bangkok.baronbonk.com::::: Freeloaders make minimum charge in gogos likely: new bars despite the slow down

Bangkok bar and gogo rumours , opinions and updates September 2008

Lower Sukhumvit round up

One pub that is bucking the disastrous downturn that is affecting the business of most entertainment businesses is Soi 8 Pub run by Kiwi David. David is very much hands on and has the attention to detail you would expect from an ex heavy metal jock. Getting a seat on many occasions is not easy. I am not sure what the secret is (if I did I would be rich). But the food is good, the ambience great, and the hard working governor is personable: three essentials for sure. It is unclear whether letters to The Bangkok Post complaining about his smoking policy (he chains smokes so why should not his customers) have helped or hindered but David shrugs and says so what. As they say David suffers fools lightly!

The Absolute 7 bar in Soi 7/1 is making a major comeback following the removal of Bruce as manager. I was in there the other night and it was packed; the Megatones band was very good in a modern hip hoppish sort of style and the ambience relaxed. Talking to the staff they seem to have got back their sense of humour now they are left to get on with it. It just goes to show, if ever it was needed, that a manager needs brains not an ego. I must admit surveying some of the crowd at Absolute 7 reminded me of years ago when I used to go to the Mecca Ballroom at the end of the pier in Southampton. Wednesday night was euphemistically called grab a granny night as it was supposedly restricted to over thirties. Of course then I was younger than the grannies. At Absolute I presumed I was older than them, although in one or two cases I was not convinced, and those were the ones who seemed keenest on exploring my wallet. The San Miguel pretty caught my eye: all six foot of her. The blond hair was clearly not real but I am reasonably sure she started life as a girl, which must make her one of the few six foot Thai girls around.

One of the earliest bars in Soi 7/1 was the Bo-Sa-Ba started by friendly Brit called Andrew. He has sold up and it is now being run by Jai who was involved with the now defunct Jamesense restaurant (Soi 16). At least Jai will find more passing trade in Soi 7/1. So as long as he can manage the meeting and greeting duties as well as Andrew did he should be okay; either that or get a stable full of pretty farmers’ daughters.

Allan of Tequila Dragon is hoping his liver has recovered enough for him to get back on the booze soon. One vast improvement in his bar is the absence of Chang Noi, the Bangkok musician with considerably more aspiration than talent. CN can certainly talk the talk but sadly cannot sing the song.

Mid sukhumvit
The latest No Name Group venture is due to open on Soi 23, virtually opposite Soi Cowboy, in the first week in September. The Queen Victoria is a large purpose built (converted ) pub that will have all the attributes of proper pub, complete with manager who has been running pubs for years in the UK. Although the No Name Group also operates the Old Dutch, the two operations will be totally different with diverse menus. I shall look forward to a few pints there when I return from my sojourn in another land.

Also in Soi Cowboy many bars having been suffering from idiots who badly park their camel outside a gogo and then only buy a single drink to cover four people. As a result it seems quite likely that there will soon be a minimum sit down charge in some gogos. The idea is that this charge will only apply to those who do not buy a drink and the charge will be about 100 Baht which is less than beer, or the charge maybe the price of the lowest priced drink. Either way I can see the sense of such a move. I know it will get the cheap charlies on the web boards moaning but as long as they are customers and not free loaders they have nothing to complain about!

Phil, owner of Harry’s bar (Soi 33) as well as TSBA, is trying to breathe some life back into the bar after seeing his investment go South over the last year or two. There are a few new girls as well as a free Barbie most Fridays and Phil is on hand to provide the blarney. Of course Phil’s main job is selling bars not running them so the ultimate objective is to sell. As the Blu Bar BQ this site did very well, and there are a few other popular bars in Soi Wall Street (as I call it) with Wall Street, The Green Parrot and Lookie Lookie all having good followings.
Whilst I am on this Soi I must add that for those seeking Anton he is no longer working at the GP; his whereabouts are again unknown!

Queen’s Park Plaza is an eclectic collection of bars, most quite small, and some very good, as well as a few not so good. However they are all pleased that the furore surrounding the Queen’s Park Plaza brawl has now died down with the instigators conspicuous by their absence from the plaza, probably because a few bars are seeking compensation as well other payments due. Although I might add I think they (who started it) should simply be banned from that area. It seems the ‘friendship’ the belligerent couple enjoyed with a senior Thonglor policeman is no more. Knocking down a policeman is not recommended however well connected you are. The Essex Boy may have escaped the wrath of the law this time but next time he gets in a pickle he may not be so lucky. The general consensus in Soi 22 is that the sooner he is Out of Asia the better.

Patpong
I was trundling round Patpong the other Sunday evening and it was very quiet. Even Kings Castle 1, a bar that in the past one could never get into was suffering from a dearth of customers. The one bar that did seem to have not only customers but a bit of zip and zap was Pussy Collection, a bar that a few years ago did zilch. The girls are less gogo and more coyote in their approach to both dancing and apparel. I was enjoying myself and having fun until my dog inadvertently hit the nether regions of a big girl. Being a big girls blouse might have been her aspiration but the snarl directed in my direction had more to do with her hormones before they were surgically altered; well I think they may have been! So avoid the big ones. The little ones seemed to be quite fun!

I am not sure what to make of Safari agogo these days. I mean it is very difficult to call it a gogo when there are at best two girls dancing at any time. It used to be a collection of cute young girl dancers and a few older hostesses. Well the cute young girls have gone and the stable of hostesses has increased. The problem is so has the age of the hostesses who on the whole seem to be old enough to be looking forward to a free bus pass and a winter heating allowance. The one thing that has not changed is the music which is still first rate, without the sound of a single hip or hop.

General
The next meeting of the Bangkok Wine Society will be at Kopitiam Malaysian restaurant in Sukhumvit Soi 26 (literally 15m from Sukhumvit) on Tuesday October 21st. The wines being tasted will be Siam Winery new imports from USA, France and Australia. These are all great value wines and I would strongly suggest to any bar and restaurant owners looking for value products to sell at sensible prices or for a promotion to put the date in the diary and come along. For full information check Bangkok Wine Society website