[Bangkok] Day 1

First day in Bangkok, greeted by the city’s notorious traffic. Tip: in times like this, it’s much easier to take the BTS sky train system.

First meal, lunch at Kalpapruek. Apparently everyone in Bangkok knows this institution and has been there at least once in their life. What we ordered: beef salad, green curry, stir-fried morning glory, fish cakes, beef with basil, and of course, thai iced tea. Delicious food, affordable prices, pleasant setting, highly recommended. See address at the bottom of this post.

After lunch, an easy stroll along the streets. There were roasted bananas everywhere!

Afternoon coffee at Casa Lapin x26. This is the fourth branch of Casa Lapin, which includes a hostel, a co-working space, and a flower shop in addition to the cafe. Very stylish with high ceilings, wooden floors, and red brick walls.

Filter coffee with honey pistachio cake.

The attached flower shop, Wall Flower, is super cute as well.

Followed that with a mega shopping session at the string of shopping malls near Siam Station, including The Siam Paragon, Central World, and further down the road Central Embassy. But first, some mango sticky rice at Mango Tango, a small dessert shop specializing in mango desserts.

After dark, a tuk tuk ride to Khao San Road, a world famous “backpacker ghetto” filled with cheap hostels and bars. I saw barbecued insects and other indiscernible exotic snacks, as well as a few ping pong show advertisements. This, by the way, is where Leo DiCarpio drinks snack blood in the movie The Beach.

Close to Khao San Road but much classier in ambience is Brown Sugar, a jazz pub that’s been around for ages (though previously at a different location). The exterior looks like an old school cinema, but the inside is indeed a bar with excellent jazz.

Getting hungry, we dropped by Yaowarat Road / China Town for a bowl of kuay jab, which is rolled rice noodles with crispy pork belly, blood and intenstines served up in a peppery clear soup. I don’t remember exactly which kuay jab shop we went to, but a few names will pop out if you google “kuay jab Yaowarat”, and chances are these will all be quite good.

Bellies filled, we went on to Maggie Choo’s for some cocktails. This is the latest project by designer Ashley Sutton, who also created the very popular “Bookshop” and “Iron Fairies” bars. Maggie Choo’s, located under Novotel Fenix Silom, can be accessed through a small wooden Chinese door – easily missed by the passerby. Old fashioned clerk counter, velvet seats, leather sofas, bust statues, sings hanging from the ceiling…the ambience is hip and eerie, made even more bizarre on the night of our visit by models clad in wigs and a few midgets dancing around in clown hats.

On an unrelated note, I tried a Mama Instant Cup Noodles Spicy Cheese Flavour while I was in Bangkok, and it was yum. Perfect late-night snack.

Kalpapruek

Add: 27 Pramual Rd, Silom, Bangkok 10500
Tel: 02 236 4335

Casa Lapin x26

Add: Sukhumvit Soi 26, Bangkok 10110
Tel: 02 116 3308

Mango Tango

Add: Siam Squares Soi 3, Bangkok 10330
Tel: 081 619 5504

Brown Sugar

Add: 469 Phrasumen road, Bangkok 10200
Tel: 089 499 1378

Maggie Choo’s

Add: 320 Silom Road, Bangkok 10500
Tel: 02 635 6055