What are the four English words most Thai, Southeast Asian, Asian people love the most....
All You Can Eat
And buffetis the six-letter word that cranks up the lust/greed/glutton levels in many normally mild mannered folks across the region. Whether it's pizza, ice cream, sushi, noodles, dim sum, or steamboat there'll always be a queue outside restaurants offering buffet menus.
I like the "food nirvana dream" sold by the buffet concept but the reality (for me), is a whole lot different. I always enter the buffet arena with "pace yourself" good intensions, but invariably end up eating plates of mis-matched food, and going home with a stomach ache.
Table overlooking Lumphini Park
That was until a recent Mother's Day visit to Red Oven (at the newish and very smart and elegant Hotel Sofitel So Bangkok in Bangrak) and its "world market" array of dishes. True to its marketing hype, Red Oven offers Spanish cold cuts and olives, French cheeses, Turkish dips, a sushi station, a teriyaki bar, a salad station, a seafood station, Thai salads, asian and thai favourites, mongolian pork, roast meats, tandoori kebabs, pastas, shepherd's pie, truffle mash potatoes, cannelloni, a patisserie and even teppanyaki ice cream.
Pretty comprehensive and pretty delicious. And good value too given the 1,000 baht++ charge per diner. But that's not all, the dining room offers a magnificent view over Lumphini Park.
Stuff of ice cream dreams.... toppings galore.
While Red Oven is special occasion dining destination just up a few blocks is another super - and much, much cheaper - buffet alternative at the Furama Silom Hotel. From Monday to Friday they offer the best value for money lunch deal in town.
Thanks again to my buddy Adam - one of the good food finders in Bangkok - for this recommendation. For just 200 baht (just a bit more than a Big Mac set) you can choose from an array of Thai, Western and Japanese dishes. They also have a noodle station and Khao Soy noodles available. To finish up, the coconut ice cream is delicious and you can also sip a post meal cup of tea or coffee.
I've been waiting a long time to watch this Kevin MacDonald directed Bob (Robbie to his school mates) Marley doco and for once, my patience and anticipation was richly rewarded.
Sure, it's mostly "positive vibrations" throughout the 150-minute film, with few, if any, "Bad Bob" stories but that's a minor quibble.
Fact is, Bob packed plenty of living in his 36 years. Yes, Bob departed this world for a greener (probably) and more pleasant place at a very young age - I forgot he died so young. Well, young in today's pop environment, where bands and artists never age (or retire) - they just take long breaks before reforming again and again (usually to pay off 'surprise' tax bills).
I've been a BMW (Bob Marley & the Wailers) fan for three decades. As a young un, the BMW sound was pretty hard to escape - it was the soundtrack to school sports trips, road trips, at the school yard, countless parties and more.
A beautiful piano & vocals only version of No Women, No Cry is one of the movie highlights
Indeed, Bob's music and messages were embraced by many New Zealanders. Just as Morrissey and The Smiths sang to millions of lonely, shy, mostly white teens around the world, Marley's music connected deeply with Maori people in the early 70s, and still today. Heck, Marley's February 6 birthday is celebrated by thousands of New Zealanders every year - here's a great piece on this unique connection.
In addition, for New Zealanders of a certain vintage, Marley's concert in Auckland in 1979 has taken on mythical, and stuff of legend, status.
Back to the film, it's beautifully shot and edited, and flows seamlessly. It's also thorough with revealing information about Marley's English father, and his gallivanting ways. Just a shame there were no interviews with Marley's English side of the family.
The late Dylan Taite's wonderful interview with Marley during his 79 visit to NZ.
While there's plenty of music, the highlights are stories from a whole host of reggae luminaries including Rita Marley, Judy Mowatt, Bunny Wailer, Lee Scratch Perry, the Carlton brothers and others.
It's a shame the late Peter Tosh wasn't featured more and I don't know if the film makers had a beef with Chris Blackwell, the Island Records supremo, but he comes across as a bit of a creep.
Even if you're not a fan, or are unfamiliar with Marley's music, there's plenty of good stuff including funny anecdotes and back stories. My favorite was a revelation that the "reggae sound" was created by accident - specifically, a "delay effect" delivered by an ancient tape recorder.
That's my take on "Amy Winehouse: The Day She Came To Dingle," the recently-aired documentary about Amy Winehouse's performance at the tiny St. James Church in remote Dingle (the western most point in Ireland) in 2006.
While there's amazing footage of her intimate, unplugged gig for 80 lucky punters, the interviews with Amy and local organisers were for me, the best thing about this doco gem.
This was Amy before Back to Black mega-stardom. Throughout the interview segments, she's relaxed, charming and basically, a right laugh. Someone you'd love to call a friend or best mate, especially if you love music. God, her record collection must have been amazing.
Her musical education began with Kylie and Madonna, moved onto R&B and hip and hop, included a bit grunge, and always, always, a huge amount of jazz.
She waxes lyrical about gospel and jazz "hall of famers" such as Mahalia Jackson, Sarah Vaughn, Diana Washington, Miles Davis and Thelonius Monk. There's also footage of modern jazz legend, Carleen Anderson singing a beautiful "Don't Look Back in Anger" (yes, the Oasis song) cover.
Amy was equally enamored by the drama queen power pop tunes sung by 60s girl groups, The Shangri-Las, The Ronettes and The Crystals. She of course, had drama queen tendencies of her own. As revealed in the film, marathon binge drinking sessions, listening to the Shangri-Las on repeat and eating KFC for days was one of her post "romance gone bad" coping mechanism" strategies.
For me, this was close to a perfect music doco. The length was just right (just under an hour), the live music bits were moving, poignant, and bloody beautiful and Amy was candid, open, honest and being herself. In addition, it highlighted terrific, and often very funny stories from the gig organisers, and best of all there were no weighty, lofty, ernest "state of the rock nation-like" commentaries from "rock legend" talking heads.
No cash to fly to Paris? No worries, a dash of Left Bank panache can be enjoyed and embraced at the recently opened Tete Quarters (TQ) wine room and restaurant.
When owner, KK Chin invites you to "make yourself at home," he really means it and given TQ's prime riverside location coupled with its chic interior and decor, classic jazz soundtrack, comfy sofas and armchairs, you may never leave.
TQ is the latest wine-themed bar / eatery to open in Bangkok but don't let that put you off. While many other Bangkok vino-inspired places are really pubs / clubs serving wine, the "swellegant" TQ is custom built for wine quaffing and clever conversation.
To complement the wine, there's lots to like on the diverse TQ menu and we especially enjoyed the spicy salmon som tam (with sweet strawberries to ease the heat).
Other delicious plates included succulent crab cakes, juicy burger sliders, a bacon-hock flavoured pumpkin soup (popular with us all) and big flavoured spare ribs. Their fragrant beef curry with roti deserves a special mention, as does the magnum ice cream with Baileys combo.
Ribs (top) and crab cakes (below).
You know this place is good when I've gone four paragraphs without mentioning its "money-shot" view of the Chao Phraya River. With Amorosa Bar now overrun with tourists, TQ is a terrific, and easier to reach, option for a sunset drink.
And if you need a break from wining, dining and talking, a window side seat offers a grandstand (sometimes hilarious) view of group tour tourists boarding the massive river dining cruise boats.
Finally, KK is a top bloke and magnificent host who is open to new ideas regarding the menu, wines, beers, and entertainment. He's taking his time to get TQ established and based on our night out, he's made a flying start and we can't wait to return.
Address: Room 226-228, 2nd floor River City Shopping Center 23 Yota Road Chareonkrung 30 Talad Noi Samphantawong Bangkok 10100 Tel: 081-692-3647 Tete Quarters Facebook
The mighty impressive reclining buddha at Wat Logayasutharam - if you're cycling there watch out for the street dogs running around the neighbourhood.
Yes, Ayutthaya is geographically close to Bangkok (90 kilometres away), but in terms of pace of life, people, and personality, it's miles apart. Whereas Bangkok is a 'turned up to 11' kind of place, Ayutthaya is an oasis of tranquility and historical wonders.
Every year in fact, millions of day-tripping tourists explore its world-famous ancient ruins and temples. But there is much more to see and do, and we believe, Ayutthaya is best enjoyed at a leisurely pace.
Wat Phra Mahathat - visit in the early morning or late afternoon to avoid both sunstroke and dehydration.
During a recent long weekend we drove up with friends (visiting from the Netherlands) for a two day/one night stay. In addition to visiting the renowned Wat Yai Chaimongkhon and Wat Phra Mahathat temples, we stopped at Wat Logayasutaram for an up-close look at the massive and beautiful reclining buddha (the buddha's head rests on a lotus flower).
Walking around this site, and others, is humbling and moving - no matter how many times we visit, we are always astonished at the effort, craft, smarts and skill that went into creating the many temples and statues.
A great sight to wake up to - the riverside view from the Ban Tye Wang Hotel.
We managed to visit Wat Logayasatarum twice because our hotel, the Ban Tye Wang Hotel, was just up the road. With its riverside garden setting and handy location, Ban Tye Wang is highly recommended for weekend or overnight visitors.
Run by a very friendly and charming elderly couple, the Ban Tye Wang accommodation block sits next to their beautifully restored traditional Thai home. Being relatively new, the rooms blend modern design features with traditional thai home decor fittings - the rooms downstairs even include a front deck sala area for maximum relaxation. And if cycling is your thing, the hotel has a number of bikes available for guests to use.
Mutant prawn alert.
On the important topic of food, as with just about all visiting Bangkokians, we ate chargrilled river prawns at the renowned Ban Wachirachai restaurant. If you've never seen, or eaten, these river-dwelling crustaceans before, you may be shocked because they are as long as a child's shoe. While I'm not a much of a prawn fan I did like the smokey flavour of the Ban Wachirachai prawn and its fiery dipping sauce. I also liked the restaurant's peaceful and quiet riverside ambience.
At night we dined at the Ton Nam restaurant which seemed to be another riverside tourist trap eatery serving average fare. How bloody wrong we were - two exceptional dishes stood out - the barbecued cat fish - a smokey, moist, flaky and super fresh piscatorial delight. The other, was the hard-to-find, Ma Hor dish - who knew a flavoursome meatball topped with chilli and coriander served on top of a pineapple square could taste so good.
Another fantastic place to eat is the the big outdoor noodle shop just down the road from Wat Phra Mahathat. I don't know the name of the place but just follow the crowd - the place was rammed with customers slurping and scoffing their delicious and unbelievably cheap priced bowls of noodles. Two bowls for around 50 baht - can't do better than that!
The Red Sea of Fire.
And you can't come to Ayutthaya without stopping at a street side rot sai mai stall and and ordering one. What is it? Basically, a roti filled with sugar floss (similar to candy floss) that will spike your blood sugar levels to new highs. If that's more than you can handle just admire the the incredible cooking skills of the rot sai mai makers.
The amazing Ma Hor dish - superb with a cold beer.
Other attractions? Unless you like big crowds, overpriced water and food and grumpy mahouts, avoid the Elephant Farm. The elephant farm and ride tour in Chiang Mai is vastly superior.
Finally, if you have time and energy call into the Million Toy Museum. Tim Burton would absolutely love this place and you will too if you have a soft spot for robots, superheroes, dolls, replica miniature cars, and a wide variety of retro treats.
Even robots are friendly in Ayutthaya.
There are also many museums and other historical sites to visit, as well as a night cycling tour (run in the cool season I believe), so a return visit in December is very likely.
Timing is everything and the big screen debut of Anthapan (The Hooligan) coincides with the very recent death of Henry Hill (the film Goodfellas was based on his young hoodlum days), as well as an awful, and tragic, clash this week between technical institute student gangs in Bangkok.
Like Goodfellas, Anthapan tracks the friendships, bonds, rituals, betrayals, success and failures of a gang of punks and gangsters through the 1950s, 60s and 70s. But rather than New Jersey and Manhattan, the Anthapan protagonists stomp (mostly) around Bangkok's old Yaowarat district (Chinatown).
The film is set during a turbulent historical period (1950 - 70) that included major political events (Field Marshall Sarit's coup d'etat, the Vietnam war and a brutal police-led purge of gangs) and the emergence of global cultural icons such as Elvis and James Dean.
Here's Jod!
These heady years and events are brilliantly captured by the director, Kongkiat Khomsiri who blends Scorcese, John Woo, Tarantino and Pekinpah influences to create a unique, energetic, fresh, and fine film. To be lazy, I'd describe as "City of God" or "Once Upon a Time in America" set in Bangkok.
His attention to detail, and the recreation of 50s street life, is one of the big highlights of the film. I loved all scenes set in Yaowarat's lanes and alleys and its restaurants, gold shops, bars, barber shops and coffee houses. I particularly enjoyed the cinema scene where a narrator translates a trashy Elvis flick.
Kongkiat's stylish vision is backed by many great actors including the lead, Krissada Sukosol Clapp whose character, Jod, is a skilled, noble killer with a conscience. Krissada is coolness personified - he's like a SEA Gary Cooper. Other characters to catch my eye include the garrulous Uncle Ham and the mad-as-an alley-cat gangster, Daeng (played by Somchai Khemglad).
In addition, I liked the mock-interviews (inserted throughout the film) with old timers who lived through the era - their stories and opinions helped embellish the legend/mythical status of the characters. And the final part of the masterpiece is a belter of a soundtrack chock full of rock'n'roll, a bit of ska, and more rock'n'roll.
In my opinion this is one of the best Asian movies in a long time and if you don't live in Thailand, lobby, hassle, hustle your film festival organisers or arthouse cinema operators to give this a whirl.
Just a word of warning, Anthapan boasts a high and bloody body count, so if this is not your bag, stay away, well away.
Low expectation occasions/events/places often provide the best times and this was the case when we recently dined at the intriguingly named Double B (Big Ben? Brigitte Bardot? Bobby Brown? Big Bopper?) Thai Chinese Restaurant.
First impressions were not great. Its outer Patumwan location is off the beaten track and the restaurant interior was as inviting as an over-lit 3-star hotel lobby.
Aw suan - arguably, the best cooked oyster dish in the world.
While the surroundings were underwhelming, the cuisine was top drawer and it was a near full house when we visited. The Double B chefs cook a great aw suan (oyster omelette) - the light, not too gluey, oily, or rich batter was just right to showcase the very fresh, flavoursome oysters.
Goong chae nam pla (raw prawns) - great with a few cold beers I've been told.
Next up were a couple of raw dish platters beginning with goong chae nam pla (raw prawns) served on a bed of raw cabbage and a spicy, sweet and sour'ish dipping sauce. I'm not big on prawns so couldn't comment.
Pla dib - Thai Chinese style sashimi - best enjoyed with raw vegetables and the dipping sauce.
However, I do love fish and the pla dib dish (thinly sliced sashimi style raw fish sprinkled with sesame seeds) and its sweet, nutty and sesame flavoured dipping sauce was the star plate for me. So simple, but superb especially when dipped in the sauce and eaten with shredded raw cucumber, cabbage, carrots and lettuce.
E mee - so simple, but so delicious.
Next up was e mee (fried or baked egg noodles served strips of ham and black vinegar - zisho) that was highly recommended by our friend. It lived up to the hype. The noodles were crispy and crunchy on top and soft and moist underneath.
Though we were way too full, the final order of kah bpet ob wonsen (duck feet vermicelli claypot) was on a par with the others - the vermicelli soaked up the peppery, coriander flavours and the duck meat and juices. It's not the prettiest dish in the world, and people unaccustomed to the joys of eating duck or chicken feet (bones, cartilage, gristle etc) may freak, but presentation be damned - get stuck in.
Double B was a great find, and although it's a bit off the beaten track it's worth visiting for the e mee and pla dib alone. And as most plates are priced between 200-350 baht its excellent value given the quality of ingredients and the amazing food served. As it's only up the road from our place we'll be back to try more of the Double B menu - any joiners?
