The following morning, F and I settled into our 'organic' breakfast of miso soup, veg noodles, omelette and breads, after first knocking back a shot of warm apple vinegar (I only managed half, weak-arse!). Boy, did it kickstart our system - both of us were fighting for the toilet afterwards!
After a delightful tour of the premises, we checked out of Baan Thai and into Shanghai Inn, a gorgeous new boutique hotel in the heart of Chinatown, which is marked by the hectic commerce (shark's fin, anyone?) and maddening traffic. The cab driver was once again lost much to our dismay and we found ourselves stuck in the choking heat and jam. I told F if we were in the Amazing Race, now would be the time when I'd strangle him and take over the wheels.
Anyway we located the inn soon enough and it was chinoiserie chic through and through, from the lobby to the rooms. Imagine the looming bedframes, Chinese ink-painting wallpaper next to splashes of funky colours and paper lanterns. We oohed and ahhed at every detail till we heed the call for shopping at the Chatuchak weekend market!
We walked to the train station and popped into a cutesy air-conditioned cafe for lunch of Pad Thai and a glass noodle seafood salad. It wasn't what I expected but it was nonetheless lip-smackingly simple and gorgeous to look at. When we got to the market, it was madness in the thick of the heat as the weekenders built up and squeezed through the narrow corridors. But bargains found us easily and our bags were full in a matter of 3 hours.
In the evening after a good scrub-down, we strolled to this Chinese restaurant in Chinatown for their oh-so-good famous crab vermicelli in claypot. F ordered more than we should (golden rule 1 dish for 1 pax!) and we had to tah-pao the crustacean back (which we never ate for supper, pity).
The restaurant was a hoot - so old-skool and quaint - like steppin back into the early 80s. The waitresses were clad in these loud purplish uniform and the manager so eager to please in his 70s gray jacket. Then I was happily sucking my crab claw when I saw this man peeing in the loo located next to the kitchen and almost choked! F nagged "see some more lah!"
Later we hung out at the breath-taking Sirrocco Bar on top of the State Tower which overlooked the city twinkling in the dark horizon. As it was the eve of the elections, there was a ban on alcohol (oh freakin shit!) and we had to contend with our virgin mojitos and gourmet nuts (soothed by the hot towels - that's service for you!). The cute but slightly feminine bartender chatted us up and told us it was also a stupid idea to impose the ban. Oh well, we just had to get high on the 360-degree view.
The next day, we checked out Chinatown for lots of cheap buys ($1 earrings!) and our favourite stall of Thai iced coffee and tea before packing our bags for the airport. F was addicted to Milo, the sweet little pup at the stall and we patted its head and promised we'll be back soon! (P.S: in fact I found myself back in the capital from 2 - 4 June with my ALOFQs hardcore foodie gang)
The following morning, F and I settled into our 'organic' breakfast of miso soup, veg noodles, omelette and breads, after first knocking back a shot of warm apple vinegar (I only managed half, weak-arse!). Boy, did it kickstart our system - both of us were fighting for the toilet afterwards! 
After a delightful tour of the premises, we checked out of Baan Thai and into Shanghai Inn, a gorgeous new boutique hotel in the heart of Chinatown, which is marked by the hectic commerce (shark's fin, anyone?) and maddening traffic. The cab driver was once again lost much to our dismay and we found ourselves stuck in the choking heat and jam. I told F if we were in the Amazing Race, now would be the time when I'd strangle him and take over the wheels. 
Anyway we located the inn soon enough and it was chinoiserie chic through and through, from the lobby to the rooms. Imagine the looming bedframes, Chinese ink-painting wallpaper next to splashes of funky colours and paper lanterns. We oohed and ahhed at every detail till we heed the call for shopping at the Chatuchak weekend market!
We walked to the train station and popped into a cutesy air-conditioned cafe for lunch of Pad Thai and a glass noodle seafood salad. It wasn't what I expected but it was nonetheless lip-smackingly simple and gorgeous to look at. When we got to the market, it was madness in the thick of the heat as the weekenders built up and squeezed through the narrow corridors. But bargains found us easily and our bags were full in a matter of 3 hours.
In the evening after a good scrub-down, we strolled to this Chinese restaurant in Chinatown for their oh-so-good famous crab vermicelli in claypot. F ordered more than we should (golden rule 1 dish for 1 pax!) and we had to tah-pao the crustacean back (which we never ate for supper, pity). 
The restaurant was a hoot - so old-skool and quaint - like steppin back into the early 80s. The waitresses were clad in these loud purplish uniform and the manager so eager to please in his 70s gray jacket. Then I was happily sucking my crab claw when I saw this man peeing in the loo located next to the kitchen and almost choked! F nagged "see some more lah!" 
Later we hung out at the breath-taking Sirrocco Bar on top of the State Tower which overlooked the city twinkling in the dark horizon. As it was the eve of the elections, there was a ban on alcohol (oh freakin shit!) and we had to contend with our virgin mojitos and gourmet nuts (soothed by the hot towels - that's service for you!). The cute but slightly feminine bartender chatted us up and told us it was also a stupid idea to impose the ban. Oh well, we just had to get high on the 360-degree view.
The next day, we checked out Chinatown for lots of cheap buys ($1 earrings!) and our favourite stall of Thai iced coffee and tea before packing our bags for the airport. F was addicted to Milo, the sweet little pup at the stall and we patted its head and promised we'll be back soon! (P.S: in fact I found myself back in the capital from 2 - 4 June with my ALOFQs hardcore foodie gang)
No comments:
Post a Comment