Thailand - Planning (Chapter)

BANGKOK

BANGKOK

EATING

BANGKOK

EATING

performances instead of mood music – the
food stands up to the distractions with a
changing menu described as ‘modern ec-
lectic cuisine’. Dining is à la carte except on
Fridays and Saturdays when there’s a four-
course surprise menu served at 9pm sharp.

Tapas Café SPANISH $$
(Map p 92 ; 1/25 Soi 11, Th Sukhumvit; mains 75-
750B; h11am-midnight; a; BTS Nana) If vibrant
tapas, refreshing sangria and an open, airy
atmosphere aren’t reasons enough to eat
here, consider that before 7pm dishes and
drinks are buy-two, get-one-free.

Upper Sukhumvit
Boon Tong Kiat Singapore
Hainanese Chicken Rice SINGAPOREAN $
(Map p 92 ; 440/5 Soi 55/Thong Lor, Th Sukhumvit;
dishes 60-150B; hlunch & dinner; a; BTS Thong
Lo) Order a plate of the restaurant’s name-
sake and bear witness to how a dish can be

simultaneously simple and profound. And

while you’re here you’d be daft not order ro-

jak, the spicy/sour fruit ‘salad’, which here is

cheekily called ‘Singapore Som Tam’.

Sukhumvit Plaza KOREAN $$$

(Korean Town; Map p 92 ; cnr Soi 12 & Th Sukhumvit;

hlunch & dinner; a; BTS Asok, MRT Sukhumvit)

Known around Bangkok as ‘Korean Town,’

this multistorey complex is the city’s best

destination for authentic ‘Seoul’ food. Ex-

pat Koreans swear by Myeong Ga (Map p 92 ;

%0 2229 4658; mains 200-550B; hdinner; a) on

the ground fl oor, although there are slightly

cheaper places in the complex as well.

Le Beaulieu FRENCH $$$

(Map p 92 ; %0 2204 2004; 50 Soi 19, Th Sukhumvit;

set lunch/dinner from 525/1950B; h11.30am-3pm

& 6.30-11pm; a; BTS Asok, MRT Sukhumvit) This

tiny service hotel–bound restaurant is con-

sidered by many residents to be Bangkok’s

PRETTY THAI FOR A WHITE GUY

Starting around 2009, a handful of foreigners decided to open up Thai restaurants in

Bangkok. The Thais can be very, well, protective about their cuisine, and the chefs in-

volved generated a huge amount of local and international press – not all of it positive

(one Thai food critic accused a well known foreign restaurateur of ‘slapping the faces of

Thai people’). The storm has since passed, and in its wake we reap the benefi t of several

excellent Thai restaurants.

» (^) nahm (Map p 90 ; %0 2625 3333; Metropolitan Hotel, 27 Th Sathon Tai; set meal 1500B;
hdinner; a; MRT Lumphini) Australian chef/author David Thompson (see the boxed
text, p 120 ) is behind what is quite possibly the best Thai restaurant in Bangkok. Taking
his inspiration largely from antique texts, the dishes range from the exotic (spicy stir-
fried frog with chillies, turmeric holy basil and cumin leaves) to the adventurous (fer-
mented fish simmered with minced prawns and pork with chillies, galangal and green
peppercorn), with bold flavours and artful presentation as a unifying thread. If you’re
expecting bland, gentrified Thai food meant for foreigners, prepare to be disappointed.
Reservations recommended.
» Bo.lan (Map p 92 ; %0 2260 2962; 42 Soi Rongnarong Phichai Songkhram, Soi 26, Th Su-
khumvit; set meal 1500B; hdinner Tue-Sun; BTS Phrom Phong) Bo and Dylan (Bo.lan, a play
on words that also means ‘ancient’), former chefs at London’s nahm, have provided
Bangkok with a compelling reason to reconsider upscale Thai cuisine. The couple’s
scholarly approach to Thai cooking takes the form of seasonal set meals featuring
dishes you’re not likely to find elsewhere.
» Soul Food Mahanakorn (Map p 92 ; %0 2714 7708; 56/10 Soi 55/Thong Lor, Th Sukhum-
vit; mains 120-250B; hdinner; a; BTS Thong Lo) Started up by a native of Pennsylvania,
this cosy bar-restaurant does tasty but pricey takes on rustic Thai dishes such as gài
tôrt Hat Yai (southern-style fried chicken), and gaeng hang lair, a northern-style pork
curry, not to mention great cocktails.
» (^) Sra Bua (Map p 86 ; %0 2162 9000; Siam Kempinski Hotel, 991/9 Th Rama I; set meal
2400B; hnoon-3pm & 6-11pm Mon-Fri, 6-11pm Sat & Sun; a; BTS Siam) Helmed by a Thai
and a Dane whose Copenhagen restaurant, Kiin Kiin, scored a Michelin star, Sra Bua
takes a correspondingly international approach to Thai food – think frozen red curry
with lobster. It’s behind the Siam Paragon.