Bkk Eats - Thai - Rajdamri/Siam

My fave Thai restos near Lumpini Park all the way up to Siam Square. Terribly convenient if one will go shopping as Ratchprasong up to Siam is shopping centrale or if one fancies a stroll in Lumpini Park.

Jae Gee Fried Chicken

Fried chicken that I grew up with - this is an institutional hole in the wall for Esarn (northeastern) food in the same soi as the Polo Club. Gets extremely busy at lunch but worth the wait, is open all day and even for dinner though I prefer it in daylight.

My faves:

Fried chicken and fried garlic - to-die-for

Som-tum - papaya salad - you can customise this to your taste

Soup Nor Mai - Bamboo Shoot salad - rather strong taste but good if you are into this kind of thing

Larb - roasted rice salad with various types of meet, they have an interesting one with friend chicken instead of chopped chicken, pork or duck

see krong soup - like a tom yum with pork and lemongrass and chilli- really good

Yum Pla Dook Foo - fried cat fish with shredded raw mango salad

Open daily from noon till 8 pm (?)

Address: Soi Polo

Phone number: (to follow) and they do deliveries which is so wonderful

PS. to eat with sticky rice

Spice Market at the Four Seasons Hotel

A different thing from the super casual hole in the wall Jae Gee. Good Thai food especially for something a bit smarter. The food is really quite Thai for a hotel Thai resto and is delicious, you can tell them to not tone it down if looking for more authenticity. What's great is that you can sit at Aqua outside Spice Market and order from the other restos at the Four Seasons. At lunch, they do "street food" with noodles and Thai nibbly bits

My faves:

Nam Prik Noom - northern dip of green chilli and garlic with grilled chicken, veggies and pork crackling

Gaeng Phed Ped Yang - Roast duck red curry - very good here

Pak Boon Fai Daeng - stir fried morning glory - love the way they separate the leaves and stalks

All the salads are pretty good - I like the egg plant salad, pomelo salad and the fried morning glory with mango dip

Dessert:

Thai tea ice cream!

Open: daily for lunch and dinner (last orders 10 pm).

Address: The Four Seasons Hotel, Rajdamri

Phone Number: 02 126 8866 (reservation highly recommended for dinner)

Provence

The original is at the Peninsula Plaza next to the Four Seasons, another one opened at Gaysorn Plaza down the road and is on the 2nd floor. Good food, convenient, nice pitstop - a casual lady's who lunch kind of place.

My faves:

Boat noodles - the perennial favourite of Provence - it's really good - choose from pork, beef or fish (the fish one is not as good) with noodles or without noodles, the thickness of the soup is not for everyone, rich and fragrant.

Fresh spring rolls - thai style.

Roast duck - again, thai-style

Open - noon till 8 pm - much better for lunch

Address: the fancier one at Peninsula Plaza or the little branch at Gaysorn Plaza.

Erawan Tea Room

Again, a nice little pit stop at the Erawan complex attached to the Grand Hyatt. Lovely for afternoon tea, the afternoon tea set of Thai nibbles is nice. The music selection is weird and there are lots tourists as one would expect in that area but it is pleasant, nice atmo, smack in the centre and have cute silver tea sets. I would go there for late lunch or tea. Not really for a serious meal as the name would suggest

Open daily

Address: 2nd Floor Erawan

Somtum Nua

A favourite for students and shoppers. Always a queue, always packed and loud. Another hustle bustle place but in air conditioning and designed to feel like you are in wooden shack (whether it succeeds is another question). One of those places worth the wait.

It's a modern take on Esarn food. It has every kind of "tum" one can imagine, salads and soups and a good friend chicken (my fave still Jae Gee but this is a good one too). Level of spiciness can be customised!

My fave:

Tum - Mua - a some tum where they add vermicelli, pork crakcling and everything in there. Delicous

Address: Siam Square Soi 4

Kanom

Egg tarts, egg tarts and egg tarts - need I say more? My fave egg tarts in Bkk, almost as good as Lisboa in London (not been to Macau or Lisbon so cannot compare). . . flaky filo pastry, choice of egg white or egg yolk filling. Even mini tarts. The butter bread is also delicious. I like to accompany my egg tart with a lod chong drink - a coconut and syrup drink with ice and vermicelli . . .kind of like an iced pudding drink

Address: Siam Square Soi 3

The restaurant at Jim Thompson House - Thom

The JT House is one of those establishments that is up there on the tourist to-do's. It is sometimes over looked as being just that, the reality however is that the Art Foundation is amazing, the house is gorgeous, there is a library and arts centre reachable by klong boat and a hop from National Stadium BTW and umm, the food is fantastic!

The grounds close by sunset so it is a good place for lunch or tea.

I like the lunch set - you can't go too wrong here - they have kind of chosen the best of the menu for you. I had the one with pad si-ewe fried noodles that comes with papaya salad on the side - delicious.

Open daily from noon till 6 pm

Address: Jim Thompson House

All of these restaurants, except for Jae Gee are connected by BTS and the skywalk which cuts Ratchprasong junction - that's downtown bkk, smack in the middle of everything - eat and shop, eat and shop . . . or watch a movie if you fancy.

Bkk Eats - Thai - Silom/Sathorn

At some point in time, writing down my favourite restaurants and recommending the same dishes to visiting friends on little scraps of paper (with my illegible handwriting), searching through old emails for my Bkk Must Eat list gets a little tiresome. I figure I might as well put it all in one place, with the phone number and addresses and my fave to-die-for dishes and hope that I can just say - "darling,if you are in Bkk and need some resto tips, have a look at Bkk Eats and you can find where I actually go to eat and drink" Maybe I will add to this with drinking holes, shops and galleries but for now - let's start with Bkk and food . . . :)

There are some restaurants here that are not to be missed. Full Stop.

Bkk Eats my faves (not in any particular order of preference - although I did post my top five about a year ago) listed by area as Bkk traffic can be such a pain, it is good to know at least where you are going, type of food as everything is available here and in a way what you will be eating dictates the kind of look and feel of the resto, this is especially so with Thai food. Also whether they are open fo rlunch or dinner. I'm starting with Silom/Sathorn - close to the The Oriental and the grand river hotles as well as The Sukhothai and The Metropolitan. The area is kind of the spine and connects new Bkk with Thonburi as well as old bkk, is the commercial district as well as business district also

Taling Pling

A two story garden house on the same soi as the Indian Temple on Pan road which connects Sathorn and Silom. Colourfully decorated, feels rather bijoux with little wooden tables, nothing too fancy, air con is super cold. Been around for ages, is always full, lunch and dinner and has the most fantastic food, booking recommended as it is always full. The menu is HUGE, little pics for you to look at too. Luckily the portions are small so you can try loooads of things, I have gone when famished and end up over ordering - thank goodness for doggy bags! Save room for dessert.

My faves:

Mieng Taling Pling - old school Thai hors d'oeuvre of betel leaf with shalots, garlic, ginger chilli, dried shrimp, there is a special coconut paste which is different from other places. Delicious and a must-try especially to master the art of creating a betel leaf cup.

Yum Taling Pling - a Thai salad of crispy fish with lemongrass with lime, chili dressing. Very fresh.

Yum Dok krajon with shrimp - flower salad with shrimp - always love to eat flowers, just the idea. This flower is supposed to be good for the eyes.

Kuaytiow Bok - a bastardished jumbo version of the Vietnamese fresh spring roll - rocks.

Deep fried garlic, chilli and pepper squid - to-die-for

Beef green curry with roti - beef is braised and tender and the curry rich and aromatic, served with fried roti.

Gaeng ped ped yang - Red curry with roast duck - the way it should be made. Sweet and rich.

Yod mara pad cha - marrow shoot stir fried with chilli - lovely texture and smell.

Deepfried pomfret with fish sauch - aamazing. Or go for the steamed sea bass with chilli and lime.

Kai jieow kab moo - heart attack city with thai omelet and pork crackling but so good, served here with chilli, lime and shallots, perhaps to cut the fat.

Dessert:

Mango Sticky Rice - esp if mango is in season

Tub tim grob - water chestnut wrapped in pink fragrant sweet jelly in syrup and young coconut ice ans shavings.

Flourless chocolate - yes, not only have the mastered the thai food but the pastry chef is not one to mess with

Open: Daily for lunch through to dinner. Last order 10:30 if you sit around and chill, they will stay open but don't be surprised if they close everything around you and leave you in the dark!

Address: 60 Thanon Pan

Phone number:02 236 4830

N.B. Avoid the other branches in town, they are a poor shade of what the original Pan Road branch is best. If you are there in the day time, stroll down the road and check out Kathmandu gallery or have a chai tea in one of the little Indian tea shops.

Le Lys

Lovely garden restaurant owned by a Thai lady and her French hubby, been around for ages though has moved to this location since a couple years ago. Cozy terrace and a patanque area - nice selection of french wine and to accompany what feels and tastes like home cooked Thai food. What is great is you can choose level of Thainess and they serve brown rice! Le Lys serve some very local southern dishes that you don't get in central bkk, very strong and pungent flavours here.

I only book when we are a big group - super fun place when there is a big group

My faves:

Mieng kap moo - Betel leaf hor d'oeuvre with pork crackling. Or try the tuna version with Kale

Larb woonsen - vermicelli larb chhose from chicken, seafood, port - Thai salad which is unique for its roasted rice, mint and chilli mix

Jungle curry - pungent, rich but without coconut. A local and strong flavour, worth trying

Gaeng Lieng - a very fragrant herbal soup

Duck Krapow - duck fillet with crispy basil thai style

Tamarind prawns - delicious

Open daily for lunch and dinner

Address: 148/11 Nang Linchi Soi 6

Outdoor terrace - lots of mozzies but they have spray and anti mozzy stuff.

Phone number: 02 287 1898

website

Baan Klang Nam

Rather large seafood restaurant in a compound of connecting wooden houses on the river with a view of the port. Busy and outdoors, lots of Thai families, big tables, oddly serves sushi as well. Huge menu, nothing fancy at all, you go there for the seafood and the hustle and bustle - it is delicious. They also have funny cocktails, makes it a bit kitsch, mai tais etc.

My faves:

fresh oysters - served Thai style - deep fried shallots and pak krajed and thai spicy seafood dip. The pak krajed causes the oysters to turn sweet, some chemical reaction happens and it's like sucking on sugar - bizarre and at the same time, delicious

pad thai without noodles - fresh juicy shrimps with all the ingredients of phad thai without the noodles.

steamed seabass with lime, chilli and garlic (pla krapong nueng manao) - I love this dish here.

bbq tiger prawns - to die for, esp with thai seafood dip

steamed mussels with herbs - delicious

The menu is totally humongous . . . anything goes really. I remember I used to order california rolls here too, why I am not so sure.

Open daily for lunch and dinner (I like it for dinner)

Address: Rama 3 soi 14 (this is the original, they have another branch which is Baan Klang Nam 2 - never been there)

Phone number: 02 292 0175

Chote Chitr Revisited

The ninety year old institution called Chote Chitr is truly worth the trek across town on Friday. Michelle was visiting me from Singapore and I decided that she really did need to see old Bangkok in its full glory and that meant lunch at Chote Chitr . . .

Michelle at Chote Chitr

The menu is vast but what the restaurant is famous for are old Thai dishes such as Mee Krob and Banana Blossom salad - absolutely divine. We also adored the Fish Tum Yum with miso.

mee krob

banana blossom salad

Can you imagine that little kitchen has been there for generations and in that little kitchen the chef is able to create a massive and delicious menu with the freshest ingredients and most well-rounded taste? There are only about 5 tables in there so you usually do have to wait but there is something rather satisfying about waiting for a meal you know will be divine.

inside

she's the boss

We worked out that it would take months and months of coming for lunch to sample everything on the menu - I suppose if it's been there for 90 years, it is not going anywhere soon. I am always so happy every time I leave Chote Chitr - walking through the little soi and seeing Gor Panich the famous mango and sticky rice shop across the street. This was only the start of our old Bangkok afternoon . . .

Thai FOOD

Despite the title of this post and my numerous ramblings about food, it would suffice to say that I am NOT A FOODIE. Although, it would also be safe to say that I loooove food and I am pretty lucky that I have some serious foodie friends. . . the other night I was taken by one of them, a lovely Korean lady, Soon and our mutual friend Yeop, to Bo.lan . . . I did not really know what to expect and I have to say that it totally blew my mind - delicious and very clever . . . I ate recently at David Thompson's Nahm in London and that was fantastic and these kids, they look young - barely 30 . . . are his protege's and I should imagine would make David Thompson proud.

amuse bouche

must eat from left to right - for ideal sensation

Quintessentially Thai, some of the elements reminding me of dishes my great grandma used to make but its execution was modern yet seamless in the way that it upheld everything traditional - the ingredients, the selection, the purity of the dishes. The choice of two types of organic rice specifying their province of origin was great too. That's what our rice farmers need . . .support :)

olive chilli relish w/squid (behind)

and egg plant salad with prawns

beef panaeng

The first dessert (yes, there were 2 rounds) was SENSATIONAL . . .

dessert 1

tub tim krob with giant lychees - yummy

. . . The Balance menu was pretty close to perfect. I would recommend Bo.lan to anyone and might even take my parents soon. . . . . .so here are my picks - not necessary in this order, i mean once you get to the top five, it depends on your mood really which one is at the top. This post means that I can divert friends or friends of friends over here rather than rummage through my thoroughly disorganised email archives for restaurants recommendations . . . here goes . .

1) Chot Chitr - I have been craving the banana blossom salad, small, old school, 90 years old, 5 tables and family run. I looove. In old bangkok and a hidden a bit but really an institution . . . and well worth the trek . . . like eating in somone's dining room - thai style. Oh and some of the dishes in there, well, it's like eating my nanny's food (more on that later), particularly the gaeng som. Tamarind prawns are delicious as was the Lon Naem (curry dip thing), . . they are famous for their endless dishes with their "well rounded" flavours.

2) In Love - for the snowfish with mango salad, the view of the river, the swarms of catfish in the river and well, the food is yummy and just soo lovely to be out there. I also love the area, Tha Tawed . . .

3) Le Lys - for the duck paneang and the gaeng liang . . . they moved now, hope it's as cute as it was in Narathiwat soi 7 . . . it's owned by a french guy and his Thai wife and has been around for years, wine list is pretty good and it is truly time home cooking.

4) Taling Pling - I have been going there since AGES since it is across from where Mum works . . the best poached pork with lemon and guy lan - EVER, fresh spring rolls and lemongrass salad . . .makes me hungry just to think about it. The flourless chocolate cake is not so shabby either. The branch in Silom is much much better than Central World though.

5) Bo.lan . . .need I say more?

Then more on the street casual side - Jae Gee fried chicken - for the chicken and fried garlic - I've been munching on this chicken with garlic and the E-sarn salads (som tum, bamboo shoots soup etc) since i was a child, it's an old favourite. Lastly, Thai seafood, another category in itself, for that, I like Baan Klang Nam . . giant prawns, oyster omelette, the BEST steamed seabass with chilli and lime and prawn phad thai (without noodles).

Of course there is also my nanny's cooking (in Thailand it is normal to have a nanny even though we are all grown - she's family) - she always tells me she does not like to cook but com'on - she's AWESOME . . .the bestest chicken krapow in the world, nam prik pla tu (chilli paste with mackerel) and her chicken green curry is second to none. Then again though, many many Thai kids will say the same about their nannies . . . i'm biased . . .