Welcoming the Newcomers

Activity around Ekamai these days is like last call at Nana Disco. It seems new buildings are going up the full length of the street. In the very near future Ekamai will be home to the first "lifestyle" shopping destination in the area as well as a huge mall catering to healthcare products and a much larger and improved Major Cineplex. From a nightlife perspective we've just recently witnessed newcomers Curve and Ichi. The former welcoming a strong crowd all week and the latter clearly starting to pick up momentum.

So what's missing? For me Ekamai still doesn't cater to the higher end of the market. Curve will soon open a second zone which will be positioning itself as a wine bar but given the "local" patrons that fill zone 1 to bursting it remains to be seen if higher end clientele will embrace it. The area clearly struggles with gaining any international club feel and like a frat boy has resigned itself to the "cheap and easy" philosophy of quantity over quality.

Luckily there are a couple of new options available that hold some promise. The first is a wine and cocktail bar further down Ekamai called Paradox. The building looks very sexy and will add some high-end class to the neglected end of the street. Further down and on the opposite side, Sky Beach offers a unique rooftop experience and entertains a relaxed and fun crowd. Getting there requires a death-defying climb up a 5 storey fire escape but the oasis at the top makes it worthwhile.

If you're looking for something that deviates even further head down Ekamai Soi 10 and have a drink at Happy Monday. This venue claims to play alternative but actually uses the term in it's literal meaning as in the music is an alternative to the rest of the area. The tunes are great and side on electronic with various DJs throughout the week. The place has great potential but I'd personally like to see them ditch the cheap-ass cafeteria style tables and put in some decent furnishings. Hopefully this place won't succum to the pressures of the low-end crowd normally found in the area which demand loud and abnoxious Thai music.

For some real high-end action like a street walker in in Miami grab a quick taxi to Thonglor Town Center which has now expanded to include several new restaurants as well as Wine Loft which has both indoor seating and an outdoor area called, appropriately, Wine Garden.

It's pretty clear that with all the money being flashed around Ekamai these days we'll see even more changes in 2008. There's already activity around the old Cream location and a new location for Jet Metropolitan is underway. Now is the time to lock in your rental agreement and set some roots as this area is bound to skyrocket in price and maybe even give Thonglor a run for its money. Maybe even the Irish will take notice and bless us with a taste of fine ale!