Showing 1 - 10 of 12
Just a couple of foodies
Guru, Eric E Surbano, Published on 09/02/2018
» It's that time of the year when couples come out in full-force, restaurants are jampacked, roses and chocolates are more expensive, and single people are more bitter than usual. Yes, St Valentine's Day is upon us and that means couples all over the place. We could have just given you a list of places you could go to for a special dinner (actually, we did -- check our Food listings). But in lieu of the upcoming "festivities", if you could call it that, we decided to round up a number of foodie power couples to get to know their favourite restos and what they do during on this romantic day. Perhaps we noobs could learn a thing or two from them.
Borderless cuisine
Guru, Eric E Surbano, Published on 03/08/2018
» Barely more than two weeks old, Cali-Mex Bar & Grill has a pretty interesting story. Its owner, Jeff Moss, is Australian and the restaurant started in Hong Kong. Three years later, Cali-Mex had 20 outlets all over Hong Kong, and fortunately for us Bangkokians, they decided to make their first international venture in the Big Mango. At the Holiday Inn in the corner of Sukhumvit 22, Cali-Mex Bar & Grill has a small space decorated appropriately so that it feels as if you've just stepped into what seems to be a bar at the US-Mexico border sans Trump wall. The entire place gives off an inviting atmosphere, subconsciously telling you to invite your friends to come over, gather at the table and hang over a good meal.
Screen stealers
Guru, Eric E Surbano, Published on 21/09/2018
» It's not news that the Thai film industry is doing well and the films being produced are not just successful in Thailand, are also gaining recognition outside the country. Thai blockbusters, however, are the usual: rom-coms, comedies, horror movies, horror-comedies, with a few action movies thrown in for good measure. But these aren't the entirety of the movies being made in the Kingdom. Just last week, Manta Ray won an award at the Venice Film Festival. With that in mind, we've compiled a list of other Thai films that have not only gained recognition outside of Thailand but have also received awards.
Team Thailand
Guru, Eric E Surbano, Published on 12/10/2018
» Us living in Bangkok may be accustomed to complaining about the various things we experience on a daily basis, whether it be heavy traffic, the absence of law-abiding drivers, taxi rejections or the crowded streets and trains. And while these grumblings are founded and you have the right to complain (because we do too), there are things that we should be proud of in the Big Mango and Thailand. As evidenced by this list, plenty of accolades have been lavished to Bangkok or Thailand, and sometimes we have to put aside our jadedness to realise that we're living in a pretty great place. Just recently, Bangkok was named one of the top destinations in the world by Mastercard and was also named "the least unhappy country" by the Bloomberg Misery Index. So this week, we've done what we thought was impossible: we're putting aside the snarkiness and sarcasm -- OK, maybe we're just lessening it a tad -- and listing the awards that have been bestowed upon Thailand. This is just so we learn to do what Eric Idle from Monty Python has been singing all these years: Always look on the bright side of life. That's wishful thinking though, we'll probably be back to our usual sarcastic selves in the next issue.
P is for pancake and party
Guru, Eric E Surbano, Published on 16/11/2018
» Pancakes are a breakfast favourite for a lot of people and they're just hands-down pretty dang delicious and awesome (if you're a pancake hater... uh, why?). But aside from that, they've also become a starting point for friendships and bonds to be made thanks to Robin Vogelaar. For the past few years, Vogelaar has travelled around the world and hosted events in different countries with a simple premise: he cooks Dutch pancakes, people meet up and eat, and have a good time. It's a simple thing yet it has gotten the attention of others that Vogelaar was able to take the TEDx stage at Abidjian, Côte d'Ivoire. On November 24, he's bringing the Dutch Pancake Party to the Big Mango. Guru spoke to him on everything pancake party.
The Year That Was
Guru, Eric E Surbano, Published on 28/12/2018
» 2018 has come and gone as quickly as motorcyclists swerve off the sidewalk when they see a cop. And it's been a whirlwind of a year -- the Winter Olympics, Harry and Meghan, Yanny and Laurel and the daring rescue of the boars. With the many, many events, it's hard to recap everything in one go. Plus, we don't want to make the same mistake YouTube Rewind did. So we decided to ask people from various walks to life to tell us what the year has been for them. Here's a look back at 2018 and here's us wishing you a Happy New Year!
On a roll
Guru, Eric E Surbano, Published on 12/04/2019
» SJ "Ess Jay" Nolan is the president and manager of Bangkok Roller Derby. I can imagine you going, "Wait, there's a Bangkok Roller Derby?". Yes, yes there is, and for the past six years or so, the team has been going pretty strong. They want to spread the word about roller derby and have more people involved so they can eventually set up Team Thailand officially. How do you join? What's roller derby? How does it work? And can I officially dub myself "Wreck-it Eric"? We sat down with Nolan to find out.
Around the clock
Guru, Eric E Surbano, Published on 04/10/2019
» Imagine this scenario: it's late at night -- really late at night. It's so late that even the street food vendors have gone to bed. You're not sleepy. In fact, you actually don't want to sleep.
Behind the mask
Guru, Eric E Surbano, Published on 13/03/2020
» Coronavirus -- you've been hearing about it, reading about it, but knock on wood you haven't been infected by it. The world has been sent reeling these past few months because of the virus. Everyone is in a state of panic. Masks are in short supply, sneezing in public places garners dirty looks and everyone is convinced they're living in Raccoon City and the Umbrella Corporation is behind it all (get the Resident Evil reference?). But let's all chill for a sec, which may be difficult to do given the circumstances, but we need to get our facts straight which, apparently, is hard for the Thai Ministry of Public Health to do. Let's talk about Covid-19 and how it affects us in Thailand.
Stranger things
Guru, Eric E Surbano, Published on 09/10/2020
» Everyone loves a good conspiracy. There's a reason why Netflix has a bunch of them ready for you to binge like Unsolved Mysteries, which will rock you to your core at just how completely plausible they are and how they could easily happen to any of us.