Phya Thai Palace

---

Something out of an old colonial film, the Phya Thai Palace’s Café de Norasingha seems to be a favorite amongst military colonels and their girlfriends. Sitting on a 2 meter, dark, leather couch with old chandeliers hanging from the crenelated and painted ceilings; I felt as though I should have been wearing a smoking jacket while tightly packing an ebony pipe with tobacco, not jeans and a shirt.
The café sits in front of an old, yet still operational hospital and in the half-hour that we were there eating our pot pies and thousand island dressed salad, some 5 nurses passed through, each wearing their white outfits and little hats.
At the front of the palace grounds there is a lovely old hall with frescoed walls and white-washed pillars. This was one of the only structures left standing, along with the throne hall, when King Rama VI had the entire grounds demolished after the death of the Queen Mother in 1920. The new palace halls that stand today were constructed so that all the halls were joined to form a new Phya Thai Palace.
The palace grounds have undergone a series of changes and incarnations. First, it was a palace for Rama V so that he could watch over the farms and livestock in the area. Then, under Rama VI it was demolished and rebuilt. Later, Rama VII had the palace converted into an international hotel, a venture that lasted a mere 5 years. After that, it became the location for the first Thai radio station. Finally, it was converted into a clinic for the Royal Thai Army and has since changed its name to the Phramongkutklao Hospital; it’s easy to see why people still call it the Phya Thai Palace, the new name being a bit of a mouthful!
The palace is fairly easy to find: take the BTS to Victory monument and it’s a short walk from there. Phya Thai palace is open from 9.30am – 5.00pm on weekdays, entry is free so there is really nothing stopping you from checking out this palatial café -cum-hospital.

---

Photos

The hall that remained
One of the only structures left standing when Rama VI demolished the grounds

Out of place
Feeling as though I should be wearing a smoking jacket while puffing away on a pipe

Comments

[Jason M. Friedman]

How were the pies
This is a great read Tarka. Well done. Keep them coming