Category — Cities

In Bangkok, Thailand there exists an eternal symbol of the football demigod that is David Beckham and it’s located inside a Buddhist temple named Wat Pariwas.  The statue is located on the main altar and is encapsulate with gold leaves.

Residents who worship at the temple claim this statue which was created in the year 2000 is an attempt to show the modernization of the Buddhist religion and to get younger people more interested in religion.  There’s been reports of footballer David Beckham statues and worship around the world but we’re pretty sure this is the only David Beckham statue on the altar of a Buddhist temple (or wat).

David Beckham, the Profit! (purposely misspelled!).

Name: Eat Me
Website: EatMeRestaurant.com
Cuisine: Modern International, Regional
Location: Soi Pipat 2, Off of Soi Convent, Bangkok
Contact: +66 22380931
Hours: 3pm-1am
My Rating: 9.5/10

My Thoughts:

Let me preface this review with the fact that I love this restaurant so much I’ve eaten there twice in the past 10 days.

Other than the not-very-obvious sidestreet location, Eat Me is perhaps Bangkok’s best kept secret in its field.  The ambiance is set before you even get on to the property and as you walk through the courtyard towards the steps to the dining area there’s almost a sense of mystique about it.  The dining room is on the second and third floors, with both outside and indoor tables available.  The approach to the stairwell is minimalistic yet adorned with candles and other contemporary reminders you’re walking towards something quite extraordinary.

Once seated you will find the waiting staff very attentive and wonderfully fluent in English.

The clientele seems to draw mainly from expats and tourists but this restaurant is by no means a ‘tourist trap’.  In fact, I overheard one couple mentioning an article where Eat Me is vying for top rankings amongst the most exquisite restaurants in Bangkok.

The food is a great mix.  My favorite main course is the beef tenderloin with peppercorn sauce and a side of dijon mustard.  My wife tried the Alaskan King Crab and while it tasted fantastic, you could tell it had spent some time in the freezers with importation to Thailand, but she’d order it again.

Let me tell you about dessert!  I’ve been around the world, to some of the finest restaurants on practically every continent and I’m by no means a ‘chocolate freak’ but their chocolate fudge cake is the absolute best dessert I’ve ever had the pleasure of gracing my palate.  I liked it so much I ordered an entire cake the next day just to have at home.  They prepared it, along with the chocolate topping-sauce and concise instructions for making it perfect every time.

If you’re looking for fine dining and aren’t fiending for local Thai Food per se, Eat Me is an absolute must-experience.  Expect to spend about 3,000THB or $100 without wine, or 4-7,000THB with wine (depending if you order the pricey-but-worth-every-satang tenderloin too!).   Eat Me is easily one of Bangkok’s best kept fine dining experiences and if you haven’t been there you’re definitely missing out.  I know I’ll be going back this week again!

I was feeling a little bit bored this week and decided, heck, why not go for a ride around beautiful Chiang Mai?   After driving around to multiple motorcycle rental places I was a bit frustrated.  All of the ‘choppers’ as they refer to them here in Thailand were the expected Japanese knock-off of foreign cruising bikes, which wasn’t an issue.  The engine size however was an issue.  They were almost all 250cc!  That’s barely enough power to carry the extra weight a large cruising bike carries let alone chug my big body up a mountainside with ease!

Out of my frustration came a memory of a Harley rental service I read about.  I quickly pulled up their website, Harley Tours Thailand and contacted the owner who promptly arranged to show me the stable of hogs available to me.  Now we’re talking!  I’ll take one of those 1400cc+ Harley Davidson Fat Boys!  This was my first time driving an actual Harley and the feeling you get when you hear those pipes howling and the sheer torque beneath you is inexplicable.  If riding a true Hog isn’t on your list of Things To Do Before I Die, add it, now!

While I am just renting the bike for a few days Harley Tours Thailand, as the name suggests, specialize in off the beaten path tours to places most tourists only see on the National Geographic channel.  Look them up, tell them what you’re after and they’ll make something up for you that is sure to be a permanent memory.

Name: Drinking Tea Eating Rice
Cuisine: Japanese, All types specializing in teppanyaki
Location: Conrad Hotel, Wireless Road, Bangkok
Contact: +66-2-690-999
My Rating: 8.75/10

My Thoughts:

As soon as you walk into this very chic and sophisticated, dimly lit Japanese pearl in the CBD of Bangkok, Thailand you know that excellence will follow.  While there are numerous traditional tables, the restaurant possesses private party rooms with the traditional Japanese seating style.  Most notably there is a centrally located, dual-sided teppenyaki or Japanese barbecue-grill as the center point of attention.  Here two master chefs prepare your food much in the fashion of the less serious Benihana chain, but without all of the silly flair and comedic moments.  These guys are good at what they do, they do it with grace, silence and the end result is perfection.  They’ll even present to you the meat before the begin their culinary quest to cook you your custom tailored order to your specification.

The wait staff and manager are very attentive to your needs and while I don’t like the multiple employees staring at me while I eat, it wasn’t overboard like some places.  My water was always filled and all of the spices and intricacies we specified (no oil, no butter.. steamed vegetables, extra zucchini and eggplant) are always on target.  They remember you and the next time you come by for a splendid Japanese meal in the style an international traveler is accustomed, they will often need no further clarification as to your special needs.

On this instance a member of the Thai Royal Family was present eating in one of the private rooms, and there  was security all over the place but somehow it didn’t effect the atmosphere one bit.

The clientele here consists mainly of affluent Thais with a good amount of higher-end business travelers.

The menu at Drinking Tea Eating Rice at the Conrad in Bangkok, Thailand runs the gamut.  In the mood for some Japanese wagyu?  They have it.  Only the best ingredients are used and it shows in the rich tasting end result.

Overall an absolutely splendid spot in the Japanese food scene of Bangkok and one I highly recommend visiting.  I’ve discovered my sparkling nook of premium Japanese cuisine and they can count me as a new, regular patron.

Reservations are rarely necessary.  Their hours are 11:30am – 11:30pm.  If arriving by taxi just tell him ‘Con-rad Witthayu’.

Recently I discovered the adventure of Zorbing.  WTF is Zorbing you ask?  Well Zorb is the official term by the Kiwis who started this whole thing and since inception zorbing has become known also, less officially, as sphering and globe-riding.

The zorb balls consist of 2 spheres, an inner and outer, connected by hundreds of strings effectively suspending the inner ball with a giant cushion in all directions.

There are different types of zorb ball runs which can be done on water, down a flat slope or down a zig-zagged track.  The xorb balls themselves come in a variety such as water-tubes specifically for walking on water (I’m pretty sure that Jesus guy invented this), the traditional zorb ball where one or two riders are strapped to the inside spheroid walls and essentially tumble over each other down the course.  This is only done on the straight downhill courses as it’s much more physical.  Then there’s the orbs that are sealed and splashed with some water so you maintain your bearings as you roll down the hill.  This kind of zorbing can be done using a zig-zag shaped track.

Wanna go for an extreme adventure in Thailand?  Head up to Chiang Mai and check out the X-Centre!  You can’t miss this place, every tuk-tuk or taxi cab driver in the city will either have a sticker or know exactly where you want to go.  They have the head-over-heels kind and a straight track.

Name: Peperoni (Narai Hotel Silom)
Cuisine: Italian-contemporary
Location: Narai Hotel, Silom, Bangkok
Contact: +662 237 0100
My Rating: 9/10

My Thoughts:

This is hands down one of the best values on Italian restaurants in central Bangkok.  The food is absolutely awesome and you can see it being prepared in the totally open kitchen area.  This restaurant is located on the ground floor of the Narai Hotel (tell a taxi drive, Na-Lai, Si-lome) and the ambiance is contemporary and cheery.  The staff is attentive and while sometimes the food takes a couple minutes longer than I’d like, the range of flavors available easily make up for it.

They make many types of pizzas with their own touch (for instance, the pepperoni pizza has some red peppers sprinkled on top).  They have perhaps the meanest seared Ahi-tuna salad with balsamic dressing (pepper crusted) I’ve ever had.  This is not only uber-healthy it also doesnt break the bank for a great lunchtime, under 300bht for the salad.

Peperoni has pure gastronomic bliss, cover to cover in its menu.  It has things I’ve never even heard of before and when I went out on a limb and gave these ‘different’ dishes a try I was consistently amazed.  From their triangle, tasty deep fried bread, to the rustic pizzas, meat(liver) ravioli, baked tortellini Alfredo topped off with some chestnuts (waternuts,walnuts?) down to the tiramasu and espresso.   Magnificent!  One of my favorite places to eat in Bangkok, bar none.

The clientele is predominantly farang tourists, but I’ve seen a good deal of local Thais there as well.  Trust me, this place is all that and then some.

*oh, and I don’t know why they spell Peperoni like that, it must be the proper Italian spelling, shrug.

Name: Dusit Princess Hotel
Location: Korat (Nakhon Ratchasima), Thailand;
1137 Suranarai Road
Naimuang District,
Amphur Muang,
Nakhon Ratchasima 30000

Contact: +66 (0) 4425 6629
Price Experienced: 1,500-1900 THB for a standard roomMy Rating: 8/10

My Thoughts:

Nakhon Ratchasima, also known as Korat (lazily pronounced Ko-lat) is the largest, if not, the second largest province/city in the Kingdom of Thailand.  But the infrastructure isn’t what you’d expect from a large city.  Even the selection of 1st world standard hotels are next to nothing.

We frequently drive from Bangkok up to Isan and somewhere in between is good ole Korat.  For some reason we make the supremely wise decision to drive during peak holiday and even traffic hours it seems and by the time we reach Korat, we’re beat and ready to take a hot shower, eat some good food and catch up on some rest.

Out of 10 or so trips we’ve only stayed at 2 hotels.  The other hotel being a total sh*thole that tried to pass itself off as a 4 star hotel.  It would be lucky to get 0.25 stars in the West.  Anyhow, the Dusit Princess is the only hotel that we have ever even seen near the main road/downtown Korat that looks like a proper hotel a westerner would expect.

Guess what?  It makes the grade.  This hotel, is just what we needed.  It is up to date, has high speed internet in all of the rooms, above average room service, a contemporary lobby and friendly staff who speak English surprisingly well.  I’ve seen the occasional westerner (farang) there with his Thai wife/girlfriend/friend on occasion but generally the guests seem to be of middle-upper class to upper class Thai families who roll 5+ deep.  Apparently the Dusit Princess in Korat is not only my own personal watering hole after all!  As well it shouldn’t.  Just because you’re in the middle of nowhere on the way to the dirt-path rice paddies doesn’t mean you have to arrive all pent up!

In conclusion if you’re not a National Geographic reality TV backpacker explorer type and you just don’t want to rock up to the farm village feeling beaten down ALREADY, then take that pit-stop in Korat and don’t take any chances, stay at the Dusit Princess and arrive relaxed for what’s sure to be an interesting visit to Isan.

This article won’t change your life, nor will it even make an impression on you, but I figured I’d jot down some information on what it takes to move across Thailand and how much you can expect to pay.

• Call for an estimate at least a week before you intend to depart.
• The price range, for the minimum (4 cubic meters I believe?) is currently around 20,00o baht.
• Make sure to inquire about the lead times necessary.  For example, if you plan to move in to your new house in the 20th, they may need to come do the packing a week before as if your load is small because they wait for other small loads to fill the truck before it gets sent off.  Plan for it.
• Ensure you have the local direct phone number of the moving company, just in case.
• Make sure to make it VERY clear what is fragile.  ie. your brand spanking new iMac!  They will box it up old-school with wood so nothing can hurt it… That is of course, if the hammer banging the nails in doesn’t rattle it to smithereens.
• Know that most moving ‘insurance’ only covers obvious breakage.  So the innards of your electronics are probably not covered.  I like to video my computers with the current Bangkok Post home page and video of them going into the box just in case there’s an issue.  I have a feeling I’d be out of luck regardless, but it makes me feel better

Our move went smooth.  The packers were swift yet careful and everything arrived in tact and on the promised time.  Two of the best moving companies in Thailand that I’d recommend;

Hong Kong Transpack

Asian Tigers Transpo

Well, this is the first official restaurant review by yours truly.  All the review writing tips books out there said a good review begins with telling the readers a little about your background so they can better understand things so here goes.

I’ve travelled around the world at least 10 times over, totally on pleasure, have lived for more than 1 year in New York, Orlando, San Diego and Irvine California, Rio De Janeiro Brazil, Bangkok and now Chiang Mai, Thailand.  I’m a former US Marine and I LOVE food.  I have no particular experience in the food industry nor do I intend to.  I simply like food that tastes GREAT (and I’m trying to yuppie it up and learn more about wine too!).

Name: California Wraps
Cuisine: Mexican, International
Location: Kad Farang Shopping Centre at Hang Dong, Chiang Mai
Contact: 053-432-413
My Rating: 9/10

My Thoughts:

I must admit I’m cheating a bit here.  This is a restaurant that I already knew I loved the food and I decided it should be known to all.  I did not tell the owner about my intentions to publish a review until after I had my latest order in hand.

Pat runs the show over at California Wraps, a native of Bangkok who has been at the helm about 2 years now.  California Wraps is located about 13 kilometers from Chiang Mai city center down the 108 or Hang Dong road in a quaint and somewhat high end little shopping center called Kad Farang.

The menu had a bit of everything a westerner could want with emphasis on their Mexican food. At least it caught my Mexican food-loving eyes!  Every morning I order two huge breakfast burritos and they are exactly what you’d expect even if you were traveling through the American south!  The right amount of everything stimulates your taste buds and even the bacon inside is top-choice.  I’m a stickler when it comes to slimy, overly fatty bacon and the bacon inside their breakfast burritos definitely makes the grade!

Since I decided I was going to make my first review about California Wraps I knew I had to order more than the breakfast to get a better idea of the depth of this appetizing little place.  I had some ground beef tacos and a hot tamale that was recommended by an American lady eating there with her son.

The tacos were slightly smaller than I’d prefer at first sight but I soon forgot when I tasted how perfect the beef mix exploded with flavor in my mouth.  It seemed a perfect mix of the frying process and onions that did the trick and stuck in my mind.

I’m not much of a tamale fan but this was quite good as well.  The corn capsule of the tamale is inherently dryer than say an enchilada and I’m much more inclined for juicier Mexican food.   Therefore I don’t think it fair for me to review the tamale but I promise when I go back tomorrow I will definitely be trying the enchiladas and quesadillas and will update this post!

All in all this is a splendid restaurant with a lot of depth and definitely farang-learned cooking style that will not leave you wondering why you sought out western food in Asia!

I just wanted to take the time to announce the soft-launch of a very promising new site dedicated to the advancement of jazz music in The Kingdom of Thailand, Chiang Mai in particular called none other than Jazz In Chiang Mai.  This site is ran by yours truly and is just another extension of my love for my adopted country, Thailand, the Land Of Smiles.

I endeavor to have prominent figures from the Chiang Mai jazz scene contribute their knowledge, views and opinions on the beautifully semi-unscripted music known as jazz.

I played in a school jazz band in school as a child but have not touched an instrument since then.  While I may change that some day I will be on the sidelines merely as a lover of the genre.  What I can do is help advance the genre here in Thailand by using my own personal instrument of expression, the keyboard and the internet.   I’m hoping with a combination of my web marketing skills and contributions from esteemed jazz musicians and some tender loving care that the Jazz In Chiang Mai site will achieve its goal of spreading the musical love throughout the Kingdom if not the world.