The place: Feast café is proving a draw for the young and chic. Connected to the Kem Issara Studio, the café, owned by Kem’s friend, Pakorn Damrongwattanapokin, sits amid a beautiful garden. Sip some coffee in the lovely house, with its large black-framed windows and pretty decorative items including colorful fabrics from Kem Issara. The café is hidden down the soi, so it may take some finding.
The food: Typical café-style fare. Coffee starts from B65, while an affogato (espresso and vanilla ice cream) will set you back B130. Enjoy your brew along with some pancakes with ice cream (B145) and breakfast waffles (B190). Lunchtime offers specials of the day, such as khao moo tord (rice topped with deep-fried pork, B145) and panini with ham and cheese (B75).
1029/49 Ekkamai Soi 22, 02-713-3261. Open Tue-Sun 10:30am-8pm
The place: Singha’s men’s clothing store just opened its first cafe in Siam Center. And the décor is all very masculine—think industrial style with plenty of black steel and wood.
The food: The place takes advantage of its family restaurants, Est. 33 and Farm Design. So you’ll have your pick of all the familiar fusion dishes which take up about half of the menu. Try the grilled pork sandwich (B180) or one of the mouthwatering cheesecakes like Choco Mooooo (B105). And, of course, it’s hard to go past a sip of Singha beer during your shopping break.
3/F, Siam Center, Rama 1 Rd., 02-658-1177. Open daily 10am-10pm
The place: Local designer WWA just moved to a new address in the same old ‘hood, Siam Square. The cool, loft-like space has an unfinished feel to it, with plenty of bare cement, exposed steel and traces of the old structure. The café is actually a few years old, but is mostly the domain of WWA’s loyal customers who come in to shop and drink tea on the furniture all covered in black fabric. It’s definitely worth a visit, though—just make sure you wear the right dress to the party.
The food: The one-page menu is dominated by exquisitely presented desserts from English pastry chef Davina Pickering whose signatures include the delicious rum chocolate brownie served with cream shot (B160) and homemade tamarind and mascarpone cream with bread (B150). You can also get English faves like the scone with clotted cream (B150) and Welsh rarebit (B200). Have it with the refreshing summer tea (B90). Keep an eye out for their brunch menu coming soon, too.
428 Siam Square Soi 7 (next to Swensen’s), 02-658-4686. Open daily 1-9pm
The place: One of the pioneers of the Thai fashion accessory scene, BoYY finally has its own flagship store at Grass. Even better, downstairs is dedicated to a café which couple Wannasiri Kongman and Jesse Dorsey have decked out in a classy vintage vibe. The crowds that flock here are fun to watch, with bicycle hipsters sitting side by side with well-heeled women and well-dressed guys. If people-watching isn’t your thing, you can always admire the beautiful tiles from Italy.
The food: Mainly comfort food that harkens back to the couple’s time spent in places like New York and Italy. Dishes include the sandwich with chicken, roasted peppers and parmigiano (B200), a plate of salami (B500) and spaghetti puttanesca (B250). But don’t skip on the salad—the shrimp and avocado salad (B300) comes with a tangy vinegar-based dressing mixed with their secret ingredients. As a bonus, you can enjoy solid cocktails like The Passionate One (B280) or Jimmy’s Old Fashioned (B280) out on the handsome long wooden table on the terrace. Topped off with a cool soundtrack selected by Dorsey, BoYY Café really is a great chill-out spot.
Grass, Thonglor Soi 10, 02-715-9412. Open Sun-Thu 7:30 am-midnight; Fri-Sat 7:30-1am
