Several years ago, I lifted my head from the table, looked around Wong’s at 4am and came to the sad conclusion I had aged out of the place; I needed something a bit more raffinée. I finally settled on the original Hanakaruta on Sukhumvit 39 because of its exceptional bartender, Nori, who makes what I consider to be the best cocktails in town. One day last year I arrived to find that he was no longer working there and I’ve not been back.

On Friday, I read that he had opened his own bar and wasted no time in checking it out. On the third floor of a nondescript building just off Sukhumvit 47, Nori's Bar http://bk.asia-city.com/nightlife/ba...club/noris-bar is my idea of bar heaven. I started with a few Earl Grey tea mojitos, followed by some perfectly mixed Yamazaki and sodas, served in a chilled metal cup, and then moved onto Sapporo for the rest of the night. I was so happy to see Nori again, I stayed chatting with him until closing time, which is flexible but not before 4am.

Having run up a rather large tab on Friday (the bar doesn’t yet take cards and I was low on cash), I went back on Saturday night to pay the balance. I leave the cocktail choices in Nori’s hands, and started with some dark rum on the rocks, served with two frozen strawberries on a metal toothpick, then moved on to his homemade shochu, before ending with more whisky and sodas. Another perfect night.

Nori’s isn’t for everyone, especially those who are drawn to places like Ku De Ta and Maggie Choo’s. It’s simply decorated, doesn’t open until 8pm, there’s just a small menu of Japanese bar snacks (heavy on the horse meat), unusual jazz on the sound system and a small but friendly local crowd who, like me, are just discovering it. If you go, it isn’t easy to find, you need to be buzzed into the building and walk up three floors….so best to call Nori when you are nearby and he will meet you at the door.

Obviously, Nori’s is my new favorite place to drink in Bangkok….what’s yours?