Thong Lo (Soi 55) and Ekamai (Soi 63) are full of trendy bars and night clubs.
Mostly catering to the Thai and expat crowd.
Witch's Tavern Thong Lor (Sukhumvit Soi 55) Between Soi 8 & Soi 10
Bangkok's original English Pub.
Live music every night.
Free drinks for ladies Wednesday 17:00-21:00.
At least 5 English/Irish brews on tap.
Escudo Thong Lo (Sukhumvit Soi 55)
just past Soi 13
Booze Thong Lor Soi 10 (Sukhumvit Soi 55) - near Ekkamai
Jet Thong Lor Soi 10 (Sukhumvit Soi 55) - next to Booze
Gigabyte Thong Lor Soi 10 (Sukhumvit Soi 55) - next to Jet
RAZBar Thong Lor 50m on the right (Sukhumvit Soi 55) - New Very Cool Club
Ana Garden Thonglor Soi 3 (Sukhumvit Soi 55) - Lovely garden restaurant and cool and cozy club hidden at the rear.
Escobar, Ekamai (Sukhumvit Soi 63) - just past Soi 5
DuDe, RCA (Royal City Avenue), [24] open from 1am till very late just opposite to Route66
Remix Thong Lo (Sukhumvit Soi 55) - just past Soi 18 in The Playground
Santika Ekamai (Sukhumvit Soi 63) - just past Soi 9 - Bangkok's hip hop club. Open until 02:00. No cover charge.
WeZa Ekamai (Sukhumvit Soi 56) Just past Soi 21
Narcissus Club, 112 Sukhumvit Soi 23, narcissusbangkok@hotmail.com [25]. A dance club with far too many disco balls. Paul Oakenfold's venue of choice.
Q Bar, 34 Sukhumvit Soi 11, [26] is a hip if rather un-Thai bar often likened to a New York cocktail lounge, renowned for its massive drinks list and always packed dance floor. Cover charge. Filled with middle-aged business men and expensive freelancers.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Tessa, a little eatery on Soi Thong Lor
Tessa, a little eatery on Soi Thong Lor brings the best of Paris to Bangkok
Soi Thong Lor is getting livelier with new shops and restaurants springing up almost every day. Among these new places is an eight-month-old French restaurant called Tessa.
The eatery is in a comfortable house and seats about 30 hungry souls both inside and outside. It’s not a very large space inside but big enough not to feel claustrophobic and there’s a huge window looking out into the garden. The garden is also not very extensive but there are a satisfactory number of trees to give the place a look of the great outdoors.
Jatuporn Tejapaibul, who’s in her late 30s, is Tessa’s owner and comes from a culinary family. She studied kitchen skills at La Varanne in France’s Villecien and the menu reflects this. Many of the dishes, Jatuporn claims, cannot be found elsewhere in Bangkok. Even the regular French stuff is presented with a difference, she says.
If you’re on the look out for a quick bite, have a go at the rocket soup (Bt160), a cream soup made of rockets and sauteed river shrimps, crab cake (Bt295), fried chunks of crab with salad and sweet red chillies. For fish-loving gastronomes, the restaurant offers pan-fried trout (Bt460) in white-wine sauce. And those looking for a heavy meal can’t go wrong with the grilled imported rib-eye steak (Bt580), served with parsley mousse, duck confit and cranberry sauce.
Everything on the menu is traditional French, and all the vegetables used are organic. The owner tries her best to procure ingredients of the best quality. Regulars are in the habit of strolling in and enquiring, “What’s today’s special?” because Jatuporn finds special ingredients when buying grocery and usually concocts the day’s special using them.
You could end a hearty meal with desserts like warm chocolate cake (Bt220), served with ice cream or perhaps the light panna cotta (Bt180). The restaurant also offers home-made sorbet made of fresh fruits, available in 11 flavours. There’s also tea, coffee, fruit juices and smoothies. If you crave alcohol, there are a variety of cocktails and wines, the latter mostly imported from France, Australia, and Chile.
The kitchen closes at 9pm. Before stopping by, it might be a good idea to make a reservation because the place is not too big.
There’s space to park your car on the left of the road before you reach the restaurant.
Tessa 20 Thong Lor Soi 23
BTS: Thong Lor
11.30am-2pm, 6pm-10pm, Monday-Saturday
(02) 712 6844
Soi Thong Lor is getting livelier with new shops and restaurants springing up almost every day. Among these new places is an eight-month-old French restaurant called Tessa.
The eatery is in a comfortable house and seats about 30 hungry souls both inside and outside. It’s not a very large space inside but big enough not to feel claustrophobic and there’s a huge window looking out into the garden. The garden is also not very extensive but there are a satisfactory number of trees to give the place a look of the great outdoors.
Jatuporn Tejapaibul, who’s in her late 30s, is Tessa’s owner and comes from a culinary family. She studied kitchen skills at La Varanne in France’s Villecien and the menu reflects this. Many of the dishes, Jatuporn claims, cannot be found elsewhere in Bangkok. Even the regular French stuff is presented with a difference, she says.
If you’re on the look out for a quick bite, have a go at the rocket soup (Bt160), a cream soup made of rockets and sauteed river shrimps, crab cake (Bt295), fried chunks of crab with salad and sweet red chillies. For fish-loving gastronomes, the restaurant offers pan-fried trout (Bt460) in white-wine sauce. And those looking for a heavy meal can’t go wrong with the grilled imported rib-eye steak (Bt580), served with parsley mousse, duck confit and cranberry sauce.
Everything on the menu is traditional French, and all the vegetables used are organic. The owner tries her best to procure ingredients of the best quality. Regulars are in the habit of strolling in and enquiring, “What’s today’s special?” because Jatuporn finds special ingredients when buying grocery and usually concocts the day’s special using them.
You could end a hearty meal with desserts like warm chocolate cake (Bt220), served with ice cream or perhaps the light panna cotta (Bt180). The restaurant also offers home-made sorbet made of fresh fruits, available in 11 flavours. There’s also tea, coffee, fruit juices and smoothies. If you crave alcohol, there are a variety of cocktails and wines, the latter mostly imported from France, Australia, and Chile.
The kitchen closes at 9pm. Before stopping by, it might be a good idea to make a reservation because the place is not too big.
There’s space to park your car on the left of the road before you reach the restaurant.
Tessa 20 Thong Lor Soi 23
BTS: Thong Lor
11.30am-2pm, 6pm-10pm, Monday-Saturday
(02) 712 6844
Boutique-style partying
Boutique-style partying
Party House One, Siam@Siam, is ready to help you celebrate the festive occasions of December.
The Christmas set menu (Bt900) with roasted turkey and more is available on December 24 and 25. An Xmas day buffet menu (Bt750) features Norwegian salmon, beef carpaccio, sliced veal with tuna sauce. On New Year's Eve, there will be New-York-house music - shake and strut your stuff, while top DJs spins from 9pm to 3am. Choose from an unlimited bar for and buffet dinner for Bt4,200, or a premium package for Bt5,900.
Siam@Siam (SiamAtSiam.com) is a boutique hotel opposite National Stadium. Call (02) 217 3000 extension 64003.
Party House One, Siam@Siam, is ready to help you celebrate the festive occasions of December.
The Christmas set menu (Bt900) with roasted turkey and more is available on December 24 and 25. An Xmas day buffet menu (Bt750) features Norwegian salmon, beef carpaccio, sliced veal with tuna sauce. On New Year's Eve, there will be New-York-house music - shake and strut your stuff, while top DJs spins from 9pm to 3am. Choose from an unlimited bar for and buffet dinner for Bt4,200, or a premium package for Bt5,900.
Siam@Siam (SiamAtSiam.com) is a boutique hotel opposite National Stadium. Call (02) 217 3000 extension 64003.
Partying Chinese style
Partying Chinese style
Joke Club's Toy promises a culinary celebration on every floor of her brand-new Soho Seafood restaurant
Lovers of fine Chinese cuisine will be happy to learn that the Soho group of restaurants is in the process of re-locating and refurbishing. Joke Club on Sukhumvit Soi 11, long popular for its congee, no longer exists, having closed down and, as of December 1, re-opened on New Phetchburi Road as Soho Seafood.
Right next to the former Japanese embassy, Soho Seafood has a small car park for around 30 cars, with valet parking across the street, and owner Jarukorn "Toy" Quewpaisarn is currently negotiating with office buildings nearby to expand parking facilities.
For sure, Soho Seafood is going to need as much parking space as possible. These new premises are huge, much larger than Soho by Joke Club on Sathorn Rd. The new restaurant has three floors, each with a capacity of 100 diners, as well as two private rooms. The lounge and bar areas can also be sectioned off for private parties.
Toy has decorated her new restaurant to look completely different from her Sathorn Soho. Soho Seafood has walls decorated in Chinese murals, which she has brought in from Hong Kong. She's also brought in plants, vases, and other decorations, mildly reminiscent of someone's home - someone's huge home.
"Parties, parties, parties, big or small!" Toy says gleefully. With the new restaurant, she's working on making dreams come true - offering a party on every floor, with diners enjoying the vast range of dishes on the menus she's personally prepared.
To make your party planning as easy as possible, Toy has introduced a large number of set menus ranging in price from Bt2,700 to Bt20,000 per person. If you still don't see a menu you'd like, she's willing to sit down and help you create your very own personalised set of dishes.
Although the a la carte menu is new, many of the popular dishes that diners came to love at Joke Club are still featured. The fried rice dishes are as tasty as ever. Toy uses a special cooking method, so very little oil is used. In addition, bits of grilled smoked salmon are added - a tasty alternative to bacon.
Soon to be added to the menu is tiger prawn with garlic and butter. When you sink your knife into this crustacean, the sauce is so creamy that you might think cheese has been added, but no, cheese really isn't necessary for this delicious entree.
Those seeking healthful but hearty dishes should try out the range of bean curd dishes on offer, such as the bean curd fried with garlic and chilli and the sweet and sour bean curd. These are vegetarian dishes, but each has a distinctive taste and texture.
Toy is proud of her bean curd dishes, as well as the very popular Hong-Kong style deep-fried chicken and her duck dishes, but in her new restaurant, she aims to emphasise seafood. "That's why we call it 'Soho Seafood'," she explains.
For an unusual, tasty and dramatic dish, try the "lava shrimp". At your table, a plate of shrimp is emptied onto a dish of extremely hot black stones, with a hefty helping of Chinese white wine drizzled over to get things sizzling.
Within seconds, the shrimp is cooked, maintaining their fresh, salty taste and going beautifully with the dipping sauce.
Another popular dish is the seafood hot pot, where you cook your choice of seafood yourself in a mellow consomm้. (Serving for three or four, Bt400).
Drop by and check out the menu yourself. The restaurant is easily accessible from the Phetchburi Underground Station.
Joke Club's Toy promises a culinary celebration on every floor of her brand-new Soho Seafood restaurant
Lovers of fine Chinese cuisine will be happy to learn that the Soho group of restaurants is in the process of re-locating and refurbishing. Joke Club on Sukhumvit Soi 11, long popular for its congee, no longer exists, having closed down and, as of December 1, re-opened on New Phetchburi Road as Soho Seafood.
Right next to the former Japanese embassy, Soho Seafood has a small car park for around 30 cars, with valet parking across the street, and owner Jarukorn "Toy" Quewpaisarn is currently negotiating with office buildings nearby to expand parking facilities.
For sure, Soho Seafood is going to need as much parking space as possible. These new premises are huge, much larger than Soho by Joke Club on Sathorn Rd. The new restaurant has three floors, each with a capacity of 100 diners, as well as two private rooms. The lounge and bar areas can also be sectioned off for private parties.
Toy has decorated her new restaurant to look completely different from her Sathorn Soho. Soho Seafood has walls decorated in Chinese murals, which she has brought in from Hong Kong. She's also brought in plants, vases, and other decorations, mildly reminiscent of someone's home - someone's huge home.
"Parties, parties, parties, big or small!" Toy says gleefully. With the new restaurant, she's working on making dreams come true - offering a party on every floor, with diners enjoying the vast range of dishes on the menus she's personally prepared.
To make your party planning as easy as possible, Toy has introduced a large number of set menus ranging in price from Bt2,700 to Bt20,000 per person. If you still don't see a menu you'd like, she's willing to sit down and help you create your very own personalised set of dishes.
Although the a la carte menu is new, many of the popular dishes that diners came to love at Joke Club are still featured. The fried rice dishes are as tasty as ever. Toy uses a special cooking method, so very little oil is used. In addition, bits of grilled smoked salmon are added - a tasty alternative to bacon.
Soon to be added to the menu is tiger prawn with garlic and butter. When you sink your knife into this crustacean, the sauce is so creamy that you might think cheese has been added, but no, cheese really isn't necessary for this delicious entree.
Those seeking healthful but hearty dishes should try out the range of bean curd dishes on offer, such as the bean curd fried with garlic and chilli and the sweet and sour bean curd. These are vegetarian dishes, but each has a distinctive taste and texture.
Toy is proud of her bean curd dishes, as well as the very popular Hong-Kong style deep-fried chicken and her duck dishes, but in her new restaurant, she aims to emphasise seafood. "That's why we call it 'Soho Seafood'," she explains.
For an unusual, tasty and dramatic dish, try the "lava shrimp". At your table, a plate of shrimp is emptied onto a dish of extremely hot black stones, with a hefty helping of Chinese white wine drizzled over to get things sizzling.
Within seconds, the shrimp is cooked, maintaining their fresh, salty taste and going beautifully with the dipping sauce.
Another popular dish is the seafood hot pot, where you cook your choice of seafood yourself in a mellow consomm้. (Serving for three or four, Bt400).
Drop by and check out the menu yourself. The restaurant is easily accessible from the Phetchburi Underground Station.
A new Chinese restaurant on Soi Thonglor
A new Chinese restaurant on Soi Thonglor offers a range of promotions this month
Why call his latest restaurant "Monkeys"? "Why not?" responds Wanit "Ed" Mekdhanasarn.Years after opening his immensely popular Witch's Tavern, Witch's Oyster Bar & Restaurant and Tongue Thai, Monkeys Chinois was launched around eight months ago. Tucked into Soi 11 off Soi Thonglor, the restaurant is immediately recognisable. In the little carpark in front, Ed has installed a slab of grey stone topped with statues of the three wise monkeys demonstrating their standard maxim "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil". Enter Monkeys, and you're immediately struck by the contemporary design, which maintains a colour scheme of shades of grey and red. You're also struck by the restaurant's compactness. No space appears wasted. Yet there's also a sense of spaciousness. Altogether, Monkeys seats around 130, but the design cleverly avoids a feeling of being cramped, whether you sit downstairs, in the small lounge or the private room, which seats 10, or upstairs in the wine bar, seating 30. Ed has taken equal care with the food. In the Monkeys kitchen, 10 chefs work their specialisations - roasting, steaming, frying and dim sum. "Chinese is the most expensive cuisine in the world," Ed smiles, adding that the raw materials aren't cheap either. Monkeys offers what Ed calls "regional cuisine". Throughout the menu, you can find Cantonese, Shanghai and Szechuan specialities: braised goose feet in clay pot (Bt340), wok-fried jumbo scallops with XO sauce (Bt490), all sorts of presentations of wok-fried river prawns (prices calculated by each 100 grams), a section on vegetables, another for rice and noodle dishes. Whether you come alone or with a dozen friends, Monkeys ensures that the menu will accommodate. Set menus, for instance, offer a meal for one (Bt790), a choice of two menus for two (Bt1,300), a choice of two menus for four (Bt2,300) and four menus for 10 (Bt7,000 to Bt15,000). From now until the end of July, Monkeys also has a "Mid-Year Promotion". Order four baskets from a special selection of dim sum, and you'll get one free (Monday to Friday for lunch). A special set menu for 10 people costs only Bt3,999. From Mondays to Fridays, you receive a 25-per-cent discount on food, except, of course, on the special dim sum and set menu. The Monkeys menu also offers some mildly fusion-style dishes. Try the crispy prawns with sweet mayonnaise and wasabi (Bt340)."The wasabi's there for a very slight Japanese twist," Ed says. Even if you're not a child, you'll be charmed by the rainbow dim sum selection (Bt240) - all those dumplings fashioned into shapes resembling the animals of the sea. Each contains a morsel of seafood steamed to the proper point. The entire dim sum menu, by the way, is also available in the evening. Another surprise is the dish of prawn balls with preserved egg (Bt250). The dumplings, sprinkled with almond slivers, contain an egg with a very mild taste. Even the sauce is properly seasoned, with the sweetness supporting, not dominating, the chillies. One dish that's already a favourite is the crispy roast rib of pork (Bt340). The sauce that accompanies it is delicious, but Ed won't say what's in it."This sauce is secret," he says. At Monkeys, you can stick with the well-known, try out the little-known or even head for the (up to now) unknown - and you'll meet some very cute monkeys.
Laurie Rosenthal
The Nation
Why call his latest restaurant "Monkeys"? "Why not?" responds Wanit "Ed" Mekdhanasarn.Years after opening his immensely popular Witch's Tavern, Witch's Oyster Bar & Restaurant and Tongue Thai, Monkeys Chinois was launched around eight months ago. Tucked into Soi 11 off Soi Thonglor, the restaurant is immediately recognisable. In the little carpark in front, Ed has installed a slab of grey stone topped with statues of the three wise monkeys demonstrating their standard maxim "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil". Enter Monkeys, and you're immediately struck by the contemporary design, which maintains a colour scheme of shades of grey and red. You're also struck by the restaurant's compactness. No space appears wasted. Yet there's also a sense of spaciousness. Altogether, Monkeys seats around 130, but the design cleverly avoids a feeling of being cramped, whether you sit downstairs, in the small lounge or the private room, which seats 10, or upstairs in the wine bar, seating 30. Ed has taken equal care with the food. In the Monkeys kitchen, 10 chefs work their specialisations - roasting, steaming, frying and dim sum. "Chinese is the most expensive cuisine in the world," Ed smiles, adding that the raw materials aren't cheap either. Monkeys offers what Ed calls "regional cuisine". Throughout the menu, you can find Cantonese, Shanghai and Szechuan specialities: braised goose feet in clay pot (Bt340), wok-fried jumbo scallops with XO sauce (Bt490), all sorts of presentations of wok-fried river prawns (prices calculated by each 100 grams), a section on vegetables, another for rice and noodle dishes. Whether you come alone or with a dozen friends, Monkeys ensures that the menu will accommodate. Set menus, for instance, offer a meal for one (Bt790), a choice of two menus for two (Bt1,300), a choice of two menus for four (Bt2,300) and four menus for 10 (Bt7,000 to Bt15,000). From now until the end of July, Monkeys also has a "Mid-Year Promotion". Order four baskets from a special selection of dim sum, and you'll get one free (Monday to Friday for lunch). A special set menu for 10 people costs only Bt3,999. From Mondays to Fridays, you receive a 25-per-cent discount on food, except, of course, on the special dim sum and set menu. The Monkeys menu also offers some mildly fusion-style dishes. Try the crispy prawns with sweet mayonnaise and wasabi (Bt340)."The wasabi's there for a very slight Japanese twist," Ed says. Even if you're not a child, you'll be charmed by the rainbow dim sum selection (Bt240) - all those dumplings fashioned into shapes resembling the animals of the sea. Each contains a morsel of seafood steamed to the proper point. The entire dim sum menu, by the way, is also available in the evening. Another surprise is the dish of prawn balls with preserved egg (Bt250). The dumplings, sprinkled with almond slivers, contain an egg with a very mild taste. Even the sauce is properly seasoned, with the sweetness supporting, not dominating, the chillies. One dish that's already a favourite is the crispy roast rib of pork (Bt340). The sauce that accompanies it is delicious, but Ed won't say what's in it."This sauce is secret," he says. At Monkeys, you can stick with the well-known, try out the little-known or even head for the (up to now) unknown - and you'll meet some very cute monkeys.
Laurie Rosenthal
The Nation
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