Do I like cats?
Am I a lover of cats?
Well, yes, and no.
It depends.
Sometimes I prefer dogs more than cats.
Sometimes it's the other way round.
I'm not someone to reject a suggestion to visit a cat cafe, however, especially when in Thailand, so after a breakfast of leftover Lahmajun (yes the portion was quite big) and leftover tomato salad (from Crystal restaurant at Asiatique the night before), we went.
The first thing one notices about Mohu Mohu Cafe is the decor, and the structure. There's a system about it that makes the place run neat, and the staff- he happened to be at the cashier- knows exactly what to do. We were given a quick run-through, we ordered some drinks and food, and up we went.
Three floors (plus) Mohu Mohu Cafe occupies, with the first and second being the dining space and the third for the cats where they all freely roam.
If there's one thing that differs between cats and dogs it's that cats are probably more temperamental, with individual characteristics, and they need more incentives (like cat food) to interact with you.
But we did get some very handsome pictures, and with the weapon of cat food in hand, we got a fair bit of interaction as well.
After Mohu Mohu- which I think is run by a Japanese expat, by the way- we Grabbed over to ICONSIAM.
At first I had no idea for what reason it were that we were there- I mean, I'm not very much of a window shopper- but oy, as it turned out, there were some great retail there.
It's not every day that I get to see a retail mix of H&M with Dior on the same floor three doors down, or Thai cosmetics brand Mistine together with Sephora a mere couple of feet away.
Speaks a lot about branding and brand perspective from the consumers' point of view, maybe.
Speaks a lot too about their spending habits and the value they put towards skin care, cosmetics, (imported) perfumes and clothes.
We didn't hang around the lower floors for long.
Instead we headed upstairs to the upper floors, stopping first, however, to get a pair of high cut black canvas sneakers that made anyone who wore them look startup-ready, and casual smart with a look pulled together
Then it was the event halls on the 6th (or was it 7th) floor.
We were surprised by the space of these event halls.
But we were surprised more by the presence of the casual restaurant/eatery located on the upper deck floor.
I've forgotten the name, but the view from the top floor was glorious.
So was the food.
From where we sat we could look across the Chao Phraya River and her strong currents to the hotels opposite, including the established facade of Mandarin Oriental, and the two wings of Shangri-La.
Food wise, we decided to order pizza- complete with chunks of juicy pineapple overlaid with thick, gooey cheese on one side, and loaded with pretty whirls of parma ham on the other.
No drinks, but we had a lovely plate of beef carpaccio that came with a sauce so good.
We ate slowly, and I had thought that we'd be done with food by this time- I mean, we were getting full, the thin crust pizza was good and we'd finished all the carpaccio- but then there was another place we hadn't yet gone- and which it had been recommended as a good place to go.
So off it was from ICONSIAM to another part of town, passing through the area I think they call the Old City, past (maybe) the Victory Monument, and out onto Mahachai Road in Pranakorn.
I'm not familiar with the area- really am not- but standing in line outside Thipsamai together with other patrons waiting to get in- I took a few pictures, and they turned out really beautiful.
How is it that a simple, run-of-the-mill 711 convenience store looks different in the dusky light?
How is it that these shops- I don't know what street they are on- glow with a beauty that is hard to find in other places elsewhere?
I've no idea where I am, really.
But there is, I believe, a history to this place.
And there is a rich story to Thipsamai that's reflected in the dioramas next to my table, and in this beautifully arranged plate of very, very original Pad Thai (Padthai with shrimp oil, fresh deep sea prawns and egg, actually) and this platter of spring rolls that my friend and I completely fell in love with, and love it still.
