Thai Pubs
By Matthew Alden
Some foreigners who come to reside in Bangkok spend most evenings sitting in English pubs eating fish and chips and supping pints of draught lager while believing a Thai pub is in fact an English or Irish boozer with Thai shareholders.
And unless you make a real effort to find out what constitutes a genuine Thai pub you could actually stay here and never really know what the real locals class as an evening of sanook.
However, on the other hand there are masses of curious farangs who would never go for anything other than Thai entertainment and bulk at the idea of visiting international nightclubs and paying 200Baht for a small beer.
So where are these places that foreigners can once again feel like a lone stranger in Bangkok, well they are everywhere, and this month we visit just a few in different corners of the capital.
Don't forget your passport as most places won't let you in without ID.
RCA
Old Leng (0-2203-0972)
Put together using old wooden houses Old Leng is somewhat out of place on super trendy RCA, still this long in the tooth Thai pub has seen many mega-clubs come and go and will most likely out last the latest RCA revival.
It's a totally relaxed joint with ancient ornaments and trinkets like barber poles, gas pumps and an old, old coke machine, and the many wooden Thai and Chinese signs that have been collected over time and survived the onslaught of wood worm.
A kind of nostalgic old Chinese shop house that forgot to throw away the western and Asian knick knacks it had accumulated before becoming a pub.
Anyway the atmosphere is great and the food like most decent Thai pubs is superb with beer and food prices no where near astronomical RCA levels. Highly recommended for spice lovers is the Fried Larb which is patties of fried larb with crispy kaffir lime leafs and dried chillies, it goes great with a pitcher of beer or a bottle of whiskey. And if you do like whiskey then you will be delighted with the price of mixers compared to the surrounding pubs and clubs.
Doors open at 6pm and close at 1am with a full on band playing international songs Friday and Saturday and folk songs the rest of the week. The bands start at 9pm although many people turn up early for a few drinks and a bite to eat after work.
Ratchada
The Glass House (0-2934-7222)
If you're a tourist staying in Khao San Road then The Glass House is probably not for you, whereas if you're an expat on a fat expat salary then it might just be your thing.
Mostly aimed at Thai money men it caters to those who drink whiskey by the bottle and they try to keep these customers by offering memberships that include several bottles of premium whiskey with free mixers. If you come for a beer then be prepared to pay through the nose.
The Glass House is no longer a Glass House since recent refurbishment but rather a long rectangular room with modern furniture that features high stools and tables around the stage area and a more relaxed sofa and low table design at the rear of the room.
Entertainment is brought to you by 2 bands that start at 10pm, and also a large group of coyote girls that strut their stuff on the stage and around an elevated zone in the centre of the room. It's quite a show and as each minute passes more and more scantily clam beauties seem to appear out of thin air.
Don't get the wrong idea though this is not Patpong and the girls are not about to depart with their robes, and although this may sound all very male orientated we did see many guys accompanied by their Thai partners.
What we tasted of the food we were very impressed with and although the main menu is in Thai there is a special menu with pictures from which we pointed out a supreme Prawn dish.
Sukumvit
2 Salung (0-2712-9118)
If you live around Sukumvit as many farangs do then 2 Salung is a perfect venue to experience a Thai night out. It's not absolutely typical of Thai entertainment as the ever so Hi-So Thonglor crowd are not really the norm of Bangkok but the whiskey by bottle and ear piercingly loud music is the same as what makes most Thai pubs.
The décor is much more sophisticated than usual Thai pubs and this sexy venue would not be out of place in any cosmopolitan city like New York or London with two beautiful curved staircases cushioned in red leather joining the two levels.
For food it's just snacks mostly as it's not really a place to come for dinner, although in saying that the outside garden with red and black sofa's and illuminated trees is very fetching and is a good place for a warm up beer or to wolf down a quick plate of spaghetti as a stomach liner.
Again the drink menu is aimed mostly at Thai whiskey drinkers with some interesting cocktails like the La-Wa, a concoction of Grenadine, Blue Curacao, Galliano, Sambuca and Singha Beer. I challenge anyone to keep more than 3 of those down.
Music comes in the form of 4 different bands every night playing a mix of up to date tunes in both Thai and English.
So if you want to experience Thai entertainment at its hippest then this is a great place for foreigners, don't forget your ID though whatever age you are.
Khao San Road
Susie Pub (0-2282-4459)
Khao San Road has been the new Thai hangout for more than a while now, with Susie Pub being one of the original places that started enticing Thai's to this backpacker haven. It's quite strange being in the centre of Khao San Road and being the only white face in the pub, although this is by no means always the case.
The pub itself is a classic dark wood paneled shell that with nicely subdued lighting offering revelers a friendly happy atmosphere with two nice bars where you can sit and watch the evening frivolity.
Unlike most Thai pubs Susie's relies on a DJ to provide the tunes playing a mix of RnB, house, rock and anything else they feel will please the crowd, very much like most Thai pubs though the music is delivered at a high rate of decibels.
Prices for drinks are very reasonable for this type of entertainment although spirits with mixers are much better value when ordered by the bottle.
The food menu is again mostly whiskey food consisting of many spicy Thai salads and fried dishes, although there are some curries and other dishes for those who forgot to have dinner.
If you do want to eat or sit down then it's a good idea to arrive early as it's not a massive place and the tables do fill out very quickly, after that its standing room only.
Sarasin
The Room (0-2650-2955)
The little line of bars and pubs opposite Lumpini Park are a great little place for sampling Thai nightlife although the very international live Jazz venue Brown Sugar is the place most farangs head for.
However, it's worth trying out some of the other venues among which is The Room a double shop house that has been painted my favourite bar colours of red and black with a few quirky furnishings like picture frames with no pictures and wall and ceiling black chandeliers.
Like with most old shop houses there's a mezzanine level which has been turned into another room that offers a quieter alternative on busy evenings with views of downstairs so you don't miss the all the action.
A DJ plays chilled out tunes early in the evening for those who are here for dining, then at around 10 pm the tunes become a bit more dancey daring to shy away from hip-hop as much as possible.
For food you may be surprised by some of the farang dishes on the menu and some of the enterprising Thai flavours such as Salmon North-Eastern style (Namtok). The Chicken Samosas looked more like spring rolls and didn't taste much like samosa's either; however, they were nicely spiced and quite moreish.
Drinks are well priced and apart from a long list of spirits by bottle they also have 30 or so cocktails and a beer choice that includes the delicious Phuket beer.
Narathivasrachanakarin
15th Street (0-2676-2489)
If you're brave enough to try and say the name of the street to a taxi driver then you can choose from a range of genuine Thai pubs ranging from simple white rooms to huge elaborately designed super pubs.
The place we chose 15th Street was chosen because it looked pretty cool from the outside and seemed to possess a bit more character than some of the more boring looking venues. It's a well worn room with soft lights and a few candles; some no frills tables and a couple sofas around the perimeters.
Actually a very nice Thai pub vibe that is obviously a place people come to dine as well judging by the menu. It's a really great menu of Thai favourites and even has a whole section devoted to ostrich dishes which is not something you come across everyday.
For us we chose to sample the Yum Kung Foo which is fluffed up prawn meat fried and then served with a spicy and sour mango salad, very nice even after the full meal we'd just consumed.
As for drinks it really is a bottle of whiskey type place although there are a few cocktails and a big bottle of Heineken is a very palatable 105Baht.
Music comes from 2 bands that play Thai and international songs that they describe as mostly Indy, unfortunately they play Monday to Saturday and we visited Sunday so we can't vouch for their abilities. However, we really liked the vibe of the place and will definitely be back to sample more of the menu and check out what the bands have to offer.
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