i will punch you in your face

house of beers

i will fist-fight any person who disputes the superiority of belgian beers. traveling belgium this past spring, it was a personal goal to have a glass of beer in one hand and a cone of pommes frites in the other. i almost cried when luggage restrictions kept me from packing any beers in baggage on the way back to bangkok..

thank god for house of beers, bangkok's happy belgian beer home. they carry 3 of 6 of the belgian trappistes (rochefort, chimay, orval) and a hefty list of other notable bottles (leffe, tripel karmaliet, waterloo, maredsous). you have to trust a brewing tradition that has its origins in trappist monasteries. god himself told them how to make beers. didn't you know that "jehovah brewmaster" is one of god's titles in the old testament? here, true to its name, it really is about the beer - no skimpily dressed waitresses, no extensive food menu, just beer, mussels, and a few other items. and expect to pay for your beer love - they run upwards of 250B for an imported bottle.

personal favorites?

chimay blue: been my favorite beer for years. this one converted me to belgians. just drink one.

tripel karmaliet: surprisingly intensely flavorful with high alc content for a light beer. the triple distillation's no joke.

rochefort 8: out of rochefort's 6, 8, and 10, i think 8's the best. rich maltiness in a clean, dark beer.

maredsous: if you're looking for something a little unusual, try this monastery's beer. slightly more acidic with a distinct peanutty flavor.

waterloo double dark: tried it at HOB for the first time. smooth, creamy, malty - a beautiful dark.

HOB, i'm moving in...just charge it to my tab.

house of beers.

522/3 thonglor (soi 16). "penny's balcony (1F)."

hours: 11am-midnight

02 392-3513

sometimes i like being a lady

witch's tavern

hands down, the best thing about the witch's tavern is their wednesday lady's night. it makes me proud to have two glorious X chromosomes to partake in opportunities like this (i.e. free booze). every wednesday 5pm-9pm, all ladies drink free from a selected menu (chang beer & well drinks). it is oh-so-satisfying to receive your bill at the end of the night with a long list of zeros. i like the look of this place: a distinctly southern, 2-story pale yellow mansion with bar seats, tables, booths, and couches - sit wherever your butt desires. a great bangkok bar/pub with an drool-inspiring expansive menu (tapas to burgers to chinese to thai) but will take a formidable chunk out of your wallet and sadly not that good. judging from the menu, it really seems like their food would be good, but don't expect much.
their spanish tapas (240B) were mundane and bland comprising chorizo, a few olives, garlic mussels, and toast. eddie's burger (290B) was decent: hearty portion, on a good homemade bun, but too salty and over-seasoned and dry. margherita pizza (220B) was just a normal thin-crust cheese pizza with dried basil sprinkled on top. and do not be tempted by the apple&blackberry crumble (170B) which was just warmed-up apple chunks and a couple blackberries mixed with a bland vanilla pudding and handful of semi-sweet crumbs. food = disappointing.

one thing that makes witch's tavern stand out among bangkok bars is its extensive cocktail menu with old faves and new twists. as tasty and as interesting as they sound, i have yet to try such an expensive drinky.

the bar island floats in the middle of the large 2 story room with seating surrounding. not great ambience for having conversations (it's pretty loud), but nice to chill and listen to the jazz band. outdoor seating available (i.e. get your own drink at the bar and drink it outside).

oh and all you bingo-lovers: free bingo on wednesday nights. one round at 11pm, jackpot anywhere between 3000B-15,000B.
happy hour 5-8pm: buy one local beer, get one free.

witch's tavern. thonglor btw soi 8 & 10. hours 11am-1am.
tapas 140-280B, farang mains 240-390B, thai mains 140B, sushi/sashimi 100-350B, desserts 120-180B
beers & cocktails 90-300B.
webby: www.witch-tavern.com

dubliner in thailander

how could i not post about our favorite pub in all of this great city? the dubliner is irish-owned, with a real pub feel (translate: very masculine); i know not one person who doesn't love this place. 3 floors of dark, blocky wood tables chairs, irish decor and pool tables up at the top story. sometimes they even have an occasional irish band come play.

drinkies: wide range of imported beers - stella, paulaner, kilkenny, erdinger, corona, hefeweizen, guinness...you get it. standard thai beers, too - singha, leo, etc. handful of red and white wines by glass or bottle, too.

eats: burgers are (i'm guessing) more irish-style, meaning that they're not just beef, there's some other carby filling in the patty. they are large and in charge, just not traditional american style. other irish/western food offered, too, in the form of fish & chips, salads, sandwiches, steaks, etc. also a handful of thai dishes for those wanting an imported beer with their curry.

sweets: sticky toffee pudding is amazing, served hot with ice cream and oozing molten caramel. good enough to get even when you're full up to the throat. the apple thing is really delish, too (though i can't remember what it's called).

oh, we are indeed enjoying it.

dubliner. on sukhumvit, between soi 22 and 24.
drinks 100-300B, entrees 200-400B, desserts 200ish.
web-ers delight: www.dublinerbangkok.com