Showing 1 - 10 of 10
A journey to remember
Holiday Time, Gary Boyle, Published on 25/12/2019
» It begins with a magic trick. Your waiter presents a pot of seeds, closes the lid, then abracadabra! Two meringues appear inside. They come with a small plastic bag of crispy rice, and, the waiter informs us, the bag is edible. As a culinary curtain-opener of an eight-course meal, this is a hint of the intricate delights to come.
Front row at Front Room
Holiday Time, Gary Boyle, Published on 12/12/2019
» What springs to mind when you hear the name Waldorf Astoria? Roaring 20's decadence? Midtown Manhattan opulence? A salad? Or just bang-up-to-date iconic global luxury? Bangkokians lusting after such glamour are now spoiled with the chance to experience the famous brand without the long trek to Gotham.
From pain to peace
B Magazine, Gary Boyle, Published on 10/02/2019
» This isn't working. My back hurts. This is a waste of time. I could've had a week in Paris. My back hurts.
SAY bonjour to beef
Holiday Time, Gary Boyle, Published on 21/12/2018
» Bangkok takes its meat seriously these days. Foodies know their wagyu from their Angus, and if there are marbling grades lower than A5, I’ve never encountered such bland matter on any decent downtown menu. Committed carnivores require a place of worship to the pleasures of the flesh, a T-bone temple or a sirloin sanctuary. The devout will already know where to go.
Face time
Holiday Time, Gary Boyle, Published on 11/12/2018
» If you haven't fine-dined by the river in a while, it's perhaps time to show your face at Volti. Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok's Italian outlet (Volti means "faces" in Italian) has excellent food, fine wines, river views, and handsome young chef who has created a menu with surprisingly reasonable prices.
Such great heights
Holiday Time, Gary Boyle, Published on 21/12/2017
» When was the last time you were this high? We’re 60 floors above Sathorn Road and if you haven’t been up here for a while, you might have forgotten how spectacular the view is.
Uptown is the new downtown
News, Gary Boyle, Published on 12/12/2014
» Sorry CBD dwellers, zone 1 citizens and heart of the city hipsters: downtown is over. Developers have ripped the soul out of your neighbourhood and hoodwinked you into paying astonishing rent for the privilege. Who wants to pay more for a macaroon in Ploen Chit than in Paris, or buy a New York Deli-style brunch for the price of a flight to Phuket?
Between Heaven and Earth
Life, Gary Boyle, Published on 27/12/2013
» The name means new heaven and Earth, and although the altitude of the 22nd floor is not quite heavenly, the food certainly is. Master chef is the talented Singaporean-Chinese Lam Kok Weng whose skills ensured that this place won the Chinese category in the 2013 awards from Bangkok's Best Restaurants.
Lights, Camera, Cuisine!
Life, Gary Boyle, Published on 16/12/2013
» It begins, like a good movie, with a great opening sequence. You enter the lift in the Landmark Bangkok lobby, hit the highest button, and the glass cage slowly ascends 31 floors of the hotel's facade as Bangkok's inverted constellation of night time neon reveals itself, extending out to the horizon. You emerge from the lift into a plush bar fitted with deep seats and a wall of spirit bottles flanked by two wine cellars. To the right is the restaurant, bathed in red light...but is it the red of sensuality or danger?
Ring in the new
Life, Gary Boyle, Published on 16/12/2013
» Bangkok was different in February 1970, back when Dusit Thani first opened her doors onto the junction of Silom and Rama IV. Beer was ten baht, gas one baht a litre, a good hotel room eight dollars. Siam Centre was a copse of trees by a dusty roundabout. An original print ad for the hotel boasted of 'a wide choice of sophisticated supper clubs, Continental and Siamese restaurants, coffee shops and cocktail lounges.' The photo shows the building looking much as it does today, minus the towering downtown skyscrapers, which is precisely the appeal of this grand dame of Bangkok hospitality.