Shangarila Restaurant

A big favorite among the Thai-Chinese families whose moms or grandmas resolutely say no to farang food. The place has been around for more than 40 years and the décor is typically Chinese, with lots of red and lots of round tables. It’s loud, of course, being full of families and playing kids on weekends, and mostly businessmen on weekdays. The food is decent, too, with varieties of dimsum and a nicely balanced rad naa (noodles in gravy sauce, B150) that’s sure to remind you of your aunt yelling at you to eat your vegetables, when all you really wanted was the Peking duck (that’s still cooked to perfection, B900).
147/7-9 Silom Rd., 02-234-9147-9. Open daily 10am-2pm; 5-10pm. www.shangarilagroup.com

Bua

Before Bua hit the community malls, it was another of those family-friendly restaurants with outdoor seating and fish tanks for the kids to gawk at. The vast menu covers all the classic Thai dishes you could possibly think of, but we recommend going for the tao hu song krueng (stir-fried tofu in gravy sauce, B150) or poo pad pong kari (stir-fried crab with yellow curry powder, B1,700 for a kg). And why not head to the branch on the edge of Bangkok and combine it with a family moment in the suan arharn (food park).
5/1 Srinakarin Rd., 02-393-5876, 02-393-5877. Open daily 10am-10pm

Pan Pan

Back in the old days when Bangkok didn’t have so many osteria, the name Pan Pan was synonymous with Italian dining. We must admit to fond childhood memories of tagging along with our parents and their snappily dressed friends for a dinner in town. Since then, the Lang Suan outlet has closed and a thin layer of nostalgia has settled on the original restaurant’s unpretentious but, warm décor. Still, Pan Pan has some good-value treats, particularly if you like pasta and cheese. The macaroni with mushroom and cream sauce (B230) features al dente pasta and sliced mushrooms drenched in a super rich cream sauce, and the baked spinach (B220) is still covered in an overabundance of melted cheese that any kid would love.
Sukhumvit Soi 33, 02-258-9304. Open daily 11am-11pm

Nittaya Gai Yang

Growing up, many of us were told not to eat KFC. But our parents would compromise by taking us here where the grilled chicken (B90) is simply wonderful—cooked to a browned perfection. Even the grown-up dishes like gaeng kua hed tob (curry with star mushroom, B80) are rich and flavorsome (not to mention pretty hot). The place is quite baan baan with its tiled floors and big chicken statue out the front of most branches but that doesn’t dampen our enthusiasm to keep going back.
Try Prachachuen Rd., 02-591-1264-5. Open daily 10:30am-9:30pm. Find more branches at www.nittayakaiyang.com

Krua Apsorn

The draw is clearly not the two shophouse-wide dining room fronted by big windows with its cafeteria-like feel. And the simple menu, with just a few dozen standards, doesn’t hint at the miracles created in the kitchen. What makes these seemingly mundane dishes special is in part because they’re made the “old-fashioned” way from classic recipes handed down and fine-tuned over decades. The most scrumptious dish is the fresh chunks of crabmeat fried with yellow chilies, onions and string beans (B350). The crab is fresh and the flavors are well-balanced. A dish like the kai jiew foo poo (omelet with crabmeat, B85) is sure to ring a comforting bell from your kindergarten days. Krua Apsorn’s location in the Dusit area may be fairly forgettable, but its excellent flavors always demand a revisit.
Samsen Rd., 02-668-8788. Open Mon-Sat 10:30am-7:30pm. www.kruaapsorn.com

“The accidents, coincidences and melodramatic flourishes pile up like a February snowdrift.” Roger Moore, McClatchy-Tribune News Service

“The most disappointing aspect of Deadfall is its conventionality. For a thriller, it’s light on surprises.” James Berardinelli, ReelViews

“The perfect movie to watch when someone next to you on the couch is on the phone.” Jordan Hoffman, Badass Digest

“Watching this violent potboiler is like observing a thief knock off a convenience store, then seeing him lock his keys in the car.” Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News

“The film does manage some unintentional humor through its assortment of oddball accents, quirky characters, romantic silliness and overwrought action sequences.” Todd Jorgenson, Cinemalogue.com

Okura Spa

Hidden away on the 25th floor of the new luxury Japanese-chain hotel, The Okura Bangkok, is the Okura Spa. Set in a contemporary oriental space, the five private treatment rooms are hidden along a dimly-lit walkway. The highlight is the Okura Take Relief bamboo massage where therapists roll a warm bamboo pole over your muscles to release stress before a soak in a big bathtub (B3,600). 25/F, The Okura Prestige Bangkok, Ploenchit Rd., 02-687-9000. Open daily 10am-10pm. BTS Ploenchit.

Kiriya Spa (The Lit)

There’s an immediately calming effect walking into this dim, cavern-like and voluptuously curved space designed by VaSLab. All the treatments take inspiration from Thailand’s four main regions. The Southern treatment, for example, starts with a strong, slow massage informed by the local Nora dance and performed with hot seashells. It’s followed by another massage technique inspired by a dance, the Hooloo Vahi, which focuses on blood circulation (130 min, B3,600). Come before 2pm for 40% off all treatments. The Lit. 36/1 Soi Kasemsan 1, 02-612-3456. Open daily 10am-10pm. BTS National Stadium.

Apex Medi Spa

Situated behind Ei8ht Thonglor in Thonglor Soi 8, Apex Medi Spa manages to block out the city with its wooden screens and soothing water running down panes of glass. It’s warm and quiet, with just enough touches of white to look “medi” as well as “spa.” The treatments include a lot of expensive products meant to rejuvenate your cells, from gold fusion therapy to caviar masks and infrared beds. Prices start from B5,000 for facial treatments but the drain-massage treatment is B2,500 for 30 minutes, if you’re just looking to quickly relax your calves and thighs before a night out in Thonglor. Behind Ei8ht Thonglor Complex, Thonglor Soi 8, Sukhumvit Rd., 080-500-0123. www.apexprofoundbeauty.com

Overview 
ACER reenters the competitive smartphone market with a phone that offers cloud sharing functionalities as well as performance that aims to compete with mid to high-end smart phones.

Plugged 

• The simple design distinguishes itself with the use of high quality plastic, which is very nice to hold and doesn’t leave fingerprints.
• With a 1.5 GHz dual core Snapdragon S4, the powerful processor allows the controls to be more responsive when switching between apps or playing 3D platform games.
• There is minimal lag time in which the web pages are rendered.

Bugged

• Although the camera has a fast response speed, the photos taken in HDR and Panorama mode failed to impress.
• The cloud function of the phone only stores content for about 30 days compared to up to two years offered by some competitors.
• The Play Music App has no controls on the lock screen or any widgets for quick access to control what you’re listening to. Users are also unable to play their music from their cloud storage.

Verdict
The ACER Cloud Mobile requires much improvement in terms of its multimedia and cloud sharing programs which are thoroughly outclassed by other Android-based phones. Still, the ACER phone has incredible processing power for an affordable handset.
Price
B13,900
Specs
4.3 Inch 1280x720 IPS-LCD, 1.5 GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4,  8MP camera, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, 8GB Internal Memory, 1GB RAM, 1080P Video.

“The only thing Playing for Keeps teaches us is: Guys, forget the bars and nightclubs. Soccer moms are where the action is.” Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald

“A father-son heart-tugger wrapped around a mushy reconciliation rom-com sprinkled with tinsel of shiny Hollywood supporting stars acting like they’re in another movie entirely.” Neil Pond, American Profile

“A sloppy, poorly focused comedy that wants to be about the relationship between a father and his 9-year old son but ends up being about nearly everything else.” James Berardinelli, ReelViews

“One of those movies that comes ‘straight from the heart’—the heart of the hack screenwriter’s manual that pushes formulaic structure to cover up a lack of compelling characters, genuine emotion or actual humor.” Kyle Smith, New York Post

“There’s a lot of poorly-conceived plot crammed into this film, and it never actually decides what it wants to be, emerging as a disjointed story suffering from severe ADHD.” Kevin Carr, 7M Pictures

“This is modern movie stardom, and it’s depressing: the romantic lead who could also be selling us body spray.” Wesley Morris, Boston Globe

“A modestly affecting reconciliation drama wrapped in a so-so sports movie by way of a misogynistic romantic comedy, Playing for Keeps can’t stop tripping all over itself.” Justin Chang, Variety

“Is it a heartwarming romantic drama? Or a cynical sex and sports comedy? There is no wrong answer, dear ticket buyer.” Mark Jenkins, NPR

“Butler beware: In acting as in soccer, if you keep taking dives, sooner or later you pay the penalty.” Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail