Scoot 787 to Bangkok: Floating Markets, IconSiam, and Sunday Brunch at the Sukhothai

[yflyer]

We got around Bangkok by BTS, only taking taxis when absolutely necessary…



The BTS system was quite busy, but fairly simple to navigate, and very convenient, given that that the train stops were often very close to where we needed to go…



One mode of transport we did not try was the ubiquitious tuk-tuk…



…although tuk-tuk rides seemed very popular with tourists, especially in the cool evening weather…

[yflyer]

We visited the new IconSiam mall. I won’t mince words: It puts any mall or shopping complex we have in Singapore to shame. This was the most impressive mall I have ever visited in Asia.



The mall has a great location by the Chao Phraya River…



…with wide promenades and fantastic views of the water…



Inside, the mall was vast…



The mall was so big that it had several car dealerships and showrooms, including BMW and Toyota…



Aesthetically, the mall’s design was jawdropping…
 


It was practically a destination in its own right, with large F&B and themed shopping pavilions on both the top level and basement…

The basement level was decorated like a microcosm of old Bangkok...



…and even a mini indoor floating market…



…which was, of course, not a substitute for visiting the real thing, but still quite a sight…

[yflyer]

The upper level also had an F&B pavilion…





…with indoor dining outlets…



…and an outdoor dining terrace with great views of the Chao Phraya…

[yflyer]

While at IconSiam, we had lunch at a popular Pad Thai chain, Thipsamai…



One of their popular dishes was Pad Thai wrapped in egg…





This was a dish which benefited from a generous sprinkling of traditional condiments…

[yflyer]

Rather than book tickets for a full Chao Phraya river cruise (Which is probably a must-do tourist item on most peoples’ lists…), we caught the free IconSiam river shuttle from the mall-side dock across to Sathorn Pier, some distance down the river, on other side of the Chao Phraya…



This shuttle boat operates on a regular basis between Sathorn Pier and IconSiam…



This was the first ferry I had ever seen with grab handles for standing pax…



This was a short, but very pleasant and scenic, ride along the Chao Phraya river…



We saw boat shuttles operated by other hotels too…



From Sathorn Pier, we caught the BTS from the collocated BTS station back to the W.

[yflyer]

We had several memorable meals in Bangkok.

On our 2nd evening, we dined with friends at Royal Osha, which served modern Thai cuisine.

The main dining room at Royal Osha…



We had starters, comprising spring rolls, squid, crispy prawn…



Papaya salad…



Tom yum soup…



…which was heated tableside to infuse the broth with herbs and spices…





Mains were served in portions to share…

We had Massaman lamb…



Beef cheek…

[yflyer]

Crispy fish…



…drizzled with a rich sauce…



Grilled tofu…



And vegetarian Pad Thai…



For dessert, we had coconut crème brulee, served on a bed of dry ice…



…and that old favourite, mango sticky rice…



In all, a dazzling array of food, with gentle Thai flavours in a very refined setting…

[yflyer]

The next day, we headed to the Sukhothai, whose grounds were an oasis of tranquility in the heart of bustling Bangkok…



Immaculately tended gardens…





We were at the Sukhothai for their Sunday Brunch…



While called Brunch, the hours for this buffet were 12pm to 3pm, and believe me, you would really need to budget the whole 3 hours to do justice to the spread…

[yflyer]

A selection of wines at the entrance…apart from food, you could also opt for a free flow of soft or alcoholic beverages.



This was one of those buffet spreads that were the culinary equivalent of “shock and awe”…

What caught your eye first was an ice mountain surrounded by mounds of fresh seafood: lobsters, crayfish, crabs, prawns, clams…



But that was only the start…further on, more ice mountains with an array of different types of oysters – a mindboggling selection…one could have half a dozen or so oysters and not sample the same 2 varieties…







Oyster lovers might have spent the entire afternoon just focusing on sampling these.

And if that wasn’t enough, there were cooked oysters as well…



And we were still just scratching the surface here, there was lots more on offer at the buffet…

I sat at the table and sipped some champagne while I contemplated my plan of attack…



Should I focus on a few favourite dishes and enjoy those, or should I sample a little of everything? Was it even possible to taste it all? I suspect similar thoughts must have been going through the minds of other diners...

I gave the Jamon Iberico a miss…this was wonderful stuff, but I was in Barcelona earlier this year, and would be there next year. I would pig out on the iberico then…



But I couldn’t resist the Foie Gras…massive chunks cut from whole goose livers, and cooked on demand…



The mixed seafood appetiser looked great in coconut half shells…

[yflyer]

Right in the middle of the hall, there was a live station where chefs prepared an ever changing selection of dishes, from risotto to salmon tartar…



The vodka-flamed Atlantic salmon tartar was very tasty, with just a hint of vodka still discernable…



There was a full sushi and sashimi bar…



…where generous helpings of uni, hotate and ikura were being heaped on sushi rice…



There was pasta…



…which was cooked to order…



The selection of mains was impressive…



Roast Charolais Prime Rib…



I asked for a small slice…



They would gladly have sliced me a massive hunk of prime rib, which would have made a great picture but there was no way I would have been able to finish it, so we will have to make do with a picture of that tiny sliver…

There were also BBQ pork ribs and salt-encrusted Atlantic salmon…

[yflyer]

There was a live cooking station serving Thai cuisine…





...including lobster…



...and a fiery Lamb Massaman…

[yflyer]

At some point during lunch the staff brought out the cheese board…



This was so long they actually had to set this up in a separate room, where the dessert selection was also presented…



An amazing selection of cheeses, unlike any I have seen anywhere else…



Along with an impressive dessert selection…





Rather than indulge in Western desserts, however delectable they looked, I decided to sample mango sticky rice, presented here with 3 different varieties of rice…





A very satisfying close to what must have been one of the most satisfying buffet lunches / brunches I have had in a long time!

[yflyer]

At dusk that day, we picked up our luggage from the W and headed to BKK for our flight home…



The sky was painted in brilliant red, orange and yellow hues when we arrived at Suvarnabhumi Airport for TR617, an 8.30pm departure.







As usual, the terminal was very busy…



The check-in queues…



The security and immigration queues weren’t too bad on this Sunday evening.

We had no lounge privileges on our Scoot tickets, so instead we decided to check out the available airside F&B outlets near our gate. There were two…



We decided on the Bangkok Café & Bar…



…and had two (Mediocre) G&T’s there before heading to our gate…

[yflyer]

Today’s aircraft was a Boeing 787-9 rego 9V-0JJ (Named “Holiyear”), a very new plane delivered in June 2019.



This aircraft had a large ScootPlus cabin (Much larger than our outbound SIN-BKK 787-8)…





The “Scoot-in-Silence” Economy cabin, with seats equipped with adjustable headrests and yellow-blue upholstery…



The regular Economy cabin, with a few rows of preferred /extra legroom seats (Again with headrests and yellow-blue upholstery) in front, and regular seats (In all blue, without adjustable headrests) further back…



The emex row…



Regular Y seats, laid out 3-3-3, with decent recline…



Our flight took off on time.

After take-off cabin crew came round with immigration cards for Singapore…



As on the outbound, cabin ambience on this widebodied 787 was pretty good…

I ordered cup noodles from the Inflight menu, and a beer, for an onboard dinner…



This was, of course no match for the elaborate SQ and TG dinners on the same BKK-SIN sector, but this was satisfying, nonetheless.

The flight went by quickly and we landed at Changi Airport 5 minutes early, at 11:35pm.



It was great flying on a Dreamliner on a 2 hour flight. As on the outbound, the fact that we were on a widebody, and not a narrow body 737 or A320, made a whole of of difference to our comfort. And Scoot delivered on all counts: On-time service on new equipment, with cheerful cabin crew and a good hard and soft product.

[yflyer]

Final reflections…

This was my first leisure trip to Bangkok, and what an eye-opening trip it was. I realize that in the past, when I visited Bangkok for work, I saw very little of the city.

I now understand why Bangkok is such a popular holiday destination for people all over the world. The city (And country) has so much to offer to visitors: Great culture and history, very friendly locals, and incredible food. Mrs yflyer and I were only here for a weekend, and yet saw so much that was new and unique to Thailand.

With LCC’s like Scoot, airfares to Bangkok are now quite reasonable, which makes weekend getaways like this quite feasible. I hope to be back there with Mrs yflyer sooner rather than later.

Thanks for reading!