On the last day of my 5-day Bangkok trip, we went to chinatown again as a travel mate wanted to buy some medicinal stuff for his colleague from a particular Chinese medicinal hall, and it was already closed by the time we arrived the night before.
There were many old and traditional shops in chinatown and i would have given the above a miss, if not for the neon sign in Chinese, 龙头, which means dragon head.
I took a peak through the see-through glass and immediately; i recalled this was in one of the online posts for the cafes to check out in Bangkok! Now, i am not a cafe hopper and don't actively seek out cafes when i am overseas.
With its unique seating and our close proximity to the cafe, however, we decided to step in to soak in the rare cafe atmosphere. This is despite having a rather heavy breakfast back in our hotel; the Kritthai Residence. By the way, do be careful with the glass entrance door; it swang back fast and hit my finger when i was there.
We managed to secure the table on the upper floor! Not recommended for people with mobility issues as the steps were steep and rather narrow. Felt secure even though i am unsure if there's a weight limit for the pipe-grid system adopted.
For such a traditional sounding name, i would have expected a more Chinese-themed cafe. What would i have described this? Eclectic maybe as there were obvious influences with nature, huge portraits of peacocks, European style lamps and wall mural like the above Machurian crane with its chick.
Huge mirror across from us!
It's a rather small cafe and can sit maybe about 30 persons from my rough estimation. Having the mirrors, as any interior designer will tell you, does make the place look bigger.
Just to give you an alternate perspective of the space from the back of the cafe. Without the upper level seats, the number of patrons that the cafe can accommodate would be reduced by 12 persons. Hence, it's not just about design; it's also about practicality from the business operations point of view.
Views from "higher up".
Main counter; from the drink menu imprinted onto the mirror, you can find the usual cafe drinks like americana, cafe mocha, ice coffee etc. One interesting drink is this beverage by the name of "dirty".
Huge glass containers for the wide variety of teas and flower teas! Darn, i need one at home for my lemongrass and pandan leaves concoction although i still prefer to keep them in the fridge.
Panorama! Due to the limited space, the picture had the fish-eye effect; bulging in the middle. One of my travel mates made a comment; better sit up there as there's a risk for the bottom dwellers if those in the upper floor were to fart.
It's food time as i can't help ordering! The "dirty" in the middle is actually coffee with slightly diluted condensed milk / sugary syrup on the bottom and came with an additional mini cup of flower-infused water, and a packet of traditional gong tng (peanut candy).
I kind of enjoyed the salted egg lava bun which was deep fried but the steamed version, with soft, pillowy dough, would be preferred. The prawn spring rolls would be similar to the dowager's fingers served at The Larder's Cafe in Singapore.
Since we already had breakfast, a pot of tea would be good to aid in digestion! Chrysanthemum it shall be and it came with a modern glass pot, a stainless steel sieve and three traditional tea cups.
I honestly think my mom would love this place as air-conditioning was strong, she can have her Chinese food and she spends her time asking for hot water refill upon refill of her tea!
Someone was eating the traditional Chinese set; priced at 129 baht (about S$6), it's actually a typical Chinese porridge but with the different ingredients separately placed on nice plates, bowls and saucers! It's all about the packaging!
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Address
538 Yaowarat Rd, Khwaeng Samphanthawong,
Khet Samphanthawong, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10100,
Thailand
Location Map
As above.
Operating Hours
8.00 am till 10.00 pm
Menu (Not Comprehensive)
As above.
Pricing
Dirty - 85 baht
Hot Tea (Pot) - 160 baht
Egg Lava Bun - 29 baht
Prawn Spring Roll - 59 baht
Click here to find out what else i did on my most recent 4-Day Bangkok trip!
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