The best things to do in Bangkok this weekend (September 11-14)

Imagine five days where your Netflix queue feels almost embarrassingly small. This festival pulls together animation from over 20 countries, not to drown you in cartoons but to spark a new conversation between audiences and the craft itself. Think of it less as a trade fair and more like a gathering where Thai animation gets the stage it deserves, finally stretching into international dialogue. On the schedule: a film competition unpicking contemporary anxieties from across the globe, screenings that smuggle in voices from elsewhere, workshops led by the people who actually know how to draw hands, an exhibition that messes with how you even perceive moving images, plus seminars and Q&As that collapse the distance between fans, directors and artists. It’s cinema, but stranger and louder.

Until September 14. Free. Check the schedule here. Thai Film Archive.

The second round of Better Look Market isn’t your usual shopping detour. Born from a team-up between Open House at Central Embassy and Loopers, it feels less like a pop-up and more like a nudge toward doing things differently. The idea is simple: tiny changes stack up, and suddenly you’re living with less waste, more care and a bit of flair. All September, you’ll find a line-up of conversations, workshops and stalls that make sustainability feel less like homework and more like discovery. The highlight zone hosts over 30 small brands – local names with big ideas about quality and conscious living. You might come for the tote bags or refillable bits, but the real takeaway is the sense that greener living doesn’t have to be grim.

Until September 30. Free. Open House, Central Embassy, 10am-10pm

Not every market needs to be about bargain hunting or predictable souvenirs. This one is more like a remix of Thai culture, where food, daily essentials and handmade pieces are reworked into something that feels both familiar and surprising. Imagine your grandmother’s recipes tweaked with a modern twist, or everyday items turned into objects you actually want to keep on display. It’s less about tradition as museum piece, more about how old ideas can evolve when people play with them. You’ll wander past stalls that blur the line between craft and design, grab bites that taste like home but look like they’ve had a night out, and maybe even leave with something small that feels like a story. Call it modern Thai, creative Thai, or just – Thai reimagined.

Until 15 September. Free. Central Park, 10am-10pm

Under Chang Chui’s low glow, the ordinary rules of shopping slip away. Daring you to find them with the small circle of light in your hand. Here, the stalls feel like pockets of another timeline. A leather jacket that has danced through decades. A box of toys with paint rubbed smooth by long-forgotten fingers. Porcelain teacups, heavy with someone else’s history. Things that don’t announce their worth, only reveal it slowly – the kind of objects you didn’t know you wanted until they sat in your palm. It’s less browsing, more scavenger hunt. Shine, search, and see where your torch lands. Sometimes you’ll walk away with treasure. Sometimes, the treasure will walk away with you.

September 12-14. Free. Chang Chui, 6pm-midnight

Telephones isn’t exactly a name you forget. The Berlin-based Norwegian DJ has been behind the decks for two decades, carving out a sound that slips between balearic breezes, proto-house grooves, Detroit grit and cosmic detours. His sets don’t just make you dance, they tug at you – sweat-soaked, euphoric, occasionally teary-eyed, and always with that wide-eyed, starry feeling you didn’t realise you needed. His catalogue has dropped on labels like Running Back and Love On The Rocks, alongside collaborations with Ibiza icon José Padilla and remixes for the likes of Vangelis Katsoulis. Revered for his vinyl-first ethos, he’s moved floors from Berghain to Bassiani. Supporting him is Mumsfilibaba, a DJ crew with roots in Europe and Asia, whose b2b sessions blur disco, house and acid into pure mischief.

September 12. B300 via here and B500 at the door. Beamcube, 9pm onwards

Episode seven of the Travelling Chef Series brings in Kong Chaiwongkhajorn, the restless mind behind Locus Native Food Lab in Chiang Rai, who will double up as both chef and sommelier for the evening. Kong isn’t interested in glossy fine dining cliches – his work is rooted in northern Thailand’s wild larder, where indigenous plants, foraged herbs and overlooked flavours are pulled into the spotlight. The menu, built across seven courses, feels part research, part ritual, with dishes that read like stories rather than recipes. But it doesn’t end with what’s on the plate. As a certified sommelier, Kong matches each course with unexpected pours that speak the same language as his cooking. Think terroir-driven bottles and regional infusions that turn dinner into a dialogue rather than a performance.

September 12-14. Starts at B4,500. Reserve via here. Siri Sala Private Thai Villa, 6pm onwards

At first glance, it looks like Pratchaya Phinthong has only shuffled the furniture at Bangkok CityCity Gallery. Step closer though and the whole thing tilts. The gallery’s glass facade has been repurposed into the walls of a vast aquarium that glows green from the street, hinting at life moving within. Yet once inside, the water feels unsettlingly still, almost mute. No fish to watch, no spectacle to reassure you. Instead, a fragile shelter cobbled together from real estate signs floats at the centre, like an echo of Bangkok’s endless construction. Below, shrimp meander across patches of underwater grass as if caretakers of a drowned world. The entire structure rests on concrete slabs hauled up from the car park, blurring exhibition and ruin until you’re unsure which is which.

Until September 13. Free. Bangkok CityCity Gallery, 24 hours

Cross Culture Weekend is back at The House on Sathorn, and this round it’s the Philippines taking centre stage. The spotlight falls on Chef Chang Magdaluyo, a Pampanga native with nearly three decades spent shaping and safeguarding her country’s food. She’s credited with popularising the boodle feast – an eat-with-your-hands communal spread that is as chaotic as it is joyful – and steering some of Manila’s most celebrated kitchens. In Bangkok, she’s already behind Kalamansi Kafe in Sathorn and Kalamansi Kitchen in Thonglor, but here she’s stretching her repertoire into something more theatrical. Alongside her dishes come cocktails crafted by a Filipino bar team, designed to mirror the flavours on the plate. Expect a weekend where every bite and every sip is rooted in heritage but unapologetically alive in the present.

September 13-14. Reserve via 02-344-4025, The House on Sathorn, 6pm-11pm

Bangkok doesn’t really need another rooftop, but it does need a pool party worth ditching your Saturday plans for. Sunset Splash x Innerbloom is angling for that spot – set high above the city with the skyline as its backdrop. The dates are scattered across the year (September 13, October 4, November 8 and December 6) like seasonal markers for when you should probably bring your swimsuit. Expect the Innerbloom DJ crew working the decks, joined by live sax and percussion, plus dancers who make the whole thing feel more festival than hotel amenity. Drinks are dialled up with bubbles and cocktails – free-flow for women between 2pm and 4pm – and the food is just as curated as the soundtrack. 

September 13, October 4, November 8 and December 6. B500 via here. W Bangkok, 2pm-9pm

You might think you know acrobatics from TV specials or viral clips, but seeing it unfold metres away is another matter entirely. The so-called Dream Team of Chinese acrobats aren’t just skilled, they’re borderline superhuman. We’re talking trapezes that look like they’ve been greased with adrenaline, tightropes where gravity clearly missed the memo, and unicycles doing things wheels were never meant to. It’s no surprise they’ve racked up 74 gold medals. The show itself is a carousel of impossible feats: bodies tumbling clean through hoops, glass towers balanced on a contortionist’s spine, handstands performed while cycling mid-air flips, even percussion routines turned into gymnastics. Born in 1950 as China’s first national troupe, they’ve spent decades redefining live performance. Watching them now feels less like tradition, more like sorcery.

September 13-14. B2,000-4,500 via here. Thailand Cultural Centre, 7pm (Sep 13) and 2.30pm (Sep 14)

The Meatchop is staging a little nostalgia trip, dragging the golden era of steakhouses into the present. For just two days, the menu leans into classics that feel like they belong in sepia-toned photographs: New York Strip that practically dissolves on your tongue, roast beef carved like theatre, and tableside spinning bowl salads that are as dramatic as they are delicious. Appetisers arrive like old friends, familiar but somehow sharper, more indulgent than you remembered. It’s a weekend that whispers of an era when dining out felt like an event, not just a meal. As a sweet bonus, anyone with a reservation gets a sparkling glass to toast the memory lane, fizzing lightly as if cheering the past and present at the same time.

September 13-14. Stats at B3,000. Reserve via LINE ID: @meatchop or 02-033-2709. The Meatchop, 11am-10.30pm

The Meatchop is staging a little nostalgia trip, dragging the golden era of steakhouses into the present. For just two days, the menu leans into classics that feel like they belong in sepia-toned photographs: New York Strip that practically dissolves on your tongue, roast beef carved like theatre, and tableside spinning bowl salads that are as dramatic as they are delicious. Appetisers arrive like old friends, familiar but somehow sharper, more indulgent than you remembered. It’s a weekend that whispers of an era when dining out felt like an event, not just a meal. As a sweet bonus, anyone with a reservation gets a sparkling glass to toast the memory lane, fizzing lightly as if cheering the past and present at the same time.

September 13-14. Stats at B3,000. Reserve via LINE ID: @meatchop or 02-033-2709. The Meatchop, 11am-10.30pm

Josh Caffe isn’t just a DJ, he’s a full-on mood architect. The London-based producer, vocalist and frontman of Paranoid London has spent the last decade quietly rewriting what house and techno can feel like, taking rooms from Fabric to Panorama Bar along the way. His sets are alive with raw grooves, reckless energy and a sense of freedom that’s almost tangible – like the music could spill out of the speakers and into the street. Sharing the decks are Payu, whose rhythmic, immersive beats turn any floor into a hypnotic, swaying crowd, and Yoongying, a record collector turned DJ whose selections move effortlessly from acid to deep house. 

September 13. B500 via here and B700 at the door. Siwilai Radical Club, 9pm onwards

Colour isn’t just decoration, it’s shorthand for everything we can’t quite say out loud. A blush of pink, the thud of red, the quiet ache of blue – it’s a vocabulary that sidesteps grammar and dives straight into the gut. This exhibition, born from a collaboration between a Thai space and Seoul’s L Gallery, leans into that idea with six Korean artists who treat colour like a confession booth. 2Myoung twists play into sculpture, Im Solji sketches storybook daydreams, Kim Ok-Jin finds solitude in the city’s shadows, Lee Jaeyual paints landscapes that slip between folklore and neon. Suzy Q sends her alter-ego Moo wandering through questions of selfhood, while Qwaya steadies the room with soft green and blue oils. Together, they remind us colour is never passive – it’s always speaking.

September 5-October 12. Free. Maison JE Bangkok, 11am-7pm

Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit gives its Sunday Jazzy Brunch a refresh, turning it into a month-long celebration. Over four weekends, Rossini’s, The Living Room and Basil become stages for live jazz, inventive plates and dining experiences that feel more like theatre than lunch. This weekend, the spotlight is on prawns, with dishes riffing on Thai, Korean, Chinese, Spanish and Italian styles. Chefs are stationed at live counters, turning cooking into performance, whether it’s Thai goong chae nam pla marinated with fish sauce, garlic and chili, Spanish gambas al ajillo sizzling with buttered garlic, or tiger prawns grilled to golden perfection. It’s the kind of brunch that insists you linger, sip, nibble and, yes, maybe pretend the saxophone is just for you.

September 14. Starts at B2,690. Reserve via here or 02-649-8888. Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit, midday-3pm

In an age where a picture can be generated faster than you can boil a kettle, the idea of slowing down to actually ‘make’ something feels almost radical. That’s the question at the heart of Baan Trok Tua Ngork’s 2025 In-Residence programme, aptly titled Making Matters. This time, it’s the turn of Thyme Neelaphanakul – also known as Blue in Green – a multidisciplinary artist with a habit of coaxing meaning out of rocks, flowers, even the dust beneath our shoes. For this residency, Thyme turns to fire, both as metaphor and material, reshaping nature’s raw edges into something else entirely. Expect two weeks of live studio work, where the process is laid bare, followed by an exhibition stitched together from a month’s worth of experimentation.

Until September 21. Free. Baan Trok Tua Ngork, 10am-10pm

75 years after Charles Schulz first drew a small dog with improbable dreams, Snoopy is still everywhere – dancing on T-shirts, perched on mugs, drifting across the cultural imagination with the ease of someone who never grew up. This anniversary exhibition, arriving in Bangkok for the first time, asks what it means for a cartoon beagle to outlast presidents, wars and changing fashions. More than 100 works are on display, gathered across four zones that slip between art, couture, pop culture and nostalgia. Contributions from Thai and international artists sit beside collaborations with major fashion houses, while archival strips remind us that friendship and humour are never dated. 

September 6-December 7. B350-890 via here. RCB Galleria 1-2, River City Bangkok, 10am-8pm

Bangkok rarely takes a breath, yet the 43-metre passage at Samyan MRT insists we slow down. Tent Katchakul has drenched the tunnel in his sprawling linework, a mural where skyscrapers collide with daydreams, and the city’s daily grind feels suddenly negotiable.Though the point is less about talent and more about togetherness. Anyone can pick up a brush, trace a thought, or scribble a memory and watch it join the chorus of colour already spilling across the walls. The result is neither gallery nor graffiti but something stranger, softer, communal. From morning until evening the tunnel opens, a reminder that sometimes the act of making is itself the masterpiece.

Until September 20. Free. Samyan MRT Tunnel, 10am-10pm

Thanatcha Chairin’s solo exhibition feels like stepping into a space where the past and present negotiate quietly on the gallery walls. Her new sculptural works continue an investigation into how cultural objects evolve, reframing everyday forms to reveal their hidden lives. Wood carving and gold leafing, techniques steeped in tradition, coexist with humble, vernacular materials – from chopsticks to shipping envelopes – each piece charged with renewed significance. Familiar shapes are subtly distorted, reconstructed, or adorned, prompting reflection on the shifting meanings of ritual, value and memory in a world racing toward modernity. The result is a dialogue between reverence and reinvention, a gallery where history is never static but alive, pliable and strangely intimate, asking viewers to reconsider what tradition might mean today.

August 30-September 20. Free. Richard Koh Fine Art Bangkok, 11am-7pm

The vividly instinctual universe of Phannapast Taychamaythakool, where paintings, prints and mixed media become conduits for love, fear and imagination. Known to many as a contemporary Thai artist and designer who has collaborated with Gucci, Sulwhasoo, Anthropologie, Jim Thompson, Lucaris, Balvenie and Swatch, her work here reveals a quieter, more intimate language. Each piece maps an emotional journey – tracing where feelings linger, how they shift and the ways they signal themselves. Her imagination acts as both compass and release, transforming private reveries into forms that pulse with life and sincerity. In this exhibition, instincts are not just expressed but embraced, leaving the viewer with a body of work that feels tender, unguarded and profoundly human.

Until September 15. Free. Rivercity Bangkok, 10am-7pm

Sundays at Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit take on a new rhythm, as the hotel invites those who move between appetite and curiosity to a series of jazzy feasts. Themed Sunday Jazzy Brunch unfolds across Rossini’s and The Living Room, where regional and international flavours are stitched together with live jazz that lingers like a memory. This edition marks Eating Out Day with a homecoming to Italy: Chef Stefano Merlo, former Rossini’s maestro and Iron Chef Thailand winner, revisits nostalgia through food. Lobster linguine, lasagna bolognese, prosciutto-topped pizzas and a lavish burrata bruschetta bar turn the act of dining into a performance, where every bite resonates and every note from the jazz trio bends the light across the room in gentle, unexpected ways.

August 31. Starts at B2,690. Reserve via  02-649-8888, BKKLC-Dining@marriott.com or visit www.sheratongrandesukhumvit.com. Rossini’s and The Living Room, Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit, midday-3pm

Arjinjonathan Arjinkit unveils a solo exhibition in which mural works from sacred temples and prehistoric caves are reinvented through the prism of abstraction. These new paintings draw inspiration from centuries-old wall images, worn by centuries of devotion and erosion, yet resonant with timeless narratives. Through fluid strokes and subtle texture, Arjinkit conjures echoes of ritual-infused symbols, fracturing familiar forms into enigmatic compositions that invite introspection and discovery. Each canvas becomes a bridge between ancestral expression and contemporary vision, as ancient pigment meets modern sensibility. There is no grand spectacle here but a meditative conversation: between stone-hewn myths and painterly gestures, between collective memory and private reflection – rendered in quiet colours, layered surfaces and a profound respect for what has come before.

Until September 27. Free. Mini Xspace Gallery, 10am-5pm

Weekend rituals in Bangkok rarely feel new, yet Namsu’s brunch manages to create one. Every Saturday and Sunday, Chef Honey Rae Zenang draws from her Shan roots and years of training in Japanese kitchens to compose something that resists easy categorisation. The table becomes a conversation between cultures: Yunnan comfort, Japanese precision, Shan heart. There are noodles that carry memory, onsen bowls that blur culinary borders, and drinks – sparkling tea, poppy milk – that refuse to behave like background notes. Nothing is arranged for spectacle, yet each plate has the quiet assurance of food made by someone who understands both restraint and abundance. What emerges is less an event than a rhythm, a gentle reminder that eating together can still feel both unexpected and necessary.

Every Saturday and Sunday. Reserve via here. Namsu Bangkok, 11am-3pm

Kolahon’s new exhibition circles an ancient question: what drives relentless striving, and what remains when we finally set it down. His starting point was an accident that left him with a cicada-like ringing in his ears, at first an intrusion, later a strange inner compass. That vibration became the quiet centre of his practice. Years later, during a punishing trek toward K2’s base, with thin air and loose rock pushing his body to collapse, something shifted. Lying beneath the Milky Way, the sound that once tormented him softened. In that hush he describes a dissolution of ego, a fleeting connection to what exceeds comprehension. The canvases that follow are less answers than traces of that moment, suspended between endurance and surrender.

August 23-September 11. Free. Curu Gallery, midday-5pm

Momentum is less an exhibition than a gesture, a slow unfolding that stretches from studio floor to gallery wall. The project invites artists to construct large-scale works while revealing every stage of their making, from the tentative first sketches to the weighty final installation at Fazal Building. Each piece carries its own rhythm, a pulse that grows as ideas stretch and solidify, only to dissipate into the brief life of its exhibition. Here, momentum is literal and metaphorical, the subtle insistence of creativity pressing forward, insisting on attention, then yielding to the space it occupies. The opening event becomes a meditation on urgency, on the ephemeral thrill of witnessing something in motion, and on the quiet insistence of imagination demanding its moment to be seen.

August 24-September 14. Free. Fazal Building, 10am-9pm

Sunday mornings rarely feel so gentle. Mai, a certified Sound Healer and Ayurveda guide, invites you to a sound healing journey where Himalayan singing bowls fill the air with ancient vibrations. The session is less a performance and more a subtle untangling – soft waves that ripple through the body, loosening tension and clearing energy blockages. Mai’s practice blends old wisdom with modern science, guiding you to harmonise your five elements and find a quiet centre amid the noise. Afterwards, a soulful brunch awaits poolside, where conversation drifts easily under open skies. This isn’t just a healing ritual but a sanctuary – a rare moment to pause, nurture yourself and connect with others searching for the same calm in a world that rarely stops. 

August 17, 31, September 14, 28 and October 5. ornphicha.m@gmail.com. Blue Parrot Bangkok, 8.30am

In a world unsettled by pandemic aftershocks and tangled geopolitical currents, the old maps of power no longer hold. The centre has fragmented – replaced by a chorus of voices, each rooted in local soil, language and memory. What was once dismissed as peripheral now pulses with its own knowledge, its own beauty and fierce creative force. This project turns to those places – not for spectacle, but for something more intimate. It seeks out the forms of beauty that rise naturally from the everyday: myths whispered through generations, folktales carried on the wind, histories folded into daily rituals. These are aesthetics born not to dazzle global markets but to honour deep connections – to land, sky and the collective stories that bind us all.

Until October 10. Free. 7/F, Bangkok Art and Culture Centre, 10am-8pm

In Bangkok, something strange is happening on the banks of the Chao Phraya – and it’s glowing blond. Iconsiam has become ground zero for Dragon Ball fever, hosting the largest exhibition the franchise has ever staged. A full-throttle homage to the Super Saiyan universe in all its loud, spiky, slow-motion glory. Iconic battle scenes have been pulled from the anime and built to scale, letting visitors wander through Namek like it's Sunday shopping. More than 40 life-sized figures lurk in corners and float mid-air, poised for battle or just waiting to be in your selfies. There's Kamehameha practice, a Dragon Ball scavenger hunt via app, even fusion zones. It’s half playground, half pilgrimage – and entirely designed for those who never quite left their Goku era behind. 

Until October 19. B400-1,110 via here. Attraction Hall, Iconsiam, 10.30am-8.30pm

Somewhere between silence and stillness, William Barrington-Binns has carved out a space that resists urgency. Each piece is a quiet act of devotion, the product of more than 60,000 hours spent in meticulous repetition, in what he describes as ‘art with breath.’ Rooted in the Japanese notion of Takumi – that deep, almost monastic pursuit of mastery – the work edges close to ritual. Photography and digital process are tools, yes, but they behave more like instruments in a windless orchestra, reverberating with something just beneath the surface. The result is deceptively simple. Still images that somehow seem to exhale, holding time like it’s a bird in the hand.

August 9-October 1. B120-300 at the door. 5/F, MOCA Bangkok, 10am-6pm

There’s a certain kind of visual maximalism that doesn’t beg for attention so much as demand it – Hugo Brun’s work is exactly that. Loud in the best way, his pieces flirt with chaos: clashing colours, cartoonish proportions and the bold swagger of pop art unbothered by subtlety. His furniture sits somewhere between sculpture and set piece – chairs that feel like they might wink at you, tables that seem halfway to melting. It’s no surprise they’ve become backdrops for a thousand selfies, but there’s more to them than surface spectacle. Beneath the gloss and playful disorder lies a wink to nostalgia, a rebellion against beige interiors, and the refusal to be tasteful in a world that insists you should be. Burn isn’t decorating – he’s declaring.

Until October 18. Free. River City Bangkok, 10am-8pm

There’s a curious magic in stepping back millions of years – a chance to wander a world before ours, where giant creatures roamed freely. This event offers just that: an immersive trek alongside Thai dinosaurs and prehistoric beasts, as if the clock has unwound to a forgotten era. Each step pulls you deeper into a landscape shaped by colossal terrestrial rulers, their shadows still lingering in the imagination. It’s less a simple exhibition and more a portal to ancient earth, where awe and curiosity collide. For anyone who’s ever been fascinated by the primeval, this is an invitation to experience wonder unfiltered – a rare glimpse of a world lost but never forgotten. July 1-November 2. B150-350 at the door. Museum Pier, 10am-6pm

CRAFT doesn’t serve meals so much as curate moods. Tucked inside Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok, this all-day refuge operates on its own tempo – where a burrata-loaded toast feels just as right at 9am as it does at noon. Breakfast isn’t a time slot here, it’s a mindset. The menu meanders from bacon-draped French toast to Thai seafood porridge that lands somewhere between comfort and ceremony. For those in pursuit of chlorophyll, there’s a smoothie bowl so green it feels almost virtuous – kale, mango, spinach, all spun together with the quiet insistence of health. But indulgence lives here too. Tofu and tempeh arrive with chilli peanut sauce, a sort of soft rebellion for the plant-based crowd. Burgers come double-smashed, wraps are generously stuffed, and yes, there’s lobster – perched Waldorf-style, open-faced, unapologetic. Gluten-free options appear, if you ask nicely. Come Friday and Saturday evening, the space slips into a new rhythm with live DJs spinning laid-back grooves as daylight fades. Every day. Reserve via 02-056-9999 and craft.kimptonmaalai@ihg.com or via Line @craftbkk. CRAFT, Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok, 7am-11pm    

By the time Friday limps to a close, The Mesh on Sukhumvit 22 has already started to hum. Not with the polite clink of cutlery or background jazz, but with live voices – raw, melodic, sometimes heartbreaking, occasionally euphoric. Each week, the space shapeshifts into something looser and louder, as solo artists and acoustic duos take their place beneath the warm spill of lights. The soundtrack drifts from indie originals to bittersweet covers, filtered through the kind of intimacy only a small venue allows. You’re invited to nurse a cold brew from their Best Brews list, pick at something smoky or fried, and stay longer than you planned to. It’s not groundbreaking, and that’s the point. It’s familiar in a way that feels grounding. A soft exhale after the week. A room full of strangers mouthing the same chorus. Something to look forward to. Every Friday. Reserve via here or 02-262-0000. The Mesh, Four Points by Sheraton Bangkok, 7pm onwards

At Ms.Jigger, lunch isn’t just a break in the day – it’s a curated escape, reimagined through the ‘Pranzo Perfetto’ experience. Let’s begin with the star: weekend lunches. Served from 11:30am to 5:00pm, the set menu is accompanied by a generous spread of free-flow antipasti – an unfiltered celebration of Italian flavor. Expect bruschetta, marinated olives, seabass carpaccio and golden fried dough balls glazed with tomato and anchovy. Focaccia arrives warm and unapologetically indulgent, filled with mortadella and mascarpone. This is a leisurely interlude – a stylish Italian affair that’s perfectly designed to sabotage your dinner plans. Prices start at B950 and B1,050 for the weekend set lunch with antipasti. During the week, weekday lunches offer a shorter, yet no less satisfying, detour into Italian comfort. Served from 11:30am to 2:30pm. Think beef carpaccio with rocket and parmesan, or citrus-cured salmon dotted with balsamic caviar, followed by mains like wagyu fettuccine, wood-fired pizza or a rustic Luganega sausage that hardly needs the side of mash. At B750 for two courses and B850 for three, it’s a surprisingly affordable luxury. Everyday. Starts at B750. Reserve via 02-056-9999 and msjigger.kimptonmaalai@ihg.com or via Line @Ms.Jigger. Ms.Jigger, Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok, 11.30pm-5pm

Breathe in the slow burn of New Orleans. There’s something unrushed, almost stubborn, in the way Ms. Asta’s New Orleans lets her swing simmer. The kind of jazz that doesn’t ask to be heard so much as lived in. Her rhythm rolls like heat down Chartres Street, deliberate and dusky, clinging to the corners of the room. New Orleans cuisine, with its sacred mess of flavour, doesn’t need elevation – just the right soundtrack. And hers isn’t background music. It’s a second course. A hush falls between bites, not from reverence, but recognition. This is how the city feeds you: slowly, thoroughly, and always with music on its breath. Every Friday. Reserve via 062-141-6549 or tinassathorn.com, Tina's Sathorn, 7.30pm-9.15pm (live jazz)

Reap Factory offers a quick and affordable tree-course lunch starting at B450. Available daily, the Express Set Lunch Menu features six options that include Thai, Western and Japanese dishes, all made with fresh, responsibly-sourced ingredients. Thai choices include Set A, which comes with satay gai, pad krapao salmon or salmon kra-thium prik Thai, and chao guay for dessert. Set B features a spicy glass noodle salad, sweet and sour pork or golden-fried chicken, and pandan noodles in coconut milk. It’s a delicious and speedy way to enjoy a variety of flavours. Reap Factory Courtyard, daily

Biscotti welcomes chef Giuseppe Bonura, a native of Syracusa in Sicily, to the team. Imbued with a modern twist on traditional Sicilian flavours, chef Giuseppe’s new menu spotlights authentic ingredients and contemporary flare. Dishes include Panzanella Alla Siciliana, a refreshing tomato salad with almond cream, pine nuts and balsamic red onion; Arancini, Sicilian croquettes filled with beef ragu and caciocavallo cheese, served with a spicy tomato sauce; and Risotto Al Branzino, a wonderfully fragrant sea bass risotto. His stunning main course offerings feature stars such as pan-fried sea bass with spelt, mussels, clams and artichoke in a rich prawn bisque, and fantastic desserts like sweet mandarin cannolo, which combines orange ricotta, mandarin compote and hazelnut ice cream for a perfect finish. Reserve via 0-2126-8866. Biscotti, midday-10.30pm

This collaboration presents a fitness experience with The Ripple Club’s transformative aquatic workouts. Offering two class types – Ripple Signature and Ripple Box – The Ripple Club introduces aqua cycling and aqua boxing to Thailand, providing a fresh approach to aquatic fitness. The program delivers a low-impact, full-body workout suitable for all fitness levels, using water’s natural resistance to strengthen muscles while reducing stress on the joints. Combining high-intensity cardio with targeted strength training, both classes maximise efficiency in less time. Participants enjoy benefits such as stress relief through rhythmic movements, enhanced muscle recovery, and decreased soreness, creating the perfect balance between fitness and rejuvenation. Every Sat and Sun. Check the program here. W Bangkok, 8.30am-9.20am and 9.30am-10.20am