The Sensual Suanplu is hard to figure out. With its khun nuu décor and Cakeaholic bakery, it looks like it’s trying to be some kind of Thonglor hangout for rich chicks. But this place also has a live band on weekends, looks pretty run down in the light of day, and fares actually much better as a pub than a hangout for ladies who lunch (no one lunches there anyway). Most of the seating, from plastic chairs to aluminum Index garden sets, is outside, in the “wine garden” (no garden and forget the wine list). Inside, the décor suffers from a confusing mishmash of trendy décor tricks from the past 10 years: cutesy graffiti, empty frames, a raw cement wall and lots of “Victorian” motifs. Headed with a no-MSG statement, the large laminated menu sees a selection of Thai fare including appetizers, soups, noodles, stir-fried and single dishes. Obviously, you’re expected to be pretty drunk to enjoy most of them. The somtam with soft-shelled crab comes without dried shrimps but plenty of heat and peanuts—cheers! Although on the recommended menu, eating the chicken tendons pad kaprao is like chomping on a stir-fry of bones. Clearly attempting to be innovative, chicken green curry with omelet doesn’t really deserve its recommended dish status either as the curry tastes sweet and pre-made and the omelet becomes soggy almost instantly. In the tom kha gai, they replace red onions with cabbage and tomatoes. But the soup still retains that herbal aroma and makes a great dish to eat with rice. For desserts, the brownie is typical—high on sugar, low on chocolate. What about the bakery’s other specialties? On our last visit, there was only one kind of cake available. In the evening, with the band playing, this is not a bad place to drink—and perhaps eat: with such a long menu, you might learn which dishes to pick through trial and error. Corkage B100.
