A few weeks ago, I wrote about how Indian destinations are moving out of the market. My example then was Goa who had a disappointing season. But I could talk about Shimla, which received only half the tourists it expects this winter.
These destinations, I assumed, were doing well during the pandemic when Indians could not travel abroad. But now that the Far East has opened up, places like Goa and Shimla seem ridiculously overpriced.
Determined to practice what I write about, I went to Bangkok for Christmas when tickets and prices were at their highest. I flew with Air India and although it was by no means a perfect flight (old aircraft, poor, indifferent in-flight service; basically Air India treats the Delhi-Bangkok sector like it treats, say, Delhi-Jabalpur) it was less than two-thirds the price of a ticket to Goa. (Both fares are business class for comparison; flights to Bangkok are even cheaper if you fly in economy.)
I stayed, as I almost always do, at the Anantara Siam, a beautiful, centrally located property that was once the Bangkok Four Seasons and was built like a peninsula. Now run by owner Bill Heineke’s Anantara Group, it features large, luxurious rooms and excellent service.
For comparison, I checked the Anantara Siam rates for the next week on the web. They are half or less than half of most five star hotels in Goa. During the Christmas season when I went, they were a third of the price.
If you want to go to a beach resort, then Phuket, to which there are already direct flights from Delhi and other cities, is even cheaper.
Anyone who still wants to go to Goa, with its taxi mafia, to eat expensive food must either love Goa to the point of irrationality or have money to burn.
And the food in Thailand? I have a rule in Bangkok. I don’t necessarily eat in dhabas or on the street, which can be really cheap. Instead, I eat at mid-priced restaurants and often at places in such malls as Siam Paragon, Central Embassy and EMQuartier that pride themselves on being dining destinations.
I always order way more than two people can eat (out of habit: In case I have to write about the restaurant, I try as many dishes as possible). Rarely is the bill much more than ₹3000. The same meal in Delhi or Mumbai, assuming you can get food of that quality, will be at least double that.
I had three big meals at top restaurants this trip (more on that later), but in the five days I was there, most of my other meals cost between ₹2000 and ₹3000 for two. Neither restaurant was a big find; they are all well known and easy to find.
kalpapruek: This is one of the older and more famous restaurants in Bangkok, frequented by Thais. Located at the end of Silom Road (there are other branches in malls) and the food is consistent and reliable. (Our bill was ₹2800).
Talingping: Another famous name in Bangkok. The branch I know best is Silom, but I went to the Siam Paragon exit. The menu features familiar Thai dishes, superbly executed.
Hong Bao: This is a branch of an international chain that offers a slightly different version of chicken rice and other Chinese specialties. Cheap and fun.
smile: Burger stall on the funky but laid-back fifth floor of Central Embassy Mall. Great burgers. Excellent fries. Cheaper than anywhere similar in India.
These are the usual places I would recommend.
Then there were the big meals. Gaggan Anand Restaurant’s current avatar is a 14-seater spectacle. Gaggan or his executive chef spend several hours talking through the latest (and greatest) menu of small plates. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience, so it can be expensive (but by the time you add the many glasses of wine included in the price, the caviar and truffles, it’s cheaper than, say, Wasabi in Mumbai or Le Cirque in Delhi).
They should charge more when Gaggan plays alone, but it’s a bit of a lottery, so you’ll only get him if you’re lucky.
It happens twice a night, four days a week, and it’s hard to get reservations.
I didn’t mention that my first meal in Bangkok is usually the mostly Northern Thai restaurant 100 Mahaseth (as it was this time), because I also went to Chef Chalee Kader’s more upscale restaurant, the newer Wana Yook.
Chali is half Indian (his father is from Tamil Nadu) and was Chef’s Chef for years. His 100 Mahaseth is where all the top chefs in Bangkok come when they want good food. But Wana Yook (which has a Michelin star) thrust it into the public eye. His restaurant opened during the pandemic, so it targeted local Thais.
It’s modern Thai food, but there’s no messing around with the flavors because its Thai diners know what the real thing should be. Chalee has a reputation for nose to tail cooking, and Thai customers have a higher tolerance for fishy flavors, so my super finicky wife was apprehensive before we went. But the food was so good that she declared it the best contemporary Thai restaurant in the world. I agree too.
Deepankar Khosla is a great success story. He spent nearly a decade at ITC Hotels before moving to Bangkok and starting all over, including running a food truck. He then opened Haoma and soon won a Michelin Green star (Deepankar is big on sustainability), which is commendable but not very helpful if you want to know how good the food is.
But Haoma already has a real Michelin star for two years, as well as the Green Star.
Haoma is an old-style, sophisticated restaurant with great wines, attentive and competent service and a glamorous dining room. Deepankar’s food draws from all his influences (including niharis from Allahabad, where he grew up). Haoma was packed the night I went and it’s clear that Deepankar made it big.
It helps that he takes an instant liking to a boy who hasn’t let success change him at all. My son Raaj has known Deepankar since before he was famous and says he is still the same helpful and thoughtful person.
So if you want a reasonably priced holiday with great hotels and good food, you can’t do better than Bangkok. I’m not that familiar with the rest of the Far East, but people raved about Vietnam on social media. And there are about a dozen other similar Asian destinations at a good price.
So, think twice before planning a vacation in a local tourist trap. Think of the East. And if you plan far enough in advance, you can even reserve one of the 14 seats at Gaggan Anand’s restaurant.
What don’t I like?
