Tete Quarters

Hold the calls.. I could be here for sometime.

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

Ayutthaya

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.

The Wikitravel page for Ayutthaya

Anthapan

Move over Johnny Boy.....

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.

Movie trailer
The Bangkok Post review

Double B Chinese Restaurant

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?

Double B address 

Moneyball

Larry Blackmon look-alike, Ricardo Vaz Te's late, great strike on Saturday.

A minutes from full-time goal scored by Ricardo Vaz Te clinched promotion for my beloved West Ham United to the English Premier League (EPL) on Saturday.

Like Sergio Arguero's last minute EPL-title winning goal for Manchester City, Vaz Te's decider in the 2-1 playoff win over Blackpool may be the most important net-buster in West Ham's history.

After all, the right to sit at the top table of English club football brings its own rewards (to the value of around 90 million pounds) courtesy of generous broadcasting rights. 

That's a lot of wedge for a mid-sized club like the Hammers and will ease some of the club's major, mostly self-inflicted, financial pressures. Recruiting new talent is another priority and young Thomas Ince, who played out of his skin for Blackpool, would be a great addition if funding was available.

While I'm "over the moon, sick as a parrot" and slightly hungover, the rose-tinted sunglasses have been removed because it'll be a dog fight next season. Money, money, money, and even more money, is the name of the game in EPL land - there is no level playing field - who spends the most, ultimately wins.

For example, Arguero's strike to land Man City's first title since 1966, is tiny payback for the estimated one billion pounds invested in Manchester City by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al Nayhan over the past three years.

Truth be told, the competition has always been dominated by big, rich clubs but the uber-commercially driven EPL has significantly widened income gaps and reduced competitiveness at the top of the table.

Today, the EPL is like a Tarantino movie - teams involved in a number of sub-plot scenarios - i.e. two elite teams contesting the title; six more chasing a spot in Europe; the majority seeking mid-table comfort and the rest trying to avoid relegation.

This provides drama and all that, but being an old bastard I'd love to see the glory spotlight shared around the teams a little more (like the old days) - but that dream is antiquated and over. Congrats to the Hammer players, especially Carlton Cole and to Big Sam - enjoy the summer and look forward to reading some outrageous transfer market gossip and rumours in the weeks to come.

Sour Times

Mavis Gray - a KFC eating, delusional, bonkers mad badass 

Young Adult (YA) is the "feel bad movie of the year" and its lead character, Mavis Gray (Charlize Theron) is as scary, nasty, terrifying and black-hearted as Hannibal Lector.

While it's not a film for everyone, I loved YA for its originality and dour, sour tone. It's compelling and funny (though the humour comes from very dark places), and will stay in your head.

On the surface, the story retreads a familiar 'big city gal returns to small town roots to reconnect and learn life lessons' theme. This does happen, but along the way, Mavis' true love quest, or journey, travels down a bumpy, rough, gravel road.

Mavis, a mildly successful ghost writer of young adult books lives a self-absorbed, semi-detached life in "Mini Apple" (Minneapolis) where her days are spent writing, looking after her dog and going on dire dates.

When her old true love, Buddy Slade (Patrick Wilson) invites her to a party to celebrate the birth of his new child - she accepts, though she has a hidden agenda. Her return home is motivated by a deluded desire to win Buddy back.

Full of big city swagger and attitude she wants to to relive her prom queen glory days. But everyone from her golden past has moved on, or moved out, and her only companion is Matt Freehauf (Patton Oswalt).

As the high school loser, he was invisible to Mavis during her teen heyday. He was also tortured by school bullies and left partially crippled after a vicious beating from them. Though it's not revealed how, it seems Mavis was partially responsible for this.

But that was then. 20 years later, Matt is now the only person Mavis can connect and confide with and together, the "damaged goods" pair uncover many uncomfortable and inconvenient truths about their respective lives.

The outcomes are raw, unflinching and brutally honest in parts and that's the film's biggest strength. It also features a brilliant opening titles sequence that will appeal to fans of the Scottish band, Teenage Fanclub and mix tape aficionados. I loved YA and hope you will to.

IDMB link

Smoothie Blues

Tuna melt & the Berry, Berry Booster smoothie

While some like to start the day with cigarettes and coffee, we prefer more substantial and tasty options. And when we are in Chiang Mai, breakfast at Smoothie Blues (SB) is a must - a tradition now - as it meets these twin needs and more.

Sublime sandwiches, waffles, muffins, french toast, breakfast burritos, fruit smoothies (of course), pancakes, bacon, sausages, eggs (a super eggs benedict), muesli, porridge and more, much more, are some of the standouts of their four-page menu.

My favourite order is the grilled-to-perfection tuna melt sandwich washed down with a Berry, Berry Booster - this combo will have you more than ready to seize the week.

Eggs Benedict & salmon.

Their bagels are also among the best - a bit of crunch on the outside and chewy (in a good way) on the inside - we've ever eaten in the Kingdom.

Like an all-conquering football team, SB do the basics superbly and we've been regulars since 2006. About the only thing they could improve on is a slightly stronger black coffee.

Sitting on the corner of Soi Nimmanhaemin 6, SB is a Chiang Mai institution, especially among expats and overseas students, and besides top nosh, it's one of the best places in the city to people watch.

Dear SB owners please consider opening a branch in the capital.

Smoothie Blues FB page

Roast beef baguette with mustard and salad.