Bangkok (or “Krung Thep” in Thai, roughly translated as the “City of Angels”) is a cultural phenomenon; it’s intense, steamy, pulsating, addictive – and a culinary paradise.
The city’s food scene seduces sybarites from the four corners of the globe to sample the most exotic cuisine in Asia. Spicy, sour, bitter, fragrant, sweet, salty – and all tossed together. That’s how Thais love their food. These days, the city’s innovative restaurants are borrowing from the simplicity of the streets to serve up traditional Thai food with a twist. The best places take you by surprise – and sometimes are located in the most surprising of places. For those with a taste for aromatics and punchy flavours, a true feast awaits the adventurous gastronome. Travel writer, photographer and bon vivant Michael Paul shows us around the vibrant city.
Eating aside, Bangkok is also home to some of the most luxurious hotels in the world, from the grand old dames such as the Mandarin Oriental to the swanky new Park Hyatt, where the floor plan forms a twisting figure-of-eight layout. But topping the league is The Siam – one of the best-kept secrets in Southeast Asia. It’s deliberately a tad out of town, strategically situated on the Chao Phraya river so that guests can escape the chaos and cacophony of central Bangkok.
A stay at this urban retreat can be summed up in one word: sublime. When you venture there by The Siam’s vintage river boat, cruising up the historic Chao Phraya with the evening light fading to gold, it soon becomes clear that this place is something special. On the private pier, a welcome assembly of hotel staff (including the elegantly dressed butlers) greet you with a warmth that surpasses all others. As you’re escorted to the hotel’s reception up an avenue of fragrant frangipani, with a short walk past reflective pools and the spectacular atrium, you get the sensation that you’ve arrived at a high temple to good taste. Glamour and culture make the perfect bedfellows at The Siam, where contemporary architecture contrasts with achingly beautiful antiques, while numerous vitrines are exquisitely curated with curios that serve as touching tributes to Thai culture and history.
Unlike so many other grand hotels, there’s never a feeling of pretention. It’s stylish without being sniffy, and contemporary without being chilly. The staff and management are delightful – and always ready to give good advice on intriguing places to visit or eat. The Siam presents you with a serious dilemma; the suites are so divine you won’t want to leave, but there’s so much to see nearby in the historic quarter or bustling Chinatown that you’ll find yourself pulled in multiple directions.
Dining at The Siam is akin to its architecture in that you get the best of both worlds: a blend of the modern and the traditional. Underneath traditional stilted wooden Thai houses is the highly acclaimed restaurant Chon (the Thai word for “spoon”) and its much in-demand chef’s table. Behind is the Deco Bar & Bistro, with its jazz age and art deco elegance. Both serve haute Thai cuisine and a choice of Western dishes. Executive chef Damri Muksombat is happy to talk you through his specials or to prepare a selection of classic Thai food that suits your taste buds. His gai yang (char-grilled chicken) is a lavish street-food classic, while his yum takrai pla krapong thord (spicy deep-fried sea bass and lemongrass salad) is a recipe he learned from his mother.
For those who don’t have the deepest of pockets, The Cabochon Hotel on Sukhumvit Soi 45, in the heart of Bangkok’s fashionable shopping district, is a complete contrast to life on the river. Old-world colonial charm is combined with all the modern comforts and amenities, making it one of the most endearing places to stay in the centre of town. With an exceptional choice of splendidly decorated suites or studios at value-for-money prices, The Cabochon delivers a rare feeling of being in your own personal space. Certainly not for the business suits, it’s a hotel where you can live in style, rather than sleeping in a soulless bed factory. Living at The Cabochon is rather like reading a favourite book – you escape into it and never want it to end.
The Thai Lao Yeh Restaurant at The Cabochon is a must for lovers of genuine Thai food, full of integrity and delivering big on flavour.The menu features a selection of lesser-known regional Thai and Laotian food, with original recipes that combine the very best of these cuisines.Try the nam prik ong, a pork and tomato dip from northern Thailand or the delectable puu phad pong (crab curry).
No gourmet adventure in Bangkok is complete without an excursion to Pak Khlong Talat, the wholesale vegetable and flower market near Chinatown. Once an ancient floating market in the old town, today it’s located in a series of warehouses and streets that provide a sensuous insight into the exotic ingredients that form the core of Thai cuisine. Here you’ll see truckloads of fat chillies of every size and colour, coriander, turmeric, galangal, ginger, pandan and kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass, garlic and heaps of ruby-red shallots that arrive fresh in the market every day. A short one-stop hop up river from the market on the Chao Phraya ferry takes you to the Tha Tien street market, near the popular Wat Pho temple. Here, you can partake of the best pad Thai (stir-fried rice noodles) in town, made with the freshest ingredients from the market.
The spire-shaped stupa of Wat Arun – the temple of dawn, across the river – is a celebration of Thailand’s Hindu heritage. If temples don’t tempt you, then a stroll through nearby Chinatown is a must for serious foodies. You’ll discover tantalising Thai street food in abundance, often with a Chinese take. There are truly too many places to list, so just follow the locals to see where they eat. A sundowner at the fashionable Tep Bar off Soi Nana (not to be confused with the one in Sukhumvit) is a great way for any bon vivant to begin their eating experience in this chaotic, culturally captivating district.
The river in Bangkok has gone through a recent renaissance and it’s now peppered with a plethora of places to eat. One of Thailand’s most revered architects, Duangrit Bunnag, recently opened his acclaimed restaurants at the inspirational The Jam Factory – his own hip enclave that includes The Summer House Project and The Never Ending Summer – a gallery and a cafe/bookstore. Weekend markets and art exhibitions are also regular events. The Never Ending Summer serves a mix of traditional street food and upscale fusion Thai food, set in an old riverside warehouse where rustic touches such as flecked paint and iron accents showcase the expansive space to a cool crowd of locals and visitors. Aside from the watermelon with dried salted fish, the miang kham is also a must; it translates as “one-bite wrap” – a blend of chopped coconut, ginger, peanut, lime and chilli, served on fresh betel leaves. To follow on from these delights, the Four Seasons red curry duck is equally irresistible.
Not far away from the river at the Chong Nonsi BTS station is The House on Sathorn at the old Russian embassy.This converted colonial building is in charming contrast to the relentless, hard-edged steel and glass architecture that prevails in the rest of Bangkok’s financial district. Surrounded by towering skyscrapers, the shady courtyard is an oasis of calm, tastefully done in pastel palettes of pink and green – making it a perfect place for a spot of tiffin, afternoon tea or an alfresco cocktail. The Indian Accent cauliflower madras curry comes highly recommended, as does Raining Again in Bangkok, a new take on street-style tom yum gai (spicy chicken soup).
A stone’s throw away, chef Ian Kittichai (cookbook writer, TV personality and owner of a spate of restaurants around the globe) and some leading Bangkok impresarios opened Namsaah Bottling Trust in 2014. It’s found in a 20th-century grand villa that’s been painted bright pink. Saturated, sometimes clashing colours are the key here – and somehow it all works to create a rapturous, kaleidoscopic experience. Whimsical cocktails are paired with Asian bar food and some larger sharing dishes. Chef Ian’s killer dishes – such as his sweet-and-sour pork ribs and his duck and mushrooms with lotus root – are simply divine.
Bangkok has more restaurants per capita then pretty much any other city on this planet, to say nothing of the mind-boggling choice of hotels and hostelries. Navigating your way around the multitude of options on offer is like navigating through the city’s traffic – a daunting task at best. But if you’re planning a Bangkok trip in the near future, some of these hot spots are sure to whet your appetite.
THE SIAM
3/2 Thanon Khao
Vachirapayabal, Dusit
+66 2 206 6999
thesiamhotel.com
THE CABOCHON HOTEL
14/29 Sukhumvit Soi 45
Klongton Nua, Watthana
+66 2259 2871
cabochonhotel.com
THE NEVER ENDING SUMMER
The Jam Factory
41/5 Khwaeng Khlong San
Khet Khlong San
+66 2 861 0953
facebook.com/TheNeverEndingSummer
THE HOUSE ON SATHORN
106 North Sathorn Road
Silom, Bangrak
+66 2 344 4000
thehouseonsathorn.com
NAMSAAH BOTTLING TRUST
401 Silom Soi 7
Silom, Bangrak
+66 2 636 6622
namsaah.com
See more: A Travel Destination That Cherishes the Old and Embraces the New
