Bangkok’s latest ‘it’ spot feels like a slice of Brooklyn

The city’s oldest quarter beside the Chao Phraya River is home to an engaging mix of fresh creative energy, modern laid-back dining and old-school Thai-Chinese enterprise.

THE oldest road in Bangkok, Charoenkrung Road, has given birth to an entirely new area – the Creative District. Scattered throughout a myriad of so is and nestled amongst aging shophouses, food carts, and mechanic workshops you’ll find a new breed of creative makers and doers, a mix of local and expat creative entrepreneurs, all bringing a new kind of energy to an old neighbourhood. The creative groundswell started to take hold in 2012 with the opening of the eclectically named Speedy Grandma (the name is a nod to a local legend about an elderly woman rumored to haunt the streets at night). The brainchild of Thomas Menard, who hails from France, and local artist Unchalee Anantawat, the space on Charoenkrung Soi 28 is home to an art gallery and bar and it has been known to hold some pretty lively events. Little may they both have known at the time but they were at the forefront of igniting a new creative energy in the area.