Hi Guys and Gals!
I was writing another FTer who has asked for some restaurant advice for BKK (Thai, but also Japanese and Western restaurant advice). So after writing him, I decided to post it here. If any of you have any more to add, feel free to do so. All of these places are either in walking distance from Silom Road or are adjacent to Skytrain (BTS) stations.
Italian:
"Zanotti", down Soi Saladang, just past Saladang Place serviced apartments (about 100 meters from Silom Road) Reservations are a good idea. I have always had decent food and service there. I've also had good Italian food at the restaurant in the Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit Hotel.
Drinks/snacks:
The bar at the Peninsula Hotel, across the river (by river taxi)
Thai:
"Celadon", in the Sukhothai Hotel, for a lovely Thai experience--a special meal, at VERY expensive prices for BKK--but of course, about $15 per person isn't too bad, when you think about it. And amazing service, too. They also have a gorgeous brunch and a great "Chocolate Buffet" in the afternoons....
Thai:
"Just One", a very cool restaurant actually quite near to Babylon, kind of between Babylon and the Malaysia Hotel. It's got a huge menu of just about any Thai dish you could think of. Reasonable prices, lots of foreign residents of BKK eat there (meaning it's good, and good value). I don't know the exact address, but it's on the corner by Honey House (I remember that sign), and if you're going from Babylon to the Malaysia Hotel, and get to the 7-11, you can see the entrance and the kitchen just across the street from the 7-11.
Japanese:
Zen, several branches--excellent, authentic ( I lived in Japan for 5 years, so I know) Japanese food, at stunningly cheap prices (get a set meal for about $3-6, including sushi, or order a la carte). There is one branch in Siam Center, also one I think on Convent Road/Silom Road corner area?
Thai/Chinese:
I like to eat street food, but since it's hard to explain where I eat street food, I'll send you to a place with lots of "local" style Thai foods (while expensive for Thai folks, the $1-2 per person total should be affordable for you):
Go to the Emporium Department store (Phrom Phong BTS station), and go to the top floor, where there is a supermarket. Just wander around--gorgeous Thai sweets, etc--also lots of prepared foods, for sale, very cheap and high quality. I sometimes bring home to the USA little coconut cakes, cookies, etc, from the prepared foods area.
If you go kind of behind the KFC and to the right, there is a hallway leading to the local Thai/Chinese food court. Look at all the foods on offer, buy some food tickets from the people sitting at the counters near the entrance area, near the drinks stand (you can get your money back if you don't use all the tickets). Great Chinese soups, duck, chicken, also curries, noodle dishes, thai food too. Yummy and quite safe--I've eaten there several times. Get a thai iced coffee ("KA-FA-YEN") from the drinks stand, grab a table by the windows....a great view, clean, and the food is good, without the worries! It's very busy, so it doesn't sit all day--a good sign for food court/street food operations
Upstairs from there (escalators near KFC) is a great movie theater--like $2-3 for first-run movies. Check the schedule in the Bangkok Post. I have seen lots of good movies there, including all three Lord of the Rings films! A nice break from the afternoon heat, too.
Hope this helps! I'll let you know if I think of any more......
Jeff
PS--On your first or second night in BKK, take a taxi to the night flower market and just walk around there--buy lots of flowers to enjoy in your room during your stay! It's like $2 for a big bunch of roses, etc.....even if you don't buy anything, it's SO beautiful just to look at all the colors, smells, and sights of the market. One of my favorite markets in the world, and very few tourists, too. Meaning very few people bothering you too-- a very authentic local experience.
Also go to Chatuchak market if you're in BKK on a weekend. Sat/Sun they have an absolutely HUGE outdoor market that I've brought many gifts home from.....there's everything from t-shirts to furniture to housewares to incense burners to live animals (!). It's huge, like I said, so it takes some stamina. But it's also fascinating, so it's easy to go--it's not bad, just big. I like it because it's not set up for tourists-- it's for the local market, but there are also lots of tourists there, so there is really a great variety of things to look at and buy.
Enjoy!