RICE / POTATO was born out of frustration after seeing the umpteenth travel blog push out yet another “10 things to do in Bangkok” article (saved you a click: it always contains The Grand Palace, Wat Pho, Khao San Road and 7 other generic hotspots). While this might be useful for your aunt visiting Thailand for the first time, we believe that the modern traveler demands a more sophisticated experience.
Bangkok and beyond
We decided that it was time to show others ‘our’ Bangkok. The Bangkok of kooky restaurants in Chinatown, deserted parks, retro furniture stores, 80-year-old breakfast shops, unique design hotels, hidden speakeasies and rooftop bars without the tourist crowds. A Bangkok where people don’t just eat Phad Thai on the sidewalk, where not every meal consists of rice or noodles and where you’ll find Michelin-starred meals for less than $10. A Bangkok that is often surprising yet sometimes funnily familiar.
Our mission is to help you make most out of your stay in Bangkok and beyond. We want to help you separate the wheat from the chaff and share a carefully curated selection of recommendations for places and experiences that we think are worth spending your time and money on.
As frequent travelers (for the past 5 years we have never not boarded a plane for more than 60 days), we don’t want to limit this journal to Bangkok-related content either. When traveling to a new destination, we spend an ungodly amount of time researching Instagram for off-the-tourist-radar places, beautiful boutique hotels and local restaurants with interesting stories. And because we’re good folks, we’re happy to share the fruits of this labor with you in a mix of hotel reviews, destination guides and other pieces of advice.
About the authors
The Rice
Etty, hailing from Taichung, Taiwan but has made Bangkok her home since 2013. Studied textile design and cultural management and worked in fashion in Taipei and Shanghai, but eventually ended up as an art teacher. Regularly writes about lifestyle and travel for Cosmopolitan Magazine, AZ Travel and on her personal blog, Ghost City BKK. A sucker for boutique- and luxury hotels, passionate yogi and avid traveler. Has a penchant for kooky clothing.
The Potato
Chris, born and raised in the Netherlands. Fell in love with Asia after his first visit in 2011 and came back a year and a half year later on an 8-month backpacking stint that brought him from Colombo to Shanghai and everywhere in between. Eventually stuck around, met Etty and landed a digital marketing job in Bangkok where he’s been living since 2014. Passionate about the intersection of tech, high-end hospitality, and design. Published travel writer. Spends too much time on Instagram.
rice / potato in the media
The Guardian – Cafes, courtyards and cha in Bangkok’s Chinatown
The Guardian – Coffee houses, Kali and palaces in India
Passion Passport – When living abroad, nothing is ordinary
The SUPPORT Arts and Crafts International Centre of Thailand (SACICT) – Thai Innovative Craft (video, Thai)
The Simple Things Magazine – My City: Bangkok (print)
Fathom – For Bangkok’s answer to Brooklyn, head to Chinatown
TSTMKRS Africa – Morocco Instagram Takeover @chrsschlkx
COSMOPOLITAN Taiwan 柯夢波丹 – rice / potato 專欄 (Chinese)
The Paper 澎湃新闻 – 如果你还认为唐人街只卖干货和燕鲍翅，该去曼谷翻篇了 (Chinese)
A Day Magazine – 生活時尚雜誌 rice / potato 專欄 (Chinese)
Metro Nieuws – Droombaan: Ik kan werken waar en wanneer ik maar wil (Dutch)
Metro Nieuws – Droombaan Nederlander: Op vakantie wanneer ik wil (Dutch)
Tourism Authority of Thailand – Thaise Souvenirs (Dutch)
Verkeersbureaus.info – Bangkok Local Top 5 (ebook, Dutch)
Work with us
It’s 2019, so by now you probably know how the whole ‘influencer marketing’ industry works. So do we (from both a client and influencer perspective), and we’re happy to help you promote your product, hotel or service if we see an alignment in our brands. Get in touch, and we’ll take it from there.
We’re big side-hustlers and are always open for freelance assignments with brands we can identify with. If your brand could use help with branding, blogging, copywriting (English and Chinese) or digital marketing, we’re all ears.