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Style& Designaward-winning travel classics, from cars to cultural spaces

Singapore Sg$7.90 ● Hong Kong HK$43THailand THB175 ● indoneSia idr50,000MalaySia Myr17● VieTnaM Vnd85,000Macau Mop44 ● pHilippineS pHp240 BurMa MMK35 ● caMBodia KHr22,000 Brunei Bnd7.90 ● laoS laK52,000

Trave l a n d Le i s u re A s i a .co m

SKY-HIGH DININGIN HONG KONG

PluS: ASIA’S mOSt excluSIve DeAlS

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SPecIAl

First look at Krabi’s hottest new resort

t+l StYle excluSIve!

essential guide to the city’s music boom

Beijing Rocks

trendsetter tips that you’ll love

Bangkok Glam

Where art and architecture are

taking hold

las vegas

Insider tips from top

designers

20*

30 M A R C H 2 0 1 0 | T R A V E L A N D L E I S U R E A S I A . C O M

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iPhone users now have Southeast Asia at their fi ngertips thanks to

applications like the Lonely Planet’s City Guides series (lonelyplanet.com;

US$15.99), which includes several major cities in the region. Loaded with

maps and reviews, you can access what’s in the area by tapping the

“nearby” button on the screen. DK Eyewitnesses’ Top 10 Bangkok and

Top 10 Hong Kong (traveldk.com; US$7.99) provide recommendations,

photos, and city and subway maps that are available offl ine, while the

currency converters are a plus. Aimed at independent travelers, Angkor by

Travelfi sh.org (travelfi sh.org; US$7.99) features a walking tour, bookable

accommodation and personalized maps. Speak Thai with iPoodThai

(ipoodthai.com; US$2.99), a talking phrasebook that can give directions, order

food, book a room and even bargain for you. But with only 500 words and

phrases, it’s purely survival Thai.—M O N S I C H A H O O N S U WA N

Asia by iPhoneTokyo is a magnet for design fi ends, and now you can get your fi x at über-hip Hotel Claska’s fi rst branch of its Zen-like gallery and shop, Do, located in the basement of Parco department store in stylish Shibuya (15-1-B1F, Shibuya Parco, Udagawa-chou, Shibuya-ku; 81-3/5456-2833; claska.com). Curated by the hotel’s design guru Takeo Okuma, Do’s selection includes exquisitely crafted clothes, stationery, home wares and more by emerging designers such as ceramist Taichi Azuma. There’s also a small gallery space where regularly rotating exhibitions are held.

DESIGN NATION

S H O P

Street SmartsDon’t look at Take Away (€35; amazon.fr), a book by

Jean-François Mallet, on an empty stomach. Traveling

from Argentina to Australia, the photographer documents

street eats in 26 countries in this 500-photo paean to authentic

fast food. There are plenty of shots from our region—pho in

Hanoi, grilled fi sh in Bangkok—as well as less familiar ones of

African stews, Armenian fl atbreads and empanadas from

Nueva York. Interspersed are recipes. Be warned: they’re in

French, so grab a dictionary and head to the kitchen.

J

B O OK S

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Dining on the CheapFoodies sharpen your knives: Restaurant Week—seven days of fi ne prix-fi xe meals at rock-bottom prices—will be held in Singapore from March 22–28 (restaurantweek.sg). During that week, top-fl ight restaurants such as Fiftythree, Absinthe and Garibaldi will be offering S$35 three-course dinners and S$25 three-course lunches. Seats are limited, so book now.

EAT

From top: Black Cod from The Cliff; inside Garibaldi.

Gadgets on the GoPack extra-light with space-saving gear perfect for frequent travelers. By MELANIE LEE

T E C H

Where the Wild Things Are Up-and-coming fashion designers in Bangkok now

have a permanent home: Mob.F (4th fl oor, Siam Center,

979 Rama 1 Rd.; mob-f.com) is a 400-square-meter,

atmospherically lit space devoted to 42 new talents who can’t afford

their own retail outlets. Fashions tilt more towards youth: think faux

pearl–embellished metal band T-shirts and furry, studded

wristbands. But their slinky cocktail dresses and stripy bow ties work

well for any age. Make sure to check out Zabede’s handmade bags

and shirts. Natta offers limited-edition handmade accessories, while

Curated features statement necklaces made of silicone and

tongue-in-cheek Coca-Cola charms.— M . H .

FA S H I O N

OrigAudio’s Speakers

Made out of recycled cardboard, these

8-centimeter, 1-watt box speakers can be folded fl at and plugged into any device that has a headphone jack.

Check out the funky, limited-edition designs.

origaudio.com; US$16 per pair.

Powermat’s Portable Mat

The days of lugging around an unwieldy tangle of power cords are over with this sleek black mat that folds up into the size of a coaster.

Using electromagnetic technology, it can simultaneously charge up to

three enabled devices wirelessly, and has an additional USB port to boot.

powermat.com; US$99.

3M’s MPro150

This 1GB pocket projector packs all the punches.

Able to display Microsoft Offi ce and Adobe

applications, it also comes with integrated speakers, and can project images up

to 127 centimeters. 3m.com; US$395.

M A R C H 2 0 1 0 | T R A V E L A N D L E I S U R E A S I A . C O M48

insider | local lore

Modern Masterpieces. Soi Ekamai in Bangkok is a treasure trove for Midcentury furniture mavens, whether you’re after replicas or the real thing. By JENNIFER CHEN

THAILAND

Hawaii Five-O displays originals that can be copied.

Photographed by CHRISTOPHER WISE

■ JOE’S BEAUTIFUL OBJECTS A trained architect, Sangkorn “Joe”

Soonthornkasemsuk began by

importing authentic pieces from

Scandinavia, but later moved into

reproductions as originals became

scarcer. Located in his 1970’s

bungalow, the brightly lit, crammed

showroom features skillfully made

replicas of designs by such Modernist

heavyweights as Hans Wegner and

Finn Juhl, two of Joe’s design heroes.

Every item is customizable; there’s

dozens of swatches to choose from, but

make sure to ask Joe about the retro

fabrics that he buys off eBay. The

showroom is only open in the

afternoons, so best to call before you

make the trek. 284/2 Ekamai 18,

Sukhumvit Rd.; 66-2/711-5780; joe_

bo50@yahoo.com; shipping available.

■ Y50 Looking for the real thing?

This packed-to-the-gills retro

emporium is the place. Owner Pramet

Srithongkul developed an affi nity

towards streamlined Scandinavian

design during stopovers in Copenhagen

while working for Thai Airways. “They

use a lot of teakwood—maybe that

reminded me of Thailand,” he says.

Pramet sources original pieces by

Midcentury masters from auctions held

in Europe; printouts of his recent

acquisitions are taped on the wall by

the door for reference. A self-taught

furniture expert, he’s happy to consult

one of his many design books—retro

fi nds themselves—to tell you a piece’s

exact provenance. Take your time to

comb through the jumble: patient,

eagle-eyed shoppers will be rewarded

with vintage crocodile bags and rare

1960’s ceramics from Denmark. If you

can’t fi nd what you’re looking for,

Pramet can direct you to his

warehouse, about 15 kilometers away

on Ram Intra Road. Before you go, fl ip

through the photo albums cataloging

his inventory. Upstairs is a bar popular

with the neighborhood’s bright young

things, should you need a stiff drink

before dropping Bt40,000 on a genuine

49

Vintage Street From top: A retro lamp from Hawaii Five-O; Y50 sells more than just furniture; Khun Joe of Joe’s Beautiful Objects.

Wegner chair. 24 Ekamai Soi 21,

Sukhumvit Rd.; 66-2/711-5629;

shipping available.

■ HAWAII FIVE-O Kitty-cornered

from Y50, this plain-looking store

churns out well-made replicas at

reasonable prices; chairs run between

Bt6,000 to Bt18,000. Owner and

antique enthusiast Satit

Thammapapkul has fi lled the store

with originals by the likes of George

Nelson and Eero Saarinen; customers

are encouraged to test out chairs before

making a decision. 34 Ekamai 21,

Sukhumvit Rd.; 66-2/711-6415;

hawaii50bkk.com; shipping available.

—With reporting by M O N S I C H A

H O O N S U WA N. ✚

T R A V E L A N D L E I S U R E A S I A . C O M | M A R C H 2 0 1 0

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M A R C H 2 0 1 0 | T R A V E L A N D L E I S U R E A S I A . C O M

BANGKOK GLAM

■ CHUTIKARN NGAMTHURA STUDENT“I’m a regular at Rotsaniyom [Section 2, Soi 40, Chatuchak Weekend Market; 66/813-042-198] — which you can tell from the bag I’m carrying — because of its vintage, earth-tone collections that suit my comfort-loving style. Art dictates how I mix and match my clothes. I own a plethora of bandanas, mostly from Chatuchak, but this one I’m wearing now is my favorite because it can easily match the rest of my outfi t.”

■ KITTASAK KITRUNGROT INTERIOR DESIGNER“I often go to various art galleries. There is one near MBKcalled Jamjuree Art Gallery [Jamjuree Building 8, Chulalongkorn University, Phayathai Rd.; 66-2/218-3709] where amazing exhibitions are held. I also love hanging out at The Roof Restaurant [25th fl oor, Siam@Siam Design Hotel & Spa, 865 Rama 1 Rd.; 66-2/217-3070; siamatsiam.com; drinks for two Bt300] because it possesses a strong art-gallery ambience.”

THAILAND

T+L asks eight trendsetters in the City of Angels for their shopping tips and more. Photographed by CHRISTOPHER WISE

B ACK IN 2003, EX-PRIME MINISTER THAKSIN

Shinawatra declared he wanted to make Bangkok a

fashion capital on par with Paris and Milan. That

plan, like his reign in power, fi zzled, but with homegrown

labels such as Sretsis, Disaya and Headquarter gaining

followings overseas, the city’s fashion scene is going strong

without the need of offi cial backing. One weekend, we

trawled Siam Square and Chatuchak Market, the stomping

grounds of up-and-coming designers and local hipsters

(called dek naew in Thai), where we found looks ranging from

nerd chic to glam rock.—WA S I N E E C H A N TA KO R N and

M O N S I C H A H O O N S U WA N

■ WATCHAREE PENGJAM OFFICE WORKER“Korean pop groups are big in Thailand, and Watcharee admits to being under the spell of all things Korean. “There’s a restaurant named Ko Si Rae [99/97 Soi Thonglor, Sukhumvit Rd.; 66-2/714-8683; dinner for two Bt700] in Thonglor that I like.”

■ SARUNYA SIRIYAMUN HAIR STYLIST “I frequently stop by Angel Shoes [292/8 Siam Square, Soi 4; 66-2/658-3863] for designs ... I love Slim [29/22-32 RCA Block S, Rama 9 Rd.; 66-2/242-4499] for its variety of music.” ■ KITTIPHAT KUMDUANG HAIR STYLIST “I’m a small guy, so occasionally I get my clothes from female’s stores. There’s Oh My God [3rd fl oor, Platinum Fashion Mall, Phetchaburi Rd.; no telephone], which features its own designs — right now they have bright, colorful pants.”

■ WONGSATHORN YINDEEPHOLCHAROEN STUDENTGlass Shoes [Ayuthaya Soi 3, Suan Lum Night Bazaar; no telephone] is one of his favorite shops.■ TANYAPORN KANCHANAHOTI STUDENT “I can dress any style, depending on my mood and the place I’m going,” says 19-year-old Tanyaporn, who hangs out at the Moroccan-themed Al Majlis [Praduu Spa Club, 83/8 Soi Ekamai 12, Sukhumvit Rd.; 66-2/392-2345; drinks for two Bt300].

■ TANATIP SOMTONG COMPUTER SPECIALIST “Skinny jeans are the only kind I wear; when I see them, I buy them — mostly at CHAPS [various locations; chapsclothing.com] because of their well-designed patterns and perfect shape. Finding shirts is diffi cult for guys with big torsos like me, but I got this one from my friend’s roadside stand at Chatuchak. After shopping, I never forget to stop by Som Tum Fun Ta Lop [Section 26, Soi 1, Chatuchak Weekend Market; no telephone] for an order of the scrumptious guay jab yuan [Bt30].” �

Siam Square