didn’t help us.” He
didn’t help us.” He is now suing the government – “It’s hard, but it’s the right thing to do,” he says – and has become a minor celebrity. “He’s a hero to those of us in the food and drink world,” exclaims my press attaché at one of the city’s new hotels. “He’s saying all the things we want to say but are too afraid to.” Her current full-time job is working for the hotel, but she and her boyfriend have just started a stall in a nearby food market, where it’s only open a few nights per week – but her ambition is to grow it into a full-time gig. This sort of casual entrepreneurship is one of Bangkok’s most charming qualities – and one of the first things you see when exploring the streets. It’s also the first thing US Ambassador Robert Godec says to me when I visit him at the sprawling US Embassy compound, one of the largest in the world. “The entrepreneurship and creativity are incredible in Bangkok,” he enthuses. He has only been in the city for nine months, but he runs several mornings each week with the Bangkok Governor (Chadchart Sittipunt, one of the most-liked politicians in Thailand) and the two have become fast friends – there is something, after all, remarkably similar about the emphasis on free enterprise in both the US and Bangkok. Take Chef Pam, as she’s known locally – Pichaya Utharntharm on all the documents – who transformed her family’s five-storey row house in Chinatown into a dazzling restaurant, Potong, which earned a Michelin star last year, its first full year open. A pharmacy run by her Chinese-origin family for four generations before her, the property has been entirely renovated over the course of three years and turned into a remarkable destination restaurant that is less than 10 minutes’ walk from Anuman’s bars in Chinatown. “Although we all had the toughest time during the pandemic,” says the Thai- Australian chef who earned her fine-dining stripes at Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s eponymous gastro temple in Manhattan. “Right now, for me, Bangkok is at its strongest and most vibrant. You see hundreds of new restaurants opening up.” PHOTO SVEN ELLSWORTH PHOTO 42 CENTURION-MAGAZINE.COM
The Siam’s handsome courtyard, designed by longtime Bangkok resident Bill Bensley Bedding Down Both new, Capella Bangkok (capellahotels.com) and Four Seasons Bangkok (fourseasons.com) sit side by side: choose the former for privacy and views, the latter for public spaces. Up the river, Mandarin Oriental Bangkok ( mandarinoriental.com) underwent a refurb in 2019 and still sparkles – a true icon. Also opening in 2019, Rosewood Bangkok (rosewoodhotels. com) lacks the brand’s defining “sense of place” but has spacious, elegant rooms and an unbeatably central location. The Siam ( thesiamhotel.com) is a design-led hideaway tucked in a residential neighbourhood that is worth the journey for aesthetes. Top Tables International flavours are dominating the city. Don’t miss Chef Pam at Potong (restaurantpotong. com) in Chinatown. For more traditional Chinese fare, try Nan Bei at Rosewood Bangkok. Mexican cuisine reaches spectacular heights at Ojo (standardhotels.com), which sits on the 76th floor at The Standard (the neighbouring bar has nibbles from the same kitchen and even better views). Villa Franztén (villafrantzen.com) might be the best Nordic cuisine in Asia, while just down the street Sühring (restaurantsuhring.com) offers two-Michelin-starred German dishes. It’s chef’s table only at Gaggan Anand ( gaggananand.com) near the new Soho House, a truly otherworldly experience. For Thai cuisine, try historic dishes with a modern twist at Aksorn (aksornbkk.com), chef David Thompson’s latest venture, and elevated street food at Samlor (@samlor.bkk). PHOTOS FROM LEFT: © After Hours Nowhere beats BKK Social Club at Four Seasons for sophistication, and if there you also have to visit Stella at Capella: it’s just next door and hosts live music every evening. Asia Today (@asia_today_bar) focuses on Thai honey (try the bitter variety from stingless bees) and is the pick of Niks Anuman’s clutch of bars (Teens of Thailand, TAX and Independence are the others), all of which are set in a bustling corner of Chinatown, along with Tep Bar (tepmahanakhon. com) and Ba Hao (ba-hao.com). Try Vesper (vesperbar.co) for European chic and Tropic City (tropiccitybkk.com) for tiki vibes. Lennon’s at the top of the Rosewood hotel boasts both superlative tunes and views. CENTURION-MAGAZINE.COM 43
