Decompressing with Jim Thomson's creative director

Renowned Thai interior designer/author Ou Baholyodhin, 42, is hard to track down in his native Bangkok. The English-educated creative director for the Thai silk company Jim Thompson spends a lot of time in his remote home in a coconut plantation on the Gulf of Thailand coast, on the road in one of his various vintage vehicles or overseas.

In fact, earlier this year he returned from the UK with several broken ribs acquired in a high speed, head-on collision while motor-racing. We caught up with him when he was recovering in his normal relaxed fashion in the Thai capital to find out his favorite Bangkok hangouts.

“I do use Bangkok in a rather peculiar fashion. Whilst most residents make a dash for the suburban seaside ghetto of Hua Hin -- an entire issue of [local magazine] Prestige vouched by a long list of hi-soristocrats could not convince me of it being a haven of peace or a timewarp resort of period charm -- I tend to take the opportunity to enjoy a less hectic pace in the metropolis. Agalico in Sukhumvit 51 works for me -- it’s only open on weekends, when I tend to be in Bangkok. There I can get my fix of Darjeeling and cucumber sandwiches any time of day. It’s the Bangkok equivalent of a lazy day by the log fire,” Ou says, exposing his Anglophile background.

“Evenings I tend to be at Extra Virgin, on Sukhumvit 53. It’s an easy-going place, close to home and the bar can fix a decent Martini or G&T and the kitchen offers a simple menu of comfort food. Nothing wow ... but that suits me fine, ‘cos I don’t do 'wow.'”