Trip to Bangkok, 2024

It’s only been a few years since I’d last came to Bangkok, but well, I just couldn’t stay away. It’s been so much fun, and there had been so many things that I’d not been able to go the last time around.

Bangkok is still the city to come to for all tailor-made formal wear. Post-pandemic, Paul Fashion in Amari Waterfront remains thriving. Their efficiency knows no bounds. We came as a group of half-dozen (guys and gal), and we got our fabrics chosen, our styles penned and our measurements done in a couple of hours. Within 4 days, we were packing our new clothes - suits, shirts and pants into our suitcases, with all of them in the style that we want and fitting satisfactorily. I’ve had tailors that took 6 weeks to fill in an order, so colour me impressed. We had to return intermittently across the four days that we were in Bangkok for fittings, which I heartily endorse. There’s no substitute to being able to try on the clothes to make sure they’re exactly how you like them. While all tailors can take down our body measurements and ask how we like our clothes, the slim fit I have in mind may be different to the tailor’s understanding. Returning for fittings make our travel plans a little more complex for sure, but this would be much less troublesome than waiting for 6 weeks to find that the tailored clothing don’t fit right, and then negotiating for the tailors to redo your clothes from across an ocean. We were a little wiser this time around and stayed at Amari Waterfront itself. After their renovation, the hotel looks refreshed. We had a terrific stay.

Leather shoes were amongst the other things worth having a look at in Bangkok. Minimalist Shoes makes shoes for the ladies, and uses some of the softest lambskin shoes that I’d felt. For those ladies who ever had trouble finding petite shoe sizes, this place is a must-go. For guys, Mango Mojito in Siam Square sells handcrafted leather shoes. I picked up the last pair of shoes in my size in the design that I wanted, and it felt a little like winning the lottery.

Everything is within walking distance from Amari! We revisited plenty of old favourites on this trip. Platinum Mall is just across the road, and we bought loads of casual clothes and accessories here. There’s an After You cafe too. We also usually stop by at the food court on the top floor here for their Mango Sticky Rice.

And sometimes with mango's cousins: durians and jackfruits!

We start every morning by walking across the road to 28ml Cafe in Platinum Mall for a cup of coffee. Their coffee, lightly roasted with a distinctive floral aftertaste, had turned all of us into light roast converts from our first sip. I came back on my last morning for one last fix, bought a bag of beans, and used Google Translate to ask the barista on the coffee’s brewing ratio. I only wish that I had bought more.

We were never at a loss of finding things to do in Bangkok. We visited the famous Chatuchak Weekend Market (we love the soft shorts from Toogtons available from a few different shops), shopped for snacks from Big C, and went to the malls in Pathum Wan. I didn’t know Bangkok was also a Carebear hub, stocking limited edition merchandises that couldn’t be found elsewhere. The Carebear Cafe in CentralwOrld was crowded with tourists when we were there. We found some street food from the food court at Siam Paragon, including Kanom Krok, delectable bite-sized pandan pastries from Kanom Siam Take Home, which was served fresh off the cast-iron grill. 

Between all the walking, we ate really well. It’s hard to find a bad meal in Bangkok. We went to a few places that we enjoyed tremendously. My best breakfast here was a bowl of beef boat noodles from Thong Smith. Are boat noodles too heavy for breakfast? Well, this place was so popular, mornings are the only time when we didn't have to queue to get a table. We first came to Thong Smith on a Monday afternoon at 230pm, and the queue snaking out the doorway was quite incredulous. After returning another day (albeit for breakfast), I could see the reason for its popularity. The beef slices were tender, the broth intensely fragrant. We ate them alongside their wonderfully crisped wantons.

Another good breakfast option is Rung Reung Noodle Shop located along Sukhumvit 26 Street. The Tom yum, catered to the local palate, was a bit too spicy for me. But I thoroughly enjoyed their pork soup, and its minced pork were so finely minced, it set a new bar for me. The minced pork soup (without noodles) was sweet and flavourful, and the soup somehow more fragrant than the clear soup that came with noodles, which was perhaps a bit more peppery and bitter in comparison. The next time we come around, I’ll get the minced pork soup and add a side of noodles separately. And also a side of the crispy fish skin.

We also went to Laem Charoen Seafood in CentralwOrld, which was pretty good. We particularly enjoyed their fried fish, which was crunchy around the edges but the meat was soft and tender, as if steamed. It came with little dishes containing an intensely flavoured, lime-green chilli sauce.

The most anticipated meal was the night that we went to Nawa. Our reservation was at 8, and it was nearly midnight by the time dinner ended. The cuisine was Modern Thai. The dishes’ presentation, taste, and texture were delicate where the chef demanded, playful when they can, and bold when they needed to be. Even the pandan-based street food, Kanom Krok, made an appearance here. Every dish was a contemporary spin on the traditional cuisine, each one looking like a work of art. What’s the difference between this restaurant and an interactive museum exhibition? The lines blur.

The most memorable part of the dinner was their salted egg here. The egg white and egg yolk were layered and rolled up like a Swiss roll. In the mouth, the texture resembled the best part of an onsen egg: runny and velvety soft.

Even the humble rice that they served as an accompaniment to the main dish was itself a highlight of my meal. Sourced from a small village in Chiang Mai, the fragrance of the rice, served out of a communal bowl, was out of this world.

Thai cuisine is a harmony of tastes - sweet, salty, sour, unami. A couple of times, some parts of the dishes can be numbling spicy, for example the spicy shrimp paste portion that made up our main dish, which was perhaps exactly what the locals would want, but we couldn't handle all that heat. The server, noticing one of our party’s discomfort, ensured that the remainder of her meal’s spiciness level was toned down. And as the server said as she served her a watermelon slice, the Thai way of combating spiciness was to take something sweet.

Another memorable meal was had at Methavalai, a restaurant that had been recommended back in 2018 but one which we only managed to come to this time around. They serve traditional Thai cuisine done to excellence.

My favourite dishes here were their Pomelo Salad and their Stir-Fried Fluffy Catfish with chilli. The catfish in particular, somehow tasted like the equivalent of pork floss.

We like the vibe: a glitzy retro atmosphere complete with a live band. There were several singers, singing songs in Thai, Mandarin, Cantonese and English. And the whole room came alive as a singer started crooning a jazzy version of Top of the World. Being here with one another on that night, that was exactly how we felt.