Piyarom Sports Club

3079/23 between Sukhumvit Soi 101 and Soi 101/1, 0-2747-9800. Open Mon-Thu 6am-10pm, Fri-Sat 6am-11pm. www.piyaromsportsclub.com
Whatever your sporting passion, it seems like they’ve got it covered at this high-end sports club that sits slap bang on Sukhumvit Road. Choose from the well-equipped gym, tennis, basketball, swimming, squash, table tennis, or the rather less strenuous option of snooker. Once you’ve worked up an appetite, Piyarom is surrounded by numerous chain restaurants and entertainment options like Major Bowl. The one downside is the cost, with membership starting at B18,000 for just three months or B24,000 for 1 year, plus there’s also a B1,300 monthly charge.

Imperial Bakery And Food Culinary School (IBAF)

2312-2314 between Sukhumvit Soi 62/3 and Soi 64, 02-741-4718-21 ext 2001-2005. Open daily 8:30am-5pm. www.ibaf.co.th
Actually run by the Ministry of Education, IBAF offers professional cooking and bakery lessons for those who want to take their kitchen skills seriously. The cooking classes include European, Chinese, catering and hors d'oeuvres while the bakery lessons cover pies and pastries, basic cake baking and cake decorating. But perhaps more useful for those who have aspirations of running a restaurant or cafe is the fact that IBAF offers the service of a business consultant after you’ve completed the courses.

Hua Zeng Hong

3039 Sukhumvit Soi 101, 02-730-5141-2. Open daily 10am-10pm. www.huasenghong.co.th
One of the top Chinese places in town, it’s worth the trek to try their small Chinese set for six-seven persons (B1,900) or a Together Meal set for two people (B415). If you want to party then their private room holds up to 100 people with karaoke (of mostly Chinese songs of course). A big plus is their delivery service which has an impressive selection of dishes. The desserts are from the bakery next door, Mu-i.

Mu-i Bakery

3039 Sukhumvit Soi 101, 02-730-5141-2 Open daily 7am-9pm. www.mu-ibakery.com
This cute little spot looks to offer a bit of everything baked from bread sticks and egg tarts to cheesecakes and meringues. Highlights include the popular crepe cake with strawberry sauce (B69) and the chocolate fudge cake (B69). As they sit next door to Hua Zeng Hong, they often join forces to do catering which is probably why you can also pick up yummy dim sum here.

The Room

Sukhumvit Soi 62, 1198 ext 11. www.lh.co.th
The Room combines two 23-story buildings offering a total of 487 units with one and two-bedroom options to choose from. One bedrooms start from 45 sq meters while two bedrooms are around 88 sq meters (B90,000 per sq meter). Facilities include a swimming pool, fitness center, reading room, mini-mart and laundry service. It is also just a few steps from the BTS.

Bang Chak Station

Udom Suk Station

Bang Na Station

Bearing Station

Beyond the BTS

BK Asks: What does it take for you to make the journey out to Bang Na?

“Larry Crowne has Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts and a good premise and a colorful supporting cast, but what it doesn’t have is a reason for existing.” Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

“Larry Crowne is made precisely for people like Larry Crowne.” Stephen Himes, Film Snobs

“Words like ‘gentle’ and ‘sweet’ were undoubtedly tossed around by the folks who made Larry Crowne. I wonder if they ever got around to ‘boring?’” Chris Hewitt, St. Paul Pioneer Press

“Larry Crowne makes losing your job, your car and your house look like the greatest thing to happen to a middle-aged man.” Christian Toto, What Would Toto Watch

“Next semester, the stars should drop Speech 217 and enroll in Chemistry 101—they dearly need some.” Rick Groen, Globe and Mail

“This is like a well-worn vintage dress: comfortable but a little threadbare.” Nigel Floyd, Time Out

After years and years of delays, Aug 12 finally sees the opening of the extension to the BTS line from On Nut all the way out to the Samut Prakan ‘burb of Bang Na. So do the locals really have webbed feet, and is there any place to eat? We sent our intrepid reporters out into the wilds to find the best shopping, bars, cultural activities and hottest property around the five new stations that run from Sukhumvit 79 out to Soi Bearing on Sukhumvit 107.

Bang Chak Station

Thai Guitar Society

1930/1 Sukhumvit Soi 60, 02-741-4943, 081-444-9804. By appointment. www.thailandguitarsociety.com
The Thai Guitar Society offers everything related to the instrument, from workshops to concerts, even field trips, to out of town guitar festivals. Private and group lessons are offered for all levels, and they often organize mini-concerts at Kohno, the restaurant next door.

Kohno

1930/1 Sukhumvit Soi 60, 02-741-4941-3, 081-444-9804. Open daily 11:30am-2pm, 6-11pm
With its contemporary gray décor and minimal finish, this Japanese restaurant stands out from the surrounding shophouses. Japanese fusion dishes are their selling point, like their recommended somtam yam sarai salmon (Japanese seaweed and salmon in somtam dressing, B180), and their intriguing sushi buffet deal of B189, which lets you enjoy as much sushi as you can eat in one hour. It’s also a good spot for those who like a varied musical selection, with tunes ranging from Four-Mod to traditional Japanese classics. Members and students of the Thai Guitar Society next door show off their skills on Sat and Sun, 9–10pm.

Siri Giriya Spa

4 Sukhumvit Soi 60, 02-741-5199. Open daily 10am-10pm. www.sirigiriyaspa.com
The highlight treatment of this slimming and health spa has to be the herbal hydro therapy (B850). The 25-minute treatment lets you soak in their specially prepared mix of natural Thai herbs while being massaged by the therapist to firm, heal and detoxify your skin. Other treatments include their hair spa (B550), facial treatments for men and women (B1,450) and Thai massage (120min, B750). Or you can just opt for a simple manicure (B150). They have five single and three double treatment rooms and they take reservations up to 8pm.

Kidtueng Bakery

2353-5 Sukhumvit Soi 95, 02-331-1379, 02-742-5006. Open Mon-Sat 6.30am-8.30pm, Sun 7am-8:30pm
Kidtueng Bakery is famous for its rich and creamy éclairs which they’ve been making since 1985. The best bit is they’ll make them to order, with no minimum, and they cost just B5 for two pieces. While the place looks old, and is in a really rather crappy-looking hood, their daily-baked treats make it more than worth a visit. There are only 15 tables in the shop but they’re usually empty as most clients don’t hang around: go for the takeaway option and enjoy your éclairs at home.

Symphony

Sukhumvit Soi 62, www.symphonythecondo.com
Situated right next to the BTS station this 8-story condominium offers a total of 79 units and three room types: studio, 1-bedroom, and 2-bedroom. The studios start from 35 sq meters with starting price at B1.9 million, which works out to B50,000-B55,000 per sq meter, but there are also lots of rental options available.

Punnawithee Station

Udom Suk Station

Bang Na Station

Bearing Station

Beyond the BTS

BK Asks: What does it take for you to make the journey out to Bang Na?

How did you guys become Love Me Please?
Joob: The band was started by Pun and me after he came back from America. Pun started writing lyrics and let me handle the music. Then Pun asked Donut to join and dragged Gae (Kongpun) and Gae (Thanongchai) to be our bassist and drummer.
Donut: The name actually came from a som tam restaurant that Pun, Joob and I love. It’s kind of cute and wooing at the same time.

Why do you choose a duck as your logo?
Pun: A duck can do many things, but none particularly well, just like us.

What do you do, apart from singing?
Pun: I work at publishers and do jingles for commercials. I also compose songs for soap operas at Channel 7.
Donut: I am studying at Kasetsart University.
Tum: I used to be with the band K9 for nine years. Now I work at GMM’s Work Gang as a producer. I used to produce Leo Put’s album. I also teach music at Rangsit University.
Gae (Thanongchai): I earn a living being a back-up drummer for bands. I also play for Academy Fantasia and New-Jiew duo artists.
Gae (Kongpan): I play at pubs at night and in the back-up band for Calories Bla Bla. I also do work for RS sometimes.
Joob: My main job is at GMM’s Work Gang. I used to do music with Calories Bla Bla and Bird Thongchai.

How would you describe your musical style?
Tum: A bit like The Beatles highlighting guitars and the vocals from our three singers, Joob, Donut and Pun.

What was the inspiration for “Zoo”?
Pun: I composed the song because I’d seen animals being hurt. No matter how big or small they are, they all have life. So I wrote the song based on that feeling.
Joob: We added some jokes to make it cute, like a teenage love song, so it wouldn’t be too serious.

Have you saved any animals?
Gea (Thanongchai): We mostly make donations to animal charities. Pun and I don’t even kill mosquitoes.
Donut: I donated a bit of money to help a dog with a big neck wound. Parents should teach their children to love animals.
Gea (Kongpan): When it comes to wildlife hunting, we should fix the problem at the market end. If there’s no demand, there’ll be no supply and no killings.
Joob: I once saw a dog get hit by a car. I picked it up and it died in my arms. I felt life and death when I looked into his eyes. Interview by Nat Tantisukrit

1.) Minute Maid

B18 for a 300ml bottle
A nice, undiluted color, but we found it too one-dimensionally sweet, without any of the slight tang that natural oranges possess. In fact, it reminded us of the drink Tang from when we were children, which might be the sort of consumers who will enjoy this most. They did go through the trouble of adding some natural pulp to this sugar bomb, and even though it isn’t all-natural, we can totally imagine picking this up and sipping as we go. Call us crazy.

2.) Malee 300 ML

B30 for a 300ml box
Again, this smells a bit like Tang, even though it’s meant to be 100% orange juice, and it tastes a bit weird, like overripe oranges or orange liqueur—a bit fermented and alcoholy. It also has a fair amount of pulp, but unlike the other contestants in this test, the effect is much less textured.

3.) Freshie

B135 for a 400ml bottle
This juice, squeezed daily at the Gourmet Market at Paragon, takes a way more refined palate than ours. Most of our panel was weirded out by the strange, rock salt aroma, the slightly-over-the-hill taste and the relative absence of sugar. One reviewer said it reminded them of natural orange juice at their grandmother’s home. It tasted almost like it had been pressed too hard, releasing some of the less sweet flavors of the white rind and seeds.

4.) Spring Valley

250 ML B60 for 250ml bottle
Unlike the other contenders, this one had a yellow, not orange, color, even though the consistency was suitably rich, not diluted. The aroma reminded us of hotel breakfast or airline orange juice, both pleasant memories. The flavor is a touch sour, which is nice, but we were surprised that such a thick consistency produced a juice that didn’t taste that orangey. Not really bursting with flavor.

5.) Tipco

B18 for a 250ml carton

Ah, that’s what we’re talking about. This 100% orange juice tastes pleasantly like it’s been cut with a bit of lime. It’s packed with dense orange flavor, a nice tart note and has loads of pulp. Very nice. The boxy container makes it difficult to stick in your bag and save half for later, but oh well.

6.) Tropicana Twister

B18 for 350ml bottle
Well, we can’t expect much from this drink, which only contains 20% orange juice: it smells fake, tastes fake, is very watery and sugary. It might feel like a more refreshing drink at first, but after a whole bottle of this, the sugar might just make you parched again.