The buzz: Nestled quite far out of town in the Ramkamhaeng area, Haus20 Design & Dine is owned by the member of our fave new electro-rock band, Dot, Anucha “Off“ Ochareon and a friend, Natchaphan “Ae“ Pisarnkoskul who supplies the vintage furniture that litters the place. The bar has been around for a little while, but has only recently announced itself as a serious live music venue by hosting a slew of gigs from bands on Panda Records and Lemon Factory.

The décor: The four-story shophouse is a bit like a Ramkhamhaeng version of Moose (Ekkamai Soi 21), but whereas the décor at the Ekkamai bar is industrial, Haus20 is more mid-20th century modern. Only the blue-tone first floor is a dedicated bar, but even one side of that is being used as a furniture showroom, while the functional half is filled with retro sofa sets. The second floor used to be a vintage clothes shop, but is now being used as the office for indie label Rat Records. The third floor is a full-on furniture store filled with imported vintage furniture for rent, with select pieces for sale. The top floor is actually an empty space but has been used to stage some gigs, too. 

The music: As the owners are friends with hip man-about-town Pok Stylish Nonsense, the bar has become the venue-of-choice for bands signed to Panda Records, as well as other rising underground acts like Colonial, Tabasco and Wednesday. Aside from concert nights, the owners’ playlist is a pretty hip mix of new (cuts from the new Daft Punk album) and old (R.E.M. and The Radio Dept).
The crowd: As all the owners are involved in design or the music biz, the clientele is a heady mix of media industry hipsters and starry-eyed post-naew kids.   

The price: The overall atmosphere of the bar calls for a spot of bottle sharing. Whiskey starts from Sangsom (B240 for 300ml), 100 Pipers (B580), Red Label (B750 per 700ml) up to Black Label, Jack Daniel’s and Chivas Regal at B1,300 per 700ml. Mixers are B30. Singha and Heineken are available small (B90-100) or large (B140-150), while Beerlao Lager and Beerlao Dark only come in small (B100-110). Classic cocktails like gin and tonic, martini and long island iced-tea are also available at B130. Food comprises little more than spaghetti and some munchies. Try the beer-friendly dishes like deep-fried chicken wings (B90), which are a bit salty but totally addictive, or the salmon canapé (B180). The spaghetti tom yum seafood (B140) is pretty spicy, so if you can’t handle the heat opt for the something safer like the spaghetti with bacon (B140).          

Why you’ll come back: Their regular gigs are the big draw, but even so, the chill atmosphere, hip soundtrack and cool crowd make Haus20 Design & Dine a choice spot for after-work drinks or a more intimate weekend hangout. Vasachol Quadri