A Walk Down Sukhumvit Soi 11

The low-down on Sukhumvit Soi 11
Great for couples/friends who want to go out and party without breaking the bank. No overtly seedy massage parlours or pick-up joints down this lane. Lots of options for drinks and dinner. A few places carry on pretty late on weekends.

The Soi 11 vibe
Sukhumvit's Soi 11 has got something for everyone: lively restaurants, old-fashioned pubs, classy sky bars, thumping nightclubs, laidback dive bars, pokey little restaurants, pop-up street cafes... This basically makes it perfect for a long night out as you can easily hop from place to place as your mood changes!

How to get to Soi 11
The easiest way to Soi 11 is to take the BTS to Nana station. It's mere steps away from the station and you avoid all the horrid Sukhumvit traffic! Alternatively, roll the dice and take a cab.

Restaurants and bars on Soi 11

Zanzibar -- A lovely little restaurant, with tables set amidst lush foliage and great lighting. It certainly lives up to its name with a distinctly tropical vibe. The drinks are good, while the food is mediocre. For Bangkok, the prices are on the higher side. I'd recommend Zanzibar as a good spot to have your first or last drink of the evening!

Zak's Wine Bar -- A classy restaurant, with attentive service and delicious, beautifully presented cocktails. Slightly expensive, but worth it for the quality! The drinks promotions are excellent; Martini Mondays were on display when we went -- all the martinis you can have for 399 Baht or something ridiculous like that! I'd recommend Zak's as a perfect place to spend a slightly fancy evening or to go drink like a fish on a promotions night.

Cheap Charlies -- A hole-in-the-wall (literally!) bar with dirt-cheap drinks, a loyal expat following, and a come-in-your-shorts-and-slippers casual atmosphere! This is the kind of place where you can strike up conversations with perfect strangers, swap stories and get some great insider suggestions about the city. We were lucky enough to catch an energetic and enjoyable performance by a local street dance group while having a beer here. Head here if you want to meet some interesting folks or if you're running out of drinking money.


Old German Beerhouse -- If your idea of a nice place includes a laidback atmosphere, reasonable drinks, schnitzels & German sausages, and a football game, then this is the place for you on Soi 11. The crowd is mostly made up of older folks, so it's nice and quiet. Hearty portions and excellent value for money. They don't add service charge here so do remember to tip if you like the server!

The Nest (rooftop bar at Le Fenix) -- Great cocktails and a stylish vibe set this rooftop bar apart from other restaurants in Soi 11. It's got fun music and it's not unusual to see folks start dancing as the night progresses. The Nest gets pretty crowded on weekends, so try and get there early if you're picky about seating. Drinks are pricey, so if you're planning on knocking back 2-3 cocktails order the supersized version for better value. They also serve sheesha (approximately 500 baht).

Others -- The above are just a few of the places on Soi 11, which is with all manner of little bars and restaurants. There are a couple of Indian restaurants at the Sukhumvit end, a number of the ubiquitous street-food carts along the way. and tiny by-lanes that are home to hidden gems. This is a great Soi if you're looking at a night of bar-hopping and trying new places. Happy exploring!

The Basics of Grocery Shopping in Bangkok

Thailand is well-known for its bounty of vegetables, fruits and meats, which makes it a grocery-shopping paradise. If you plan to cook at home, there is a plethora of fresh produce as well as imported ingredients out there.

For a wide range of groceries (local, imported, organic & regular), head to Foodhall at Central Chidlom or Gourmet Market at Siam Paragon. From affordable local produce & prepared foods to prohibitively expensive imported exotic items, you will be spoilt for choice at these massive supermarkets!

For a less mind-boggling yet upscale & well-stocked store, head to Villa Market, one of the oldest grocery store chains in the city.

For everyday grocery shopping that exerts minimum strain on your wallet, check out Tops Supermarket or Big C.

I would recommend avoiding 7/11 for anything except emergency purchases -- from what I've seen the items in their stores are highly marked up!

Try and stick to stores that are close to your workplace/home if you plan on stepping out multiple times a week to pick up fresh ingredients. The last thing you wan to do is get stuck in Bangkok's horrendous traffic snarls while the spinach wilts and the fish defrosts in your shopping bags! If you are a once-a-week shopper, then explore all the markets and choose your favourite for a marathon weekend shopping session!

Remember to start using a suitable loyalty card once you've decided on your regular haunts. Big C and Tops both have their own loyalty cards -- each time you spend you earn points, which can be redeemed later. With the Tops Spot Card, you also become eligible for various product discounts within the store. At the Central supermarkets you can use "The 1 Card" for expatriates (this also gives you discounts at a few other Central stores). I will be writing more in-depth pieces on this topic as I use each of these cards, so stay tuned!

Zeppelin Rooftop Bar: Once Bitten, Twice Shy

After reading a lot about the Zeppelin Rooftop Bar online, my husband and I decided to check it out last weekend. A five-minute walk from Phra Kanong BTS station, this skybar was a decidedly mixed bag!

First of all, the signage to the bar is utterly confusing. While the arrows point one way, Zeppelin is in exactly the opposite direction! Look for Luk Condominium if you're heading there -- it's on the 46th floor of the building.

Our first interaction with the restaurant staff was not promising. We arrived at around 6 pm on a Saturday evening and not a single table was occupied. When we asked to be seated, the waitress cast a confused eye at the deserted seats and mumbled, "No table available." HUH?? We were extremely confused and points out all the available tables. "All booked," she mumbled. "For what time?" asked my husband. "6 o'clock," came the incoherent response. Okayyyy then! Anyway, we politely requested her to seat us anyway and assured her that we would get up if a reservation showed up. She nodded assent reluctantly and then, instead of leading us to a table with a view, tried to make us sit in the centre of the restaurant. We firmly asked us to lead us to a table with a view and she finally did, albeit very unhappily!

Finally seated, we admired the city view, which is truly spectacular. You can see the Bangkok skyline and the river winding through the city -- a truly gorgeous view. After 15 minutes of soaking in the view, we realised we were still menu-less even though we were the only patrons in sight! Anyhow, we waved to a waiter and asked for menus. We ordered a drink each and a plate of chicken wings, and the waiter whisked away the menus after taking the order. The drinks arrived promptly, thank heavens!

A little while later, however, another waiter sauntered up to us, informed us that they were out of chicken wings, and looked at us expectantly. Too exasperated to ask for the menus again (obviously, the Zeppelin menus hold closely-guarded state secrets!) we said we would just have the drinks then. Within minutes, however, another waiter arrived with a plate of chicken wings! "The last plate!" he grinned. Well, I guess it was our lucky night then -- sort of, because the wings turned out to be quite average. Too tomato-ey, not barbecue-ey enough for our liking.

By the time we finished our drinks, it was 7-30. Only four other tables (out of around twenty) were occupied. Don't ask me where all the apparent reservations went; it's a mystery! In conclusion, while the views are excellent and the venue is pleasant enough, the service is inexplicably strange, unwelcoming and inefficient...plus the one snack we sampled was mediocre at best. One unique feature was the skywalk -- a glass path you can saunter over as you look down at the building's pool 46 storeys below you. My husband loved it although my vertigo made it more terrifying than enjoyable!

All in all, I would any day rather head to Cloud 47 -- a rooftop bar with great views and good service to boot!