Bringing together some of the city's foremost artisan producers and restaurateurs, this new community mall on Thonglor 17 is a foodie's paradise
THE last thing Bangkok needs, you may think, is another shopping mall. But The Commons is no ordinary mall.
Owned and managed by the same team behind Bangkok’s popular Roast restaurants and Roots Coffee shops, and some four years in the making, this new four-storey venture ditches the usual community mall set-up and instead really puts the emphasis on community.
No McDonald’s. No Starbucks. No Boots. No other international brands that are normally shoe-horned into malls simply because they’re known to generate foot traffic. The Commons is much more exciting than that.
Owned and managed by the same team behind Bangkok’s popular Roast restaurants and Roots Coffee shops, and some four years in the making, this new four-storey venture ditches the usual community mall set-up and instead really puts the emphasis on community.
No McDonald’s. No Starbucks. No Boots. No other international brands that are normally shoe-horned into malls simply because they’re known to generate foot traffic. The Commons is much more exciting than that.
“Our aim from the outset was to offer something different to all the other malls in Bangkok,” says The Commons’ co-founder, Varatt Vichit Vadakan, who, prior to returning to Thailand in 2006, spent 13 years in the States divided between Boston and California. “We wanted to try and capture a similar spirit to London’s Covent Garden, and Napa’s Oxbow Public Market – albeit on a much smaller scale.” Co-founder and Managing Director Vicharee Vichit Vadakan explains more: “We wanted to create somewhere in Thonglor which suits families as much as it does foodies and night-owls. A bustling community hub where you can while away time sipping high quality coffees, sampling some of the finest foods the city has to offer, and even buying quality produce to take home.” From the ground floor up, The Commons is all about quality. Take the ground floor ‘food hall.’ Here you’ll find outlets operated by some of the most respected names in the business – Soul Food (Thai), Peppina (pizza and pasta), The Beer Cap (craft beers), Maison Jean Philippe (amazing baguettes and freshly baked bread to take home), Meat & Bones (ribs), Bao and Buns (Taiwanese), and Mexican newcomer Barrio Bonito (read more about the restaurant here) – all under one roof. |
You can opt to enjoy your food and drinks in the restaurants’ dedicated seating areas, or at communal seating arranged in an air conditioned central area. Or head outside to sit by a large central staircase and enjoy the constant breeze generated by a huge fan that looks like it was removed from the top of a helicopter.
You can buy high quality foodstuffs from Sourced Grocers, fine coffees at Roots, head to the second floor for some delicious waffles at Jona Waffle, and even venture to the fourth floor to enjoy Roast’s renowned comfort food in a bright and airy dining room with a crackling atmosphere. On this floor there’s also a communal kitchen where chefs and owners of restaurants within The Commons will host regular cooking demonstrations.
The Commons is not only focused on food, of course. While at time of writing the mall was still in its soft opening phase, by the time you read this the onsite offerings will include a play area for kids, an educational toy store, a Yoga and Pilates studio, flower shops, and other little shops offering sweets and some of life’s simple treats. “Basically, we’ve brought together a group of people who want to do simple things right,” says Varatt. “We have 30 tenants in total – and each are experts in their own respective fields.” While bringing together respected artisans under one roof may sound like an amazing idea on paper, Varatt and Vicharee say that bringing the project to life was far from easy. “Because we weren’t following the usual mall formula it was difficult at first to find investors,” says Vicharee. “But luckily we found a group of people who shared our vision, and we were finally able to bring this dream to life. Now we just hope we can make it a success.” Our verdict: it’s a sure-fire hit. If only all community malls in Bangkok could be like this. Thonglor Soi 17, www.thecommonsbkk.com |