ScandAsia Thailand May 2015

MAY 2015
Swedish bar trio
brings international café culture to Bangkok
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Coming Events
Norwegian
Gala Dinner
On 16 May, a Gala Dinner for all
resident Norwegians is held to
celebrate the National Day of
Norway. The Gala Dinner takes
place at Radisson Blu Plaza Bangkok
Sukhumvit soi 27
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Contact: 17.maibangkok@gmail.com
Norwegian May 17 Celebrations
Nordic Breakfast
seminar Bangkok:
The Energy Crisis
When: May 19, 2015 @ 07:30 – 09:15
Where: Rossini’s Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit
Speaker at this Nordic Breakfast Seminar on
“The Energy Crisis” is Damien A Lee, Country
Manager af Fircroft Thailand. The speaker has
extensive experience in project management
around the globe. The event is arranged by Thai-
Finnish Chamber of Commerce and Executive
Director Khun Pornpimon Kulchotirat (Grace)
requests participants to sign up by 12 May via
email: tfcc@thaifin.or.th or by phone to: +66 (0)
91 757 0351
All Norwegians, big and small, are as usual
invited to celebrate the Norwegian Constitution
Day on 17 May in the Garden of the Norwegian
Ambassador in Bangkok.
The doors open at 10:45 og at 11.00 sharp the
17 Mai procession in the soi with the Norwegian
flag in front will start. Afterwards, the popular
games for children and their parents take place
and eventually the day ends at 13.00 after serving
of refreshments.
The 17 May Committee of the Nordmandsforbundet
hopes many will wear their national
Norwegian costumes.
Adresse: Royal Norwegian Embassy Residence
No 74 Sukumvit soi 38
BTS : Thong Lor
Contact: 17.maibangkok@gmail.com

News Brief
Ambassador Klas Molin inaugurates
the Swedish Film Festival 2015 in Bangkok
Sweden’s hip factor somehow displayed itself
in Bangkok on Wednesday 22 April, when
the country’s Ambassador to Thailand HE
Mr Klas Molin inaugurated what has become an
annual signature event – the Swedish Film Festival
2015.
The V.I.P and invite-only pre-festival screening
of the film Stockholm Stories - the opening film
of the festival - attracted also large local media
attendance keen to learn about the festival and
the movie and meet its Director Karin Fahlén,
along with young actress Julia Ragnarsson.
As the Swedish Ambassador wished
the audience a good festival - now in its 4th
consecutive year and growing in popularity - he
expressed the embassy’s strong appreciation
towards the sponsors Volvo trucks & buses and
Scania who helped to enable the festival along
with SF World Cinema, the host for the festival
at CentralWorld.
The Swedish Institute picks the movies,
which are all success from back home, with many
viewers and wonderful write-ups by film critics.
Stockholm Stories was also nominated for a Gold
Hugo at the Chicago International Film Festival.
Klas Molin welcomed this film’s director
and actress to the film festival in Bangkok, who
themselves introduced the movie in the cinema
following on the opening reception.
Highlighting today’s quality and many good
film makers, the Ambassador also said that it was
time to stop giving quotes about the director
legend Ingmar Bergman, which he had been asked
to do again and again.
“Today we have so many famous directors
and actors and actresses so it’s better to talk
about the future and these film makers!”
More Thais apply for visa to Norway and Denmark
The Finnish and Swedish Embassy in
Bangkok have had a steady amount of
Schengen visa applications during the past
few years, but at the same time both the Danish
and the Norwegian Embassy have experienced an
increase. The extra pressure has in some cases led
to a longer processing time.
The official processing time for issuing a visa
at one of the Scandinavian Embassies in Bangkok
is maximum 15 days, however the average time is
usually shorter.
The general message from all four embassies
is clear: Apply at least 15 days before your planned
trip to make sure that you get your visa in time.
And especially some applicants should pay extra
attention to that message at the moment.
In the past few years, both the Norwegian
and the Danish Embassy have experienced an
increased amount of applications.
Marline Steensby is Head of the Visa Section
at the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Bangkok. In
2013 the Norwegian Embassy issued 8,182 visas.
In 2014 that number was 9,169.
“The numbers are increasing every year,” she
says and continues:
“The Embassy’s processing time is up to
15 days all year round. And that is what we
communicate to our applicants. Applicants should
always apply at least 15 days before planned travel,
even during low season,” Marline Steensby says.
A growing interest for Iceland, whose
applications the Danish Embassy in Bangkok also
processes, is most likely one of the reasons to an
unusual increase of visa applications here.
Normally it takes no longer than three days
to get a visa at the Danish Embassy, but at the
Thai tourist taking self portrait on Stortorget, Gamla Stan, the old town of Stockholm, Sweden. Copyright:
maridav, 123rf.com
moment the average processing time is almost
15 days.
The Danish Embassy issued 5,635 visas in
2013 – in 2014 that number jumped to 8,864 –
an increase of no less than 3,229 applications in
one year.
Sweden is, with more than 10,000 applicants
every year, the embassy that issues the highest
amount of Schengen visas – and yet, on average,
they have a much shorter handling time than 15
days, Cecilia Stål tells. She is Counsellor and Head
of Migration Section at the Swedish Embassy in
Bangkok.
“We have an average of 2 – 3 days handling
time, but it can take up to 15 days in an individual
case, and it is therefore very important to apply
in good time before the trip. We can in no way
guarantee the case will be handled in 2 or 3 days,”
Cecilia Stål says.
In the end comes Finland with a steady
amount of 7,300 visa applications the past few
years. As for the processing time, Liisa Uschanov-
Eskelinen, First Secretary (Immigration Affairs),
says:
“My estimate is that the delivery time is in
between 6 to 10 days. For business visas it is only
maximum 5 days”.
4 ScandAsia.Thailand • May 2015

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May 2015 • ScandAsia.Thailand 5

News Brief
Contested elections in Dancham
Danish Thai Chamber of Commerce
held its most exciting Annual
General Meeting ever on Wednesday
night, 22 April 2015, as usual at the Royal
Danish Embassy in Bangkok. The excitement
culminated when the election of seven board
members for seven vacant position on the
board suddenly became a contested election.
It was Simon Scheibel, Finance Manager at
Novo Nordisk Pharma, who raised his hand
when the chairman of the meeting, Tom
Sorensen asked if there were any members
in the audience who would like to candidate
– warning in jest that if there was, the dinner
which was ready now, would then be cold as
there would have to be a formal election.
Simon Scheibel said that he had thought
about running for the board, but did not make
up his mind until he heard how much effort
the board was putting into attracting new
and younger members, which was fitting his
profile.
The first count of votes showed that two
candidates had the same number of votes.
The second showed a different number. Then
the election committee went into the dining
room of the ambassador to concentrate on
counting the votes without sweat running
down their backs - the heat on the terrace
was a torment - and after two more counts,
it turned out that the members had to vote
once again - this time only between the two
candidates with equal number of votes, Jimmy
Jensen and Torben Nybo Jensen. In the second
round of election, Jimmy Jensen won the seat
while Torben Nybo Jensen, who had not been
able to join the AGM, became the reserved
board member who would be activated in case
one of the regular board members resigned
during the term.
The dramatic elections ended up with
the following new members being elected:
Thomas Nyborg (re-elected), Supareak Charlie
Chomchan (re-elected), Stig Vagt-Andersen,
Savija Pannark Korslund, Jimmy Jensen, Bo
Wegner, Simon Scheibel - and Torben Nybo
Jensen as substitute. The people who left the
board were Klaus Stove, Nicolaj Thomsen,
Henrik Jensen and Mogens Hansen.
Prior to the elections, the members had
approved a significant change in the way
membership fees will from now on be calculated
based on the turnover of their company.
Lars Andersson new Chairman of SSS
Jeff Thomsen
passed away
Jeff Thomsen, the legendary Danish blues
musician and businessman, passed away on
Wednesday 22 April 2015 by a heart attack
only 54 years old. Jeff, whose real name is Jesper,
came to Thailand when he was four years old
together with his Danish parents. His father was
a road construction engineer and the family
lived in his early years in Lampoon, where his
father was in charge of building the highway to
Chiangmai and later many other engineering
projects.
Legends are many about Jeff’s adventurous
life. As a young man, he was a leader of a gang in
his soi. He has also been a motorcycle race driver
and spent months on sailing boats in the region.
He has once explained that his passion for blues
music was born on one of these trips, when he in
the middle of the ocean one dark tropical night
heard the music of BB King. But he was a guitarist
many years before this inspired by among others
Jimi Hendrix.
Jeff was the leader of the Soi Dog Blues
Band which was started over 10 years ago
and he was for many years the owner of Tokyo
Joe’s Blues Bar and Restaurant. Lately, he and
the band was regularly playing at Apoteka in
Sukhumvit Soi 11.
Although Jeff lived his whole life in Thailand
and only saw Denmark on summer vacations
with his parents, he remained very Danish in
many ways and spoke fluently Danish. At the 2014
Christmas lunch of the Danish Thai Chamber of
Commerce, the tall Dane entertained and also
played a few numbers with Ambassador Mikael
Hemniti Winther.
Lars Andersson was elected new Chairman
of Scandinavian Society Siam at the AGM
on Wednesday 25 April 2015, replacing
outgoing Chairman Christer Holmvall who,
however, remains on the board. So does all the
other current members of the board, except
Christina Hammarlund, who after many years
of hard work for the members of the society in
several positions on the board announced that
she would step down as she and her husband
would relocate during the term. Instead, Filip
Karlsson, Swedish, was elected as board member.
The meeting took place at Rembrandt Hotel,
Bangkok and was attended by 25 members
including the board. After the meting, most
members joined the dinner in the Red Pepper
Restaurant on the 2nd floor of the hotel. Swedish
General Manager Eric Hallin and Swedish F&B
Manager David Nilsson of the hotel attended also
the meeting, Mr. Hallin in the capacity as Auditor
of the Financial Statement.
6 ScandAsia.Thailand • May 2015

May 2015 • ScandAsia.Thailand 7

Trading Danish health care
for a carefree life in Thailand
The dream of living an easy life away from the
cold North can become a nightmare, if you get
sick and do not have a health insurance. ‘There
is no financial assistance to get from the Danish
State’, says Danish Embassy in Bangkok, who
recently had two serious cases with sick Danish
citizens without insurance.
Text-Photo by Louise Bihl Frandsen
Countries in Asia have long been
a hot spot for Danish citizens
looking to escape the expense of
the West and enjoy life in a warm,
hospitable, and beautiful country.
In 2011 more than 600 Danish retirees had
residence in Thailand, the Philippines or Vietnam.
On top of this number is a larger number of
Danish citizens of all ages.
Unlike working or retiring in one of the EU or
EEA countries, in Asia you have to make a health
insurance yourself and pay for it as well – The
Danish State does not pay.
However, the Danish Embassy in Bangkok
recently had two cases with very ill Danish
citizens not being insured. At the time when the
family sought help from the Embassy in Bangkok,
the family member was lying unconsciously in a
hospital.
“It was a terrible situation. The family did
everything they could to help him, and they paid
enormous amounts of money to get the hospital
to treat him,” Consul Birgit Sarah Kondrup-
Palmqvist says and continues:
“There is no financial assistance to get from
the Danish State. Danish citizens are responsible
themselves for making a health insurance, locally
or in Denmark. If they choose not to, they have to
pay the expenses from their own pocket, or they
will have to ask their family or friends for financial
support to pay the bill,” Birgit Sarah tells.
In this case the family had to pay 3,500 dollars
a day just to keep the family member in the
hospital. After a long and expensive fight, the
daughter succeeded in helping her father, who is
now back home recovering.
When it is too late
According to Consul Birgit Sarah Kondrup-
Palmqvist it comes as a surprise for some Danish
citizens living in Asia that there is no financial
support from the Danish State, if they get sick.
“They believe that as a Danish citizen they
are entitled to different services, including health
services as if they were living in Denmark,” she
says.
In another recent case an ill Danish citizen
living in Thailand without insurance, was, in spite of
his illness, able to travel back to Denmark, where
he went to a Danish hospital. He claimed that the
Embassy had recommended him to get treatment
in Denmark.
According to Birgit Sarah this was not true.
In this particular case, the man was lucky to
get treatment. However, the rules are clear – if
you leave Denmark, you do not have access to
the Danish health care system. No matter the
situation or your age.
“They find themselves in a vicious circle. They
know, they are sick, and now it is too late to make
a health insurance. The Danish State cannot assist,
because the day they decided to move, they also
signed away their right to the services in the
health care system,” she says.
According to International Pension in
Denmark, Danish citizens can get access to the
Danish health care system as soon as they have
a permanent address in Denmark again. But
for some it might be too late to move back to
Denmark.
8 ScandAsia.Thailand • May 2015

Palle Borgselius
passed away
Palle Borgselius passed away on 23
April 2015 after a lengthy battle against
cancer.
Palle Borgselius started shortly after his
immigration to Thailand together with a friend to
import used European wood working machines
for the industry in Thailand and other countries
in the region. During the following 13 years,
Palle Borgselius was a very active member of
the Nordic community and served for several
terms as a board member of both Danish
Thai Chamber of Commerce and Scandinavian
Society Siam.
Palle was a co-owner of the company
Scanmach Asia Co., Ltd until in 2011 he moved
to China where he became customer advisor at
NT Worldwide Co., Ltd. But he maintained his
home in Bangok and never really liked working
in China.
Palle Borgselius was loved and appreciated
by the members of the Scandinavian community
in Thailand because of his willingness to take on
community work, his honesty in performing any
task assigned to him, his sincerity in listening to
his friends, when they sought his advice, and his
great sense of humor.
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Thai Property Guide going online!
News Brief
Thai-Swedish Chamber of Commerce
has in partnership with Scandinavian
Publishing entered the next phase of the
Thai Property Guide project for 2015 – 2016,
which will make the initiative much more ongoing
and interlinked with the residential real estate
market in Thailand. Thus, the entire lifecycle
of new residential projects can be promoted
via presentations, updates and invitations to
sales promotions etc., along with newsworthy
information. Via a newsroom (Mynewdesk) strong
search engine visibility, outreach and engagement
will be achieved with real estate companies joining
as partners for online exposure. The start of the
online project will be by 1 July 2015.
The online newsroom will draw in prospects
to become “Followers” and receive the content
released by the project partners.
The next consumer guide book, also including
post investment expert advice on various needs,
will be launched in January 2016. The targeted
audience are foreign real estate prospects living
and working in Thailand as well as foreigners
looking for investment opportunities here,
including its second home abroad market. Those
interested in advertising and partnerships should
contact the project now, via Joakim Persson or
Finn Balslev. More info via swecham.com.
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offer, to purchase, subscribe to or sell any investment or product, or to engage in any other transaction or provide any kind of financial or banking service in any jurisdiction where Nordea Bank S.A., Singapore Branch or any of its affiliates do not have the
necessary licence. Published by Nordea Bank S.A., R.C.S. Luxembourg No. B 14.157 on behalf of Nordea Bank S.A., Singapore Branch, 3 Anson Rd #20-01, Springleaf Tower, Singapore 079909. www.nordeaprivatebanking.com subject to the supervision
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May 2015 • ScandAsia.Thailand 9
AD_ScandAsiaThailand_Jonas_WP_eng NEW.indd 1 14/08/2014 11:56

Swedish show jumping
rider trains Thai racehorses
Helena Gabrielsson is a
Swedish show jumping
rider in Thailand. She
won Southeast Asia
World Cup jumping
league and other
international events
during the years. Today
she still competes,
while being an
instructor and a trainer
of racehorses.
Text and Photos: Louise Bihl Frandsen
10 ScandAsia.Thailand • May 2015
The sun is just on its way up, when
we leave Helena Gabrielsson’s home
in Nakhon Nayok – around 50 km
outside Bangkok. Time says 06:15, but
Helena has been up even earlier.
“My day is packed with action. When I come
back from training the racehorses, I will do some
jumps, and in the afternoon my ‘vet’ is coming
out to do some laser treatments on some of my
horses,” she says.
We are sitting in her grey Prado on our
way to Cha-Om and Noppakao racing stable. In
around half an hour we will get to the track and
the racehorses.
From jump to race
2011. That was the year when Helena and her
husband bought their first three racehorses.
She did not know anything about racing or
racehorses - and betting is not something she is into.
But her husband suggested they started
training racehorses, and for Helena it was a
challenge, she could not say no to.
“Here in Thailand you cannot just be a
competition rider. The money is not enough.
You have to be creative and see opportunities
in everything. It is not that we earn much on the
races either, but it is an income next to my riding
and work as an instructor,” she says.
Since Helena did not know anything about
racing to begin with, one of her friends helped her.
“I did not know about furlongs which
equals to 200 meters, for instance, which is the
distance between two numbers on the track,” she
explains, while having a keen eye on the two first
racehorses on the track this morning.
The air is fresh and the sun is half up. Helena
shouts something in Thai to one of the jockeys,
who is actually a stable boy. He is flying several
meters ahead of the other jockey, who is almost
invisible in the background. Helena shouts that he
has to slow down.
“See? That is why, they are exercise riders
and not riding races. He knows that he is not
supposed to go that fast, but sometimes they just
want to let the horse run,” she laughs.

Unlike the horses for jumping that are
imported from Europe, the racehorses are all
pure thoroughbreds horses born in Thailand.
“They have to be born here, or else they are
not allowed to run in the races,” Helena explains.
Willing to learn
It is neither talent nor experience that makes
Helena decide which riders, she wants to work
with. It is their willingness to learn and their ability
to work hard for it. Before she moved to Thailand
in 1992, she was riding in Germany.
“The whole mentality in Germany is so
different from Thailand. I learned things in a strict
way and had some amazing teachers,” she says.
“My riders have to be able to develop and
listen to what I say. If you are thinking about
receiving riding lessons just for fun, I am not
the right trainer for you. My riders have to have
ambitions,” she says.
Helena has a handful of riders – that is it.
She is not aiming for a big equestrian school, she
prefers to keep it simple.
The ever turning circle
Helena Gabrielsson has won several competitions
in Thailand - here among Southeast Asia World
Cup jumping league and other international
events. Although first year with the racehorses
was “not good”, she recently started having
success in this field as well.
“Last year we had 14 wins and lots of seconds
and thirds,” she smiles a bit proud.
She has been participating in races every
single weekend the past few months. A first place
gives approximate 70.000 THB, second between
25.000-30.000 and a third around 15.000.
For some it might sound like a lot, but working
with horses can be a tough business, according
to Helena.
“Every month every single horse costs in
feed and care alone around 10.000-15.000 THB
and that is without vaccines, vets and further
costs,” she says and continues:
“At first you are like; ‘Yes! We won a race!’ And
then you are like: ‘Oh, I have to pay for that and
that,” she laughs.
However, the income from competitions,
races and the training is enough to keep everyone
running - even the horses that now have retired.
Helena refuses to sell them.
A lady in action
Thailand’s horse racing has really caught Helena
Gabrielsson’s interest, but it is not difficult to see
where the real action happens: when she is on the
sand, flying between and over jumps, just the way
she has done it since she was a little girl living and
growing up in a ‘horse family’ in Sweden.
Watch Helena Gabrielsson jump with her
18-year-old mare Nikita, which is bought and
transported from Germany, when it was five
years old. in a short video on ScandAsia.com by
searching for Helena Gabrielsson or type this url:
http://scandasia.com/?s=Helena Gabrielsson
May 2015 • ScandAsia.Thailand 11

Agneta’s
World
Hello again,
now we are back to the
real hot months, waiting
for the rainy season
to start. This month I
would like to share four
hot tip-off with you.
in your own home
Have you ever been longing to invite
8-12 of your friends or business
partners to an evening with “Fine
dining”, but in your own home?
Of course it’s easy to go out for
dinner as Bangkok is offering so many restaurants
with all kind of kitchens, but you have to admit,
sometimes it’s just wonderful to be home with
your guests. If you don’t want to stand in the
kitchen yourself and your maid might not be
that good in cooking, then I have the ultimate
suggestion.
Give the young Spanish chef Senor Jacobo
Astray a call. This young man has worked for
one of the most prestigious Spanish restaurants,
El Bulli in Barcelona. The restaurant had several
stars in the Guide Micheline. Unfortunately the
restaurant doesn’t exist anymore, as the owner
decided to close when it was on the top. Might
have been very clever as it is quite easy to lose
a star.
A friend of Jacobo asked him to come to
Bangkok and here he is. Jacobo has been working
at The Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel in Bangkok, in
Phuket at Maikhao Dream Resort and at OCEAN
on Sukhumvit Soi 33, but after a while he decided
to become his own.
Jacobo is what you really can call a dedicated
chef. He likes the idea of combining different
countries products, he’s mixing flavors and
structures. He is a master in creating tempting
dishes. Today he has his own company called
12 ScandAsia.Thailand • May 2015
“GULA” Private chef service) and he is always
ready to pack his things and come home to
invade your kitchen. While you are looking after
your guests, he will act like a wizard and soon you
can sit down and enjoy his elegant and delicious
tasting dishes. I know what I’m talking about, as I
had this experience when he was cooking at a
Swedish friend’s house.
When the photographer Daniel and I met
with him, he created a beautiful kind of tapas dish
named “Salmon Tataki”. He explained that this
dish can be made of Tuna or Salmon. This time
he had choose a fine Norwegian salmon. On the
plate he spread out a Quacamole sauce, that he
does himself, the salmon/tuna he just turns quick
in a frying pan, cut in small slices and put nicely
on the Quacamole. Yellow mango in small cubes
make the dish colorful and some Japanese Wasabi
comes on the top and last a dressing of soy sauce
with some lime added. I hope he excuses me if
I forgotten an ingredient. This dish both tasted
good, felt very light and looked tempting. You do
eat with your eyes.
Jacobo doesn’t only cook at peoples home,
he and a partner have just opened a small Tapas
Bar at W District, close to BTS Phra Kanong
station. Here you will be able to taste the tapas
and cold drinks. The name of the tapas place is
still not given, but it might be “ O’bico”. An easy
name to remember and it means “KISS” and who
doesn’t remember a good tasting kiss?
A tailor
for women
If you decide to go for ” fine dining”, you also
have to choose the right outfit. I suggest
you pay a visit to another master, Indian
Mr. Georges and his newly decorated
tailor shop on Sukhumvit soi 15. He must
have been inspired by the Chinese when he re
decorated his shop. It’s gold and red and you
can’t miss it, as outside he has put plenty of
Christmas roses (fake of course). Means all year
around it’s Christmas at his shop.
I have often got the question where we
women can find a good seamstresses and my
answer is, at Georges Tailor. I have had several
dresses, skirts, pants made there and almost no
fittings have been necessary and the end result
has always been excellent. He is a good adviser
and he has many lovely fabrics on stock, only for
you to point out and pay……

‘Swedish’
dentist
in Bangkok
I
also assume, that by dining and wining,
your teeth quickly get yellow/brown. Red
wine, coffee and tea are dangerous for
your teeth, so maybe it’s time to have them
whitened? On Sukhumvit Soi 19, you will
find 19 Dental Clinic, an ultra modern clinic with
a very nice dentist, a Thai/Chines woman with
a welcoming smile. She really surprised me at
my first visit. She asked where I came from and
I answered “Sweden”. Aha, she said and then
in Swedish, with the south of Sweden dialect
(Skaane) “I have studied in Malmoe”. Once
again, you realize the world is small. Since then,
I always visit her when I have to clean my teeth,
do a filling or whitening.
Men’s night out
W
e all know, that ladies very
often are invited to “Ladie’s night
out” with free flow of, might it
be Prosecco or Margeritas, at
almost all hotels and restaurants.
So here is last, but not least, my forth tip-off for this
month. At the top floor of Holiday Inn Sukhumvit, at
restaurant Maya, we ladies can enjoy free Prosecco
every Wednesday night and it has become very
popular, especially among us expat ladies.
Since a few weeks we can now also send our
husbands, partners or bosses to Maya’s Thursday
nights. They have “Men’s night out” serving chilled
beer and delicious Indian tapas as much as they
can drink and bear. Let us kick them out for a
Thursday night, just because we think they are
worth it and I’m sure the GM Mr. Bart Callens
and his F & B manager, Khun Rahmneek, will take
as good care of them as they do with us ladies.
CHEERS!
Ads size 192x65mm-ol.indd 3
May 2015 • ScandAsia.Thailand
13/2/2014 10:56:53 PM
13

Swedish bar trio
brings international café cult
By Joakim Persson
14 ScandAsia.Thailand • May 2015
Sapparot Group could very well be the
name of a producer and exporter of
Thailand’s tropical fruit pineapple. But
no, we are talking restaurateurs, where
the three Swedes formerly known
from Flow Cocktail/Hyde & Seek in Bangkok
have taken the next step together with their
American business partner Jared O’Brien in their
defining journey, now also strengthened further
with more Swedes in the form of two bartenders
(and that’s where pineapple can play its part) and
a baker! Three own-branded Rocket Coffeebar
outlets are up and running downtown along
with a restaurant and a bar so far, while further
expansion plans are on the horizon.
Just as Hyde & Seek was something groundbreaking
locally, Sapparot Group is out to continue
setting new standards, defining the scene and
bringing doable, international, concepts to the
table within the bar and restaurant scene. As
fascinating and remarkable it may seem (given its
large volume) the local dining and drinking scene
still offers room for improvement.
Picking a niche, the Swedes this time around
have turned their attention to the café culture,
and brought with them quite a few Scandinavian
touches (but forget Swedish flags and cheap
branding.) - and looked beyond just serving
coffee. While the coffee culture has boomed also
locally few have come up with any thought-out
concept. The Sapparot team, however, has dared
to do it: introducing something new here based
on international benchmarking and strongly
believing in that they could fulfil a need.
And with the quality these guys have in
whatever they do, and putting in a genuine effort,
Sapparot Group is at least dressed for success.
Thomas Anostam fills us in on their story and
efforts so far, and the ship being built, but where
the Sapparot Group is becoming accustomed to
a much larger suit and all that comes with it in
terms of business decision-making and leadership.
The restaurant group they are building was
in the plans already with the start of Hyde &
Seek, but often, as he explains, they were simply
too many chefs, too many strong wills. So the
brains behind the successful gastro bar decided
to part ways.
And often circumstances and pure chance
define the path forward. This was the case in how

ure to Bangkok
their first three new outlets were born on soi 12,
a side street to Sathorn road. They had looked at
a management job of a larger project in that area,
which did not happen.
“Then we felt that we had done a lot of
research and had so much knowledge about the
area that we wanted to utilize. We saw what was
already happening and knew what was about to
happen in the near future, in addition to some
key projects with a long-term view, such as
Mahanakorn. We then started looking around
at what was available and found this house on
Sathorn 12. And we wanted to do three smaller
places complementing each other.”
Thus, Sathorn soi 12 became the new test
bed for Sapparot Group and where the concepts
and outlets Rocket Coffeebar, Lady Brett Tavern
and U.N.C.L.E cocktail bar were born, and also
the beginning of the transformation of this
backyard street. Soon enough luxury cars were
lining up along the street, whose owners came
for breakfast or a brunch at the Swedes’ new
outlets, says Thomas.
“It’s fun to look back at, from having
been a dead street to one which Ferraris and
Lamborghinis arriving on weekends, with people
standing in line for an hour to sit down for eggs
and coffee! On weekends we served 300 people
on 20 seats - from 7 am until 4 pm. It was nonstop,
ourselves taking turns by the espresso
machine and serving, without being able to leave
for one minute!”
Rocket Coffeebar had become a happening
place. Since then W Hotel, Sathorn Square offices
etc. have opened, bringing further boost to the
nearby area, with more high-end developments
also in the works.
“We wanted to be a first-mover, and of
course this comes with many advantages but one
also has to carry a heavy burden when opening
something in an area that is not yet a destination.”
Then it is to wait and see if others also open
in the area - which is what they wanted.
“We wanted to create a neighbourhood.
And since our opening so many things have
happened on Sathorn 12 and 10; boutiques, a
gym, other cafés and restaurants, new-builds
and renovations. Rents have skyrocketed and of
course that has to do with the larger things too,
but we could see immediate effects based on our
small operation. People realised that something
was happening in the area.”
The Sapparot team had seen opportunities
and felt that something was lacking in Bangkok
within the café segment, comparing not least with
its strong position back in Sweden, where most
get-togethers are held at cafés.
“It felt like there was no coffee outlet in a
Swedish way where you can pick and choose. Yes,
the coffee culture had grown strong in Bangkok
- the entrepreneurship, the roasting, and many
boutique coffee shops; many really nice-looking
with really great coffee and clever baristas. But
if one wanted something aside - pastries, bakery,
cocktails, wine... there wasn’t much!”
And in Bangkok everything is a destination,
Thomas points out, so it is important to be able
to offer more than just one thing to serve the
customers’ their needs.
“One rarely travel for half an hour or more
for a cup of coffee, but one can do that for a
coffee, a Smoothie, and something to eat, and
then staying put, perhaps working a bit and later
going over to a bottle of wine with tapas. Then it
becomes justified to travel across the city.”
“This is what we saw as an opportunity, where
we felt something was lacking here in Bangkok. A
café that strives for serving Bangkok’s best coffee,
but in addition puts all the love an effort into all
the other parts that you today can find at Rocket.
We wanted to generate that regardless of the
time of the day. And regardless of what you crave
for, you should feel comfortable to sit down here
and know that the needs can be fulfilled in a nice
way. That made an innocent child like Rocket
with 20 seats into having just as large impact on
Bangkok as Hyde & Seek had when it opened up,
since, again, we fulfilled a vacuum.”
So far they have opened three Rockets;
with ‘Coffeebars’ also at Central Embassy and at
Sukhumvit soi 49 - where the interior has a really
bright, Scandinavian feel.
Guests who previously spent an hour’s trip
through the city in order to reach Sathorn 12 are
now also showing up at the other addresses that
may be closer to home, as Rocket is branching
out.
“As for the concept as such we talk about
the three aces - Stockholm, Sydney and San
Francisco - where we look at for inspiration, and
more when it comes to the coffee culture in
these three cities,” says Thomas.
“In Stockholm you have this ever present ‘fika’
phenomenon - Sweden’s answer to the English
pub as the natural meeting point. Regardless of
age, genus, if meeting friends or for business, on a
date, studies etc. - the café is always the place to
go and therefore the cafés back home most often
become a one-stop shop.”
“That is the flavour we want to bring in here,
but a bit more direct when it comes to some
food - delivered in an elegant, beautiful gourmet
style, so the international market can view this
[Rocket] as something trendy and fresh rather
than hardcore ‘Swedish Restaurant’ formula with
Swedish flags and all the rest of it. Stockholm’s
involvement in Rocket is more about the coffee
culture vibe. And quite a lot of Scandinavian line
in the design. And some bakery firsts for Bangkok:
Mazarin pastries and cinnamon buns.”
“Should Bennie, Dannie, Jeff and I allow
May 2015 • ScandAsia.Thailand 15

ourselves to be Swedish nerds completely there
are no limits to what one could produce! But
now it’s more about expanding quite fast and
therefore things accelerate and are not always
planned; opportunities popping up that one
jumps on board, so also hunting one’s own tail
on a daily basis.”
Sydney, meanwhile, represents an enormous
passion for food and beverage. And with
perfectionism.
“Australia, being very far away from
everything else, takes inspiration from the entire
world. And since they have so many resources
and are so far away they create things themselves.
Down under they have fresh produce to an
unbelievably extent and all so robust. And I think
that’s what has created such a passion among
people working within this trade.”
“Sydney is a very unique city, with a vibrancy
that is just beyond! And cafés … there are so
many in Sydney doing it the way we also want,
and in such a beautiful, effort-less way; open from
7 am, and even though being the same outlet
transforming throughout the day and into the
night, meeting various needs and wishes. You can
come for a take-away coffee and a sandwich in the
morning, and at lunch full of energy and socialising.
Or for a relaxed afternoon coffee, and perhaps
sundowner cocktails, or wine, after work.”
“And San Francisco is a leading city within
third wave coffee; small cafés mushrooming up
and battling with large chains. Plus they have a big
passion for the farm-to-table concept.”
We let Thomas end with a philosophical
thought about their approach in their business
conduct (in reflecting on how customers tend
to see their food as ‘healthy’): “We produce
things ourselves; putting our heart and soul in
everything we do. At least one can feel good
to consume these things with devotion, since
we know all the ingredients in the products and
where they originate and how they are made.
For us that’s most important and what we can
realistically do.”
Jeff Oberg the baker
In nod to the international café culture, and
with some key Swedish flavours added to the
menu - including bakery temptations such as
Swedish cinnamon bun, chocolate balls and the
winter classic ‘semla’ bun - make the skills of a
Swedish baker most welcome!
Jeff Oberg from Halmstad, is the man in
charge of the group’s bakery team, and, in the
process, making these Swedish delicacies known
to the Bangkok audience. The ‘mazarin’ has gained
great recognition among the Rocket Coffeebar
guests.
Jeff is from the same Swedish town as two
of the founders, the Ben-David and Dannie
brothers, where they had met in the early days
- working for a restaurant. That is where Jeff
worked himself up the ladder from scratch.
“I am self-learned and have attended paid
courses. And I earned opportunities to work in
kitchens with very skilled chefs and partake and
learn; working with chefs from Skåne Kulinar
[skanekulinar.se] and learning a lot also from
chef Stefan Holmström at restaurant L´ecurie
in Falkenberg. Step by step I worked myself up
the ladder.”
He was given responsibility over the starters
and eventually ended up doing the desserts,
which became his niche.
He first arrived to Thailand in the summer
of 2012 when they opened the first Rocket on
Sathorn road. After 1,5 years he went back home
for a break, before returning again.
“I was keen on coming here, without
knowing what that actually meant. Because, there
is a difference in working culture here and back
home in Sweden - about everything! I found that
I had to adjust myself a lot in order for things
to work.”
“I took time-out to digest what I had
experienced. And then, coming back again, I knew
what I was heading back into - which also made
things much easier. It’s a very different culture;
collision on all frontiers!”
“I am responsible for the pastry group,
daytime, and the bakery team night time, so
I must train pastry, attend meetings with the
management team, plus join night time to manage
the bakery team, and training how to bake with
sourdough. Only now in 2015 have I reached the
stage where they are doing it right on all levels
and are self-running. So my days are back to
being normal.”
On using sourdough: “For me there is a large
benefit here in that the bread keeps its humidity
much longer. And I think it’s more fun as it is more
about craft and being more creative. And also
quality-wise, with the tastes coming out better.”
“I like modern things - I want to create
things, test things. I can also work with fruits and
vegetables in desserts,” he also says.
‘I like to mix - classic but making it in modern
style. Take a classic Princess Cake and put on a
plate for you so that it looks like a piece of art.”
He thinks certain other cafés that are very
popular really aren’t anything special.
“Then I think that why could we not make
a dessert with five-star looks but you get to pay
a reasonable price for it! It’s about having the
willingness, which we have here. We present
modern food, or desserts, with straightforward,
nice tastes and make people having a wow
experience!”
“Of course we strive towards being
different - I want to be innovative, while at
the same time get all the others to follow. In
our team, I like when people strive towards
something good and create great things and learn
from each other.”
16 ScandAsia.Thailand • May 2015

And in the formula for success, and which is
the big challenge, having the right kind of people
is essential.
“It’s more about that than venue and
equipment; it’s all in the hands of the people we
are recruiting within the whole group. It does not
matter how cool address and how nice the café is
and expensive equipment you have; it is the staff
that can take it further and make the product
fantastic and living.”
This also requires being that demanding
manager.
“One must stand up and be stubborn and
dare to be that demanding, rather annoying
person who is not satisfied with just O.K but that
it should be top-notch every time.”
Three more Swedes have been brought into
the team to deal with these demands.
Bartender team reinforced
with Sebastian De la Cruz
Sapparot Group, looking to strengthen its
team of skilled bartenders, as the owners
increasingly have to manage, and let go of
their favourite function of being hands-on cocktail
shakers, has hand-picked the Swedish ‘tiki’ expert
Sebastian De La Cruz (plus another Swede; Filip).
Sebastian’s claim to fame is having worked at
Sweden’s only genuine tiki bar (and also a stint
at legendary Berns Salonger in Stockholm gives
merits to his CV).
“Tiki is a very special genre within cocktails
originating from the U.S in the early 1940s. They
created an entirely imaginary world - a tropical,
Polynesian setting,” says Sebastian.
It enabled Americans to experience an entirely
new exotic world - but without travelling. It’s all
about escaping to the tropics, with fruity rum
cocktails and the good island life under the sun.
“Nobody was really doing that in Stockholm
so I had a niche where I could profile myself as
the Tiki guy in town. In addition I am very fund of
rum, which is what made me hook on it, aside the
lifestyle; the relaxed Caribbean culture.”
He describes himself as self-trained and very
dedicated. In the early days he read a lot and
searched for information.
“Gradually I understood the difference
between an ordinary nightclub’s drinks compared
to cocktails and began to befriend skilled
bartenders in Stockholm. Heading down that
road I could learn from those leading the scene.”
In 2010 he chose to make it Whole-heartedly
into his full time job. A trip to New York, where he
got very inspired by the bartenders in action, was
the real game-changer.
“I left university to follow my passion. Like:
follow your path and do what you like to be doing.
Then my learning curve started showing great
progress, and I joined competitions.”
Sebastian finds the restaurant environs
interesting, a very special work place.
“It sounds like a cliché, but you don’t find the
restaurant business - it finds you. One must have
a certain character to work within this. It suited
me very well.”
How he found his way to Bangkok is a bit
of a coincidence. He knew another Swedish
bartender that worked for the group, whom he
replaced. He let Sapparot Group know that he
was interested in coming here.
Most stimulating about being here he thinks
are the incredibly varied people he encounters.
“It feels like living in a place with an
international population - much more so than
in Stockholm, and anyone from local Thais to
extremely well travelled people who have been
around the world. It’s great fun.”
On the other hand what he could bring along
from Stockholm was the knowledge gained, based
on the Nordic city being cocktail-wise so much
more in the forefront, and “a bit more minimalistthinking”.
The next step was to adapt that to the local
market.
“Here, our Thai guests appreciate more the
looks and they want to have a show. So we’ve
had to change our thinking a bit, as we go about
introducing our style that may not fully work. Here
it’s so much more; they get the wow feeling if the
cocktail is good-looking. At the same time we
want to educate our guests on the internatinoal
cocktail scene.”
On the agenda onwards: Increasingly doing
also catering and events. And continuing the
creative process: “The rethinking: conjuring up
new cocktails and never resting on one’s laurels
but dreaming up new things”.
May 2015 • ScandAsia.Thailand 17

มุมภาษาไทย l mum pha:să: thai l Thai Language Corner
Colourful Thai
By Klavs Johansen (thai@snakthai.dk)
Often, and with good reason, some of the first useful words
to be learned in any language are the names of the colours
and so also in Thai. In writing this column, we always attempt
- probably with varying degrees of success - to address
topics both from the perspective of the beginner and from
the perspective of the more advanced learner of Thai and this month we
will be naming colours.
For the beginner, the names of the colours offer great pronunciation
practice, covering all 5 tones and most of the vowels. In the December 2013
column, you can read about the tones and the way we write them here at
the Thai Language Corner. As always, get help from a Thai close to you and
say the words out loud imitating the Thai.
สี / sĭ: / is the word for colour and as such it often precedes the name
of the specific colour in Thai. Let’s take the less colourful first:
สีดำ / sĭ: dam / ~ black,
สีขาว / sĭ: khă:o / ~ white,
สีเทา / sĭ: thao / ~ grey.
The primary colours are:
สีแดง / sĭ: dae:ng / ~ red,
สีเหลือง / sĭ: lŭeang / ~ yellow, and
สีน้ำเงิน / sĭ: ná:m ngoen / ~ blue.
The secondary colours are:
สีม่วง / sĭ: mûang / ~ purple,
สีเขียว / sĭ: khĭao / ~ green, and
สีส้ม / sĭ: sôm / ~ orange, with ส้ม / sôm / also being the name of the
fruit as in English.
Some easy-to-remember colours are:
สีฟ้า / sĭ: fá: / ~ sky blue, where ฟ้า / fá: / means the ‘sky’, and
สีน้ำตาล / sĭ: ná:m ta:n / ~ brown, where น้ำตาล / ná:m ta:n / means
‘sugar’, brown being the colour of raw sugar.
Other colours not to be missed are:
สีชมพู / sĭ: chomphu: / ~ pink,
สีทอง / sĭ: thor:ng / ~ golden,
สีเงิน / sĭ: ngoen / ~ silver,
สีทับทิบ / sĭ: tháp thim / ~ ruby,
สีคราม / sĭ: khra:m / ~ indigo,
สีถ่าน / sĭ: thà:n / ~ charcoal, and
สีนวล / sĭ: nuan / ~ cream.
To name lighter shades of the colours, the word อ่อน / òr:n /, actually
meaning ‘weak’, is added, and we get for example:
สีเขียวอ่อน / sĭ: khĭao òr:n / ~ light green, and
สีเหลืองอ่อน / sĭ: lŭeang òr:n / ~ light yellow.
Similarly, to name darker shades, we add the word เข้ม / khêm /, with the
basic meaning of ‘strong’ or ‘intense’, and we get for example:
สีน้ำเงินเข้ม / sĭ: ná:m ngoen khêm / ~ dark blue, and
สีม่วงเข้ม / sĭ: mûang khêm / ~ dark purple.
Bright colours are named adding สด / sòt /, while pale colours are named
adding จาง / ja:ng/, so we get:
สีแดงสด / sĭ: dae:ng sòt / ~ bright red, and
สีฟ้าจาง / sĭ: fá: ja:ng / ~ pale blue.
To name a blend of two colours, the word อม / om / is used between them,
for instance:
สีแดงอมส้ม / sĭ: dae:ng om sôm / ~ orange red,
เหลืองอมเชียว /sĭ: lŭeang om khĭao / ~ yellow green.
Finally, you may want to review the piece about Thai intensifiers in the
August 2014 column, where among other examples you will find the Thai
words for ‘pitch black’ and ‘chalky white’.
โชคดีนะ / chô:k di: ná’ / ~ good luck, and remember that you can ask
questions or suggest topics to be treated at the Thai Language Corner by
contacting us at the email above.
18 ScandAsia.Thailand • May 2015

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May 2015 • ScandAsia.Thailand 19

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