#SundayWellSpent Exploring the Essentials of Soi Suan Phlu - Sathorn
Whenever Sunday rolls around, you know its time to start keeping an eye out for some things to do around Bangkok to fill your time during the weekend. Whether its cafes, restaurants, museums, amusement parks, yoga studios, or any other recreational activities that you’re looking for, a full-day of quality time with your loved ones will surely get you feeling rested and ready for the work the next day. If you haven’t decided on where to be yet, it might be time to give Soi Suan Phlu a visit.
Soi Suan Phlu or Sathorn 3 houses all kinds of residential estates as well as people of all sorts. Located right inside one of Bangkok’s major business district of Sathorn, Soi Suan Phlu’s long-time community gives a whole different dynamic to the fast-paced city center. Other than all the interesting cafes and shops you’ll find within all the corners of Soi Suan Phlu, you’ll also get to experience the different lifestyles of both office people and residents in the area.
In this episode of #SundayWellSpent we’ll be taking you to explore 10 notable places in Soi Suan Phlu. If you happen to see something you like, don’t forget to send an invite to your friend and family for a lovely Sunday gathering.
M.R. Kukrit's House
Just about 1 kilometer from Soi Suan Phlu in Soi Naradhiwas Rajanagarindra 7 you’ll find M.R. Kukrit's House, a heritage museum dedicated to the former national artist and Prime Minister of Thailand Kukrit Pramoj. This traditional Thai-style teak house was the actual home of the prime minister himself at one point. Now it’s registered by The Fine Arts Department as an official historic site and serves as an exhibition for traditional Thai architecture and artifacts. The reception pavilion was used for public purposes and religious ceremonies in the past with a spacious garden separating the hall from the houses. The site consists of 5 houses in total, with the earliest one dating back as far as 100 years old. Inside, you’ll find multiple belongings of Kukrit on display, including books, paintings, porcelain collections, and vases given to Kukrit by Mao Zedong himself.
At this museum, you’ll not only find a peaceful atmosphere but also experience rare traditional Thai arts and culture. With an entrance fee of only 50 THB, you’ll surely be getting your money’s worth for this one.
Holey Bakery Kitchen
Not far from Soi Suan Phlu 2, you’ll find a bakery that’ll teem with people all day long called Holey Bakery Kitchen. The interior is decorated mainly with a simple white-brown color tone, focusing more on a cozy and homey atmosphere. The bakery serves up over 40 different traditional European-style pastries each day including croissants, muffins, Berliners, baguettes, pies, tarts, cakes, and scones. We highly recommend the Death by Chocolate (150 THB), a 3-layer Belgium chocolate cake topped with a rich chocolate ganache. There are also a variety of sandwiches, soups, salads, and beverages for you to enjoy, making this the perfect place for a laid-back Sunday brunch!
Fathom Bookspace
At the entrance of Soi Suan Phlu 3, there’s bookstore that offers more than just good reads for you to buy. Fathom Bookspace houses a library of materials to enjoy in-house, which includes an impressive selection of books, artwork, and workshops. The first floor provides readers with all kinds of books to enjoy. If you look closely, you’ll find a small piece of paper tucked into each book. These are cute little notes from previous readers about their experience with the book, ideas they took home, and just about anything they wanted to share with the next reader. The exhibition and books are shown in front of the shop changes according to theme that involves a popular social topic every two months. The second floor serves as an open space where you can take your favorite books to enjoy with a cup of coffee or tea. If you find yourself hooked on a book, make sure to register as a member for the privilege of renting them home with you. The bookstore is also always hosting interesting events like art therapies, book clubs, performances, and family-friendly workshops as well. You definitely don’t have to be a bookworm to spend at least half a day here.
Kad Kokoa
Walking towards Soi Naradhiwas Rajanagarindra 17 from the end of Soi Suan Phlu, you’ll find a craft chocolate and cocoa bar called Kad Kokoa. As a bean-to-bar chocolate maker, all the process of bean selection, marinating, molding, and processing is done in-house. All the cocoa beans are grown in Thailand including places like Chiang Mai, Chumphon, and Chantaburi. The interior design is a cool hybrid between a wooden house and a rustic loft. The store is separated into 3 zones: the chocolate factory, the two-story cafe, and the chocolate bar. From the lengthy menu that consists of all kinds of tea, coffee, chocolates, and pastries, we were recommended the Vanilla Mousse (150 THB), a glass of lightly bitter and sweet iced chocolate made from the cocoa beans grown in Chumphon.
El Mercado Grocery & Wine
From the popular Mediterranean restaurant, El Mercado that serves a fine selection of seafood, cold cuts, and wine in the Khlong Toei area comes to a brand-new mini mart under the same name, provides a variety of imported wines, dried goods, and premium ingredients at a reasonable price. Most of the goods are based on the popular menus of the restaurant which includes cheeses, cold cuts, oils, wines, fruits, and fresh vegetables. There’s also a bakery corner that bakes fresh bread every day, and all the olive oil and vinegar products are refillable. For example, if you purchase a Red Wine Vinegar (99 THB for a 250ml bottle), just bring back the empty bottle for a refill at a special price of 40 THB.
Arno’s
This branch of Arno’s located next to Soi Suan Phlu 1 is its 7th branch in Thailand. The restaurant is separated into two main rooms, the Arno’s Wine Bar and the Arno’s Steaks and Burgers. Both zones are decorated in traditional French-style with a yellow-orange-red color tone complemented with a selection of homey wooden furniture and red brick walls. Other than the wine bar that offers a unique selection of wine to pair with your steaks, the location in Suan Phlu also sets itself aside with a buffet option. At the price of 750 THB (drinks not included), you’ll have a chance to indulge in an unlimited flow of mouth-watering menus French mussels, 75-days aged Sirloin, and beef Tenderloin as the main courses, followed by your choice of burgers, salads, pasta, and sweets. You also get to pick one premium menu each at the beginning of the course, making this one of the deals of the year.
Junker & Bar
Junker & Bar is a place where you can spend your evening enjoying all kinds of comfort food, quality drinks, and classic board games. You can find your seating in either the gin bar or the restaurant zone, both beautifully decorated in a raw, rustic style, but still gives off a warm and cozy vibe. Every table comes equipped with all kinds of games like Jenga and Uno for you to enjoy while waiting for the food or while drinking with your buddies. The food served here is considered “junk foods” such as burgers, sandwiches, Bánh mì, quesadilla, and pasta, but are all made with premium ingredients. Each menu item is tailor-made to be paired perfectly with over 100 refreshing Gin-based drinks from the bar. There are also all kinds of cocktails, mocktails, beers on tap, and soft drinks for you to enjoy along with the live Funk and Blues tunes throughout the night.
Smalls
This bar located at the corner of Soi Suan Phlu 1 has got a one-of-a-kind charm that will make you want to drop by again and again. All the styling and interior design were taken care of by both of the founders, one an American photographer and the other a French artist. This is why you’ll find countless artworks and photography being used as a decoration all around the bar. Not only that, all the furniture, bar, and curtains have their own unique stories of how they came about. Another thing that sets this bar aside from others is their music style. Each day, you’ll find different artists, DJs, and live bands taking turns to serenade the crowd from the stage. The schedule is as follows: Jazz on Wednesdays, Electronic Funk on Thursdays, Jazz Funk on Fridays, Acoustic Rock and Hip Hop on Saturdays, Live DJs on Sundays, and Funk on Mondays. The food menu offers light bites and snacks to pair with the drinks like whiskeys, cocktails, beers, ciders, absinthe, and wine.
Hare Barber & Grooming
For all the guys who are looking for a one-stop-shop for all things grooming, your answer might be located just across the street from Soi Suan Phlu 2 at Hare Barber & Grooming. Inside, you’ll find a huge black-red motorbike parked right at the end and a drawing of a muscular rabbit on the blackboard. The barbershop is simply decorated and gives off a very friendly vibe. The services they provide include haircut, facial hair design and trimming, body massage, nail care, and waxing services where the price ranges from 200-25,000 THB. You can also find the shop’s very own hair care products as well as beverages like soft drinks and craft beers to quench your thirst.
Kutai
First of all, Kutai is closed on Sundays, but we’d still like to recommend it nevertheless. Hiding inside Soi Suan Phlu 1 is a cozy beach-style bar perfect for a chilled out evening. The first floor is decorated in a blue-white color tone, seashell curtains, paintings, vintage signs, wooden furniture, and surrounded with trees both indoors and outdoors. The second floor turns things up a notch with an orange-red color tone. You’ll find both sofas and bean bags to rest on while enjoying all the food and drinks. The kitchen cooks up a French-Thai fusion cuisine that focuses on seafood and specifically on mussels. You can choose whether you’d like your mussels cooked French-style (white wine or cream), Italian-style (tomato), Belgium-style (beer), or Thai-style (Tom Yum) for 399 THB a pot. Other menus include salads, pasta, and steaks as well as a selection of sweet treats and ice-cold drinks like cocktails, beers, and wine to finish your meal.
Explore the hidden gems in Bangkok’s nooks and crannies next Sunday in your favorite neighborhood. Check out Siam2nite’s articles down below!
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