Mystique at Sukhumvit Soi 31
Bangkok's nightlife sadly falls short of a Pinoy's expectations. No Greenbelt 3, Eastwood, or Fort here. Gimmicks here consist mostly of a bottle of whisky, slapstic-humor-cracking kratoey (lady-boys), and Thai bands (if you're lucky, they might even try their very best to sing in English). But for the boys, of course there are a lot of other options -- massage parlors, girly bars, and prostitutes are in abundance here.
Thais go out in full sexy battlegear when they go out, but like handpainted Faberge eggs, that's all they're good at -- aesthetics. Dancing or even simply swaying to the music apparently isn't an innate talent in this part of Asia. What's worse, the music that most pubs (bars are commonly called pubs by locals) play are the ones which are considered danceable by the locals, so I Will Survive and Out Of Reach (circa 2000) are still part of the Top Ten list (along with songs by Blue or any other boy band). But it's not that bad. There are places that are ok enough to go to like Bed, Q Bar, Tapas, Riva's (Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit), Hazara's (Face Bar), and a newbie to my list: Mystique.
We went to Mystique last weekend and it was a good option for a Saturday night gimmick. The place (Soi 31) is easy enough to locate, but Mystique itself is a bit of a challenge - I was beginning to wonder if part of the bar's "mystique" was its location. It took me a good 3 times circling the area, but it was all worth it. The place was quirky and - as in all things in Thailand - sexy. The cover charge was a bit steep at 650 baht, but since we don't really go clubbing that often, it was worth the experience. Since I got there earlier than my friends did, I was greeted by a kratoey with curly locks and a cowboy hat (it would have looked like a girl if not for its stubble!). On the ground level was the house/latino music that was pretty cool, although this was also the floor where single men looked like they were on the prowl for women. So up we went to the 2nd floor where 2 young caucasian DJs were playing R&B. The crowd on this floor were relatively younger, and they obviously went there for the music, not necessarily to bring someone home. I think bars here don't get better than Mystique - good music, good ventilation, and no hookers in sight. It's definitely one of Bangkok's better bars - don't forget your ID!
Thais go out in full sexy battlegear when they go out, but like handpainted Faberge eggs, that's all they're good at -- aesthetics. Dancing or even simply swaying to the music apparently isn't an innate talent in this part of Asia. What's worse, the music that most pubs (bars are commonly called pubs by locals) play are the ones which are considered danceable by the locals, so I Will Survive and Out Of Reach (circa 2000) are still part of the Top Ten list (along with songs by Blue or any other boy band). But it's not that bad. There are places that are ok enough to go to like Bed, Q Bar, Tapas, Riva's (Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit), Hazara's (Face Bar), and a newbie to my list: Mystique.
We went to Mystique last weekend and it was a good option for a Saturday night gimmick. The place (Soi 31) is easy enough to locate, but Mystique itself is a bit of a challenge - I was beginning to wonder if part of the bar's "mystique" was its location. It took me a good 3 times circling the area, but it was all worth it. The place was quirky and - as in all things in Thailand - sexy. The cover charge was a bit steep at 650 baht, but since we don't really go clubbing that often, it was worth the experience. Since I got there earlier than my friends did, I was greeted by a kratoey with curly locks and a cowboy hat (it would have looked like a girl if not for its stubble!). On the ground level was the house/latino music that was pretty cool, although this was also the floor where single men looked like they were on the prowl for women. So up we went to the 2nd floor where 2 young caucasian DJs were playing R&B. The crowd on this floor were relatively younger, and they obviously went there for the music, not necessarily to bring someone home. I think bars here don't get better than Mystique - good music, good ventilation, and no hookers in sight. It's definitely one of Bangkok's better bars - don't forget your ID!
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