Bangkok Trip 2015 Day 2

I guessed I must have fallen asleep around 2am+ local time after having some snacks and tom yum cup noodles (there wasnt a hot water flask in the room, the staff brought up a flask with water already boiled when we asked for one, really cool). I woke up early this morning, before 8am. Just like our previous trip to Bangkok, we dont really have a solid plan of what to do for the 3 days of the trip, it pretty much also depend on P and his mood too (I was really surprised the last trip when he asked to go to the Grand Palace and Wat Pho etc). When waiting for P to wake up, just like any other trip, I was looking up Tripadvisor for a good place for brunch near our hotel as breakfast is not provided for our stay. I chanced upon Medinii restaurant during my research and it seemed pretty good as they have a pasta and pizza buffet promotion, it is currently ranked 23 among 8k+ eateries in Bangkok and they have a hotel lunch buffet that cost 499+ with pretty good reviews. I used a EZTable link on Tripadvisor to make a reservation at 12.30pm.

The Jacuzzi all ready for me

I was updating this blog while P was snoring away, and I decided to go for a good hot bath using the room's Jacuzzi tub. It take quite awhile to fill up the tub, the guide said it takes a good 15min and it was also a bit noisy as the tub filled up from a rain shower outlet coming down from the ceiling. It is pretty cool but I did the mistake of only using the hot faucet for most of the tub and did not test the water temperature before getting in. I felt so cooked into the hot water that I had to wait around at the edge of the tub before immersing myself again. The Jaccuzi tub is like an infinity pool with the water overflowing its edge and it is quite spacious for one person but I doubt it can accommodate two people comfortably. The water massage feature is not very strong and can be almost considered non existent so I was pretty much like soaking myself in a big bathtub, still quite shiok! One thing about the whole dressing and shower area is that there's no privacy so it might be awkward if you're there with friends and family. The room is however big enough for others to avoid the area if one do not want to see your counterparts in the shower.

Lift lobby decorated with comfy chair (every level is different)

The different levels of the hotel

I also tried out the expresso machine after that, it looked complicating to operate but actually it is quite idiot proof with the comics menu. The coffee was not as aromatic as I thought it should be, it still tasted quite okay if one need a coffee fix during the stay at Maduzi, there's complimentary free flow tea and coffee from the bar downstairs anyway. I woke P up to have his shower at noon as our lunch appointment is at 12.30pm. We finally set off from the hotel at 12.30pm.

Make shift stalls appeared outside our hotel

Going up to 35th floor

The Medinii

It is quite easy to navigate to the Continent Hotel using my phone data sim card, the entrance of the hotel is hidden away from the side of the Asok BTS but actually it is right next to it. The restaurant is on the 35th floor of the hotel and the whole place looked pretty posh. The service was quite good and the staff were trying their best to attend to us with their limited English once we had sat down. My booking was not in their records as I guess it was made too last minute, but the restaurant was not full as it is a weekday afternoon so we still get our seats immediately. The restaurant was lined by see through glass panel from ceiling to floor so that diners can have a good view of the surrounding area, we were sitting right next to it so the view was really good from the high floor. Even though the buffet line included pasta in the cooked food, an extensive salad bar and a dessert area, there was a menu for us to order the pizza and pasta of our choice. It seemed too good to be true so we even checked with the server another time to ensure that all is included in the price of the buffet. We can never get this price for a hotel buffet in Singapore!

Buffet lunch with a view

Full view of the city

The yummy dessert line

I would not say that food tasted top notch, but the quality was not too bad. The corn soup we both had was really thick and sweet, not the the diluted ones we always have at Pizza hut or Swensen's. P focussed on the cooked food section while I went for the salad bar. We ordered a pizza (8 pieces with a choice of 1 or 2 toppings) and I ordered a creamy pasta. I was really full after one round of soup, salad and the pasta so I doubt anyone can really eat that much as its all carbo. There was still plenty of time even though we only arrived there at 12+, the buffet time was actually from 11.30am-2.30pm for brunch. We sat around and chit chat while admiring the nice view from the top. It got pretty hot at one point so the server helped us to move the shades halfway down so that the sun do not get to us, but soon dark clouds came and it rained.

My starters, soup and salad

The pizza and pasta we ordered

We were seated at a more private section 

When we finally got to dessert, I must say that the quality of the dessert there was really good. Even though their focus was really on the pasta and pizza, I would say that the taste of the dessert was outstanding while the pasta and pizza more mediocre. I tasted creme brulee that tasted much better than the top hotel buffets in SG, the other egg based desserts (forgot the name) was also really good. Unfortunately, I was feeling really full from all the carbo loading so I did not go for a second round. We left when the buffet hour was almost over, the manager even came to us personally to check how things were, so the service was impressive. The bill came up to 1170 THB, which was only $23SGD per pax! *thumbs up* The rain had stopped when we left, it almost looked like it did not rain at all. I woke up quite early in the morning so I was feeling sleepy after the very good meal. As we were near the hotel, we went back to take a nap. The next thing I know, it was already 5pm+. Our short rest at the hotel became a 4-5h break as P was also sleeping when I woke up. Nevertheless, it is still a good staycation as we are resting well in the hotel.

Pic taken at the lobby

The bed beckoning me

Snapped more pics while waiting for the lift

P suggested going to Siam Paragon for the evening as he wanted to look for his sneakers. I read from Tripadvisor that tourists can get a discount card from the information counter at the basement and we did just that. After time was spent queueing and filling up the form for the card, we did not buy anything at Siam Paragon as P could not find the shop he was looking for. The stores there are like ION with big international brand name, but they have this floor with all the luxury and power cars displayed like Lamborghini, Bentley, BMW etc. All these stores were already closed and I realised the stores in BKK closes quite early, many were closed when we were there at 8.30pm.

Exit from the very crowded Siam BTS 

Siam Paragon looking grand as always

P mentioned that we should try out street food for dinner so that became our mission for the night. We walked to the sidewalk just next to Siam center and Siam Paragon where there small stalls set up for the night. Its pretty amazing that these stalls just spring up as and when they like and can disappear anytime too. When we walked out of our hotel at noon and in the evening, there were different set of street stalls that appeared right outside. Its pretty interesting and I also think I should try as much street food as I can for this trip, after reading so much from the blogs of others.

The popular orange juice

We walked along the stretch and it was quite crowded, with stream of people coming from both directions. There were stalls selling food and clothes, almost like the night market of Taiwan. It also dawned upon me that I did not notice BKK having this night market thingy until this trip although I do know they have a lot of street food there. As far as I've observed, the stalls also do not have a designated place unlike the night market in Taiwan. There's many of them selling food like noodles and rice dishes, so they also have tables and chair set up right next to the stalls. We walked all the way to MBK, but we only bought a bottle of orange juice. I've seen many people drinking orange coloured juice from transparent plastic containers and there's also many stalls selling the same stuff. The drink is sweeter and thicker than the normal orange juice we have, and the orange is also different from the ones that are common in SG. I'm quite sure they've added sweetener so even though it's very refreshing to drink these on a hot day, it is probably not healthy to drink too much. They also have the pomegranate and lime version, most vendors are squeezing the juice on the spot and the pomegranate one looked quite good too so I'm thinking I'll try it the next time if I come across it again.

Back to Asok BTS but the stores all closed

When we took the cab to our hotel the previous day, I noticed many street stalls set up near Asok BTS station. We decided to take BTS from National Stadium (next to MBK) back to Asok and continue our mission. However, the stalls around Asok were even more limited and there were this area where several 'street bars' were set up, its like makeshift stalls but with all the common drink options we can find in a bar or pub. We walked further down and came across this street full of pubs and girls in skimpy clothes standing outside, attracting people in for their night shows. Its pretty interesting but I totally had no idea we were staying so near to one of such area. After a search online, I've found out that this is 'Soi Cowboy' and is considered a redlight district for the area. Personally, I enjoy a hot bowl of noodles by the street as they have a lot of vegetables and spices like vietnam pho, but P is never a noodles person so we walked around but did not find anything to his liking.

Chanced upon Soi Cowboy

We were at the area just next to Continent hotel where we had lunch, and we decided to try Indulge which is just next door to it. I had read pretty good reviews about the place on Tripadvisor and there were always people sitting inside and outside when we walked passed, so I guess the food and drinks there should be quite okay. I remember reading that the steaks there are quite good, so I recommended that to P as he is definitely a steak person. The prices are quite steep so he was hesitant initially, but eventually we decided to splurge on a tenderloin and we can share the food between us. It is not easy to cook the tenderloin as the meat is quite thick, but I must say the chef had done a good job and we really enjoyed the food there. The bill came up to 1400+THB and it is expensive for Thai standard but still quite okay when we compare it to the prices of steak at home. Our street food mission might have failed for tonight but I'm sure we will try some when we visit the Chatuchak over the weekend.

Bread for starters

The maincourse and sides

It was close to midnight when we return to the hotel, I was lying on bed to rest and fell asleep even though I had not showered. The next thing I know, it is 3am on Saturday morning. I felt something amiss and noticed P applying something on his leg, P told me he had a bad fall in the shower room just before I woke up. Luckily, the hotel staff on duty was able to give him something to put on his wound and some ice to ease the pain. I feel quite bad for sleeping through all these as I did not hear anything when it happened. :(