COCONUTS HOT SPOT – Grand Touring Magazine, a regional English language publication about the joys of high-end motoring, has opened a small car-themed carfé on Sukhumvit 36. The shop is passable for a very neat machanic’s garage, sans the messy oil. Right next door is a car wash catering to sports cars, so patrons can scope out Ferraris, Porsches, and the occasional GTR before they come in to eat.
The outdoor seating area has chairs crafted from repurposed oil barrels. You’ll also find an antique Indian motorcycle parked outside, but it’s inside the “garage” where you’ll really get the petrol-fueled vibes. An entire VW hippie van serves as the coffee counter, with seating crafted from various car parts scattered around the interior like mechanics’ spare parts.
If you’re mechanically inclined, you’ll find something that’s sure to turn your gears. A deconstructed turbocharger serves as a lamp, with a shade made from a K&N air filter. A front-end clip of a classic mini has been transformed into a couch, along with the tail end of a classic Peugeot. There are dozens of tiny little touches paying homage to legendary cars, like a seat from the lauded Ferrari 360 turned into an office chair that glides across the masculine, glossy cement floors with ease. High stools are crafted from discarded transmission shafts, complete with all the synchromesh and gears exposed. An entire Chevrolet big block V8 serves as the base of a coffee table, and there’s even a trunk from a Ferrari 355 mounted on the wall.
There are a few types of car guys, and this “Carfe” certainly isn’t going to appeal to the Fast and Furious crowd. Grand Touring, the parent company behind the coffee joint, covers the ultra-high end world of cars—think pieces about taking a Ferrari 458 out for a Sunday drive in Phuket’s five star territory. The followers of Grand Touring are refined individuals as well, so its no surprise that they serve better-than-normal coffee. Coffee comes in the form of Lavazza (THB70), a high-end coffee marque from Italy, and tea (THB65) comes from the ubiquitous English label Twinnings.
FIND IT:
Carfe Barn
Sukhumvit Soi 36 (Soi San Sabai)
Located 1km down the soi on the left.
Photos: Cole Pennington
