Creative coffee

Paying for coffees was a large burden. So they came up with an alternative.

"We thought since we are all coffee drinkers and we spent a lot for the drinks in other places every day, it would be nice if we could have a place of our own," says Lode Nandhivajrin, Ongoing's senior brand manager and one of the seven partners of Cafe Decho, a colourful new coffee shop off Silom Road.

"Here, we can have our favourite drinks at much lower prices, and we do not have to travel too far out of the office to get new ideas. We are a bunch of people who love to create new ideas outside of the office, and this place does it because it gives us a fresh environment."

Located on quiet Decho Road, Cafe Decho offers a pleasant space for those who want to chill out. The small cafe serves up typical coffee and chocolate drinks with home-made cakes and pastries.

"We wanted our place to serve delicious home-made cakes, so we turned to our friends, most of whom have degrees in cooking and baking," explains Lode. "Finally, we had a blind testing and the winner got her cakes a space in our shop."

Cafe Decho's espresso is sold for Bt40 and a cup of Americano is Bt45. Cafe Latte is available at Bt55 and mocha at Bt60, the same price as the pictured caramel macchiato. Meanwhile the homemade cakes, ranging from New York cheesecake (served with fruity topping on the side), white chocolate cheesecake, cappuccino cheesecake, black and white chocolate cheesecake, cupped creamy banoffee cake, and toffee bar are available at about Bt60 to Bt70 per piece.

For those looking for something savoury to go with the drinks, Cafe Decho also serves bite-size Bt12 pastries with pate, mushroom, tuna and chicken fillings.

"When we were training to make good coffees, we found out that the secret of good cups lie in the blend of the coffee beans," says Lode. "So we now use mixed sources of coffee beans, from local to foreign to make our signature brew. It yields a unique aroma."

Decoration-wise, Cafe Decho is retro, with thick velvet, gold-trimmed drapes, colourful ornamental glassware and vases, oversized red and bright pink candelabrums as well as retro-style eclectic furniture pieces that the owners took the time to accumulate from Suan Lum Night Bazaar.

"We wanted this place to be colourful, so there's a big pink wall, and lots of details and patterns in the wallpaper," says Lode. "But we do not want it to be too overwhelming, because then again this is a place where anyone can come in to enjoy a good cup of coffee and let their ideas run wild."

Sirin P Wongpanit  

Cafe Decho is a place for letting your ideas run wild

Cafe Decho

4/3 Decho Road

BTS: Sala Daeng

8.30am to 7pm Monday to Friday (02) 237 7376 (Limited parking available at the next-door Ongoing Co)

The writer can be reached at saleewong@gmail.com.