Don’t we all want to have a say in the things we buy with our hard-earned money? Sure, you can always ask a som tam auntie to take it easy on the chillies and pla ra but there are other food, drink and product options in Bangkok that allow you to customise an order to your picky preferences. This week we present our selection of places with CIY (Choose-It-Yourself) options.
COCKTAIL CREATION
- EST.33 at The Nine Neighbouring Center offers you a chance to be a mixologist. There are two options for you to experiment with. “Experimental Design” allows you to choose one of three types of beer (copper, lager, black). Then add syrup, lime and one juice out of five flavours (passion fruit, raspberry, strawberry, peach, orange). With “Dependency Injection”, you get to make your own beer cocktail. Choose one of three types of beer first before you add one liqueur (lychee, coconut, melon, white chocolate, almond), syrup and lime. As an added incentive for you to embrace your inner mixologist, they offer a chance to win a two-night stay at Dhevan Dara Resort & Spa in Hua Hin until the end of this month. You need to like and share this promotion on EST.33’s Facebook page and take a picture of the beer creation you make at EST.33. Then upload it to either your FB or IG with “#est33” and “#est33mixology”.
V: Sun-Thu 5pm-midnight, Fri-Sat 5pm-1am. The Nine Neighbouring Center, Rama IX Road.
C: 089-205-1933, fb.com/EST.33By.SINGHA.
P: B170+ for Experimental Design, B200 for Dependency Injection.
- For a safer approach to creating your own drink, consider ordering a customised beverage at Escapade Burgers & Shakes. The place is well known for its big burgers, creative and wholesome shakes and occasional one-off dishes (which they announce on their FB page). They also take an ad lib approach when it comes to creating drinks. Award-winning mixologist Karn Liangsrisuk, who’s also the co-owner of the place, is there to help you create your personalised cocktail. Talk to him about your tastes and let him do his mixing magic. >>
V: Tue-Sun 4pm-midnight (10:30pm last order). Escapade Burgers & Shakes, 112 Phra Arthit Road.
C: 081-406-3773, 087-363-2629, fb.com/Escapadeburgersandshakes.
P: B350 per glass.
PERSONAL PERFUME
- Now you can join the ranks of Nicki Minaj and other celebrities who have their own perfume. Erb Boutique allows you to create your very own fragrance in every detail, from the bottle to the scent to the label. At “Bespoke Fleurfum Bar”, there are 12 pre-made scents to choose from as bases and 10 more to add on top. If this already sounds like too much work, don’t worry because a perfume adviser will help you through the process. Choose a simple-looking bottle or a more beautifully designed one. You can also put a personal message on it in case you want to give it to someone as a gift. Then you wait until they call to pick the bottle up. It comes beautifully packaged. Until the end of this month, you can buy a voucher to create a personal perfume and give it to someone. He/she will also get a scented candle of the same fragrance as a bonus. The perfume and the candle will be delivered for free. The voucher is valid for three months.
V: 11am-8pm. Grass, 264/1 Thong Lor Soi 12.
C: 02-255-5872 ext 17, fb.com/Erbthailand.
P: B2,900.
RAMEN LORD
- Butaou, one of five ramen shops at Ramen King, gives you the chance to create your own ramen from soup and noodle selections. There are 22 toppings for you to pick from such as chashu, seaweed, sliced pork belly, butter and corn. Read more about Ramen King in Wine Me Dine Me on P10.
V: Mon-Thu 11:30am-3pm & 5:30-11pm, Fri-Sun 11:30am-11pm (last order 10:30pm). Ramen King, A Square, 128 Sukhumvit Soi 26.
C: 02-116-5791, www.ramenking.co.th, fb.com/RamenKingThailand.
P: B80 for soup and noodle only, B10-45 per topping.
CHIRASHI CONTROL
- While Sushi-oo is best known for its double delights of sushi topped with two pieces of raw fish, they also have an option for you to create a bowl of sushi rice topped with raw fish called chirashi. Choose up to three toppings to be placed atop the sushi rice. There are 24 options (B80-B760) ranging from something wallet-friendly like salmon or tuna to delicacies such as uni or otoro. They offer 30 per cent discount on sushi by the piece when you pay with cash. Lunch sets (from B148) are available from 11am-2pm.
V: 11am-10pm. Mercury Ville, 3/F, Phloenchit Road, BTS Chitlom Exit 4.
C: 02-658-5858, fb.com/sushioobkk.
BASIL BOSS
- Kaprao Buri may make you excited about ordering a pad kaprao again because they offer over 20 varieties of the classic dish. First, choose your carbohydrate — rice, sen mee, ba mee, instant noodle or spaghetti. There are many choices of stir fry ingredients including basil leaves, pla too, tofu, roasted duck and naem. Choose either to have the stir-fry placed on top or mixed with your carb. They also have other Thai dishes on offer.
V: Mon-Sat 11am-9pm (last order 8:30pm). Kaprao Buri, Ari Soi 2.
C: 088-227-7080, fb.com/kapraoburi.
P: From B58 per dish.
PERSONAL MEAL
- You can dress your very own salad at Dressed. Besides the variety of greens, you can also select the portion of your salad or have it wrapped. There are 76 toppings on offer, including cheeses, meats, nuts, vegetables and fruits. Then be spoilt by 24 types of dressing. You can also select ingredients for a pasta. If you feel overwhelmed, pick one from the many chef-designed sandwiches, paninis and more.
V: Mercury Ville: 10am-8pm, G/F, Mercury Ville, Phloenchit Road, BTS Chitlom Exit 4. Siam Paragon: 10am-10pm, G/F, Siam Paragon, Rama I Road, BTS Siam.
C: Mercury Ville: 02-658-6688.
DIY CAKE
- Create a cute cake by yourself and get creative at The Icing Room. Choose the cake’s size and either vanilla with mixed fruit and fresh cream or black forest for the cake’s flavour. Items to decorate the cake include icing, fruit-flavoured gel, pastel-coloured cream and chocolate cream.
V: 10am-10pm. Mega Bangna, 1/F, near Ikea, Moo 6, Bang Na-Trat km 8, Samut Prakan.
C: 02-105-1917, fb.com/TheIcingRoomThailand.
P: B290 for four-inch cake, B420 for six-inch cake, B550 for eight-inch cake.
DOODLE WITH NOODLE
- If you have a soft spot for noodle dishes, consider Phan Zen where you can mix and match your choice of noodle with three kinds of toppings from the total of 15 available. Besides noodle types associated with your average guay tiew, they also offer Italian pastas such as spaghetti, fettuccine, fusilli and penne. Get creative with your order by coming up with something like Chicken kaprao penne with soft boiled egg or order one of their pre-designed recipes.
V: 10:30am-9pm. Phan Zen, Ari Soi 1, Phahon Yothin Road.
C: 086-066-1000, fb.com/1000zenaree, IG: 1000zen_aree.
P: From B65.
