Le Pla Daak

Le Pla Daak is one of our all-time favourite eateries in Bangkok - a consistent 6-star performer on all levels - inventive and delicious Isan dishes blended with
gallic flavours and touches, terrific atmosphere, retro decorations, radios - lots of radios, music to sing along to and super service.

We invited our friends, Brigid and Simon, to get a taste of the Le Pla Daak experience on Sunday, and Brigid wrote a super report about the meal, and the restaurant, and snapped some brilliant shots.

Click here to read and drool.
Le Pla Daak Facebook

C'est Bon Chicken - a personal fave

As they say in Singapore.. 'die, die, must try' - Gung Foy Tod - deep fried baby shrimp - great with ice cold beer.

   

"As Happy As Jesus In the Barn"

Heartlands is probably the mildest road movie ever made. But don't let that description put you off this little cinematic treat. What I thought would be a "light and easy" Sunday night watch turned out to be a bit better than expected.

Plot-wise it's straightforward, extra mild-mannered Colin (Michael Sheen) heads out on his scooter - with 12 packets of crisps and his darts - across the beautiful Peak District to Blackpool try win back Sandra, his wife who has run off with the local copper.

Along the way he meets a host of characters who show him a) a life beyond his daily grind and b) the importance, of occasionally, looking after number one.

If you are a fan of understated, scarcasm-heavy humour from the north of England, this is a film for you. It's also beautifully shot and any movie that features Wreckless Eric's classic "Whole Wide World" has a lot going for it in my book.

Made in 2002, this film was a bit of a launch pad for many actors who are now major stars including Ruth Jones, James Corden and Mark Strong who has an excellent cameo. Other notable feature, Michael Sheen as Colin sports one of the worst haircuts in cinema history.

Rotten Tomatoe Reviews

Small Wins For The Heart

I grew up in a house full of gifted storytellers loving all the yarns - ripping - and otherwise, told by my mother, father and grandfather about their lives in China and when they first arrived in New Zealand. My mother's brothers and their friends were equally brilliant.

Today, in the age of power-pointless presentations, twitter and device-to-device communication, the fine art of story telling seems a bit old fashioned and on borrowed time.

I hope it isn't and why I was chuffed to recently come across the Vinyl Cafe podcast hosted by Stuart McLean, a Canadian with an amazing voice and vocal style tailor made for fireside tales.

His show mixes music, real life stories sent in by listeners and a fictional series based around record store owner Dave and his family and friends. The stories celebrate what many perceive to be the unimportant or minor, but these small wins for the heart really connect and resonate - well they do for me.

Another podcast filled with real life experiences is "This American Life" hosted by Ira Glass. In a recent episode I learned about the amazing lengths Iranians go to, to avoid saying no. As part of the taaroof custom or tradition, Iranians say no when they mean yes and vice-versa to different degrees. From experience, Asians and Polynesians often do this as well - but not as fanatically.

Make these two regular listens - your brain and heart will thank you.

Vinyl Cafe

This American Life

It's Friday.. time to PARLAAAAAAANNNNNCCCCCCEEEE!!!!!

Another bad Friday .. have to stop making a habit of this ... thank buddha for JW & Blaze.  Tonight I'll be mostly drinking lime soda with a dash of vodka. 

Thailand Rak Facebook

Here's a link to a piece that I wrote for Social Media New Zealand about the rise and rise and rise of Facebook in Thailand. Thanks to Charles for the hook-up.

Thailand's Big Year For Facebook

Italian Proudfa

 Possibly the best lamb chops in town.

Bangkokians like to indulge little games of one-upmanship when it comes to discovering/knowing about eateries that offer the biggest bang for the buck (I'm talking about flavour and quality rather than spice and heat).

Coming from New Zealand - one of the most expensive dining countries in the world - mostly everything to me, food-wise, is reasonably priced and great value in the capital.

There's something for everyone and good eats can cost as little as 20 baht (for a bowl of noodles) or as much as 3,000+ baht for US prime rib at a swanky steak house.

Mussels in arrabbiata sauce  

So when I come across a restaurant that serves amazing food at very affordable prices I have to share the love - it's a civic duty.

Take a bow Khun Toh, who manages Italian Proudfa, a cosy and cool tratorria-styled eatery that serves superb Italian food with a Thai twist.

We enjoyed mussels arrabbiata and a squid and prawn crammed black spaghetti (both priced around 220 baht); crab salad (220 baht); a plate of wonderfully cooked pepper lamb chops (550 baht) and a foie gras salad (550 baht). The menu features more pasta, fish, seafood and meat dishes.

The host with the most.

The orders - especially the ones with a bit of heat and kick - were sensational. They were on par, or a cut above similar dishes served in upmarket Italian restaurants in the Sukhumvit and Silom areas.

Khun Toh is also a fantastic host who welcomes you like a member of the family. He may well be the most charismatic, charming and friendly maitre d in Thailand.

Do yourself a favour and make the effort to visit Italian Proudfa. In light traffic it's only 10-15 minutes drive up from Ekamai on Sriwara Road.

Italian Proudfa Facebook

Italian Proudfa location map and contact details

Thien Duong

Happy birthday Khun Yai

It was my mother-in-law's birthday yesterday - happy birthday Khun Mae Nongyao!

Every year, we celebrate at one of her favourite restaurants, the Thien Duong Vietnamese restaurant in Bangkok's landmark Dusit Thani Hotel.

Last night, as usual, beautifully cooked and presented food was enjoyed by the very young, young, middle-aged and senior members of my Bangkok family.

All the dishes were super tasty and personal favourites included Bahn Cuon (rice flour crepes) and the grilled lemongrass chicken and spare ribs - the ribs were the real deal, full of meat and flavour. For an upmarket Vietnamese dining experience in BKK, Thien Duong is pretty hard to beat.

Besides the delicious food, I like wandering around the Dusit because she's an elegant beauty with character and history (past and present). Around this time last year, the hotel was riddled with more than a few bullets during the protests in the capital.

It's also a popular venue for weddings and corporate events. If you enjoy cheap thrills - with a smart suit and a nice smile - you could possibly gatecrash a party or two.

One of my favourite Dusit attractions is a wall of photos featuring famous guests over the years including snaps of Ronnie Reagan and Maggie Thatcher (no they weren't staying together), Dionne Warwick, the Pet Shop Boys, various Miss Worlds and Universes, Andy Roddick and many other A, B, C and D-listers.

Friday

It was a hell week in the orifice and Friday night was embraced like a long lost old friend.

This track nails the spirit of Friday night - though it'll probably mean more to a Kiwi-munter like me than others.

It takes me back to Friday nights in Auckland spent drinking, record shopping, playing football, band watching, swimming, BBQing, sitting on porches talking crap, driving around going nowhere, midnight runs to the video shop, burning toast and amazing shabbat dinners when my pal Jas would invite me over to his family's house.

I don't know anything about these guys but they deal with the real and blend humour and hip hop superbly - thanks to Nick Bollinger and his great Sampler show on Radio New Zealand for bringing Home Brew into my life. Happy Friday, mine's a Beerlao Dark.

Home Brew - Friday

Home Brew profiled

Tao Hong Tai Ceramics Factory

I was put off ceramics for life after a trip to China more than 20 years ago. Every tour on that visit seemed to end up at a ceramics shop (or factory) full of stuff I had no interest in buying - hence my indifference.

Last weekend however, my attitude was adjusted thanks to a visit to the Tao Hong Tai ceramics factory in Ratchaburi district about 120 kilometres south of Bangkok.

Managed and run by a family of famous ceramicists, the factory is set in a garden filled with cool, kooky and colourful ceramic objects of all shapes and sizes. We especially liked the piglet tables and bright mini-pagodas. There were also many traditional items such as large water jars decorated with quirky features and touches.

To keep things fresh and exciting, artists from other parts of Thailand are regularly invited as in-residence artists to learn new skills and showcase their talents.

Given the quality of the objects for sale, they are very reasonably priced and if you spend more than 6,000 baht they will deliver to your home in Bangkok free of charge.

We really wanted to visit their new, and award-winning, Tao Hong Tai: d Kunst gallery down the road but ran out of time and now have an excuse for a return visit soon. But we'll have to find a pickup truck somewhere as there are plenty of great pieces that we'd like to bring back.

A visit to the factory and gallery is a great way to break up the fairly boring drive to Cha Am or Hua Hin beach. The surrounding town also has a nice laid back charm and we look forward to returning soon.

Here is a good Bangkok Post article about the new gallery and the factory.

Cover Stars pt2 - Spoek Mathambo

A "darkwave township house" version of Joy Division's "She's Lost Control." If JD were still together today I reckon they'd probaby sound like this. This is an absolute monster.

Spoek Mathambo - Control

Last Night We Were All Hippies

Compared to the "combat rock" mindset adopted by many young gig goers in the west, their Thai counterparts are on the whole, way more relaxed and mellow.*

This was certainly the case at the Summer Hippie concert held on Cha Am Beach (about 200 kilometres south of Bangkok) last night. Mind you, the combination of a beautiful night sky, a cool Gulf of Thailand sea breeze and shiny, happy Thai pop music is pretty hard to rage against.

Besides these factors it was a terrifically enjoyable night out thanks to the brilliant concert setup. Having been to more than a few gigs in my time - mostly in New Zealand and the UK - it was an interesting and a pleasant change to attend a concert where there were: 

• Plenty of high quality food and drink options at affordable prices
• Plenty of vendors on hand to ensure no long queues for food and drinks 
• Plenty of punter-friendly attractions including a foot massage section and a too-cool smoker's area 
• No fights among "overly refreshed" punters 
• No drugs (I didn't see or smell the usual party drugs but I am very out of touch on these matters)
• Gig goers of all ages 
• Really well dressed gig goers 
• Great sight lines and a well balanced sound system

What about the performers? All of the acts put on good shows playing upbeat tunes that added to the carnival atmosphere. Rule of thumb - a horn section always adds so much in an outdoor live concert setting.

Bottom Blue, who were led by a charismatic and energetic frontman, was one band that caught my eye. Their faster numbers were great combining doo wop, ska and rock - an unlikely combo sure - but like som tam salad, their all-in-the-mix approach worked well, and more importantly, got many punters up dancing.

I'll have to investigate more of their music. We missed the headline act, Modern Dog, but they apparently played to a very full house.

*It's not all peace and love. A few weeks back, a few hundred fans of the Deftones staged a mini rampage outside a Bangkok venue when the inept and incompetent concert promoter cancelled the gig at the very last minute. 

Cover Stars ... sort of ...

Not a cover, rather the Beach Boys singing "In My Room" in German.  Moral of the story or exercise? A great song is a great song no matter what the language.

Beach Boys - Ganz Allein (In My Room)

Love, laughter and truth

"Play from the heart" is what the late, and phenomenally great, comedian Bill Hicks did in spades. Just watched the documentary on his life, "American: The Bill Hicks Story" and found it inspiring and informative.

After watching, you get the feeling he was so extravagantly gifted he could have also made it in music, football (the American kind) or as a writer. 

Besides fantastic live footage of his well-known performances, the doco is made extra watch'able due to the film's slide-show format mixing animated scenes and interviews with his family and close friends. 

Through these he comes across as someone who would be an ideal best mate - a guy who was loyal, sharp, always stuck to his guns and embraced the good, the bad, and the ugly of life. 

He loved "kicking against the pricks" and in this regard is on par with other ultra-smart, articulate and on-the-money prick kickers such as Gil Scott Heron and cartoonist, Harvey Pekar.

His opinions and thoughts on a host of social and political issues remain as relevant and timely today - R.I.P Bill - you are missed more than ever.

AMERICAN: The Bill Hicks Story

Saturday Night Begins Here

This is the sound of the weekend - one of my favourite contemporary soul singers, Mayer Hawthorne, remixed by Classixx, a pair of LA-based DJs who have impeccable taste and are absolute masters of their craft - please come back to Bangkok soon and please bring Mr Hawthorne with you.

Green Eyed Love - Mayer Hawthorne (Classixx remix)

(Shopping) Mission To Burma

Never mind the Junta!

Just as Singapore has Jahor Bahru (JB) as an over-the-border cheap shopping destination, we have Tachileik (a border town in Myanmar). Unlike JB however, Tachileik is hard to reach involving a major road trip to Mae-Sae, the northern-most city in Thailand.

Colourful border towns such as JB and Tachileik have always interested me, so we were right on board when Chiang Mai-based friends recently offered to drive us there. The journey via Chiang Rai to Mae-Sae is fantastic taking in plenty of scenic spots and sleepy one-horse towns where little has changed in the last 60 years (and the better for it).

At Mae-Sae I was able to get an entry visa (sans passport) from the Thai immigration office (200 baht) and another from their Burmese counterparts for 500 baht. Once paid and stamped up, I sauntered over the Thai-Burma bridge to Tachileik.

I was immediately greeted by six enthusiastic gents peddling an appealing combo of fake viagra and cheap cigarettes. The offers were politely declined and we moved on. Further along, we saw the main attraction for tourists - a huge real life "pirate bay" with loads of stalls selling fake goods at low prices - dirty deeds done dirt cheap indeed.

Being the music and film nut that I am I made a beeline to one of the mega DVD and music shops and was blown away by the selection and prices - US$ 1 for a blue ray disc and 60 cents for a DVD or CD.  I brought the Wire box set (20 discs) for US$ 20. Yes, the discs work, and yes, quality is high. Amazing music box sets were also on sale from the Beatles to the Stones to a host of Jazz greats.

Like the Warehouse in New Zealand, there was something for everyone - branded sunglasses, jeans, watches, track suits, toys, handbags, shirts, software and more - I could have spent hours there shopping and observing.

Although it's not a must-visit destination, if you are in northern Thailand and have a free day I'd recommend a trip to Tachiliek if only to say that you have shopped at one of the most interesting, and probably politically suspect markets in the world. 

What's the most played track on your iPod?

Cheers Tel!

I discovered this gem by Terry Callier just after our daughter was born so it's a track that always puts a smile on my face and brings back great memories.

Terrific lyrics, "may trouble neglect you, and sunlight reflect you, may heaven protect you and turn you to love..." 

Pretty hard to beat and bears up to repeated plays - 38 times so far in my case.

Terry Callier - Turn You To Love