From Kaya Toast to Rooftop Bars: Bangkok's Elegantly Evolving Chinatown
Mornings on Yarowrat Road
Navigating the intense crowds around Yarowarat Road in the evenings leading up to the Chinese New Year is no easy task. The brief moments of serenity we cobbled together up and down Bangkok’s Chinatown this week have now become our fondest memories, mainly because of how rare they were. Memories like buttering thick slices of fresh sourdough sitting window side at the Shanghai Mansion. Or listening to Speak Softly, Love (the theme from Godfather) while the best White Russian I've ever tasted flooded the hairs of my mustache at the Mustang Blu. However, it was an early morning visit to Bangkok’s eldest coffee shop, Ek Teng Phu Ki that brought my nervous system fully into the reality that we were finally back in Thailand.
For the first few days, jetlag had us up before most of Bangkok was out of bed. Luckily, about the time the hot sun rises over the Chao Phraya River, this little coffee shop opens its gates. As we snaked across the streets just after sunrise, I was surprised to find the cafe, once dusty and plain with dirty old fans and beat-up glass mugs, had undergone a facelift. Although some of the old marble tables remained, everything from the register area to the wonderfully photogenic upstairs bar had been lovingly revamped and was ready for a close-up.
Candles flicker around the floor off masks, books, and taxidermy of The Mustang Blu.
Evolving Gracefully
The main difference between Yaowarat today versus the last time I was here 7 years ago is the clear evidence of a younger, internet-savvy influence. Some serious money has been spent in certain pockets of Chinatown to create highly photographic businesses stylized with a modern antiquity aesthetic. i.e. utilizing the innate beauty of old Bangkok and adding fashionable flourishes to attract new eyes.
In the aforementioned Mustang Blu, (video above) beat-up vintage hardbacks are strewn upon the floor strictly for beauty, this chateau-style hotel elegantly decorated with horse and ostrich skeletons encased in antique wood curios- also boasts the most expensive rooms in the area. The coffee here was fantastic, sourced from Indonesia and the pastries were highly laminated and adorned with edible fresh flowers. The idea that anyone visiting Yarowat a decade ago would spend 1000 Bhat on a ham cheese croissant and a cortado was laughable. Yet, here we were, and it was delicious.
Yaowarat Road is now decidedly on the map for food and culture travelers, and with Bangkok home to some of the world's worst traffic, (it is an unbelievable pain to get here) tourists are bound to spend a few days walking around Chinatown, stuffing their faces with one of the world's most interesting food scenes, dipping in and out of hot open air centuries-old restaurants and revamped air-conditioned fine dining.
The BTS or the MRT don't drop off anywhere convenient or even walkable (at least not with luggage) to Chinatown, so one is stuck with Tuk Tuks and Uber. However, Chinatown also runs up against a busy section of the Chao Phraya River and if you are fortunate enough to be staying near the river, water taxis are readily available and devoid of cars, and the inevitable exhaust their traffic creates both physically and mentally.
A View from a Roof Top Bar over Soi Nana.
Several hot spots down a small block called Soi Nana (not that one) serve complicated cocktails, decadent cakes, and even tapas. One night, we climbed three stories to the rooftop bar of the Wallflower restaurant and found a menu full of original cocktails and high-end cuts of grilled steak served over fanciful salads. The aesthetic vibe of these joints as well as the Mustang Blu was distinctly Old World European and even though there are worries of a disappearing Chinatown, I found the mix of styles complimented each other well.
In other sections of Bangkok, experiencing the history of a particular neighborhood is next to impossible without a visit to a museum or a protected historical property. Massive luxury condominium construction can be seen and heard up and down Sukumvit and with their manicured landscapes comes a certain loss of old Bangkok’s character.
That character was still alive in Chinatown, even within the confines of these newly refurbished spaces, the history was palpable. The tasteful design around the new spaces in Chinatown adds to the area, whereas superimposed mega buildings shadow other areas of old Bangkok.
Early Morning at Ek Teng Phu Ki
As we take a seat in the subtly revamped Ek Teng Phu Ki, it struck me as emblematic of Chinatown's harmonious blend of traditional charm and contemporary allure.
Years ago, Ek Teng Phu Ki was the place where I first experienced Hong Kong Style Coffee. This is a half coffee, half tea with (condensed) milk and sugar. Sort of a London Fog with a shot of dark roasted coffee, a brew Ek Teng Phu Ki has been whipping up for a century. What's so special about this place is that while in Hong Kong, where a simple, bitter black tea is used, Ek Teng Phu Ki tea uses that magic orange Thai Tea, the mighty Olieng.
On this morning we are enjoying not one, but two Hong Kong Coffees under the jade tiles of the upstairs of Ek Teng Phu Ki. One hot and one iced. The orange glow of the tea dances with the reflections of brilliant red calligraphy and a wall of old black and white photographs from the Hainanese immigrant who started the cafe over a century ago.
We tried serving a version of this recipe in the early days of Kopi Coffee House and ended up with a nice latte version, using Dragonfly's Cha Yen, milk, and a shot of espresso. I was thrilled with the result but nobody, and I mean nobody ordered it. Thai tea with coffee?... ew.
We also had no idea what to call it: "Hong Kong Coffee but with Thai Tea in a Latte?", "Bangkok Hong Kong Latte?", maybe "HK/BKK Latte?"... I think we landed on something like "Bangkok Fog Latte" which again, I thought was so cool, but alas it was another failed experiment with the northwest coffee crowd.
Sipping the hot one I am reminded of how simple their recipe is. No espresso, no oat milk, no organic Olieng. This Olieng is teeming with bright orange food coloring, granulated sugar and milk pasteurized to hell and back.
Also new to Ek Teng Phu Ki is a nice selection of adorable pastries like an excellent cream cheese-filled red velvet croissant and of course, Kaya toast.
KAYA and KOPI
Many of the oldest coffee shops not only in Bangkok but also Malaysia and Indonesia serve Kaya Toast in various delicious forms. Kaya is a labor-intensive egg jam made with coconut milk and sometimes pandan leaf. It's famous throughout Java, and many of the antiquated coffee shops of Jakarta and Bandung boast their recipe as the quintessential Indonesian coffee pairing.
Aside from Ek Teng Phu Ki, I can recommend the kaya toast at another Chinatown institution, one that has not been revamped and looks the same way it has for 100 years. Nam Heng Li, a tea shop with a ton of character, houses six or so tables with old wooden chairs and is probably the closest thing aside from a busy street cart to an authentic Chinatown coffee in Bangkok. Here, your Kaya toast and Hong Kong Coffee come with a poached egg served in a shot glass. It's the Bangkok Breakfast of Champions - shake a little hot sauce and ground pepper onto the yolk and you're in business.
The clientele here is also traditional, I remember when I first visited seven years ago, I was asked to give up my table to a couple of regulars. Older Teochew-Chinese gentlemen who had been coming in for their breakfast at the crack of dawn for decades. This is their spot and I was happy to suck down the rest of my coffee and oblige.
For the full Bangkok egg coffee experience, head across the street and into a nondescript alleyway where you'll find one of the more recognizable coffee shops in Bangkok: Eiah Sae. A must-visit spot for Yaowarat first-timers or any fan of vintage coffee shops. I recommend ordering an "ice coffee standard", which comes with a shot of raw egg and sinfully thick condensed milk. It's a shocker on the first sip to notice how bouncy and creamy this drink is with the addition of an egg yolk. The experience really sings paired with their awesome Jok Moo (thick rice porridge served with minced pork balls) or my favorite snack in Chinatown, thinly sliced pork and gooey moo ping egg sandwiches.
Eiah-Sae (Est. 1928) on Thanon Phat Sai, off Thanon Yaowarat
The setting is true to the traditional neighborhood coffee shops of yesteryear with old wooden chairs and marble tables on red tile floors. The owner has a great stack of old Chinese language magazines and newspapers. Some are in terrible condition but you can see them all laid out as if they were in an airport bookstore. Eiah Sae is famous for serving a century's worth of writers, poets, teachers, and intellectuals Teochew Egg Coffee and Jok.
New Years
I’ve been exploring the coffee culture in Thailand as a foreigner for fifteen years, and to me, glimpsing through the lens of Chinatown's storied shops provides one the deepest insights available to the traveler. The charm of these coffee shops isn't just in their recipes and atmosphere. As modernity and recognition encroach upon this unique neighborhood, these places act as living museums. Their significance reaches beyond the culinary; they are landmarks that provide valuable narration of a hard-to-see past.
The future of these iconic establishments rests on their ability to maintain this delicate balance between preserving tradition and inviting a certain level of innovation that allows for their survival. As Bangkok continues to modernize, the role of places like Ek Teng Phu Ki and Eiah Sae becomes increasingly important not just for the local populace but also for visitors.
Chinese New Year is here and Yaowarat is now an ocean of people gathering in celebration. I head down the street craving duck noodles. The environment vibrates with idling cars and anticipation. During this festive season, the sidewalks are busting at the seams, transformed into corridors of color, light, and the distinct aromas of Thai-Chinese cuisine. Visitors, both local and international, find themselves weaving slowly through intense crowds, filling all new gaps, senses heightened by the sights and sounds of New Year’s celebration. The wait for food of all kinds is long and under the relentless heat of Bangkok, becomes a testament to the allure of Yaowarat's culinary offerings. Its going to be difficult to get my noodles.
Sweat beads on foreheads not just from the typical February warmth but from the excitement and the proximity of so many individuals sharing the same goal— to partake in the food of Yaowarat during Chinese New Year. There is a resigned sense of unity in the shared experience of waiting in line, quick eye contact acts as an unspoken camaraderie among the hungry eager to celebrate the new year with Char Siu, Dim Sum, and Durian. I order and wait some more at a dirty table. The discomfort of the heat and the crowd fades into the background when the bowl filled with spicy duck noodles makes its way into my eager hands.
It is in this moment, with Tanggu drums echoing off a sea of unfamiliar faces, streets illuminated red with candle lanterns and neon Tuk Tuk’s, car horns blasting through the chaos that my mind finally shuts down. Here, I can eat in peace.