Above: the Moon Bar, Banyan Tree Hotel, Bangkok
Above: dinner at Je Ngor’s Kitchen, YWCA building, 11th floor
Above: Lunch at a local Bangkok market
Above: A Thai coffee kiosk at the market
Like many big cities, Bangkok offers the full spectrum of dining – from the very expensive to the very cheap. In the last twenty four hours, we have taken advantage of both. It reminded me of when I lived in New York City. I worked at American Express, and it was not unusual for me to entertain foreign visitors at the city’s finest steak houses and pay upwards of US$150 per person. In my personal life; however, I was more likely to be found at La Rosita, an upper west side institution, eating rice and beans for US$3.50.
Last night, we put on our best and went to one of Bangkok’s famed rooftop bars for a drink. “Rooftop” doesn’t quite capture the sensation of emerging from the elevator and ascending a staircase to the Banyan Tree’s Moon Bar, located on the hotel’s 61st floor. The entire rooftop is comprised of a bar on one side and the appropriately named restaurant, Vertigo, on the other and completely open to the elements.
A drink at the Moon Bar is quite a treat. Though not cheap – we paid approximately US$60 for two drinks each plus a sparkling water for our daughter – it affords spectacular, panoramic views of Bangkok, not found anywhere else.
The Moon Bar does not serve food, and after browsing Vertigo’s menu, where main dishes run between fifty and sixty US dollars each, we decided to trade the moon for florescent lights at Je Ngor’s Kitchen in the neighboring YWCA building, where we had pork curry, steamed fish, and stir fried broccoli for a total of US$28.
Today we took it one step further when we dined at a local market. We each ordered a set meal – Elisa and Erik the pork with rice and I the chicken with rice – which came with a bowl of soup. Total cost for three including mineral water: US$3.33. Erik followed up our tasty meal with a Thai iced coffee for just over US$.50.
These were obviously three very different dining experiences, but the point is, they were all good. Sure, the ambiance at the Moon Bar can’t be beat, but the steamed fish at Je Ngor is also not to be dismissed. As for lunch at the market, we’re hooked. We’ve already scoped out tomorrow’s lunchtime destination.