Showing 21 - 30 of 40
Anger is an energy
Life, Gary Boyle, Published on 17/08/2018
» It takes Trent Reznor 45 minutes to say hello. He voices his surprise that it's taken his band Nine Inch Nails nearly 30 years to do a show in Thailand. They almost made it in 2014 for the aborted Silverlake Festival in Pattaya, cancelled due to the volatile political climate, so there was no small amount of anticipation ahead of their show at Bangkok's packed Moonstar Studio on Tuesday night.
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.
All the classics
Holiday Time, Gary Boyle, Published on 20/12/2016
» Nobody needs to reinvent the wheel of a thousand-year-old cuisine. The recipe for success for any Chinese restaurant is to have an experienced chef producing consistently delicious dishes, maybe making a couple of slight adjustments for local tastes and, if you're extremely lucky, for the venue to have a sensational view.
Annual extravagance
Holiday Time, Gary Boyle, Published on 20/12/2016
» What a year it's been! The world of music alone has seen a greatest hits compilation of legends leave the stage, while the kingdom suffered its heaviest loss imaginable. Politics was even more of a global shambles than ever, and there are those that believe 2017 could make 2016 seem like a dress rehearsal for the end of days.
An anthology of fabled fare
Holiday Time, Gary Boyle, Published on 19/12/2016
» Action! A vintage Merc pulls off Sathorn Road, glides around a fountain and slows to a halt outside a grand mansion. A suited concierge opens the car door, allowing an immaculately dressed couple to exit the vehicle. The mansion doors swing open to reveal an immaculate time capsule of late 19th century luxury chic. The couple are led to a pair of deep leather armchair and sit at the precise moment a pair of welcome cocktails arrive. Cut!
ZOOM with a view
Holiday Time, Gary Boyle, Published on 25/12/2015
» If 2015 has been a year of difficult decisions -- which organic, artisanal single origin coffee to buy, which hipster burger truck to chase, which empty new mall to haunt -- then solace is to be found in the realisation that only one decision remains. The choice of where to spend the last hours of the year is, however, often fraught with an abundance of options.
Prime Time
Holiday Time, Gary Boyle, Published on 11/12/2015
» Steak lovers are spoilt for choice in Bangkok these days. Cattle are being pampered around the world and their best chunks of beef are flying in daily, landing on plates across the capital. But for the true beef fiend, only the best will do.
Truffle Hound Heaven
News, Gary Boyle, Published on 30/12/2014
» It's odd how we ascribe value these days. We're happy to spend several hundred baht daily for a couple of coffees and a stale bun, but baulk at rewarding a musician's soulful outpourings by actually paying the same amount for an album. Food, however, in its stubborn refusal to be digitised, has avoided devaluation and Bangkokians are seeking ever higher and more expensive culinary experiences. Michelin-trained chefs used to be enough but now we crave an actual multi-Michelin-star celebrity in the kitchen. Decadent treats like foie gras perennially pop up on every festive menu whether people actually enjoy them or not. But this month Centara Grand at CentralWorld has trumped them all with its truffle menu.
Northern Explorations
News, Gary Boyle, Published on 26/12/2014
» Famed explorer Sir Edmund Hillary racked up a fair amount of frequent flyer miles in his life of adventuring. He was the first man to stand atop Mount Everest, and the first to score the hat-trick of doing Everest and both the North and South Poles. His 1953 expedition to conquer the world's highest mountain was done wearing just a thin cotton and nylon jacket and carrying a scant 20 kilograms of supplies.
Every firework at once
News, Gary Boyle, Published on 22/12/2014
» Question: where's the best place to watch Bangkok's countdown fireworks? Is it in the city centre, craning your neck trying to see them all? Or from the rooftop of a glitzy downtown hotel, trying to glimpse them as they explode behind the neighbouring, slightly taller glitzy hotel?