Blog Scribbles

Editor's Eye

Konnichiwa check out our Japan issue! And what a lead up getting it together !!!!! Flying out to Tokyo and hanging out with Japanese rock stars like Luna Sea's legendary rock god SUGIZO and then trekking around Tokyo to find you a cheap but cozy place to crash. We even took pop pin-up MIYAVI to dinner at Bed Supperclub and interviewed him for our cover story. We also took time out to rediscover artists like Takashi Murakami and Yoko Ono and re-watched the Shunji Iwai's enigmatic movie 'All About Lily Chu Chu' for our 'Talking Pictures' feature.

Now we're back in Bangkok and we're poised to get giddy at Bed Supperclub at events like The Stereo MCs, LTJ Bukem, Mickey Slim and The Freestylers, get more details in the Bed Sheet back pages.

Before I say sayonara, here's an ancient Japanese proverb that has even bigger implications now that we are struggling to save the planet …
あらゆる紙に双方がある
'Every sheet of paper has two sides'

PAUL –BEE- HAMPSHIRE

2 years ago today, Thailand joined the rest of the evolving world and banned smoking in all air-conditioned nightclubs, pubs, lounges, bars, and open-air restaurants and markets.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

For those of us that prefer to go out, but prefer to avoid the carcinogens of second-hand smoke, let alone the stinky smelly residue, this ban continues to be a source of thankfulness.

Sure, most bar and pub owners initially feared that this ban would drive guests away, but this has not been the case in Thailand or anywhere else in the world. Yes, cigarette revenues have dropped significantly (a lower ended source of revenue), but the initial fear that guests would stop going out to venues that abided by the new laws, has never materialized beyond those initial doomsday prophecies. In fact, most venues would agree that people have adjusted nicely and that the majority of the guests are appreciative of these bans and the resulting cleaner air. Some venues would even argue that revenues have increased as guests are staying longer because they are actually enjoying the smoke-free environment even better.

Bangkok has years to go before these bans are widely recognized throughout all clubs and restaurants, however. There are still numerous pubs and night clubs that have simply ignored the smoking bans, but I know of no club that has been hit with the 20,000 penalty for allowing smoking on their premises. Without much official enforcement, the choice of whether or not to allow smoking or not seems to be up to the venue, although the more high-profile the venue, the more obligation to abide by these laws.

Enjoy the cleaner air. Well, that is unless you’re cycling along Sukhumvit. Those busses and tuk tuks will be addressed next.

Justin Dunne

It's always been a tradition for me to at least pop by at BED Supperclub on the night of my birthday. This year, I kept the tradition but the celebration however, is definitely different.

"I'm turning 25, it's the big 2-5, that's like a quarter of a century!" I told my BED Fellows a month ago. Known as a 'Birthday Party Planner,' this year I handed my job to the creative & operations team. (more…)

Just last month I was blogging about how I wish the Moet Bar was here to stay, next thing I know, it's staying through the end of March. So besides the Champagne and luscious portraits of Scarlett Johansson, and those lovable cushions is our full time bartender, part time photographer, and a quarter conversation starter, Pete.

(more…)

Legendary restaurant and club CASTEL in Paris is famous for having hosted the best nights out for many generations of Parisians. Located in a "hotel particulier" in the tiny rue Princesse in the 6th arrondissement, the club's decor is very intimate. Laid out with dark carpet and red velvet on the walls, it's a series of narrow corridors and even narrower staircases that lead to a dining room on each of the 3 floors, some having no apparent windows and the only way out was the way you came in. Not for the claustrophobic.

In December last year I was invited to attend a private dinner organized by a whisky brand that promised to have celebrities, cuisine and entertainment.

The theme of the night was "KNIGHT CLUB"… a sort of medieval chivalry themed evening with owl tamers greeting you at the door. I forgot the name of the chef but he was specially flown in for the occasion and was asked to come up with a surprise menu that would be out of the ordinary.

Up on the first floor, the celebrities (artists, actresses, Miss France.. etc) started to fill in and the nonetheless famous paparazzi (in Paris, there are just 3 or 4 of them that go out every night, the same photographers for the past 20 or 30 years) came in to shoot amicably their subjects. I was seated at the sponsor's table and was turning my back to the "people". I couldn't avoid the yoga back twist to get a glance at them. But I was much more concerned about the subject of conversation with my table companions and to where the shortest way to the street was, in case of emergency, than the who's who I was sharing the room with. (more…)

My rite of passage having been completed at Ze Kitchen Gallery – I was now ready to go to the KGB. Currently Paris' most viral word of mouth… located in the same rue des Grands Augustins, a bit further down from Kitchen Gallery. KGB's entrance is one of an art gallery with big windows and rectangular iron frames. Its interior has white walls and displays colorful contemporary paintings as in Ze Kitchen Gallery. The room is decorated in contemporary minimal and warm style, although I wished there could have been some fabrics there to dampen the level of the ambient sound. Great crowd, the kind of crowd we get at Bed Supperclub when José Padilla plays a dinner set: sophisticated, elegant, seniors and young adults, friends in group, couples, friends in couple… Their menu offers choices of surprise "hors d'oeuvres" which were bite size portions of little appetizers: Sea Bream ravioli in Tom Gha broth, Pumpkin Soup shot with herb emulsion etc. But the real stuff was in the mains.

Please note the simplicity of "Grilled Salmon, Sorrel & Lemongrass Condiment".. or "Suckling Lamb, Curry & Apricot Condiment".

What to say? Perfectly cooked fish and meat. Great balance of taste and flavors. Perfect fusion.

These were the kind of dishes that make you swear and use bad words – the kind depicting nefarious practices. Enough said.

Book in advance + 33146340911.

www.zekitchengallery.fr

Bed Supperclub is___________"setting the record straight."

We won't post when we're about to go to the bathroom.

We won't tweet about the burrito we just ate.

We won't post about how tired we are or about clipping our toenails.

We won't tweet about what parking lot we're pulling out of and we won't tweet about going shopping.

We're not about to invite you to any "Mafia Wars," invite you to taste our french toast in "Cafe World," or ask you to buy our pigs on "Farm Town."

We're not about to Twitter about any inside jokes that only 2 people understand, any stuff not related to Bed, or any other suck knowledge.

We will however, continue to offer the following: (more…)

One of the things I wish we had is a permanent outdoor lounging deck. The thought of seeing dazzling looking men & women mingling and chillin' to the sound of chill out music, sipping a glass of cocktail simply excites me.

What can I say, I'm a big fan of all things outdoor and lucky for me, 'Moet & Chandon Champagne Garden,' is right at our regular parking lot. (more…)

My friend Johann told me about Ze Kitchen Gallery so many times and about the wonders chef William Ledeuil does in his kitchen. I finally got the chance to have a meal there last week in Paris.

Located on the left bank of the river Seine at a stone throw from the Pont Neuf in the Rue des Grands Augustins, the site is medieval but the building dates from the XIX century. From the street, the facade of the restaurant set on the ground floor, is made of big window panes with contemporary floor to ceiling black iron frames inserted between large stone arches. After the glass door opens, guests walk in straight into the service bar where a friendly staff greets them by taking their coat. Right away the bright though warm ambiance reveals a simple interior made of chocolate wooden floor and white walls filled with lithographs, water paintings and other modern art works, all very colorful. This is lunch, and the 40 or so seats restaurant is packed.

As I walk to my table I notice at the other end of the dining room, a glass wall where I see the prep kitchen with cooks getting busy preparing the food. The service staff is all made of young men, all casually but elegantly dressed (no uniforms).

So back to my friend Johann (my host) who kindly reminded me why we were there today: to taste the "fusion cuisine" à la Française. Indeed, chef William Ledeuil fell in love with Thai food and Japanese cuisine during his trips in Asia and particularly in South-East Asia. A look at the menu (40 euros for lunch apps+main+dessert!) one can see right away the predominant Thai influence. (more…)