservations are recommended if you want to sit at a table instead of the sushi bar.

YUUTARO Fl 5, Central Embassy, 1031 Phloenchit Rd 0 2160 5880-1 | yuutaro.com | daily 11am10.30pm Raw food stars. Sushi and sashimi — toro, engawa, uni, and hotate, a staggering ninety percent of the seafood selected from Tsukiji Market in Tokyo. There are some twists, too, such as Wagyu sushi rolles.

YTSB 3F VIE Hotel Bangkok, Phayathai Rd | 0 2309 3939 | facebook.com/YTSB.BKK | 6pm-11pm The name is short for “Yellow Tail Sushi Bar,” which provides a pretty decent indication of what this place has to offer. It isn’t all about yellowtail, either — there’s real variety on the menu.

ZIPANGU 28/2-3 Sukhumvit Soi 19 | 0 2651 2180 facebook.com/TheZipangu | 6am-2am With its creative sushi rolls and traditional Japanese fare, along with more than 20 different kinds of sake, Zipangu is one of the city’s best options for izakaya-style dining.

ZUMA Ground Fl, 159 Rajadamri Road | 0 2252 4707 zumarestaurant.com | 12pm-3pm, 6pm-11pm This izakaya-style joint delivers. Fish and beef get equal treatment, each prepared with duteous touch. Dishes come out in no precise order and can be shared or eaten individually.

MIDDLE EASTERN ARABESQUE 68/1 Sukhumvit Soi 2, Sukhumvit Rd 0 2656 9440 | facebook.com/ arabesquerestaurantbangkokthailand | 11am2am The menu is as pure Egyptian as the fixtures. As well as dishes that fans of Middle Eastern cuisine will notice, such as hummus, moussaka and tagine (clay pot stews), it includes some they probably won’t.

NOW OPEN B R E A K FA S T LUNCH-DINNER Silom Rd.

Narathiwas Rd.

Sathorn Soi 10

Chong Non-si Station

kai

Sathorn Soi 12

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02-6353800 kainz@kai-bangkok.com

www.facebook.com/kainewzealand N E W Z E A L A N D M o d e r n Kiw i C uisine

Deli•Cafe•Restaurant•Bar

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www.kai-bangkok.com

142/22-23 Sathorn Soi 12, Sathorn Road, Silom, Bangrak, Bangkok 10500

bangkok101.com

listings BEIRUT Sukhumvit Soi 2, Ploenchit Center | 0 2656 7377 | beirut-restaurant.com | 10am-10pm A Bangkok classic serving classic Lebanese dishes at reasonable prices. The hummus and falafel are praiseworthy.

SHAHRAZAD 6/8 Sukhumvit Soi 3/1 | 0 2251 3666 | 9am-3am The grand old dame of Middle Eastern dining, where the baba ghanoush is just as excellent as the grilled lamb leg. The cuisine spans the Middle East, with a nod to Iranian. Authentic and recommended.

MEXICAN EL OSITO 888/23-24 Mahatun Plaza, Ploenchit Rd 0 2650 9581 | elositobkk.com | Mon-Sat 11am11.30pm New York meets Madrid. A neighbourhood Dean& DeLuca during the day, with its own smoker, churro machine, and deli sandwiches like the Reuben, it morphs into a Spanish tapas bar-cumrestaurant at night.

EL DIABLO’S BURRITOS 330 Sukhumvit Soi 22 | 0 2259 4140 | Mon-Fri 4pm-11pm, Sat-Sun 11.30am-11pm The enormous burritos are the stars of the show. They make their own tortillas on the premises, too. The tacos are particularly impressive. The salsa and toppings are light, refreshing, with just enough spice.

MÉJICO 2nd floor, Groove@CentralWorld | 0 2252 6660 | mejico.asia | 11am-12am

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The menu tackles traditions long ignored here, giving local diners a style of cuisine that many haven’t ever tried, proving that Mexican food has more to offer than quesadillas and frozen margaritas.

SABROSO 24/5 Sukumvit Soi 23 | 0 2262 0997 sabrosomex.com | Tue-Sun 3pm-10pm A small, sexy space run by a Mexican chef, where honest south-of-the-border fare shines. Try the chef’s chicken tinga, best savoured with a glass of sangría.

SEÑOR PICO 1F Rembrandt Hotel 19 Sukhumvit Soi 18 0 2261 7100 | facebook.com/Senorpicobkk 5pm-1am Nowhere else in town are there dishes such as aguachile de camarón, common in Mexico but practically unknown elsewhere. More familiar fare like tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and enchiladas are found on the menu, too.

TACOS Y SALSA 49 Sukhumvit Soi 18 | 08 6346 0822, 08 6346 0822 | tacosnsalsa.com | Daily 3pm-12am A brightly-coloured haunt, decorated with the owner’s own artwork, serving up authentic Mexican food and tasty margaritas. A great spot to satisfy any Mexican cravings.

SEAFOOD RAW BAR 440/9 Sukhumvit 55 | 0 2713 8335 | facebook. com/TheRawBarBKK | Mon-Fri 5.30pm-12am, Sat-Sun 11am-3pm, 5.30pm-12am

FOOD & DRIN K

Oysters, tartare, carpaccio, ceviche: it’s all raw here, and it’s all very fresh and delicious. This is a nice low-key spot to shuck some shellfish, enjoy some wine, and hang out with friends.

SEAFOOD MARKET AND RESTAURANT 89, Sukhumvit Soi 24, Sukhumvit Rd 0 2261 2071-5, 0 2661 1252-9, 0 2259 6580-1 seafood.co.th | 11.30am-11.30pm Fresh, high-quality seafood in the heart of the city is the calling card of this longstanding establishment. The interior is aquarium-like, making it a fun place for dinner with family and friends. There’s also tons of local and imported seafood for sale at the counter.

SNAPPER 1/20-22 Sukhumvit Soi 11 | 0 2651 1098 snapper-bangkok.com | Mon-Fri 5pm-midnight, Sat-Sun noon-midnight Don’t expect a stack of heavy sauces and extra ingredients, but rather simple preparation rounded out with elegant presentation. Of course, one of the best fish and chips in Bangkok resides here, and you can’t go wrong with that.

THE OYSTER BAR 395 Naradhiwas Rajanagarindra 24 | 0 2212 4809 | theoysterbarbangkok.com | Mon-Sat 6pm-11pm, Sun noon-10pm You know a restaurant takes seafood seriously when several pages of the menu are devoted entirely to oysters. Big appetites should eschew the shells and instead try the seafood platter: a pile of oysters, scallops, shrimp, crab, caviar, and much more.

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listings

SPANISH EL CHIRINGUITO 221 Soi Nana, Charoen Krung Rd | 08 6340 4791 | facebook.com/elchiringuitobangkok Thu-Sat 6pm-12am On the surface, a tapas bar. Small dishes and high-quality alcohol, a space filled with antiques: it’s an implant from Madrid dropped neatly into the Bangkok beehive.

BARCELONA GAUDÍ Le Premier 1 Condo, Sukhumvit 23 | 0 2661 7410 | barcelona-thai.com | Tue-Sun 11am11pm The chef and founding partners are proud of their Catalonian heritage, and it shows in the incredible tapas on the menu, from prawns in aioli to crema catalana and the traditional Sunday paella.

STEAK & BURGER BURGER FACTORY 3 Soi Ekkamai 10 | 0 2714 4249 | facebook. com/theburgerfactory | Sun-Thu 11.30am11pm, Fri-Sat 11.30am-midnight Serves some of the most consistently good hamburgers in the city, and they come with a healthy range of haute toppings. Wash your choice down with a vanilla milkshake and seal the deal with some curly fries.

FIREPLACE GRILL InterContinental Bangkok 973 Ploenchit Rd 0 2656 0444 ext. 5505 | Mon-Fri noon2.30pm, daily 6.30pm-10.30pm This perennial favourite has all the attributes you’d expect in a renowned

steakhouse, not least a superb selection of aged and chilled cuts from some of Australia’s top meat producers.

isn’t a false note, either. This is Thai comfort food taken to a whole new plane.

NEW YORK STYLE STEAK & BURGER

Dusit Thani Bangkok, 946 Rama IV Rd 0 2200 9000 | dusit.com | 6pm-10pm, Mon-Fri noon-2.30pm The Dusit Thani’s signature Thai restaurant offers inventive dishes from the Kingdom’s annals, from north to south.

28 Sukhumvit Soi 22 | 0 2262 0920 nysteakandburger.com | 11am-11pm It’s all about freshness. The burgers are ground each morning. Vegetables are sourced from the Royal Project in Chiang Mai. Crunchy buns are ordered from Maison Jean Philippe.

PRIME Millennium Hilton, 123 Charoen Nakorn Rd 0 2442 2000 | hilton.com | 6pm-11pm Some of the best flame-grilled steaks in the city, now abetted by high-quality seafood. It’s a welcome sophistication, befitting the sweeping views over the Chao Phraya.

THE U.S. STEAKHOUSE 156-158 Sukhumvit Soi 16 | 08 7993 3527 theussteakhouse.com | Tue-Sat 4pm-10.30pm Start with a big bowl of chunky, homemade clam chowder, before moving on to the main attraction: flame-broiled steaks, including New York strip loin, rib eye, filet mignon, and Australian T-bone.

THAI BASIL 1F Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit, 250 Sukhumvit | 0 2649 8366 | basilbangkok.com Sun-Fri noon-2.30pm, daily 6pm-10.30pm A glittering array of Thai favourites — it’s not over-the-top in innovation, but there

BENJARONG

BLUE ELEPHANT RESTAURANT & COOKING SCHOOL 233 South Sathorn Rd | 0 2673 9353 blueelephant.com | 11.30am-2.30pm, 6.30pm10.30pm A wildly successful brand since it was first established in 1980, the flagship sits in a gorgeous old mansion. On the menu, Chef Nooror takes a riff on the Thai food of tomorrow, but also shares her heritage with every dish.

BO.LAN 24 Sukhumvit Soi 53 | 0 2260 2962 | bolan. co.th | Tue-Sun 6pm-10.30pm Authentic, but daring, Thai food at one of the top restaurants in Asia. With a modus operandi of “essential Thai, delivered with panache,” it’s easy to see why this place is so popular year after year.

CHILI HIP Centara Watergate Pavilion Hotel, 567 Ratchaprop Rd | 0 2625 1234 centarahotelsresorts.com | 5pm-11pm daily Wide, unobstructed views from a perch over Pratunam, and a menu consisting mostly of authentic Thai and Asian flavours. There is almost no covered seating, so bear that in mind when the rains come.

SEAFOOD MARKET & RESTAURANT 89, Sukhumvit soi 24 (Kasame), Sukhumvit Rd., Klongtoey, Bangkok 10110 THAILAND Tel. 02 661 1252-9, 02 259 6580-1 Fax. 02 261 2073 Email. globalmarketing@seafood.co.th

www.seafood.co.th

RESERVATION Tel. 02 261 2071-5 108 | SEPTEMBER 2015

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listings CHON The Siam hotel, 3/2 Khao Rd | 0 2206 6999 thesiamhotel.com | 12.pm-3pm, 6pm-10.30pm Sits in one of three beautifully preserved wooden houses. A small home-style menu offers food worth returning for. Nice for a romantic evening.

ERAWAN TEA ROOM 2nd Fl, Erawan Bangkok Mall, 494 Rajadamri Rd | bangkok.grand.hyatt.com | 0 2254 6250 10am-10pm, Afternoon Tea 2.30pm-6pm Known for its amazing high tea, this place also serves traditional Thai cuisine in a nostalgic setting that overlooks the consistently crowded Erawan Shrine. Packaged products and a wide selection of teas from India, China, Sri Lanka, and Thailand are also available.

JIM THOMPSON HOUSE AND MUSEUM 6 Soi Kasemsan 2, Rama 1 Rd | 0 2612 3601 jimthompson.com | Noon-5pm, 7pm-11pm The city’s number-two tourist attraction is home to a restaurant that pairs a sumptuous setting with surprisingly unusual Thai food. With the generous happy hours, there’s no reason to be sniffy.

KRUA APSORN Dinso Rd | 02 685 4531| kruaapsorn.com Mon-Sat 10.30am-8pm Quintessential Thai food served in a lowkey shophouse in the old town. There’s a reason this place is so beloved by locals.

PRAI RAYA 59 Sukhumvit 8 (BTS Nana)| 0 2253 5556 facebook.com/PraiRayaSukhumvit8 | daily 10.30am-10.30pm

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If you think Southern dishes are nothing more than heat and more heat, Prai Raya begs to differ. The food here balances spice and subtle flavours to perfection, delivering a taste of Phuket with grace.

RUEN URAI The Rose Hotel, 118 Surawong Rd | 0 2266 8268 | ruen-urai.com | Noon-11pm Set in the former residence of the herbal medical doctor to King Rama V, Ruen Urai uses herbs and spices with medicinal qualities, while delivering refined Thai fare using the finest fresh ingredients.

SALA RATTANAKOSIN BANGKOK 39 Maharat Rd, Rattanakosin Island | 0 2231 2588 | salarattanakosin.com | 7am-10pm Thanks to the vistas, everyone here has a drink in one hand and a camera-phone in the other. The menu offers comfort food and a few Euro items, too. A major plus is the list of 25 wines by the glass.

SOUL FOOD MAHANAKORN Sukhumvit Soi 55 | 0 2714 7708 soulfoodmahanakorn.com | 6pm-Midnight Run by an American food writer turned chef, this tiny Thong Lo establishment serves some of the most authentic Thai food in the city and is a sure bet for a great meal.

THE NEVER ENDING SUMMER The Jam Factory, 41/5 Charoen Nakorn Rd 0 2861 0953 | facebook.com/ TheNeverEndingSummer | Tue-Sun 11am11pm Located in Thonburi, occupying part of three old Chinese-Thai factories, the airy 70-seat eatery offers an extensive,

FOOD & DRIN K

changing menu inspired by the favourite childhood dishes of one of the owners.

THE OWL 194/16-17 Ladprao Rd | 09 6016 2499 theowlbkk.com | 5pm-12pm A three-story bar-bistro offering Lad Phrao a refined spin on the local cantina. There’s delicious Thai food to be shared, well-crafted cocktails, and a warm ambiance that lends itself to conversation.

VIETNAMESE SAIGON RECIPE 46/5 Piman 49, Sukhumvit Soi 49 | 0 2662 6311 | saigon-recipe.com | 11am-3pm, 5am10pm The well-designed dishes at this favourite dining destination reward closer inspection, as the flavours reveal themselves in prescribed order. The portions are perfect for sharing, and the dishes come packed with fresh herbs, vegetables, and spices.

XUAN MAI Soi Samakee, Pak Kret, Nonthaburi | 08 7077 0605 | xuanmairestaurant.com | 11.30am2.30pm, 6pm-10.30 There’s some overlap with Thai food in the ingredients and flavours, but the exquisite combinations at this muchloved venue are subtle and more complex than many Thai dishes. The former Thong Lor stand-out has recently moved to the suburbs, but the food remains the same.

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HUMIDOR CIGAR BAR AT INTERCONTINENTAL BANGKOK

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NIGHTLIFE JACKED UP

Live RCA has been on fire since it opened. On September 3, TJ Mizell, A$AP Ferg’s official DJ and son of the late Jam Master Jay of Run DMC, and Iyaz (“like my iPod’s stuck on replay”) bring mashed up hiphop and reggae beats to RCA’s hottest club. The show is sponsored by Jack Daniel’s and supporting acts include DJ TNT and DJ Bomber Selecta, winner of the Red Bull Thre3style Championship in Thailand. Tickets are B900 at the door. The party gets moving at 8pm.

BRUK OUT RIDDIM

Jam goes back to Jamaica on September 4, when the Bangkok Reggae Appreciation Society turns up the noise for its 19th party, lining up international DJs at the turntable. Starting at 7pm, DJ Indo, Woken, and K9 will spin roots reggae, dub, ragga, dancehall, dubstep, jungle, and more. Entry is free all night.

RAW ROCK N’ ROLL

Rockers, shoe-gazers, visit the Courtier Convention Center on Thanon Maha Rat (Tha Tien) on September 5. Event organizer RITHEAD has brought together a line-up of top local rock and post-rock bands for DIB (Deep In Ballad). Acts include Matchimaa, Solitude is Bliss, Pry & May-T Project, Migrate To The Ocean, and Desktop Error. The show starts at 6pm, running until late at night. Tickets are B700.

JAZZY BREAKBEATS

LTJ Bukem brings his jazz-influenced drum and bass act to Grease on September 11. Supported by local DJs Orawan and Thar Khone, the legendary artist will have the floor packed long into the night—the show starts at 10pm—under his “progression session” banner. Tickets are B350 (includes one drink). For more information, check facebook.com/ greasebangkok.

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review

PEEK-A-BOO - CentralWorld’s Bar and Dining Zone Gets its Groove On -

ove it for its energizing atmosphere or loathe it for its mall-like sensory overload. Regardless of opinion, Groove is a hectic, here-to-stay hub for Bangkok’s hungry and thirsty hordes. The bar and dining mini-mall by the side of CentralWorld pulls the post-work, retail-loving, and pre-club crowds into its air-conditioned Rathchaprasong embrace, with the promise of good food and refreshing drinks galore. Peek-a-Boo, from Bangkok’s renowned Hyde & Seek portfolio, fits Groove’s city-hip vibe perfectly, with its chilled-out, relaxed ambience. Once inside, away from the busy doorway, Groove slips away and the world of Peek-a-Boo is revealed. High ceilings, wooden decor, leather sofas in the middle, and hanging vintage-style light bulbs create a space that works for a couple’s night out or chatty throngs of friends. Asahi Super Cold and Hoegaarden, as well as Leffe Brown, complement the refreshing international flavour of the food menu, which is ideal for sharing, grabbing a simple bite, or even diving in to a restaurant-style main. The French wine-by-the-glass is smooth and served at just the right temperature, showing that, behind Peek-a-Boo, restaurant experts with an eye for detail lurk. While the food is good, it’s not amazing, but it doesn’t have to be. The menu is just part of Peek-aBoo’s attraction, and the whole is better than the sum of

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its parts. A DJ in a wooden booth plays mellow beats, channelling weekend energy every night of the week. Charismatic bartenders take centre stage, performing a spectacular show of cocktail alchemy with dry ice, liquid nitrogen, and heat guns; try the smoking mango and sticky rice flavoured Nam Doc Mai (B325) and the Black Hawk, a toasted fruit and whisky creation (B325), for two examples. Peek-a-Boo’s signature dish, its award-winning Wagyu burger and fries (B385), lacks substance, and the baby back ribs (B395) in cider brine and smoked paprika are flavoursome, but a little robust. However, the pizza tortilla, a cold, shared appetizer (B275), with smoked salmon, poached prawns, mascarpone, and lemon and basil aioli, is truly delicious. Peek-a-Boo has all the elements of an effortlessly hip bar-bistro. While certain elements of the design and menu may feel a little formatted, it’s a formula that works. Some may flock to only the finest of fine dining, but ultimately what many are seeking is a much more entertaining and atmospheric experience. For that, Peek-a-Boo’s dramatic cocktails, accessible menu, and DJ tunes deliver.

HYDE & SEEK PEEK-A-BOO 1F Groove@CentralWorld | 0 2646 1099 hydeandseek.com | daily 11am-1am

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listings

BARS 22 STEPS BAR Hotel Indigo Bangkok Wireless Rd | 0 2207 4999 | hotelindigo.com/bangkok A great place to unwind, enjoying a cocktail or fine cigar while watching the world go by. Enjoy buy-one, get-one deals or free-flow drinks at B599 during happy hours from 5pm – 9pm every day. Ladies’ night on Wednesday offers women two hours of free-flow sparkling wine from 9pm-11pm.

bar, where the margaritas flow like water, especially during ladies’ night, and the meals always satisfy.

DARK BAR Ekkamai 10, Sukhumvit 63 | 0 2381 9896, 09 0528 4646 | facebook.com/darkbarbangkok | Wed, Fri-Sat 9pm-2am A tiny and, well, dark bar serving beer and booze at cheap prices. It’s popular with hipsters and counter-culturists.

BADMOTEL 331/4-5 Soi Thong Lor | 0 2712 7288 | 5pm1am | facebook.com/badmotel | 5pm-1am A three-floor joint minimally decorated and painted bright white, the ground floor’s buzzing bar and tree-lined garden make a pleasant spot to sip on the venue’s “Creation Cocktails.”

BREW Seen Space, Thong Lor 13 | 0 2185 2366 brewbkk.com | Mon-Sun 4pm-2am See and be seen at this cool Thong Lo vanguard with well-stocked fridges and a healthy list of foreign beer and cider on tap. A beer-lover’s dream.

CHEAP CHARLIE’S Sukhumvit Soi 11 | 0 2253 4648 | cheapcharliesresort.com | Mon-Sat 5pm-12am A no-brainer meet-up spot drawing crowds of expats, NGO workers, and tourists in-the-know who fill up on cheap beers and gin and tonics before heading off to party.

CRAFT Sukhumvit Soi 23 | 0 2661 3320, 08 1919 5349 craftbangkok.com | 2pm-12am Serving craft beer on draft in all its glory, this outdoor patio-bar plays host to food trucks each weekend, spins good tunes, and, most importantly, operates over 40 taps.

COYOTE’S Soi Sukhumvit 11 | 0 2651 3313 | coyotebangkok.com | daily 12pm-2am Olé! A long-standing Mexican restaurant/ 114 | SEP T EM BER 2015

J. BOROSKI MIXOLOGY Near Soi Thonglor A secret bar built by masterful mixologist Joseph Boroski, who creates drinks to reflect a customer’s specifications or, if you’re lucky, according to his whims. In Thong Lo, somewhere on an oddnumbered single-digit soi. Open every evening, if you can find it.

JAM!

24 OWLS BY SOMETIMES 39/9 Ekamai Soi 12, Sukhumvit 63 | 0 2391 4509 | 24owls.com | Open 24 hours A bijou 24-hour bistro and bar where cocktails are a must. A delight by day and deep into the night, 24 Owls offers a unique round-the-clock dining option.

heads the kitchen, and the bar is helmed by the boys behind Flow.

41 Soi Charoen Rat 1 | 089 889 8059 facebook.com/jamcafebkk | Tue-Sun 6pm-12am A cool, dive-y small bar in a formerly bar-less neighbourhood whose claims to fame are frequent cult movie nights and underground DJ sets.

WISHBEER HOME BAR The Lofts Ekamai, Sukhumvit Rd | 0 2392 1403 | wishbeer.com, facebook.com/ wishbeerbar | daily 7.30am-midnight Occupying part of a temporary sales office for a condo being built onsite, this pop-up craft beer bar and café is the first brick-and-mortar location of online beer distributors Wishbeer. It’s a warm, almost warehouse-like environment, ideal for chatter over a draft pour of, say, a Mikkeller offering. Customers can walk in, buy bottles (there’s a 15 per cent discount for beer bought off the rack), and carry them home. Or they can grab a seat on the sofa or in the garden out back. There isn’t a kitchen, but food trucks are on stand-by, supplying hungry drinkers with hardy meals. Check out the Thursday night happy hours.

HOUSE OF BEERS Penny’s Balcony, Corner of Thong Lor Soi 16 0 2392 3513 | houseofbeers.com | 11am-12am This Belgian-leaning bar offers all sorts of imported quaffs, from wheat beers like Leffe Blonde and Hoegaarden to esoteric specials like Kwak. The refreshments are augmented by Belgian fries and tapasstyle bar snacks.

HYDE & SEEK 65/1 Athenée Residence, Soi Ruamrudee 0 2168 5152 | hydeandseek.com | 11am-1am A dead ringer for those chic London haunts that draw the after-work crowd for pick-me-up cocktails and good food that doesn’t break the bank. Ian Kittichai

MIKKELLER 26 Ekkamai Soi 10 Yaek 2 | 0 2381 9891 mikkellerbangkok.com | 5pm-12am An enclave for beer geeks, distinguished by its many dozens of taps and lush garden. A sure bet for anyone in search of a good — and hard-to-find — craft beer.

NAMSAAH BOTTLING TRUST Silom Soi 7 | 0 2636 6622 | namsaah.com 5pm-2am Set in a mansion that was once a soda bottling company’s office, the perfect place to enjoy intimate conversation with friends over cocktails.

SHADES OF RETRO Soi Tararom 2, Thong Lor | 0 2714 9450 facebook.com/shadesofretrobar | 3pm-1am It’s Hipsterville at this Thong Lo hotspot stuffed with vintage furniture, vinyl records, and a grandmother’s attic of antiques.

SMALLS 186/3 Suan Phlu Soi 1 | 09 5585 1398 facebook.com/smallsbkk | Wed-Mon 8.30pm2am Decorated with vintage furniture and art to give it a bohemian vibe, this favourite neighbourhood dive offers a wide selection of beers, wines by the glass, and hard-to-find liquors.

SWAY Arena 10, Thong Lor Soi 10 | 0 2711 6052 swaybkk.com | daily 6pm-2am Chicken wings, poutine, and ribs star on the menu, and craft beer on draft draw flocks of loyal beer drinkers. bangkok101.com

listings THE ALCHEMIST 1/19 Sukhumvit Soi 11 | 08 3549 2055 thealchemistbkk.com | Tue-Sun 5pm-midnight This stylish, stripped down drinking hole near Cheap Charlie’s draws its own loyal crowd, thanks to an excellent playlist on top of craft beer, assorted martinis, and some of the best mojitos in town.

U.N.C.L.E. Sathorn Soi 12 | 0 2635 0406 | avunculus.com Tue-Sat 6pm-1am One of the most enticing small bars in Bangkok, a hideaway that exudes class, where you can get cocktails made to your specifications.

VIVA AVIV River City-Unit 118, 23 Trok Rongnamkhaeng, Charoen Krung Soi 30 | 0 2639 6305 | vivaaviv. com | 11am-midnight, later on weekends Reminiscent of a hip bar along Singapore’s Clarke Quay, with bar tables and stools jutting across a riverside promenade. Think tropical maritime meets dashes of outright whimsy.

WHISGARS 981 Silom Rd | 0 2661 3220 | whisgars.com 2pm-2am Whiskey and cigars are the focal points of this rapidly expanding branch. Each outlet is a little different, but all cater to the finer things in life.

BARS WITH A VIEW ABOVE ELEVEN 33rd Fl Fraser Suites Sukhumvit Hotel, 38/8 Sukhumvit Soi 11 | 0 2207 9300 | aboveeleven. com | 6pm-2am A west-facing, 33rd-floor rooftop bar with beautiful sunsets, an outdoor wooden deck bar with glass walls for maximum view, an impressive cocktail list, and an electro soundtrack.

AMOROSA 4F Arun Residence Hotel, 36-38 Soi Pratoo Nok Young, Maharat Rd | 0 2221 9158 arunresidence.com | 6pm-1am Amorosa is a sultry, Moroccan-style balcony bar offering balmy river breezes, sour-sweet cocktails, and a showstopper of a view over the Chao Phraya River and Wat Arun.

DISTIL 64/F State Tower, Silom Rd | 0 2624 9999 lebua.com/distil | daily 5pm-1am bangkok101.com

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Sizzling high in the sky, this posh spot boasts incredible views of the cityscape and luxurious whiskies and cocktails with price tags to match them.

HEAVEN 20F Zen@Central World, 4/5 Ratchadamri Rd 0 2100 9000 | heaven-on-zen.com | Mon-Sun 5.30pm-1am When the golden feature bar lights up like a metal sun, Zen feels like one of the most glamorous places in the capital, serving up balanced cocktails and a beautiful backdrop.

LONG TABLE 25F 48 Column Bldg, Sukhumvit Soi 16 | 0 2302 2557 | longtablebangkok.com | 11am-2am Known for its communal dining table so long it makes the medieval banquet bench look positively petite. Twenty-five floors up, you can glug signature cocktails or new latitude wines with the best of highflying Bangkok.

MOON BAR 61st F, Banyan Tree Bangkok, 21/100 South Sathorn Rd | 0 2679 1200 | banyantree.com 5pm-1am An icon among rooftop bars, offering 360-degree views of the urban sprawl in smart surroundings. The perfect spot for honeymooners.

OCTAVE 45F Bangkok Marriott Hotel Sukhumvit, 2 Sukhumvit Soi 57 | 0 2797 0000 | facebook. com/OctaveMarriott | 6pm-1am Rows of plush seating along the edge of the open-air balcony offer a perfect spot to plot Bangkok’s geography from above while knocking back punchy, refreshing cocktails. DJs spin house through the night, neatly setting the vein.

PHRANAKORN BAR Soi Damnoen Klang Tai, Ratchadamnoen Rd 0 2622 0282 | facebook.com/ Phranakornbarandgallery | 6pm-1am An old favourite of local art students and creative types, mostly for its indie/80s/90s playlist and mellow trestle-and-vine rooftop offering splendid views of the floodlit Golden Mount temple.

RED SKY 56th F, Centara Grand at CentralWorld Rama 1 Rd | 0 2100 1234 | centarahotelsresorts.com 6pm-1am The al fresco turret offers panoramas in every direction. Just before sunset is the SEPTEMBER 2015 | 115

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listings time to come — when daylight fades, a live jazz band kicks in and the city lights up like a circuit-board.

ST. REGIS BAR St Regis Bangkok Hotel, 159 Ratchadamri Rd 0 2207 7777 | stregis.com | Mon-Fri 10am1am, Sat-Sun 10am-2am The rectangular venue eyes the Royal Bangkok Sports Club through a large plate-glass window, a lovely spot at sunset, even better on Sunday afternoons, when you can spy on horse races with a fine malt whiskey in hand.

THE SPEAKEASY Hotel Muse, 55/555 Lang Suan Rd | 0 2630 4000 | hotelmusebangkok.com | 6pm-1am One of the snazzier al fresco rooftop bars, evoking the glamour of Prohibition Era America. Spirits include luxury cognacs and malts. Wines are available at solid prices, and cocktails include home-made vodka infusions.

THREE SIXTY Millennium Hilton, 123 Charoennakorn Rd 0 2442 2000 | hilton.com | 5pm-1am The only Bangkok venue to enjoy unhindered views over the entire dazzling metropolis. It also hosts live jazz musicians every day, year round, setting a romantic mood as the first stars appear.

WOOBAR W Bangkok, 106 North Sathorn Road | 0 2344 4131 | wbangkok.com | daily 9am-12am Chic and low-lit without being cold or inaccessible, and spacious enough to find a seat without feeling vacant. Swing by for Ladies’ Night, an after-work release, or, better yet, a weekend party.

CLUBS FUNKY VILLA 225/9-10 Thong Lo Soi 10 | 0 2711 6970 facebook.com/funkyvillabkk | 8pm-2am Bangkok’s gilded youth chill on sofas and knock pool balls in the front room, but most hit the fridge-cool dance hall to shake off the week’s woes to live bands and hip-hop DJs.

KU DÉ TA 39-40F Sathorn Square Complex, 98 North Sathorn Rd | 0 2108 2000 | kudeta.net 6pm-late One of Bangkok’s top nightlife venues, a vast and glittering club with skyscraper 116 | SEP TEM BER 2015

ceilings and a long window that affords an exceptional view. A snazzy LED “chandelier” hangs over the dance floor, twinkling in time with the music.

LEVELS 6F 35 Sukhumvit Soi 11 | 08 2308 3246 facebook.com/levelsclub | 9pm-3am One of the most reliably busy nightclubs in Bangkok that welcomes a mix of resident expats, stylish Thai party animals, and wide-eyed holiday-makers that can’t get enough of the buzzy atmosphere.

MIXX DISCOTHEQUE President Tower Arcade 973 Ploenchit Rd 0 2656 0382 | mixx-discotheque.com/bangkok 10pm-late Classier than most of Bangkok’s afterhour clubs, a two-room affair decked out with chandeliers, paintings, and billowing sheets that lend a desert tent feel.

ROUTE 66 29/33-48 Royal City Avenue | 0 2203 0936, 08 1440 9666 | route66club.com | 8pm-2am RCA’s longest surviving super-club, with three zones to explore, each with its own bar, look, and music policy. Crammed with dressed-to-kill young Thais.

SPASSO Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok, 494 Rajadamri Rd | 0 2254 1234 | bangkok. grand.hyatt.com 11.30am-2.30pm, 6pm-2.30am A favourite among visitors and expats looking to let their hair down. By day, it’s a sedate Italian restaurant. After hours, it transforms into a club and cocktail bar and really hits its stride.

TITANIUM CLUB & ICE BAR Sukhumvit Soi 22 | 0 2258 3758 | titaniumclub.com | 6pm-1.30am Congenial hostesses clad in ao dai; a gifted, all-girl rock n’ roll band jamming nightly; over 90 varieties of vodka. Not exactly a place to bring Mum, but a fun night out on the slightly wild side.

PUBS BULLY’S Sukhumvit Rd, between soi 2 and 4 | 0 2656 4609 | facebook.com/bullysbkk daily until late Big burgers and beer are the name of the game at this American-style pub. Spacious and stocked with pool tables and TVs. bangkok101.com

JOUVENCE WELLNESS & SPA at Chateau de Bangkok’s wellness floor. For indulgent spa treatments, plus sauna & steam, fitness centre and rooftop swimming pool.

WELCOME TO THE HEART OF

BANGKOK!

“ENJOY A CUP OF FRESHLY BREWED CATUNAMBU, SPANISH PREMIUM COFFEE. NOW BEING SERVED AT CHATEAU DE BANGKOK.”

29 Soi Ruamrudee 1, Ploenchit Road, Lumpini, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330 tel: +66 (0) 2 6514400 l email :resv@chateaubkk.com

www.chateaubkk.com chateaudebangkok

ChateauBKK

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listings

GULLIVERS 2/2 Khao San Rd | 0 2629 1988 gulliverbangkok.com | 11am-2am A spacious club/bar at the corner of Khao San with plenty of affordable drinks, the place to go to end your night with no regrets (and wake up with plenty of them in the morning).

HANRAHAN’S 12/1 Sukhumvit 4 | 0 2255 0644 hanrahansbangkok.com | 8pm-1am Over a decade old and still going strong, this three-floor Irish pub with a rooftop terrace adds a touch of sophistication to Sukhumvit Soi 4

MOLLY MALONE’S 1/5-6 Soi Convent, Silom | 0 2266 7160-1 mollymalonesbangkok.com | 9am-1am Dark wood, dark lighting, bright atmosphere, this long-standing Irish favourite features one of the best Sunday roasts in town, not to mention long happy hours and live entertainment.

MULLIGAN’S IRISH BAR 265 Khao San Road | 0 2629 4477 mulligansthailand.com | Always open A Khao San institution that draws hordes of young locals and a more refined foreign crowd than the norm in the neighbourhood, thanks to great live music and day-long happy hour deals.

THE AUSTRALIAN 37 Sukhumvit 11 | 0 2651 0800 theaustralianbkk.com | 9am-late A wide and bright Australian import, complete with beer schooners as well as bottles from Coopers and VB, live rugby matches on TV, and rock bands on stage.

THE BLACK SWAN Soi Sukhumvit 19 | 0 2229 4542 blackswanbangkok.com | 8am-late An amber-lit favourite that relocated to Sukhumvit 19 that offers myriad drink deals and spectacular Sunday roasts.

THE DUBLINER 595/18-19 Soi Sukhumvit 33/1 | 0 2204 1841-2 thedublinerbangkok.com | daily 8am-12.30am Irish-themed and Irish-owned, this is a preferred expat haunt for its generous happy hours and night-time live music.

THE HUNTSMAN 138 Sukhumvit Rd (Landmark Hotel) | 0 2254 0404 | landmarkbangkok.com/huntsman-pub | 11.30am-2am 118 | SEPTEMBER 2015

English-style pub, cool and dark, with lots of nooks and crannies and a famous Sunday roast.

THE PICKLED LIVER Sukhumvit Soi 7/1, opposite Maxim’s Hotel 0 2651 1114 | thepickledliver.com | 3pm-late Pub grub, pool, quizzes, live music, and more make this landmark pub, now in its second incarnation, a perennial favourite.

THE PINTSMAN 332 United Center Building, Silom Rd | 0 2234 2874 | facebook.com/thepintsman | 11am-late A basement bar in Silom serving pints of draft beer and big plates of food. The requisite pool tables and live entertainment get this place hopping on weekends.

THE QUEEN VIC Sukhumvit Soi 23 | 0 2661 7417 | queenvicbkk. com | 9am-1am An indoor-outdoor arrangement up the road from the pit that is Soi Cowboy, with a semi-circular bar serving standard cocktails, various draft beers, and substantial Western fare.

THE ROBIN HOOD Soi Sukhumvit 33/1 | 0 2662 3390 robinhoodbangkok.com | 10am-12am All the pub essentials are covered: live sports, a chatty atmosphere, wood features, pints of draft beer and cider, and copious drink deals.

THE ROYAL OAK 595/10 Sukhumvit 33/1 | 0 2662 1652 royaloakthailand.com | 10am-1am An old British enclave serving up delicious food in substantial portions, draft beer, and weekly pub quizzes, among other forms of entertainment.

THE SPORTSMAN Sukhumvit Soi 13 (The Trendy Condo) | 0 2168 7242 | sportsbarbangkok.com | 8am-2am With 26 high-definition TVs and eight projectors, this is the place to go for live sporting events. Of course, there’s beer, food, and bar games like billiards, too.

LIVE MUSIC APOTEKA 33/28 Sukhumvit Soi 11 | 09 0626 7655 | apotekabkk.com | Mon-Thu 5pm-1am, Fri 5pm-2am, Sat-Sun 3pm-midnight Built to emulate a 19th-century apothecary, this place has an old-school

feel, an awesome line-up of live music, and a drink selection including beer and custom cocktails.

BAMBOO BAR The Oriental Bangkok, 48 Oriental Ave 0 2659 9000 | mandarinoriental.com | Sun-Thu 11am-1am, Fri-Sat 11am-2am A small and busy landmark of the East’s past glories that is, nevertheless, romantic and intimate, thanks to the legendary jazz band plays each night. Ideal for a boozy night on your honeymoon.

BROWN SUGAR 469 Phra Sumen Road | 08 9499 1378 brownsugarbangkok.com | 6pm-1am Bangkok’s oldest, cosiest jazz venue. A restaurant and coffee house by day that morphs into a world-class jazz haunt where renditions of bebop and ragtime draw crowds by night.

CAFÉ TRIO G Floor, Portico Complex, 31 Soi Lang Suan 0 2252 6929 | 6pm-1am, closed the 2nd and 4th Sun of the month One of the only bars worth seeking out on Lang Suan Road. Loved for its jazz and art, a welcome alternative to Bangkok’s raucous pubs and haughty lounge bars.

FAT GUT’Z 264 Thong Lor Soi 12 | 0 27149 832 | fatgutz. com | 6pm-2am This sleek saloon is packed nightly with beautiful people listening to live blues, indulging in carefully crafted cocktails, and drinking in the vague industrial-nautical theme.

MAGGIE CHOO’S Hotel Novotel Fenix, 320 Silom Rd | 0 2635 6055 | facebook.com/maggiechoos | Tue-Sun 6pm-2am The main decoration is the leggy cabaret girls, but the real attraction is the live jazz, some of the best the city has to offer. The atmosphere is amplified with sultry mysticism and redolent of dandyish early 20th-century gambling dens.

PARKING TOYS 14 Prasert-Manukitch Rd, Lat Phrao | 0 2907 2228 | parkingtoys.in.th | 7pm-2am A spacious garage-style venue, filled to the brim with random antiques, known for stellar live rock, ska, and rockabilly that runs into the early morning. Far out of town, but worth the trip. bangkok101.com

bawarchithailand

Chidlom

Sathorn Sukhumvit Soi 11 Sukhumvit Soi 4

Bawarchi Chidlom President Tower Arcade ( Intercontinental Bangkok B - Level, 973, Ploenchit Road, Bangkok, Thailand Tel : +66 2656 0102 - 3

Bawarchi Sathorn

Indian - Thai Chambers of Commerce, 13 Sathorn Soi 1,Thungmahamek, Sathorn Road, Bangkok, Thailand Tel : +66 2677 6249

bawarchi_Indian

bawarchibangkok

Gurgaon

Bhubaneswar

Chandigarh

Bawarchi Sukhumvit 4 Bawarchi Sukhumvit 11 Bawarchi Myanmar 20/11 Sukhumvit Soi 4, Khlongtoey, Bangkok, Thailand Tel : + 66 2656 7357

(F/ 1-3 Ambassador Hotel) Sukhumvit Soi 11, Bangkok, Thailand Tel : +66 2253 2394

No . 37 Level 1 , La Pyayt Wun Plaza , Alan Pya Pagoda Road ,Dagon Township, Yangon , Myanmar Tel : 09253500002 / 03

Yangon

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bangkok101.com

MILIN: MORNING AFTER By Gaby Doman

efore the Spring/Summer 2015 collections make way for the Autumn/ Winter ones, there’s still time to snap up Milin’s current collection, “Morning After,” a collection designed for those days when you’ve been partying all night, but you still think it’s a good idea to smash some Bloody Mary’s with friends. The Milin girl isn’t one who knows when it’s a great time to slip into some PJ’s, pull out that tub of Ben & Jerry’s, and indulge in a Scandal marathon, apparently. According to Milin Yuvacharuskul, for a Milin girl, “the morning after is no less spirited than the night before” and “they never let the supposedly lethargic morning after be the anti-climax of her extreme lifestyle.” Sounds tiring. But, thankfully, there are no rules about wearing the collection after a decent night’s sleep. While it may bill itself as a casual collection for women who are quite happy to slink around in luxurious fabrics, thigh-grazing hemlines, and sheers at any time of the day, most people will probably opt to wear these pieces for the evening; call us old-fashioned, but shimmering transparent fabrics wrapped around mini dresses and sequins make us feel a tad exposed and a little like we haven’t yet made it home from the night before. But, if you come to terms with the fact you don’t have the energy to be the Milin girl the designer envisions, the collection of fairytale-esque pastels, glitter-coated mesh, and softly folded flowing “towel-tucked” cuts which hint at nightwear and the kinds of outfits you’d pick out if you were Thumbelina, planning to spend the day sitting dreamily on a flower petal. Slinky nightwear as daywear is a thing now, you know. Our favourite look from the collection is a bum-grazing white origami-folded dress—the ideal summer party dress—but we’re less thrilled by garments such as the backless white micro-mini dress which “covers” your exposed knickers with sheer netting. We’d still have to be rather affected by the intoxicants of the night before to sport that little number out in public. This collection will certainly test your nerve. But, if you’re Milin enough, you’ll embrace the stares you’ll inevitably encounter. You might look like you’re dressed in Cinderella’s nightie, but there’s no denying Morning After is a beautiful collection. Milin: Morning After Siam Center: #309, 3rd Fl. | 0 2658 1134 Siam Paragon: 1st Fl. | 0 2610 7857 The Emporium: 1st Fl. | 0 2259 9173 Central Chidlom: 2nd Fl. | 0 2655 7812 Central Ladprao: 2nd Fl. | 0 2541 1928 The Emquartier Shopping complex: 2nd Fl. Qurator Zone | 0 2261 0213

milin.com

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unique boutique

SHOPPING

VINYL DIE HARDS - Getting into the Groove BY PONGPHOP SONGSIRIARCHA

rom the old-school analog days to the modern digital wonderland, the music industry has developed on hyper speed over the past few decades. Once everyday items, vinyl records have been swallowed up by evolution as listening preferences have transitioned to cassette tapes, CDs, and, now, streaming services. Many have dismissed them in the process. Records are dated, they say, better served in memory than practice. Vinyl, however, is making a comeback, filling patios, living rooms, and bars with the rich sounds of a record spinning under the needle. Look no further than Vinyl Die Hards for proof of the renaissance. Owner Hear Pak, who has been in the record industry for over 40 years, raised his only daughter, Saipin “Jah” Korbenjawan, among his sea of old records. She inherited her father’s passion. Together they opened Vinyl Die Hards in 2014, the name of the shop a pretty straightforward indication of the way they feel about vinyl. One of the largest of its kind in Bangkok, Vinyl Die Hards is a treasure chest of both used and brand new records, and at a very fair price unlikely to be found elsewhere. Some of the older records date back fifty years or more. There are also new cuts from artists such as Daft Punk, Adele, One Republic, Maroon 5, and Coldplay available. These alone suggest the power of the medium.

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Despite being firmly entrenched in the Digital Age, top artists continue to release tracks on records. Vinyl Die Hards is a digger’s paradise. Rarities from the West and the East, from America to Japan, are scattered throughout the store. Jah spends much of her time looking for new imports—there are many thousands of them. Thanks to its vast selection, the store attracts a steady stream of visitors, even if it means a trip across town to Srinakarin Road, near the vintage enclave that is talad rot fai. It’s a mix of listeners, too. Some own turntables, and others simply appreciate the sound and nostalgia of classic vinyl. The store itself is simple and cosy. Black and red shelves contrast wooden walls, and the air is laced with earthy aromas from Colombia Coffee next door, a small café owned and operated by Jah’s mother. Capping the home-like vibe is the warm service of the father-daughter duo. They have encyclopaedia-like knowledge. As is so often the case with those who eat, sleep, and breathe their work, they are happy to chat, their gusto palpable to shoppers perusing the collections.

VINYL DIE HARDS Opposite to Paradise Park, Srinakarin Rd | 0 2346 4547 vinyldiehards.com, facebook.com/vinyldiehards | 9am-8pm

bangkok101.com

UND ERG RO U

OVERGROUND ND

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G K O K’ S

PICK UP

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LEADING ART GALLERIES BANGKOKARTMAP

WELLN ESS

treatment

Jouvence Wellness and Spa - Here Come the Warm Jets BY PAWIKA JANSAMAKAO

laiming the 12th Floor of Chateau de Bangkok, Jouvence Wellness and Spa offers a range of treatments and activities to restore mind, body, and soul. The floor is divided into segments: half of the space is taken up by the spa, and the remaining is separated into a gym and a rooftop pool bar with Jacuzzi tubs. Before and after treatments and workouts, re-connect with free Wi-Fi and soak up the splendid view of Ploenchit. Yoga classes and personal trainers are available for both hotel guests and club members, too. The spa boasts five different rooms with private showers, and the packages are as diverse as Thailand’s flora, from healing therapy to beauty treatments using premium products from Dermalogica. All spa packages are customizable. Choose three treatments from three categories — the signature Jouvence Asian Gateway massage, body scrubs or wraps, and facial treatments — and away you go. By itself, Jouvence Asian Gateway costs B1800 for 90 minutes and B2200 for two hours. It starts with a traditional Thai massage, the therapist using her palm, fingers, and elbows to relieve tension. The masseuse also lightly layers your body with Jouvence’s signature 124 | SEPTEMBER 2015

aromatic oil, which gives off a relaxing, mild jasmine scent. After muscles are stretched and joints are loosened, the masseuse runs a heated herbal ball over your back to relieve muscle pain and improve blood flow. After a long day, few things sound better than settling into a Jacuzzi. So hop into the sea of fluffy foam for thirty minutes. Once in the tub (tread carefully: it’s pretty slippery), aromatic foam builds on the surface and disco lights underneath twinkle to the rhythm of the warm jets. Thirty minute sprees in the Aroma Bath, Lavender Balancing Bath, and Milk Bath are available for B600 apiece. Other services include manicures, pedicures, waxing, and facial treatments. Jouvence Wellness and Spa offers a variety of activities for all types — the weary, the stressed, the indulgent, the barely-contained energetic. It’s especially nice for families, who want to spend the weekend under one roof, but have to cater to a lot of personalities.

JOUVENCE WELLNESS AND SPA 12F Chateau de Bangkok, 29 Soi Ruamrudee, Ploenchit Rd 0 2651 4400 | jouvencespa.com | 10.30am-10pm

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Balanze by HydroHealth is a World Class Health & Anti Aging Center located on the 4th floor of the Erawan Bangkok directly connected to the Chidlom BTS station. The center provides the most professional and completed anti-aging services, specializing in detoxification. At Balanze, each customer will be met by the resident doctor followed by a professional consultant to ensure every treatment is appropriated and fully explained. To help you achieve a balanced life, Balanze offers a Fully Health Check up Program to assess your health status and detect abnormalities deep down to the DNA level, followed by customized treatments: DRAIN & DETOX This stage ensures that all toxins are drained out of your system. RECOMMEND PROGRAM: Fully Detox (4 hrs.): Colonic, Infrared Sauna, Detoxifying Massage Colonic Using gentler, cleaner and safer reverse osmosis (RO) water at a comparative standard to that of hospitals, this treatment will drain out toxins from your colon and encourage your digestive system to work efficiently and effectively. Infrared Sauna Using infrared light, this treatment will gradually heat up your body internally to create hyperthermia, or artificial fever. Through sweat, the body will naturally eliminate toxins and heavy metals in the shin layers and lymphatic and blood streams. Detoxifying Massage Performed by our professional massage therapist, our massage eliminate toxins as well as alleviate feelings of body discomfort. Customers can select between Detoxifying Massage and our Lymphatic Massage. BEAUTY PROGRAM Beauty Balanze provides an array of aesthetic treatments including facial treatments and overall body treatments to ensure you achieve absolute perfection. This stage tops off your perfect health with a perfect look (each program takes 1.30 hrs). RECOMMEND PROGRAM: Thermage a non-invasive radiofrequency therapy that can address the look and feel of aging skin on many areas of your body. For smoother, tighter and more contoured looking skin. Ulthera is the natural choice for a nonsurgical way to lift, tone and tighten your skin using safe, time-tested ultrasound technology. Meso Therapy (Needle-less) Needle-less delivery of vitamins and nutrients for bright and firming skin. Facial Treatment by Cellcosmet Products The products from Switzerland. Clean and nourishes the skin with deep Vitacell Serum high concentrations extracts from sheep cells, firmness, suppleness and elasticity of the skin. Cellular revitalization and visibly youngerlooking skin.

Tel: (66)2 250 7800 info@hydrohealth.co.th www.hydrohealth.co.th www.balanze.com Opening Hours: 10.00 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 20.00 daily

SIG HTSEEI NG

listings

HISTORIC HOMES ANANTA SAMAKHOM PALACE THRONE HALL Uthong Nai Rd, opp Dusit Zoo | Tue-Sun 10am-6pm | B150 Located at the tail-end of Dusit district’s stately ceremonial boulevard, Ratchadamnoen, this stately parliamentary palace was built during the reign of Rama V and completed by Rama VI. Cast in white Carrara marble, it is still used for the ceremonial opening of the first parliamentary session. Influenced by Renaissance architecture, the interior is decorated with detailed frescoes by Italian Galileo Chini of royal ceremonies and festivities. Out front stands a statue of King Rama V still worshipped today.

JIM THOMPSON HOUSE 6 Soi Kasemsan 2, Rama I Rd | BTS National Stadium | 0 2216 7368 | jimthompsonhouse. com | 9am-5pm | B100/B50 students American Jim Thompson was the Princeton graduate and former spook who revived the hand-woven Thai silk industry before disappearing mysteriously in Malaysia’s Cameron Highlands in 1967. One of the things to do in Bangkok is visit his tropical garden home beside a pungent canal: six traditional teak houses from around the country kept exactly as he left them

M.R. KUKRIT’S HOUSE 19 Soi Phra Pinit, Sathorn Rd | 0 2286 8185 Sat-Sun 10am-4pm, Daily | B50/B20 kids Kukrit Pramoj was one of Thailand’s mostloved statesmen of the 20th century. A natural all-rounder, he was a poet, a writer and even served as prime minister. His peaceful abode with its lovely gardens is a terrific example of Thai architecture.

VIMANMEK MANSION 139/2 Ratchawithi Rd | 0 2281 1569 | Tue-Sun 9.30am-4pm | B100 The world’s largest teakwood building was originally built on the island of Koh Si Chang, in 1868, and then moved to Bangkok for use by King Rama V. Its 81 rooms spread over three floors overlook a beautiful garden.

by Princess Chumbot. Consisting of five reconstructed Thai wooden houses, Wang Suan Pakkard pays testament to her dedication to collecting Thai artefacts and antiques.

SHRINES

Since opening in 1956 the Bangkok Doll Museum has continually attracted tourists, students and aficionados alike with its remarkable collection of hand-made Thai dolls. Founded by Khunying Tongkorn Chandavimol after she completed a doll making course in Japan, it showcases collections of dolls produced by a small team of artisans in the atelier out back, and clad in traditional costumes based on designs lifted from museum originals, temple murals and illustrations from antique books.

BANGKOKIAN MUSEUM

GANESHA SHRINE Outside CentralWorld and Isetan Department Store | Ratchadamri Rd A prayer in front of this pot-bellied gold elephant – the son of Shiva and Parvati – is said to help get the creative juices flowing, as well as protect you from harm. Aside from marigold garlands, bring bananas, ripe mango or sticky rice-flour Thai desserts – Ganesha has an eternal appetite.

ERAWAN SHRINE Ratchadamri Rd, near Grand Hyatt Erawan BTS Chit Lom | free Don’t expect serenity here. This is one of Bangkok’s busiest intersections: the crowded shrine to the Hindu creation god Brahma and his elephant Erawan is filled with worshippers lighting incense, buying lottery tickets and watching the traditional dancing group.

TRIMURTI SHRINE Outside Centralworld and Isetan Department Store | Ratchadamri Rd | free If your love life is in the doldrums then this shrine is for you: at 9:30pm each Thursday it’s rumoured that Lord Trimurti descends from the heavens to answer prayers of the heart. To maximise your chances you should offer nine-red incense sticks, red candles, red roses and fruit.

MUSEUMS – IN TOWN BANGKOK DOLL MUSEUM 85 Soi Ratchataphan (Soi Mo Leng) Ratchaprarop Rd | 0 2245 3008 bangkokdolls.com | Mon-Sat 8am-5pm

273 Charoen Krung Soi 43, Si Phraya Pier 0 2233 7027 | Sat-Sun 10am-4pm | free Smack in the middle of Bangrak, one of the most traditional districts of the city, find this oasis of four traditional Thai houses, one of them lovingly converted into a private museum by the compound’s charming owner, Ms Waraporn Surawadee. She decided to dedicate the place to the memory of her family and bygone daily life of Bangkok everymen – and open it to the public. While visitors shouldn’t expect breathtaking revelations here, the displays are nevertheless surprisingly fascinating. They include antiques and ceremonial items.

MADAME TUSSAUDS 6th F, Siam Discovery Centre, Rama 1, Phaya Thai Rd | BTS National Stadium 0 2658 0060 | madametussauds.com/ Bangkok | 10am-9pm | B800/B600 kids Probably the best thing about Bangkok’s version of Europe’s famous waxwork museum is the line-up – it’s clearly designed to keep tourists and locals alike snappy happy. About as common as international sporting legends, world leaders in sharp suits, pouting Hollywood A-listers, and sequined global pop stars here are wax likenesses of Thai and regional musicians, soap stars, sportsmen and women.

MUSEUM OF COUNTERFEIT GOODS Supalai Grand Tower Bldg Rama III Rd 0 2653 5555 | tillekeandgibbins.com Mon-Fri 10am-4pm (App required for textile and computer collections) In 1989, Thailand’s oldest international law firm, Tilleke & Gibbins, decided to convert their evidence of counterfeit goods into educational tools for law students. To help spread the word about the perils of buying fake it’s open to Joe Public too. Over 3,500 items – from Ferrero Rocher bangkok101.com

listings chocolates to antimalarial tablets and a fake Ferrari motorbike – are neatly laid out, forgeries next to the originals.

MUSEUM OF SIAM 4 Samachai Rd | Rajini Pier | 0 2622 2599 ndmi.or.th | Tue-Sun 10am-6pm | free A truncated history of Thailand unfurls through this down-with-the-kids discovery museum, located in a beautifully restored former government building that dates back to the 1920s. Design company Story Inc! delivered the conceptual design with pop graphics and interactive games galore. Entertaining highlights include dressing up as a 20th-century nobleman, blowing up Burmese soldiers on elephantback with a canon, and mapping out the borders of your own Siam using a touch screen. There are always new exhibitions to explore, and, of course, you can walk away with souvenirs from the gift shop.

THE NATIONAL MUSEUM 5 Chao Fa Rd, Sanam Luang | 0 2224 1333 | thailandmuseum.com | Wed-Sun 9am-4pm | B200 | no photo allowed Previously a palace during the reign of Rama V, the National Museum features extensive displays of Thai artifacts from all of Old Siam’s main historical periods, encompassing the Lanna, Ayutthaya and Sukhothai kingdoms up to the present day. Thai culture is well documented in sections on dance, music and drama. The first example of Thai literature and the Thai alphabet, inscribed by King Ramkhamhaeng on a black stone during the Sukhothai period, is also displayed.

RATTANAKOSIN EXHIBITION HALL 100 Ratchadamnoen Klang Rd, next to Wat Ratchanatda | 02621 0044 nitasrattanakosin.com | Tue-Fri 11am-8pm, Sat-Sun 10am-8pm | B100 This multimedia museum a short walk from Khao San Road offers a skillfully abbreviated introduction to an area that many admire, but few truly understand: Rattanakosin Island, Bangkok’s glittering birthplace. Wandering its eleven rooms – free of relics but rich in models, dioramas, interactive videos, text and audio clips in Thai and English – brings the area’s hardto-fathom history, arts, architecture and traditions into much clearer focus.

ROYAL BARGE MUSEUM 80/1 Rim Khlong Bangkok Noi, Arun Amarin Rd | Thonburi Railway Pier 0 2424 0004 | 9am-5pm | B30 bangkok101.com

This collection of ornate royal barges, some of which are up to 50 metres long, is housed on the Thonburi side of the river in a series of elaborate sheds near the Pinklao Bridge. The barges are best seen in action during rare ceremonial processions on the Chao Phraya where the colourful crews can number up to 64, including rowers, umbrella holders, navigators and various musicians.

MUSEUMS – OUT OF TOWN THAI FILM MUSEUM 94 Moo 3 Bhuddhamonton Sai 5, Salaya, Nakorn Pathom | nfat.org | 0 2482 2013-15 | Sat-Sun | tours: 10am, noon, 3pm; Mon-Fri: by appointment | free The good folk at the National Film Archive of Thailand are fighting to preserve the country’s meagre film heritage, whether it be by restoring ragged reels of 16mm film to their former glory, screening rare films in its cinematheque, or guiding anyone interested around their museum. Film fiends will love inching around this space, modelled after the old Sri Krung film studio and filled with old cameras and props.

PARKS LUMPINI PARK Entrances on Rama IV, Sarasin, Witthayu and Ratchadamri Rd | 5am-9pm; cycling/skating 10am-3pm | free The biggest and most popular slice of public space in Central Bangkok, Lumpini Park is 142 acres of trees and grass swen together with wide, mendering concrete paths. Busy as soon as the sun rises and again around sunset, Bangkokians like to take advantage of its relative cool and quiet to practice Tai Chi, do aerobics, hold hands or jog around the picturesque lakes. A surprising number of animals also like it here – from turtles and giant monitor lizards, to flocks of crows and the occasional stray cat. Activities include taking a Swan-shaped pedal boat out onto the water for a quick spin and pumping iron at the outdoor gym, while live concert recitals and film screenings take place here during the cool season.

BENJASIRI PARK Sukhumvit Rd, btw. Soi 22/24 BTS Phrom Phong | 5am-9pm | free Next to the Phrom Phong BTS Skytrain station and Emporium shopping mall, this

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is a great place to escape the Sukhumvit rat race – amble around lakes, find shade under a tree, or admire modern Thai sculptures.

RAMA IX ROYAL PARK Sukhumvit Soi 103, behind Seri Center, Pravet | 0 2328 972 | 5.30pm-7pm | B10 Bangkok’s biggest park spans 200-acres and features a small museum dedicated to the King, set amongst pleasant botanical gardens with soothing water features.

SUAN ROD FAI PARK Kamphaeng Phet 3 Rd, BTS Mo Chit / MRT Chatuchak Park | 0 2537 9221 | 5am-9pm Also just north of JJ market, this huge park has lots of open space and wild trees, plus a lotus pond, playground, basketball and tennis courts, and a butterfly garden (see opposite). Young locals flock here on weekends to hire a bike and cycle along its wide paths, and with prices for rental only B20 we highly recommend you copy them.

ROSE GARDEN RIVERSIDE (SUAN SAMPRAM) 32 Phet Kasem Rd, Yai-Cha, Sampran, Nakhon Pathom | 0 3432 2544 rosegardenriverside.com | 10am-4pm Garden B50, Show B500 Take an hour’s drive out from the city and explore this 70-acre property located beside the Ta Chine River, which includes a hotel resort, golf court, spa organic farm and botanical gardens. The cultural shows here are as popular as the lush gardens.

SARANROM PARK Intersection of Rachini / Charoen Krung Rd, Phra Nakhon | 5am-8pm | free This ‘green belt’ within the city is located opposite the Grand Palace, built in 1866 during the reign of Rama IV as a royal garden of the Saranrom Royal Palace. It is now a botanical garden and public park, featuring a glass house, and royal bugle pavilion.

RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES BANGKOK EQUESTRIAN CENTER 20/1 Moo 2 Chalermprakiet Rama 9 Soi 48, Sukhumvit 103 Rd | 0 2328 0273 Tue-Sun 7.30am-11am, 2pm-5.30pm bangkokequestriancenter.com Founded by one of the leading horse riding instructors in Thailand, the Bangkok SEPTEMBER 2015 | 127

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listings

Equestrian Center offers stabling, tack gear, grooming, and horse training, among other services. Most riders, however, love it for its riding lessons, from the basics to world-class dressage. There’s also a Pony Club for youngsters, which gives new riders a soft introduction to the horseback riding.

tours let you discover your own Bangkok. You can join tours that examine the city’s history or culinary heritage, day or night, or check out the jungle at Phra Pradaeng.

EASY KART 31/11 RCA Plaza, Rama 9 Rd | 0 2203 1205 easykart.net The biggest indoor go-kart track in Bangkok features a night light system, a computer time system, a panoramic bar and restaurant, and a big screen TV. Both beginners and experienced riders are welcome.

ELITE FIGHT CLUB The Waterford Diamond Tower, Sukhumvit 30/1 | 0 2305 6685 | elitefightclub.com This luxury gym and Muay Thai training facility, located in downtown Bangkok, offers both group and private classes in Muay Thai, boxing, and MMA. Facilities include a gym, swimming pool, saunas, and Jacuzzis. Prices vary considerably depending on the package you choose.

FLIGHT EXPERIENCE 1 Sibunruang Building, Convent Rd | 0 2237 9895-6 | 10am-10pm | flightexperiencethailand. com Ever dream of becoming a pilot? Here’s your chance to pilot a Boeing 737-800, but in safer climes than the air. Flight Experience offers professional flight simulation for all levels, so even if it’s your first time in the cockpit simulator, you’ll enjoy an unforgettable flight. The flight packages feature take-offs and landings, challenging approaches, bad weather, and much more.

FLOW HOUSE BANGKOK 120/1 Sukhumvit 26 | 0 2108 5210, 09 9083 8787 | flowhousebangkok.com A flowboarding action club set in the heart of Bangkok, Flow House draws all riders with its FlowRider — a thin sheet of water which flows over a slope to form of a perfect ocean wave. There’s also restaurants, retail shops, and a beach club for those who would rather hang out.

FOLLOW ME BIKE TOURS 126 Sathorn Soi 9 | 0 2286 5891 followmebiketour.com Experience the “real” Bangkok and see the city’s hidden side by bicycle. The 128 | SEPTEMBER 2015

PLANET SCUBA BANGKOK 66 Sukhumvit Rd | 0 2261 4412-3 planetscuba.net Having won numerous awards over the years for excellence in teaching standards and diver safety, Planet Scuba has become the one of Thailand’s leading diving centres. The Bangkok branch offers diving courses for beginners up to dive instructors. Diving equipment is sold here, too.

THE ESCAPE HUNT EXPERIENCE

URBAN PLAYGROUND 8 Soi Sukhumvit 49 | 0 2119 7200 Mon-Fri 1pm-10pm, Sat-Sun 10am-10pm urbanplaygroundclimbing.com One of the best rock climbing sites in Bangkok, Urban Playground features over 650 square metres of indoor climbing space, facilities ranging from a bouldering wall and bouldering cave to a 12 metre top-rope climbing, and activities that include a one-hour introduction to climbing class. Whether you are an experienced climber or a first-timer, this ought to test your limits. Urban Playground also offers a variety of other ways to get the blood pumping, including racquetball courts, a swimming pool, a yoga studio, saunas, and tennis courts.

LE CORDON BLEU DUSIT CULINARY SCHOOL 946 The Dusit Thani Building, Rama IV Rd, Silom | 0 2237 8877 | lecordonbleudusit.com The renowned global chain Le Cordon Bleu has added a luxurious element to Bangkok’s culinary academia. The school offers a range of cooking programmes for tweens, teens, and adults, giving lessons on international, French, and Thai cuisines, as well as desserts and pastries.

PEPPERMINT BIKE PARK Soi Yothinpattana 3 | 09 0980 1368 | facebook. com/PeppermintBikePark This newly opened bike park located at the outskirts of Bangkok offers urbanites a safe environment to cycle within a paved two-kilometre track, including a wooden bridge, a curved path, and a few rolling slopes. Annual membership is available at B200. On top of that, for members entrance costs B100 during the day and B150 at night; for non-members, it’s B150 at day and B200 at night.

399 Interchange Building, Unit C, B2, Sukhumvit Rd | 0 2611 2828, 0 2611 2827 9.30am-8.30pm | bangkok.escapehunt.com Travel back in time to nineteenth-century London. Doing your best Sherlock Holmes impression, play the part of the detective as you set about solving mysteries set in an old Victorian house. Teams of two to five people — you name it — can choose from six different game rooms, each with its own set of circumstances, clues, and puzzles. The games are modelled after “escape the room” challenges that have exploded in popularity online, but they’re so much more fulfilling in real life. Discounted prices are available, but only via advance online booking.

THE JOSEPH BOROSKI BAR & HOSPITALITY SCHOOL BANGKOK Thonglor | 0 2712 6025 | josephboroski.com Learn how to craft cocktails from the master himself, Joseph Boroski, who teaches from the one hundred-plus mixes in his own recipe book. Spread across a few specially designed training stations, the classes cater to absolute beginners as well as professionals.

THE RINK ICE ARENA CENTRAL WORLD CentralWorld, 999 Ratchadamri Rd | 08 1875 1212 | therink-icearena.com Lace up those blades and channel your inner Johnny Weir and Michelle Kwan at this rink in the middle of Bangkok’s biggest shopping centre.

YOGATIQUE BANGKOK 116/8 Suhumvit Soi 23| 02 662 0172 yogatiquebangkok.com Strengthen your mind, body, and soul at Yogatique. Classes are divided into three categories: Mild (Mai Phet), Medium Spicy (Phet), and Spicy (Phet Phet), depending on strength and stamina. Friendly, professional bilingual instructors guide all levels of yogis through classes, providing hands-on help when necessary. bangkok101.com