A Workshop-Come-Restaurant-Come-Bar: Iron Fairies, Thong Lor, Bangkok

It's not everyday that one gets to sit in a dungeon-like, fully functioning blacksmith's workshop eating a burger and fries amongst gargoyles and fairies.  But in this crazy city known as Bangkok, one can.  

Enter through a narrow wooden doorway, drape back the black curtain to reveal a dramatic spiral iron staircase that looks as though it might lead up into some sort of enchanted Narnia. 

As your eyes take their time to adjust to the darkness, ambient jazz plays in the background and you will begin to realise that this place is like no other bar and restaurant.  It feels almost mystical, like some kind of secret society meeting chamber. 

Iron Fairies serve burgers and fries, so if you want any other food, I suggest you go looking elsewhere. 

Space is also quite limited, making for a more intimate experience.  I have to say, it is really a rather cool concept in a tiny little space.

There are a few burgers on offer and my dinner companion tonight - an American lady who I will refer to as Fluff - and I decided to choose two to share. 

Fluff being American knows a thing or two about the burger.  It is, afterall, an American institution and (according to Wikipedia) the hamburger appeared on the first printed American menu in 1826 from Delmonico's in New York.

Unfortunately I didn't record the names of any of the burgers on the menu nor the prices.  But from what I recall, they were between 190-230 baht.  Fluff went for a classic burger, and me having been brought up in England, ordered the bacon and egg burger. 

As we sat pondering life in this workshop, the burgers were brought to us on solid wooden chopping boards, held to the board with a big steak knife through the middle of each burger and the burgers themselves held together by two big barbeque sticks.  "Now that is a burger!" exclaimed Fluff.  I had to agree, it was indeed a burger in a bun as I know it.

As Fluff bit into her burger, she exclaimed how she could taste 'beef' ... "which is how a hamburger should be" she said with a look of approval.

As I bit into mine, there was no taste of beef.  I didn't read the description very well as it was simply a 'bacon, egg, lettuce and tomato' burger, (BELT) which was nice enough and is simply a BLT (bacon, lettuce and tomato) and a BET (bacon, egg and tomato) together. 

The bacon was crispy, the lettuce was crunchy, the tomato was a slice of 'beef' tomato and the bread bun was 'bready' ... just like bread from back in the UK.

We also ordered a side of fries which came out piping hot.  Again, as Fluff bit into the first of her fries, she looked over at me and said "You can taste the starch in these fries ... this is what fresh fries should taste like."  I grabbed one and bit into it, it reminded me of my homemade potato wedges (which are always very popular with guests by the way!).

The fries being irregular in shape suggests that they are handcut.  They were crispy on the outside, soft on the inside and non-greasy.

I really didn't have any complaints.  Fluff confessed to preferring her beef burger to my bacon burger.  For me, I liked them both for different reasons.  I can take a burger without the beef, although does that still make it a burger? Or would that just make it a bap sandwich?  I won't get all pendantic about it ....

If you want something different, take a visit to Iron Fairies, have a burger, have a drink and maybe take home a fairy as a souvenir or as a gift.

The Iron Fairies
394 Thonglor Road (Sukhumvit Soi 55), opposite Ton Krueng Thai Restaurant, Bangkok
Tel +66 (0)84 425 8080

Nearest BTS: Phrom Phong, exit 2.  At the bottom of the steps, take a taxi (about 50 baht depending on traffic) or motorsai to turn left into Sukhumvit Soi 55.  Stop just after Thong Lo Soi 12 on the right hand side.  Iron Fairies is just a little past Thong Lo Soi 12.

HOURS
Daily 6pm-2am

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Gourmet Burgers in Bangkok: Bangkok Burger Company, Thong Lo, Bangkok

A burger isn't the first thing one would associate with Bangkok, let alone Thailand.  But Thais, especially the younger generation love this Western import and the burger market over here is dominated by one big chain of golden arches.  Yep, you guessed who ... I don't need to spell it out.

So when I read about a gourmet burger joint that had opened very recently - in the last week in fact - I had to go check it out for myself, along with my dear mother (dm).

The 'Bangkok Burger Company' sits just inside Thong Lo Soi 10 on the left hand side as you enter the soi.  There are benches outside for those who want to puff away whilst eating (which I think is gross by the way) or those who just love the heat (in this case I think they are just mad, nothing worse than dripping sweat whilst eating).  Otherwise, step inside the air-conditioned red leather seated diner. 

Six person booths line the left wall, four person tables line the right, huge glass windows let in lots of natural light and serving girls are eager to take orders.

The yellow t-shirt girls are a friendly bunch, one came over to hand us the drink menus.  A quick peruse and there are milkshakes, soft drinks, hot drinks, fruit juices.

Then there is the food menu, which doubles up as a place mat.  It lists everything under separate headings: sides, toppings & sauces, salad, desserts, sandwiches (three choices), chicken (two choices), vegetarian (two choices) and a fish option, namely a fish finger burger.

There is a lunch time deal which runs from 11am until 2pm: a regular burger with a choice of soft drink for 199Baht plus 7% government tax.

With many burger choices to choose from, my dm asked me to pick one out for her, so with her consent of course, I picked out the Le Parisien: french brie topped with garlic mushrooms and a dijonaise sauce. 

I went for The Mexicana: Chilli con carne (beef), sour cream, salsa, grilled cheddar cheese and jalapenos.  OK, not exactly a traditional burger, more like a sloppy joe.  Who cares though, it's still beef in a bun right?

The open kitchen with a high counter is at the back, so you can see the chefs bustling away as they prepare your food which is great.

Music plays in the background and although it was a little quiet at first, customers started to trickle in whilst we were there.  You can tell that this place is brand spanking new, with shiny leather seating and freshly painted walls.  I am sure it will only be a matter of time before word to gets out about this place. 

Back to the burgers though.  I can't remember how long it took for our food to come out (wasn't too long and ugly), but they looked good.  Here is the Le Parisien with stack of thick cut chips, skins still on, yummy!

The Mexicana, which if I do say so myself, looks mighty meaty here.  This one came with a salad, which I didn't feel needed to be in the picture as the burger was the star of the show.  Like a true sloppy joe, the beef slopped out of the joe (as I cut into it) and went straight into my mouth.

Here are some pictures of a few other tempting things on offer:

So what did I think of the burgers?  Execution and presentation were pretty good as the burgers were lovingly juicy and very meaty.  The thick cut chips were crunchy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.  The salad was nicely dressed.  All the ingredients were fresh and tasty.  They certainly make an effort to give you a 'gourmet' burger experience.

However, I felt a little let down by the buns.  I like my buns (bread buns that is) to have a crispy crunch and these didn't quite have that crunchy edge.  I also found the bread a teeny bit sweet for my liking, which I find is typical of bread found in Thailand.  Many Thais tell me this is how they like their bread.  My dm didn't seem to notice, she is Thai by the way.

All in all, I think it's great that there is a dedicated gourmet burger diner in Bangkok.  I wish them well and I will look forward to going back for another little jaunt in the future.  

In the meantime, Bangkok Burger Blog was fortunate enough to have had a sneak peak tasting and I for one will be interested in reading their review in the near future.

Bangkok Burger Company
Thong Lo Soi 10, Bangkok, Thailand
Nearest BTS: Phrom Phong and the take a motorbike or car taxi to Thong Lo Soi 10.

HOURS
Daily 11am-11pm

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