I Am Coffee, Bangkok

Coffee is simply joyful.

If you’re a regular patron of Bangkok’s coffee scene, you’d know most of the indie cafés are in Sukhumvit, predominantly the Phrom Phong, Thong Lor and Ekamai stretch. Head elsewhere and you might be hard pressed to find a decent spot for your cappuccino fix. Further down south in Silom, residents are learning they don’t have to trek far for their cuppa: enter I Am Coffee.

Located on Sathorn Soi 8, a few minutes’s walk from the Chong Nonsi BTS, I Am Coffee is the epitome of a hidden-away café. As with the cliché of such secluded sanctuaries, it is also quite a treasure. The coffee – espresso-based – is top-notch. The baristas are friendly and earnest, and more than happy to strike up a conversation if they’re not too busy.

The furnishing is an easygoing mix-and-match that doesn’t overwhelm. Books, plants, and comfortable chairs make for a relaxing ambiance. If you manage to get a window seat, look outside onto an alley corner suffused with bamboos, palms and banana plants. Rest your eyes and your nerves after navigating the bustle of Bangkok.

Besides coffee, premium teas and a popular hot green tea latte are also on offer. Watch out for when the baristas put out bottles of fresh passion fruit juice in an ice bucket on the bar counter; these are thirst-quenching — every sip a burst of sunshine.

Originally, we thought the café’s name was inspired by Tilda Swinton’s sublime Italian film I Am Love. The barista-owner laughs and tells us it’s actually from his favourite Nikon commercial; he’s also a photography buff. With a smile that lights up Silom, we think he’d do well in front of the camera as well as behind it.

We sit by the window and watch the world (or at least the Silom street life) go by without hurry. We sigh, grateful that we have stumbled upon this little bit of happiness.

如果你是曼谷的咖啡迷，
那你應該察覺大部分的咖啡館都集中在Phrom Phong, Thong Lor 和 Ekamai這幾區，
不過這次為了拜訪一家心儀的餐館，
我們卻來到了Silom區Chong Nonsi BTS附近的地方。
由於距離晚餐時間還早，
我們找了一家離餐館不遠的咖啡館I Am Coffee來打發時間。
雖然距離地鐵站不遠，不過咖啡館所處的街道卻相對的寧靜。
這小巧的咖啡館並沒有刻意打造成任何主題風格，
木質地板、紅磚墻、書本和乾花，
拼湊成一家帶點隨意又慵懶的咖啡館。
如果你做在窗戶旁，還可以看到店外頭吊了不少綠色植物，
和對面大屋里的綠樹相得益彰，給人一種舒適放鬆的感覺。

這裡咖啡以意式為主，如果不想喝咖啡的話，
炎炎夏日里來杯果汁也不錯，配上司康，就是一份簡單的下午茶。
原以為店名的由來來自一部意大利電影 I Am Love，
問了親切的咖啡師后才知不然。
他笑著說他是Nikon的相機愛好者，
店名的靈感源自于Nikon廣告里的標語I Am Nikon。
這是一家非常有趣的咖啡館。