glass central canberra

Megsie’s latest sojourn in Bangkok (yep, another happy visit to the dentist∗) was a tad circumscribed by knee/foot/injury (moonboot-o-rama) biz but she nonetheless managed to at least touch base with a few of her favourite things. Exercise being out of the question, and general roaming simply not an option, she stuck to her three guiding principles for meaningful cultural engagement abroad; food, art and the cocktail hour. First stop, of course, was Isao for some serious sushi…

Fabulous, as ever.

This trip had turned into one of those peculiar scheduling glitches where Megsie flew out just a nanosecond prior to Sammy Jo and Iain flying in for a quick R&R at the Hideout…during which time the Favourite Son-in-law would be celebrating his birthday. So of course Megsie – always mindful of observing important family festivities – marked the occasion by taking herself off on the day to Nahm, David Thompson’s recently awarded #1 restaurant in Asia (immediately after which she skyped him to let him know how wonderful his birthday lunch had been.)

It’s at the Metropolitan (just next door to the Banyan/Vertigo/Moon Bar); classically understated and chic. And one of those circumstances in which we take umbrage at the TripAdvisor prattle.  It’s the downside of ‘best-of’ awards of this sort – all the smug, whinging (patently middle-class) nay-sayers arrogantly feel the need to put the boot in. And frankly they should be utterly ashamed of themselves.

[We’d be rounding them up and sending them in over-crowded shipping containers to less-than-ideal destinations across the globe for a dose of serious reality. Get a grip, people, and cultivate a modicum of civility and gratitude. n(Ed)]

One eedjit was even sneering about the decor. God give us strength – because it was lovely, in a comfortably dignified, trad-contemporary-fusion kind of way. The staff were sweet, the food was delicious. We can only assume that the whiners expect/demand fussiness and gilded frou-frou. But Nahm clearly doesn’t go in for putting on unnecessary side. And they certainly eschew preposterous plating up. The food is simply presented, almost homely. And yes, of course there are cheaper options (street food, et al) but it’s certainly no more expensive than yer average café feed in Oz. And let’s not be vulgarians and talk about portion size; we all know that size isn’t everything, especially when it comes to food. At Nahm they practice an elegant sufficiency that frankly we should all adopt as a matter of course. So if you’re a chubby upwardly mobile self-indulged look-at-me-look-at-me wannabe or an indiscriminate bogan (…well, same thing really) then for godsake do Nahm a favour and don’t go there. Just a thought.

Anyhoo (thanks for your patience while we got that off our chests!) Megsie and her faithful dining companion (the widely-travelled Poo) enjoyed a delightful lunch, kicking off with a Siamjito (a whiskey-based cocktail in deference to the birthday boy)…

All in all, a perfect communion of texture and flavour. And the Siamjito was so good (premium Thai whiskey, brown sugar and lemon grass) that we finished it all off with another.  Happy birthday Iain(!)

Over at the BACC (Bangkok Art and Culture Centre) we caught the annual White Elephant Art Award…

Lots to see, from the political…

Jakkrit Srisongkram, Wake up, Thai people, oil, litho pencil, pencil

…to trad nostalgia…

Phanida Prommetta, Kanok (Thai pattern), weaving

…(to shades of Megsie and Pa!)…

Sornchai Kongwun, Life Partner, acrylic on canvas

…(even shades of McCubbin)…

Paiboon Thamruangrit, Dinner at Kok Sithon, acrylic on canvas

The most interesting interconnecting thread was the painterly homage to the crafts, so beautifully realised in the White Elephant Prize winning work…

Niwat Chootoun, Rythm of Life, acrylic on canvas

…and one of the Excellent Award recipients…

Nuntapong Sinsawut, See Thai, acrylic on canvas

It’s always a ripper gallery to visit (right next to the Siam centre.)

Not much in the way of glass this trip, except at Megsie’s hotel, which was way into laminated plate architectural inclusions (favoured generally right across town)…

…even the wall of the pool…

…where Megsie was obliged to pass a fair bit of time (you know, resting her leg)…

Still, there was no stopping her from scaling the heights to Sirocco for her favourite cocktail, a Rose Old Fashioned out on the Mezzaluna Terrace. Didn’t bother with the Skybar (too many steps and they don’t serve the Rose concoction) – besides which the Mezzaluna Terrace is higher and nowhere near as frenetic…

Too, too divine.

And then it was straight back to the Hideout, there to hang out with Sammy Jo and Iain for the shortest imaginable time before they, too, took off again…

Gotta love Eden.

Happy snaps, and more from the BACC exhibition, here.

∗ ps. we love Dr Sunisa at Bangkok Smile Dental Clinic, BIG TIME.