Bangkok Hood Guide: Sukhumvit Sois 31 and 33

The newest arrival at The Green Connect building, following cafes What If and Sweet Pista, Potion Bar puts its main focus on furniture and creative Thai-influenced cocktails. Here, the owners’ passions come to the fore: one partner runs an import wallpaper business, Pinpina, while another is a furniture designer for the brand Cast. The space has been set up as if it’s a furniture showroom, only with a bar installed, and you can actually buy the furniture to take home. The cocktails here are all made with a base of Thai liquor (Sangsom, Mae Khong and Ma-Jai-dum, to name a few) and infused with herbs and fruit like pandanus and pomegranate. Try Tarn, the simply named cocktail where pomegranate-infused liquor is blended with palm juice (B270). The soft opening period throws up a buy-one-cocktail-get-one-free-beer deal from now through Dec 19. 

 

This standalone yoga studio moved from their original place on Sukhumvit Soi 39 to join The Green Connect community about three months ago. The tiny studio offers many types of yoga, from hatha and body balance to hot yoga and sun series, with classes limited to a maximum 15 students. The schedule is updated monthly on their Facebook page and no prior reservations are required, though they do recommend it for the Saturday morning classes or weekday ones from 6.45pm. Packages start from B3,500 for 10 visits (valid for three months) or B3,500 per month with unlimited classes.  

 

Owned by graphic designer Kasom Deepraditkul, this three-story house first opened as a gallery showcasing the owners’ personal collection of wood carvings, ceramics, furniture and prints all three floor but also open space on the first floor for guest exhibitions. Things kicked off properly last month with Gun Sangkarakan’s Intimate Photography: Droplets on Lotus Leaves. Now, the second and third floor has been converted into a two-room boutique hotel, fully furnished with wood and leather furniture, in keeping with the owners’ showcase downstairs. Booking is available through airbnb.com with prices starting from B3,000 per night including breakfast.    

 

Another hip spot for dinner and drinks has just popped up on Sukhumvit Soi 33. Ocean Urban Lounge and Boutique Resort goes for a beach-club-cum resort atmosphere, with eight rooms, one restaurant and a bar. The laidback Ocean Gastro Tapas bar serves up Mediterranean and Asian fusion courtesy of Chef Jacobo Astray. On the club side, the bar offers cocktails from mixologist Joseph Boroski and lets you choose between indoor and poolside seating. We were told the club will soon be expanded to the basement floor, too. Give the bar a try with any of their daily promotions, including Thursday Ladies’ Night offering free-flow sangria from 6-8pm and a complimentary medicure-pedicure by the pool.  

 

Counting down till their opening on Dec 11, Coffeas Coffee Lab & Pub is an extension of Coffeas, sister company of the Zutto retail brand, and is set to become yet another new addition to Sukhumvit’s serious coffee scene. Using beans sourced from Northern Thailand, the place will not only serve freshly brewed coffee, but try to set itself up as a real coffee lovers’ community with brewing workshops to share new products and techniques. Stay tuned for our full review in the following weeks.