The 2010 BK Readers’ Choice Awards results are in!

Welcome to the 2010 BK Magazine Readers’ Choice Awards. We’re writing this wearing gown dresses and tuxedos and we hope you’re as excited as we are. This year, we’ve revamped categories a bit, particularly where big name brands (or venues) tended to always come out on top. We also provided some drop down selections on some categories, just to help refresh your mind. “Favorite New Bar? What bars opened in 2009 anyway?” And it worked, sort of. Demo, Tsu and Let’s Sea are refreshing additions to our hall of fame. But you’ll also find plenty of stalwarts of the Reader’s Choice Awards, from Thai Airways to Q Bar, which in a way, is even more impressive. As we near our ninth anniversary, we’re fully aware of the effort that goes into staying at the top. Don’t forget; these awards are the result of an online vote by our readers; they’re not BK Magazine’s picks. And now, we officially declare the awards ceremony open.

 

CITY LIVING

Person of the Year: Abhisit Vejjajiva

Retaining his crown, Abhisit managed to battle through a tough year and squeeze home as winner with nearly 43% of the vote. Still he had to fight off a late charge by Chiang Mai’s adopted son, Ling Ping, who finished just 16 votes behind.

Most Annoying Celebrity: Thaksin Shinawatra

A victim of his own success, Lin Ping makes a strong show in this category as well. What, 24/7 Panda TV a bit too much for you? Nathan Oman’s bad run of luck continued when he could only manage second place in this category. The big winner, though, is Thaksin Shinawatra. Looks like BK readers don’t dig red.

Favorite New Thing in Bangkok: Thonburi BTS Extension

Things got a lot tighter in this category with both BB fever and the BACC making strong showings. The airport express rail link scored high, too. Uhm, guys, it’s not even open yet! But the clear winner was the BTS extension to Wongwian Yai, which finally opened last year, despite it being mega-delayed and causing chaos and overcrowding.

 

CULTURAL PURSUITS

Favorite Art Gallery: TCDC

BACC scored highly when it came to your favorite venue for a spot of art but couldn’t topple last year’s winner and long term favorite, TCDC. What about private galleries? Jim Thompson lagged far behind, not to mention the plethora of private commercial galleries.
>> TCDC, 6/F The Emporium Shopping Complex, 622 Sukhumvit Soi 24, 02-664-8448. Open Tue-Sun 10:30am-9pm

Favorite Thai Film: Bangkok Traffic Love Story

Your general obsession with the skytrain extends into your cinematic tastes. The hit Bangkok Traffic Love Story made it to #1 thanks mostly to heartthrob Ken Theeradej.

Worse Thai Film: Pai in Love

While you went head over heels for romance in Bangkok, moving up north put a chill in your heart. A whopping 54% of voters gave a big thumbs down to the stellar cast and flimsy storytelling of Pai in Love.

 

HEALTH

Favorite Spa: Health Land

It’s clean, it’s professional, the masseuses actually know what they’re doing and, if you buy your massages ten at a time, you can get a one-hour Thai massage for as little as B250.
>> Healthland Ekamai, 96/1 Sukhumvit Soi 63, 02-393-2233. Open daily 9am-11pm. www.healthlandspa.com

Favorite Gym: Fitness First

Fitness First scrapes past True Fitness by a couple votes. Obviously, you like your gym less busy and marketing techniques that are not akin to psychological warfare. (California Wow dropped from first place to third.) Fitness First, a well-deserved name.
>> Fitness First Plus, Sukhumvit Soi 39, 02-262-0520/-2. www.fitnessfirst.co.th

Favorite Yoga Studio: Absolute Yoga

This has got to be one of the most comprehensive wins in the entire survey. Absolute Yoga is clearly the guru for body-bending poses from Vinyasa to Ashtanga.
>> 4/F, Amarin Plaza, Ploenchit Rd., www.absoluteyogabangkok.com

Favorite Hospital: Bumrungrad

Look at the ranking for this award, compare prices and it seems best also means most expensive in your book. Bumrungrad does make Bangkok proud. It’s not just a hospital, it’s a five-star hotel, and the equipment there is truly top-notch. It’s good to get sick in Bangkok—as long as you can afford it.
>> Bumrungrad Hospital, 33 Sukhumvit Soi 3, 02-667-1000. BTS Nana. www.bumrungrad.com
 

 NIGHTLIFE

Favorite Bar: Q Bar

No stranger to our Readers’ Choice Awards, the Soi 11 venue keeps its DJ booth well stocked with top-shelf mixers and keeps its bar mixing groovy cocktails with only the most renowned spirits. Or is it the over way around? In any case, you love ‘em for it.
>>Q Bar, 34 Sukhumvit Soi 11, 02-252-3274. Open daily 7pm-late.

Favorite Nightclub: Demo

Q Bar came within an inch of snatching this one too, but it’s Demo that closes the race. A newcomer to our awards, Demo had a huge impact on nightlife this year, taking electro beyond Soi 11 and to a younger audience.
>> Demo, Thonglor Soi 10, 02-711-6970/1. Open daily 8pm-2am.

Favorite New Bar: Demo

Unsurprisingly, Demo also clinches Favorite New Bar, this time as a very clear win over runner-up Funky Villa.
Favorite Place for Live Music: Brown Sugar
Wow, Saxophone really tumbled down the charts as Brown Sugar took a comfortable lead on the rest of the old school pack (Brick Bar, Muse, Winebridge).
>> Brown Sugar, 231/20 Sarasin Rd., 02-250-0103.

Favorite Place for DJs: Bed Supperclub

A well-deserved victory for Bed, who flew in Juggy D and DJs Tittsworth and Benny Benassi this year alone. Interestingly, Q Bar reclaimed (barely) the second spot from 808—obviously their efforts (such as the Hed Kandi series and DJs A-Trak and Mehdi) did not go entirely unnoticed.
>> Bed Supperclub, 26 Sukhumvit Soi 11, 02-651-3537. Open daily 7:30pm-1am.

Favorite Venue for Happy Hour: Hard Rock tied with Londoner

Coyote on Convent drops off the map as America and England collide. Londoner, ok, we get. It’s been the poster child of post-work drinking for years. But Hard Rock? That’s something we’ll have to try out next time our Siam Square retail therapy fails to produce euphoric results.
>>The Londoner, 591 Basement, UBC II Bldg., Sukhumvit Soi 33, 02-261-0238/9. Open daily 9-1am., Hard Rock, Siam Square Soi 11, 02-251-0797.

Favorite Venue for Ladies Night: Bed Supperclub

Overwhelmingly, beyond a shadow of a doubt, as sure as Carrie Bradshaw’s stilettos are Manolo Blahnik, Bed Supperclub is where the girls like to gather. Or is that where the guys like to gather round the girls? Maybe we need to break down results according to gender next time.

Favorite Gay Venue: DJ Station (Silom Soi 2)

Last year was pretty momentous in that 70s bar managed to break Silom Soi 2’s uninterrupted series of wins. This year’s result reflects the complete disintegration of Langsuan as a gay zone. DJ Station has twice as many votes as the runner-ups.

Favorite Place to Hook Up: Q Bar

This is one where results are so spread out, Bed and Q Bar naturally come out on top, but really it seems there’s little consensus on the best place to get lucky. Q Bar does make a fitting winner, though. Why? Just go alone and find out.

 

Favorite Beer: Heineken

They had the best beer garden and threw the best concerts; it’s really hard to see how anyone could hope to compete with the green bottle. Marketing aside, the fact that it taste’s great might also account for a few votes.

Favorite Spirit: Johnnie Walker

A classic choice for our tasteful readers. What’s interesting is that if you combine votes for vodka brands and whiskey brands, the split is roughly fifty-fifty. Obviously, our drinking habits are changing.

Favorite Budget Wine:  Jacob’s Creek

Again, a new category to reflect your changing tastes, where we hoped Thai wines would get a chance to shine. It didn’t quite play out that way, though. Distant runner-up Penfold’s is still far ahead of PB Winery and Monsoon Valley. Congratulations to Jacob’s Creek—wine is really becoming the new beer!

Favorite Party: Greenspace at Centara

Well, duh. Brand New Heavies, Tahiti 80—who these days still makes the effort to fly in talented foreign bands? The turnout was just as impressive, thousands of Bangkokians swarming Centara for what was definitely the party of the year.

Cutest Staff: Q Bar

Another win for Q Bar, in the only category that really matters to most of us. Yeah, sure, cool DJs and great cocktails are nice, but if the staff ain’t smokin’ hot, we ain’t gonna bother goin’.

 

DINING

Favorite Western Fine Dining: Vertigo (Banyan Tree)

With most votes going to last year’s winner of Favorite Restaurant with a View and Favorite Outdoor Dining, Vertigo retains a prestigious crown despite us dropping those categories. OK, so we bet none of you could name Vertigo’s chef, but when it comes to choosing a top restaurant, it’s obviously all about atmosphere. In that department, the vertiginous thrills and five-star service at Vertigo make it a breath-taking spot for special occasion dining.
>> Vertigo, 61/F, Banyan Tree Hotels and Resorts, 21/100 South Sathorn Rd., 02-679-1200. Open daily 5pm-1am

Favorite Asian Fine Dining: Tsu & Nami (JW Marriott)

Way to go, Chef Aki, and welcome to the Readers’ Choice Awards. The quirky Japanese chef finally gets credit for his stunningly fresh sushi, his velvety cuts of fatty tuna and his light hand with tempura. As for Nami, it’s where to go if you’ve eaten so much bad wagyu you’ve forgotten how the Kobe beef craze started. Their meat is borderline orgasmic. And did we mention the bold décor? Readers, you made us truly proud on this one.
>>Tsu & Nami, JW Marriott, 4 Sukhumvit Soi 2, 02-656-7700.
Open daily 11:30am-2:30pm, 6-10:30pm

Favorite New Restaurant: Extra Virgin

The laid back vibe, swish contemporary style and the killer cocktails to be found at this converted home on Sukhumvit 53 made it a very welcome addition to our dining scene and a great spot to start the night off before heading to the clubs on Thonglor. OK, so you didn’t pick from our Top New Tables 2009 winners, but we like our readers to think on their own.
>> Extra Virgin, 63 Sukhumvit Soi 53, 02-259-7898. Open Tue-Sun 5pm-1am

Favorite Coffee Shop: Starbucks

Another year another overwhelming vote for Starbucks. Despite a concerted push into Bangkok by local coffee brands like Wawee and Doitung, no one else came close to toppling the frappuccino kings from Seattle.

Favorite Steakhouse: New York Steakhouse (JW Marriott)

This is definitely one swanky steakhouse we wish we could afford more often. Glad to see that our readers can.
>> The Londoner, 591 Basement, UBC II Bldg., Sukhumvit Soi 33, 02-261-0238/9. Open daily 9-1am.

Most Stylish Restaurant: Long Table

Can’t fight you on that one. Long Table pushes the envelope style-wise and you couldn’t help but notice. And what a view!
>> Long table, 25/F, 48 Column Bldg., Sukhumvit Soi 16, 02-302-2557/-9. Open daily 5pm-2am

 

Most Overrated Restaurant: Long Table

We might as well combine this category with most stylish. Once again, it’s Long Table and Bed Supperclub who top the list. Does stylish necessarily have to equate overrated?

Favorite Chain Restaurant: Fuji and Ootoya tied

We’ve never seen Ootoya come so close to beating the historic champion, Fuji. We’d get all excited if it wasn’t for the fact that we are talking about chain restaurants, here.
>> Fuji, 2/F Siam Center, Rama 1 Rd., 02-658-1160-2, Ootoya, Siam Paragon, G/F, 991 Rama 1 Rd.,

Favorite Buffet or Sunday brunch: Four Seasons

Here too, traditions die hard as Four Seasons once again reaps top honors for its decadent Sunday brunch. Plenty of brunches now serve oysters, foie gras and wagyu, but Four Seasons stays a cut above the rest thanks to its top-notch produce and classy atmosphere.
>> Four seasons, 155 Rajadamri Rd., 02-126-8866

 

 

TRAVEL

Favorite Domestic Airline:Air Asia

Bangkok Airways came real close, but no cookie. You want value, and Air Asia does deliver modern planes on a dime. Interestingly, but not all the surprisingly, THAI Airways has crashed and burned, going from 2009 high-flyer to third place.
>> www.airasia.com

Favorite Airline for International Travel: THAI Airways

When it’s time to go overseas, none of that low-cost flying for you. It’s back to our tried and trusted national carrier, THAI Airways, which wins yet again in the international category. Runner-up: Singapore Airlines.
>> 02-356-1111, www.thaiairways.co.th

Favorite Hotel/Resort (outside Bangkok): Let’s Sea

The cute beachside Hua Hin resort snatches the top position with a clear win. Let’s Sea’s realistic prices, warm service, and cozy architecture obviously seduced you.
>> 83/188 Soi Talay 12, Khao Takiab-Hua Hin Rd., 032-536-888. www.letussea.com

 

Favorite Weekend Destination/Favorite Beach: Hua Hin

Nearly all your Best Hotel/Resort votes went to places in Hua Hin so we’d guessed who would win Favorite Weekend Destination even before the spreadsheet elves had done crunching the numbers. Historic, tranquil, and easy to get to, Hua Hin’s only flaw is that Bangkokians like it a little too much. Results for Favorite Beach were almost identical, proving our readers don’t care much for quality of water or sand. The runner-up, in both categories, was Samet, though.

Favorite Asian Destination: Japan

 

The Land of the Rising Sun wins yet again. What’s not to like? The shopping, food, architecture and landscape are all superb and the people are pretty hot, too. Hong Kong and Singapore clinched second and third place.

 

Favorite Destination Outside Asia: USA

To be fair, readers mostly voted for cities, not countries. In that case, it’s a clear win for London, which like Japan, boasts an astounding combination of age-old culture and cutting edge flair. But combine Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and every other US destination you voted for (from Martha’s Vineyard to Yosemite) and the USA scrapes by the UK’s capital. Think we call this category Favorite City next year?

 

SHOPPING

Favorite Credit Card: Citibank

Our readers obviously love dining. Citibank, which has established itself as the best credit card for juicy deals on restaurants, came out just ahead of American Express, which also boasts a solid reputation among diners, and KTC.

Favorite Mall: CentralWorld

2009 saw CentralWorld go from strength to strength. More cutting-edge fashion stores and a wealth of new dining spots just helped to cement its previous position as our favorite retail spot in town. This year looks just as exciting with the likes of Gap set to make their Bangkok debut at “Asia’s Largest Shopping Complex.”

Favorite Mobile Phone brand: iPhone

BB or iPhone this was perhaps one of the most essential questions of last year: it led friends to fall out and drove families to fisticuffs. It also made this question one of the most keenly fought of all. Once the dust had finally settled only one solitary vote separated the handsets and it was the darling of apple’s eye that stood on top of the pile.

Favorite Camera Brand: Canon

We Thais take our photography seriously. It means professional features and high image quality are the number one priority and explains why Canon absolutely romped home with over 50% of the vote.

Gadget of the Year: Hybrid Cars

Wow, you guys do have a conscious. Ignoring the obvious pleasures of Tenga’s new line of self-pleasuring gadgets, you voted for saving the world—as long as it doesn’t involve life without a car. And that’s where the new hybrids come in.

Favorite Thai Fashion Brand: Greyhound/Playground

 

Even if we found their last couple seasons’ tones a little somber, Greyhound and their quirky designs reigned supreme for a second year.

 

Favorite Wine Shop: Villa Market

In something of a surprise, the affordable prices and wide choice of vino on offer at the branches of high end supermarket Villa Market meant it was able to fight off specialist wine stores, like Wine Connection, which finished second.

Favorite Bookshop: Kinokuniya

It was a landslide victory for the Japanese book chain as they continue to provide Bangkok’s bookworms with a wide choice of titles, covering everything from the latest manga to Martha Stewart’s new cookbook. Nothing can currently compete with their mega store at Paragon.

Favorite Furniture Store: Index Living Mall

Different year, same results when it comes to your interior needs. The affordable mass produced stuff on offer at Index Living Mall is a clear fave. Still we wonder if they’ll manage to retain the crown next year after Swedish furniture behemoth Ikea open their doors.