I found myself on Silom in search of a new Bangkok pub and remembered that Ashley Sutton had designed another very cool bar, and one was in this neighbourhood. The Bangkok nightlife scene is always changing, and this place is still relatively new so off we went in search of the Novotel hotel, as that is the easiest way to find your way in. Once in front of the hotel, off to the side there is a neon green sign that says "Maggie Choos" in English and Thai. Once you see the sign you have the feeling that there must be something cool happening inside.

At the doorstep we were greeted by bouncers, after a little bit of a discussion which involved pretending to not understand what they were saying and playing the part of a Farang that didn't understand what dress code and reservations meant we head off downstairs into what was a full on Chinese restaurant. There were tiny little tables with a menu on the wall entirely in Thai, the ceiling full of beautiful parasols, in the center of the room is a cage with a lizard (or maybe an Iguana). I thought "This can't be the bar?" This is where the full experience begins.

To the side was a guy standing beside a curtain, we head that way and a parting of the curtain reveals a dark room, with accent lightening, and the first thing I notice is a swing hanging from the ceiling and a bar that looks like a part ticket booth and part jail cell. It's early, 9:30pm on a Saturday and the bar is 85% full, we're approached and asked if we have reservations, this time we can't evade the question but are thankfully led to leather stools beside a stone bust Victoria and handed menus.

This bar has it's own unique cocktail list reminiscent of the clever menu at Iron Fairies with drink names like Lady Flora, Cannon Smoke and the H.M.S. Leviathan. Mixed drink, beer and cocktail prices are hefty, but well worth it for the service and ambiance. You feel great holding them in your hand, they are created to be a part of the decor, the Lady Flora is topped with a full serve of candy floss that you would find in a Muslim roti from a street stall. The popular drink here seems to be Champagne, sold by the bottle with the cheapest one on the list costing about $200USD + service + vat (tax) at 5,900 THB a bottle.

You're left with the lingering feeling like you're in some fairy tale world, perhaps this is what it's like to be inside the mind of Ashley Sutton. As what kind of fairytale doesn't begin with a secret bar behind a curtain in a bustling Chinese restaurant? A dark room with just the right amount of lighting, and comfy couches. Another key element unique to Maggie Choos and building on the same fairytale ambiance are the woman in red dresses. It seems like they're just paid to lie across the piano, sit in the swings or wander the crowd and mingle with the clients..there are two that just lie on top of the bar, and look pretty keeping everything feeling very surreal.

Playing cards with customers (which are illegal to purchase in Bangkok)

The crowd is mostly hi-so Thai's dressed very smart and flashy, tourists, and the business type... it's quite diverse. It's not really in any big nightlife kind of neighbourhood, so you either will find yourself amongst the after-work crowd, or those coming down from their high after visiting Lebua's Skybar nearby. There seemed to be a lot of woman embracing the 1920's "Gatsby" style, but that could just be overflow styling from the recent movie release, but it mixed very well with the early turn of the century Shanghai kind of styling here.

Maggie Choos is more than a status bar where you would bring a date to impress, you feel comfortable here enjoying the atmosphere that so many other bars in this city lack. Just don't forget to bring a purse full of money, and get ready to happily empty it.

Getting there is pretty easy, finding the door is a bit more challenging: Maggie Choo’s, Underneath the Hotel Novotel Bangkok , 320 Silom Rd., Bangkok, Thailand

The closest BTS is Surasak, but lets face it, if you're coming here, you're not taking the BTS.

Photo Series

Bangkok Nightlife has found a new home: Maggie Choos