Bangkok’s Greenest Restaurants and Shops
30/10/2019
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From locavore dining to clean beauty, here are some of our favourite Bangkok businesses charting a greener course.
Bo.lan
If the Michelin star and multitudinous awards, including Asia’s Best Female Chef, aren’t enough to tempt you into Duangporn ‘Bo’ Songvisava and Dylan Jones’ sultry villa restaurant, then the ultra-green credentials almost certainly will. Making a successful marriage of old and new, this Thai/Oz power couple have fused traditional Thai heritage cooking with a zero-carbon, zero-waste approach, sourcing all ingredients locally or from the onsite garden – and although not quite meat-free, much of Bo.lan’s ‘slow food’ champions the humble veg.
Rasayana Retreat
One of Bangkok’s first holistic wellness centres, feel-good fixer Rasayana Retreat occupies a peaceful zen-redeeming garden tucked off the manic main drag of Sukhumvit. Alongside the cleansing programs and spa treatments is a pioneering raw food cafe, serving a variety of animal, wheat, gluten and dairy-free dishes like mock-salmon sushi, courgette carbonara, and banoffee pie.
Refill Station
With the beautiful shores of Thailand awash with unsightly plastic waste, and only 9.5% of plastic being recycled worldwide, it was only a matter of time before Bangkok businesses caught onto the benefit of ‘reduce and reuse’ over ‘recycle’. Refill Station is leading the way as Thailand’s first-ever bulk store, where you can refill your empty shampoo, shower gel and detergent containers, as well as shop a variety of green products like biodegradable bamboo straws and toothbrushes. Neat!
Ecotopia
‘Shopping mall’ might not be synonymous with saving the planet, but Siam Discovery has savvily jumped aboard the Gen Y eco-movement with their recently rebranded fourth floor – Ecotopia – a retail zone promoting only eco-friendly produce. Go on a guilt-free spree with goodies spanning everything from natural cosmetics and organic clothing to health food and green gadgets.
The DAG
Set within the big open kitchen of hip container complex Warehouse 30, convivial communal diner DAG is bringing its eco A-game to the table with a seasonal, nose-to-tail, locavore dining experience. The menu changes every 1-2 weeks; hot right now so do book ahead.
Bo.lan / 24 Soi Sukhumvit 53 / +66 2 260 2962 / lunch Sat-Sun, dinner Tue-Sun / bolan.co.th
Rasayana Retreat / 57 Soi Sukhumvit 39 / +66 2 662 4803 / 9am-9pm daily / rasayanaretreat.com
Refill Station / Sukhumvit Soi 77/1 / +66 86 993 6566 / 8am-10pm daily / refillstationbkk.com
Ecotopia / Siam Discovery / 989 Rama I Rd / 10am-10pm daily / siamdiscovery.co.th
The DAG / Room 5 / Warehouse 30 / Charoenkrung Soi 30 / +66 87 363 2629 / noon-10pm Tue-Sun / @DAG
Bo.lan
If the Michelin star and multitudinous awards, including Asia’s Best Female Chef, aren’t enough to tempt you into Duangporn ‘Bo’ Songvisava and Dylan Jones’ sultry villa restaurant, then the ultra-green credentials almost certainly will. Making a successful marriage of old and new, this Thai/Oz power couple have fused traditional Thai heritage cooking with a zero-carbon, zero-waste approach, sourcing all ingredients locally or from the onsite garden – and although not quite meat-free, much of Bo.lan’s ‘slow food’ champions the humble veg.
Rasayana Retreat
One of Bangkok’s first holistic wellness centres, feel-good fixer Rasayana Retreat occupies a peaceful zen-redeeming garden tucked off the manic main drag of Sukhumvit. Alongside the cleansing programs and spa treatments is a pioneering raw food cafe, serving a variety of animal, wheat, gluten and dairy-free dishes like mock-salmon sushi, courgette carbonara, and banoffee pie.
Refill Station
With the beautiful shores of Thailand awash with unsightly plastic waste, and only 9.5% of plastic being recycled worldwide, it was only a matter of time before Bangkok businesses caught onto the benefit of ‘reduce and reuse’ over ‘recycle’. Refill Station is leading the way as Thailand’s first-ever bulk store, where you can refill your empty shampoo, shower gel and detergent containers, as well as shop a variety of green products like biodegradable bamboo straws and toothbrushes. Neat!
Ecotopia
‘Shopping mall’ might not be synonymous with saving the planet, but Siam Discovery has savvily jumped aboard the Gen Y eco-movement with their recently rebranded fourth floor – Ecotopia – a retail zone promoting only eco-friendly produce. Go on a guilt-free spree with goodies spanning everything from natural cosmetics and organic clothing to health food and green gadgets.
The DAG
Set within the big open kitchen of hip container complex Warehouse 30, convivial communal diner DAG is bringing its eco A-game to the table with a seasonal, nose-to-tail, locavore dining experience. The menu changes every 1-2 weeks; hot right now so do book ahead.
Bo.lan / 24 Soi Sukhumvit 53 / +66 2 260 2962 / lunch Sat-Sun, dinner Tue-Sun / bolan.co.th
Rasayana Retreat / 57 Soi Sukhumvit 39 / +66 2 662 4803 / 9am-9pm daily / rasayanaretreat.com
Refill Station / Sukhumvit Soi 77/1 / +66 86 993 6566 / 8am-10pm daily / refillstationbkk.com
Ecotopia / Siam Discovery / 989 Rama I Rd / 10am-10pm daily / siamdiscovery.co.th
The DAG / Room 5 / Warehouse 30 / Charoenkrung Soi 30 / +66 87 363 2629 / noon-10pm Tue-Sun / @DAG