We love it when small markets pop up in Bangkok. It started with Artbox and then neon market. There was even the Model Market, even though for a short period. Now, hotels are getting in on the popup market action with a weekend-only launch of MLive Food Market by Marriott.

Think picnic on a rooftop garden with live stations of food and beverages from your favorite hotel restaurants. That means good food but at reasonable prices.

Now isn’t that a place you can spend a Saturday or Sunday evening with your friends and family instead of going directly to an upscale bar or restaurant?

Overall ambiance

We went on both Saturday and Sunday because we enjoyed the ambiance and food so much. Low wooden tables and chairs on the side and bean bangs scattered around give it a very picnic-festival vibe.

Live stations serving up delicious food or drinks were situated on the sides and at the back. In front, a stage where live bands would perform. In between sets, a playlist of easy listening and lounge/house music set the mood.

Getting your food was easy but at some stalls, it would take a bit longer than others. MLive Food Market also partnered with Rabbit card, a smart card that can be topped to purchase many things in Thailand including BTS Skytrain rides. I had mine connected to Line so whenever I was out of money, I would just top up using my e-banking app.

The event was extremely lively, filled with all kinds of people. Old and young, families and friends, couples, locals and expats. While the kids enjoyed getting their face painted or sleeping on bean bags, adults would have a few beers or cocktails.

Food

We didn’t get to try EVERYTHING, but I’d say a good 70% of everything MLive Food Market had to offer. They have everything from steak sandwiches and grills to sushi and shumai. Now, instead of going through each of them, I’ll just share our favorites.

Top on our list are the prawn shumai and the crab legs in curry from The Silk Road. These were absolutely to die for. Very fresh and flavorful. We had 2 rounds of each…both days!

The sushi from Kisso, Westin Bangkok was also pretty good also. For just 100 Baht, you get 5 pieces! Pretty good deal, I’d say. One time they even gave me a 6th for free. A good staple dish if you didn’t know what to try next.

Lastly, the burger sliders were one of the highlights for us. For 120 Baht, we get 3 small burgers – beef, pulled pork and butter chicken. Yes, you heard that right. Butter chicken! If you ever try this from Crave, we recommend having the pulled pork first, then butter chicken and finally beef (the best) last.

Drinks

There were 4 stations for drinks – beer (Chang), whiskey (Jameson & Mekhong) cocktails and Vodka (Absolut) cocktails. We tried them all. Kanika liked the Cosmpolitan while Shayan enjoyed the Ginger…something, but it used Jameson and ginger ale.

Beers were 80 Baht while cocktails between 100-120 Baht. Quite cheap! We even made friends with the bartender and he would give us an extra shot (or two) for just 50 Baht.

We honestly hope that they will do it again and on a grander scale. More space. More food. Add in some craft beer stalls and it’s golden.

You can see more photos and videos from the event here – https://www.facebook.com/events/2252764775037973/