Something for the Weekend #5
Of Bangkok, Dubai's 3rd Michelin Guide and Unearthing Al Barsha’s gold.
Hello there! Welcome to Something for the Weekend #5, a periodic newsletter named after an old British euphemism. The newsletter grows every time someone reads, likes, comments, shares or subscribes. Substack tells me there are 1000s of views each month, and this account has grown 20% since June—and that’s because you are engaging and sharing. If you’ve ever found these helpful, interesting or just entertaining, please like, subscribe, or better yet, share with someone else who may enjoy it. Thank you!
Special Focus: Bangkok Press Trip
I posted SFTW#4 from the Public House Hotel Sukhumvit, Bangkok just mere hours into that press trip. What a city! Bangkok is alive! Tropical, bustling with the cut and thrust of a dense, sprawling Asian city that’s brimming with culture. Walking through back streets pungent with the scent street vendors grilling chicken, squid and God knows what.
I queued hours for crab omelettes (worth it), visited the Louis Vuitton museum (yes, that’s a thing) and ran drenched in the rain after Pride parades, kimchi cocktails and bittersweet shots of Amaro. I also enjoyed some of my best and most memorable meals. My praises runneth over for Bangkok which won’t go another five years without another visit. Book you must.
A question for you…
You can also leave me a comment with what you’d like to see!
What stood out
Camaraderie. Like the Cairo Press Trip, it’s the people who make it. There was a solid international mix here of people with whom I would gladly share a table again. I made new friends and met some solid greats I’ve followed for years.
Bangkok is a city of contrasts. There’s clearly a luxury market desirous of life’s finer things, but there’s also clear hand to mouth living as well as the minimalism of Buddhists. It all works and comes together.
Bangkok Pride! A complete coincidence that we were here for Pride Weekend, but people took to the streets to celebrate and dance.
Traffic!!! The city’s traffic cannot be understated. It’s crippling, congested and complicates any plans. Take the trains.
Public House Hotel Sukhumvit 31. A design-forward retreat in the middle of Bangkok’s action. Some of the city’s best restaurants, bars, sights and shops are within walking distance. I sense a write-up about this hotel soon.
Potong, Sühring and Gaggan were my top three fine-dining restaurants. Specific write-ups about all these restaurants will be pushed to you here and on other platforms soon, but it just reconfirms that Bangkok’s best restaurants compete as some of the world’s best. (Chef Pam of Potong appears below.)
Dispensaries galore. Every street has a dispensary on it, much to my surprise.
Street food, ups and downs. Bangkok enjoys a reputation for being a street food and casual dining city, and that reputation is deserved but should be calibrated. Some of it is dubious at best; some places are quintessential, affordable noodle spots. Ask around to sift through the volume—and let me know if you’d like a list of where to go!
Words I Wrote.
Eat.
Al Naqa Laotian Kebabs opened in Neighbourhood Food Hall, Motor City. Casual, affordable and AJ is a joy. I liked it so much, I went twice in four days! It’s a refreshing blast of originality in a city that gives too much space to overpriced, pan-Asian and pseudo Japanese nonsense. What should you eat? The fried chicken and the apple salad, especially. Frankly everything.
(Also shout out to Big Oli in Neighbourhood Food Hall. A new pasta restaurant serving only Venetian Bigoli pasta in a variety of sauces. The price points are admirably low, as usual, in NFH.)
Here’s a preview of Nusara in Bangkok (words coming soon).
Hashmi Barbecue is an Al Barsha institution. A Kenyan barbecue restaurant that languished on my “one day” list far too long. (A bit like Sri Krishna Bhavan.) Affordable, meaty and delicious. What should you eat? The impossibly tender lamb chops (below) and spiced mutton samosas with the kulfi as an antacid.
Am I the last one to go to LPM DIFC? The two course business lunch is 135 dhs pp or 180 dhs for three courses. What should you eat? Stick to the fixed price menu with their gazpacho and feta together with the grilled sirloin with Bordelaise or the grilled sea bream with sauce vierge and coriander.
I went to ALAYA, which is celebrating two years in the business. I’m aghast at the pricing on some dishes (125 dhs for pistachio ice cream!?). I don’t see myself going back.
I am also making my way through some long list places in International City and JLT, findings worth your time are coming soon.
Wine of the Month
Egon Müller Scharzhof Riesling “Le Gallais” Wiltinger Braune Kupp Auslese 2022. A stunning Riesling at Sühring paired with dessert. It is showed green tea, nectarine, slight smoke and slate. It could be the best wine this year.
What’s Next?
I’m in Abu Dhabi right now at the St Regis Abu Dhabi near the Corniche on a press invite. I’ll be writing about that experience in due course. Then we are off to Portugal and the UK for a bit. Until then, enjoy your summer! (Wear sunscreen.)
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