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You're reading BK's Bangkok Thermometer 2015. Click here for our 2016 column.

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Dec 25

 

Hot: Youtube Rewind: Now Watch Me 2015

Not: Year in Review 

Last-year Facebook managed to crank out movies about our lives, complete with a stirring soundtrack. This year, you got a handful of crooked pictures on faux Polaroid frames. It looks more like a 2007 year-end review. YouTube Rewind videos have been consistently good these past few years, though. And as Wired wrote: “YouTube ‘Rewind’ Video Proves Nothing Is Mainstream Anymore.”

 

 

Hot: Hi, my name is... 

Not: Rajabhakti infographics

Just when you thought Rajabhakti Park had shifted the full force of social media towards bashing the military, a series of hilarious Yingluck photos with candid captions reminding us of her more enlightened moments (“jangwat Hatyai,” “pratet Sydney,” “thank you three times”) has gone viral. The best part: you won’t go to jail for sharing these.

 

 

Hot: Miss Thailand Universe

Not: Whitening cream

We’re having a national conversation about skin color again because the stunningly beautiful Miss Thailand Universe, Aniporn Chalermburanawong, is a couple shades of tan darker than the usual porcelain-doll-levels of pale favored in Thailand. The consensus is that she’ll make it to the finals and we should all ditch our whitening creams to look more like her. (Before you hit the tanning bed, she’s not exactly Buakaw black either.)

 

 

Hot: Bingsu

Not: Waffles

A couple weeks ago we said, “hot: egg waffles, not: waffle stacks” due to Hong Kong-style egg waffles taking over menus at Sweetery, Once Cafe and even The House on Sathorn. Well that’s all old news now, and you should be having ice topped with some soy bean powder and red beans. Dee-licious. See page 28 for our roundup.

Dec 18

 

Hot: Winter Wonderlands

Not: The Cool Season 

We hope your wardrobe has a lot of white in it. Because that’s just about the only theme the city’s coolest, edgiest, most creative party people could come up with for Dec 31. And the parties all seem to include the words “winter” and “wonderland.” See the full list along with the latest news on wintry markets in BK Now (page 44). Can we just point out that as we write this, the temperature in Bangkok is 33 degrees Celsius?

 

 

Hot: Chic Street Food 

Not: Stolen

Taking good ol’ Thai street food level to the next level is red-hot. This year alone, there was the opening of David Thompson’s Long Chim in Singapore (and he just opened a second one opening in Perth) and that of Err (by Bo.lan’s chefs) in Bangkok. In the trinity of Bangkok’s most celebrated Thai chefs, that left Thitid Tassanakajorn (Le Du, Taper, Baan) to make a move. With Baa Ga Din’s recent opening, he’s finally joined the fray. See his interview, opposite.

 

 

Hot: Lukkade’s Face

Not: The Face

Seems like there’s no stopping the strongest mentor of The Face Thailand 2. Although the show itself is starting to get just a bit too surreal for our taste, it seems that Lukkade Metinee is here to stay—both as a the newest judge for the next season of The Star (can she sing?) as well as an angry face on the posters around the cafeteria reminding you to put the dishes away.away from Rajabhakti Park.

 

 

Hot: Mass Transit Rage

Not: The Old Town

Some 40 communities are under threat in the old town, due to the construction of 10 subway stations on the blue, orange and purple lines. And just in case the destruction of historic shop houses is not something you’re going to lose sleep over, the BTS has also killed discounts for Rabbit Card starting Jan 1, 2016. Happy new year! Funny how every time they add more ads to the BTS, they tell us it’s to keep the fares low. And then they increase fares anyway.

Dec 11

 

Hot: TIE Fighters

Not: Thai airlines 

This Thursday, Star Wars VII hits theaters and, judging by how the IMAX seats were booked out online as we went to press, good luck getting a ticket. As for the US Federal Aviation Administration downgrading Thailand’s aviation status, who cares? Star Wars comes out a day earlier in Thailand than in the US. And there are no longer any direct flights from here to the US anyway.

 

 

Hot: [insert spice here] 

Not: [just add “ery”]

This week’s random restaurant name generator runs on a whole new algorithm. Before, it would just pick a random food and add “ery”: Burgery, Sweetery, Kebabery. Now, it just picks a random spice: Rosemary, Thyme, Krawan (cardamom). This is all getting very tedious and maybe we should switch to the French system, where you are allowed only three names: Le Cafe des Amis, Le Cafe de la Poste and Chez Marcel.

 

 

Hot: The River Promenade

Not: Rajabhakti Park

The river promenade, originally a design by the BMA’s own in-house architects without so much as an environmental impact assessment, is back!  Except this time it’s not being designed by Chalay Kunawong of Ongsa Architects and they’ve held 39 meetings with local communities along with hiring a bunch of consultants. Hey, maybe it won’t suck? The first segment, in Nonthaburi, will cost B2.5 billion, and hopefully the results will shift attention away from Rajabhakti Park.

 

 

Hot: Jilamika Tiabuakaew

Not: Thai Ban Fashionista

AOK, we still love you Madeaw, even if, based on your latest Alliance Francaise show, you’re running out of things to strap around your slender waist. May we recommend you get off the catwalk, finish high school, then spend a few years at Central St. Martins before becoming the next Thakoon? In the meantime, we’ll be celebrating Thainess with Pannasri Chuarayapratib’s hilarious temple mural-style renditions of young women indulging in K-culture.

 

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Dec 4

 

Hot: Buying cars

Not: Preventing traffic 

Good news, comrades! The Ministry of Industry reports that output from Thai car factories is going up, up, up. Though the outlook’s bleak for all our other major industries—plastics, electronics, unlicensed Minion merchandise—we continue to put enough new Toyota Fortuners on the road to ensure none of us will ever get anywhere on time. So head to the Motor Expo this weekend to keep our economy in motion—if the traffic around Impact doesn’t stop you. 

 

 

Hot: Sriracha 

Not: Hua Hin

It’s official. The industrial port on Thailand’s eastern seaboard might soon be as cool as its namesake Californian condiment. OK, that might be stretching it, but there is a new shopping complex where branches of Bangkok’s favorite pizzeria (Peppina) and izakaya (Shakariki 432) have opened shop, as well as a Japanese mall by the people behind Nihonmura. First news of a Mediterranean-themed Sansiri condo and we’re selling the place in Cha-Am.

 

 

Hot: Outdoor jazz

Not: Diplomacy

Thailand and its new US ambassador have really not got off to a good start. As we send back political dissidents and throw around Section 112 charges like confetti, all he can do is stand in front of TV cameras tutting. In light of the fact we’re already pissed off Denmark got the cute, social-media savvy gay guy, he really needs to do better. To make amends, we suggest he open up that lovely lawn on Wireless Road to a second round of concert in the Park—one where French bulldogs and bottles of Prosecco are welcome.

 

Hot: Chicken rights

Not: Human rights

Another week, another independent labor investigation making us look bad. Turns out labor practices in Thai chicken farms might be as crooked as an immigration bureau in the Southern provinces, which spells bad news for a country that exports some 270,000 tons of chicken to Europe every year. How was this not spotted sooner? Apparently investigators were too concerned about the welfare of the chickens to notice the condition of the people slaughtering them.

 

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Nov 27

 

Hot: Wedding season 

Not: Winter Season   

Weddings. Winter. One is designed to keep Bangkok’s slightly pixelated photo backdrop makers in business. The other is a fiction created by BK Magazine so we have a weather pattern to write about once rainy season’s over. And it’s now that time of year when both come together in perfect harmony. Only, while our inbox is already filling up with pink envelopes begging for B1,000 each, we’re still to feel even a trace of that illusive winter breeze.

 

 

Hot: Old chefs 

Not: Overseas chefs

This time last year, when we were compiling our list of the city’s best new restaurants, it was like a Michelin who’s-who of big names rolling into town and bringing their B10,000 tasting menus with them. Perhaps it’s the minimum-two-more-years of military regime we’ve got to look forward to, or maybe the fact our economy has been doing a swan dive for the past six months, but Bangkok just hasn’t been as appealing to the outside world in 2015. No wonder most of this year’s best new openings come from guys who had restaurants here already.

 

 

Hot: Tipping

Not: Service charge

Where do you think that 10 percent on top of your food bill goes? In the pocket of that lovely waiter who didn’t know what prosciutto was? Think again, buddy—only about half of it does, if they’re lucky. While some of us here at BK have so little faith in this city’s businessmen that they were happy to find any of it makes its way to the staff, the rest of us can’t help feeling that “replacing broken plates” and “paying for electricity” doesn’t count as service. So fess up after that meal!

 

 

Hot: Crazy bar names

Not: Crazy shop names

Finally, tourists who think our use of their language is hilarious have something to Instagram other than It’s Happen to be a Closet’s logo. This month alone we’ve welcomed two new bars with names straight from the this’ll-go-viral-in-a-week playbook. I Hate Pigeons and Let the Boy Die both sound so unforgettable that we only had to Google them twice to finish this paragraph. Good job, guys.

Nov 20

 

Hot: TCDC lives

Not: GTH dies

“Creativity and quality” weren’t the first words on our lips after watching I Fine Thank You Love You, but they’re the reasons being cited by founding GTH partner Hub Ho Hin as to why they’d rather take the film studio to its grave than float it on the Thai stock market. And on the topic of creativity, the junta debated in parliament last week whether the TCDC really warrants B500 million in public spending every year, thus setting light to a fire of social media anger. You can take our freedom, but you’ll never take our Eames coffee-table books! 

 

 

Hot: Coincidence 

Not: Questions

We’re really not supposed to talk about this one, so we better tread carefully here. When two out of the three… wait, that’s not it. We can’t help but hear alarm bells when the guys who… OK, no, we’re on risky ground here again. The thing is, you’d think they’d be keeping tighter watch on such high-profile… no, no, no, no, no. On second thoughts, probably best we keep quiet. 

 

 

Hot: The Face

Not: The Voice

Were you getting fed up of watching aspiring singers belt out luk-thung renditions of everything? Yeah, we’re with you. That’s why we’ve switched to sassy celebrity mentors arguing and beautiful young things strutting down runways to pose for the camera. Kudos to Kantana this time. #strong

 

 

Hot: Real dining

Not: Fine dining

We’ve been having an existential crisis. After 15 years of covering this city’s brightest chefs and glitziest restaurants, we realized we’re living a lie. It’s not like we go to Robuchon or Bo.lan more than twice a year. Which is why this week we’re spoiling you with a list of places we seriously do visit all the time. And which we really love.

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Nov 13

 

Hot: Public drinking 

Not: Public masturbation 

Take a low-budget, seedy reality TV format from Japan, reduce the budget even further and what do you get? Thailand’s Memo 7 Sisters, in which local “web-celebs” took to Siam Square and convinced men to do the five-knuckle-shuffle in public. What’s more, these guys weren’t even drunk. Which really they have no excuse for since we’re heading into peak beer park season, when publicly leering at girls in tight nylon mini skirts practically becomes a national pastime. 

 

 

Hot: Instagrammers 

Not: Journalists

The Thai Journalists Association has done some research and thinks it’s figured out the problem with journalism in this country. Their conclusion: we sometimes wear shorts at press conferences (see fb.com/jr.ethics), and that’s very disrespectful to the people who’ve asked us there to listen to them. But who really cares what we have to say anyway, when a person posting pictures of their dessert can get twice as many followers as a 30-strong news organization. 

 

Credit Photo: julian_vgn

Hot: Egg waffles

Not: Waffle towers

And speaking of sweet-obsessed Instagrammers, it seems they’ve finally found something better to post than stacks of Belgian waffles coated in spray-on cream and strawberries. Thanks to the Hong Kong-style egg waffles taking over menus at Sweetery, Once Cafe and even The House on Sathorn, our phones now provide a running stream of colorful, topping-heavy dough-balls. Thanks, guys.

 

 

Hot: Secret bars

Not: Secret bars

You really have to question the whole secret bar thing when these same places fill your Facebook feed with sponsored content. We’d love to sit here and moan about them more, only the thing is, we really like the cocktails at J. Boroski, we love the telephone entrance thingy at Havana Social, and think the decor at Q&A is one of the best in town.

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Nov 6

 

Hot: Winter 

Not: Low season 

It’s that very special time of the year when it’s still damn hot and yet, reading BK Magazine, you’d think we now live in Switzerland. “Best Rooftoop Bars to Welcome the Cool Season.” “Best Riverside Restaurants to Catch the Winter Breeze.” What cool season? What winter breeze? The only real difference between November and October is the price of hotel nights. 

 

 

Hot: Hermit nations 

Not: Inter-travel

You heard Dear Leader. We’re closing shop. Just like Bhutan and North Korea, it’s time to dial back the clock to the happier days of folk songs and dubious uniforms. Given that the economy is tanking, domestic tourism actually sounds like a great idea to us. Start with Nakhon Si Thammarat, to show your full trust in Dear Leader’s pacification of the locals.

 

 

Hot: Chonburi

Not: Khon Kaen

Perhaps thanks to the somewhat controversial rice pledging scheme, there was a time when Khon Kaen and Udon Thani seemed on the brink of becoming major regional capitals. Now that their fancy new malls sit empty, all eyes are back on Japanese investment in Chonburi. Did you know they actually have a Peppina in Sriracha? Now they just need a couple burger trucks and we promise to do a travel story about it.

 

 

Hot: Sex

Not: Romance

What’s with all the romantic-themed festivals? Is holding your girlfriend’s hand in a muddy field while listening to bands called Scrubb, Slot Machine or Sqweez Animal really all that Jane Austen? Let’s stop pretending here. If you’ve taken someone to sleep with you in a tiny sweaty tent in the middle of nowhere, it’s because you want to get laid. And coming up over the next few months are a whole heap of opportunities to do so.

 

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Oct 30

 

Hot: Bike for Dad 

Not: Road deaths 

World: watch out. Thais across continents are poised toget on their bikes and hit the road in an almighty display of patriotism for the follow-up to Bike for Mom. And just be thankful they’re on two wheels and not four, since a recent study found Thai drivers manage to kill an average of 80 people per day—an effort bested only by Namibia at 82. Crash helmets at the ready. 

 

 

Hot: Beef 

Not: Vegetables

Did you realize that for the past 20 years you’ve not been able to get British beef in Bangkok? No, nor did we. We were too busy tucking into Aussie wagyu at half the price. But now it’s back and it couldn’t have picked a better time since dead cow is apparently all anyone wants to eat right now. Just look at the crowds at any of the restaurants here. Nice knowing you, Jay Fest. 

 

 

Hot: Markets

Not: Halloween parties

Halloween has become “dress slutty” day in the US. Here, we never knew what it was meant to be to start with (but we try; here are the best Halloween parties 2015). It’s not like half the city doesn’t cross dress every single day of the year anyway. That’s why you’ll be much more likely to find us at any one of the markets taking place that very same weekend, only a couple of which are vaguely Halloween-related.

 

 

Hot: Bangkok

Not: Singapore

It’s official Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2016 will happen in Bangkok, ending its run in Singapore. And so will 50 Best 2017 and 2018. We can’t wait to find out where Gaggan and Nahm will place in this edition, but the results won’t be out until Feb 29, 2016. How nice of them to provide an amuse bouche to the ranking you’re really waiting for, BK Top Tables 2016. Chai mai?

 

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Oct 23

 

Hot: Bands you’ve never heard of  

Not: Reformations

Wonderfruit just announced its complete lineup, and it’s full of names we don’t know. (Even Mos Def has given up his stage name.) What’s more, this winter’s hottest tickets are hardly household names (Neon Indian? Battles?). Still, the indie kids wouldn’t have it any other way. And it sure makes a nice change from all those anniversary, reunion and retrospective concerts, no matter how intriguing the back-story.

 

 

Hot: Underdogs 

Not: Empires

There’s a three-week wait to get a table at Arno’s, which seems to anger our Facebook trolls. That’s right, a small independent steakhouse packing in crowds night after night for well-priced, dry-aged steak. What’s not to hate? Meanwhile, imports Paul and Tim Ho Wan have both rolled out plans to take over Bangkok, much to the delight of pretty much no-one. We are excited about the new Peppina, though, now open at Tha Maharaj by the river, plus Chef Man's latest offering. 

 

 

Hot: Development

Not: Markets

Following Soi 38, On Nut and Saphan Lek markets are the latest popular spots to fall foul of the city’s unquenchable thirst for development for development’s sake. In the latter case, vendors were given 15 days to vacate their sites, ostensibly to return the footpath to pedestrians—only, without all the counterfeit DVDs and electronics, pedestrians no longer have any reason to return there.

 

 

Hot: Bans 

Not: Audiences

Thai filmmakers, take note: There’s nothing like a good banning to pique public interest. That’s certainly the case with Arbat, which finally passed the censorship board this week, after producers cut several scenes of monks behaving badly (what, unheard of!) and changed its name, to Arpat. Here’s looking at you, Apichatpong Weerasethakul. The Palme D’Or-winning director says he doesn’t want his new film, Cemetery of Splendour, to even screen here, fearing reprisals.

Oct 16

 

Hot: Galleries  

Not: Gallery bars

We know. Pretending to look at art while drinking Beerlaos and hooking up with drunk designers can be a whole lot more fun than actually looking at art. But hopefully Bangkok’s latest wave of art spaces—which place more emphasis on the exhibitions than they do on getting drunk—can make us think otherwise. If not, then there’s still the relaunch of Soy Sauce Bar to try and get lucky.

 

 

Hot: Apocalypse 

Not: Graduation

Just when you thought things couldn’t get any worse than an endless Facebook stream of makeup-caked twenty-somethings frolicking before a camera in graduation gowns, they did. Now, Indonesia’s haze has arrived in Phuket via Singapore, while heavy downpours again threaten to put Bangkok under water (and put a serious dampener on our lunch hour in the process). 

 

 

Hot: Game

Not: Vegetables

OK, we give up. Jay Fest was great for a week, but now we want back our prison trays of barbecued ribs and bacon-topped wagyu burgers. Looks like this city’s fine-dining scene thinks the same. To coincide with Europe’s autumn, Savelberg, L’Appart and Water Library have blessed us with menus focused on pheasant, grouse and other buckshot-peppered beasts to sink our teeth into. Stay tuned for our roundup. 

 

 

Hot: French Chinese 

Not: American Chinese

So Opposite’s American-Chinese experiment at Maggie Choo’s is gone and we’ve yet to make it out of bed in time for Little Beast’s dim-sum brunch. Too bad, because now Chef Man’s Man Wai Yin has decided what we should really be eating is French-style Chinese food at M Krub: lots of set courses, minimal choice for the customer, and chocolate rather than mung bean for dessert. We’re in.

Oct 9

 

Hot: Low-cost hacking 

Not: Firewalls

Thailand might just have the most adorable computer hackers in the world. Forget masked youths in server rooms staring at green binary code; just put some aunties in an internet cafe, show them the F5 key and watch as Government Mainframe tumbles. You can take our freedom of speech; just don’t mess with our social media.

 

 

Hot: Old criminals 

Not: New terrorists 

We’re coming to the end of the bombing investigation, and the dramatic conclusion is… They all did it! The Uighurs were in league with the people smugglers who were in league the Red Shirts who were in league with the man in Dubai. It seems a couple non-terrorist killers may go to jail after all, though. From the Santika manager to the Mercedes bus stop guy, it’s like a greatest hits parade of the past 10 years is back on trial. 

 

 

Hot: Armchair foodies 

Not: Michelin-star somtam

We thought Bangkok would be happy that Somtum Der, a local restaurant which opened a branch in New York, won itself a Michelin star. But no. That’s outrageous, you say. There’s better somtam on your street corner than in New York, you argue; and what do those phony Frenchies know about judging somtam anyway, you ask rhetorically. Well, aren’t you a merry bunch. 

 

 

Hot: Parking spaces 

Not: Commuting

Sukhumbhand has proposed that you can’t buy a new car unless your house has a parking space, and Bangkokians love him for it. Or at least the only Bangkokians who matter: the ones who have parking spaces. Perhaps this isn’t the move we’ve been waiting for to put an end to our world-beating average commute time of two hours, though. Aren’t half of the people living in Bangkok actually registered as living upcountry?

Oct 2

 

Hot: Ashley Sutton

Not: Maggie Choo’s

After a messy breakup with Maggie Choo’s, and many a slow night at A.R. Sutton Engineers, Mr. Sutton has been having a bit of a comeback lately, releasing his new gin, Iron Balls, and now unveiling his latest design, Sing Sing, a lavish club next to Quince. But as Sutton rolls out a new Chinoiserie drinking den, you’ve got to wonder how pissed off his ex-employers over in Lower Silom feel. 

 

 

 

Hot: Censorship 

Not: Reality checks 

So Thailand wants to build its own Great Firewall of the Internets, the government’s propaganda unit has announced. Will it slow down movie downloads? Will we still be able to browse porn? Will it block political sites that we’re already reading via VPNs? Lastly, does Dear Leader realize his bourgeois fan base will totally flip their shit if he breaks their social apps? On that topic, see our sex app survey. 

 

 

Hot: Fox cafes 

Not: Animal rights

Last week we encouraged you all to go buy stuffed animals to redecorate your living room and visit a Shiba Inu dogs cafe in Hua Hin. This week, we’d like to take it up a notch with a new cafe in Muang Thong Thani (ow.ly/SCaTV) that has a red fox, meerkats and fennec foxes. Next week, we’ll probably have tips on how to slice fins off sharks or make your own foie gras.

 

 

Hot: SUVs 

Not: Flooding

When 232 people died in Thailand’s 2010 floods, we blamed Abhisit. When 815 people died in Thailand’s 2011 floods, we blamed Yingluck. This year, the flooding is not killing anyone, which is proof that military dictatorship just works. Just in case democracy does return some day, you might want to get yourself a proper vehicle, though. See our roundup of new SUVs. 

Sep 26

 

Hot: Justice

Not: How long it takes

Disgruntled puu yai and angry young business scions have not had it good lately. First, the Phuketwan journalists were acquitted of all charges brought against them by Thailand’s navy, then the Appeals Court threw out Natural Fruits’ defamation case against human rights lawyer Andy Hall. Now it’s been announced that Kanpitak “Mu Ham” Pachimsawat is finally going to see some jail-time for mowing down a queue of waiting bus passengers in 2007. Justice here may not be swift, but at least it can happen.  

 

 

Hot: Australia 

Not: Brooklyn 

Now that the streets of Brooklyn have become saturated with Aussie cafes, ours have too. Hot on the heels of Kaizen, Toby’s is the latest blond-wood shrine to smashed avocados and flat whites. Elsewhere, Sweetery is doing ridiculously over-the-top desserts with origins down under, while chains Jones the Grocer and Pie Face are also flying the Oz flag at Emquartier. 

 

 

Hot: Asoke 

Not: Sleaze

Wow. It seems like Bangkok’s sleaziest area is finally beginning to get on board with the whole not-pandering-to-sexpats thing. Last week, it welcomed Q&A, the new cocktail lounge from the Sugar Ray guys, while earlier in the month saw the opening of Lab Ramen burger kiosk, new-school steakhouse Meat Bar 31 and the follow-up to Ekkamai’s Nikko coffee shop. Pity the guys behind Hooters didn’t get the memo. See our round-up.

 

 

Hot: Bands to watch 

Not: Lazy lineups

Before winter fully strikes and the likes of Tattoo Colour, Flure and Getsunova pad out every festival lineup under the sun, take note: there’s a whole new roster of artists coming up whose musical chops are certified by some of the biggest local names in the business. To find out who they are and where, see here.

Sep 16

 

Hot: Prime cuts 

Not: Nose to tail    

2013 was all about nose to tail. Then we realized we don’t like ears, liver and hooves quite as much as we thought. 2015 is back to just the opposite, prime cuts of perfectly aged, beautifully marbled beef, cut by expert butchers. Good luck getting a table at Arno’s but you can also get your cow at Butcher or The Meat Bar 31. See also: Bangkok's best tomahawk steaks ranked cheapest to most expensive. 

 

 

Hot: Cops

Not: The PM

These past few weeks the police took center stage for having a laugh with a terrorist (seriously, what could they have been laughing about?); letting another terrorist in at the Cambodian border for a mere B18,000; mismatched DNA samples in the Koh Tao murders case; and organizing a bit of slapstick comedy with Siam Gangster. That makes them a lot more entertaining than Dear Leader, who’s been a bit short on preposterous statements lately.

 

 

Hot: Out-of-town music festivals

Not: ‘80s imports

Last week it was a 53-year-old singing “It’s My Life,” now we’re being told the 57-year-old queen of pop is headed to Bangkok next February. If you’re not a gerontophile, stick to the many great outdoor festivals headed your way, such as Wonderfruit, Big Mountain and Stone Free.

 

 

Hot: Giant squid  

Not: Giant chicken

Deep-fried chicken the size of a deflated basketball was always going to be a hit in this town. But once the photo-shoot’s over, there’s not much pleasant about chewing your way through that much meat, cartilage and fat. Not so with Giant Squid’s whole flattened mollusks, which taste much, much better than they sound. From Sep 29, you'll find it at Siam Paragon.

Sep 11

 

Hot: Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit

Not: Mez Tharatorn

GTH has finally done it! Produced a movie that’s worth going to see. And all it took was getting on board one of the most widely acclaimed indie directors in the country. Will Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit’s Freelance turn into the smash they had last year with I Fine? Probably not. But then that one did have a Japanese porn star in it.

 

 

Hot: Musicians doing food

Not: Designers doing food

Did you see Lek Greasy Cafe’s pubic hair sketches in A Day? Clearly, here’s a guy who needs to stick to what he’s good at. Which, like other indie artists in this town, isn’t necessarily making music. On the heels of Toe Silly Fool’s dry-aged beef, he’s opened a new organic cafe, Organic Supply, that’s actually worth visiting. Which is more than we can say about our fashion designers’ foodie enterprises.

 

 

Hot: Cheap beer

Not: Expensive beer

In this week’s Taste Test, just about the most baan baan beer out there won over every other can available in 7-Eleven. And at a time when we’re willing to pay more for an IPA than we are for a glass of good wine. See how you can save yourself a fortune. 

 

 

Hot: Drunk makeup 

Not: Makeup Plus app

There are enough eerily pale people with botched plastic surgery in this town. We didn’t need an app that makes you look like one of them. Instead, we’re welcoming the new Japanese makeup trend where one must look drunk thanks to a rosy undereye. Can’t be bothered? Just get drunk for real at new bar The Third Pig.

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Sep 2

 

Hot: 1970s

Not: 1990s  

Elle Fashion Week is upon us, and this season it’s all about the 1970s. You know, bell-bottom jumpsuits, grandma-curtain prints and a color palette taken from unhealthy stool samples. Is this really any better than choker necklaces, platform sneakers and dungarees? Probably not. But at least we didn’t get to try these trends the first time round. 

 

 

Hot: Winter warmup 

Not: Rainy season

We don’t really have a winter in Thailand, but if we did, it would probably be the best winter in the world. Just look at how much effort we put into the three weeks of the year when temperatures dip below 25. With the rainy season yet to properly hit, we’re already getting news of the impending “winter” markets and festivals, including Stone Free, Cat Expo, Wonderfruit (lineup coming any day now) and Sansiri’s Winter Market Fest. 

 

 

Hot: Silom soon

Not: Silom now

If you’ve ever wondered where BK gets produced, we’re in that crappy-looking building on the corner of Silom and Rama 4. Just so happens that as soon as they get rid of us (which should be next month), it’ll be transformed into the latest skywalk-access mega-project. Does this mean that Silom won’t look quite so much like central Bangkok’s crack alley soon?

 

 

Hot: High culture 

Not: Nu-metal

Every week somewhere in Bangkok, there’s a night dedicated to cover bands playing music it’s impossible to have any nostalgia for. This week it’s the turn of nu-metal, a genre so awful that even the people who played it liked to hide their faces behind masks. No thanks. Instead, we’ll be watching the musical antithesis to nu-metal at this year’s Bangkok’s 17th International Festival of Dance & Music. For more top events this September, see here.

Aug 28

 

Hot: Tim Ho Wan

Not: Robuchon  

Thanks to the arrival of the Hong Kong-born barbecued pork bun specialist rated the cheapest Michelin-listed restaurant in the world, you too can now enjoy Bangkok’s new wave of Michelin-star-affiliated restaurants. In a shopping mall. After queuing for two hours. With aunties. See more times people in Bangkok went totally crazy about food.  

 

 

Hot: Contradiction

Not: Investigation

Just three days after the bomb, we’d already had the police saying they’d requested international help and Prayut saying we don’t need international help; one general saying the suspect probably isn’t in the country and another saying he definitely is in the country; and the finger pointed firmly at pissed-off Uirghurs and then retracted and pointed at organized crime. Military and police spokespeople, repeat after us: “This is an ongoing investigation. We can’t comment at this time.”

 

 

Hot: Ramen burgers

Not: Bao

And it’s about time. These dirty-food beasts were attracting hundred-strong queues at Williamsburg Market back in 2013. But artery-clogging food fads are like buses­­—you wait forever before two come along. So this weekend, make up for the fact bao are now officially off the menu at Opposite by dropping by Lab Ramen Burger pop-up at this weekend's Art Box Market, before heading to Roger That for even more handheld, pan-fried noodle goodness.

 

 

Hot: Mini Marathons 

Not: Full marathons

After getting really, really into running last year, it seems either a) everyone’s realized they don’t like training, or b) us lazy people want in on the action too. If you fit either of these descriptions, check out the list of all the runs coming up in Bangkok—half of which won’t make you break a sweat.

Aug 21

 

Hot: Hanging on

Not: Democracy

Over in Myanmar, Thein Sein has ousted his likely presidential successor, Shwe Mann, from the role of prime minister just before the upcoming elections, while here, Gen Prayuth has placed his brother in line for the top army job. Meanwhile, the NRC has proposed a military-dominated crisis panel in its latest draft charter that would have the power to overrule any elected government. So much for those latest gone-by-October-’16 remarks.

 

 

Hot: Drinking

Not: Drinking

Drinking’s always getting better and better in this town. But for how long? We’re starting to hear back from business owners (and prospective business owners) about suddenly finding out they’re within a 300 meter radius of a school, no matter if it’s actually a 1km hike to get there. As a result, they can’t get new liquor licenses—and you can’t get that cool new bar/cafe in your neighborhood.

 

 

Hot: Good design

Not: Lazy design

Here’s a thought: If your brand starts with the letter M, try not using a loopy M in a circle for your logo. Matter socks and Minimore are two of the latest Thai brands who haven’t looked beyond the front cover of Monocle for their design inspiration, but the future of homegrown originality isn’t quite dead yet. The breakthrough furniture brands from this year’s Baan Lae Suan fair prove that there’s still life in thinking for yourself.

 

 

Hot: Taiwanese desserts

Not: French bakeries

So far, we’re yet to see any ham, lettuce and cheddar croissants in the windows of Paris’s boulangeries, nor mountainous slices of chocolate fudge cake wrapped in clear sheets of plastic. All this makes us think this city’s young business owners are a whole lot better at doing authentic Taiwanese desserts than they are French. For the latest pastel tofu jelly specialist you’re almost guaranteed not to get a seat at, see bit.ly/1LakvB1.

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Aug 14

Credit (right): Wikipedia

 

Hot: Nostalgia

Not: Today

Things are kind of rough right now, what with the falling baht and exports at a record low. So, what better time to don those rose-tinted specs and reminisce. The city’s theater fraternity agrees, too. The coming weeks see the opening of four new plays: two about time travel, another set in the Rama 7-8 era and another set during the Vietnam War.

 

 

Hot: Self-trackers

Not: Work-out fads

Yoga with cats, surfing indoors and pretending to be a ninja––there’s never been so many ways for people to tell their friends they went to the gym without really working out. Ditch the fads (and the duck-face) and take responsibility for that flab with the new batch of self-tracking devices in town.

 

 

Hot: Art galleries

Not: Art bars

You can’t just rent a space, chuck your mate’s doodles on the walls, plug in a fridge full of Leo and call yourself an art bar. Well, you can. But you can do better, as Schemata and Yen Akart Villa have proven by opening genuinely impressive new art spaces (see ow.ly/QBZXD).

 

Credit (left): kae71463

 

Hot: Hipster Greek

Not: Mexican trucks

When a trend makes it into a BK roundup, it’s a sure sign it’s reached saturation point. This week it’s the turn of taco-specializing food trucks, which have rolled into town alongside a raft of their bricks-and-mortar compadres (see our round-up). Meanwhile, we’re training our eyes on the horizon for the imminent arrival of souvlaki trucks.

Aug 7

 

Hot: Tex-Mex

Not: French

Has le big bubble burst? Right now, times are tough for French dining in Bangkok’s post-Robuchon era. Le Beaulieu (#1 in Top Tables 2014, #12 in 2015), Le Maverick (though it's now sad to be reopening for dinner) and Le Comptoir Eiffel have all bitten the dust in recent weeks. In that same time, no less than five new taco trucks (or kiosks) have popped up: Taco Factory, Two Angels, Express Mexican, Taco Taxi and Cactus.

 

 

Hot: Basics

Not: Tweaks

Gentlemen, have you had it with dog-logo shirts, unnecessary “playful” tweaks and frills? You are not alone. And you don’t have to plan a trip to New York or Tokyo to stock up on tasteful basics either. For well-made, crisp-fitting locally-designed menswear that won’t make you feel like a jerk, see our roundup.

 

 

Hot: Singapore street food

Not: Thai street food

The small island nation is currently celebrating its 50th b-day (see our story), but if culture isn’t your thing, Thrillist, an American website we’re led to believe is a big deal, just named Singapore the world’s best city for street food, one slot above us. Wait, what, how is this even possible? We must say our sister mag, SG, has put together a pretty compelling argument (see ow.ly/PSkI0).

 

 

Hot: Thai drama

Not: Thai drama

Abhisit is hosting a talk, Fallacies Thailand, on reducing drama in Thai society––which is a pretty bonkers agenda for a talk if we’ve ever heard one. But we’ve got a whopping four Thai musicals hitting the stage these coming weeks. So is drama hot or not? Bring on the drama and duke it out in your Facebook comments.

 

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July 31

 

Hot: Your favorite bar

Not: Your favorite pizza

In the past year, some amazing things have happened on Bangkok’s pizza scene. Like world-beating, you-won’t-find-pizza-this good-outside-of-Naples amazing. All of which went completely unnoticed by the voters of this year’s Readers’ Choice Awards. On the other hand, is it really any surprise that BK readers know where to seek out a good, stiff drink?

 

 

Hot: Online grocers

Not: Farmers’ markets

With its rebranding as Knack Market, it looks like Jam Factory has finally accepted its “farmers’ market“ for what it always was: a showcase of design students’ efforts to be craftsmen. But don’t worry if you think this is in anyway going to interrupt your ability to purchase food products made in home kitchens to no health and safety standards whatsoever. A new raft of online delivery companies will bring them straight to your door.

 

Credit : www.madonna.com

 

Hot: Rumored concerts

Not: Canceled concerts

Whether you view him as post-Britpop’s prince of pop or just “that fat dancer from Take That” (thanks Noel Gallagher), there’s little denying Robbie Williams is still a drawcard. But now that his Bangkok concert has bitten the dust, the rumor mill’s gone into overdrive as two who will be the next big name headed our way. Heading the list is is the legendary pop queen Madonna whose Rebel Heart tour date for Manila has already been confirmed for Feb 26, 2016. Fingers crossed.

 

 

Hot: Flamingos

Not: Pineapples

In the fashion and design worlds, flamingoes are having a moment in the sun. Forget pineapples and swaying palm trees, these hot-pink, long-legged birds are the tropical successors to cats; that is, they’re everywhere. Madame Flamingo founder Pantila “Janet” Promfang and her fiance, TVC assistant director Montanuth “Ty” Kedmontri, like them so much they filled their house with a flamboyance of flamingoes. Take a peek inside.

July 24

 

Hot: Tall Thais

Not: Party dwarves

The owner of Maggie Choo’s was on Facebook the other day complaining that the club’s Theatre of Oddities night, aka his midget party, wasn’t working. And this week new Irish bar Drunken Leprechaun launched with a bevy of little people trussed up in green suits. Haven’t these people heard that using dwarves for entertainment is about as cool as advertising doughnuts with blackface? Meanwhile, the department of health has set a target to increase the average height of Thai men to 175cm within the next 10 years. Clearly, they don’t want the nation to be a seen as a bad party trick.

 

 

Hot: Chinese food

Not: Chinese tourists

We’re really beginning to get a taste for Chinese food now that it’s coming out of our favorite hipster chefs’ kitchens, like Opposite Mess Hall and Little Beast. Not that our visiting friends from China would know. The TAT just published the results of a poll asking their favorite places to eat in Bangkok. Top of the pile? Sirocco, followed by a stream of other tour bus-friendly spots you’re unlikely to see on any other list.

 

www.facebook.com/gossipgirlthai

 

Hot: Cindy Burbridge

Not: The rest of Gossip Girl’s cast

With fake acting and shot-by-shot, copy-cat production, the pilot of Gossip Girl just about lived up to everyone’s expectations. But at least the casting crew got Lily Van Der Woodsen right. The winner of 1996 Miss Thailand World, Cindy Burbridge, was perfect in the role of a glamorous society mom. Sadly, none of the rest of the cast looked even half Thai, or had a clue how to act.

 

 

Hot: Parties

Not: Meet-ups

What happened to the days when you could just go out and have a good time? Now everything’s a networking event—basically shorthand for shooting fingers and making small talk with people you either don’t know or want to see fail, gloriously.

July 15

 

Hot: Minions

Not: Be@rbrick

Did you put on 10lbs eating McDonald’s Happy Meals twice daily with hopes of putting together a full set of collectible Minions? Well, you can stop now. They’re already sold out at the 200 Mickey D’s nationwide and you’ll need B1,500 to buy a full set on the black market instead. But think of how cheap that is compared to the money you can stop wasting on Be@rbricks now.

 

 

Hot: Thai movies

Not: Tangmo coverage

How to Win at Checkers, directed by American-Korean Josh Kim is getting glowing reviews for its sensitive portrayal of both LGBT issues and the power of money in Thai society. There’s also the most excellent Y/Our Music, a documentary on Thai music which is getting accepted into every film festival around. Too bad Thai TV still sucks.

 

 

Hot: Mexican restaurants

Not: Beer bars

So many new Mexican restaurants—and they’re all pretty amazing: Casa Azul, Tacos Factory and La Monita 2. We wish we could be as excited about the opening of a new beer bar. With so many venues gettings their brews from the same handful of importers, our excitement for craft brands and the places selling them is going flat.

 

July 10

 

Hot: Cremeux

Not: Macarons

Apparently, it’s a French word. But one of our editors who speaks a little French (being French and all) did his best to Google this. All he could find was a forum in French where someone asked, “What is a cremeux?” And everyone replied, “Je ne sais pas.” But who cares about that. When a dessert we’d never heard of before turns up twice in one week, we know Bangkok’s found it’s new macaron. For more real food trends, see our roundup.

 

 

Hot: Second-line restaurants

Not: Second-line fashion

We thought these fashion second lines were meant to be more wearable than the designers’ main brands. We even said so in our cover story (ow.ly/P7SjU). But we’re not seeing how “wearable” fits in with bright pink leotards and hot pants smaller than bikini bottoms. When modernist Thai chef Thitid Tassanakajohn (Le Du) says he’s going back to basics, he really means it. The dishes at Baan look (and taste) just like your aunty made them. See also: Err, the new project from the Bo.lan chefs.

 

 

Hot: CheckBait

Not: Clickbait

Time’s up on Bangkok’s mushrooming industry for copycat websites. Manager reports that in the one week since CheckBait (www.fb.com/CheckBait) launched, the clickbait-busting website has cut traffic to the likes of Boxza, Dek-D and Catdumb by 25 percent. That means you might actually have to visit BKmagazine.com to read our insufferable listicles.

 

 

Hot: Ugly sandals

Not: Chic sneakers

Three-hour queues for Converse’s United Arrows collaboration. Lucky draws and even longer waits for Kanye West’s Yeezy sneakers, after only 34 pairs were let into the country. Keeping up with the sneaker game is hard work. Which is partly why we’ve changed our tune on sandals. Whether strap-ons or slides, they’re easy to wear. Style-wise, it’s another story––see how to make even Birkenstocks look cool.

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July 3

 

Hot: Pedro Pascal

Not: Owen Wilson

When the forever-blond star of 2013’s The Internship was in town, we couldn’t snap a selfie to save our life. Every time we tried, some minder would jump in the frame. But last week, when Game of Thrones character Oberyn Martell dropped by Smalls, the only thing we saw on IG were people smiling with Oberyn, drinking with Oberyn, even kissing Oberyn on the cheek. Celebrities visiting Bangkok please take note: this is how to act.

 

 

Hot: Men’s T-shirts

Not: Men’s dresses

Sending a male model down the runway in a dress does not make your collection unisex. We really love that Thai designer brand Purinutt is thinking beyond jeans and T-shirts, but if that’s enough to make a line of A-line dresses work for men and women, then we’ll have to reassess the whole concept of gender-appropriate clothing. So for now, we’ll just stick to classic pocket Ts from Wardrobe Ministry.

 

 

Hot: Pies the shape of your face

Not: Chicken the size of your head

Finally, the lines are dying down as mall-goers realize Hot Star’s mammoth deepfried chunks of chicken are indeed mammoth deep-fried chunks of chicken too large for a single human’s consumption. Emquartier’s latest fast-food photo op comes from Down Under. Regardless of taste, Pie Face’s pies and tarts adorned with smiley faces ought to be a hit with the city’s emoji-obsessed.

 

 

Hot: Thai ads

Not: Thai adaptations

The first posters and trailers for Gossip Girl Thailand confirmed what everyone knew already: this is going to suck. Big time. But at least our ad-people are giving us something to be proud of, with BBDO Bangkok’s original campaign for Throatsil Outdoor taking home this country’s first Golden Lion at the Cannes Lion 2015 advertising awards. That’s a big deal. Yay Thailand!

 

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June 26

 

Hot: Local bartenders

Not: Imported bartenders

Why is it, every bar we go into is staffed by a pony-tailed Swede when our local bartenders are killing it in Diageo’s global bartending championships? As if the Nordic races didn’t already have the scene sewn up with UNCLE, Ku De Ta, Viva Aviv and Hyde & Seek, we’ve now found them behind the bar in the newly opened Viva 21.

 

 

Hot: Social enterprise

Not: Handouts

That’s it. Bangkok’s charities have given up on thinking we’ll give them money out of the kindness of our hearts. These new guys have instead resorted to providing stuff we actually want to buy (such as cut-price hotel rooms). That’s way more like it!

 

 

Hot: White sneakers

Not: Man sandles

Ask us again in six weeks, but for now, we’re really not digging the whole suit trousers and Birkenstocks thing. Especially not at a time when we can look just as good in a pair of B1,500 white Supergas. See our story on 7 classic white sneakers and where to get them in Bangkok. 

 

 

Hot: Uni in everything

Not: Taiwanese buns

When a new restaurant—one that specializes in American seafood and has nothing to do with Japan—serves a single dish containing uni butter, uni sauce, fresh uni and uni rostini, you know Bangkok’s stumbled on its next gua bao. Expect sea urchin to make its way into all your dinners for at least the rest of 2015. 

 

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June 19

 

Hot: Yannawa River Walk

Not: Chao Phraya River Walk

Who cares about public opinion when you’re the BMA? Our city authorities have decried that what the Chao Phraya needs is a 7km, B14 billion walkway that displaces a local community and could have potentially disastrous environmental consequences on Bangkok’s biggest waterway. What’s more, the plan looks ridiculous––like a neverending strip of green Silly Putty––and comes at a time when Shma Design and UDDC have proposed a beautiful alternative for further along the river.

 

 

Hot: Grilled cheese

Not: Barbecue

That’s it. We’ve given up ever trying to find that Meat & Bones food truck. We’re beginning to think the whole thing might be an elaborate hoax. Instead, we’ll be dining out on the new fad for restaurants serving food you can cook at home, starting with a grilled cheese sandwich. See our best grilled cheese roundup.

 

 

Hot: The monkhood

Not: Politics

Now is really not a good time to be a politician. One minute your trip to Amsterdam is being cut short because of floods, the next your likeness is clogging up the internet as a meme accompanied to some crap you said without thinking. No wonder Suthep’s having nothing more to do with the whole business of politics and staying a monk.

 

 

Hot: Buying books

Not: Reading books

Aren’t Bangkokians only meant to like reading Pantip drama? You’d never believe it to see the crowds at any and every book event in this city. Dig out your best canvas tote for Thailand Independent Bookstore Week. The perfect excuse to purchase some sexy literary shelf candy.

 

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June 12

 

Hot: Arson

Not: Our heritage

The Chumbhot-Pantip Foundation stopped renewing leases for residents of a historic community on Charoenkrung in 2008, so it could develop land surrounding the MRT station being built in that area. On Jun 1, the shop houses in question caught fire. (Locals say it’s arson.) Now, district officials say the damage is such that the shop houses must be destroyed. And who chairs the Chumbhot-Pantip foundation? Sukhumbhand Paribatra, the governor of Bangkok.

 

 

Hot: Price hikes

Not: Deflation fears

From Vesper to Lenzi (read our new review), we can’t help but notice that this season’s “new” menus are also more expensive. This should come as reassuring news for Thanavath Phonvichai of the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, who expressed concerns about contraction of consumer prices for five months in a row. Clearly, he’s just not going to the right places.

 

 

Hot: Actual gardens

Not: Terrariums

If you bought terrariums through a local Instagram account, you might want to switch to buying clothes instead (see page 16). Sad little jars on the kitchen table have had a good run, but the trend is over. It’s time to celebrate actual plants living in the real world, not half-dead moss under a glass dome. For some inspiration, see our story on Bangkokians turning their homes into urban green spaces.

 

 

Hot: Sathorn Soi 10-12

Not: BK Magazine

After Rocket opened, we banged on about that soi being Bangkok’s hottest neighborhood for about a year. Except Rocket was never joined by the legions of galleries and cafes we envisioned, leading us to declare the area a flop. Now that Revolucion Cocktail and Marcel have just opened, soon to be joined by Jess Barnes' Daisy Matthews, we’re having to change our tune one more time. The place is hot!

June 5

 

Hot: Second lines

Not: Collaborations

Collaborations were getting really lazy: combine some street artist and some mainstream shoe brand, or a high street shop and an haute couture designer and, voila, you’ve got a cash-cow collection. We’re much more excited about affordable second lines from here and abroad, such as T. Wang and PS by Paul Smith.

 

 

Hot: Running

Not: Long-haul flights

You probably got way too much traveling done with all the holidays in April and May. It’s time you save up and boost the local economy by swapping your sushi expeditions to Tokyo for runs throughout Thailand. See our roundup.

 

 

Hot: Alt has-beens

Not: Pop has-beens

We’re finally seeing the end of a wave of ’90s boy bands (Blue, Backstreet Boys, Boyzone) that submerged Krungthep for a few weeks. But don’t go thinking they’ll be followed by the latest and edgiest indie bands. Instead, brace yourselves for Muse (Oct 23, TBC) and The Prodigy (Aug 11).

 

 

Hot: Food truck restaurants

Not: Street food

By now, you must have heard of Soi 38’s street food stalls’ impending demise. Not only are our sidewalks’ cooks moving into malls faster than you can say pad fack, but now the food trucks are packing up too. Formerly mobile kitchens Holy Cheese and Banh Mi Bo are now proper restaurants. We blame global warming.

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May 29

 

Hot: Second-tier malls

Not: Luxury malls

Move over Emquartier and Central Embassy. Stop hogging the limelight. The little guys are now fighting back. Terminal 21 just welcomed a branch of the world’s cheapest Michelin-star restaurant, Tim Ho Wan, makers of delicious barbecue pork buns in Hong Kong. And Gateway Ekkamai is opening the doors to Snow Town, a little themed village where you can pretend to be in Niseko thanks to some seriously strong air-con.

 

 

Hot: Racism

Not: Compassion

The general message on Thai social media is that if you have any kind of compassion for the Rohingya dying on their boats, you should take one into your condo. Alternatively, one can follow Dear Leader’s advice and actually trade places with a Rohingyan friend. Khon Thai, jai dee.

 

 

Hot: Tea houses

Not: Coffee shops

Don’t get us wrong, we need our fix of caffeine as much as anyone else. But all these coffee shops look so similar (industrial, dangling lightbulbs stuff), so we’re happy to welcome a fresh wave of places focused on tea that tap into our regional heritage rather than New York’s. See our latest roundup.

 

 

Hot: Bicycles on tracks

Not: Bicycles on roads

With talk of imposing a driver’s license on cyclists, it seems that there are really no smart ideas on how to better protect cyclists from drivers who are drunk, speeding, texting or all of the above. In the meantime, you can spin your wheels without the risk at the new bicycle track in Kaset-Nawamin.

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May 22

Hot: Selfie drones

Not: Selfie sticks

White people have finally embraced selfie sticks. But wait, it’s OK when they do it because they use a GoPro and shoot video while kayaking or using public transportation in developing nations. So if you’re still using your phone to celebrate your likeness in front of a monument, your grandparents must be from China. Why not one up everyone and get your own selfie drone at www.lily.camera (available for pre-order at US$499)?

 

 

Hot: Coffee corners

Not: Coffee shops

Homey-industrial coffee shop or expensive cult-label boutique? Seems the choice is too hard for Bangkok’s new wave of young business owners with a shop-house, a till and some air plants. So whether you’re at the new branch of Onion, designery concept store 2/7: Twice a Week or the relaunched Liberty Area One, you’ll find one corner devoted to the owners’ burgeoning latte art skills. Given how few people go in these places, they should have plenty of time to practice. See also: 5 new hipster stores we love in Bangkok.

 

 

Hot: Dad bods

Not: Six Packs

Thailand didn’t get the memo about dad bods yet: see the six-pack-themed Samed in Love party, or the Pomelo fashion party with “hot waterboys”. But if we’re to believe Leo DiCaprio’s belly, women like a little padding around the waist. Word of caution: the dad bod is meant to be a muscled physique wrapped in a bit of fat, meaning men can eat and drink more, but must still go to Crossfit. Damn it.

May 15

 

 

Hot: Garden vibes

Not: Actual gardens

Exactly what do people mean when they say their event is happening “in a garden setting”? Wouldn’t that just be a garden? Apparently not. More likely, it’ll be a community mall with some fake grass and potted plants. Which right now appeals to us way more than being out in the real-world heat.

 

 

Hot: School uniforms

Not: Traditional dress

From the reversible shorts supposedly destroying Thai morals to the Joey Boy-designed plimsolls, the Kingdom is suddenly obsessed with what our schoolchildren wear. Don’t these kids know they could be tucking into free Burger King or getting 80-percent discount at the Amazing Thailand Grand Sale if only they dressed like door porters from the Mandarin Oriental?

 

 

Hot: Thai spirits

Not: Rye whiskey

We loved the rye whiskey trend. We loved it so much we even learned what rye is. But now another booze trend has come along to make all that time on Wikipedia pointless. It’s the dawn of Thai craft spirits, folks, and even though the people making them are as unsure as the police about whether they’re legal, we’ve rounded up where you can get a taste.

May 8

 

 

Hot: Dubious brand associations

Not: Fashion cafes

Would you like a deodorant company to fix you a cup of coffee? Are you tantalized by the idea of a German engineering firm making you lunch? Of course you are. That’s why there’s now an Axe coffee shop on the G/F of Siam Center and a Mercedes-Benz cafe at Emporium. This all makes fashion cafes very last season despite the opening of another Onion in Ari.

 

Photo by Nattaphon Phanpongsanon                                                                                        Vycheslav Argenberg

 

Hot: Sathorn Unique photographers

Not: Maya Beach tourists

Turns out Sathorn’s abandoned skyscraper isn’t so abandoned after all. First came the video of foreigners base jumping, next was the Youtube clip of foreigners free running, and now the news that, on any day of the week, its top floors are as busy with Thai photographers as Koh Phi Phi Leh’s most famous film set is with daytripping tourists.

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May 1

Hot: Stu-Fe vibes

Not: Friends of the owner

Come on, your buddies just managed to squeeze B10 million out of their parents to open a new bar complete with attached glasshouse annex and rapidly dying ferns. Have a heart and put some money in the till. Don’t just sit there talking about trips to Niseko, drinking the Hibiki 17 and putting off paying customers. For these very reasons, we’ll be avoiding half the new bars in town and drinking in Baan Puen—the closest place yet to the dearly-missed Stu-Fe.

 

 

Hot: Bananas

Not: Stealing ideas

Tokyo Banana gets ripped off by Siam Banana. Then Siam Banana allegedly gets ripped off by CP. Social media drama ensues. Our lawyers tell us we shouldn’t comment on this, but can we at least note how disgusting Tokyo Banana is? Why would anyone copy it? What’s wrong with actual bananas? Has everyone gone bananas? OK, we’ll get our coat now.

 

 

Hot: Japanese produce

Not: Local produce

Thai food is not good enough. At least that’s the message we’re getting from all the chefs opening high-end Thai restaurants right now, which just don’t seem to think their menus are complete without a liberal dose of taraba, Kobe beef and akami—straight from Tsukiji, of course. It’s all another hammer-blow to this country’s locavore farm-to-table movement.

 

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Apr 17

 

Hot: Comic book cafes

Not: Board game cafes

A massive congratulations to Bangkok Comic Con and Thailand Comic Con, whose decision for the second year running to both take place on the same dates and double as anime festivals will no doubt once again ensure that neither is any good. And right at a time when comic book fever is sweeping the city, with not one but two superhero-themed cafe openings taking up space that might otherwise have been turned into more board game-related businesses.

 

 

Hot: Districts

Not: Neighborhoods

Apparently, we’re all meant to be calling Charoenkrung Bangkok’s “art district” now that a couple of new galleries have opened (learn where they are during this weekend’s art tour). Meanwhile, the Mall Group is busy rebranding Phrom Phong as Em District––sorry––The District Em (there’s that French word-play again) and Sukhumvit 11 is gearing up for The District DJ Festival.

 

 

Hot: Indigo swimwear

Not: Indigo shirts

Now that most of Bangkok’s fashion brands are done reinventing themselves with natty lines of homemade indigo shirts, Janesuda has proven the same half-colored technique can be applied to swimwear for a look that’s simply tie-dye for. We’re really, really sorry.

 

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Apr 10

Hot: Nudity

Not: Drinking and driving

First Halloween turned into an excuse for sexy fancy dress, and now our outfits for Songkran are going the same way (see our party roundup). Every year they get tighter and skimpier, which we’re all for. So put on your shortest sequined shorts and start downing those buckets. Just leave the car at home.

Hot: Fried chicken

Not: Burgers

You are not nearly as passionate about burgers as you think you are. In our recent online burger quiz, most people failed to match more than three Bangkok burgers with the restaurant. Think about that. And anyway, burgers are so last week now that Taiwanese junk food sensation Hot Star XXL has arrived at Emquartier with fried chicken fillets the size of your head.

Apr 3

 

 

Hot: Overnight Success

Not: Heritage

Bangkok’s last generation of craft brands—P.Tendercool, Alexander Lamont—showed dedication to their art, bringing over the finest French polishers or digging up lost Japanese lacquer techniques. Turns out it was all a big fat waste of time. The new wave of master carpenters, denim-smiths, sushi chefs and potters have proven that all you need is a nice shop in Ekamai Mall and a cactus garden.

 

Mar 20

Mar 13

Mar 6

Hot: Boat parties

Not: Pool parties

We don’t want to see you with your clothes off (nor you us). And if we did, we’d be this guy. As such, we’d rather get our fix of waterside partying by hopping on board the Duck & Noodle party boat or heading to the upcoming Great Outdoor Market with its rickety floating bar.

 

 

Hot: Boozy milkshakes

Not: Cocktails with bacon

We’re still reeling from the realization that not everything’s better with bacon. Thankfully, after that little failed experiment, bartenders across town are now turning their attention to ice-cream, spiking their frosty shakes with everything from Malibu to chili-infused liqueur.

 

 

Hot: Summer

Not: Al fresco dining

The summer collections are here and so is the crushing heat. The elusive cool breeze you may have enjoyed for the past few months at Never Ending Summer, Salt (on that topic, see the chef's new endeavor Site) or Wanderlust’s rooftop, is rapidly turning into a sticky, humid and oppressive vapor. Zuma and Vogue Lounge do have outdoor air-conditioning, but we’d never encourage that kind of environmental recklessness, would we now.

 

Feb 27

Feb 20

Feb 13

Hot: Sex in Bangkok

Not: Sex in Singapore

For all the martial law, at least we can still screw pretty much whoever we please in this town. That’s not the case everywhere in ASEAN. Our Singapore neighbors are reportedly losing millions of pink dollars in tourism to Bangkok’s more liberal LGBT attitudes. We’ve even got the 2nd Asia LGBT Milestone Awards coming here in April. Need more reasons to celebrate our rich and varied sex lives?

 

 

Hot: Charoenkrung

Not: Phra Arthit

The party’s over on the Old Town strip we love to talk about. Grumpy burger flippers, backpacker overspill and an endless string of middle-of-the-road jazz festivals mean the in-crowd have moved downtown to Charoenkrung. Act fast if you want to live the shop-housed dream, as rents are set to go through the roof

 

 

Hot: Khao Chef’s Table

Not: Water Library Thonglor

This month, Bangkok waves goodbye to Water Library Thonglor. But for everyone who could actually afford to eat at the chef driven, fine-dining pioneer, there is hope. A new chef’s table has opened as part of fancy Japanese restaurant Yuutaro with prices equally out of our reach.

 

Feb 6

 

Hot: Nikkei

Not: Tiki

 

Japanese-Peruvian cuisine has been hot for over a decade, but with the opening of 22 Kitchen and the imminent arrival of chefs Vergilio Martinez and Mitsuharu Tsumura for the San Pellegrino awards in Singapore this March, we feel it’s finally reaching our shores in a big way. Unlike sipping coconut milk laced with rum out of Easter Island heads, which we can still only do at U.N.C.L.E.

 

 

Hot: Bang La Merd

Not: The Army

 

Watching Bang La Merd is pretty surreal. Among other things, performer Ornanong Thaisriwong details her ordeal registering her play with the army. Meanwhile, sitting with you, are two people from the United Nations who are observing two actual plainclothes soldiers who are recording the performance. It’s all very Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Note to the grunts: if you want to fit in with the art crowd, don’t pop your collar.

 

 

Hot: Pillows

Not: Drugs

 

What are the cool kids doing? They’re getting down to wild nights of folk music over at The Jam Factory, where the only thing anyone’s taking is Instagram shots while sitting on pillows that they brought to the gig from home. We hope the trend’s gonna catch on, because pillows seem like a great way to keep kids off drugs.

 

Jan 30

Hot: 90s throwbacks

Not: Jazz festivals

 

Another week, another jazz festival. Koh Mr. Saxman is one very busy dude. Not that anyone seems to care given the ever-increasing number of bars playing a good ol’ fashioned iTunes playlists. Of our list of Bangkok’s best bars with consistently good soundtracks, at least half have a distinctly 90s flavor, whether it’s the names (Happy Monday) or the outdated singalongs (Bar 23).

 

 

Hot: Farmers' market wars

Not: Home delivery services

 

Everyone with an oven is opening their own Facebook or Instagram page to sell their cakes. At least at the farmers' markets you can see what you’re paying for before you buy. And competition is heating up on that front, with Bangkok Farmers' Market getting booted from K Village, to be replaced by newbie Urban Eatery and the newly-announced, similarly named, K-Village Farmers' Market.

 

 

Hot: Free screenings

Not: House RCA

 

Sadly, things seem awfully quiet over at House RCA. Meanwhile bar after bar keeps announcing “special free screening nights”--looking at you, Ocean, Speedy Grandma. (See our previous roundup.) This is the age of high-speed downloading, for chrissakes––why go play musical chairs with a group of strangers with questionable body odor, when you can do it home, alone, with the lights off? Better yet, go buy a ticket, support your cinema, lest they close and you’re left with everyone complaining that there’s nothing to do in this town.

 

Jan 23

 

We know: the thought of visiting Myanmar for its beautiful pagodas, sunrise balloon trips and virgin coastline just wasn’t good enough. What it really needed was a Best Western. If you’re as dismayed by the big hotel chains moving into Thailand’s western neighbor as we are, think about heading east instead, where more interesting things are happening in Ho Chi Minh City. See The 7 hottest international destinations we'll be headed to in 2015.

 

 

Hot: Bublé             

Not: Angry flower granny

 

Stop hating the pushy flower seller at Nakhon Pathom. She’s old, she’s alone and her children are clearly not keeping her entertained. If you don’t want your mom to go down that path, show her some love and take her to crooner extraordinaire Michael Bublé’s concert this weekend.

 

 

Hot: Potters             

Not: Carpenters

 

Still got any fingers left after that stint as a completely unqualified master carpenter? Well, it’s time to put them to use again; this time making tiny little vases too narrow for the stem of a flower. That’s right, all the coolest craftsmen in town are now doing pottery. See The Bangkok designers making handcrafted ceramics cool again.

 

 

Hot: Scandinavian cafés             

Not: French bistros

 

Granola is proof that the Scandinavian invasion launched by Rocket is picking up steam. We just can’t get enough open sandwiches, minimal Nordic design, and unpronounceable things topped with berries. Meanwhile, has anyone been back to Fauchon or Maxim’s lately?

 

Jan 16

 

We’ve hardly recovered from the news that AFF Suzuki cup breakout star Charyl Chappuis had a girlfriend (and how nasty Thai women get when a hot guy is involved), but already the Swiss-Thai midfielder has been forgotten now that shirtless pictures of Welsh-Thai Mika Chunuonsee’s eight-pack have surfaced.

 

 

Hot: Homebrew Beer                                        

Not: Craft Beer

 

Now that every restaurant has a half-dozen IPAs (that’s India Pale Ale, in case this is the first time you read BK) it’s time to stop drinking the stuff. Instead, our delicate palates demand brews made in a bathtub in the back of the restaurant, at great personal risk to the owner and our livers. Meet the fine people driving the trend.

 

 

Hot: Sunadcha Tadrabiab                                

Not: Sola Aoi

 

What’s fun about a pornstar who keeps her clothes on? After Sola Aoi’s performance in I Fine... Thank You... Love You, we’re wishing she stuck to her old job. At least Sara star Nes Sunadcha never had a reputation for anything before taking up bad acting. And now that she’s in a movie, those grainy leaked sex tape pics actually seem worth Googling.

 

 

Hot: Café Culture                                                      

Not: TCDC

 

The Jam Factory's Never Ending Summer was the most visited restaurant on bkmagazine.com for 2014. There’s no sign of the buzz dying down with every second pic in our instagram feed being of The Jam Factory Magazine (read our interview with the guy behind it). One of this month’s best exhibitions is also opening there this weekend. It kind of makes you wonder what TCDC has been up to for the past 12 months.

 

Jan 9

Hot: Upgrading your office
Not: Upgrading your home
Sorry folks, but it looks like we’re out of holidays for the month and you may actually be expected to look alive at your desk in the coming weeks (as opposed to showing up in beer garden zombie mode). To make your plight a little less cruel, we’ve rounded up some back-to-work gadgets (see Smart Office) and décor pieces (see 9 back-to-work essentials from Thai designers) guaranteed to brighten up your office.

Hot: Extra fine dining
Not: Comfort food
If you’re on team Jess Barnes—meaning you like Opposite’s full-on flavors, hearty portions and casual atmosphere—you may just feel a bit out of touch in 2015. With the recent opening of Joel Robuchon and the upcoming Origin, we’re seeing highly refined presentation and gazillion-course meals making a strong comeback. Then again, Barnes has plans of his own and Water Library Thonglor is taking things down a notch (see 25 things to look forward to in 2015).

Hot: Air-con
Not: Hipster markets
It’ll get here, eventually, the crushing heat of Mar-May. But for now, it’s time to enjoy the last of this winter seasons’ hipster markets, Made by Legacy (see BK Weekend Jan 8-11). After that, it’ll be back to the freezing air-con of malls and hotels, of which there will be plenty more opening this year: EmQuartier, Naiipa Art Complex, Park Hyatt, etc. (see 25 things to look forward to in 2015).

Hot: Rising indie stars
Not: Yesterday's hits
A glimpse at the upcoming gigs for 2015 (see 25 things to look forward to in 2015) will tell you Bangkok is no longer just the last bastion for washed-up pop singers (cough, cough, Michael Buble). With the likes of Iceage, Deers, The 1975 and even Mogwai, we’ve got touring bands coming to town either at the peak of their game or on their way to superstardom.

Read our 2014 archives here