Answers for guys

Lab Series Skincare for Men, creating products with guys’ needs in mind, launches three new skincare products for metrosexuals. Instant Moisture Gel (B1,400/50ml) is oil-free and refreshing. When used consistently—daily, nightly or after shaving—your skin will look healthier. Instant Moisture Eye Gel (B1,400/7.5ml) wakes up tired eyes by decreasing swelling and wrinkles. Instant Moisture Lip Balm (B850/10ml) protects lips from nature’s effects and brings back softness and smoothness. It’s not sticky, heavy or glossy so you can enjoy its cooling sensation as often as you want. (Try 1/F, Central Chidlom, 02-655-7777.)

Most Serene

Joining the famed Divana Massage & Spa on Sukhumvit 25 is DVN Spa (8 Sukhumvit 35, 02-261-4818/-9. Open Mon-Fri 11am-11pm, Sat-Sun 10am-11pm. www.dvn-wellbeing.com). The sister outlet is located in a beautiful contemporary Thai house with garden in a two-rai compound. Treatments are available a la carte or as packages such as Green Grass Steps (B1,450), an 80-minute program consisting of a pepper berry foot soak, mandarin & grapefruit foot scrub, aloe-vera rub, DVN Foot Massage and warm herbal compress. Another favorite is Flourishing Four Hands (B2,850), an aromatic body massage by two therapists. Future plans for DVN include a new outlet, Divana Kaya, on Thonglor Soi 17.

Fragrant Fingers

Molton Brown, London purveyor of plant-based bath products, invites you to try their new White Mulberry Collection. Pamper your hands with the Fine Liquid Hand Wash (B1,100) and Soothing Hand Lotion (B1,100). White mulberry root combined with oils of mimosa, green tea and elemi (a fragrant resin from tropical trees) smells so good you’ll be sniffing your hands all day. Want to try before you buy? Experience a sensuous hand washing at the Molton Brown counter at Paragon, where the attendant dries your fingers one by one. (Try M/F, Siam Paragon, 02-610-9000.)

Wheeling Activity

Riding nine years of success in the Thai bike market, LA Bicycle launches new products for better and easier driving. The lively orange E-ZE1000 (B24,000) is a cross between housewife bike and motorcycle. It has the classic front basket and pedals, with the addition of a battery driven motor and headlight. EX-450 (B17,000) is a blend of racing motorcycle and bike. With battery power, disc brake and v-brake, you can pedal it or drive it. EX-250 (B12,000) looks part Harley Davidson with big forks and mini side wheels. (Try LA Sale & Service, 58/1 Phuthamonton Sai 2 Rd., 02-865-4191-2, www.la-bicycle.com)

How did you get started?
About two years ago, I sold food in a small food stall in a village outside Bangkok. Unfortunately, the owner wanted to change the stall into some other kind of business so I had to move out. Then someone introduced me to work here in Bangkok as a part-time dek jaek. After I started working as dek jaek, about a year or so, I was promoted to a full-time inspector.

What is the duty of dek jaek?
Dek jaeks are supposed to distribute flyers to houses in an assigned neighborhood. Flyers range from McDonalds, Lotus, Carrefour, Robinson, Burger King and many others, and you’ve got to hand out all those flyers on the very same day. I ended up making about B210 per day.

What is an inspector and what is your duty?
An inspector’s main job is like a dek jaek, except inspectors must wear company uniforms, distribute flyers to pedestrians and work near our customer’s location like Robinson, Emporium, Lotus and more. Working hours are 11am to 2pm five days a week. Staff have to distribute about 11,000 flyers a day, so I just make sure that there’s one per house or person.

What else?
I also have to inspect our dek jaek staff to check whether or not they have completed their distribution routes or if they’ve just cheated and thrown most of the flyers away. So I have to go sifting through garbage bins, water pipes and inspect all the nooks and crannies of a building just to make sure that my staff is doing what they’re supposed to be doing.

Do you like this job?
I like what I am doing now. It’s an easy job and I feel very comfortable. I have to travel to many spots in Bangkok depending on the company, but I am lucky to have my own motorcycle, so it makes the travel easier and quicker. I only have to work a few hours a day leaving more free time in the afternoon to take on other kinds of part-time jobs, so I can make more money. The freedom and good opportunities to meet new people makes me really happy.

It’s the dream of many hotel chefs to run their own standalone restaurant, but very few actually have the ability and then the opportunity to make that move. For Marco Cammarata, it took 20 years of working for other people before he was finally able to see his name on a restaurant’s front door.

“This is the moment of truth!” exclaims the native of Torino, who at 35 still retains his boyish looks and seemingly boundless energy. For the last six years “Marco” was the face of Rossini’s, which became one of Bangkok’s best Italian restaurants under his watch. As word spread of his talents, he built up a large following and received offers to work elsewhere.

But he was waiting for the right opportunity. “I could have gone to another country, but it didn’t make sense. I stayed at Rossini for six years because I want to be here in Thailand. And I wanted to have my own place, but it had to be the right place.”

One of the factors that convinced him was the location, on the ground floor of the mammoth Siam Paragon complex. Being in the biggest shopping mall in Southeast Asia gives Chef Marco the chance to reach a much wider audience. “It suits my vision. I don’t just wanna cook. I’ve always had big dreams. For me this is about promoting Italian culture, trying to be at the top for Italian cuisine—in town, in the country, in Asia, in the world.”

Modern and minimalist with glass walls on three sides, a long open kitchen and a second-floor wine bar that overlooks the dining room, the atmosphere at Bel Guardo suits Chef Marco’s cuisine, which is undoubtedly Italian but modern Italian, especially when it comes to presentation.

“There is more than just spaghetti, you know. There are so many different ways of cooking. There are different varieties of cheese, and we want to promote them. We want to promote a greater variety of regional dishes. We want to promote a different way of presenting this food.”

The menu is modest in size but features gems such as a refreshing salad of watermelon, pink grapefruit, fennel and basil (B230), “simple” soups and pastas tarted up with luxury ingredients like green pea soup with seared foie gras and prawns (B600) or black truffle gnocchi with Castelmagno cream (B350) and superb seafood mains like grilled ocean trout with green asparagus and marsala-tomato fumet (B750).

After our luxurious lunch and an espresso, we chat with Chef Marco.

What does “Bel Guardo” mean?
It means good “look”—so a good view, a nice panorama. The walls are all windows, so you can see out and you can see in. The kitchen is open, so you can see the show of the cook and the cook can see the guests. And upstairs in the wine lounge you can really see things. It’s like you’re on top of a hill.

How does it feel to have your name on the window out front?
That is something I definitely wanted. Over the last 10 years I have met many people here. By putting my name there I want people to understand that this is my promise. It is like a “warranty.”

Compared to Rossini’s, this modern décor, music, location—is this closer to your true personality? Does it suit your food better?
The atmosphere over there was fantastic, but it was just different. Here the food looks so beautiful in this type of light. Over there maybe it was a little dark.

Does this environment inspire you to make your food differently?
Yeah, exactly. I think a bit more about what I put on the plate and the way I put it on the plate. It doesn’t have anything to do with the content of the food, but the design is a little bit different. Lately I’ve been liking more clean, more light, more minimalist.

Now we get to see you in action. How do you like working in an open kitchen?
I like it very much. In a kitchen like this it has to be very clean, very organized. It’s more of a challenge, but I like it much better.

You can tell us: Where do you go in the mall for a quick bite when you’re hungry?
Here!

Dining Details

Take a break from your shopping and enjoy the view at Bel Guardo. Open daily 10:30am-11pm, G/F Siam Paragon, 02-610-9380/-1. AMEX, DC, JCB, V

To try and categorize Singapore’s The Observatory is to flounder amid labels that don’t stick: This technically-proficient yet soulful sextet draws influences from classical, jazz, experimental and rock. Coming for their third show in Thailand (the 2005 Pattaya Music and Fat festivals were #1 and #2), so::on’s Signalized Soul, The Observatory is like your favorite plant—it just grows with time.

How has Blank Walls been received?
Leslie Low [vocals, guitar]: We seem to appeal to people who are laid-back and quiet. We’ve been fortunate to garner some interest locally, and there’s been a small group of supporters that attend our gigs. As for overseas, it’s been a slow climb up a steep hill. But we’re enjoying the climb so far.
Evan Tan [programmer, bass]: People, especially girls, have been telling me they prefer the first album, Time of Rebirth. But [these same] people later told me Blank Walls is a grower and that they understood why we were doing what we were doing.

Despite its plaintive beauty, your music is dense and Leslie’s lyrics are quite impressionistic. Does this prevent you from getting radio play and mainstream acceptance?
Vivian Wang [vocals, keyboard]: Singapore radio has serious hang-ups when it comes to something local, firstly, and secondly, when it doesn’t mimic the typical MTV/radio- friendly band, music and persona. It’s about ratings, as well as keeping advertisers happy.

Unlike your last two gigs here, the so::on show isn’t supported by a corporate sponsor and won’t be pulling in crowds in the thousands. Do you think your actions could influence more performers from the region to play smaller shows in Bangkok?
Leslie: As I’ve mentioned, we are quite independent ourselves. Corporate sponsorships or not, if the vibe is right for our music, we would definitely love to take part in it. Our music isn’t stadium rock [so] it actually works better for us not to play huge festivals.