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Published on November 22, 2007

 Anyone who has picked up a copy of the popular small purple book "Chic Restaurants & Bars Bangkok", or visited the website Chicasia.com, will already know that Cheryl Tseng has a talent for picking the most stylish places to dine.

An avid epicure, Tseng eats out at a different restaurant or bar almost every day and selects the very best based on her training in interior design, as well as in the food and service industries. She also pays for every meal herself, saying that she never accepts favours from restaurants and bars she visits.

"Chic Restaurants & Bars Bangkok", now in its third edition, is published by Amarin Printing and Publishing and has a foreword by internationally renowned restaurant and hotel interior designer Tony Chi.

And while Tseng admits that her restaurant research has caused her to gain five kilograms over the last three years since the first "Chic" was launched, she's not about to abandon her pet project.

"I'm really passionate about the things I do," she smiles. "I'm not writing 'Chic' to make a living,"

Born to Taiwanese parents in the US, Tseng moved to Bangkok 15 years ago. She launched Chicasia.com four years ago as a non-profit guidebook to recommend chic restaurants, clubs, cafes and spas in Bangkok to English-speaking netizens.

"I was writing restaurant reviews back when I lived in Los Angeles. When I came to Bangkok, I found there were lots of good restaurants, but no comprehensive restaurant guides. So, I started taking notes and photos and began recommending the places I liked on the Internet," she says.

Tseng says Bangkok has long been recognised as a top tourist destination with great spas and fascinating temples and it's also one of the best cities for dining out, thanks to the availability of high-quality ingredients and its ability to draw leading chefs from around the world.

"In term of atmosphere and design, Bangkok restaurants and bars are comparable to top cities like Hong Kong, Singapore, or now Shanghai," she notes.

"And a good thing is price; here it's still very reasonable."

As its name suggests, "Chic Restaurants & Bars Bangkok" doesn't focus solely on food, but also atmosphere and service.

"The guide is for people who are seeking the complete dining experience," she explains.

"But you can also eat extremely well at many of the family-run eateries and food stalls all over Bangkok."

Tseng is also a contributor to several leading local magazines, writing regularly about restaurants, travel and design for BK, Prestige and Living in Thailand.

Recently, she started a new job as art director for Elite, an official distributor of Swarovski. The company has just opened Swarovski's first lifestyle lighting shop in Bangkok and Tseng has so far designed 30 jewellery and home-decoration items.

Her products along with other crystal goodies can be found at the Swarovski store on Sukhumvit Soi 51.

 Pichaya Changsorn

 The Nation