Back in Bangkok after only one month!

[msclwrshp]

11 hours ago, vinapu said:

+1, 

PM is Ok

Thank you.

[msclwrshp]

2 hours ago, jimmie50 said:

I keep reading about this infamous Foodland Patpong.  What is the location?  What are the hours?  It sounds like a good place to eat, people watch, and is reasonably priced.  I need to check it out.  Any other places you would recommend to eat in the Silom area?  

I need to check it out as well.

[jason1975]

3 hours ago, jimmie50 said:

I keep reading about this infamous Foodland Patpong.  What is the location?  What are the hours?  It sounds like a good place to eat, people watch, and is reasonably priced.  I need to check it out.  Any other places you would recommend to eat in the Silom area?  

Happy Beer Garden is a nice place to eat as well. It is on Surawong Road directly opposite Raya Hotel. There are some small rooms for karaoke at the back. Fun to take guys to watch and hear them sing.

[jason1975]

18 hours ago, Min said:

Wow, you consider paying for someone's meals "opportunity"

I find it costs about the same as a drink in bar. And I get to chat with the guy more!

[Min]

3 hours ago, jason1975 said:

I find it costs about the same as a drink in bar. And I get to chat with the guy more!

Did you ask the guy to strip down to underwear while eating

[jason1975]

32 minutes ago, Min said:

Did you ask the guy to strip down to underwear while eating

Of course I can't do that! But I get up close and personal with handsome face!

[captainmick]

5 hours ago, jason1975 said:

Happy Beer Garden is a nice place to eat as well. It is on Surawong Road directly opposite Raya Hotel. There are some small rooms for karaoke at the back. Fun to take guys to watch and hear them sing.

I like Happy Beer Garden but it has declined over the years and is not as good as in its heyday in its original location on the other side of Surawong before they were forced to move to make way for the development in front of The Montien that is home to the Burger King and the Starbucks Coffee House.  The original Happy Beer Garden used to have a TukTuk incorporated into the fit out and you often had to queue to get a table.  Fresh seafood would be displayed on ice.  The seafood initially survived the transition to the new premises, which is much more of a shop than a beer garden, but sadly the seafood display disappeared around the time of COVID19 and the menu is now more limited.

[captainmick]

9 hours ago, jimmie50 said:

I keep reading about this infamous Foodland Patpong.  What is the location?  What are the hours?  It sounds like a good place to eat, people watch, and is reasonably priced.  I need to check it out.  Any other places you would recommend to eat in the Silom area?  

Foodland is a supermarket situated on the north east side of Patpong 2. The cafeteria style restaurant where you can sit inside at tables overlooking the street is called Took Lae Dee and it is accessed by walking in through the Foodland entrance and turning right.  Its main benefits are location and being open 24 hours.  If you are looking for an experience to enliven your taste buds, it is not the place to go. It serves a selection of Thai dishes but they tend to have been adapted / watered down for western customers and the local guys don’t find the food authentic. There are also western dishes but they are of poor quality and best avoided.  The big advantage of Took Lae Dee is its location within the Foodland supermarket and being open 24 hours.

For better quality late night food, you can try Happy Beer Garden on Surawong or Derby King on Patpong 1.   If you are with guys from the bars and give them the option of Took Lae Dee or Derby King and can persuade them to say more than “up to you” they will almost invariably choose Derby King.   It always amazes me that in these forums there is frequent mention of Foodland (when referring to Took Lae Dee) and hardly any mention of Derby King which is a similar size but better food.   It is very busy around the time the bars close. The guys also really like the range of eateries in the 24 hour food court in the building on west corner of the junction of Silom and Rama IV but that is a walk away.  Street food is another popular option and there are good clusters at the western end of Saladaeng and on the Soi that runs down the east side of the Le Meridian hotel (just off Surawong).

For lunchtime or early evening Thai food, Somtum & Plara on Silom is good and so is Nuaniyom on Soi Convent.  If looking for a gay vibe, try G’s on Silom Soi 4.   At a higher price point, The Mango Tree on Silom Soi 6 is a good experience as is Somtum Der on Saladaeng which features in the Michelin guide.

Happy Dining!

.
 

[floridarob]

1 hour ago, captainmick said:

I like Happy Beer Garden but it has declined over the years

My favorite Kaprow in the Surawong area.... Tarntawan hotel lobby bar/restaurant , the flavor is orgasmic....yes, really.

I could eat this picture, lol

 

[Keithambrose]

4 hours ago, Min said:

Did you ask the guy to strip down to underwear while eating

Or less!

[ichigo]

3 hours ago, captainmick said:

Somtum Der on Saladaeng

Can vouch for Somtum Der! It's usually best after a visit to Senso (which is practically next door).

[captainmick]

19 minutes ago, ichigo said:

Can vouch for Somtum Der! It's usually best after a visit to Senso (which is practically next door).

Good suggestion to have spicy hors d’oeuvre at Senso on route to Somtum Der.  Have you got any restaurant recommendations to add to the list?

[Department_Of_Agriculture]

16 hours ago, msclwrshp said:

18 hours ago, jimmie50 said:

I keep reading about this infamous Foodland Patpong.  What is the location?  What are the hours?  It sounds like a good place to eat, people watch, and is reasonably priced.  I need to check it out.  Any other places you would recommend to eat in the Silom area?  

I need to check it out as well.

Eh, no you don't. As @captainmick has stated above, it is basically mediocre food. The name of the restaurant in Foodland is Took Lae Dee, which, literally, means "cheap and good". Many go there because it is cheaper than some of the surrounding restaurants. Not many go there because it is good. It is only average, at best. I have never had a Thai boy actually ask to go there. They will go along if you ask them to, as the food isn't bad - but none of them are actually going to recommend it. Don't waste your time or money in Foodland. Most of them will be perfectly happy to go to the Happy Beer Garden though; but most of them will be even happier if you take them to the @Surawong restaurant on Surawong Road, near the junction with Naradhiwas Rajanagarindra Road. The food is excellent and many of them go there on more special occasions. Note, though, that I am talking specifically about the Thai boys, as they actually know what good Thai food is. 

On the other hand, If you have offed a Burmese or Vietnamese boy, there is no accounting for their lack of good taste. Burmese food is appallingly bad; and the dog-eating/rat-eating/cat-eating Vietnamese money boys would probably be at their happiest if you could grab them something on four legs from a back alley, which they can then cook, out of sight, in their own homes - especially if they can persuade you to pay for the condiments as well. 40% of the Vietnamese population eat cats and that is especially common among the poorer sections of society, where it is considered a great delicacy. We can, therefore, assume that about 70% of Vietnamese moneyboys eat cats (the overly obvious joke about eating pussy need not be attempted). As cat/rat/dog is not on the menu in any Silom restaurant that I am aware of, the Viets  will settle for Took Lae Dee. That is hardly a great recommendation of Foodland, though. 

In addition, Took Lae Dee/Foodland is completely lacking in atmosphere. If it is boy-watching that you are interested in, you are better-off sitting at one of the open-fronted bars on Patpong 2, or at the French Kiss restaurant on that road. French Kiss has been there since the 80s and the food is good - and so is the view. French food, obviously.

The Derby King is good for Thai food. That place has also been there since the mid-80s and that it has lasted so long speaks to the quality of the food. Unfortunately, the last time that restaurant was actually aired-out was also probably in the mid-80s. It has 40 years of the accumulated pungent smells of Thai cooking, which isn't very pleasant. There is a good reason that they do more business from takeaway than dining-in. That is also why it is best to visit Derby King on your way home from a bar, rather than at the start of a night out. The last thing you want when trying to pick-up a boy is the smell of the Derby King clinging to your clothes. The odd choice of name for a Thai restaurant is because it used to be an old farang-owned bar before being taken-over. Hence also the faded, overly grand decor. 

@captainmick has already mentioned the Mango Tree on Soi 6 as a good, more upmarket choice for Thai food and I definitely agree. Their masaman curry is absolutely fabulous - the best that I have had in Bangkok. An alternative nearby Thai fine dining venue is the Ruen Urai restaurant, attached to the Rose Hotel. The Rose is a legendary dump, but the current generation of the family that owns it is doing more innovative things and the restaurant has a nice ambience, with a beautiful garden, in addition to good food. Neither of these places will break your bank account.

In passing, since we are talking about restaurants, beyond Silom but not too far away, I still like Cabbages and Condoms on Sukhumvit Soi 12. It still offers excellent Thai food and the ambience has only improved as the garden has matured. I believe that they no longer perform abortions in the back room though. Also, the food court at Central Embassy is one of the very best in Thailand, both in-terms of variety and quality of the food, and very reasonably priced.

 

 

[vinapu]

12 hours ago, floridarob said:

My favorite Kaprow in the Surawong area.... Tarntawan hotel lobby bar/restaurant , the flavor is orgasmic....yes, really.

I could eat this picture, lol

 

Upon your  recommendation I made point of trying it there when in Bangkok next time in Jan of 2027 

[vinapu]

9 hours ago, ichigo said:

Can vouch for Somtum Der! It's usually best after a visit to Senso (which is practically next door).

 I underscored it because on more then one occasion I was advised by boys not to eat before massage but after 

[vinapu]

4 hours ago, Department_Of_Agriculture said:

the food is good - and so is the view. French food, obviously.

 

so which one is good ? food or French food ? it can't be both

[ichigo]

9 hours ago, captainmick said:

Good suggestion to have spicy hors d’oeuvre at Senso on route to Somtum Der.  Have you got any restaurant recommendations to add to the list?

Sunrise Tacos on the corner of Silom Soi 4 for Mexican food which I've always enjoyed

Lay Lao on Silom Road for great Thai Food

Ros'Niyom in the basement level of Silom Complex also has decent Thai food, and there are many other restaurants on that level (as well as scattered around the complex)

Jungko Bameekiaw on Convent Road for simple and tasty noodles (also a plethora of street food stall and numerous restaurants on this street)

Ringer Hut near Thaniya Road for Japanese food

Rolling Ribs at Le Meridien was quite good, but a bit pricey

90 Grams at Quarter Silom I've heard is quite good (pizza) but I haven't tried yet

And there are many restaurants in Silom Edge which I've yet to try. Hopefully this helps. The great thing about Silom (or Bangkok/Thailand in general) is that there are a plethora of options of many different cuisines and differing price points. Let us know how you go  

[Keithambrose]

1 hour ago, ichigo said:

Sunrise Tacos on the corner of Silom Soi 4 for Mexican food which I've always enjoyed

Lay Lao on Silom Road for great Thai Food

Ros'Niyom in the basement level of Silom Complex also has decent Thai food, and there are many other restaurants on that level (as well as scattered around the complex)

Jungko Bameekiaw on Convent Road for simple and tasty noodles (also a plethora of street food stall and numerous restaurants on this street)

Ringer Hut near Thaniya Road for Japanese food

Rolling Ribs at Le Meridien was quite good, but a bit pricey

90 Grams at Quarter Silom I've heard is quite good (pizza) but I haven't tried yet

And there are many restaurants in Silom Edge which I've yet to try. Hopefully this helps. The great thing about Silom (or Bangkok/Thailand in general) is that there are a plethora of options of many different cuisines and differing price points. Let us know how you go  

I tried Rolling Ribs at the Meridien. Mainly because the manager offered a free meal for me and friends! We had the brisket of beef, which was delicious! Good service, etc, but lacking atmosphere. 

[floridarob]

2 minutes ago, Keithambrose said:

but lacking atmosphere.

Pick better friends...

[Keithambrose]

1 minute ago, floridarob said:

Pick better friends...

Friends were fine, but the hotel can't decide what to do with the space, and it shows. I talked  to the Manager  about this, I'm sure you will understand  that!

[floridarob]

1 minute ago, Keithambrose said:

I'm sure you will understand  that!

Yes, I've had many people complain, even when it was free 😆

[Keithambrose]

2 minutes ago, floridarob said:

Yes, I've had many people complain, even when it was free 😆

To be fair, I told him the meal was excellent,  but the restaurant,  on the corner  of the ground floor, can't decide whether to be a bar or restaurant. It's been both. As you will know, it's difficult  to get people  to eat in the hotel, when there are so many other choices  on the doorstep.  They have a big full service restaurant on the 1st floor.

[jimmie50]

Thanks for all of the recommendations of places to eat in the area.  Not sure I will be able to visit them all.  Finally did make a hotel reservation.  Based upon input from everyone here, decided to avoid Airbnb this trip.  Used various search engines and ultimately decided to book at Ibis Styles Silom.  I believe it is a convenient location and moderately priced.  I'll just use Grab or taxi when it comes time to transfer to Galleria 10 for the tour.  Really don't want to mess with my luggage on BTS.  

[jason1975]

43 minutes ago, jimmie50 said:

Thanks for all of the recommendations of places to eat in the area.  Not sure I will be able to visit them all.  Finally did make a hotel reservation.  Based upon input from everyone here, decided to avoid Airbnb this trip.  Used various search engines and ultimately decided to book at Ibis Styles Silom.  I believe it is a convenient location and moderately priced.  I'll just use Grab or taxi when it comes time to transfer to Galleria 10 for the tour.  Really don't want to mess with my luggage on BTS.  

Enjoy Ibis Styles! I think it's a great location and has modern facilities.

I stayed at Ibis Styles in May and July but I am staying at Raya this coming weekend.

[vinapu]

15 minutes ago, jason1975 said:

Enjoy Ibis Styles! I think it's a great location and has modern facilities.

 I am staying at Raya this coming weekend.

very sensible decision.

Ibis styles may be almost new and very modern  but for me their post card size rooms were waaaaay to small to justify price charge. The same goes for Quarter Silom and Nishitetsu