Showing 1 - 10 of 11
Keeping the faith
Life, Gary Boyle, Published on 07/10/2019
» A man possessed by the spirit of a tiger storms through a crowd. Penitent Filipinos are nailed to the cross. Skewers pierce cheeks, swords slash tongues, and young men are scarred until their skin resembles that of a crocodile.
Stay silly
Life, Gary Boyle, Published on 10/04/2019
» Depending on your age and sensibility, you either found Tom Green's comedy utterly hilarious or unfathomably puerile. His eponymous show, which ran on MTV from 1999, saw this gangly Canadian out to annoy the population of North America, sticking his camera in people's faces and doing dumb stunts, thereby providing a blueprint for the Jackass boys and a generation of foolish YouTubers.
Sex 'n' drugs 'n' rock 'n' rehab
Life, Gary Boyle, Published on 15/01/2019
» 'I shouldn't be in rehab at my age," says 28-year-old Andy*. As a music festival organiser, he curates events all over Europe, and is, as he puts it, "immersed" in drug culture. In rehab for cocaine addiction, he's also one of the increasing number of professionals aiming to make the music industry a safer place for those with substance abuse issues.
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.
A touch of Michelin magic
Life, Gary Boyle, Published on 19/12/2013
» Who are the heavyweights of cooking right now: Heston Blumenthal and his avant-garde creations? Bellowing TV bully Gordon Ramsey? The woman who wrote 'Cooking with Poo'? Yes and no. Yes, they get plenty of column inches and television moments, but the real powerhouses of cooking are Michelin magnets like Ferran Adria, Alain Ducasse and, for Thai cuisine, David Thompson.
Head to Hank's
Life, Gary Boyle, Published on 23/12/2013
» You'll hear Christmas songs, you'll hear classic party music, you might even hear some Elvis but one sound that's definitely absent is the rumbling of tummies. No one goes hungry here. Henry J. Beans is a classic American diner, which means everything is big: huge plates of wings, 750g T-bones, two-hander tacos and giant glasses of margarhita. Go alone if you dare, but it's best to share.
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.
A luxury of choice
Life, Gary Boyle, Published on 13/12/2012
» Traditionally at this time of year, calorie-watchers worry about what they eat between Christmas and New Year. A better policy would be to worry about what you eat between New Year and Christmas, and leave this season for a dose of rewarding indulgence. Luckily for those fond of extravagance, one of Bangkok's best hotels has created a festive menu featuring the finest ingredients from every gastronome's wish-list.
Christmas Eve Cravings
Life, Gary Boyle, Published on 17/12/2012
» Sukhumvit Soi 11 has been cool for some time. Spaceship supperclub Bed landed on 11 ten years ago, and Q Bar opened its party doors as far back as 1999. The less well-heeled have been propping up the scrapyard bar at Cheap Charlie's since the early eighties. In between Charlie's and Q Bar, physically and fiscally, was a mish-mash of massage parlours, tailor touts, street food stalls and a handful of dodgy hostess bars.