Patpong, if you didn't already know, gets really bad press. On the one hand it's renowned as the city's epicenter of sin, for being sleazy, tacky, aggressive, a haven for pickpockets and exploiting bar girls. And on the other it's also home to perhaps the most ill-favoured of Bangkok's markets, Soi 1's cramped, often overpriced and mostly tourist tat filled night market. Incensed by these sensationalist portrayals, we were invited by an Austrian entrepreneur and Patpong businessman to take a closer look...
Let's take a whistle-stop tour
Our chat begins inevitably with Patpong's seemingly unshakable image-problem. "We're fighting the shadows of the past," confides Michael over a drink at the French Kiss bar on Soi 2. "There's lots of smaller venues here that are doing good things, but which get ignored". Keen to make his point, he gives me a quick whistle-stop tour. Beginning on Soi 2, we pop into quaint bars like The Old Other Office, here since the 1960s and decked in Vietnam paraphernalia, as well as quality eateries like Thai restaurant Tip-Top, the French cafe Le Bouchon and Soi 1's Mizu's Kitchen, started up by a Japanese ex-soldier in 1954. He takes me to a large upstairs pool lounge called the Red Parrot, home to quality pool tables and great service.
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After a couple of games and a stroll through the tourist market on Soi 1, we head for dinner at the Salasawan restaurant back on Soi 2, a recent startup serving tantalizing Thai food. The presentation of the dishes is excellent, and there's a plush interior to match. Patpong, it seems, is as full of contradictions as the rest of Bangkok, and not missing the odd touch of class.
Take a look at the second part of Patpong Revealed. |
