EmQuartier open. What a mess.

[berybert]

Walked past the lovely posh new shopping center this afternoon. What a total disgrace,

A hurried finished to something that should have been put off for a couple of weeks.

The paving rather than being done properly has just had cement thrown over it because of the rush to get it open.

How can you spend billions on building something then leave it looking like a dump ?

Yet another Bangkok disgrace.

[saakura]

Feel better now?

[WorriedNoodle]

I drove past it at 2am this morning. Total bedlam, laborers all over the place, half of Sukhumvit Road blocked off causing traffic nightmare to complete things in a rush.

[Stan42]

Ate there today. Huge crowd, all the Hiso Thai's were there taking pictures. A high number of the staff consisted of ladyboys. Free food samples were abundant. I nearly fell into an artificial pond in front of KFC due to the lack of a barrier.

To me the good news is that it's within 10 min walking distance and they have loads of restaurants to offer. The bad news is that traffic will make most taxi drivers reluctant to drive me home.

[berybert]

Ate there today. Huge crowd, all the Hiso Thai's were there taking pictures. A high number of the staff consisted of ladyboys. Free food samples were abundant. I nearly fell into an artificial pond in front of KFC due to the lack of a barrier.

To me the good news is that it's within 10 min walking distance and they have loads of restaurants to offer. The bad news is that traffic will make most taxi drivers reluctant to drive me home.

Does that save you a minute from using the shopping center opposite, or a minute more ?

[berybert]

Some photos from the new luxury malls opening.

That's at ground level. Makes me want to visit everyday !!!

[IsaanUSA]

Looking on the other forums( that we are not allowed to link to), the place really looks great. I especially like how they integrated some of the design elements into the BTS station. Overall it looks like it will be fantastic when it is completed, and the food court will be worth a visit.

[Stan42]

Been going there daily since they opened because it's only a ten minute walk from my place. The food court and number of restaurants pleases me, as do the prices of certain goods in the supermarket, especially after 9pm when they cut prices of fresh food by up to 50%.

[ExpatJ]

Been going there daily since they opened because it's only a ten minute walk from my place. The food court and number of restaurants pleases me, as do the prices of certain goods in the supermarket, especially after 9pm when they cut prices of fresh food by up to 50%.

Which supermarket do they have there? Villa?

[SamSipEt]

Turned up by accident on the opening day.

Complete chaos.

Outside it looked only half finished.

Inside plenty of shops "opening soon" and common areas packed with the usual crowd of idiots looking at their mobile phones or taking selfies.

Having got that off my cheat it has potential and needs a bit of time to settle down and get organised.

Management should take the blame for either late completion of the building works or not delaying the opening for a couple of weeks to finish things off properly and having a really grand and professional opening but of course no one here ever takes the blame for anything

Edited March 31, 2015 by SamSipEt

[theoldgit]

Which supermarket do they have there? Villa?

Gourmet Market.

[Rumblecat]

Anyone got any actual photos of the inside?

[sprq]

Went there on Saturday. This is supposed to be upmarket? I've never been in such terrible noise in any Thai mall in my decades here, and that's saying something. A nasty sterile bunch of designer stores with cacophonous sound, which I only braved in order to visit the new Kinokinuya bookstore - and even this is a downer, more like a book supermarket than the beautiful haven in Emporium that it has replaced.

[sprq]

Anyone got any actual photos of the inside?

Just think of white, bright white, sterile bright white, and you've got it. No need for pictures.

[gjoo888]

Nobody is forcing anyone to go there yet. Why not wait a month or so if uncompleted construction bothers you so much?

[SoiBiker]

Looked fine to me when I visited. But then I wasn't looking for a reason to slate it.

[jayceenik]

I went there this morning. Almost everything is now set up and running.

I visited the new Kunikuniya bookshop which has been transplanted there from across the street.

Much bigger place now with a lot more Japanese and Chinese books.

Also walked through the Gourmet food market. Very nice.

Down below the market is the Food Court. A very pleasant and inviting well laid-out place which is much more upscale from the usual MBK, Tesco and BigC courts. Also many satellite small restaurant outlets on that floor like Starbucks, Bon Pain and various Asian delights. There was a long queue to the Taiwan chicken stall that was running a promotion.

[SoiBiker]

I'd like to nominate the OP's use of the phrase 'total disgrace' for the ThaiVisa hyperbole of the week award.

[berybert]

I have just come back from my first venture inside. And as per my previous post I didn't go there looking to slate it.

Had a walk around for about half an hour and it looked ok if you like buying clothes.

But. and there is always a but. Deary me it is actually hard not to slate the place. First on the BTS entry floor the tiles in the actual shopping center, not the BTS walkway, oh my. There cant be many that are not either broken chipped or cracked. Many of them have been laid with the chips already in them. Some have tape holding them together. That's the trouble with rushing things, all of those tiles should have been sent back as unusable, but sadly it was to late to do so.

It wont belong before they are ripped up and done again. Well TIT who knows.

Your problem SB is you want to be Thai so see no need to criticize anything they do. You transport that shopping center to any other major shopping district in the western world and people would have lost there jobs, and the papers would have been full of people calling it a total disgrace.

Edited April 1, 2015 by berybert

[SoiBiker]

I don't want to be Thai - I'm quite happy with who I am.

I'm also not so desperate to find something to slate about the place that I'll get myself in a tiz over the fact that a newly-built shopping mall is still a little rough around the edges in places.

There are plenty of things about Thailand worth criticising. This isn't one of them.

[berybert]

No and that is why nothing ever gets any better. People just accept that what it is, is what it is.

You are happy with the mess that is there and wont find anything to moan about until something really upsetting happens. Like someone moving an umbrella from an empty table.

[Luxfare]

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I have just come back from my first venture inside. And as per my previous post I didn't go there looking to slate it.

Had a walk around for about half an hour and it looked ok if you like buying clothes.

But. and there is always a but. Deary me it is actually hard not to slate the place. First on the BTS entry floor the tiles in the actual shopping center, not the BTS walkway, oh my. There cant be many that are not either broken chipped or cracked. Many of them have been laid with the chips already in them. Some have tape holding them together. That's the trouble with rushing things, all of those tiles should have been sent back as unusable, but sadly it was to late to do so.

It wont belong before they are ripped up and done again. Well TIT who knows.

Your problem SB is you want to be Thai so see no need to criticize anything they do. You transport that shopping center to any other major shopping district in the western world and people would have lost there jobs, and the papers would have been full of people calling it a total disgrace.

But let's be honest you were just looking for a reason to rant....it's a PRIVATE enterprise....not public funded so essentially the only people who will suffer from the half done jobs are the mall group. If you thought it was poor then say so...the way you went on it was as though you're the owner.

[NoshowJones]

Ate there today. Huge crowd, all the Hiso Thai's were there taking pictures. A high number of the staff consisted of ladyboys. Free food samples were abundant. I nearly fell into an artificial pond in front of KFC due to the lack of a barrier.

To me the good news is that it's within 10 min walking distance and they have loads of restaurants to offer. The bad news is that traffic will make most taxi drivers reluctant to drive me home.

Do you mean within 10 mins walking distance to your home? Bad news?? Why can't you walk? The exercise will do you good, especially after a good meal.

[NoshowJones]

Been going there daily since they opened because it's only a ten minute walk from my place. The food court and number of restaurants pleases me, as do the prices of certain goods in the supermarket, especially after 9pm when they cut prices of fresh food by up to 50%.

Which supermarket do they have there? Villa?

That's the last one you want, Foodland would be best.

[Patanawet]

Which supermarket do they have there? Villa?

The supermarket is a clone of their Gourmet Market in Siam Paragon. The supermarket in Emporium has been remodeled to be another clone (including trolleys and baskets painted gold).

I would often shop in Emporium supermarket in preference to Villa as many items were cheaper.

PS as an afterthought, it is difficult to find ATMs. Actually they are at the banks section clustered on the third floor (5th level to Americans and some others).

Also annoying, all of the ATMs that were scattered around Emporium have been removed and hidden behind the wine shop next to the supermarket.

All in all it's just a big new shiny shopping mall ---- and as such, I can never find the exit!

[jackanapes]

sounds like someones made a killing

[SoiBiker]

Bonus points to anyone who spots a cracked tile in those photos.

[bangon04]

Which supermarket do they have there? Villa?

The supermarket is a clone of their Gourmet Market in Siam Paragon. The supermarket in Emporium has been remodeled to be another clone (including trolleys and baskets painted gold).

I would often shop in Emporium supermarket in preference to Villa as many items were cheaper.

PS as an afterthought, it is difficult to find ATMs. Actually they are at the banks section clustered on the third floor (5th level to Americans and some others).

Also annoying, all of the ATMs that were scattered around Emporium have been removed and hidden behind the wine shop next to the supermarket.

All in all it's just a big new shiny shopping mall ---- and as such, I can never find the exit!

Went to the new refurbished Emporium the other day. I was so impressed. The old food court which overlooked the park has been replaced by some pointless lifestyle shop. The new super replacement foodcourt now offers dishes at about 4 times the price, plus it has a weird system of big payment card which instead of being loaded in advance, you have to settle when / before you can leave. The cinema upstairs seems to have got more expensive too.They have done an excellent job of keeping out the riffraff, including me, from now on, and I can happily do without ever going there again.

So glad they have built more soulless shopping malls in the area.....I can visit the same outlets in many different but similar malls.

[SoiBiker]

The new Emporium food court has some nice stuff in it. It's more expensive than your standard food courts, yes, but it's restaurant quality food in pleasant surroundings, rather like the equally good Central Embassy one.

Plus, the prices keep the crowds out so you don't need to secure a table with your parasol.

[IsaanUSA]

Went to the new refurbished Emporium the other day. I was so impressed. The old food court which overlooked the park has been replaced by some pointless lifestyle shop. The new super replacement foodcourt now offers dishes at about 4 times the price, plus it has a weird system of big payment card which instead of being loaded in advance, you have to settle when / before you can leave. The cinema upstairs seems to have got more expensive too.They have done an excellent job of keeping out the riffraff, including me, from now on, and I can happily do without ever going there again.

So glad they have built more soulless shopping malls in the area.....I can visit the same outlets in many different but similar malls.

Emporium is part of a whole new cutting edge development. The city keeps evolving, prices keep rising, the culture changes. I'm sure there are plenty of other people that are not happy and will miss the way it used to be. It happens all over the world, every day.

It's nice that they are building such fancy new places (Terminal 21 also) further out of the central part of the city.