Faces of Bangkok.
If you have a few evenings to spend in Bangkok, the possibilities are pretty much unlimited, from go-go bars to the very respectable Bangkok Opera where the vastly talented S.P. Somtow stages both European classics and brand new Thai productions, to the gorgeous transvestite cabarets. Those who love the frenetic bar-disco-DJ model will feel instantly at home at clubs which live up to their names: Sin (JBL sound systems, European DJ’s mixing up hip hop, R& B & funky house); Narcissus (very kitsch); Lucifer; Hard Rock; Q Bar (modeled on a New York lounge club); Bacchus (hyper cool wine bar: it could be in Kensington or Hampstead).
If, on the other hand, your tastes are more traditional and you would like to avoid the restaurants of the big hotels, some very fine cuisine of every nationality is on offer. For up market Thai in exquisite setting you cannot do better than Baan Kanita on Soi 23 Sukhumvit; also on Soi 23 is Giusto’s where owner Fabio Colautti flies in white truffles in season and boasts an extensive cellar including some excellent Sicilian reds; Le Banyan on Soi 8 is owned and run by two Frenchmen who have perfectly replicated the pressed duck of the world-famous Tour d’Argent in Paris. Or perhaps you are curious about Bangkok’s young wealthy elite (called HiSo in both Thai and English) and would like to rub shoulders with a few at Bed Supperclub on Soi 11, where you may lounge on a bed to snack on sesame tuna tartar on avocado salsa with soy mustard sauce, or dine at table to avoid spilling the wildly popular crab cake with smoked salmon and roast bell pepper broth: like the menu, the service is suave in both English and Thai.