Part 1 Bangkok Travelogue: Food Trippin'

First. Second. Third. Forth.

That's right, this is my forth trip to Bangkok, my first time blogging about it, and also the most memorable and enjoyable trip thus far. I had a great time and I can't wait to tell you all about it!

But before that, as usual, a little bit on the pre-planning end before I start with the photographs.

I booked my air ticket via Malaysian Airlines, which had a cheaper rate compared to Air Asia at that point in time, at RM458, inclusive of 30kg check-in luggage and meal onboard, about 3 weeks prior to departure.

Part of Accor Hotels, I stayed at The Residence Rajtaevee Hotel, at Pratunam Bangkok, for this trip. My Premier Room costs Rm457 for 3 nights, which was equivalent to Rm152/night. I opted for a room that came with a king size bed, shared between me and my friend, excluding breakfast.

Exchange rate: 11.60

My Bangkok Travelogue Series:
Part 1 Food Trippin' - The Residence Rajtaevee Hotel, Somboon Seafood, Rocket X 72 Courtyard, Roast Coffee & Eatery, After You Dessert & Cafe, Audrey Cafe, Central World, Platinum Mall, Gaysorn Shopping Mall, Som Tam Nua, EmQuartier, Emporium, Artbox Bangkok.
Part 2 Fun Times! - Big C Ratchadamri (Oppo. Central World), The Garden Of TFEST (TGIF), Asiatique, Route66 (RCA), Aoi Japanese Restaurant.

My stay at The Residence Hotel exceeded expectations. The hotel overall was not huge, the room was as depicted in photographs (well-sized), facilities were spanking clean and ample, customer service were genuinely pleasant.

Best part of all, the location of the hotel gave me the best of both worlds, strategically situated between Siam Square and Platinum Mall. It takes about 10 minutes walk, in either direction to both hotspots, along the back road of the luxurious Siam Kempinski Hotel.

I would highly recommend this hotel, and would definitely return for another great stay here.

This writeup features mostly food. Though unlike the conventional thai street food fiesta that most first-time tourists would dive right into, I decided to give that a pass this time round and went for the restaurants and cafes instead.

Been there. Done that. Let's try something new.

Day One..... The Night Is Still Young

It was pouring upon our arrival in Bangkok that evening.

While mother nature was on full force, we were undetered too. Determine with our dinner plans, we cramped under a tiny umbrella (life savior!), and marched straight to Somboon, Siam Square One, for a fulfilling seafood feast.

We ordered 6 dishes for the 3 of us (which all tasted rather average), and the tab came up to a hefty THB2,500.

Somboon Seafood Restaurant @ Siam Square One.

Somboon: Squid (THB340). Vegetable with Gravy (THB200). 

Somboon: Grouper with Basil (THB380).

Somboon: Sea Prawns with Tom Yum Gung (THB300).

Somboon: Freshwater Prawns with Garlic (THB450).

Somboon: Mango Sticky Rice (THB220). Coconut Pudding (THB80).

The scattered rain and gloomy weather simply did not permit late night drinks at the rooftop bar (ah man!). We decided to call off our party plans and went for a relaxing foot massage instead, which lasted to slightly pass midnight. 

The night still felt young when I dozed off in my temporary cozy linen bed. 

Day Two..... Cafe Hoppin' & Shoppin'

I woked up fully recharged for a fresh and exciting day ahead!

Thonglor is the heaven for trendy cafes alongside modern mix of restaurants. You'd never go hungry here!

In this trip, we visited Rocket X 72 Courtyard, Roast Coffee & Eatery, After You Dessert Cafe and Audrey Cafe, sampling some of their signature offerings along the way. All in the short span of 4 hours.  

We used Uber as the main transportation mode on most parts of this trip. Splitting the fare among the 3 of us, it was much cheaper and convenient compared to taking the train. Our 20-30 minute ride to Thonglor costs merely THB100.

Good morning! I need my coffee!

Uber-ing to Thonglor.

First stop, Rocket X 72 Courtyard.

I love-love-love the playful baby-blue hues and matching wooden tones of the furniture and fittings here. It was a rather quiet morning at Rocket X. Apart from the cafe staff, we were the only ones there. Less noise, more photographs please!

Popular Food Pick: Everything Bagel with Salmon (THB175). The bagel was perfect! Rocket Cold Brew (which we didn't have). 

Address: 2 Sukhumvit Soi 55 Khlong Tan Nuea, Watthana, Bangkok 10110, Thailand

Phone: +66 2 392 7635

Opening Hours: 7am - 10pm.

Rocket X 72 Courtyard @ Thonglor.

Rocket X 72 Courtyard: Rocket Water (THB350). Flat White (THB100). Piccolo Latte (THB95).

Rocket X 72 Courtyard: Everything Bagel with Salmon (THB175).

Just 5 minutes walk away, we arrived at our next pitstop. Photography enthusiast, this would be your turf! 

The Commons had so much attitude. It housed a handful of cafes, seperate from each other, with it's own distinct concept. We took so many photographs, I lost count. Now, why don't we have this in Malaysia?

Roast would have to be the most popular and busiest cafe at The Commons.

Eventful enough however, there was a power trip halfway through our meal, which blacked out the entire building. Even as we left the cafe almost an hour later, it was still on unrestored mode. Needless to say, I'm glad that we came in just in time for our order to be made and served.

Popular Food Pick: Strawberry Waffle (THB260). Meh.

Address: 335 Thonglor Soi 17, Sukhumvit 55. Klongton Nua, Wattana, Bangkok 10110.

Phone: +66(0)2 185 2865

Opening Hours: 10am - 11pm.

Roast Coffee & Eatery @ Soi 17 Thonglor.

Roast: Strawberry Waffle (THB260).

We made our way to J Avenue, Thonglor after that, about 10 minutes walk from where we were.

Despite the hype (especially among the Malaysians and Singaporeans), I've never really had cravings for After You Dessert & Cafe. Having said that, I never fail to revisit everytime I'm back, customarily with someone new (points to guilty friend), who is usually very eager to sample the much talked about toast.

Popular Food Pick: Only order the Shibuya Honey Toast (THB185). The toast was fantastic, nicely toasted outside, fluffy and buttery inside.  

Address: 323/3 Thonglor Soi 13, Bangkok 10110, Thailand.

Phone: +66 (0)2 7129266

Opening Hours: 10am - 12am.

After You Dessert & Cafe @ Soi 13 Thonglor.

After You: Shibuya Honey Toast (THB185).

Distracted - I think a hot guy just walked pass.

A stones throw away, we dropped by our last cafe of the day, Audrey Cafe, a European-Thai inspired cafe. After what seemed like a neverending taste of sweet notes, we decided to only order their signature cake to share.

Popular Food Pick: Thai Milk Tea Mille Crepe (THB125). Meh. My least favorite of the day.

Address: Soi Thong Lo 11, Khlong Tan Nuea, Watthana, Bangkok 10110, Thailand
Phone: +66 2 712 6667
Opening Hours: 11am - 10pm

Audrey Cafe @ Soi 11 Thonglor.

Audrey Cafe: Thai Milk Tea Mille Crepe (THB125).

After all the sweet indulgence, we returned to Siam for some shopping (and to exercise the sugar away of course!), before we continued with our food escapades later on that evening.

We spend the next few hours strolling around Central World and Platinum Mall, before heading back to Siam Square for dinner.

Fresh coconut for THB60. Refreshingly sweet!

They scrape the coconut flesh for you once you're done with the drink!

Inside Gaysorn Shopping Mall. We only came in to use the toilet (Heh).

Like every other Bangkok getaway, I didn't have much to buy from Platinum Mall, apart from a few free-sized crop tops and t-shirts. Go figure.

For dinner that evening, we visited one of my favorite restaurant in Bangkok, Som Tam Nua, at Siam Square One.

Som Tam Nua serves an array of affordable yet delicious Thai dishes - that never disappoints. The wait took us about 30-45 minutes this time round. Trust me, it's always worth it.

Popular Top Picks: Green Mango Somtam (THB80). Pork Shoulder BBQ (THB115). Fried Chicken (THB150).

Som Tam Nua @ Siam Square One.

Som Tam: Shredded Green Mango Somtam (THB80). Fried Chicken (THB150). Pork Shoulder BBQ (THB115). Crispy Fried Fish (THB105).

Som Tam Nua Menu & Prices.

It was touching 9.30pm when we were done with dinner.

I overate - too many fried chicken. Note to self: no more fried chicken for the next few weeks. With a bloated and slightly uneasy stomach, we took the train to Artbox, at EM District, about 5 minutes walk from BTS Phrom Phong (Exit 6).

Now, don't be deceived with all the hoo-haa and animated photographs published online. That's, the old artbox. The new artbox at EM district, occupies barely a few containers wide.

To be honest, there were completely nothing of my fancy here. There were not many handicrafts on display and the selection of food stalls too, were profoundly disappointing. It also didn't help that it started pouring again halfway through.

On the bright side, at least my friend bought something - a pair of earings.

Walked pass the up-and-coming EmQuartier Shopping Mall along the way.

The entrance of Artbox.

#DeceivingPictureAlert. It was cramped because it was raining outdoors, everyone was trying to take shelter, and not because there were loads to see under those tents.

We left Artbox about half an hour later, and head straight back to Siam Square night market, which I thought had plenty more to see, eat and do.

Clearly exhausted by the time we were done, like the night before, we ended up at a massage parlour before heading back to the hotel. It was a long-long day for us.

Next up, Part 2 of my Bangkok Travelogue, I'm bringing you to TFEST - TIGF, Asiatique, Route66 and the best Japanese meal I've had in Bangkok to date!