The buzz: Located next to the lobby of the newly-opened Ashton Condominium in Sukhumvit Soi 38, The Bookshop is the brainchild of Ashley Sutton, the man who brought you Iron Fairies, Fat Gut’z and Mr. Jones’ Orphanage. His buddy, mixologist Joseph Boroski, is doing the cocktails.   

The décor: Sutton’s done it again. It could be a wizard’s library that’s being swept up by a magical tornado in an old Disney movie, a tangled cyclone of books, bookcases and staircases; or an Alice in Wonderland meets Captain Nemo fantasy of wrought iron tendrils, marble gueridons and fun house mirrors. In real world-terms, you’ve got a rather small space with bar stool seating and another area with plump, velvet couches.

The music: Soft chill-out stuff ranging from bossanova covers to pop-jazz. Conversation-friendly but not particularly inspired.

The crowd: The condominium’s residents and Sutton fans tracking down his latest creation.  

The drinks: The cocktails are divided by alcohol level into three stages: Introduction, Chapter 1 and The End. In Introduction, the must-try is The Librarian with blended pink peppercorn infused rum, fresh crushed pineapple, raspberry liqueur, jasmine syrup, lime juice and basil essence drops (B340). Another nice warm-up, Romance Novel is very aromatic and freshly sweet with the use of strawberry as the main ingredient, creating an interesting foamy texture as it gets shaken with homemade jasmine syrup silver rum and fresh lime (B290). In Chapter 1, The Plot-Thickness sees a mix of fresh mango, peppercorn-infused vodka, fresh lime and vodka (B290). And at The End, The Edgar Allen Poe (vodka, fresh citrus, palm sugar, and pink grapefruit, B290). Right now the menu doesn’t offer too much choice as the bar is actually in a soft opening period, but come March, the full menu will be available. Try salmon tartar served in waffle cones with spicy jelly (B220), grilled African chicken skewers served with grilled pineapple and tortilla chips (B190) or spicy prawn spaghetti (B270).   

Why you’ll come back: Boroski sure knows his drinks, and Sutton always delivers moody, unique venues that offer just the right mix of excitement and chill-factor. Give them a try on this Valentine’s night to get 15% off on food by presenting this issue of BK. Vasachol Quadri