80s outfit, Roxette is returning to the stage for the Roxette Live in Singapore concert, armed with new album Charm School.

For those of you who can never get enough of indie pop, the Melbourne band Architecture in Helsinki has opened for Belle & Sebastian and toured with Death Cab for Cutie (see above)—they're one to watch.

Look, Duran Duran is not all about the deeply sorrowful "Ordinary World" and equally melancholic "Come Undone", OK? They've got some new music and the Duran Duran Live in Singapore concert will be proof of it.

And the 80s wave just keeps coming! O.M.D will be performing at this year's Mosaic Music Festival. March 10—Google Cal it.

Round up your fellow Transformers otakus and geek out at the Transformers Cybertron Con.

Interesting way of taking in a bit of history, this—Ghosts whisper their stories into your ear via an MP3 player which you take with you as you tour the Baba House in #157—An Intimate Audio Encounter.

The world's most famous pop artist's works will be on show at Andy Warhol: 15 Minutes Eternal, an exhibition of over 260 paintings, drawings, sculptures and videos.

Grease set the tone for a lot of our teenage years and we've got Olivia Newton-John (and her incredible leather-clad body) to thank for it. We're not betting on the same outfit for her Singapore concert but we're pretty sure her voice is still golden.

Sample dishes by 15 of the world's leading chefs and restaurants, attend a cocktail-making workshop and shop in a 5,000 square-meter gourmet market at Savour 2012.

Trombone Shawty & Orleans Avenue, hot favorites from last year, will return to perform at the Timbre Rock & Roots Festival 2012, headlined by Earth, Wind & Fire, as well as Buddy Guy.

It’s the time of the year again—roads will be closed and crowds gather to point at lycra-clad cyclists racing against the bright lights. It’s the OCBC Cycle Singapore 2012, a two-day event (See event details here.) that this year includes 60 of the world’s top professional cyclists racing at the F1 Pit Building. If you didn’t register for the races, you can still park yourself at the landmark areas and be part of the festivities. Or you can do what we plan to: take a shot at these indoor cycling classes, all of which promise as much of a workout as the real thing.

Kranking
Our arms and thighs burned like hell the last time we tried this so believe us when we say that the Krank Cycle is one of the most effective pieces of cardiovascular equipment out there. Start with the Krank & Restore class, which will raise focus and awareness of your upper body, then move on to the Krank Fusion—a combination of “arm” and indoor cycling. Once you’ve got the basics under control, you’ll be ready for Power Kranking, which tests your endurance with speed drills. Available at Physique 360.

Peloton
There are several draws to this indoor cycling class. One: It’s offered by new kid on the block Celebrity Fitness, which is a big hit in Malaysia and other parts of the region. Two: It’s really intensive—interval training, flats and mountain peaks are drilled into a non-stop piece of choreography that’s revised every two months so you don’t get bored or complacent. Available at Celebrity Fitness.

Polar RPM
Serious about spinning? This class makes sure you don’t slack off by flashing your heart rate on the screen for everyone to see. Each participant straps on a Polar heart rate monitor during the class so that the instructor can see how well you’re doing and provide individual coaching. Great if you take a special interest in monitoring any lapses in intensity and performance. Available at the newly opened Pure Fitness Asia Square.

RealRyder Indoor Cycling
This one involves the use of an exercise bike with a spin (excuse the pun)—it mimics a real outdoor bike by allowing you to steer, tilt and lean as if you were riding outdoors. The versatility of movement requires a higher level of control that works your core muscles more than traditional spinning and also makes the whole experience a tad more enjoyable. Available at Urban Fitness Lab.

Fun Facts: OCBC Cycle Singapore 2012

Chris Robb, the managing director of Spectrum Worldwide, which organizes the race, shares with us some interesting tidbits about this year’s event.

1. New routes with wider roads have been designed so there’ll be more space for cyclists, fewer bottlenecks and safer U-turns.

2. The longest amateur ride, the Super Challenge, is no longer restricted by entry criteria and has seen close to 1,300 signups.

3.The Business Times Corporate Charity Ride will be introduced this year as part of The Challenge (39km).

4. 2012 is set to be their biggest event yet with almost 11,000 signups.

You have been touring a lot this year, how’s life on the road?
We’re lucky to get to tour so much, and love having the chance to make music our lives. But you do get a bit homesick and miss your friends, so you just hope they don’t think you’re a jerk for disappearing for large portions of life.

How was the Laneway Festival?
Laneway Festival was awesome, we got to see and party with so many cool bands, like Toro y Moi, Cults, Girls, Twin Shadow, Geoffrey O’Connor, Yuck, Chairlift and Drums—Neil Finn [of Pajama Club and Crowded House] even let us borrow a spare guitar when we were missing one. We’ve toured with Twin Shadow and Girls before, and they’re super lovely people, but it’s been cool to get to see a bit more of some other bands we’ve never spent much time with. We’re really grateful to the festival for including us and really had a blast these last few weeks.

Who inspires you musically?
I like Stephen Pastel of The Pastels a lot, as well as Teenage Fanclub and Felt. I think treating indie bands as celebrities is a bit odd, but I can’t help but get a bit flustered any time I see a band that means a lot to me, even if they’re only famous to me and a handful of music nerds around the world.

In your opinion, what makes a good indie band?
Good songs, I think. I really value that more than musicianship, cool hair or a specific trendy genre of the moment. Maybe that sounds a bit naive, but to me good songs always win.

At what point will you consider yourself really successful?
On some level, just getting to do the thing you love, playing music, means you’ve succeeded. I feel it’s really selfish to speak of yourself as a failure or not worthy when you get a chance to do something so many people dream of being able to do—playing music you’ve written to people all over the world. There is so much artifice in that traditional artistic self-loathing. If you hate yourself so much and you think the music you make is terrible, go get a “real” job or quit moaning.

What are you looking forward to for your Bangkok gig?
Well, one of my best friends who made our early videos [“Everything With You” from Young Adult Friction] is Thai-American, and he is one of the coolest people I know. So I just assume that Thai people are really cool, artistic and remarkable. So it’ll be fun to just hang out and maybe let some people take us out to a bar or something cool after our show.

International

Golden Globes

The awards were announced last month on Jan 16, The Descendants and George Clooney took the Best Motion Picture (Drama) and Best Actor awards, respectively, while on the Comedy/Musical front The Artist and Jean Dujardin took the same awards (Best Motion Picture and Best Actor). Best Actress (Drama) went to Meryl Streep, and Michelle Williams won in the musical and comedy genre. Midnight in Paris didn’t get much love, except for Woody Allen’s prize for Best Screenplay.

Academy Awards

Catch the Academy Awards on Feb 27, 8am (Bangkok time) via Channel 7. As usual, the nominations looks pretty much like those of the Golden Globes. Let’s see if George Clooney will confirm his glory with the top actor award again or lose the crown to the younger Brad Pitt for his role in Moneyball.

Asian Film Awards

This regional film awards is scheduled for Mar 2 in Hong Kong. There are three nominations from Thai films to watch out for this year: Mario Maurer from The Outrage was nominated as Best Supporting Actor, Chris Horwang from Headshot is nominated as Best Supporting actress and Noppadol Techo is nominated as Best Costume Designer from The Outrage.

National

Kom Chad Luek Awards

The Thai film-award season kicked off this year with the Kom Chad Luek Awards, which were announced on Feb 9. Ladda Land got the most awards, including Best Script, Best Supporting Actress (Suthatta “Punpun” Udomsilp), Best Directing and Best Motion Picture. Poom Puang got two awards with Nattawut Sakitjai as Best Supporting Actor and Paowalee Pornpimol as Best Actress, while Noppachai Chaiyanam won Best Actor for Headshot.

Starpics Thai Films Awards

Announced the same day as the Kom Chad Luek, on Feb 9, Headshot won six out of twelve awards, including Best Motion Picture, Best Directing, Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Film Editing, Best Art Direction and Best Cinematography. Ladda Land followed, with Best Actress in a Leading Role and Best Script, while Poom Puang grabbed one award with Nattawut Sakitjai as Best Supporting Actor. Suckseed won Most Popular Film; Hiso won Best Original Sound Track; and Best Supporting Actress went to Preaw Alisara for her role in Love, Not Yet.

Best Motion Picture

Top Secret
This biopic released last year explores the life of young entrepreneur Top Aithipat Kulapongvanich, founder of the Tao Kae Noi seaweed brand. Starring Peach Pachara, what really won our hearts was its authenticity, that and the enderaringly contagious energy which Peach brought to the role.

Best Motion Picture That Should HAVE Never Gotten a Sequel

Panya Renu
Actor-turned-volunteer-turned-director, Bin Bunluerit’s debut film was an Isaan-language piece following the lives of Panya and Renu, two teenagers entering a singing competition. The music, love story and focus on Isaan culture generated deserved buzz for the small film. Too bad it also attracted the interest of Sahamongkol, which just released the very disappointing follow-up Panya Renu 2.

Best Actress in a Leading Role

Paowalee (Poom Puang)
The resemblance between Suphanburi-born Paowalee and Poom Puang Duangchan is eerie. But what really landed her the top prize is the sheer quality of her overall performance. In fact, her singing and acting is so stunning that it just about makes us ignore (and forgive) the irrational script and the factual errors.

Best SEX SCENE

Headshot
We’re left a bit underwhelmed, as nothing really got us all that hot and bothered at the movies this year except the super hot sex scene between Noppachai Chaiyanam and Dream Chanok—finally, a Thai movie that doesn’t treat us like children.

Best LOL Moment

Suck Seed
When Poo Blackhead pops up in the background of one scene in Suckseed, we couldn’t help but burst out laughing. Kao Jirayu starts listening to Blackhead’s Ying Toh Ying Suay and Poo Blackhead starts singing behind him without him noticing. Simple, yes, but effective.

MOST INCREDIBLY Complex Remake

The Outrage

Rashomon is a 1950 Kurosawa movie based on two stories by Ryunosuke Akutagawa. It was remade with Paul Newman into a movie titled The Outrage in 1964. But supposedly, this The Outrage was based on a Thai adaptation of the story by MR Kukrit Pramoj, which was based on a 1959 Broadway version the writer saw. In turn, director Mom Noi first adapted this back into a stage version, before shooting it on film. Aspirin, please.

Best Actor in a Leading Role

Saharat Sankapreecha (Ladda Land)
Kong plays the stressed head of a family that’s spiraling into crisis, and convincingly made us feel the pressure and empathize with his character. And while he has a long-standing reputation as a great actor, he took it to new heights here by allowing us to empathize for what is ultimately a pretty stubborn and irrational individual.

Best Script

Ladda Land
Far more than just a ghost story, Ladda Land impresses as a serious drama that is accessible to everyone. It also proves that sometimes less is more. Even though the past year was full of fun and complex films, Ladda Land’s tight script successfully blended serious family drama and chilling horror—no mean feat.

Best Seriously Slow Art Film

Eternity (Tee Rak)
If Apichatpong’s films recently shown at the Jim Thompson house weren’t enough to quench your thirst for rural Thai art house films, Tee Rak, a debut movie by Sivaroj Kongsakul should do the trick. As with Apichatpong, some may have difficulty staying awake, others will drift into contemplative bliss.

Best Movie for BK Readers

Hiso
Maybe you studied abroad, maybe you come from abroad, maybe you wish you had or did. In any case, you’re now stuck in Bangkok, surrounded by profoundly Thai customs and culture, and prey to your angsty global citizen yearnings. Aditya Assarat made this movie for you.

Best Supporting Actor

Peach Pachara Chirathivat (Suckseed)
Peach Pachara wins this on for his big-screen debut as a loveable high school boy, Kung, who aims to have his own band. Hands down, the fresh-faced actor stole our hearts.

Worst Picture

Teng-Nong Jee Won Bin
Apart from a deserved buzz around the orginial song (“Kin Tab”), Teng-NongJee Won Bin represents a side of Thai cinema we could easily live without.

Biggest Letdown

Love Julinsee
The trailer rocked, and our expectations were great. But like a firework that starts with a bang only to fizzle out, Love Julinsee was the biggest disappointment of the year.

Best Director

Pen-Eak Ratanarueng (Headshot)
Using a Tarantino-esque timeline that constantly zigzags through the character’s past, the unusual cop thriller packs a twist-a-minute—but it also ends up losing many of its specators in the process. What did keep us riveted is Pen-Eak’s careful use of his actors, and camera-work. It all came together to create a lasting—and very, very noir—mood.

Most Romantic scene

Love Julinsee
Saipan Apinya (playing Fon.) wins the heart of schoolmate Boat, two years her junior. Cougar alert! The scene where they eat a string of taro together in the car takes us back to our teenage years, when sexual tension is as high as it is awkward, but also when (some) innocence still remained.

Best Supporting Actress

Ratklao Amaradit (The Outrage)
Ratklao Amaradit plays a female exorcist invited to be a host body for a dead warrior. That means she ends up playing Ananda Everingham. Creepy? You bet. And who knew she had such a masculine side to her. Although the voice is still Ananda’s, Ratklao’s butch body language made for a stunning performance.

Best NewComer

Peach Pachara Chirathivat (Suck Seed)
He first started stealing the show in Suckseed and quickly continued his success in Top Secret. Mark our words: Keep an eye on this one.

Best Feel Good Movie

Hak NA SARAKAM
Last year, we saw a bunch of Isaan-related film, and most of them were funny and upbeat. But Hak Na Sarakam was the leader of the pack. It makes you realize how good it is to respect and be proud of your roots. And if you’re originally from upcountry, you’ll probably want to call your parents and take a trip home after this one.

Best Original Soundtrack

Desktop Error (Hiso)
This 100% instrumental soundtrack from romantic post-rock band Desktop Error manages to give texture to Ananda Everingham’s every silence. Take note budding directors: music speaks louder than dialogue­.

Most annoying repeat actor

Ananda Everingham
Ananda really learns to let us miss him a bit more before popping up again on our silver screens again (and billboards, and magazine covers and TVs). To be fair, Mum Jokmok was another serious contender this time around.

Best Documentary

Baby Arabia

The film, directed by Panu Aree, Kaweenipon Ketprasit and Bangkok Post film critic Kong Rithdee, sees the trio continue their efforts to give a voice to moderate muslims in Thailand. It follows the band Baby Arabia, as they play, tour and go about their daily lives.

Best Fight with the Ministry of Culture

Insects in the Backyard
Although technically a 2010 movie, director Tanwarin Sukkhapisit’s movie about a cross-dressing father created a stir that continued well into 2011, with a Facebook group and even legal challenges to its ban by the Ministry of Culture. It just got screened in New York and continues its festival circuit career abroad.

Most Annoying Repeat Actress

Tukky Sudarat Butrprom
Tukky Sudarat Butprom’s acting is naturally hilarious and all, but the fact that we had to see her four times last year—in Teng Nong Geeworn Bin, Hak Na Sarakam, Jak Ka Ran and 30+ Sode on Sale—was “too much, so much, very much.”

CRITIC’S PICKS: Peeraphol Pataranutaporn
AWARDS SEASON

7, 2nd Floor

Calling all city hipsters, this place will give you your Urban Outfitters or Anthropologie fix. Inspired by the owner’s passion for all things vintage, 7, 2nd Floor can completely kit you out from head to toe with products from clothing to accessories and shoes. The store itself is something straight out of Williamsburg, Brooklyn. All it’s missing is the indie pop band playing in the corner. Women’s tops and dresses are the focus and have an almost bag-lady-intentionally-mismatched appeal to them—like we said, very hipster. Women’s shirts start from B300 and dresses from B600. Our pick is the velvet, red-wine dress: simple and classic, B1,480.

Again & Again

You may have an urge to watch Titanic and conjure up your inner Kate Winslet after strolling through this store, because Again & Again’s clean, white décor, along with its high-neck lace dresses evoke a distinctly Victorian-vibe. Opened for two-and-a-half years, the store was inspired by the owner’s love of travelling and collecting antiques. The products’ origins are a global affair, coming from Japan, USA, France and the Czech Republic. Dresses vary from simple, everyday items to evening gowns. With its attention mostly on bright, warm colors, tops start from B480 and dresses from B1,480 to B8,900. Our favorite is the dark-chocolate nylon dress covered with gold flowers, B5,980.

Cocue Basics

Think Chatachuck gone posh. The disorganized, flea-market stall look of Cocue Basics, as well as its clothing and accessories, are really one-of-a-kind. The store’s large space, huge glass windows and off-beat décor is enough to draw attention. Carrying both men’s and women’s vintage products (tops, jeans, shoes, hats, and dresses), these unique pieces are from Thailand, Korea and Hong Kong. Dresses vary from light pastel colors to dark tones, especially the evening-wear selections. Tops, jeans and dresses range from B490 to B6,950. What’s eye-catching is the black lace dress balanced with touches of sparkling beads and colorful lines. Packed with sex appeal, you definitely don’t have to worry about bumping into someone wearing the same dress, B4,500.

Back Yard

This recent addition to the Bangkok vintage scene, open for just four months, has an old New York appeal. Its dimly-lit brick store looks like it could be speakeasy in the Prohibition era. And its retro-cut dresses span different decades and would have the likes of female greats from Zelda Fitzgerald to Audrey Hepburn swooning. Back Yard doesn’t only sell vintage clothing, but also decorative art, furniture, food and drinks. The store’s vibe will send you straight into a back alley of SoHo, New York, with most of its products—women’s dresses, men’s shirts and furniture—coming from the Big Apple. Men’s shirts take a lighter tone in color, whereas women’s dresses go for darker tones with touches of lace and vibrant beads. Men’s shirts and furniture pieces start from B1,000, and women’s dresses from B2,000. Most attention grabbing? The dark green minimal vintage velvet dress, B4,800.

Essentials

7, 2nd Floor. 258/16 Siam Square Soi 3, Lido 2/F, Open daily from 12:30pm-8:30pm, 02-654-6253
Again & Again. Sukhumvit 55 Thonglor 4, Market Place Room B1A, Open Mon 11am-8pm Tue-Sun 11am-9pm, 089-486-5359
Back Yard. 77 Ekkamai Soi 21, Baan Ekkamai 2/F, Open 1pm-12pm Closed on Monday, 02-715-0846
Cocue Basic. 77 Ekkamai Soi 21, Baan Ekkamai 1/F, Open daily from 1pm-9pm, 02-711-4783

Masita

Price: B20 for 16g
Singha is behind this product. The taste is average, with its saving grace being the chili to lift the bland flavor. It then turns peppery and sour, but still no taste of seaweed. And we also don’t like that it’s chewy. Isn’t it supposed to be crispy?
Verdict: Tiresome.

Shogune

Price: B33 for 40g
Again, too chewy and zero flavor, so much so that we even asked ourselves, “Wait, did we just eat something? And if so, what was it?”
Verdict: Feels like you’re chomping on paper.

Seleco

Price: B17 for 10.7g
This seaweed may remind you of your B2-seaweed childhood. Its old-school style includes super-thin slices in smaller packages inside. It tastes quite sweet, like the ones you have in ramen soup—an almost melt-in-your-mouth feeling. The light aroma of shoyu and its iodine notes are quite appetizing.
Verdict: Classic

Dozo

Price: B39 for 36g
It’s a perfect balance of taste and texture, with an appealing color, thickness and shape. We like that they fry it very lightly, while acheiving perfect crispiness, just the way it should be.
Verdict: Surprisingly good.

Tao Kae Noi

Price: B39 for 40g
Tao Kae Noi is everywhere. You’ve seen the ads on TV, at the movies and on bus es ad nauseum. This famous brand, however, didn’t earn our top pick because its greasy, rancid smell turned us right off. It was also a bit bitter. Finally, the very thin and very dark seaweed is too salty. Water, please!
Verdict: Warning on the salt-safety level.

Essentials

Disaya, Greyhound, Playhound, Sretsis: 1/F, Siam Paragon, 991 Rama 1 Rd. BTS Siam, 02-690-1000
Kloset: 3/F, Siam Center, 989 Rama 1 Rd. BTS Siam, 02-658-1729
Milin: 2/F, Central Chidlom, 1027 Ploenchit Rd. BTS Chidlom, 02-793-7777
Senada: 3/F, Siam Center, 989 Rama 1 Rd. BTS Siam, 02-252-2757
Vickteerut: 2/F, Central Chidlom, 1027 Ploenchit Rd. BTS Chidlom, 02-793-7777

*Items will be available from March

2046

2/F, 02-261-7278. Open daily 5:30pm-midnight.
Run by the people behind hip sushi-spot In The Mood For Love, 2046 strikes a similar balance between a cozy-but-chic décor and an intriguing menu of comfort dishes with a twist. Billed as a modern izakaya, the indoor area has a slight bistro vibe, thanks to the bright walls and mosaic flooring. The real highlight though is the large outdoor terrace that hangs out over the edge of the mall. The dishes are very booze-friendly, so expect the likes of tori teri shiso yaki (pan-fried chicken with teriyaki sauce, B140) and fried squid with ponzu (B120), though they also have some nice salads and heartier main courses. There’s also a decent list of local and imported beers, including Bavaria (B220) and Bloc Beer (B220).

Ramen Kio

3/F, 02-236-6509. Open daily 11am-10pm.
Of course, Rain Hill has a ramen option and, of course, it follows the tried-and-tested plain wood theme for its interior. However, there’s a buzz about this place, thanks to their meaty chashu (slices of grilled pork), making the chashu don (pork with rice and fried egg, B200) a popular option. They also have all the usual ramen options like abura soba (soba noodles without broth topped with chashu, B195) and shoyu ramen (ramen in shoyu soup, B185).

Marugame Seimen

2/F, 02-620-8777. Open daily 11am-10pm.
The first Thailand branch of this wide-reaching Japanese Udon franchise (a second will soon arrive at Big C Ratchadamri) is already packing in the homesick expats in the ‘hood. They come for the simple selection of nine udon dishes (B79 for regular and B99 for large), such as the popular mentai kamatama udon (hot udon), all cooked in front of you in the steam-filled open kitchen. You can liven up the soup with toppings like soft-boiled egg and meat (B19-B39), tempura offerings like prawns (B39) and pumpkins (B29) and mentaiko omusubi (Japanese rice ball stuffed with mentaiko’s eggs, B35).

Penguin Likes Chocolate

1/F, 081-206-7778. Open daily 10am-10pm.
The name is pretty unique even if the Victorian vintage theme of this spot has been seen before. The petite café looks to stand out from the crowd with its use of imported Lindt and Hershey’s chocolate in desserts like chocolate cake sundae (B145), chocolate triple-layered panna cotta (B85), brownie sundae (B145) and chocolate crème brulee (B65). Thirsty? Choose between the usual tea/coffee and Italian soda (B65), which come in flavors like kiwi or strawberry.

Sweet it is

1/F, 085-099-3234. Open daily 11am-10pm.
Right next door you’ll find another tiny café, albeit one that goes for a simpler, IKEA-inspired wood finish and boasts a relaxing outdoor terrace. Sip on some fruit tea, or one of their tasty smoothies, nibble on a macaroon (B30) and get ready to do battle with their rattan rocking chairs. The owner is a bakery chef and teacher, so you can also expect baked treats like crepe cake (B110), red velvet cake (B95) and brownies (B45). Delivery is also available.

House of Salad

2/F, 084-931-7711. Open daily 10am-10pm.
A very serene, floaty white space with plenty of vintage touches, House of Salad just about succeeds in making you forget you’re in a mall. It’s all about the green stuff here with the focus on building your own salad from an array of toppings, like mixed greens (B44), grilled duck breast (B240), New Zealand mussels (B89) and foie gras (B480). For their opening, they’re running a 50% discount in Feb on all of their salad options. They also have some more complex dishes like parma ham pizza (B320), spaghetti carbonara (B220) and pork chop (B380).

Wine Connection Tapas

1/F, 02-261-7217. Open daily 10-1am. www.wineconnection.co.th
The newest member of the city’s wine-bar pioneering family doesn’t look to reinvent their very successful formula. Still, we think this is probably the nicest spot of the lot. Windows on all sides means the industrial look is never too heavy or oppressive and the trees growing through the middle of the space are a nice touch. They’ve also tweaked their menu of simple Italian dishes by bringing in a brief tapas menu with bite-sized options like mixed olives (B90), sliced salami (B90) and patatas bravas (B90). As well as the wide variety affordable wines (they have a little wine shop next door), they also have an impressive choice of mostly Belgian beers on draft, and for once we don’t just mean the usual Hoegaarden and Duvel, but rare treats like Barbar (B140) and Pils (B140). A live DJ on weekends means this place is already pretty lively despite being new.

More Chow Choices

Hong Kong Kitchen

3/F, 02-642-2136. Open daily 10am-11pm.
A chain restaurant that focuses on authentic Hong Kong cuisine. That means classic dishes like congee with preserved eggs (B125), egg noodles with wontons (B125) and grilled goose (B320 for small).

Som Tum Dok Rak

2/F, 02-863-8593. Open daily 10am-10:30pm.
Seems like Thai-Isaan is the hot new food trend, well in the chain world anyway. Arriving in Bangkok from Chiang Mai last year, this chain by Indy Kitchen does all your northeastern favorites like somtam kor moo yang (papaya salad with grilled pork, B100) and yam hed ruam (spicy salad with mushrooms, B90).

Kasa

2/F, 02-261-7610. Open daily 11am-10pm.
With another branch already open at The Circle, Kasa really looks to be a one-stop shop for Japanese dining. Still, aside from the more standard sushi and sashimi choices, they do have some exotic options like Kobe beef tazuna maki (B680) or kampachi jalapeno (kampachi fish with jalapeno sauce, B290) on the menu.

Apple Natural Radiance

If you carry bags under your eyes and look haggard as hell (thanks, overtime), this is just what you need, provided you have the time (it takes up to two hours). It involves deep cleansing, intense moisturizing, eye and neck treatment, as well as a seriously refreshing shoulder massage. $150 from Apple Skincare.

Gua Sha Facial

This traditional “scraping” method boosts collagen and improves blood circulation almost immediately so that you end up spending the rest of the day marveling at how bouncy your skin is. $125 for 75 minutes at Qi Mantra Remedial Spa.

Intense Radiance Facial

SK-II’s Derm Revival Program’s whitening treatment works on uneven skin tone and hyper-pigmentation. Couple it with a facial massage, neck mask and ultrasound application, and you might just forget who you are. $250 for 80 minutes at SK-II Boutique Spa.

Jet Cell Restore

This one uses the Omnilux LED lights machine, which jolts the skin into accelerated self-repair, and includes exfoliation and the infusion of vitamins using their signature Jet-M machine. There’s also an acupressure massage to round things off. $99 for 45-minute introductory session at Jet Concepts.

Luminescent

Banyan Tree is better known for their luxurious massages, but this one’s rather special. This anti-ageing treatment is enriched with skin-regenerating ingredients and anti-oxidants that diminish fine lines and promotes a radiant glow. $450++ for 120 minutes at Banyan Tree Spa.