Cactus Club gogos to Waterloo and a New Year punt for bar owners.
Bar and gogo news
As one wag pointed out to me you know it is winter in Thailand when the nude dancers wear scarves.
One of the problems of Soi Cowboy is drinking, or more precisely what to drink. After several beers I want to move on, but trying to get a decent quantity of alcohol in the ice and water is well nigh impossible; roaches pee more than some bars serve! However I met my Waterloo in Cactus Club (directly opposite Tilac) where the Belgian beer of that name is served. For the unwary it has an ABV of 7.5% and is sold at the very reasonable rate of 22O Baht. Needless to say it has the kick of a dozen scotches in other bars. The only problem was that all I could see in Cactus were arseholes but John told me I was looking from the wrong direction! I am told they are expecting a massive delivery of other boutique beers any moment now.
John has reintroduced for regulars his very popular corned beef and rye bread evenings, alternating with ones when he serves home-made Texas style chiile con carne. Pop in and ask John to put you on his e-mail list then you can find out when these evenings will be held
The Penalty Spot caught my eye located on Sukhumvit Road between Soi Cowboy (23) and Soi 33. It is a conveniently located watering hole for those risking the pavements and attempting the caterpillar from Soi 33 to Soi Cowboy. The bar name suggests it has been set up by round ball fanatics and that was confirmed when I noticed the comic adorning the paper rack in the entrance was the Sun, a UK publication sometimes referred to as a newspaper that features mammaries and round ball gossip ahead of facts and news.
Inside is a pleasant enough bar with a good busy design that was topped off by a blazing fire, well, a gas effect one in reality. An interesting idea but I can hardly see people walking in off Sukhumvit Road clapping their hands and going to the fire to warm themselves up. There was a menu that I glanced at that seemed to feature the usual pub grub type options. In addition a Thai band was going through the inevitable cover play list. I had been lured to Penalty Spot by a text message from a ‘friend’ who expected me allow her to escape for the evening, but I was less impressed when I was informed that the bar fine was 900 Baht. So for those doing the ‘tween soi trundle the Penalty Spot does not offer refuge from the avaricious bar fines of Soi 33; it simply offers a place to warm up in front of the fire before continuing the journey.
Harry’s Bar in Soi 33 (top of Soi Wall Street) has now got a new manager owner in the form of Keith from Manchester. Furthermore he is a fanatical Manchester City supporter so expect an emphasis on round ball as opposed to the oval ball popular elsewhere in Soi 33. Keith has some ideas to regenerate this once successful site and will probably be changing the name or, the modern word, re-branding. Maybe they can pick up some of the trade from the nearby Green Parrot which seems to be slipping backwards following the appointment of a new mamasan and the subsequent departure of all of the girls who had been there previously. Sometimes a new broom sweeps out the good as well as the bad!
Powelly’s Bar on Soi 33 has had its ups and downs in various guises but is now firmly in control of Steve. Steve hails from Nottingham but spent years in the Old Bill in my home county. So we have a few thing in common even if it is only Shakespeare Road, St Mary’s Street and John Bunyan. Steve has a team of friendly girls and lives on the premises ensuring he is not an absentee landlord. There are plans afoot for further changes in the New Year. But one big sales point is that the prices are not anywhere near the stupidity of the bars around him.
Last time I managed to upset that nice man Rob Murray at Fluid Asia Pacific. I was, of course, trying to do exactly the opposite. But my comment that his company had ‘lost the rights’ to sell John Smith’s and Strongbow, was factually inaccurate even if it is, for the time being, practically correct. What has happened is that, following the takeover by S & N (the new owners of those brands), Heineken either cannot, or will not, export the product. So FAP cannot get the damn stuff. However FAP still own the exclusive rights to import and sell in Thailand. So FAP have NOT lost the rights they have but through no fault of their own have lost the ability to sell the products.
They have now started rolling out their new ciders from Westons. There are two ciders: Stowfords Press and Weston’s Premium cider. I was please to find the Stowfords Press at the Queen Victoria in Sukhumvit Soi 23. Having tried a few pints I was less pleased the next morning. I am blaming the cider and I thought it very churlish of Peter to suggest it could just as easily been the red wine, the beer or the whisky. It was a real pleasure to drink some decent cider; Strongbow may be the biggest seller but it certainly is not the best cider. Both ciders have one quality you never get with Strongbow: they actually taste of apples. The Premium is fizzier than Stowfords Press which is, as cider should be, virtually flat! Westons comes from the cutely named village of Much Markle in the county of Herefordshire, where as I am sure you know along with Hartford and Hampshire ‘hurricanes hardly ever happen.’
It is probably because the pound is now near 50 Baht but I have finally revolted. I am fed up with plus plus in restaurants. What I find particularly galling is this excess tagged on to wine that is already ludicrously expensive and then has been doubled, or even trebled in price. It seems that most locals buy their own and pay corkage, normally around 300 – 500 Baht. Having been in the trade I have never normally taken wine to another place, but this week I went to Wine Connection and filled my fridge, and, as I seldom drink at home, that means it will be going to restaurants. My justification is simple: when it was 70 to the pound a 2000 baht bottle with ++ added was nearly 2400 Baht and therefore £34 but it is now nearly £50. Even in London I would be drinking very good wine at that price. So as I said I am revolting and will take my own in future, even if it is only 1 bottle, assuming I will drink 2. If we all did the same we might get restaurants to rethink their pricing policy, although I fear they will probably just put everything up, and discourage me even more!
Is it the end for Washington Square? That is the question on many lips as all establishments have notice to quit by January 9th. WS is a vast site that goes from the Volvo garage on Sukhumvit and then the full width of the square. The better known establishments it includes are the Dubliner and Bourbon Street. There has been much behind the scenes manoeuvring trying to get a stay of execution and the current financial problems had given hope to many. I am told there has finally been some movement in the negotiations and the landlords have offered a 12 months additional lease: the only Thailand catch is rent, which must be paid up front, will be non-returnable: the glitch is they can sill terminate the lease at very short notice at any time during the year. Looks like one of those heads I win, tails you lose type proposals!
One point working against the continuation of the square is that in Thailand clearing a site earns money from salvage, as opposed to costing money. However on the other hand Central, who were rumoured to be about to build a massive new store on the site, have recently announced they will start no major new projects for a few years. As the rents are not to extortionate I think many will stay on and hope they get at most of the extra year, if not all of it: a teasing New Year punt for business owners!
May I wish you all a very Happy Christmas
I fear that the New Year promises more problems than anything else. And I do not think it matters where you live on this planet. 2009 looks like a good year to batten down the hatches to make certain that you are still in good shape when it ends. With that qualification may I also wish you a better year in 2009 than you are expecting!
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