BANGKOK

32, 516, river ferry Tha Thewet) Popular with

French travellers, the cheapest rooms here

are plain and share bathrooms, but are

good value.

 5 Eating

Invariably the safest of Bangkok’s infamous

carnal pleasures, food is serious business

in this city. Attracting hungry visitors from

across the globe, Bangkok’s eateries also

draw natives from disparate ends of the city,

happy to brave traffi c or fl oods for a bowl of

noodles or a plate of rice.

The selection is enormous, with eating

places in Bangkok ranging from wheeled

carts that set up shop on a daily basis to chic

dining rooms in fi ve-star hotels. In our expe-

rience the tastiest eats are generally found

somewhere in-between, at family-run sho-

phouse restaurants serving a limited reper-

toire of dishes.

The infl uences are also vast, and you’ll

fi nd everything from Chinese-Thai to Mus-

lim-Thai, not to mention most regional do-

mestic cuisines. And if at some point you

do tire of gŏo·ay đĕe·o (rice noodles) and

curries, Bangkok has an ever-expanding

selection of high-quality international res-

taurants, encompassing everything from

upscale French to hole-in-the-wall Japanese

ramen houses.

KO R ATA NAKOSIN, BA NGL A MPHU &

THONBURI

Despite its proximity to the faux pàt tai and

tame đôm yam (a sour/spicy soup) of Th

Khao San, Banglamphu is one of the city’s

most legendary eating areas. Decades-old

restaurants and legendary hawkers line the

streets in this leafy corner of Old Bangkok,

and you could easily spend an entire day

grazing the southern end of Th Tanao alone.

Although you’d be wisest to get your do-

mestic nosh away from the main drag, the

6

6

6

6

6

66

66

66

6

6

6

6

66

66

6

6

666

666

666

6

#

#

#

#

#

¦

¦

¡

¦

¡

#

#ÿ

#þ

#â

#

#

#

#

#

û

ú

ú

ú

ú

#›

#Ø

Kh

lon

gP

re

m

Pr

ech

ak

on Chatuchak

Park

Railway

Park & Queen

Sirikit Park

ThKamphaengPhet^1

Th Lat

Phr

ao

ThPadi

phat

ThV

iphawade

eRan

gsit

ThPh

aho

ny

ot

hi

n

Th

K

ma

ph

ae

ng

ph

et

2

Th

Sa

wa

nk

alo

k

Bang Sue

Chatuchak Park

Phahon Yothin

Saphan Khwai

Ari

Mo Chit

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

10

9

11

1

See Chatuchak

Market Map (p141)

£##¡

#¦

4

3

1

C

B C

2

4

3

1

2

B

A

A D

D

North Bangkok e#

‚

To Lat Phrao

MRT Station

(300m)

0500m

00.25miles