rjh

Thanks.

That's so funny. I used to stay at a cheapo place on Soi 10. I can point, mime, and use really terrible Thai as well as anyone when trying to get food. Skills honed at many upcountry bus stations.

Hey transpac, I don't know if you remember, but we had dinner at some cheap seafood place in Suntec City/S'pore many moons ago when staying at the Conrad for US$75 was a thing.

My travel patterns changed mostly to US domestic for several years, but it looks like I'll be back on the road putting my uninformed opinions here and elsewhere. I see we both posted early in this forum about Ban Chiang near Surasak. My tastes have changed a bit since then.

cslewis

After You Desserts is a great place to enjoy a cup of coffee and a delightful dessert.

Kalboz

... that is if you can get a table!

transpac

I think there are ~ 15 different locations, but yes, the shop in the "G" level of Siam Paragon seems like it's always busy, the one in Terminal 21 (Asoke) less so.

https://www.afteryoudessertcafe.com/

rjh

Went to Soei at its new location with 3 others and had a great lunch. Highly recommended if you are ok with spicy.

Took a taxi and got close, then a stall vendor on the corner, apparently used to lost Westerners, motioned us down the soi. No romanized signage.


Don't expect the Four Seasons.


Very helpful, friendly waitress who apparently had the most English guided us through a balanced lunch. English menu available with photos, but I'd recommend what we had.

Started with the kaem pla too tod (แก้มปลาทูทอด), Indian mackerel cheeks. Unlike what our pal Mark Wiens said, didn't need to call ahead, though maybe this is only for lunch when they still have plenty.

Then we got the goong chae nam pla (กุ้งแช่น้ำปลา), which is raw shrimp marinated in lime juice, chilies, raw garlic along with enough wasabi to blow a safe. Have water or beer handy.

On to pla goong pao (พล่ากุ้งเผา), Thai shrimp salad with jumbo freshwater prawns.

Finished with boo neem pad pongari (ปูนิ่มผัดผงกะหรี่ ), soft shell crab curry.

THB1400 out the door including water and beer. They called us a fake Uber and took a photo with us. Fun.

Link to Mark Wiens page on Soei including address, map, and good photos of each of the dishes I mentioned.

rjh

Way back in post #6 in this thread, I posted about Ban Chiang, which is close to BTS Surasak. Someone I was with on a recent trip wanted to go there as a sentimental favorite from years back. I was skeptical at best, but went along since it was close to where we were staying so no issues with Bangkok transport. Also, we were with a "first time in Asia" couple, so how bad could it be?

Anyway, though my tastes in Thai food have matured, if not evolved for the better, Ban Chiang was surprisingly good. Not all that Westernized and in the same pleasant, "Old Thai house" setting.

Bottom line is that I wouldn't make a special trip, but would consider it if in the neighborhood. Also, good for people who may not want Thai food that's too authentic, like Soei.

rjh

Wandering around the Shangri-La/Silom area, four of us stopped in at the Muslim Restaurant for a late lunch.

Friendly helpful table service with an English menu. Inexpensive with a clean non-squatter toilet. Not a white tablecloth sort of place, if that's more to your taste.

Chicken biryani was better than average. Other than that you can get the usual, non-pork dishes. No alcohol, duh. Recommended in this area.

rjh

Made a special effort to go to The Local since it recommended by both Mark Wiens and Pai Chongchitnant of Hot Thai Kitchen. Well, four of us (non-Thai, but eat a lot of Asian food) were pretty disappointed.

Venue is pleasant enough. You may want to take a taxi, though it's close to BTS and MRT since sidewalks are blocked part of the way.

Food looks great, but wasn't all that flavorful. Appetizer sampler was good, but the mains weren't that different than what you can get in US/Europe Thai places. Frankly, not as good (to me) as MBK.

Expensive, too, for what you get. Credit cards ok, which tells you something.

We asked for advice and were warned against one of the southern Thai seafood dishes that was claimed to be too hot for us. Guessing not, but we were doing long haul air travel the next day, so we chickened out.

rjh

Continuing the tour of decent food court places, we ended up at Somtam Nua in Siam Center after failing to navigate the construction bypasses to the location in Siam Square (we figured it out later).

4th floor in the Food Factory and currently listed as Somtam Noir in the Siam Center directory.

No queue when we arrived kinda toward the end of their serving hours. Table service with emphasis on efficiency, so decide and pull the trigger. Good fried chicken (just get the large sized selection) and Isaan, duh, specialties. Inexpensive. Recommended if in mall land on north side of Rama I.

rjh

I was hungry after the arduous Chao Phraya boat ride to Phra Arthit, so we stopped off at Roti Mataba.

Table service upstairs, though we first let the roti people know downstairs what roti we wanted (don't think you have to do this). English menu. Friendly and cheap.

Recommended on your way to getting a tattoo or buying elephant pants.

rjh

Also in the awesome KSR area, we had lunch at Aesah Rotdee, a Thai-Muslim place that presents a narrow passage on the street that opens to a wider courtyard.

Table service with almost English that suffers broken Thai. Khao mok gai and (non-alcoholic) drinks all around. Cheap. Clean.

Don't expect to run into a lot of Westerners or Chinese mainlanders. Good alternative to the tourist traps starting a block south.

Kalboz

I love that place - did you try the fire egg (boiled egg drenched in curry sauce)?

rjh

I had the curry egg in the dim past, I think. Not this trip.

dsquared37

New location? Are they not at Samsen Station or have they opened a new branch?

Agree about the food being good but the hefty pricetag left me wondering who his customer base is.






I ate here years ago and it was a good way to escape tourists. The food is good consistently but nothing special. And indeed, cheap.

While this area is obviously flooded with tourists there is still the remains of a once-vibrant local community as seen in the markets around TNN Tani and Soi Kraisi. North of Klong Banglampoo, in the sois east of Samsen where many hotels and guesthouses are now opening, that community is currently being torn assunder but there's still a lot of food aimed at locals.... even though there are less and less locals in the area these days.

rjh

Soei moved since there's going to be reconstruction around the train station.

All Thai people at Soei on our visit, except for our island of whitebreads. Food quality was noticeably higher than any other restaurant on this 2 week trip. YMMV.