Colette x Timbo's

I was going to start wearing Timbo's again . .  . that thought occurred to me a little while back but never got around to buying them . . .now however, that desire has come back in full force . . .Colette x Timberland boots  - I want these . . .very much . . .love the blue accent.  Yes, these boots were totally made for me to walk in! I really really  hope they have them in a girlie size . . .

NOT so THAi food . . .in Bangkok

Yes, we are so spoilt with GOOD food in this country . .. the list in the last post does not include all the curious little dessert and snack spots around town . . .and let's not kid anyone - the not Thai food around here is pretty good as well. . . I ate at Ember the other night- delicious  - flawless except for the fact that I ate too much . .  Eugenia has really improved . . . . and I love my weekly rendez-vous with Piyatat the photographer - either Katsu Ichi or Tapas Cafe. . . kurubata pork with cheese - ain't nuthin like it or the jamon at Tapas . . . oh and then there is Eat Me - aside from the cheeky name . . the food is fabulous . . .I dream about the lentil, beetroot and feta cheese salad and the sticky toffee pudding . . .oh and that chocolate vodka shot. That list of "foreign" restaurants that we frequent and love is pretty exhaustive . . . these are just the ones that I go to all the time . . .let's not forget the old-time faves . . . that's for another day completely . . .I think of the spaghetti pomodoro and the Zanotti pizza (parma ham with marscapone) from Vino Zanotti (the diffusion resto of Zanotti)never fails to make me so happy. The truffle foccacia at Biscotti . . .The food recently at La Scala has been really very very good as well. The mergeuz frites at Indigo and the salmon in filo at La Bouchon . . .And this is just from the top of my head . . my brain is playing hunger tricks on me now thinking about all this food!

The fact that I am not drinking alcohol for Buddhist Lent has convinced me that I can consume more calories in food . . .who am i kidding?? Thank goodness that Kit called me yesterday and said" P'Chom - I'm shooting you next week for my portrait book - you better look good" . . .oh well . . . i suppose that saying "a second on your lips is a life time on your hips" has some truth.  Thank goodness for ashtanga yoga and surfing this weekend! Food can wait . . .

Thai FOOD

Despite the title of this post and my numerous ramblings about food, it would suffice to say that I am NOT A FOODIE. Although, it would also be safe to say that I loooove food and I am pretty lucky that I have some serious foodie friends. . . the other night I was taken by one of them, a lovely Korean lady, Soon and our mutual friend Yeop, to Bo.lan . . . I did not really know what to expect and I have to say that it totally blew my mind - delicious and very clever . . . I ate recently at David Thompson's Nahm in London and that was fantastic and these kids, they look young - barely 30 . . . are his protege's and I should imagine would make David Thompson proud.

amuse bouche

must eat from left to right - for ideal sensation

Quintessentially Thai, some of the elements reminding me of dishes my great grandma used to make but its execution was modern yet seamless in the way that it upheld everything traditional - the ingredients, the selection, the purity of the dishes. The choice of two types of organic rice specifying their province of origin was great too. That's what our rice farmers need . . .support :)

olive chilli relish w/squid (behind)

and egg plant salad with prawns

beef panaeng

The first dessert (yes, there were 2 rounds) was SENSATIONAL . . .

dessert 1

tub tim krob with giant lychees - yummy

. . . The Balance menu was pretty close to perfect. I would recommend Bo.lan to anyone and might even take my parents soon. . . . . .so here are my picks - not necessary in this order, i mean once you get to the top five, it depends on your mood really which one is at the top. This post means that I can divert friends or friends of friends over here rather than rummage through my thoroughly disorganised email archives for restaurants recommendations . . . here goes . .

1) Chot Chitr - I have been craving the banana blossom salad, small, old school, 90 years old, 5 tables and family run. I looove. In old bangkok and a hidden a bit but really an institution . . . and well worth the trek . . . like eating in somone's dining room - thai style. Oh and some of the dishes in there, well, it's like eating my nanny's food (more on that later), particularly the gaeng som. Tamarind prawns are delicious as was the Lon Naem (curry dip thing), . . they are famous for their endless dishes with their "well rounded" flavours.

2) In Love - for the snowfish with mango salad, the view of the river, the swarms of catfish in the river and well, the food is yummy and just soo lovely to be out there. I also love the area, Tha Tawed . . .

3) Le Lys - for the duck paneang and the gaeng liang . . . they moved now, hope it's as cute as it was in Narathiwat soi 7 . . . it's owned by a french guy and his Thai wife and has been around for years, wine list is pretty good and it is truly time home cooking.

4) Taling Pling - I have been going there since AGES since it is across from where Mum works . . the best poached pork with lemon and guy lan - EVER, fresh spring rolls and lemongrass salad . . .makes me hungry just to think about it. The flourless chocolate cake is not so shabby either. The branch in Silom is much much better than Central World though.

5) Bo.lan . . .need I say more?

Then more on the street casual side - Jae Gee fried chicken - for the chicken and fried garlic - I've been munching on this chicken with garlic and the E-sarn salads (som tum, bamboo shoots soup etc) since i was a child, it's an old favourite. Lastly, Thai seafood, another category in itself, for that, I like Baan Klang Nam . . giant prawns, oyster omelette, the BEST steamed seabass with chilli and lime and prawn phad thai (without noodles).

Of course there is also my nanny's cooking (in Thailand it is normal to have a nanny even though we are all grown - she's family) - she always tells me she does not like to cook but com'on - she's AWESOME . . .the bestest chicken krapow in the world, nam prik pla tu (chilli paste with mackerel) and her chicken green curry is second to none. Then again though, many many Thai kids will say the same about their nannies . . . i'm biased . . .

R.I.P Dash Snow

It is always very very sad and tragic when a young artist, especially with talent and his own unique voice passes away . . . so young as well . . . but in Dash Snow's case, it would appear that he really did LIVE . . . and live to the fullest . . . and he did produce work, A LOT of work . . . which I love (the photographs and graffiti particularly) -  and respect - it always provokes thought, challenges, was simple yet ironic and oddly beautiful.

Condolences to his family and friends . . . 

  

R.I.P. Dash Snow

nsha x baseman . . .

So Chichi of La Clique blogged about this little collaboration of mine in her fantastic blog for Colette - thanks Chichi (Chichi is amaazing - love Chichi - check out her photographs too - my faves are the dayscapes)! So here it is . . .nsha x baseman

Nsha is the label that Nishita Shah and I started, I was the creative director and whilst I was there we did a little collaboration with artist Gary Baseman who I ADORE, after Gary came over to Bkk for the Nsha Launch last October, we talked about it a bit then, some more in Miami during Miami Basel (this is where Gary and I actually met 4 years ago!) and well, and I am thrilled with the results -  a set of limited edition bikinis, swimsuits and boardshorts for girls and guys, though we kept the guys' boardshorts to only 50 and girls' to 80.  There are 150 bikinis and 60 swimsuits in 2 patterns . .  . . .I've cheated and tested them out already and I looove them . . . there is Chouchou which is the orange little guy.

 Bali

and then Hot Cha Cha in electric blue on black . . It is sooo dope.  

HOT CHA CHA CHA

Not to get all the technical on you but the bikinis fit so good, I mean, I can go surfing in them and they don't fly off, I chose top grade polyamide for it and the boardshorts are dope too - light weight but falls well . . thus it is the only bit of nsha that I have kept and is kinda the little baby that will being launching. . .somewhere very soon . . . Chichi is right, we are keeping mum about this till further notice . . .I shall keep you posted  . . in the meantime yes, that's me in the bikini . . !

middle of the sea - Samui

After Rome - Florence Part II and weekend in Padova

Back to Florence, to Chinese food, this is the sign of the restaurant across from where we ate.  How appropriate. . .

We then went to Padova, the NEXT day (really?) to join Gabe's mum Laura, John and Dee for the opening of an exhibition by Frederico Uribe. . . I was excited about the ROAD TRIP in the G wagon . . loooove road trips and the Tuscan countryside is not so shabby . ..

weekends at Laura's are always amazing, you can really breath in Bastia . . . I remember the first weekend 4 years ago with the famous cake fight.  This weekend, we all needed, Dee Poon came to see us straight from Cannes so just needed the breather - Dee is awesome - very smart and beautiful, John from Paris was barely recovered from Florence the week before came back (John is Gabe's Communication director and an extraordinary guy - we love John - he is like my brother) and Davide of Pharmacy from Milan.  

John Lin

Dee Poon - reminiscing her Pop Up shop in HK . . .Harvey Nics is not enough! :)

 

Bastia di Rovolon

Gabe and Laura

A Corian ring in the Alice in Wonderland garden of Laura's friends

Panda brooches

Dee and I

John and Dee

Gabe and friends

Gabe

Sunset over the valley

The weekend was about sitting by the pool, eating too much and doing very very little.  Then back to good old Florence we went, where I proceeded to spend the week, stuck to Gabe's side in that place in the factory. 

Gabe with a bag from the travel collection

I hoarded leather strips, the leftovers, they will be made into little dresses a la Chomwan.  We had lots of fun - I liked the factory a lot, can't say the same about the Chinese dumplings from the only Chinese restaurant in Scandici though - much preferred the "Gucci canteen" in Rinaldi. 

There was oddly a little Thai/Asian supermarket near Gabe's so I cooked Thai food one night and all the Florentines came over to dine on the rooftop, they were such characters, from Maddy to Peter Marongoni, an institution, definitely eccentric and Julian Solms, the art dealer who is so fantastic, the ultimate dandy - I adore Julian.

 

Street party Florence style

The other thing I loved about Florence was of course, Santa Maria Novella, yes, fell in looove with it though now that you can get SMN in NY and now also in BKK in not one but two places well, if the carte d'armenie didn't smell so good I would switch to something more scarce and well, less AVAILABLE! The whole point is to go to get SMN in Florence .. .oh well, the times we live in.

Oh and let's not forget the food again, the BEST restaurant in Florence, really, truly . . . is this tiny trattoria . .. Gabe needs to remind me of the name . . .

The Trattoria

The chef in motion

Bistecca Fiorentina

Corto New Look

The artichoke omelette was something made in heaven and the butter chicken was to die for . . .not good for the hips and it did something funny as I recall a very funny night (bear hugs and laughing till I cried) and the desire not to eat for 2 more days . . .except porchetta sandwich in Scandicci the next day . . .that was about all I could stomach on my last day in Florence. . .   So we finally said good bye to Florence at the end of my second week, Gabe and I would finally go back to Paris, so I could fly to Venice, pretty retarded I think but that's the way European flights can be! Train to Pisa and had loads of time to kill . . . loads . . . 

Corto bag with Pharmacy T-shirt

Boyy Drake bag with all my STUFF

(I should add that apart from Corto, I also love Boyy bags, especially this one which I travel with,Drake has been a good buddy and even went to Bali with me, he's a tough bag, even the pink Space Invader has already lost a leg)

With all that time we spent quite a bit of it just hanging . . .it funny . . . my forth Italian city in 2 weeks 

Gabe (handsome pic)

Me 

Graduation - Bangkok Style

First and foremost, I cannot deny that I am bummed out not to be in Paris at this exact moment in time and especially not to have been there this week - I love couture week . . . it's beautiful, decadent yet small and just so very nice. . .so yes, missed Dior in the  intimate showroom and Givenchy and all those PARTIES . . .but the one thing I did not miss which is important to me as it is to her was N'Meow (Tari Nimman)'s graduation at Chulalongkorn University yesterday.  I missed Ed's last year as was in Paris for work, but to miss a graduation, a Thai style one anyway, is to miss someone's rite of passage to the real world, (made it up to Eddie I think).  

Me, Meow and Ed

A Thai graduation is as far flung from reality as one can imagine - decadent and archaic, all the whilst fantastical, jubilant and just loads of fun . .  . ignoring of course the traffic jam which it causes and every other inconvenience around town  . . it is a huge and happy affair, there are live projections throughout the campus as it is a large and also a royal affair.  Members of our royal family pass the diplomas to the students, thus it is regal and sacred in a way.

This is the first graduation at Chula I have been to since my Mum's MBA, but I kid you not, the spectacle of the Fine Arts department shadows that of an MBA, especially in a year where there is a princess graduating.  Bouquets, Thai dances, ballerinas . . .oh and of course each student has his/her own photographer and needs a helper for all those bouquets!  

Shrek was there too!

YES . .   a big big party in robes and uniforms without the champagne! 

Meow

I am so proud of N'Meow, who looked so pretty, she does the whole skater girl fake dirty thing but beneath it she is like a porcelain doll, very pretty, very gentle but of course cooler than thou and with a talent which is rare.  Extremely so, as she is able to manipulate many mediums although graphics and illustration would be her birth rite. . . fit for the New Yorker I would say those little illustrations are . . .and of course the long legged ingenue Ed in all the  pics, my ex-assistant and another great talent but more on Eddie later . . .

CONGRATS N'Meow - love you lots.