travelinterpreters

Has anyone been to Tongue Thai? We are planning on going there in 2 weeks.

Peter4

Very difficult to believe that Suda was your best Thai meal here.
But, cheap and dirty, yes, Suda certainly is that.

I've eaten at Suda once.
Once was enough.
The food is adequate, edible, but certainly nothing worth recommending.

There must be at least 5,000 other restaurants in Bangkok; any one of them far more appetizing.
I can not understand why so many people go to eat at dingy Suda.
Did I miss something?

- Peter

Peter4

Jeffrey -

Since the thread topic is "Bangkok eating" you may wish to ask that particular question on a separate thread, but a brief answer to your question here:

For a retired man, single or divorced, and Caucasian, who thrives in big cities, Bangkok is magnificent.
Not perfect -- there is intense pollution, horrendous traffic, and other disadvantages here.
But the benefits far outweigh the shortcomings, IF you enjoy city life.
Bangkok's cornucopia of food and restaurant choices is one of those benefits.

On the other hand, for a Western wife, Bangkok is not a good choice.
Whatever remains of her marriage will not last long in Bangkok.

If you open a new thread on the topic of expat living, you are welcome to move my comments there.

- Peter

cmvinsk

Anyone been to either of these restaurants in Bangkok lately? Would you recommend either or one over the other? Thanks.

sonoftheheartland

Seafood Restaurant was always, probably still now, the ultimate tourist resataurant. Don't know where or how good Somboon is.

Most small groups eating at Seafood order too much uncooked seafood going through the line, imho, and then have to decide how to get rid of it all at the table or afterwards.

Maybe other FT'ers can make better recommendations than I can, having not been hankering for best new seafood restaurants in BKK for a long time.

cmvinsk

Given you're not looking for new restaurants, what are your favorites in Bangkok?

taipan954

You have to go to the Seafood Restaurant ("If It Swims We Have It") just to say that you have been there once. I went once, with a group of about 15, and found the secret dinner place for all tourists <g>. Seriously though, the food was very fresh and excellent. I had the best King Prawns ever (better than the lobster in my opinion).

It's not Seafood, but at Soi 19 and Sukhumvit is Dosa King, a vegetarian restaurant and very cheap. The Dosa (think tortilla stuffed with curry, vegetables, etc.) is their trademark.

Enjoy!

schoflyer

Ok. I believe the actual name of the restraunt is...

"The Seafood Market & Restaurant"

This is the place that has the "If it Swims We Have It"
This is the place that Tony Bourdain went on his show.

As a matter of fact here's the URL.

http://www.seafood.co.th/

duanes42

I am not a big seafood eater, but I have been to both and prefer Somboon, as do my seafood loving Thai and Asian friends, however the Seafood Market probably has more choices if you are looking for something truly unusual). Price wise I believe Somboon is very reasonable, its been to long since I have been to seafood market so I can't comment on it. I would avoid other seafood places unless you are sure before ordering that their prices are reasonable, some places are extremely overpriced.

Somboon is at the corner of Surawong (spelled sometimes Surawongse but the "se" is silent - some taxi drivers still know it/pronounce it as "SurEEwong") Road and Narithiwat Road - if you are on Silom near Patpong or the Saladaeng BTS (Silom Subway Station), walk away from Rama IV down Silom (towards the river) and turn right at Narithiwat road next junction is the restaurant (Narithiwat Road ends at Surawong). If taking the BTS, get off at Chong Nongsi station and walk on Narithiwat away from Sathorn - walk towards Silom (you will see TG Office at corner of Narithiwat and Silom) and then next block is Surawong and the restaurant. I believe they have three other locations, 1 somewhere on one of the Chulalongkorn streets not as convenient to reach by mass transit, but there is a nice street stand selling Satay opposite it, only open about 6pm until sold out (I mean the Satay), maybe 9pm or earlier (I went for the Satay, but noticed the restaurant while there and had a quick bite). Ok, I just found their website, http://www.somboonseafood.com/index_en.html, the Chula location is at Chula 8 and has a more Chinese style to it (according to their website). The other 2 locations I have not been to so I can't comment on them.

Definitely order the stir fried Morning Glory at Somboon (no seafood in this dish). I am not a big veggie eater, but I love this dish, if we go 3-4 persons we easily finish off the large size, if a bigger group we usually order 2 large plates.

I do recommend reservations for Somboon, you can still walk in no problem, but there are times there is a line if you don't have a reservation.

happytravelling

I concur with the recommendation for Cabbages and Condoms. I also recommend the resort of the same name near Pattaya. Wonderful resort on the beach with the same good food as the one in Bkk. Far from the nightlife. Used to be about $60/night, but it was more last time I stayed. Pics are on their website.

garyphil

cabbages and condoms do serve good food, but I think they serve food that is very basic also. If you're up for it, try the street food in bangkok!

broadwayboy

Going to Bangkok next week to meet up with family and I need 2 or 3 restaurant recommendations, please. We went to Bhan Khanita few years ago and enjoyed it a lot, so we're going there on the first night.

We'll be celebrating a birthday dinner on the 2nd night and am thinking of going to CELADON.

Is CELADON at Sukhothai still regarded as one of the best Thai restaurants in Bangkok? How about SPICE MARKET at Four Seasons?

Any other recommendations would be appreciated.

MegatopLover

My Thai friends say that most of the Thai restaurants at the 5* hotels have Westernized their food by dramatically sweetening it and making it less spicy. They said that was definitely true of Celadon. OTOH, Baan Kanitha is fairly authentic, according to Mr. Megatop at least. For my part, I have always enjoyed the Thai food from Thiptara at the Pen, though I have been getting it from room service lately.

For Thai cuisine, I am getting very into street food and other less-than-glamorous venues. Going native, you might say. When you get some of the best Thai food you've ever had, a couple bottles of water (you'll need 'em, even if they are counter-productive), and a large Singha for less than 500 baht for two people, you just can't beat that. Probably not what you're looking for if you're thinking about Celadon, but you might check the "Street Food" in Bangkok thread I started in this forum a while back. Lots of good tips in there.

Michael

I'm not Thai, but I agree with this assessment. I remember eating at Spice Market a few years ago: one of the most disappointing meals I've ever had. The place was pretty, sure, but the food was extremely mediocre. That said, the food on the street is frequently fantastic.

I haven't visited Chowhound.com for a while, but the posters there used to have pretty extensive and good recommendations for where to eat. But there, too, the consensus was that street food (or eating at basic restaurants) was the way to go.

- Michael

MegatopLover

This reminds me of a place in Siam Square that serves Issam food from Northeastern Thailand. Very basic restaurant (real restaurant, not a hawker stall) but excellent food. SCORCHING HOT stuff, many of the dishes are, mind you. I cannot recall the name of the place but it's on a soi in the cordoned-off area of Siam Square that requires you to pay for parking upon entry, kind of near the Hard Rock. It's not in one of the indoor malls. There's frequently a line or a crowd out front, but it moves fast. A good concierge would know the place; just say you want Issam food in Siam Square.