Why Bangkok’s definitive art form is street photography.  Cities can find their truest expression through a favourite art form: manga evokes Tokyo, movies define LA, carnival embodies Rio, K-Drama captures Seoul. People have tried to catch the spirit of Bangkok through film, art, design, novels or songs, but no other medium captures its quirkiness better than street photography. Only ambushing reality with a camera can convey the city’s sense of dumbfounding surprise. Thai street photography pioneers include Manit Sriwanichpoom in his book Bangkok in Black and White, and Dow Wasiksir ..read more

Bangkok doesn’t like realism, so tales of its shadowy underground nightlife worlds are retold as fiction through the lurid genre of noir novels, art and film. Bangkok is one of those rare cities that has spawned its own literary genre – and, no surprise, it’s noir. Hardboiled crime stories about its seething underbelly make top-selling ‘airport reads.’ Given the difficulty of investigative journalism on the vice economy, noir provides a moody fictional tool to shine a detective’s torch on grisly topics like corruption, prostitution, organised crime, bent cops, and contract killings. Until rece ..read more

The new Alexander Lamont gallery on Bangkok’s Riverside is a living embodiment of the essence and values of the brand’s founder & designer. Alexander Lamont’s new Bangkok Gallery is located in a traditional shophouse building at Warehouse 30 on Bangkok’s Riverside. The Gallery provides a tranquil space where you can view the furniture and lighting collections on the second floor, and take your time to browse among the soulful, handcrafted gifts and accessories in the downstairs gallery. Inside at the entrance level, an intimate and inviting space is curated for visitors looking for beauti ..read more

A new gem is coming to the jewel-cutting capital of Asia—this one mined from the rich Italian soil known as “black dust.” In recent years, no European power has done so much to conquer the hearts and minds of Thai people than the food and wine of Italy. Bangkok has long played host to literally hundreds of Italian restaurants, but it was only around a decade back, starting with Appia – the authentic trattoria with Roman flavours – that the city began to showcase regional specialities from Rome to Tuscany to Liguria. And just as citizens of the capital are discovering numerous examples of more ..read more

Situated at a leafy corner near an international school in the heart of Bangkok, Insomnia by Mulberry House is a luxurious and cosy café for flower, coffee and tree lovers. Founded to accommodate the parents of Mulberry House International pre-school students, so they can have a comfortable corner to wait in for their children and to socialise with other parents, Insomnia by Mulberry House has now expanded into a lovely, airy, cozy café, suitable for anyone who wants a quiet place to read, work or conduct a private gathering. The decoration style could be called ‘Eclectic’ with a ‘Bring the Ou ..read more

Bangkok has been adding much-needed parks. A few of them are naturalistic, many are formal, some almost entirely paved. Whether it is more green space or more concrete, the city is getting relentlessly landscaped. Bangkok has long had too little green space, about the least per head of any major metropolis. So the city has been founding parks over the past decade or so. Four new parks are currently underway. Still, there are competing visions about what kind of park the city needs – and who a park is actually for. Bangkok’s first park, Lumpini, was an exercise in siwilai – presenting ..read more

Introducing a wellness workshop for women on the journey to motherhood Feb. 26-27 from 9am-3pm daily at Lotus Wellness Studio in Sathorn. Nurture & Flow introduces a weekend Yoga and Nutrition Workshop designed to support women in various stages of their motherhood journey to help gain clarity, connection, and a renewed sense of wellbeing and awareness. As a mother of two herself, Nurture & Flow founder Supatra Bromilow understands that motherhood can be a lonely and overwhelming experience, inspiring her to create a supportive community space aimed to educate and empower women to inve ..read more

Some highlights of Chinese/Lunar New Year festivities across Southeast Asia – one each from Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. THAILAND Banyan Tree Samui Visitors to Koh Samui can ease into this Lunar New Year with a rejuvenating massage and treatment at Banyan Tree Spa. Throughout the month of February, this luxury venue, which includes a state-of-the-art hydrotherapy facility, is offering a 90-minute Purposeful Therapy for Two for 8,888 THB per couple (reduced from 12,000 THB). The promotion also includes one complimentary Wellbeing Sanctuary activity and a 25% discount on select ..read more

The creator and co-owner of Ministry of Crab, Chef Dharshan Munidasa launches Thai mud crabs at the Ministry. World-class chef, creator and co-owner of the Ministry Of Crab, Chef Dharshan Munidasa returns, post-COVID-19 to introduce and celebrate the wild Mud Crabs of Thailand. These amazing crustaceans are available in the market ranging from 500g up to 900g – and come from the mangroves of Samut Songkhram. The bigger-sized crabs, ranging from 900g to the mammoth 2kg ‘Crabzilla’ will be sourced as usual from the mangroves of Sri Lanka. The provenance and integrity of ingredients are the DNA o ..read more

Like Japan, Thailand has a stunning array of flowering trees. Unlike Japan’s cherry blossom viewing festival, it is harder to locate lots of the same flowers blooming together. Here is how to find the best of Bangkok’s colourful blossoms. Every dry season, Bangkok bursts into blossom. Vivid displays of flowering trees can be seen in parks, along roads and above garden walls. Lumpini Park alone spans the spectrum: from the shocking purple orchid tree (chong-kho), through delicate mauve Thai bungor (salao), wispy red Flame Tree, and orange-flowered copper pod, to yellow sprays of Burmese rosewoo ..read more