Showing 11 - 20 of 212
Electro fest
Guru, Richard Mcleish, Published on 03/10/2014
» Plenty of live music again this week in more good signs for the city. Tonight (Oct 3) sees the hosting of the 1st International Live Looping Festival, presented by The Wet Carpet-Studio (fb.com/thewetcarpet). It will go on for both nights of the weekend and involve a showcase of music geeks from around the region who will loop their sounds live. Entry is an easy B100. Venue is Zoo (goo.gl/47zGcD). Open your ears and your minds.
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.
More is more
Guru, Richard Mcleish, Published on 19/09/2014
» Nestled at the front of Groove upstairs, this hunting lodge-themed restaurant is starting to garner plenty of attention in the area with some pretty stiff eating competition. To pull off the concept, they have gone all out with the decor to good effect, which is fun enough to dispel the mall feel that other venues in the precinct suffer from. It’s easily located by the iconic grizzly bear that towers over the entrance, instantly confirming the hunting tendencies of the place. The expansive premises has enough room for about 80 diners inside, which can stretch to over 100 with the outdoor area. Hang up your rifle on entry as you slink onto a bar stool after a solid morning’s hunting. The crowd is a steady stream of cool kids that all seem to know each other — friends of friends of friends, etc — Bangkok-style.
Gate Crasher
Guru, Richard Mcleish, Published on 05/09/2014
» Welcome to Guru’s Gate Crasher, your ultimate guide to finding something fresh to do in this big city.
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.
The allure cure
Guru, Richard Mcleish, Published on 22/08/2014
» Currently making his way through the Kingdom is Dave Dixon, aka Allure. The well-travelled Dutchie has been around since the 90s and fills a relentless touring schedule. He will spin in Bangkok tomorrow night (Aug 23) at Ku De Ta (39/F, Sathorn Square Bldg, 98 Sathon Nua Road, fb.com/kudetabangkok) with free entry. We spoke to him on the eve of the show.
Gate Crasher
Guru, Richard Mcleish, Published on 08/08/2014
» Welcome to Guru’s Gate Crasher, your ultimate guide to finding something fresh to do in this big city.
Comfort to a “T”
Guru, Richard Mcleish, Published on 25/07/2014
» If you have made the leap of faith and moved down the nether regions of the Sukhumvit BTS line towards Bearing, your gamble is starting to pay off. The infrastructure of the area is kicking into gear, and T’s Cafe by Maison de Baguette is one such blossom, colouring in a new residential area that stood bare not long ago, and local residents must be wrapped. The space is a slither carved from an existing structure on a huge and semi-dormant family block of land. The dead-end soi gives it a neighbourhood and homely feel, with the friendly Japanese couple who own and run it already engaging the local community with leftovers and collaborations. Inside the smart conversion of the modest shoe-box-esque space, there’s enough room for around 15 diners. The interior is a calming spread of Ikea-esque neutrality, with light timbers, prerequisite industrial light fittings and cute patterned stools at the counter bench. The soothing soundtrack comes courtesy of a local jazz fan who willingly shared his collection. The crowd is majority Thai at this stage, but the Westerners will come.
Gate Crasher
Guru, Richard Mcleish, Published on 25/07/2014
» 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.