A reincarnation of The Stories, Indy Trees Bar hosts a nightly bash replete with tasty, unpretentious food, (a lot of) drinking and cheesy live music that brings back your teen years. After the big nip ‘n’ tuck, the baan baan eatery has been transformed into a funky retro-outfitted bar-cum-restaurant with both indoor and outdoor seating; the dimly lit garden is popular among lovebirds (there’s even a birdcage table tucked in a quiet nook of the garden). Nights start off with an acoustic show outside at 7:30pm; then, from 9pm onwards, full bands serve up retro Thai songs inside (think Nouveau, Christina and Assanee Wasan), while a DJ spins commercial hip hop during breaks. Not so “indy,” is it? The menu covers an extensive selection of pub grub and hearty side dishes, as well as a few Japanese items. Not every dish is worth writing home about, but chances are that almost everything you order—though not great—will be at least enjoyable. Considering that the food comes at reasonable prices (the most expensive dish on the menu is B230) and in generous portions, we couldn’t really complain. To match its bar-cum-restaurant concept, the food here is full of flavor and particularly good to go with alcohol. There are some creatively-named dishes that tempt you to order, like Khor Eek Jan (“One more, please”), which is actually a plate of mixed roasted nuts; and Khon Suay Jai Dum (“beauty with a black heart”), which is deep-fried 1,000-year-old egg. But you have it better with dishes with straightforward names. Served with sweet plum sauce, squid frittos were lightly breaded so you could actually taste the squid, not the breadcrumbs. Somtam tord was addictive thanks to the crunchy papaya that, despite being deep-fried, wasn’t at all oily. Served in a separate bowl, the spicy salad came with salted crab and was as good as what you’d find at a roadside stall. And we fell madly in love with the nuea toon pad khee mao (stir-fried braised beef with fresh pepper, chili and basil leaves). Also exceeding our expectations was the matsaman nuea: juicy and tender chunks of beef simmered in a rich, nutty curry with tender potato and carrot cubes. While this verdant watering hole is an ace with beef, it didn’t do a good job on fish. Kaeng som pla chawn tord (sweet and sour curry with deep-fried serpent-headed fish) came with an extra bowl of kaeng som and a big plate of mixed veggies, but it was a bit of a downer because the pre-deep-fried fish was overcooked, dry and bland. If you sit outside, the food tends to cool very quickly with the wind from the huge fans, so it’s best to snap up the hot dishes first. Service was fast and friendly, and if you like to be served by thin waitresses in dek-cheer-beer skimpy outfits, Indy Trees Bar is your kind of place.

The once-famous pub and restaurant, The Stories, has been closed down for a while and we hoped it would just be for refurnishing and not for good. Then we forgot about it. Recently we went down that road and saw a colorful house where it used to be, with a new alfresco dining area, but there wasn’t a sign for The Stories anymore.

No need to be sad—the Indy Tree Bar by The Story (44/4 Cheua Plerng Rd., under Rama 4 Express way, Sathorn) is back with a new facelift—or mega transformation, to be more precise. From a typical house made into a pub, this new bar is now a house made into a hippy bar with more services on offer to night crawlers. It still has its alfresco dining area, but it has lost the white dome in favor of a clear vista. Table sets are more fashionable and comfortable than before. Colors have been added up to make this particular area more than just for wining and dining. The live acoustic duo soothes you with easy listening music nightly between 8:30-9:30pm, then switches back to Mr DJ. At the same time, bands inside play Thai and inter songs nightly. Later in the evening, you can swing with the commercial hip-hop courtesy of a disc jockey.

Too tired or too old for all these things? Move the party to the 10-person-capacity karaoke room on the other side of the alfresco. There are three rooms for you to release your diva within: B400 per hour, but if you want the room for the whole night, negotiation is a must.

Don’t pass on the food menu—they have a long list of yummy foods and twenty plus drinks on their list. You simply must try their famous Sake French-fries (B90), a home grow deep fried Sake fruit (which looks like jackfruit but taste like cassava) with palm sauce. Yam sam sao (fresh oyster, boiled squid and fresh shrimp in spicy salad dressing, B95) is also worth to try. While you’re enjoying your salad, make it a perfect evening with Indy Girl (B130), which taste just like a lychee daiquiri. For hardcore drinkers, here’s the price list: B750 for Red Label, B1,200 for Black Label, B1,590 for Green Label, B25-35 for mixer, B100-190 for beer and B110-200 for cocktails.