The Iron Faries

Thong Lor, consumercultural mash-up of nightclubs, boutique mini-malls, pizza places and ramen shops, has almost everything - including a portal out of Bangkok and into a fantasy world. An appropriately dark door in an appropriately dark facade leads to The Iron Fairies, the bar-cum-smithy (yes, it actually is a smithy), and the interior is a dark fairytale, steampunk decor with metal-working tools on the walls, vials of fairy dust clustered in corners, arcane machinery and the little iron fairies themselves, which are for sale at 600 baht each. A spiral staircase glimmering with fairy lights coils up into the gloom; on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday nights a live jazz band performs on the platform above (or, indeed, on the stairs themselves).

I first heard about Iron Fairies some months ago but only managed to get there last week. I knew it would be cool but didn't dare hope it would actually feel like sitting in the tavern at the beginning of a fantasy novel, waiting for something magical to kick off. It did. Boxes of peanuts sit on every table, and patrons are encouraged to throw the shells on the floor. The food and drinks aren't cheap, but good - a range of burgers served on wooden platters, stabbed through the heart with a knife (about B240 each). An article I'd read said they did a veggie burger, but it wasn't on the menu - they made one for me when I asked, though. Here's my chocolate martini (B280), photographed with the iron demon I was sitting next to (he turned out to be a great listener):


Recommended.
The Iron Faries is located at 395 Soi Thonglor, Sukhumvit Road. Open 6pm-2am. Turn up early to ensure you get a seat!