48 HOURS IN BANGKOK : Diaries Of A Foodie

Bangkok !!! When you hear this name there’s a wide variety of thoughts that come to mind.
A party haven for bachelors, a nightmare for the over possessive wife/girlfriend, the first ticket abroad for a budget traveler, a place for retirement for the divorced expat, the most awaited off-site trip for the overworked executive, a relaxing innocuous body massage which could end up fulfilling ones wildest fantasies. The city wears many characters but amidst all these notions and images is a fast rising power house of world class cuisine.
Many regular, new and first time travelers are oblivious of the fact that Bangkok in the past decade has emerged as a culinary destination “par excellence” in Asia , a status enjoyed by the likes of Tokyo and Hong Kong, which are home to many Michelin star restaurants. But the time has come for Bangkok to get its due share of recognition as it gets ready for the release of its first Michelin restaurant guide this year.
Work, leisure and my love for Thailand has brought me to Bangkok a couple of dozen times in the past 9 years and I have seen the city grow and grow on me. As a hotelier and restaurateur I never miss a chance to explore the gastronomic offerings of a place and on my last trip to Tokyo I had a chance of a 48 hour layover at Bangkok and I dedicated these 48 hours in search of some great food.
Straight out of Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport at 10:45 am, I headed for my hotel on Sukhumvit Road, Soi 16.I was through with the check in formalities by 12:30 pm and was up for a good lunch . I called an UBER and headed straight to ZUMA located at the St.Regis Pantip.
Zuma is a contemporary take on Japanese cuisine, a concept started by chef Rainer Becker in 2002 . It’s present in almost a dozen cities across the globe so that doesn’t make it a Bangkok exclusive experience but still worth a visit for your first fine dine in terms of exploring Japanese food.
I started with a Japanese Yuzu Margarita which was their own take on the classic, topped with some spicy condiment on the glass rim, tantalizing enough to tease the taste buds. A seared hamachi (Yellow tail fish) salad made for a good appetizer. Then came the Miso Soup a Japanese staple I guess with some lip smacking Gyoza (pot stickers) . For the main course there was a fine sushi platter and the scrumptious meal was washed down with a glass of cold sake and concluded with Hokkaido style cheesecake. Overall a very cool experience.

Being Friends with one of the jury members of the BAR AWARDS Bangkok (a platform for recognition of bars n restaurants) is very handy when it comes to recommendations. For the evening I was suggested to go to "Bronx Liquid Parlour" on Thonglor soi 25 and "EAT ME" at convent road.
If you are someone who loves cocktails these two places are a must go to. I first visited Bronx liquid Parlour and started off with a twisted whiskey sour and then a classic Manhattan, both I’d say were nice. The place had a contemporary feel with clean interiors and good music. Since I knew I had a long cocktail tasting session at hand,I moved to EAT ME after finishing my Manhattan.
I didn’t want to do too much of bar hopping so “Eat Me” had to be the final stop for the evening and to curb my hunger pangs, I immediately ordered a black chicken salad with papaya which turned out to be a more than decent bite and for my spirits I didn’t mind going with the barman’s selections. The evening sailed smooth and “About Town” and “Sip n Sleep” ended up being on my must haves from the cocktail menu.

Day two started with a nice swim at the hotel pool which made up for a good appetite for breakfast. As a Traveler if I am not out on business I prefer to book my rooms on a European plan which is a room only price at a hotel. This gives me the flexibility to explore more food. If you are in the Sukhumvit area and don’t want to start your day with the mundane hotel breakfast, head to The Bangkok Baking Company at the JW Marriott Hotel on Soi 4 . It opens at 6am and has a wide variety of stuff for a king size breakfast or you can try their preset traditional tea menu later in the afternoon.
Being an Indian and having lived in India for 37 years I tend to squeeze in an Indian meal if possible when I’m out of India, so for lunch it was Dosa King on Sukhumvit soi 11. A pure vegetarian restaurant that serves delectable Indian food and for the non Indian palate there are a host of restaurants, pubs and eateries on soi 11 and Sukhumvit road in general. Grab a beer or a glass wine, read a book , shop at terminal 21 or explore the restaurants there. You can never get bored in the bustling Sukhumvit area.
Now it was time for the last meal in one at my favorite cities and it had to be local food but in a grand avatar. So the choice was obvious, “The Blue Elephant Restaurant and cooking school”.
The Blue Elephant is a restaurant on sathorn road Bangkok , housed in the historic Thai-Chine building of 1903. It’s a place where you experience great Thai food and are treated as a royalty. The place has warmth and class, the service is excellent and the food sublime. Try their tasting menu for a complete and relaxing fine dine experience or pick from the ala carte to suit your taste.


I wrapped up my meal with a pousse café and a coconut flan and called for an UBER back to the hotel. The short culinary sojourn had come to an end and tomorrow was another day. A sadness lingered as I had to leave in the morning but it was overpowered by the excitement of the upcoming adventure of my first trip to Tokyo.
As I left for the airport the next morning and boarded my flight, I looked through the window of the aircraft and said “ till next time, SAWADEE KRAP”.