stumbling upon the good life – savoring food, discovering wine, and exploring places
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If you ever find yourself shopping for bootlegs computer accessories at Pantip Plaza in Bangkok, do yourself a favor and skip out on the foreigner friendly fast food chains and S&P (I’m not knocking S&P) found on the ground level. Instead walk across the street to Soi Som Prason 4. A short walk up the street is Mama’s. Mama’s is cheap, lacking any kind of ambiance (save for the orange chairs) but has surprisingly good food at an ever better value. [keep reading…]
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A very special New Year’s Eve at Amantee
We decided to spend Christmas and New Year’s in Thailand this year. It was time to totally chill out and honestly I have yet to find a better place than Thailand for complete relaxation. But we still wanted to do something special for New Year’s Eve in Bangkok and when we heard Amantee was having one of their seasonal celebratory event dinners, ourselves and some friends immediately booked a table. [keep reading…]
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A modern oasis of calm on bustling Petchaburi Road
I have said it before, but will say it again….I believe spa treatments are not a luxury, but rather an integral part of taking care of oneself. Not only do they promote relaxation, but depending on the treatment one has it can stimulate circulation, release knotted muscles, condition and rejuvenate the skin, reduce local muscle and joint inflammation and more… To that end, there is no shortage of spas in Bangkok, but my experience is there are a lot of places in Bangkok where massage are spa treatments are offered where the aestheticians are not so skilled and perhaps not appropriately trained. This is why word of mouth counts for everything in Bangkok and why we would like to tell you about the Sivara Spa. [keep reading…]
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Signature dish “Surf & Turf Indiana” recipe after the jump.
When working for Lookeast Magazine I had the chance to sit and talk with many Bangkok chefs. One of these was Arijit Ghosh, then new Executive Chef at Café 11. He’s a soft-spoken, gentle chef in an age of increasingly more exaggerated “personality chefs”. [keep reading…]
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Like HCMC today, the Bangkok foreigner scene of old thrived close to the river. These days, however, I never really think to set foot down there. It’s the kind of place you visit once, the first time you come to the city… King’s Palace, check. Emerald & Reclining Buddha, check. Either the Oriental or Shangrila for tea or brunch, check. Then for most who live in the city (unless they work nearby) the river is a distant memory. This has more to do with the difficulty and time it takes to get down to the river than what’s on offer. But, if you wait till Sunday brunch time, with no traffic… the other side of the river is accessible in about 20 minutes tops and you don’t even have to wait for a ferry. This is the perfect time to venture out to Trader Vic’s massive brunch/lunch buffet spread. [keep reading…]
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Anyone who’s ever talked to me about dining in Bangkok knows my passion for spreading the word of Soi Polo Chicken. You’d think that’s the only chicken I ever eat in Bangkok. As much as I’d love their beautiful fried garlic encrusted chicken every day of the week… well, that’s not incredibly healthy. Thai’s do a mean grilled chicken as well. That and some Som Tam is a tasty meal that’s not too bad for you. My favorite for grilled chicken currently is “Hai”. [keep reading…]
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An unlikely place for breakfast on Bangkok’s Sukhumvit Road
I first discovered The Robinhood Pub when I lived across the street at Emporium Suites. For me it was a go to place for a beer with friends or to watch a game. It’s just your typical unpretentious, down-to-earth English pub. The crowd is varied….expats and Thais of all ages…the burger is good…and the beer is reasonably priced. So when Paul told me they also served breakfast, I had to check it out. We love the Dubliner breakfast, so I wondered how The Robinhood would stack up. [keep reading…]
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Homestyle, satisfying Italian served alfresco on a cozy Silom rooftop terrace
Vicolo 4 opened in 2008…however, unless you know Silom Soi 4 well, it’s not really the kind of place one stumbles upon. It’s tucked away on the second floor over top of a bar with very little signage. But it is so consistent in its presentation of homestyle Italian that Bangkok insiders often hear about it by word of mouth. When I was growing up in the southern part of the US…this was most often a formula for success. A hole in the wall tiny place, that regulars love. Nothing pretentious or flashy…but just delicious homemade dishes and friendly service that keep people coming back again and again. In fact when we are in Bangkok, we always make a point to stop by and here’s why you should too. [keep reading…]
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Everyone who lives in Bangkok has a stable of restaurants from which they choose their meals throughout the day. First there’s the fruit stand where one will grab some fresh pineapple or mamuang on the way to the office. Then there’s the street stall near the office where you grab a quick and cheap lunch. After that you might have a handful of “fancy” restaurants to choose from when you’re entertaining out of town guests or on a first date. Most important of all though is the neighborhood restaurant where you get your normal dinners. This is the restaurant you’ll frequent the most… the one where you’ll forge your first relationships with Thais… and the one where you’ll stuff your face most often. For Joanna and I this was P Kitchen on Sukhumvit Soi 18. [keep reading…]
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Royal Thai Cuisine from the recipes of the Sukhothai Palace kitchen
Paul had been telling me about this place for ages…the former soap opera star owner and the recipes from the Sukhothai Palace. He raved about the pure and traditional preparation and presentation of Thai food, the gracious service and the elegant host. I really wanted to go, but it seemed every time we had it planned something would happen…rain, travel, stuck at work, etc. Finally the day came and miraculously nothing prevented our visit to Thanying. After such anticipation, would it live up to expectations? [keep reading…]
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