Restaurant in Bangkok ...
 

Hi,
Will be in Bangkok for 5 nights over christmas and want to get some ideas for restaurants. Having read over all the great posts on here, favourites seem to be:
Face and Bed Supperclub ( I have booked the Supperclub already!). I have heard good things about another couple of restaurants:Mahanaga and Lemongrass - and wondered if anybody had tried then, and the approximate prices etc.
I suppose i should add, that as well as eating at more 'Western Influenced' places like supperclub, am also wanting to try some really good authentic, but quality Thai...
thanks for the help, and have thoroughly enjoyed reading everybodys posts,
Carly

Mahanaga made a huge splash when it opened, but I haaven't heard a peep about it lately.

Anna's Cafe on Saladaeng was good.

Baan Suan Din Pao on Thonglor also has good Thai food.

Face is pretty much my favorite Thai place in BKK, so you are on the right track there. I also like the small intimate bar there.

Vientienne Kitchen is also good Thai/Lao food. It's on Sukhumvit soi 36. I'm trying to remember if it had air cond. or not. It seems maybe not?? But I don't remember being too hot at all! It's like a large Thai "hut" with live Thai entertainment, and a very nice meal as well.

Also good:
Guisco for Italian, on Sukhumvit soi 23. We had to go there because Bed was having a private party this particular night. Guisco is the best Italian we've found (and we've tried a lot of Italian places)

Senor Pico's is a lot of fun. It's in the Rembrandt Hotel on Suk. soi 18. It is a Mexican place (not too bad) with a live Cuban band (when we were there).

You can get excellent foie gras at Sacz on first floor of new Majestic Grande hotel. Also, you can get some wonderful foie gras at Bamrungrad Hospital (Ital. place in lobby 2nd flr)

Favorite Thai nightclub (with very few falongs) is Tawandang Germany Brewery! But if too many falongs start going there, it won't be the same!! (LOL) Great food, great beer, and fantastic live show on stage. Always busy (go early for good seats) and always a very fun Thai crowd.

LUNCHES:
Food Loft at Central Chitlom department store top floor (excellent, fresh, a unique food court kind of place)

lunch at Jim Thompson house restaurant; nice atmosphere, good food, very pleasant

Greyhound Cafe at Central Chitlom department store (3rd flr) or there is also one at the Emporium mall.

I'm getting these restaurant names by rereading "meals" pages in my 8 Thai journals... I REALLY need to start writing down what we paid for there meals!! I do know that Bed is 1090 baht per person, without beverages, and worth every penny of it!!

Carol

i have compiled a list from my 9 visits to bkk....contact me at [email protected] and i will gladly send it along to you....some of the same place as carol has written here but more as well...

let us know where you are staying and we will tailor suggestions to that area as well...

you will love bed....face is great as well, both the indian and the thai part...

biscotti in the 4 seasons hotel is our overall favorite---italian...L'opera on soi 39 sukhumvit is great for italian as well and less expensive..

dim sum in the contrad hotel at lunch in liu rest. on the 3rd floor---unforgetable

my favorite thai place i guess at the moment is tongue thai behind OP Place which is directly in back of the oriental hotel...

Two friends of mine swear by Lemongrass. They've been eating there regularly for over a decade.I haven't gotten to it yet...but Bed is great and I've eaten regularly at Biscotti at the Four Seasons which has always been great.I don't have my journal on me at the moment so I can't remember other places that I've eaten at, over the years, that have really stood out. Happy Travels!

Wow, this is great guys. thanks so much for the responses. this whole site has been such a help for planning the holiday, and getting the right kind of 'eyewitness' accounts of places, for Thailand, Cambodia and Laos.

So, i am definitely going to try Supperclub and thai restaurant at Face (should i book this too?).

Definitely also Lemongrass. i originally found out about it from 'Gourmet Traveller' Magazine, which is usually pretty spot on. Also other recommendations sound great. thanks again :)

'rhkkmk'- have already noted dim-sum at conrad from your previous post, as am total yum-cha devotee! I am staying at Nai Lert, which i know has mixed reviews here, but suited what i was looking for, as low rise with nice pool. i have a good friend who is regular there, who says that if you book a room in the new wing, it is very good value.(Also featured in 'Wallpaper' mag, and am a bit of a sucker for contemporary architecture!). i got a deal on deluxe room with balcony overlooking pool for v.cheap. (will make sure i write a full report for those interested on my return!)
Carol - thanks for bar/nightclub recommendations too. v.useful and will be sure to try out.
thanks again!
C

I like MahaNaga - good fusion Thai food in a great setting. This is perfect weather to ask for an outdoor table. For lunch I'll add Thang Long on Soi Lungsuan, walkable from the Chitlom BTS station. Good Vietnamese food, reasonable prices. Also a great noodle restaurant at the basement of the new Erawan shopping complex.

will look for a full report on nei lert...i've been wanting to stay there...

personally i hated lemongrass....thought it run down and the food only fair....make sure you have a reservation....i was turned away at least once without one...i would not go back...

Sorry, one more question on Bangkok Restaurants:

Have just heard back from Supperclub, and booked for a thurs night which is set-menu only option. Do you think its better to on a night where it is 'A la Carte' or is set menu a nice option at this restaurant?

thanks again for the tips,

Carly

BED is always a set menu so make sure you tell them if you have any food allergies. My husband is veg and we had to forewarn them else he would get nothing. It is a course meal, set menu which changes daily.

Bed has what it calls "Surprise menu night" in which everyone eats what the cook has prepared. I don't think Thursday is a "surprise" night, but I could be wrong. If memory serves me correctly, it might be Friday nights. In any case, when I went to one of these surprise dinners, the waiter came around and asked us if there was anything we could NOT eat. That was the first time I'd ever been asked that question at a restaurant. I have strange food allergies so I was glad they asked. The meal that night was 4 courses rather than the usual 3:

1. soup: tomato base with sour cream added, with corn, and a chunk of sliced tenderloin of beef
2. salad: some kind of lettuce, with blue cheese, balsamic vinaigrette and slices of watermelon (delicious!!)
3. main course: some kind of fowl, thinking NOT chicken, maybe a pheasant? with almonds, risotto, on a bed of spinach
4. dessert; some sort of cheese cake with coconut, mango, and a dab of vanilla ice cream

(I could never have remembered this menu, thank goodness I keep journals; but I didn't have a menu to read for exact ingredients either)

Now, on to menus for normal dining nights, here are some examples of the foods offered from one of the other times I've been: (I've eaten at BED about 4 times now, I think)

Starters: chilled asparagus broth with goat cream cheese, enoki mushrooms and truffle oil OR crab salad and grilled artichokes with vanilla citrus vinaigrette and garlic croutons OR orange pepper marinated duck breast with spicy greens and coriander wontons.
Mains: Miso marinated scallops and cauliflower on brown rice risotto and passion fruit reduction OR black olive and pine nut crusted lamb loin with smoked tomato compote and creamy garlic polenta OR wok seared venison loin on mushroom and spinach ragout with elderberry reduction OR fennel cumin spiced salmon filet on wok fried cucumber herb salad and almond salsa OR penne pasta sauteed with smoked chicken breast, roast pepper jus, and cornmeal crusted oysters.

Desserts: Progrecco mango granite seasonal berries in orange lime honey OR spiced apple upside down cake with macadamia praline ice cream and tamarind caramel sauce OR white chocolate banana crepe with cherry compote with cinnamon sauce and milk chocolate ice cream

Sorry this is so long. But you can see that there are many options on the menu. We have usually had four or five different entrees to pick from. I cannot complain about any of the meals I've had at the Bed. Every single one has been exceptional!!

If you go to my website (cjscollection.com) there is a link to a photo gallery on the left side menu. Check out my three albums. One has favorite restaurants, and the Bed is there!)

Carol

I hit the send button too soon. I wanted to suggest to you that you go to the top of State Tower (near the river and Shangri-La) to Sky Bar. It is the most beautiful sight at night, with city lights all around. It is an outdoor bar, plus there is a restaurant or two up there as well. I have not dined at the top of State Tower, but others may have, and may want to put in their two cents. I have been to Sky Bar three times now, and always always always LOVE this place. Dress here is a bit more important... no chunky sandals and backpacker looking attire accepted. If you go to the Bed for dinner, you will also want to be dressed "nicely" so this might be the right night to have your nightcap (and great view) at Sky Bar as well.

Carol

don't go to the sky bar if you're at all afraid of heights. It's not enclosed the way most bars like that are. I could only look a few seconds. And be prepared to pay a LOT for your drinks.

i think the set menu with no choice is two weekend nites (fri and sat, i think)...the other nites are a limited menu with 3 choices for each course (3 courses: starter, main and dessert)....it was 1190 B in may and the set menu is more like 1500 and is 4 courses...
i think the way to tell which it is--- the 3 or 4 courses...

in any case the good will be great...

Since you will be staying at the NeiLert, then you'll have to go over to the small mall connected to it and check out Sakul Intakul's floral vessels.He has his own boutique there. He's probably the number one floral arranger in Bangkok and has written at least three books which are marvelous. He's also appointed by the Queen of Thailand to do arrangements and does many of the arrangements at the 5-star hotels in Bangkok and everyone is trying to copy his arrangements it seems...even someone who did a huge arrangement at the Four Seasons the day I met him and we took a photo together in front of the"copied" arrangement. He just laughed. I always wanted to meet him and then one day, in Aug 2004, while waiting for my room at the Four Seasons, I saw him standing in the lobby. I was so excited until I boldly approached him immediatedly and told him that he was the Tom Cruise of floral arranging. He laughed hysterically, we hit it off immediatedly and we've e-mailed each other several times. His floral vessels are incredible and a "must-have" item when going to Bangkok. They are also sold in the Siam Shopping mall at a store called,"Anyroom". I can't wait to get back next month and add to my collection. His first great book is called Tropical Colors...check it out in a bookstore before you leave home and he has photos of his floral vessels there.I was in Bangkok when that book first came out and was flying off of the shelves. One of his books, I had to buy in Thai because it hadn't even been translated yet to English, but Tropical Colors is in English. Have a great trip. The Neilert looks very nice. I've been there, but haven't stayed there. I like that it's a low rise. I think it was being renovated when I saw it a couple of years ago. Happy Travels!

Oh, I agree with Carol as to the great food at the Italian restaurant in Bumrungrad Hospital off of Sukhumvit...Ploenchit skytrain station. The food is fabulous. I'll definitely be eating there regularly next month. Happy Travels!

Ton Pho is an excellent laidback option for great thai food.
You can check my review and contact information on my site.

www.mcdougaaladventures.com/category/thailand

Again, thanks for the fantastic tips, and detailed descriptions! BED menu sounds fabbo, and doesnt seem like it will matter much if its a selection of a set-menu or 'suprise menu', as all will be mouth-watering am sure. I have no food alergies and eat almost anything, so should be right there! ;)

Carol - sky bar sounds great, also have heard 'Vertigo' at Banyan Tree is worth a visit ... though imagine drinks are pricey here too ... one cocktail should be enough here though, then off to somewhere a little cheaper .. btw what are approximate prices of drinks at BED?

i have actually gone through and printed out everybodies posts from the archives relating to Bangkok, Changmai, Laos and Cambodia, and am in the process of summarising it all into my travel diary. Have also collected just about every article from mags etc. relating to travelling and eating in these locations, so if anybody is interested i'll write up a post when i get back of places that arent mentioned on this list - (though am sure there wont be many!)

Thanks again,

though i suspect this wont be my last post before i head off on the 20th ;)

Carly
IMO (in my opinion.. for newbies) the Sky Bar wins hands down over Vertigo. I have been to both of them.

Please do share your trip report with us when you return. That's what is so great about this forum... all the sharing that goes on here. All travel forums are not created equal... and this ones gets a real thumbs up from ME.

Once I head off to Germany tomorrow, I may be off-line for periods of time. I will have the laptop with me, and if wireless is available, I'll be joining in as often as I can!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone here in the USA. Don't eat too much turkey...

Carol

drink prices at bed were not bad as i remember...i think my wife had a glass of wine and i had one beer...maybe $10 and $4...i'm just guessing...
they had lots of exotic drinks and tons of martinis