I
don't know if you've noticed, but the current trend
in clubs around town is to have a DJ put on music
and entertain during the band's breaks. One such venue
is the recently opened Retro Live Cafe located at
the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center. Easily
accessible, just go through gate No. 4 at the Convention
Center and you can park right out front. Formerly
the Debut Cafe, Retro is spacious if nothing else.
In fact it's huge. With over 1,000sqm of space, finding
a table was not a problem. The whole place is done
out in red, white and black and it does have a certain
retro look as the name implies. As with everything
else the stage at Retro is big, taking up the entire
end wall on the left side as you walk in and the state-of-the-art
sound system looks like an audiophiles wet dream.
The volume was not offensive, as one would expect
from looking at the gear these boys have to play with.
Having selected a table slightly back from the middle
I had a walk around the massive hall. In the back,
at the far end from the stage, is an area with sofas,
obviously intended for those who want a conversation
without having to compete with the band. A chrome
and glass counter bar provides the drinks. It is difficult
not to get lost among all those tables and chairs,
but having made my way back to my chosen spot for
the evening I asked for a menu.
Boasting nearly 90 items in its 10 or so pages, the
menu features everything from local favourites to
imported New Zealand steaks. I had the Retro hors
d'oeuvres and baked spinach with baby clams. The hors
d'oeuvres were interesting with slices of smoked pork
leg, deep-fried sun-dried duck breast and rounded
out with a deep-fried wonton stuffed with crabmeat
cream cheese. After that little session it was almost
mandatory to go with the somewhat healthier baked
spinach with baby clams. Suffice to say both dishes
are highly recommendable. The beers were cold and
priced at between 100-150 baht, depending on your
particular brand of poison.
Retro features a variety of entertainment, beginning
at 7pm and ending at 10.30pm weekdays and 11.30pm
weekends. Each band plays an hour, the DJ comes on
for 15 minutes and then there's a new band. The ‘Almost
Eagles’ came on and played, surprisingly enough, Eagles
songs. All the favourites were covered in fine style,
as was to be expected with the band being led by experienced
local musicians Manoch Pudtan and Tanet Sukwat. No
Eagles set is complete without the die-hard "Hotel
California", but the band did an excellent job
on every tune. The DJ came on and I went outside to
take a phone call and have a quick smoke, missing
the 15-minute slot of entertainment by The Kool Otto.
Oh well, up next was the country music trio, Don-Toon-Golf.
What was surprising about these guys was not so much
that they play 70-ish American country music, but
that they play it so well. Country music is still
kickin' in Bangkok. Chicken pickin' down home while
overlooking the lake on the grounds of the TTM. What
can I say?
Retro also features a bevy of well-known guest stars
during the week and at the weekend, with entertainment
being changed on a monthly basis.
By this time the live music was coming to an end and
it was time to move. I would definitely recommend
the Retro Live Cafe as a good place to start your
evening and the menu has many interesting options
for a full dinner as well. |
