PEST

Welcome to the first Personnel Entertainment and Social Team (PEST) Bulletin! These e-bulletins are a work-in-progress, so comments and thoughts on additional sections or changes are welcome. For now we thought we would start with the most important of Bangkok social events – restaurants and bars.

Restaurants:

Nils Taxell has come on board as the restaurant reviewer and food critic, please share any recommendations for eating places with him so we can ensure we get our review from him… the list as it stands is tiny compared to the number of places to eat in Bangkok we know – so feel free to add!

• Harmonique, soi 34, Thanon Charoenkrung. [Contributor: Upala, Roohi, Nils]
• Thang Long, soi lang suan. Fabulous atmosphere, great drinks menu and decent Vietnamese food. [Contributor: Helen]
• Kin Lom, Chom Saphan, Saam Sen Road., Soi 3. Good thai good, loud music, good for large groups – book first! [Contributor: don’t know, from the interns farewell]
• Hazara http://www.facebars.com/bg/hazara.htm [Contributor: James G Chacko]

Bars:

This is a space for the names and addresses of all recommended bars. Admakers has a limited shelf life as a good bar for dancing in (two visits and we think its time has come and gone) so good dancing and drinking establishments are very much in demand… All recommendations welcome! To start us off…

• Saxaphone: jazz bar, loud music (difficult for conversations) but very good live bands. No dancing. Near the Victory Monument.
• Brown Sugar: overlooking Lumpini Park, bills itself as a jazz bar – do not believe this, although decent music. Nice atmosphere for early dinners, or late drinks.
• Admakers: I refuse to supply a review for this, others welcome to jump in. Soi lang suan.

For un-reviewed and un-visited bars, http://www.wcities.com/en/cat/126/185/category.html

Events:

Here is the list of up-coming events in Bangkok, this is the section we expect to change with the most regularity…. Items for the next month are most appreciated, but if you come up with a gem like JD’s contribution below, please do let us know ASAP!

September 1, 3

‘Let’s party in the kitchen’, The Groove Kitchen (in Ana Garden), 67 Thonglor Soi 2, Sukhumvit Soi 55 http://www.anagarden.com [Contributor: Roohi Metcalfe]

September 7 – October 9 2005

7th International Festival of Dance and Music http://www.bangkokfestivals.com/home.htm [Contributor: Napapet]

In particular….
Saturday September 24th, Don Quixote, performed by the Moscow Stanislavsky Ballet Theatre, 7:30pm
(also Sunday 25th of September, same time)

19 September 2005

Annual ‘talk-like-a-pirate’ Day No, really: we’re not kidding... http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/living/columnists/dave_barry/4018055.htm http://www.talklikeapirate.com/piratehome.html [Contributor: JD]

14 – 24 October 2005

3rd World Film Festival, Bangkok http://www.worldfilmbkk.com/ [Contributor: Roger]

16 Oct 2005

Amari Midnight Run The midnight streets of Bangkok fill with professional and amateur runners in this annual event. Strongly supported by the locals, there is an amazing party atmosphere surrounding the race.

24 Oct 2005

UN Annual Run This well-established run winds through some of the prettiest parts of Bangkok and is held in celebration of United Nations Day.

General recommendations:

Bangkok Community Theater - English language theater PO Box 1279, Bangkok, 10112, Tel +66 02 258 8495; 234 0247

International hot-spots and recommendations….

This was not initially intended to be part of the bulletins, but having received some priceless recommendations from various staff we could not resist putting it in the bulletins as well. So…. courtesy of the globe-trotters and regular drinkers of the office, here are the roving correspondent tips….

Dili, East Timor:

• Tropical Cafe in Dili. (Opposite Obrigado Barracks). Great salad; great wraps; a mean cappucino; great ambience; reasonably priced by Dili standards. [Contributor: Niloy]

Colombo, Sri Lanka:

• Gallery Café - Paradise Road 2 Alfred House Road off Alfred House Gardens, Colombo 03 Tel :2582162, 2556563 Fax :2556564 [Contributor: James G. Chacko]
• The Bay Leaf also previously known as Le Palace 79 Gregory's Road, Colombo 07 Tel :5365198 Fax :2678402 http://www.srilanka.com/colombo/colombodetail/OL00031 [Contributor: James G. Chacko]