The Berkeley Hotel Pratunam - Five-Star Accommodation (Premier Triple Room) @ Bangkok [Thailand]

photo taken from here. 

Those sparkling golden domes can be seen from afar but as i didn't manage to secure a picture that would wow you; the best i can do is to take it from the Agoda.com website so that you can marvel at the beauty of The Berkeley Hotel Pratunam!

Let's now proceed to the huge reception area which manages the 788 rooms spread over 2 towers known simply as Main Tower and North Tower.

It's all about old school opulence with polished marble flooring and hanging chandeliers befitting its 5-star status! However, there's a large contrast in atmosphere once you step into the connected Palladium World Shopping Mall; not that i am complaining as i adore cheap over branded buys! 

Our room - 22708, located in the North Tower. I heard from a Thai friend that the hotel was haunted and that's after i had made the non-refundable booking! Well, nothing happened to us so i guess it could be urban legend or rumors by competitors. 

54-meter Premier Triple Room - in terms of size, i thought it was comparable to the Anika Hotel at Kluang but Anika made better use of the space by compartmentalizing the area at the entrance to provide for a dressing table that's lacking in the The Berkeley Hotel Pratunam. 

Usual things to expect in a hotel room - with the distance between the bed and the television, i guess it would be really nice if the size of the TV can be upped to maybe 55-inch. 

Nowadays, i always look out for an in-room safe but do be mindful that in some hotels, the safe is not drilled to the wardrobe / cabinet and a robber can technically run away with the safe! Anyone uses bath robe? Not me. 

Hidden fridge and a wine bucket and glass mugs for liquor! 

Seating area which we didn't utilize except to put our towels. Given that hotel is more for me to sleep than anything else, maybe i should explore cheaper alternatives in the future. p.s. i eventually did in my trip to Langkawi last week. 

The double bed and single bed - no complaint about its softness. Only one thing is lacking; bolsters! So far, i think only the KSL Hotel & Resort in Johor Bahru offers them as a default. 

As we were on the 22nd floor, i was hoping for a spectacular view and wasn't disappointed! The second photo shows how close The Berkeley Hotel Pratunam is to Talad Neon night market where i had my first taste of fried grasshoppers! 

Complimentary WiFi! 

Bathroom with a humongous mirror and plenty of toiletries that i don't use except for the shower gel / foam. I would actually bring back the shower caps as they are so versatile! Read here on other uses for the shower cap! 

Rainfall shower has become the norm! 

Continuing our exploration of the hotel; this time, the amenities that were mostly concentrated on the 11th floor which was also the connecting floor between the main tower and north tower. 

The fitness centre that i didn't manage to step into much. I was focused on making the trip a relaxed one and didn't want to spend the time and effort in the gym. 

One of two swimming pool sections on the same level; this particular section had the dull sun and moon theme and appeared to be the less popular one. 

Towels were available.

The other swimming pool; featuring welcoming blue water and see-through glass, it was a hit with families! You don't see anyone in the pictures as i took them early in the morning at about 7.00am. 

Came with jacuzzi too! The only thing i dislike; you would be under the watchful eyes of the residents staying in the upper floors of the two towering condominiums.

Those who prefer a quieter environment can proceed to the upper decks where sundecks were placed for you to soak up the sun. Again, sunbathing is not an activity i enjoy.

Better view of the swimming pool.

The late April period i went was in fact very cooling and on some days, many of the tower buildings were shrouded in mist / fog like the Baiyoke tower shown above.

Bar on the 11th floor and there's another one on the ground level. Those hungry for food would also be pleased to know that there were a few restaurants in the hotel too! 

You can also sign up for tours and tailor made some shirts! Strange thing is that the tailor listed the prices in Singapore dollars! For me, i was all set to make my shirts at Galaxy Tailor and you may read my review here if you are keen to tailor made your clothes. 

=====

My friends and i enjoyed our stay and while The Berkeley Hotel Pratunam is in the heart of the popular shopping district, i still find it a hassle if i need to take the BTS! You may want to consider taking the boat at the nearer Pratunam Pier instead. 

Location

559 Ratchathewi, Pratunam, 

Bangkok, Thailand, 10400

Website

http://www.berkeleypratunam.com

Price

Premier Triple Room - S$132.69 a night via Agoda.com.

(inclusive of all applicable taxes)

(no breakfast)

If you are interested in a 6-day itinerary to Bangkok, click here.

After You Dessert Cafe @ Siam Paragon in Bangkok [Thailand]

After You Dessert Cafe took Bangkok by storm a few years ago and almost everyone i know (whom had visited the City of Angels) told me i must give it a try! 

I procrastinated a while as Shibuya thick toasts (After You's signature range of desserts) were generally not my cup of tea and there are just way too many things to have given the limited stomach capacity. Nevertheless, i decided to check out the cafe when i happened to have chanced upon its branch at Siam Paragon.

Best of all - no queue as we were too early and i doubt many people would have desserts so early in the morning! We were there at a little past 10.00 am; the official opening hour for shopping centers in Thailand. 

A merchandise section which appeared to be a collaboration with another company. Anyway, the motto of After You Desserts Cafe is "there’s always room for dessert". For Singaporeans, the common saying is "there's a separate stomach for desserts"! 

Dilemma on what to have for breakfast (ya, we are substituting the most important meal of the day with desserts) as there were so many choices; from thick toast to mille crepes, cakes, puddings, crumbles, pancakes and kakigori (Japanese shaved ice desserts).

For someone who enjoys mango sticky rice, it's a no-brainer to order the seasonal mango sticky rice kakigori even though i half-suspected it might taste weird. *praying hard it would not be*.

Help yourself to the unsweetened iced tea! With the amount of sugar we would be ingesting shortly, i think it's healthier to eliminate drinks from the menu. Furthermore, we can save some money! 

Talking about sugar; you may still take a bottle of the maple syrup in the event the desserts turned out to be bland and you need that sweetened addition to enhance the flavour. 

Ferrero Mille Crepe (Regular) - i wasn't the one who did the ordering and thought my two other friends would be a lot conservative. Obviously, i was wrong in my assumption and balked at the fact that this mille crepe would add to the sugar overdose for the day. 

Thankfully, it was rather muted as far as sweetness was concerned and the multiple layers of crepe seemed to have fused to one another; resulting in a texture that's soft and mousse-like.

Shibuya Honey Toast - the cafe's signature dessert with two scoops of ice cream! 

Crispy on the outside and a pillowy-soft inside; the toast was nicely segmented into nine pieces that were smeared with aromatic butter and honey on the inside! As with the ferrero mille crepe, the sweetness was well-managed and it's as delicious as claimed by many parties! 

Chocolate Toast with Strawberry (Baby) - after i have been to heaven, this was a heavy drop to hell as this thick toast simply didn't agree with our taste buds; strawberries were sour and the cheap chocolate sauce was too heavy for a palate after just a few mouthfuls. 

Mango Sticky Rice Kakigori - there were two reasons why i kept this dessert to the last spot; it looked like it came from the cartoon world and i felt that it was more much impressionable compared to the Shibuya Honey Toast! 

Pour in a bit of mango puree first and took a bite to see if you need more. For me, it was crazily good as the shaved ice (more like the snow ice used in Korean patbingsoo) had that intense mango taste that were not too sweet and totally soothing for the parched throat. 

More surprises as you dig further - pieces of fresh mango were uncovered, together with palatable sticky rice and crispy mung beans! It's almost like eating the real mango sticky rice; strangely weird yet true! 

=====

Location

G, Siam Paragon Shopping Center, 991 Rama I Rd, 

Khwaeng Pathum Wan, Khet Pathum Wan, 

Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10330, 

Bangkok, Thailand

Website

https://www.afteryoudessertcafe.com/en/

Menu

As above.

Pricing

Ferrero Mille Crepe (Regular) - 195 baht

Shibuya Honey Toast - 155 baht

Chocolate Toast with Strawberry (Baby) - 195 baht

Mango Sticky Rice Kakigori - 265 baht

(inclusive of tax)

If you are interested in a 6-day itinerary in Bangkok, click here.

Tiga Sushi - Japanese and A Bit of Thai Food @ Bangkok [Thailand]

Nowadays, I rely a lot on google map for assistance on where to go when I am overseas and that includes places of interest and dining options. In Hokkaido, the reviews on google map were largely reliable and needless to say, we had an amazing time!

Hence, in my last visit to Bangkok, I did the same thing and since we can't check in to the five star The Berkeley Hotel Pratunam; we thought we might as well have our lunch and this nearby sushi eatery by the name of Tiga Sushi caught my attention with a high review rating of 4.7 on google.

I did notice that there were only six reviews but reviewers appeared rather legit and since it's within walking distance of the hotel; we were happy to give it a try.

The insides didn't feel like our typical Japanese restaurant; instead, it could have passed off as one of the many cafes in Bangkok. I particularly love this tiger head carved out from the wall;  does tiga stand for tiger in Thai? Anyway, time to start our food!

Salmon Sashimi - okay tasting and definitely can't beat the freshness and thickness of the ones I had at Terminal 21's Tohkai Yakiniku & Sushi.

Spring Roll - with a total of five rolls, I actually thought this was expensive as each would work out to be almost 80 Singapore cents; for 20 cents more, I can secure a bigger one in the little red dot.

Thankfully, this was pretty good and even though it was light-tasting, dipping it in the chili sauce would do its job of increasing its palatability.

Fried Chicken - tasted exactly like those deep fried chicken you can find in makeshift stalls along Bangkok streets! Served piping hot, they were a delight to have!

Rainbow Fantasy Roll - I had managed my expectation, thanks to the picture on the menu, as nothing from the dish reflects the public perception of the basic seven colors of a rainbow.

Made up of a basic epi tempura sushi topped with tuna, salmon, ika, and avocado; they were warm which I thought were a bit strange for sushi even though the taste were generally acceptable to me. 

Bento Box 1 - as above and disappointing. Having eaten so much teriyaki chicken over the past few decades, the so-called teriyaki chicken in this bento wasn't the type I have been accustomed too. Tempura was nice with one major issue; the batter wasn't crispy enough and that's a big no-no.

=====

Overall, I don't feel that Tiga Sushi was worth the high rating of 4.7 but to be fair, I might have ordered other items on the menu that's not what the rest of the reviewers had requested for and reviewed on. 

Furthermore, I am totally turned off by the existence of flies. This isn't the worst I have encountered for sure; there was a stopover station in Malaysia where the entire place was swarmed with flies! 

Location

1087/143 ซอย เพชรบุรี 31 Phetchaburi Rd,

Khwaeng Makkasan, Khet Ratchathewi,

Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10400, Thailand

Map

As above.

Pricing

Salmon Sashimi - 99 baht

Spring Roll - 100 baht

Fried Chicken - 200 baht

Rainbow Fantasy Roll - 219 baht

Bento Box 1 - 219 baht

If you are interested in a 6-day itinerary in Bangkok, click here.