Best restaurants in Bangkok?

[marshal]

Can anyone tell me what is the best fine dining restaurant in Bangkok? This is a grey area and the internet doesn't turn up much info.
Bangkok is a difficult scene to gauge as you have so many wonderful choices from street food to local places.
I remember 3 years back going to a fine dining restaurant off silom road. The food was good but you left feeling you would have had more enjoyment from a street vendor and a lot better food!
The food served at this restaurant was Royal thai cuisine, recipes from the royal court.
This meal was good, but the scope of thai cuisine and asian in general is so vast and good it is difficult to form an opinion.
In the west it is a lot more clear cut with top restaurants,local places and chain restaurants.
If we could eat from the streets in Britain like you can in los i think the restaurant scene would suffer.

So any suggestions? Does not have to be thai,but i have been led to believe that the 5* hotel restaurants market them selves as the best- oriental,marriot and so on.
I have left out the name of the restaurant near silom as not to offend anyone.
I'm not looking for an lb friendly place, just some suggestions for the very best regardless of price.
Cheers.

[stogie bear]

Indian - Bukhara's Indian Restaurant - Next to soi 7, Sukhumvit.
(Their butter chicken and aloe ghobi are both fantastic...)

Ribs - The Great American Rib Company (Thong Lor soi 36)
It's un-firkin'-believable!

Billy's Pub on the corner of soi 4 just further down from the 7/11)
Great nachos and meatballs & mash!

The 50 baht kebabs opposite that shite Indian restaurant on soi 3 are GREAT!

[marshal]

Cheers stogie.
Where would you go if you really had to impress someone?

[thegame925]

OK - But this is really a "Top Dollar" List:

Zanotti - 21/2 Saladaeng Colonnade, Soi Saladaeng, Silom, Bangrak, Bangkok 10500

Tel: +66 2 636 0002
Web-site: www.zanotti-ristorante.com

A really world-class restaurant -Italian Food
Owner has a terrific Jazz Wine Bar across the Street

Guisto - 16 Soi Sukhumvit23, Sukhumvit Road, Kalongtoeynua, Wattana, Bangkok 101 10

Tel: 0 2258 4321
eb-site: www.guistobangkok.com

Excellent Food - Interesting specially designed glass building - Fun to watch Burmese Generals speaking English with their P4P GG Dates.
A short walk (3 mins) to Soi Cowboy

Hazara (North Indian) and Visage/Face (Classic Thai)
Fantastic Building - Magnificent - A must-see!
Wonderful Food
29 Soi 38, Sukumvit Road, Prakanong Klongtoey, Bangkok 10110

Tel: +66 2 13 6048
Web-Site: www.facebars.com

Breeze
International Fusion-style Food - good- but you go for the wondeful view and you must ask for a table outside (So don't go in the rainy season)
51st Floor, State Tower
1055 Silim Road, Bangrak, Bangkok 10500

Telephone: 02 624 9555
Web-site: www.breezebkk.com


Best fish & shellfish and best Japanese with great view if you request a window view - but extremely expensive:

Lord Jims Restaurant at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel
(You need a jacket for this one)

Good Steakhouse - but expensive - at th J W Marriott near Nana.

Interesting Thai food - not expensive - but in an "Arty" building full of Antiques - Informal - Run by Gays but clientelle is mixed:
The Ice Cafe at 44/2 Soi Pipat 2, Sathon , Bangrak, Bangkok 10500

TeL 02 636 7373


I have a longer list - but these are my top selections -

Personally, I prefer to "play" whilst in Bangkok

[stickyfinger]

Hmm bit over the top me thinks

So come on then where do most folk who are on average budget go to eat good Thai foods with or without their tilac???

I can only remember that soi 5 corner restaurant called "Thai restaurant"and "Bus stop" bar rest was awful last time in Dec.

There must be other options as will be there soon and always can find ok farang food around Nana but wheres the decent Thai rests without goin OTT at 5 star places???

Any help would be apprecaited

Cheers


Sticky

[marshal]

Thankyou very much (The game), i will check out all the links you have given. I appreciate your time in compiling that list. I do play whilst in los, but my other hobby is good food, so i always try to visit different eateries whilst on my travels.

[Guest]

When all else fails the stanard five star establishments do me

GOldern arches or KFC

NOT INTO SPICEY FOODS OR CURRIES so chinese japanese or western foods fr me.

[stogie bear]

(stickyfinger @ Apr. 16 2008,20:32) So come on then where do most folk who are on average budget go to eat good Thai foods with or without their tilac?

That's easy: Foodland!

Best, fastest, freshest, tastiest and cheapest GOOD Thai food in Thailand!

Open 24/7 too!

[kahuna]

(stickyfinger @ Apr. 16 2008,21:32) There must be other options as will be there soon and always can find ok farang food around Nana but wheres the decent Thai rests without goin OTT at 5 star places???

Rosabieng on Soi 11...indoor/outdoor...live jazz outside in dry season...when they move inside it can be a bit overwhelming...Food is absolutely great and reasonably priced...Best winged-bean salad in BKK...

The World Restaurant on Soi7/1 is also very good...without the ambiance...

Vientiane on Soi 36...Laos/Isaan style food...very good...open air seating but some covered Isaan style seating along the walls...

Papaya...Rama IX...It's actually on Rama IX between Soi 16 and 18 as I recall...Isaan style...Great food...Super service...Inexpensive...Beautiful surroundings...and You'll likely be the only farang there...Eaten there many times...and if you have a date, she will love it too...especially if she is from Isaan...

[stogie bear]

Hazara (North Indian) and Visage/Face (Classic Thai)
Fantastic Building - Magnificent - A must-see!

This is the best Indian food I have ever had in my life...

I've mentioned this place in the past but didn't on this thread as it's a bit out of the way and too snooty for a lot of people.

(This - [and the Pattaya restaurants thread] - is now 'pinned!')

[Snick]

Steak
JW Mariott NY Steak House - the best
Chockchai Suk Soi 23 - very good, USA Born cattle on Thai ranch
Vietnamese
La Dalat Soi 23 Suk
Seafood
Somboon - 4 locations
Lao
Soi 36
Japanese
so many, Thong Lor area, especially Thong Lor soi 13

[mardhi]

Personally I believe Madisons at the Four Seasons is much better food than the J W Marriott NT Steakhouse - eaten at both many times, but as I say I much prefer Madisons, not least for the reason its not so full of the wannabe crowd.

Chinese food - still the first and best I have had in BKK is in Times Square Building, next to shaeraton Grande - 3rd or 4th floor forget the name, but its the only Chinese place in there.

Vietnam - Dusit Thani has a great restaurant. Again forget the name but the food is superb.

Western - Eat Me - Across from the BKK Christian Hospital of Silom - been many times - australian owner and head chef - very LB friendly (he and most of staff are gay) but more importantly the food is great, no fussy behaviour and sticky date pudding to die for.

I also ate in Lyon recently - which was a first for me in the 10 years I have been here - French restaurant in Soi Rumrudee - old detached house and great food with an equally great wine list. Not cheap but great food and great ambience.

For Italian, I like the place at far end of Sukhumvut Soi 13 - you go expecting home cooking and its what you invariably get - hardly any menu to speak of, just what mama wants to cook and serve. Lots of it, rustic and typically Italian. Forget most other places if you want a Northern Italian experience.

Indian - hmm where to start - in BKK still searching for somewhere really good but I would say Rembrant and the Holiday Inn at Silom are the best 2 I have tried. Both have authentic Indian kitchens, the hotels are owned by Indian Thai's and the food is on a par with anything I have had in India.

Cheers
mardhi

[Preview Girls]

For Italian, I like the place at far end of Sukhumvut Soi 13...

Are you talking about La Piola? This place is fantastic...

[Snick]

Sounds like we need a steak night at Madison's...I have never been there
BTW Neil's Tavern SUCKS -- never go there for steak

[mardhi]

(Preview Girls @ Apr. 17 2008,01:24)

For Italian, I like the place at far end of Sukhumvut Soi 13...

Are you talking about La Piola? This place is fantastic...

Yes thats the place - forget the one in Pattaya - its not mama in the kitchen - stick with soi 13 in BKK - not cheap but great home cooked italian food with zero attitude (so long as you finish your plate)

Cheers
Mardhi