Last night I finally had the delight of experiencing Smalls bar. Smalls has been on my “list” forever as it makes an appearance in every “Bangkok’s Best Bars” list. But I also noticed as I’ve started talking to bartenders, bar owners, and other hospitality professionals that they would often cite it as their go-to spot. And if that isn’t a glowing endorsement, I don’t know what is.

After a fun evening of carousing at Above Eleven, we weren’t quite ready to go home when they were, so we piled in some cabs and made our way down to Smalls. Instantly, I ran into one of the afore-mentioned bar owners/hospitality professionals (I’m still adjusting to running people I know around town being a “thing” coming from the vast anonymity of NYC). My group grabbed a table and we ate french fries, laughed, had “deep” conversations over absinthe that we can’t quite recall the next day – in short, it was a perfect evening fueled by the absolutely magical atmosphere of this place.

I even shared one of those charming conversations with David, the owner of this enchanting establishment. The fact that I get to meet the owners, designers, chefs, etc that made some of made some of my favorite places in Bangkok come to life is yet another aspect that I’m continually delighted by as I get to know my new home town.