Most people probably think of the “Siam” neighborhood as a collection of super-modern shopping centers. Since it’s a giant commercial center in the heart of the city and a hub for convenient transport to everywhere else, it’s also true that many “trends” and “currents” start out here.
Today we’re going into the Siam district not for fashion or shopping, but to get a taste of art works on display at Bangkok Art Biennale (BAB) 2018 international festival of contemporary art, and focus on getting some great eats while we’re there!
We’ll start out at MBK Center, a huge shopping center in the heart of the city, and a close match for the nearby Siam shopping area. Getting there is easy, just hop off the BTS SkyTrain at National Stadium Station and walk across the bridge.
MBK is right across the street from the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC), an art exhibition hall and place to meet and exchange ideas, building knowledge and understanding about art. It is also one of the venues for the BAB 2018 exhibits on today’s tour.
- Name: Basket Tower
- Artist/Nationality: Choi Jeong Hwa (South Korea)
- Display Location: Bangkok Art and Culture Centre
- Name: Genetic Manipulation
- Artist/Nationality: Heri Dono (Indonesia)
- Display Location: Bangkok Art and Culture Centre
- Name: Good Girls Go to Heaven, Bad Girls Go Everywhere
- Artist/Nationality: Imhathai Suwatthanasilp (Thailand)
- Display Location: Bangkok Art and Culture Centre
- Name: Tape Bangkok
- Artist/Nationality: Numen For Use Design Collective
- Display Location: Bangkok Art and Culture Centre
- Name: The State of suffering
- Artist/Nationality: Sunanta Phasomwong (Thailand)
- Display Location: Bangkok Art and Culture Centre
- Name: The Check Point
- Artist/Nationality: Nge Lay (Myanmar)
- Display Location: Bangkok Art and Culture Centre
- Name: Hope and courage, Human compassion, Love and values of beauty in the way of life
- Artist/Nationality: Muslimah Collective (Thailand)
- Display Location: Bangkok Art and Culture Centre
The first eats shop we’ll take you to is Mont Nom Sot (“magic fresh milk”), the celebrated name of a place of legendary flavor which has stood in front of Bangkok City Hall for fifty years. This shop is unique for dishes of concentrated milk with toast and sweet-smelling steamed buns. Mont Nom Sot has expanded into other locations, with branches in Chiang Mai, at Itsaraphap Road, here in MBK Center, and other places.
- Menu/Price: Steamed buns with coconut custard (75 Baht) / Red sweetened milk (37 Baht)
- Shop: Mont Nom Sot
- Location: 2nd Floor, Ma Boon Khrong Building (MBK Center)
- Hours: Every day 11:30 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.
- Phone: 02-048-4898
Another establishment is on the 4th Floor of the BACC, and you shouldn’t miss this on: IceDEA, a tiny ice cream shop bursting with creativity, one of the BACC landmarks spots that everyone’s talking about. The dessert menu is exotic and looks scrumptious. Our dish for today is mango sticky rice ice cream and/or durian ice cream on a stick, easy to walk around eating, and it looks like the real fruit dessert, not this ice cream version, cool to upload and show folks social media.
- Menu/Price: Sticky Rice Mango Ice Cream (79 Baht) / Durian Ice Cream (89 Baht)
- Shop: IceDEA
- Location: 4th Floor, Bangkok Art and Culture Centre
- Hours: Tuesday – Sunday 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
- Phone: 08-9834-5950
OK, great art at the BACC, delicious treats at MBK, but now let’s cut through to the Sky Plaza, which connects trade centers and major buildings around the Pathumwan intersection.
Remarkable street art by famous artists
Coming into the Siam Center, on the ground floor you’ll see more Bangkok Art Biennale 2018 international festival of contemporary art exhibits.
- Name: Shot Guns
- Artist/Nationality: Choi Jeong Hwa (South Korea)
- Display Location: Siam Center
- Name: Happy Happy Project: Alchemy
- Artist/Nationality: Choi Jeong Hwa (South Korea)
- Display Location: Siam Center
Good spots to nosh on great food in Siam Center? You must definitely not miss the amazing choux cream item served at the Japanese find at Croquantchou Zaku Zaku, which just recently opened here.
Choux Cream on a stick, crispy soft, sweet, with a great custard filling
- Menu/Price: Croquantchou Zaku Zaku (75 Baht)
- Shop: Croquantchou Zaku Zaku
- Location: Floor M, Siam Center
- Hours: Every day 10:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
- Phone: 09-1916-4224
When we’ve filled up on this, we can cut through Siam Center to Siam Square One, where there’s a famous shop servicing the taste for bubble tea that’s become all the rage in our country. Let’s definitely get over to The Alley and get in line to check out this great taste from Taiwan.
Milk tea with a sweet taste and scent: Bubble tea, with its chewy pearls
- Menu/Price: Brown Sugar Deerioca & Fresh Milk (100 Baht)
- Shop: The Alley
- Location: 4th Floor, Siam Square One
- Hours: Every day 10:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
- Phone: 06-1414-2222
And then there is . . . the light touch and soft taste of the springy pancakes served in many flavors at the well-known Eat The Street shop, in a comfortable price range. And there’s not even a very long line!
- Menu/Price: Choco Soufflé Pancake (89 Baht)
- Shop: Eat The Street
- Location: 2nd Floor Siam Square One
- Hours: Every day 00 – 21.00 น.
- Phone: –
Stepping out of Siam Square One, we immediately run into something we’re well used to in this Siam district: a tantalizingly delish selection of street food, for example . . .
Delicious soft oden, served with Tom Yam or an original soup
- Menu/Price: Oden (70 Baht)
- Shop: Anyong Korea
- Location: Siam Square, Soi 7
- Hours: Every day 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
- Phone: –
Legendary Siamese dessert: soft coconut cups with pandanus leaf scent
- Menu/Price: khanom khrok bai toei (“Coconut pandanus cups”) (40 Baht)
- Shop: Siam Pandan
- Location: Siam Square, Soi 7
- Hours: Every day 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
- Phone: –
To finish up our art tour today, there’s a big pumpkin “sculpture” exhibit by the “mother of contemporary polka dot art,” Yayoi Kusama, creating excitement right in the middle of Central World with a major transformation of the space.
- Name: 14 Pumpkins
- Artist/Nationality: Yayoi Kusama (Japan)
- Display Location: CentralWorld
There is more installation art nearby, this time featuring huge inflatables, calling out smiles and happiness all around. If you have time, get over to see Happy Happy Project: Fruit Tree: it’s not too far away.
- Name: Happy Happy Project: Fruit Tree
- Artist/Nationality: Choi Jeong Hwa (South Korea)
- Display Location: Central Embassy