SAGuy

If you walk into the Trendy Building on Sukhumvit Soi 13, there is probably the greatest concentration of visa agents under one roof in the whole of BKK.
I have used the agent in the shop on the right hand side as you walk in through the main door. It is about 3 shops in and is manned by 2 Thai ladies.
They do all kinds of admin services (all visa types, drivers licenses, bank accounts, photocopying, scans, attestations etc.) and have always been highly efficient.
Costs wise they appear to be charging the standard rates for the various services, so I would recommend starting with them.
The older lady has very good English and knows all of the ins and outs.
SAG

hey there guys,
after doing all and sundry (with clearing cache etc etc) i discovered that bangkokladyboys webmasters installed a security 'plug-in' that red flags VPN users specifically. even though our IP addresses may change they are somehow able to play 'catch-up' fast enough. however if when you apply a VPN IP address from say Cyprus, you might be able to gain access. i found this out from industry experts. 
cheers @SAGuy,
leon    

Backstory
ToTo is visiting BKK as she is looking for wholesalers for her new Laos business and has also been invited to the WN04 Staff Trip later this week. @Behan suggested we take her to No Idea, which is a really nice restaurant on soi 18. 
I had visited No Idea with @Behan once before and remembered that it was a favourite of Iain's when it was located on soi 22. As Iain was a qualified chef, that was quite the recommendation.
There was a comical episode when I was trying to give the directions to ToTo:
ToTo: Where we meet?
SAG: No idea
ToTo: What name of restaurant?
SAG: No idea
ToTo: How I find it?
SAG: On soi 18.
ToTo: How I know I am there?
SAG: Stop at No idea
etc.
I finally managed to cut through the confusion, but must admit, it is a daft name for a restaurant!
The Restaurant
No Idea is situated about 300 metres, or a 5 minutes walk, inside soi 18, on the left hand side. It is set back from the road, with steps leading up to an outside area. 
The inside is spacious and feels very roomy, with a modern decor and tables far enough away from each other that you can have a private conversation.
There is also a bar area, which has a bar menu, and there must be 1,000+ bottles of wine on the walls. The cocktails and wine menu is extensive, 
What makes the restaurant stand out is that there are a lot of staff, who are very attentive and are well trained, with excellent English. 
The menu has about 8-10 starters and the same number of main courses and desserts. But what is quite unique about No Idea is that the list of specials is probably bigger than the menu itself. I have never seen so many specials and they definitely change from visit to visit.
The type of food is modern farang, and is probably most similar to the Wine Connection on soi 11, although the quality at No Idea is way better and the service cannot be compared.
If you're thinking that it is expensive, you would be wrong, I had the grilled chicken and seasonal vegetable, which was about THB 500 and the portions were very generous.
ToTo had the Wagyu Carpaccio as a starter and then the seafood pasta, which she seemed to enjoy. The carpaccio was THB 550 and the seafood pasta, which had a lot of seafood in it was 950. 
A sign of a good restaurant is that there is little to no staff turnover and I recognised three of the waiting on staff from the previous visit.
Summary
If you are looking for a nice place, that has very good food and excellent service, but is neither pretentious nor over-priced, then No Idea ticks all of the boxes. It is a perfect place to take a LB out for a special occasion, without her feeling intimidated or like a fish out of water.
If you set the benchmark at Wine Connection, then that place gets a 3.5/5.0 from me, as it is just OK food, with cramped tables and so-so service, as compared to much better quality food, way better service and a nice spacious layout. It is the difference between a corporate chain restaurant and an individually owned establishment.
I give No Idea a 4.5/5.0 and IMHO it cannot be faulted.
Highly recommended if you fancy some farang food and it has a highly extensive drinks list!
The customers were mainly farangs and it was a nice relaxed atmosphere.
Cheers
SAG
 

Backstory
ToTo is visiting BKK as she is looking for wholesalers for her new Laos business and has also been invited to the WN04 Staff Trip later this week. @Behan suggested we take her to No Idea, which is a really nice restaurant on soi 18. 
I had visited No Idea with @Behan once before and remembered that it was a favourite of Iain's when it was located on soi 22. As Iain was a qualified chef, that was quite the recommendation.
There was a comical episode when I was trying to give the directions to ToTo:
ToTo: Where we meet?
SAG: No idea
ToTo: What name of restaurant?
SAG: No idea
ToTo: How I find it?
SAG: On soi 18.
ToTo: How I know I am there?
SAG: Stop at No idea
etc.
I finally managed to cut through the confusion, but must admit, it is a daft name for a restaurant!
The Restaurant
No Idea is situated about 300 metres, or a 5 minutes walk, inside soi 18, on the left hand side. It is set back from the road, with steps leading up to an outside area. 
The inside is spacious and feels very roomy, with a modern decor and tables far enough away from each other that you can have a private conversation.
There is also a bar area, which has a bar menu, and there must be 1,000+ bottles of wine on the walls. The cocktails and wine menu is extensive, 
What makes the restaurant stand out is that there are a lot of staff, who are very attentive and are well trained, with excellent English. 
The menu has about 8-10 starters and the same number of main courses and desserts. But what is quite unique about No Idea is that the list of specials is probably bigger than the menu itself. I have never seen so many specials and they definitely change from visit to visit.
The type of food is modern farang, and is probably most similar to the Wine Connection on soi 11, although the quality at No Idea is way better and the service cannot be compared.
If you're thinking that it is expensive, you would be wrong, I had the grilled chicken and seasonal vegetable, which was about THB 500 and the portions were very generous.
ToTo had the Wagyu Carpaccio as a starter and then the seafood pasta, which she seemed to enjoy. The carpaccio was THB 550 and the seafood pasta, which had a lot of seafood in it was 950. 
A sign of a good restaurant is that there is little to no staff turnover and I recognised three of the waiting on staff from the previous visit.
Summary
If you are looking for a nice place, that has very good food and excellent service, but is neither pretentious nor over-priced, then No Idea ticks all of the boxes. It is a perfect place to take a LB out for a special occasion, without her feeling intimidated or like a fish out of water.
If you set the benchmark at Wine Connection, then that place gets a 3.5/5.0 from me, as it is just OK food, with cramped tables and so-so service, as compared to much better quality food, way better service and a nice spacious layout. It is the difference between a corporate chain restaurant and an individually owned establishment.
I give No Idea a 4.5/5.0 and IMHO it cannot be faulted.
Highly recommended if you fancy some farang food and it has a highly extensive drinks list!
The customers were mainly farangs and it was a nice relaxed atmosphere.
Cheers
SAG
 

I'm guessing they're in the process of changing names, if not more. I've eaten there several times, and up until til a few weeks ago the website showed you the No Idea Restaurant info, including their menu. Now the menu is not online, so I suspect changes are afoot. I hope it's only a change of the stupid name, because I loved their old menu.
Nice that some of you took Toto out for a nice dinner. She's the best.

Very confusingly the website www.noideabkk.com directs to a place called Pasha.
It is very odd as it is the same place and all the signage is No Idea. Everything is the same, except for the name!
There must be a backstory there, which I will ask about on the next visit, as I love mysteries like this.
It comes across as daft and must be very confusing!
SAG

Backstory
ToTo is visiting BKK as she is looking for wholesalers for her new Laos business and has also been invited to the WN04 Staff Trip later this week. @Behan suggested we take her to No Idea, which is a really nice restaurant on soi 18. 
I had visited No Idea with @Behan once before and remembered that it was a favourite of Iain's when it was located on soi 22. As Iain was a qualified chef, that was quite the recommendation.
There was a comical episode when I was trying to give the directions to ToTo:
ToTo: Where we meet?
SAG: No idea
ToTo: What name of restaurant?
SAG: No idea
ToTo: How I find it?
SAG: On soi 18.
ToTo: How I know I am there?
SAG: Stop at No idea
etc.
I finally managed to cut through the confusion, but must admit, it is a daft name for a restaurant!
The Restaurant
No Idea is situated about 300 metres, or a 5 minutes walk, inside soi 18, on the left hand side. It is set back from the road, with steps leading up to an outside area. 
The inside is spacious and feels very roomy, with a modern decor and tables far enough away from each other that you can have a private conversation.
There is also a bar area, which has a bar menu, and there must be 1,000+ bottles of wine on the walls. The cocktails and wine menu is extensive, 
What makes the restaurant stand out is that there are a lot of staff, who are very attentive and are well trained, with excellent English. 
The menu has about 8-10 starters and the same number of main courses and desserts. But what is quite unique about No Idea is that the list of specials is probably bigger than the menu itself. I have never seen so many specials and they definitely change from visit to visit.
The type of food is modern farang, and is probably most similar to the Wine Connection on soi 11, although the quality at No Idea is way better and the service cannot be compared.
If you're thinking that it is expensive, you would be wrong, I had the grilled chicken and seasonal vegetable, which was about THB 500 and the portions were very generous.
ToTo had the Wagyu Carpaccio as a starter and then the seafood pasta, which she seemed to enjoy. The carpaccio was THB 550 and the seafood pasta, which had a lot of seafood in it was 950. 
A sign of a good restaurant is that there is little to no staff turnover and I recognised three of the waiting on staff from the previous visit.
Summary
If you are looking for a nice place, that has very good food and excellent service, but is neither pretentious nor over-priced, then No Idea ticks all of the boxes. It is a perfect place to take a LB out for a special occasion, without her feeling intimidated or like a fish out of water.
If you set the benchmark at Wine Connection, then that place gets a 3.5/5.0 from me, as it is just OK food, with cramped tables and so-so service, as compared to much better quality food, way better service and a nice spacious layout. It is the difference between a corporate chain restaurant and an individually owned establishment.
I give No Idea a 4.5/5.0 and IMHO it cannot be faulted.
Highly recommended if you fancy some farang food and it has a highly extensive drinks list!
The customers were mainly farangs and it was a nice relaxed atmosphere.
Cheers
SAG
 

Backstory
ToTo is visiting BKK as she is looking for wholesalers for her new Laos business and has also been invited to the WN04 Staff Trip later this week. @Behan suggested we take her to No Idea, which is a really nice restaurant on soi 18. 
I had visited No Idea with @Behan once before and remembered that it was a favourite of Iain's when it was located on soi 22. As Iain was a qualified chef, that was quite the recommendation.
There was a comical episode when I was trying to give the directions to ToTo:
ToTo: Where we meet?
SAG: No idea
ToTo: What name of restaurant?
SAG: No idea
ToTo: How I find it?
SAG: On soi 18.
ToTo: How I know I am there?
SAG: Stop at No idea
etc.
I finally managed to cut through the confusion, but must admit, it is a daft name for a restaurant!
The Restaurant
No Idea is situated about 300 metres, or a 5 minutes walk, inside soi 18, on the left hand side. It is set back from the road, with steps leading up to an outside area. 
The inside is spacious and feels very roomy, with a modern decor and tables far enough away from each other that you can have a private conversation.
There is also a bar area, which has a bar menu, and there must be 1,000+ bottles of wine on the walls. The cocktails and wine menu is extensive, 
What makes the restaurant stand out is that there are a lot of staff, who are very attentive and are well trained, with excellent English. 
The menu has about 8-10 starters and the same number of main courses and desserts. But what is quite unique about No Idea is that the list of specials is probably bigger than the menu itself. I have never seen so many specials and they definitely change from visit to visit.
The type of food is modern farang, and is probably most similar to the Wine Connection on soi 11, although the quality at No Idea is way better and the service cannot be compared.
If you're thinking that it is expensive, you would be wrong, I had the grilled chicken and seasonal vegetable, which was about THB 500 and the portions were very generous.
ToTo had the Wagyu Carpaccio as a starter and then the seafood pasta, which she seemed to enjoy. The carpaccio was THB 550 and the seafood pasta, which had a lot of seafood in it was 950. 
A sign of a good restaurant is that there is little to no staff turnover and I recognised three of the waiting on staff from the previous visit.
Summary
If you are looking for a nice place, that has very good food and excellent service, but is neither pretentious nor over-priced, then No Idea ticks all of the boxes. It is a perfect place to take a LB out for a special occasion, without her feeling intimidated or like a fish out of water.
If you set the benchmark at Wine Connection, then that place gets a 3.5/5.0 from me, as it is just OK food, with cramped tables and so-so service, as compared to much better quality food, way better service and a nice spacious layout. It is the difference between a corporate chain restaurant and an individually owned establishment.
I give No Idea a 4.5/5.0 and IMHO it cannot be faulted.
Highly recommended if you fancy some farang food and it has a highly extensive drinks list!
The customers were mainly farangs and it was a nice relaxed atmosphere.
Cheers
SAG
 

Backstory
ToTo is visiting BKK as she is looking for wholesalers for her new Laos business and has also been invited to the WN04 Staff Trip later this week. @Behan suggested we take her to No Idea, which is a really nice restaurant on soi 18. 
I had visited No Idea with @Behan once before and remembered that it was a favourite of Iain's when it was located on soi 22. As Iain was a qualified chef, that was quite the recommendation.
There was a comical episode when I was trying to give the directions to ToTo:
ToTo: Where we meet?
SAG: No idea
ToTo: What name of restaurant?
SAG: No idea
ToTo: How I find it?
SAG: On soi 18.
ToTo: How I know I am there?
SAG: Stop at No idea
etc.
I finally managed to cut through the confusion, but must admit, it is a daft name for a restaurant!
The Restaurant
No Idea is situated about 300 metres, or a 5 minutes walk, inside soi 18, on the left hand side. It is set back from the road, with steps leading up to an outside area. 
The inside is spacious and feels very roomy, with a modern decor and tables far enough away from each other that you can have a private conversation.
There is also a bar area, which has a bar menu, and there must be 1,000+ bottles of wine on the walls. The cocktails and wine menu is extensive, 
What makes the restaurant stand out is that there are a lot of staff, who are very attentive and are well trained, with excellent English. 
The menu has about 8-10 starters and the same number of main courses and desserts. But what is quite unique about No Idea is that the list of specials is probably bigger than the menu itself. I have never seen so many specials and they definitely change from visit to visit.
The type of food is modern farang, and is probably most similar to the Wine Connection on soi 11, although the quality at No Idea is way better and the service cannot be compared.
If you're thinking that it is expensive, you would be wrong, I had the grilled chicken and seasonal vegetable, which was about THB 500 and the portions were very generous.
ToTo had the Wagyu Carpaccio as a starter and then the seafood pasta, which she seemed to enjoy. The carpaccio was THB 550 and the seafood pasta, which had a lot of seafood in it was 950. 
A sign of a good restaurant is that there is little to no staff turnover and I recognised three of the waiting on staff from the previous visit.
Summary
If you are looking for a nice place, that has very good food and excellent service, but is neither pretentious nor over-priced, then No Idea ticks all of the boxes. It is a perfect place to take a LB out for a special occasion, without her feeling intimidated or like a fish out of water.
If you set the benchmark at Wine Connection, then that place gets a 3.5/5.0 from me, as it is just OK food, with cramped tables and so-so service, as compared to much better quality food, way better service and a nice spacious layout. It is the difference between a corporate chain restaurant and an individually owned establishment.
I give No Idea a 4.5/5.0 and IMHO it cannot be faulted.
Highly recommended if you fancy some farang food and it has a highly extensive drinks list!
The customers were mainly farangs and it was a nice relaxed atmosphere.
Cheers
SAG
 

That's exactly how Dave used to run the place, and if you were a regular he'd often pull up a chair and sit down for half an hour or so. 

Yes the new owner makes a point of coming over to every table after your meal to check if everything was OK etc.
It is a great personal touch and you can see he takes a lot of pride in his restaurant.
SAG

Many of the No Idea staff were part of the furniture years ago, when it was in it's original iteration on Soi 22. 
Would regularly stop in for a chinwag and a beer with the old owner, Dave. 
He sold up to a French bloke, maybe a year ago, but i still hear good reports about the place. 
 

Backstory
ToTo is visiting BKK as she is looking for wholesalers for her new Laos business and has also been invited to the WN04 Staff Trip later this week. @Behan suggested we take her to No Idea, which is a really nice restaurant on soi 18. 
I had visited No Idea with @Behan once before and remembered that it was a favourite of Iain's when it was located on soi 22. As Iain was a qualified chef, that was quite the recommendation.
There was a comical episode when I was trying to give the directions to ToTo:
ToTo: Where we meet?
SAG: No idea
ToTo: What name of restaurant?
SAG: No idea
ToTo: How I find it?
SAG: On soi 18.
ToTo: How I know I am there?
SAG: Stop at No idea
etc.
I finally managed to cut through the confusion, but must admit, it is a daft name for a restaurant!
The Restaurant
No Idea is situated about 300 metres, or a 5 minutes walk, inside soi 18, on the left hand side. It is set back from the road, with steps leading up to an outside area. 
The inside is spacious and feels very roomy, with a modern decor and tables far enough away from each other that you can have a private conversation.
There is also a bar area, which has a bar menu, and there must be 1,000+ bottles of wine on the walls. The cocktails and wine menu is extensive, 
What makes the restaurant stand out is that there are a lot of staff, who are very attentive and are well trained, with excellent English. 
The menu has about 8-10 starters and the same number of main courses and desserts. But what is quite unique about No Idea is that the list of specials is probably bigger than the menu itself. I have never seen so many specials and they definitely change from visit to visit.
The type of food is modern farang, and is probably most similar to the Wine Connection on soi 11, although the quality at No Idea is way better and the service cannot be compared.
If you're thinking that it is expensive, you would be wrong, I had the grilled chicken and seasonal vegetable, which was about THB 500 and the portions were very generous.
ToTo had the Wagyu Carpaccio as a starter and then the seafood pasta, which she seemed to enjoy. The carpaccio was THB 550 and the seafood pasta, which had a lot of seafood in it was 950. 
A sign of a good restaurant is that there is little to no staff turnover and I recognised three of the waiting on staff from the previous visit.
Summary
If you are looking for a nice place, that has very good food and excellent service, but is neither pretentious nor over-priced, then No Idea ticks all of the boxes. It is a perfect place to take a LB out for a special occasion, without her feeling intimidated or like a fish out of water.
If you set the benchmark at Wine Connection, then that place gets a 3.5/5.0 from me, as it is just OK food, with cramped tables and so-so service, as compared to much better quality food, way better service and a nice spacious layout. It is the difference between a corporate chain restaurant and an individually owned establishment.
I give No Idea a 4.5/5.0 and IMHO it cannot be faulted.
Highly recommended if you fancy some farang food and it has a highly extensive drinks list!
The customers were mainly farangs and it was a nice relaxed atmosphere.
Cheers
SAG
 

Backstory
ToTo is visiting BKK as she is looking for wholesalers for her new Laos business and has also been invited to the WN04 Staff Trip later this week. @Behan suggested we take her to No Idea, which is a really nice restaurant on soi 18. 
I had visited No Idea with @Behan once before and remembered that it was a favourite of Iain's when it was located on soi 22. As Iain was a qualified chef, that was quite the recommendation.
There was a comical episode when I was trying to give the directions to ToTo:
ToTo: Where we meet?
SAG: No idea
ToTo: What name of restaurant?
SAG: No idea
ToTo: How I find it?
SAG: On soi 18.
ToTo: How I know I am there?
SAG: Stop at No idea
etc.
I finally managed to cut through the confusion, but must admit, it is a daft name for a restaurant!
The Restaurant
No Idea is situated about 300 metres, or a 5 minutes walk, inside soi 18, on the left hand side. It is set back from the road, with steps leading up to an outside area. 
The inside is spacious and feels very roomy, with a modern decor and tables far enough away from each other that you can have a private conversation.
There is also a bar area, which has a bar menu, and there must be 1,000+ bottles of wine on the walls. The cocktails and wine menu is extensive, 
What makes the restaurant stand out is that there are a lot of staff, who are very attentive and are well trained, with excellent English. 
The menu has about 8-10 starters and the same number of main courses and desserts. But what is quite unique about No Idea is that the list of specials is probably bigger than the menu itself. I have never seen so many specials and they definitely change from visit to visit.
The type of food is modern farang, and is probably most similar to the Wine Connection on soi 11, although the quality at No Idea is way better and the service cannot be compared.
If you're thinking that it is expensive, you would be wrong, I had the grilled chicken and seasonal vegetable, which was about THB 500 and the portions were very generous.
ToTo had the Wagyu Carpaccio as a starter and then the seafood pasta, which she seemed to enjoy. The carpaccio was THB 550 and the seafood pasta, which had a lot of seafood in it was 950. 
A sign of a good restaurant is that there is little to no staff turnover and I recognised three of the waiting on staff from the previous visit.
Summary
If you are looking for a nice place, that has very good food and excellent service, but is neither pretentious nor over-priced, then No Idea ticks all of the boxes. It is a perfect place to take a LB out for a special occasion, without her feeling intimidated or like a fish out of water.
If you set the benchmark at Wine Connection, then that place gets a 3.5/5.0 from me, as it is just OK food, with cramped tables and so-so service, as compared to much better quality food, way better service and a nice spacious layout. It is the difference between a corporate chain restaurant and an individually owned establishment.
I give No Idea a 4.5/5.0 and IMHO it cannot be faulted.
Highly recommended if you fancy some farang food and it has a highly extensive drinks list!
The customers were mainly farangs and it was a nice relaxed atmosphere.
Cheers
SAG
 

Backstory
Nan, who works at WN04, was off last Thursday and wanted to go out. When asked where did she fancy she replied: burgers, KFC or pizza! There is no pretence about Nan!
I'm not a fan of fast food and so pizza seemed like the best option.
Ordering pizza in BKK is like the proverbial 'game of two halves'. There is the mass market version, much beloved by the locals, which IMHO is a gooey mess of dough, stodge, oil and cheap cheese, all topped off with Ketchup!
However, BKK also does boast some very good pizzerias and one of my favourites is Vesuvio.
Vesuvio
This Italian owned pizzeria serves authentic wood-fired Neapolitan-style pizza. There are no stodgy thick crusts to be found here!
It is a small place, which maybe seats 15 inside and another 15 outside, so you need to be mindful of this when you visit. We were there just after 20.30 on a Thursday night, so the evening rush was over and there were free tables inside. 
It is quite easy to find. When walking into Soi 8 from Sukhumvit Road, it is located down the first side alley on the right hand side of Soi 8. About 30 metres in on the left hand side and there it is, bang opposite a very gaudy looking bar.
The menu is to be expected and has all of the usual antipasti and salads etc. The choice of pizzas is extensive and there is one for every taste, even Hawaiian! 
The Italian mixed platter as a starter looked very appetising and the Roman tourist sitting next to us rated it highly. A good sign for an 'ethnic' restaurant is if they attract visitors from their own country and it is very commonplace to find diners from the 'old country' eating at Vesuvio.
Nan went with the seafood pizza and I chose the ham and mushroom, because I am boring.
Both pizzas came out within about 15-20 minutes and they are large! This is why I skipped the starter. The look on Nan's face was priceless as she was more used to the smaller sized circles of dough served up by Pizza Hut etc.
To be fair to Nan, who normally has a sparrow-like appetite, she managed to finish off half of hers and had the waitress wrap up the other half to take back to WN04. She claimed she was going to give it to Tew, who had a bad month, but who knows?
I then persuaded her to try the tiramisu, which I knew she would enjoy. That was demolished and so was a great suggestion!
Summary
A great place for authentic pizza. Most of the pizzas started at THB 370, although they have a lunch time special that runs until 15.00 where you can get 2 for THB 650. 
I try to visit there once a quarter and it has always been consistent. It was Nan's first ever visit and she enjoyed it very much.
The quality of ingredients is very good and you can tell that the owner runs a tight ship in terms of standards.
Service was very efficient and friendly, with 3 waitresses.
The atmosphere is not what you would describe as romantic, like some trattoria-style restaurants, as it is too small for that. We were there for about an hour.
All of the customers were farangs, including Italians, Brits and some Scandis.
I would certainly recommend Vesuvio if you want that pizza fix and it is open for lunch and closes at 22.30.
Nan's Pizza - Plenty of Seafood Toppings

Nans Pizza again, but also a view of my ham and mushroom pizza

The Bottom Line - I thought it was very reasonable for quality food

Special Bonus Photo - Nan's Mai Tai at the bar we went to afterwards (the first of many cocktails!)

Ciao
SAG
 

The sea food joint on the corner of Sukhumvit and soi 11/1 is always very busy, often with queues waiting outside.
I've never bothered to go in there, but the Cambo girls from CS11 really rate it.
The Swan on soi 4 across the street from WN04 is also very good Thai food and great value. I've been there lots of times either before/after visits to WN04 and every time I have taken a girl there, they have always enjoyed it.
Finally, Kinaree in the New Business Inn on soi 11, near to Sukhumvit Road looks like a farang diner but has very good Thai food. In fact the Thai food is better than the farang food. Never had a complaint in the 10+ years I have been going there and it is open 24/7.
Cheers
SAG

Think of the downturn in straws!
@SAGuy will be gutted, he loves a stroll behind them as he makes his way along Soi11 

Exactly this - insurance. I am off to Asia for month next week. When booking the (company) flights, connections with EK, QR, EY etc are ~70% cheaper than what I am taking instead (BA direct, ANA etc).
FCDO is clear, advice against all but etc travel. Insurance companies will do whatever they can not pay out, so the moment you get stuck, let alone travel to the region (ME) and end up in hospital, medevac flight you are buggered. Queue a front page Daily Mail sob story image in your head of some family from shitsville in the UK stuck in Tenerife after granny had to have her kidneys removed. 
I will have to go to Oman, and that’s only possible with special company approval and dedicated insurance. Insurance Insurance insurance ….check check check.
I will be back in Bangkok as part of the trip - so may see some of you there. May even do a Lidl version of last years speed pool event. 
 
 

I actually thought it was a great idea and it would really suit a LB reaching retirement age. Maybe they could also have ST rooms upstairs?
The concept was in the making for 8+ months and whilst I wrote the script, another far more clever BM than me created the AI images.
What was interesting was how the AI models have improved over the past year. The original images weren't great and look cloned, but in the past few months, it has come along in leaps and bounds.
It is fascinating and scary at the same time.
My favourite image was the alley, if you look closely it really looks like a tip. You wouldn't want to stay in a hotel down soi 8/1.

Note I decided to create a fake soi to give the game away and as expected that's how we were busted on both forums. The jape did last longer than I thought though!
How the AI images improved over time:
The original versions of Amah









I actually got the hots for this version:


Amah and the Crew
Notice how the crew looked very 'clonish', this was a big problem with the earlier AI models.











Finally, I will share a video of my new online girlfriend with you all:
1754677950336.mp4
The creative genius behind all of this is a BM, whom I will not name, but he is more than welcome to step up and receive his accolades. He put a lot of work into all of this.
Cheers, until next year...
SAG

Background                                                      
I’ve been meaning to do a write-up about this recent discovery that I made whilst walking around the side sois of the Golden Triangle last week. 
BKK has many great coffee shops, but this is one with a difference and this is the third time that I have been back there in just under ten days. 
Read on and you will learn why… 
Bump and Grind
This caffeine oasis is located on soi 8/1 and has rapidly become my go-to place for an hour’s afternoon break from the hustle and bustle of BKK.  
The coffee shop is quite compact and has 6 tables inside and it is also busy for takeaways. Not only do they serve all of the usual variations of coffee, but they also have an inhouse bakery and provide a wide range of breads, cakes, and desserts, which change daily. 
The prices are in line with the Golden Triangle, and the cafe is kept spotlessly clean.  
So, what makes Bump and Grind so special and why do I keep going back?  
That’s extremely easy to answer – the coffee shop was founded by a certain Amah Klaowan, and it opened just two months ago.  
Amah had a successful career as a cabaret performer both in Phuket (Simon Cabaret) and BKK (Calypso). When she turned thirty, she decided to use her savings to establish a coffee shop, and this also explains why it is called ‘Bump and Grind.’ 
Did I mention that Amah is an exceedingly hot LB? 
One coffee shop – six hot LBs!
In addition to the gorgeous Amah, there are also two hot baristas, two counter servers and a sexy baker. Every friendly member of staff is a LB!
 
Specials
Bump and Grind had a soft launch in early February and by mid-March Amah realised that more than half of her customers are farangs. Luckily, her and all of the service staff have decent English. 
To cater to the farangs that have flocked to the shop, she has started running specials and this month there is a happy hour from 07.30-11.30 every day, with 25% off coffees and 10% off all food items.
 Some of the cakes and savouries on display
 
 Summary
I highly recommend this place. The coffee is really good and so are the sweet and savoury options. 
The eye candy is beyond outstanding, and Amah sends shivers down my spine, which trigger fantasies of her becoming the next ex-Mrs SAG.
 Location
Bump and Grind is quite easy to find, as it stands out due to the great signage. It is near the top of soi 8/1.
 
 Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear to be on Google Maps yet.
 Enjoy, but please be kind to Amah and the five lovely LB members of staff!
Cheers
SAG

Background                                                      
I’ve been meaning to do a write-up about this recent discovery that I made whilst walking around the side sois of the Golden Triangle last week. 
BKK has many great coffee shops, but this is one with a difference and this is the third time that I have been back there in just under ten days. 
Read on and you will learn why… 
Bump and Grind
This caffeine oasis is located on soi 8/1 and has rapidly become my go-to place for an hour’s afternoon break from the hustle and bustle of BKK.  
The coffee shop is quite compact and has 6 tables inside and it is also busy for takeaways. Not only do they serve all of the usual variations of coffee, but they also have an inhouse bakery and provide a wide range of breads, cakes, and desserts, which change daily. 
The prices are in line with the Golden Triangle, and the cafe is kept spotlessly clean.  
So, what makes Bump and Grind so special and why do I keep going back?  
That’s extremely easy to answer – the coffee shop was founded by a certain Amah Klaowan, and it opened just two months ago.  
Amah had a successful career as a cabaret performer both in Phuket (Simon Cabaret) and BKK (Calypso). When she turned thirty, she decided to use her savings to establish a coffee shop, and this also explains why it is called ‘Bump and Grind.’ 
Did I mention that Amah is an exceedingly hot LB? 
One coffee shop – six hot LBs!
In addition to the gorgeous Amah, there are also two hot baristas, two counter servers and a sexy baker. Every friendly member of staff is a LB!
 
Specials
Bump and Grind had a soft launch in early February and by mid-March Amah realised that more than half of her customers are farangs. Luckily, her and all of the service staff have decent English. 
To cater to the farangs that have flocked to the shop, she has started running specials and this month there is a happy hour from 07.30-11.30 every day, with 25% off coffees and 10% off all food items.
 Some of the cakes and savouries on display
 
 Summary
I highly recommend this place. The coffee is really good and so are the sweet and savoury options. 
The eye candy is beyond outstanding, and Amah sends shivers down my spine, which trigger fantasies of her becoming the next ex-Mrs SAG.
 Location
Bump and Grind is quite easy to find, as it stands out due to the great signage. It is near the top of soi 8/1.
 
 Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear to be on Google Maps yet.
 Enjoy, but please be kind to Amah and the five lovely LB members of staff!
Cheers
SAG

Seriously thinking of stealing the idea, along with the name and then opening a chain of coffee shops throughout all the main tourist areas of Thailand.
Now how do I get Fiat to come in 50/50 with me ?

If they brew a decent cappuccino,  they can sign me up as their first regular 

My anger is matched only by my disappointment. 

Thought this was an ideal name for a LB coffee shop or bar!