Old world charm in BKK

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For the next 4 weeks, S and I will be filing reports from the road. Yesterday marked the start of a slightly crazy round the world trip. And while part of the trip is work, an almost equal portion of it is leisure. I’m personally very excited because next week we’ll be attending the wedding of one of my closest friends from university. She’s getting married at the Ritz-Carlton Laguna-Niguel, in Orange County, California (recognizable to most of us fanboys and pop culture buffs as the site of the wedding in the American Pie movie series). Other stops on our whirlwind tour include Bangkok, Tokyo, New York, Washington DC, Paris and Dubai. As you can imagine, my darling and always-snacking wife S has already put together a pretty long list of gustatory must-visits for each destination.

Yesterday, we spent the night in Bangkok. (We had to fly via Bangkok because I had purchased our round-the-world tickets from there; the price per ticket from there was considerably cheaper than what was quoted to me in Singapore.) Because we visit Bangkok pretty often, we decided to spend only one night there. Essentially, we had just enough time to check into our hotel, run to Emporium to pick up a few gifts for friends, chill out for a bit, have dinner with friends and catch a few hours of sleep before catching the 0650am flight to Tokyo.

During my last business trip to the City of Angels, I had visited The Eugenia and I immediately knew S would love it. It is a charming 12 room Relais & Chateaux property on Sukhumvit Soi 31. The hotel is very nice, decorated smartly with vintage and antique furnishings. Quirky and kitschy design elements, like stuffed animal heads on the walls, lend a bit of levity while the owner’s fleet of vintage luxury cars (a Daimler limousine, 2 sexy cream-coloured Mercedes, and a Jaguar S) sitting outside the hotel ups the sex appeal tremendously. (Guests staying at the hotel can choose to be picked up by one of these cars; we tried both the Mercedes 220S and the Daimler. We wholeheartedly recommend the Daimler. There’s a lot more leg room, the air conditioning is more powerful and it’s simply a much smoother ride.)

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We stayed in the Sawadee Suite, which was both elegant and homey. The copper hand-beaten bathtub was gorgeous and the duck down pillows and duvets were luxurious. The whole hotel has wireless Internet access and the room rate includes a complimentary minibar. The hotel also has a jazzed-up tuk tuk that is available to ferry you back and forth to the nearest sky train station. Just next door to the hotel is Le Vendome, an excellent little French restaurant helmed by Nicolas Joanny, who used to cook at Les Saisons in Singapore. Partly because we were lazy, and partly because we wanted to see what Nicolas was up to, we had dinner there. The food was very good. I had prawns pastilla served with a langoustine bisque to start. This was followed by a rack of lamb served with pork belly confit and eggplant caviar. For dessert, I had crepes suzette with almond ice cream.

If you’re heading up to BKK for a quick visit, I really recommend The Eugenia. It has a sexy old-world charm that few hotels are able to capture these days. Plus, there’s nothing cooler than being ferried to and from the airport in a vintage Daimler limo.

The Eugenia
267, Soi Sukhumvit 31, North Klongtan
Wattana, Bangkok Thailand 10110
Tel: +66-2-259-9017-9
Fax: +66-2-259-9010
Reservation: reservation@theeugenia.com

Le Vendome
267/2 Sukhumvit Soi 31(Sawasdee)
Klongton, Klongtoey
Bangkok 10110
Tel: +66 (0) 2662 0530-1
Fax: +66 (0) 2662 0529
contact@levendomerestaurant.com

About Aun Koh

Aun has always loved food and travel, passions passed down to him from his parents. This foundation, plus a background in media, pushed him to start Chubby Hubby in 2005. He loves that this site allows him to write about the things he adores--food, style, travel, his wife and his three kids!

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12 Responses

  1. Love your blog! I’ll look forward to your post on DC. I live there now so it’ll be interesting to see what you say about it!

  2. cant wait to hear about your gastronomic adventures on the east coast! i live in washington dc so ill be looking forward to reading your reviews on restaurants in the area. have a good trip!

  3. Hi CH,

    This is a little off topic, but I had a question in one of your earlier posts and for some reason, my comment did not show up! Anyway, I always have a problem with making madeleines. They turn out fine and everything, but always a little moist on the surface. So as I store them in a container, they kinda stick together. Any tips on how to prevent this from happening would be greatly appreciated!

  4. I know its not THE hotel du jour, but my loyalty still lies with the Sukhothai – the serenity is just sublime. Not to mention the Celadon and its beautiful food and service.

  5. Nice post, CH.. hope you guys have more time in BKK to explore the local fare. Not to mention the mandatory martinis at the State Tower.

    Am heading to Paris later in May too.. love to hear where you two lovebirds will be dining there.

  6. Hello, was also curious about DC, as my better half works there and I go to visit him. I’ve researched a few restos via Edible communities.

  7. Pille: Thanks. It’s been just two days and we’re already having a blast.

    Leaf, Lene and Labelga: I actually haven’t been back to DC in over a decade so I’m no expert on the city. I’m depending on friends! I’ve also been cruising Metrocurean a lot. Amanda has some good reviews.

    Gobsmackd: I love the garden suites at The Sukhothai — very romantic and sexy, but damned expensive.

    QuirkieKai: You must check it out. Very charming!

    Colin: We’ve actually booked most of our meals already; but I’ll keep you in suspense for a while 😉

    Nha: If you enjoy the flavour of the madeleines, don’t tweak the recipe. Place the batter in plastic piping bags and bake them just before you want to serve them (which is the best way to savour madeleines). Alternatively, reduce the amount of honey if your recipe calls for honey. I find that placing the madeleines under a glass dome (you could improvise with a deep bowl) makes them less moist.

  8. I live in DC and have plenty of recommendations, if you need them. One must – which I suspect is probably already on your list: Central, newly opened by Michel Richard – you MUST get the Kit Kat bar for dessert!

  9. OMG. CH & S are coming to Los Angeles. I’ve been reading your blog for the past few years and I’ve yet to compliment you guys on your work. I know you guys will be busy busy but if you get a chance, the best deal in Los Angeles (outside of the taco trucks and Chinese food in the San Gabriel Valley) is at Diddy Riese in Westwood. Ice cream sandwiches with homemade cookies for $1.25. if you want a tour of UCLA feel free to email. enjoy your trip 🙂

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