I’ve been indulging (again) in one of the few remaining vices suitable for a 39 weeks and 5 days pregnant chick – cake – this time at princessy pink and white sugar shrine Cakewalk.

With fanciful wedding cakes on display (think innovative and stylish rather than traditional and tacky…mostly!) and a cabinet full of individual servings of luscious cake and mousse concoctions to entice, there’s also a flat screen television tuned to Fashion TV (what else?!), lace umbrella-like light fixtures and clear perspex chairs completing the scene.

The three cakes we tried were each rich and delicious – an earl grey chocolate mousse (with bonus chocolatey bits on top), banana cake with a crunchy toffee lid and chocolate strawberry ‘tuxedo’ cake (so named as it’s topped with a tuxedo-wearing strawberry, naff but yum!).

Bangkokians really know how to create unique cafe interiors and whip up amazing desserts too…a sweet match.

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Great Japanese restaurants abound in Bangkok, but Thonglor eatery Sendai Ramen Mokkori has a little something extra in the form of a very exuberant staff member. We’ve affectionately dubbed him ‘crazy yelling man’, and yell he does – every time someone enters or exits the restaurant he excitedly yells out a greeting or farewell at the top of his lungs. As for the food itself, dishes including ramen noodle soup, yaki-tori with curry sauce and comforting katsu-don make for a tasty and cheap – albeit noisy – dining experience.

The stitch and bitch concept is alive and well in Bangkok (well, the stitch part at least!) at niche knitting cafe Bigknit. It has to be one of the cutest places I’ve found in my wanders (near Samitivej Hospital, on Sukhumvit Soi 49) – a cafe offering knitting lessons from a Japanese knitting queen along with coffee, Thai food and homemade desserts (a cosy combo, don’t you think?).

The cafe serves as a hangout for well-heeled Thai and Japanese ladies who lunch, as they whip up creative pieces at the long, central table or on one of the knitted cushion-strewn couches.

You can’t help but be inspired to get crafty being surrounded by all the colourful and multi-textured balls of wool lining the walls and the crazy knitted bags, toys and scarves adorning the space. So much so, my mum’s decided to join the knitting frenzy and is now making our impending new arrival something wild and woolly!

Last weekend we decided to give my visiting mum a taste of a more colourful part of Bangkok, away from our boutiquey little Thonglor ‘hood and the mall-topia that is Siam. Our destination – a little patch of Southern India in Silom.

First stop was the Sri Mariamman Hindu temple on the corner of Silom Road and Soi Pan. The temple is dedicated to the goddess Uma and was built by Indian settlers in Bangkok in the 1870s. Just as gaudy and colourful as any Hindu temple you’d see in India, it was packed with a mixture of Thai and Indian worshippers offering garlands of jasmine flowers, bunches of bananas and platters of coconuts in exchange for blessings. The scene offered a sensory feast of fragrance, colour and life.

We then ate at Chennai Kitchen just down the road – a deceptively simple looking eatery with outstanding (and cheap!) South Indian cuisine. We had masala dosas, uttapams and vadais, with slightly salted lime juice and masala tea. Each dish came with delicious chutneys, sauces and sambals – all highly spicy yet very more-ish.

Two doors down was a North Indian restaurant featuring an eye-catching array of Indian sweets out the front, but after a big lunch we chose to admire them rather than indulge (too many iberry trips…too much sugar consumption!).

We then ventured across the road to the quirky, charming, apple green-coloured Kathmandu Gallery. Owned by Thai photographer Manit Sriwanichpoom, the restored shophouse features his personal photography and art collection on the ground floor (plus books and Indian bits and pieces for sale). I particularly liked this kitsch little statue of ‘Pink Man’ from one of the owner’s previous exhibitions:

Upstairs houses rotating exhibitions, and during our visit an exhibition by French photographer Claude Estebe called ‘Japanese Legs’ was showing. I have a fascination with all things Japanese, particularly street fashion photography, so it was right up my alley. This was one of my favourite shots:

Overall it was a fun and colourful exploration of an interesting and very vibrant little pocket of Bangkok – one that’s well worth visiting!

Cafe nirvana may have been found at whimsical white tearoom Agalico (thanks LUXE guide!). Featuring marble floors, white birdcages, comfortable sofas, a cabinet full of tea tins and vintage kitchenware, Agalico has an opulent, colonial style. Outside is a lush garden complete with water features and a gazebo, and there’s even a fluffy white resident cat to match.

Inside, the counter features a delectable display of homemade cakes and quiche – the cakes include chocolate, green tea, banana and a particularly delicious coffee caramel variety (that’s the one pictured above). On the beverage front there’s a full array of posh English teas plus strong, tasty coffee.

Located down a narrow, unassuming street off Sukhumvit Road (at 20 Sukhumvit Soi 51), Agalico is an all-white oasis of tropical grandeur. It’s one of the most charming and relaxing cafes we’ve been to in Bangkok and is well worth seeking out for some homemade baked treats in a fairytale setting – the perfect spot for cake lovers (and dreamers!).

NB: It’s only open Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10am til 6pm

Spring…a glass-fronted retro villa with contemporary decor and tasty Thai food. Summer…a cosy chocolate dessert restaurant with much sweet temptation. Winter…a loungey lawn bar strewn with huge cushions and low tables for cocktails under the stars. This chic triumvirate form the very cool Spring-Summer-Winter – an almost other-worldly dining experience for this Phnom Penh resident.

After some outdoor lounging we had a Thai feast in Spring dining room with PP friends Virginia and Duncan, including soft shell crab with curry sauce, massamun chicken, fried calamari, chicken with chilli and lemongrass, tasty Asian greens and my favourite – shot glasses of ‘crispy coconut prawn salad bites’. In adjacent building Summer we indulged in some rich chocolate desserts such as the BTS (Better than Sex) – a chocolate cupcake with a hot molten centre, rich chocolate mousse and whipped cream – amazing!

Overall the food and the setting were divine, with the only drawback being the really slow service (though it was a busy Friday night heaving with patrons…). Fellow drinkers and diners were mostly glamourous Thais, including a girl toting a tiny dog in her handbag. Though only an hour’s flight away from Phnom Penh, Bangkok really is a different world!