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Queen's Gallery Cafe (The)

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SeenThat
SeenThat
First Reviewer
5 out of 5
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1
Review
5
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The Queen's Gallery Cafe

  • December 1, 2008
  • Rated 5 of 5 by SeenThat from Tel Aviv, Israel
The Queen's Gallery Cafe

After having spent long periods of time in Bangkok, I find it difficult to find surprises; the place feels like home. Yet, in my last visit, when I was returning to my hotel on Khaosan Road from my daily walk, I noticed the Queen's Gallery Cafe.

The building is unavoidable since it occupies a premium corner in front of the Mahakan Fort and near the Golden Mount, Wat Ratchanatdaram (the Black Metal Temple), the Democracy Monument and is on the way from the Grand Palace to the Throne Hall. I may have seen it a thousand times but never even checked what was inside its unpresumptuous facade.

However, this time something was different. Maybe it was the soft afternoon light filtering through the thick cover of clouds or a sudden lack of traffic obstructing the view. Regardless the reason, I entered to what became an almost daily stop.

The Queen Sirikit Arts Exhibition Center

The Queen’s Gallery was established by HRH Queen Sirikit, to be a home for a permanent exhibition of Thai visual arts, especially paintings and sculpture. Seven wealthy Thais donated seven million baht and the Queen’s Gallery Foundation was established on May 6th, 2003. The foundation is related to the Bangkok Bank that has been sponsoring the Bualuang Painting Contest since 1974. HRH Queen Sirikit inaugurated the Queen’s Gallery on 9th August 2003.

Souvenirs and Snacks

Next to the gallery are a souvenirs shop and the café. The souvenirs sold were especially designed by leading Thai artists and include T-shirts, postcards, posters and books. The coffee shop occupies its own room at the very corner of the structure; since it has glass walls it offers superb views of this central point in Bangkok. The area being a major junction, the views are limited to vehicles and glimpses of the Black Metal Pagoda, but even that is hard to match.

Access

Many buses reach the area. Regular buses include numbers 2, 12, 15, 44, 47, 59, 60, and 70. Air-Conditioned buses 39, 44, 59, 60, 79, 503, 509, 511, and 512 reach the place as well, creating a web covering most of downtown Bangkok. Unluckily, the Skytrain and Metro do not stop in the area.

The gallery, shop and coffee are open everyday between 10 AM and 7 PM; the first has an admission fee of 20 baht, except for students, children under 12 years old, senior citizens, monks and priests that enter free.

Entering the café is a bit awkward. There is no access from the main road since a small wall separates the building from the street; the access is around the corner through the Queen’s Gallery main entrance.

The Prices

Offering an Americano coffee for forty baht, the establishment charges roughly two thirds the price of equivalent products in Starbucks. This is still a significant amount in the Thai context but considering the quality and ambience this is one of the best bargains in Bangkok.

The Coffee

Starbucks influence on coffee shop decorations is considerable. Similar logos, dark greens and healthy, earthy browns abound nowadays around the world. It is remarkable that a foreign establishment attempting to adopt an American coffee menu opted for a different approach: light, clean browns for the tables and transparent walls allowing in all the light in the world. The gallery’s logo appears delicately imprinted on the wall’s glass; semi-translucent, it is almost invisible under Bangkok’s strong noon’s sun adding yet another touch of style.

A counter occupies a corner by the back wall; a few tables are placed in front of it along the glass walls; despite its humble size, I had always found a place to seat.

The neat, simple and functional setup is rather alien to the Thai culture; especially since the coffee options are almost purely Western and prepared with an excellent coffee machine. The coffees offered include espresso, Americano and cappuccino; all of them are served with care, and a glass of water with ice. The last is a nice touch I have not seen in other coffee shops in Bangkok, with the exception of my High Tea at the Oriental.

Despite the service being quick, in my first visit I took a couple of minutes to look around. Near the entrance was a stack of colorful Thai magazines that allowed practicing reading this beautiful language. Soft Thai love songs were being played, strengthening the feeling of being in a Thai space, despite the foreign menu. Thais tend to over-staff their establishments; yet here a single woman took care of the whole business with efficiency and grace. The only problem I spotted was a lack of a wide variety of snacks or cakes to accompany the coffee; only two varieties of packed cookies were available.

The coffee shop charmed me almost immediately. In none of its characteristics it was extraordinary per se, but its combined parts created some of the most pleasant coffee breaks I ever had.

Shouldn’t I have kept it secret?

From journal Loose Change

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