Bangkok Nightlife Tips by Bangkokjoe

Nightlife Spot: British Pubs That Don't Shout About Being British

It happens to us all. We go on our jollies when Wasps get to the final for the first time in 13 centuries. And you ask the hotel where it's showing and they've never heard of your side, and "where it's showing" means something completely different to them.

So if you need to hear the commentary, down your pints, and sit with blokes who don't keep asking how many points for a try, or what does LBW mean, or why do they keep coming in to fill up with petrol... then try these places.

1. The Chequers - smallish bar on Sukhumvit Soi 4, also known as Nana. @150 yards down on your left. Past the tailors and the open air bars. They show any British key event on live satellite feed. If they don't have it they usualy know where will.

2. Bulls Head. On Sukhumvit Soi 33 / 1 set back behind Villa Supermarket a bit and by opposite Blockbusters Video shop. They have big screens up at the top, smaller ones on the balcony level, again if anyone is showing they should.

3. The Office Bar. This one is in a rather 'interesting' locale, with a waitress to beer ratio of more than you can count on three hands. Sukhumvit Soi 33. About 200 yards down from Sukhumvit Road, turn right into a small side street, 'The Office' is 20 yards on the left. Big screens are always on, but they only turn the sound up for major games.

4. The Londoner. Pants ballroom lack of atmosphere unless very full. Though it often gets full for big games. On the corner of Sukhumvit Soi 33 (the basement of an office block). Waitresses wear beefeater uniforms. I rest my case. If full it's amazing, otherwise an echoing void.

5. The Robin Hood. A stupid attempt at a pub on the corner of Sukhumvit 33 / 1. It is dire. You may as well brew your own in the time they take to serve you if the place ever fills up. Avoid like les plagues

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Theme: Eating and Drinking
Dress Code: What to wear? Come on, these are pubs with teles what show sport. What to wear indeed.

You won't get hassled by wenches in these places either. You drink, you watch the tele, you share cigs with the bloke next to you, and you make intelligent comments about Clive Woodward or the latest fiasco at Bridgestone.
Directions: All these are on the Sukhumvit Road drag, well served by BTS Stations. Taxis will know where to go if you tell them the street number (soi number).

Nightlife Spot: Check the Friday Press for Details

This is my cop out from loading in stuff that shows;
a. Where we go.
b. Whether or not we are up to speed or a bunch of sad, out of date lamps.

Alas, it is traditional stereotyping to consider "QBar, Bed, Faith (now renamed and getting back to what it was), Mystique (now closed) are relied on as decent 'non-teeny' clubs; Club Astra and the others on RCA being for the youngies and uni students; Vertigo being upmarket; Narcissus round the back of 23 has the politicians kids; KSR being full of travellers; the huge old ballroom types on Rachadaphisek are heaving with locals having a great night out; Soi Ekkamai on the up; Silom Soi 4.... etc. etc. etc."

And the problem with these stereotypical statements is that a decent night depends on who you're with and that it all changes around pretty. (Depending on the DJs, who is on Police Col Maj Gen Bangkoksfinestaporn's hassle and raid radar, who the new management is, and the general flow of the crowd.)

Maybe if you are in from overseas it is better to ask around when you get here OR buy Friday editions of The Nation and Bangkok Post and check the entertainment pages.

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Theme: Other

Nightlife Spot: Foreign Correspondents Club

The Foreign Correspondents Club (FCC) is a decent retreat on those certain evenings when they have a talk on. They allow non members in - they encourage it in fact. They have a bar too. Draft Guinness now.

If you are interested in Asian current affairs and stuff this is a great place to meet other like minded folk. The sort that don't rely on website chatrooms or 3rd hand sources, or what Brian next door says, and then spout on and on and on about what they think should happen regarding Thai and Asian events, from their parental pedestals ...particularly when they have never left their front rooms. Nope, the crowd in here is a balanced, informed and quietly confident non bragging lot.

The FCC publish their events and timings on:

www.fccthai.com

...these usually kick off mid week around 7.30 - 8.00pm.

An example of what they get up to, just a sample remember. 9/9/05. On September 9th 1985 two television journalists were fatally wounded outside a military radio station in Bangkok by heavy machine gun fire from a tank involved in an unsuccessful coup attempt. Neil Davis managed to capture his own dying moments on camera. The number of people who died inside the besieged station has never been revealed, but it is known that at least four Thai civilians also died for which no one has ever been called to account. Indeed the colonel most responsible recently became speaker of Thailand's Senate.

Twenty years on Thailand has a democratically elected government. On 9 Sept 2005 the FCCT paid an excellent tribute to these journalists with a Frontline documentary on Neil Davis, the combat cameraman from the wars in Indochina who also served as the FCCT president in the early 1980s. And had a good chat about it afterwards.Dead good.

That's just an example. They often show documentaries, hold debates and often have governmental officials in there. A really good place for the true insight on what is happening... as are all FCCs. Often there are photographic exhibitions to acompany your pint.

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Theme: Other
Dress Code: Obviously you don't come in here looking like you're straight off the beach from Koh Samui.

And there's no need to whack your best whistle on... though many do as they are in straight after work.

Olive drab waistcoats with loads of pockets and Nikon plastered on are a cliche ...and you don't need to have a notepad in your Levi pocket or a bashed F2 dangling round your neck. (Those are stereotypes you know, avialable on the internet...)
Phone: 02 652 0582
Address: Ploenchit Road, opposite side to the Central Store
Directions: Top Floor. Maneeya Centre, 518/5 Ploenchit Road, Pattumwan.

Go to Central Dept Store (BTS Chidlom) and ask for the Burger King (not McDonalds)

Behind Burger King is a large car park.
The Maneeya tower on right of the car park as you face into it.
Website: www.fccthai.com

Nightlife Spot: An early evening starting point

Okay, so this is an evening spot, and a one to one and a half hour filler before moving on somewhere else. Live jazz and blues singer lassie kicks it all off around 8.00pm and she is pretty powerful in her voice projection. The point of this place is that you are known to be drinking where the likes of Noel Coward, nobby types of authors and the occasional thespian have been.

So it's an "oooo we've done the Bamboo Bar in the Oriental Hotel" story generating place, and then you go off wittering endlessly on about what you did in the rest of the evening. Drinks are pricey, keeps the binge drinkers out.

Get there for early evening as a start to the romantic build up... and as it's by the river in the Oriental you are set up to kick on from here. (By the way, when I become rich famous and dashing. I touched the door handle on the right.... so you know. You may want to touch the same handle and, well, oh never mind...)

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Theme: Live Music
Dress Code: Smart casual. No day shorts / vests as is the dress code for the rest of the Oriental.
And quite rightly so, my dear fellows.
Directions: Oriental Hotel, ground floor, round the back by the river.

Nightlife Spot: Brown Sugar

"Where do I go if I want decent / acceptable food (Thai and western... ” in an informal environment and with some live music?" Just me and my wife, or a group of four? Well... Brown Sugar may be the best bet if you are in the Lumpini Park area.

Food is good quality - kitchen has some professional chefs who know what they are up to Staff are attentive. And the music kicks off around 8.30 - 9.00pm. Not too loud as to blow your ear sockets so you can't hear the conversation. After your nosh you can continue to drink and stay and listen and chat up your Doris / smarm your missus a bit / get a pass to watch the footie tomorrow night, without the staff pressuring you to get lost so they can get another seating of customers in.

The bands tend to be more blues and jazz, and the competition for a gig is higher than most "resident bands" that hang out in restaurants. In fact, to say you've played Brown Sugar in Bangkok is seen as a positive, rather than as an embarrassment the budding new group has to put up with when normally playing an eating venue.

If you are tired of sitting in the hotel cocktail bar listening to the "two lasses and their boyfirends ensembles" warbling Mariah Blinking Carey, Robbie Our Saviour Williams, Tina Tired and Worn Out Turner, and the like, then Brown Sugar on Soi Sarasin maybe what you are after.

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Theme: Live Music
Dress Code: Don't look like a tramp...
Phone: (02) 250-0103
Address: Sarasin Road (Lang Suan)
Directions: opposite Lumpini Park