StreetSmart's posts with tag: art
 | Cakewalk | Aug 20, '08 4:50 PM
for everyone |
| Category: | Restaurants | | Cuisine: | Desserts | | Location: | Thonglo 13, Sukhumvit 55 |
I swear my head is still spinning from all the sugar rush~~!!! (And the cuteness overload~~!!!!).
Of coz, it wasn't as if I weren't warned before... Just one look at the exterior of "Cakewalk" is enough for ANYONE to guess that you ain't gonna find leather or wood decor inside.
Na-uh.
The chairs are clear (transparent) acrylic.
 
The sofas are soft violet.
 
The lamps are either beaded or resemble fairy mushrooms.
 
Has any of you heard that some prisons nowadays paint their walls PINK and force their inmates to wear PINK uniforms~?? That's becoz pink is s'posed to make people (and yes, criminals are people too, regardless of what others think~!! Ha! Ha! Ha!) feel a sense of well-being, cheerfulness and docility like a bunch of merry lambs~!!
"Cakewalk" has proven this "color theory" to be true, coz right when I stepped in, I felt like Alice in Friggin' Wonderland after downing ten cans of soda pop.Of coz, the cutesy cakes on display weren't helping with lowering the "princessy" factor either.
Spread around the eatery were whimsical cakes on slightly lopsided stands.
I don't think any heterosexual males would even be slightly attracted to these cakes, BUT little girls, girly girls and girly men would KILL to buy and sink their (sweet) teeth into one of these creations~!!
 
Got to admit, though, I DID feel a bit out-of-place at first here...
My cynical side was rolling its eyes to the heavens so many times it got  dizzy~!!
Nevertheless, I was relieved that I popped into "Cakewalk" with a TRUSTED companion (who, might I add, was equally shocked at the shameless display of girlishness); someone I knew wouldn't blab to the whole wide world:
"GUESS WHAT~!!!! SSS actually visited that silly n' childish cake shop~!! Worse, she actually took pics~!! AND ordered cakes~~!!!!!"
(*cue MAJOR embarassment*).
Gingerly (after making sure none of the other customers recognized me), I approached the display window showcasing (even I had to admit) reeeeally SUPER adorable cake slices and pies.
 Geeeeeeeeez... How could ANYONE make a choice~?! They were all smiling their perfect smiles, like contestants in a beauty pageant, "PICK ME~!! PICK MEEEEEEEEEH~~!!!!!"
After a few moments of REALLY difficult soul-searching, I settled for "Charlotte Royal" and English Breakfast tea.
 
Both were soooooo... CUTE I swear I had tears in my eyes~~!!!!
"Charlotte Royal" was surprisingly yummy. And not too sweet (very important in my book). It was actually soft moist cake on the outside (tasted like blueberry and cream) with vanilla ice cream and fruit slices inside. The green and white "sauce", however, was very sweet, so I ate that only sparingly, like icing on a cake.
I also tried a few bites of "Pandan Lychee Softcake":
(oh my gaaaaaaawd... just look at this CUTENESS~~~~!!!!)
This was also thankfully, not too sweet. The lychee taste was actually a bit tarty-sour, which made my tastebuds happy. The pandan ('baiteuy' in Thai) smell was also tickling my nose and reminding me of a certain pandan (and jasmine) lotion I regularly use at home... I was on such a sugar high I was hallucinating about rainbows, rabbits and ribbons~~~!!!!
Fortunately, I soon came to my senses and managed to convince myself that rainbows, rabbits and ribbons are NOT conducive to my overall image... I mean, COME ON~~!!!
I've got a (cynical) reputation to protect here~~!!!
I'm off to watch some bad news on CNN to add some bitterne ss to the day~~~~~!!!
 snips, snails and puppy dog's tails~~!!!streetsmartsukhumvit@gmail.com  sukhumvit  bangkok  thailand
| Lo-Shu | Aug 7, '08 5:01 PM
for everyone |
| Category: | Restaurants | | Cuisine: | International | | Location: | Sukhumvit 23 |
 I heard that if you've been having really crappy luck or feeling like shit, then perhaps it's time to pay Lo-Shu a visit and re-arrange the flow of your "QI" (pronounced as "chi"), loosely translated into Chinese as "life force".
Recently opened in Sukhumvit 23, Lo-Shu is actually a restaurant/cafe which strictly adheres to the principles of "feng shui", which is an ancient Chinese practice of arranging interiors to promote health, happiness, and prosperity, thanks to the free and unobstructed flow of "qi" (example: never hang a mirror opposite from your bed, coz you'll have bad luck in love~!!).
Well, my luck has been OK, and I haven't been sick for some time now, so I was more interested in checking out Lo-Shu's menu than its purported ethereal benefits.
 So one lazy afternoon, I and a companion decided to go there for (a really late) lunch.
(SMARTASS QUESTION: is laziness attributed to really bad "qi", too~??)
First impression was indeed impressive.
Lo-Shu is divided into four sections: fire, water, wind and earth.
This is the FIRE section:
(the red pillows mimic the red licks of fire burning on dark wood, get it~??)
I sat in the WATER section:
 
(transparent furniture, cool blue pillows, water tubes)
The WATER section then sweeps upwards to the WIND section:
 
(the ceiling suddenly disappears, allowing the eyes unblocked view of the expansive, curved wall, which displays some very pretty artworks).
Unfortunately, I didn't get to see the EARTH section (it was s'posed to be upstairs and surrounded by greeneries).
Frankly, I expected Lo-Shu to serve Chinese food, but its menu claims to serve reeeally "healthy stuff" (OK, I gotta admit that I've NEVER dieted in my whole life; I basically scarf down anything that looks or  smells good... so please excuse my ignorance for the existence of "healthy stuff").
Perhaps the farang owners (an American and a British, if I remember correctly) didn't want to compete against the typical Chinese restaurants (which usually look FUGLY, but serve really heavenly chow, like the one I reviewed ), so they decided to go with a mixture of Western dishes purportedly designed to maximize one's level of health.
I decided to skip all the tasteless-sounding tofu dishes and ordered something "normal" and "recognizable": penne with pesto sauce.
 It was OK, I guess... quite tasty and just the right size.
I was more adventurous with my drink; I chose "Beta Boost", which was a mixture of carrot, honey, strawberry and mango (it looked uncannily orange-ish like Thai iced tea with milk).
 Now, this one I really liked~!! It was a bit sweet and a bit sour... very FRESSSHHH~~!!! (I wasn't expecting anything miraculous to happen to my horrible eyesight, though... even after overdosing on carotene).
The staff looked quite nervous, perhaps because Lo-Shu is still new, but they tended to hover around our table like worried mother hens... which made it hard for us to talk openly about the service/food/ambience of the place... That can't be good, right~??
I had a feeling they were blocking the flow of my "happy qi", dammit~~!!!
One thing that really struck me about Lo-Shu was how comfortable the room temperature was. It was neither too cold nor too warm. It was JUST RIGHT... So right that I suspect most patrons wouldn't even notice the temperature...
(Hmmmm, I think I read somewhere that the Chinese believe that the body should never be subjected to extremes... to promote longevity).
But enough with all the mumbo-jumbo.
Time for the verdict:
If you're going just for some fun gimmick, then Lo-Shu is th e place for ya. I wasn't SO impressed with the food; I've tasted better, but I could see that A LOT of effort and attention have been put into the overall "feng shui" theme.
But just like a plate of jiggly pasty-colored tofu, sometimes you just need MORE MEAT.
drunk on mediocrity
streetsmartsukhumvit@gmail.com
sukhumvit bangkok thailand
|  | Even though many parts of present-day Sukhumvit can be described as hyper-modern, there are still pockets of traditional culture and tradition.
One example is the Kamthieng House, located at, of all places, in hyper-kinetic Asoke (Sukhumvit 21), tucked between commercial shops and office high-rises.
The Kamthieng House showcases the key  elements of the traditional Lanna culture and lifestyle. Lanna means "one million rice fields" and refers to the majestic mountainous region in northern Thailand (like Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai).
The traditional house was built next to the Ping River in Chiang Mai in 1848 by Mae Saed, who was the great-granddaughter of a Muang Chae prince.
It was then passed down through the women of the family (matrilineal line) and was given to the Siam Society in 1963 by Nang Kimhaw Nimmanhaeminda, a descendant, and was moved to Bangkok. In 1966 His Majesty the King gave his blessings to turn the  house into an ethnological museum.
The first thing that visitors will notice is that the Kamthieng House is entirely made of wood and is raised on stilts (pictured right).
It is a classic example of a compound house, where different rooms (welcoming area, kitchen, rice storage, etc.) are located separately and connected by pathways.
Inside th e house are stunning dioramas and collections of ancient objects such as a traditional kitchen scene (pictured left), farming equipment, clothes and jewelry.
Each display is accompanied by a brief explanation on how everything in Lanna culture is about the idea that people, places and spirits are all connected in this world, with a special emphasis on nature and the environment.
It is often said that the Kamthieng House still holds the spirits of three women: Mae Thao Kamdaeng, Nang Saed and Nang Kamthieng.
There have been stories about how women wearing old-style Northern attire mysteriously appear there, as well as several "unexplained incidents" in the house.
On the day I visited the Kamthieng House, I didn't see anything out of the ordinary, save for a noisy group of middle school girls on a school trip~!!
But I DID go completely mental and took picture of EVERYTHING...
Anybody see anything "unusual" in the pics~??
P.S. Click to check out another haunted place in Sukhumvit~!!
lucky lyrical Lanna~!!
streetsmartsukhumvit@gmail.com
sukhumvit bangkok thailand
CLICK ON EACH PIC FOR MORE INFORMATION.
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| Ten-Sui | Jun 28, '08 5:05 PM
for everyone |
| Category: | Restaurants | | Cuisine: | Japanese / Sushi | | Location: | Sukhumvit 29 |
 This is a review that was almost never written.
We arrived at Ten-Sui in Sukhumvit 29 at 2:15 pm and was promptly told that lunch time was over.
We were VERRRRY annoyed as the restaurant claimed on its advertisement that last order for lunch was 2:30 pm.
 (and don't nobody make any smartass comments about me sleeping 'til afternoon and having such a "late" lunch~!!).
Swearing under my breath and getting ready to leave (my brain was already racing 1,000 km/sec about WHAT to say about this restaurant if anyone asks my opinion about it), we were suddenly told that YES, the restaurant WAS still open, and YES, we still could have the lunch set that was advertised to be 380 baht. Thankful for not having to go out into the scorching sun in search of an alternative lunch place, we quickly made our orders (identical 'tensui hanaka gozen' lunch sets) and were served salad and chawanmushi (traditional Japanese egg custard) - which we inhaled and finished in a few seconds (HEY, it was over 2 pm; we were HUNGRY~!!). Next came the main course, served in a very quaint, nature-inspired basket. 
Inside were really cute dishes containing sashimi slices (salmo n, tuna and snow fish), eggplant, seaweed, grilled saba, broccoli, fish balls (I think), chicken, radish, sweet potato and miso soup.
I totally loved the rice sprinkled with those purple thingies, pictured below (NO IDEA what it was... All I knew was that I LIKES~~!!!).
The saba was buttery, the eggplant was slightly smoky and the broccoli was  slathered with, to my delight, Kewpie mayonnaise~!!!
I noticed that ALL of the other tables had Japanese customers - Japanese housewives, to be exact... I guess those who have maids and thus have extra time (and $$$) to lunch outside.
They were all very smartly-dressed, very smiling and very blow-dried. I was suddenly reminded of a comment made by a male friend who often drops by Sukhumvit: "Japanese housewives in Sukhumvit are HOT~~!!!!! Even those with young kids~~!!!!" (Hmmmm... now I understand why he often drops by Sukhumvit...) 
Unsurprisingly, the staff here also speak Japanese~!! Looking around, I noticed that the place was indeed VERY Japanese-y.
The furniture was mostly somber dark wood complemented by bamboo, and I spied rows and rows of Japanese sake on the shelf. It was quite obvious that every tiny detail had been thought of carefully at Ten-Sui... from the chopsticks stand... 
to the wall panels... 
to the soy sauce container... 
Everything was refined and subtle; never shouting
(just like a true blue Nihonjin~!!). Anyway, enough with the decor... Dessert was Japanese 'purin' (it looked like pudding, but not as sweet. YUM~!!), served in another nature-inspired bowl. 
By this time, I was pretty full (and satisfied) already and had completely changed my mind about what to say about Ten-Sui:
*its 380 baht lunch set is truly worth your money~!!*
I mean, you get the GENUINE Japanese food taste, surrounded by very pretty Japonesque things, doted by Japanese-speaking sta ff (who cares if you don't understand what they're saying~!!), plus you get to perve on attractive Japanese housewives (if it's your kinda thing).
Some might balk at coughing up 380 baht for lunch but lemme tell ya this: For sure, this ain't no Fuji~!!
Just make sure you show up a tad early (dammit~!!). P.S. Read more about how the Japanese housewives help to prop up the Sukhumvit economy . everybody, let's nature~!! streetsmartsukhumvit@gmail.com
sukhumvit bangkok thailand
 This is authentic Sukhumvit mood~!! Imagine yourself inside a TAXI cruising along the road, with the radio on full blast... You get the idea.
In case you're wondering where on earth the background music comes from, it's from the "highly atmospheric" double CD, Radio Thailand: Transmissions From the Tropical Kingdom (you can buy it on Amazon HERE).
 It is a collection of Thai radio transmissions from 1989 to 2004 and chock-full of luuk thung, mor lam, commercials, pop, you name it...
Check out the monks chanting at the end of the video~!!
Perfect for those of you suffering from an incurable case of Sukhumvit nostalgia~!!
khid theung, khid theung~!!
streetsmartsukhumvit@gmail.com
sukhumvit bangkok thailand
Found this neon sign in Sukhumvit 22:
Besides the weird English grammar ("NO! BRA"), I guess the bar owner's not very subtle, huh~??**************************************************************Check out the talons on this TAXI driver:
 Anyone who dares to snicker/call him a fairy/ask him to help with luggage will have their eyes gouged out~!!
Be afraid. Be VERY afraid.**************************************************************Another distraction found in a TAXI in Sukhumvit:
 I love you, too, dude~!! *sniff***************************************************************This one's SO cool.I was walking in Sukhumvit 26 late at night, when I came across a very colorful bus parked next the pavement, blasting Isaan music:
 Did you notice that some of the drawings were painted using reflective paint~?! CHECK OUT THAT FIERCE DRAGON~~!!!! *YOWZA~!!*
 **************************************************************Stumbled across THIS motorcycle after a late dinner in Sukhumvit 33:
Looks pretty normal, eh~?? That is, until you look closely at the "decor" below the driver's seat:
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