Heading To Bangkok For The Weekend

[SARAHJ101]

Myself and boyf are heading to BKK this weekend.

Can anyone recommend a good....

Restaurant - seafood, steak, italian, doesnt really matter so long as its a nice establishment and serves good food

Nightclub - anywhere upbeat would be good, again so long as its a nice establishment

Hairdresser - preferably British owned? - I have odd hair which needs to be dyed in a certain way!

We are living at the Davis Hotel so anywhere near(ish) would be good.

Much appreciated

[think_too_mut]

Myself and boyf are heading to BKK this weekend.

Can anyone recommend a good....

Restaurant - seafood, steak, italian, doesnt really matter so long as its a nice establishment and serves good food

Nightclub - anywhere upbeat would be good, again so long as its a nice establishment

Hairdresser - preferably British owned? - I have odd hair which needs to be dyed in a certain way!

We are living at the Davis Hotel so anywhere near(ish) would be good.

Much appreciated

It's Soi 24, a short stroll to Emporium, a world class shopping mall.

On your way is one of best seafood restaurants, Sea Food Market, where you buy food like in the market and they (the restaurant) cook it anyway you want. Probably 2000 people can be seated there, very nice venue.

Many conferences take their participants there, sometime dozens of coaches around. A very presentable and nice place, good distance between tables, fresh plants and flowers. Google it, Seafood market, Soi Sukhumvit 24 Sukhumvit Road.

The whole area (Phrom Phong) is among the best you can find along the Sukhumvit. Soi 24 is popular among Japanese, many restaurants there. Nice park (Benjasiri or "Queens Park") attached to the Emporium.

The Emporium itself has almost whole floor of good restaurants and one of the finest supermarkets for imported food and fruit.

Edited February 7, 2008 by think_too_mut

[richard_smith237]

You may get lots of varied replies…

Here is what I would recommend to friends….

Restaurant – Beccofino (Italian, Sukhumvit 55)

Nightclub – Bed Supper Club (Sukhumvit 11)

Hairdresser – Tony & Guy (Siam Discovery Centre, Siam Square.

I always keep a very quick guide that I e-mail friends who visit here. Its aimed at 28-35 year olds who don’t mind spending

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All, Clubs etc require photo ID regardless of your age (Q Bar, Bed definitely) the clubs do not permit Sandals (flip flops) and shorts for men.

http://www.bangkok.com is a good website for information

Bars ( 6pm to about 10pm)

Sky Bar (Sirocco) - State Tower – Excellent roof top bar / great views, good cocktails. A definite must for Sunset

Koi Bar – Sukhumvit 22 (not 100% certain its 22, hotel concierge should be able to tell you). Excellent but pricey Japanese fusion restaurant. Next door is the bar – very fashionable, where all the beautiful people go (because its free drinks for models) I rarely go there, I’m not sour !

Bars / Clubs (from about 9pm to 1:30 / 2:00am (sometimes later)

Bed Supper Club - on Sukhumvit Soi 11 – A mix of expats and Thai. Some good nights there. Music varies from hard house etc to 70’s. (gets going after 10:30 pm ish).

Q Bar – Sukhumvis Soi 11 – As above, mainly an expat crowd (gets going after about 9:30pm ish)

Zantika – Just after Ekammai Soi 5 (Ekammai is Sukhumvit 63). It’s quite a large night club, playing varied music from dance to rock, it has a loud Thai Rock band that play int’l covers. It’s about 90% Thai, 10% westerners. More of a real Thai club than the others I mentioned, with a younger crowd.

In all of the Clubs in Thailand, I’ve found the best way to drink is to buy a bottle of whiskey or vodka etc and have that for the night (with mixers).

There are lots of Other clubs that are primarily Thai in visitors, they welcome westerners and good fun can be had there. They don’t attract the bar girls because not many westerners go to those places. But at the same time they are a little less refined, they are over crowded and louder. These are the places that I would normally go to and are…

Escudo (Thonglor) / Booze, Jet, Gigabite (Thonglor Soi 10) / Slim, Route, Prob bar (all on RCA) / Nanglen, Escobar (Ekammai)

Pubs – All day all evening.

Molly Maloneys - Irish bar – Silom So Convent. good beers, good British / Irish pub grub

Dubliner – On Sukhumvit Rd, Near Soi 22. Beer and British / Irish pub grub

Barbican – Silom (near Thanya plaza) a decent modern looking British pub, a but winebar-sh.

Restaurants:

(By Order of choice – although Normadie is too epensive for a regular visit.

Le Normandie – French At the Oriental hotel: Quite Simply its known as the Best restaurant in Bangkok, Its Michelin 3 star, the only one restaurants in Asia (outside of Japan) to have been awarded Le Table de Monde (tables of the world). Its pricey (about US$2-400 for 2) As I understand it, its very worth it for a special occasion, You’ll need a jacket and tie, mobile phones must be off, or silent ! (I like the mobile phone rule !) Definitely book in advance.

Beccofino: My top restraunt in Bangkok. Excellent Italian Restaurant on Soi Thonglor (Which is Sukhumvit 55) at 500m down the rd on the right hand side (as coming from Sukhumvit Rd)

Tsunami: Japanese Tepanyaki restaurant downstairs at the Marriot Hotel, Pleonchit (just a little up the road from the start of Sukhumvit rd)

Koi: Japanese International restaurant on sukhumvit 22, as mentioned about (has a bar next door)

Spring & Summer: Thai International (Tricky to get to, in the small Sois, near close to Sukhumvit Soi 49!), excellent food, good atmosphere, need to book.

To Die For. Thai International (Sukhumvit 55, Thonglor, Near H1, on the right hand side, all the way down the end of Thonglor, opposite end from Sukhumvit) Excellent, sit back and Chill, restaurant, international mixture of food.

Zanotti: Italian – very popular (21/1 Soi Saladeng, Silom area).

L’Opera: Italian - Very well hidden along Sukhumvit 39, very romantic.

Guisto: Italian / International, Sukhumvit soi 23. I’ve heard its very good. But I got moody and walked out last time cos the waitress was impolite before I even sat down !!! – I’ll be trying it again soon because I’ve heard good things.

Le Café Siam: - French (tricky to get to – Near Rama IV Rd – the hotel should be able to help with directions if you want to go here) – A good French menu with a varying menu, good wine list (but the wine is pricey) – the varying menu means sometimes the food is great, other times its ok. Its in a nice peaceful house, a little different but can be very quiet if not busy.

Also – Your hotel might to a Riverboat dinner cruise – I’ve never done this, but I’ve heard that they can be good.

Thai Food.

Ban Khun Mae: Siam Square. Good Thai restaurant, good for tourists, food not so spicy.

Blue Elephant: Sathorn Rd. Excellent Thai restaurant, very popular with tourists, again food not so spicy unless asked for.

Ton Krueng; On the Corner of Thonglor Soi 15 (that’s Sukhumvit 55, Soi 15) Authentic Bangkok/Thai restaurant. Not expensive, mostly Thai’s eating there, a good solid feast, some things can be spicy as hel_l !

Sea Food: “If it Swims we have it” : On Sukhumvit 24 – A good novelty value restaurant, choose your own fish, crab lobster from local live selections or international frozen options. Tell them how you want it cooked, choose from a large wine selection, in a huge hall. Has many bus tours. Not cheap, but very good.

Sunday Brunch:

Marriot, Riverside Hotel: Free flowing cocktails and wine (11am – 3pm) Not to be mistaken with the Marriot hotel, Ploenchit.

Four Seasons Hotel: Free flowing Verve Clique Champagne and wine (often fully booked – I have ways of getting a table !!) midday to 3:30pm (can stretch it to 4:30pm !!

Banyan Tree Hotel (top floor – free flow Champagne (was last time I went - 11am to 3 or 4pm)

Sukhothai Hotel – best food, no free flow wine or Champ. But I have been allowed to take my own wine before and not have to pay corkage (that must be discussed before hand).

Shopping:

MBK - Near Siam Square, like Sun Gei Wang Plaza in KL, but a lot better. Its 5 floors of pretty much anything. Its Aircon, has plenty of café’s restaurants, you can buy anything from Mobile phones / fake watches / Real second hand watches etc etc etc the list is endless… This is probably one of the best places to shop if you want a market that has everything, without the sticky heat.

Siam Paragon Centre – Hi End Shopping Mall, newest in Bangkok. Has all the designer names. You can even buy a Porsche, Ferrari, Lamborghini !!!, it has golf shops, a huge departments store inside. Has everything, one huge Mall (Similar to KLCC but a lot lot better, easy to get lost though !) It has a very good selection of restraints on the ground floor / basement.

Central World Plaza – Everything in one huge Mall (Similar to KLCC but better), not quite as good as Siam Paragon, but it competes well.

Out Door Shopping (Sat / Sunday Only).

Chatuchak Market – a huge outdoor, hot sticky market – Can buy anything and many bargains. Last time I went there I lasted no more than 10 mins before going home again, too hot, too sticky, too crowded… but lots of bargains, Sharon might like it, if you want to go to an outdoor market, this is the biggest and best (you will get lost in there !).

Patpong Market.

Like China town in KL, busy, lots of hassle, normal market things in a sleazy area of town. Good fun to go there if you enjoy being insulted by someone who thinks you are dumb enough to pay 3000 Baht for a wooden elepthant that’s worth 250 baht tops !.. Ok – so its not my ideal place to shop. They are very used to tourists the smile while enjoying a friendly spell of bartering seems to have disappeared.

Edited February 7, 2008 by richard_smith237

[SARAHJ101]

Wow thanks for your replies guys especially Richard, some good recommendations there. I've just printed your reply off, we're hoping to work our way down the list before Sunday! Sore heads all round on Monday I'll bet

Much appreciated, thanks again