KU BAR / KANGKAO

ELUSIVE METRE: 4/5 HOW TO FIND:

To find this dark and minimalist bar, you must first traverse to the Old Town on Phra Sumen Road. Look for jazz club Brown Sugar with its bright lights emanating from within as a reference point. To the right of this club is a dark and small alley (dark and narrow alleyways seems to be an essential part of these secret bars) where you notice a brown door at the end. Go through the door and upstairs to the third floor, where a large wooden door to Ku Bar. The building may look rundown, but once you step inside, you are in for a surprise.

WHY YOU SHOULD VISIT:

We were impressed by its decor — simple, spacious and minimalist. Ku Bar’s cocktails consist of local ingredients picked straight from the Old Town market. The bar’s signature cocktails consists of creative, yet simply named drinks. We had a sip of the bitter Bael (B380), its ingredients consisting of scotch whisky, bael, iri-bancha, tobacco syrup and rose water topped with a piece of popped rice candy, a personal childhood treat from the past. For something less strong, we went with the 10 Herb (B380), a mix of gin, Chinese herb tea, egg white with a finishing touch of burnt sugar, the process of mixing it is an interesting sight to watch.

If you’re not in the mood for cocktails, why not head downstairs to the newly opened Kangkao winehouse. Accessible through a door within Ku Bar, Kangkao specialises in serving wine. Get seated at the bar’s table and order a glass of a fine selection of wine bottles (B300-370) or you may prefer to open an entire bottle if you like. Bar snacks are also available for order such as a small bowl of Japanese cucumbers and barley miso (B60) or the richly flavoured Katsuo (Tuna) Crudo (B200). Kangkao can house up to just 16 seats, with only one table placed right in the middle which is an ideal spot for an intimate nightly hangout with friends.

Wed-Sun: 6pm-midnight / 469 Phra Sumen Road / 02-067-6731, fb.com/ku.bangkok.