Showing 1 - 10 of 36
MUSIC FESTIVAL
Guru, Richard Mcleish, Published on 05/12/2014
» At this time of year, you can be guaranteed plenty of outdoor antics on offer, but this season's spoils seem particularly appealing. Even though today (Dec 5) is dry in honour of Thai Father's Day, the rest of the weekend has plenty on offer, event-wise.
Red hot and raring
Guru, Richard Mcleish, Published on 28/11/2014
» With the launch of new tapas-style food bar Hot Rod in Ekamai, Ash Sutton is back and racing. What to do when your bar empire gets pulled out from under you? Start rebuilding, of course. Positioned in the front of the cordial Park Lane precinct, the place is a great pairing with the equally aesthetic AR Sutton & Co Engineers Siam colonial den right behind. Maximising the modest dimensions of the room, Hot Rod’s interior is a jungle-laden tapas bar to sit up at in one of the 12 over-sized swivel chairs and take in the action. Outside is plenty of space for bigger groups and overspill (30+), particularly nice at this time of year, but inside is where you want to be. Sit up at the bar and watch the chef wield the wok as the many staff scurry around the shadowy recesses behind you. The pulsating deep beat soundtrack fuels the futuristic feel further. The crowd is a mix of well-rehearsed Sutton followers, restaurant hoppers and thankful Ekamites.
Gate crasher
Guru, Richard Mcleish, Published on 14/11/2014
» Welcome to Guru’s Gate Crasher, your ultimate guideto finding something fresh to do in this big city.
Peppy Peppina
Guru, Richard Mcleish, Published on 07/11/2014
» These days in Bangkok, it's not just about choosing simply "pizza" for dinner, but what style of pizza you'd prefer. It's a good problem, after all, but we'll have to get used to such discernment. In the latest contender in the pizza race, the team behind Appia has delivered Peppina, a bustling mid-Sukhumvit spread that has somehow become everything from a Sunday evening pizzeria to a Friday night hot spot. It has only been open a few months and it's already full, all the time, so book in advance — something else that will need getting used to in this city. The kitchen dominates the warehouse-style room to good effect, involving you right in the action among the countless food and floor staff buzzing about the place. It's great for big groups (definitely book), and during our early sitting we were flanked by two tables of at least 10, who were easily accommodated. Nooks in the back section (under the stylish wall tiles that spell "Peppina") offer more intimacy for smaller groups. Overall, there's room for 80 or so.
Small talk
Guru, Richard Mcleish, Published on 31/10/2014
» While the little venue has been gaining a reputation for being a nifty neighbourhood bar, we think its kitchen is worthy of some attention too. It’s the latest chapter of regional proprietor stalwart David Jacobson, who first came to the region in the early 90s to open the pioneering Q Bar in Saigon. The New Yorker is a gracious host, often on hand to decipher the nuances of his cocktail list and jazz collection, with plenty of juicy anecdotes in between for good measure. This latest local pad, Smalls, is just that, quietly occupying a corner on the leafy Suan Phlu (where Chez Pepin formerly stood). It’s three levels of kooky stylings, with DJs and live acts downstairs in the ornate parlour room, a kitchen and balcony on the middle floor and a rooftop upstairs for open-air action amid upholstered chairs and cosy tables. All corners of the adult cubbyhouse have something to offer, in a feast of textures (brick, recycled timber, corrugated iron, padded stairwell) and details (Jim Thompson photo outside, a caged Barbie, ceiling mirrors). The crowd ranges through the week (and night), attracting everyone from locals having knock-off drinks to dining daters to a dedicated bar crowd into the smaller hours.
Sets to impress
Guru, Richard Mcleish, Published on 26/09/2014
» And Bo.lan has a new home. The dynamic culinary duo behind the original incarnation over on Sukhumvit Soi 26, Duangporn "Bo" Songvisava and Dylan Jones, have transplanted themselves to Soi 53 and spread out into a more spacious (and stylish) premises not far from the Thong Lor BTS. While they had plenty of renovations to do, Dylan assures us, it seems the place has been there for decades with an already settled feel. Again, it's a house set among a well-kept garden — this time with a pool — that colour the main view and light source of the moodily-lit house. It seems they are enjoying the bigger space, particularly in the kitchen apparently, again creating a transporting effect through the portal driveway entrance to the secluded surrounds. There's enough room for 60 diners (80 at a push), with two private rooms available. They are pushing the environmental aspects of the place, (which is still largely overlooked in this city of appearances), reducing waste, installing LED lights and recycling organic matter and grey water. They are also moving towards being carbon-zero and hope to achieve this by 2018, which by then the city should have a better handle on such issues (and the real definition of words such as "farmer's" and "organic"). During our mid-week afternoon sitting, many local Thong Lor ladies were lunching with their well-dressed mums, but things get decidedly more moody in the evenings with all the mood lighting and timber, and the crowd morphs accordingly. Tunes sound like reminiscent of a molam Paradise Bangkok party, right in line with the other sensory stimulus.
Simple sophistications
Guru, Richard Mcleish, Published on 05/09/2014
» Time to eat? After the big successes of Supanniga Eating Room, a follow-up venue was always going to attract a lot of interest. The policy is the same — "the best ingredients we can find from the places we like, cooked the way we like," says co-owner Tatchai Nakapan. While Thong Lor almost sells itself as a dining destination, the big new variable in play at EAT is the mall location, putting the traditional flavours in a challenging new context. It's positioned upstairs at Groove in an irregular-shaped room, which affords it good vantage of the open kitchen as well as natural light from above (something that's missing at other Groove venues). Its modest dimensions mean that much of the prep work (sauces, etc) is still done in Thong Lor, but the cooking is now on show — a luring new element. There's space enough for 40 diners inside, while another 15 can fit out the front where the mall makes more of an impact and the seats are less comfy. Plenty of worker bees from nearby offices were present on the early evening we visited, as well as important-looking Thais and curious tourists from nearby hotels.
Gate Crasher
Guru, Richard Mcleish, Published on 15/08/2014
» Welcome to Guru’s Gate Crasher, your ultimate guide to finding something fresh to do in this big city.
Down on the corner
Guru, Richard Mcleish, Published on 18/07/2014
» With a modest name and unassuming digs, The Corner defies any expectations you may have for a local Euro kitchen in an off-beat neighbourhood. On-hand owners Cédric Cador and Panticha Gunnut don’t make much of a fuss either, letting the menu and easy atmosphere speak for themselves. The place is positioned in a soi on the up, located between the burgeoning Suan Phlu area and Rama IV — just far enough away from Sukhumvit to be interesting. A smart renovation in August saw the space split into a breezy outdoor section at the front (16 seats) and a more protected indoor A/C area (20 seats) behind. The crowd is mostly local residents and walk-in tourists, with plenty of Frenchies in the mix who trickle down from the Euro-tinged enclaves of Yenakart and Nang Linchi. But the hosts would welcome anyone, it seems, judging by the refreshing mix of regulars, accessible menu and inviting prices.
Gate Crasher
Guru, Richard Mcleish, Published on 11/07/2014
» Welcome to Guru’s Gate Crasher, your ultimate guide to finding something fresh to do in this big city.