Charmkrung
The lineage of modern Thai food (that isn’t home cooking or street food), started with David Thompson, who opened Nahm, the first Thai restaurant to get a Michelin star. A lot the young people doing amazing things today were trained by him or by his proteges, including the three chefs who set up Charmgang, which is famous for its Thai curries. We actually prefer its sister restaurant, Charmkrung, which does Thai street food bites using the best ingredients available and has a great natural wine bar.
6/F, 839 Charoen Krung Road, Talat Noi, Samphanthawong – Instagram
Samrub Samrub Thai
This is the place to go for a home-style chef’s table. There are maybe eight seats around the bar in the kitchen and a few small tables in the restaurant. Thai cuisine is often built around the concept of “samrap”, which is a set of dishes that get served together and are shared – maybe a stir fry, a curry and a fried dish – to create a harmony of flavours. Chef Prin Polsuk takes a seasonal approach to the dishes and changes the menu regularly, focusing on a different region of Thailand each month. samrubsamrubthai.com
39/11 Yommarat Alley, Silom, Bang Rak
100 Mahaseth
100 Mahaseth is the Thai equivalent of St John. Chef Chalee Kader’s does nose-to-tail, Isan-inspired cooking [Northeastern Thailand] using locally sourced, seasonal ingredients. It’s smoky and fun, and the restaurant looks like a bar. If you go for lunch, you can get a noodle dish for £5-6. For dinner, expect to pay around £50. It’s a must-visit for the bone marrow and the coriander salad. www.100mahaseth.com
100 Maha Set Road, Si Phraya, Bang Rak
Rung Rueang
Rung Rueang is an institution that many people have tried to replicate but no one has ever managed it. It serves old-school Thai-Chinese fragrant pork noodles with fish balls. There are two Rung Rueangs next to each other, the one on the corner has a richer soup, the one next to it, has a cleaner soup. Both are delicious. Try the tom yum version of the noodle that comes with chopped peanuts, lime and smoked chilli paste.
10/1 Soi Sukhumvit 26, Khlong Tan; no website
Thong Smith
Mall culture is a big thing in Bangkok and the best place to eat in the malls is Thong Smith. There are branches all over the place and it does Thai boat noodles, which are a cult favourite. In the past, they were sold by boat vendors when our main mode of transport was still the canals. The broth is boiled out and thickened with either beef or pork blood, which sounds icky but it creates an umami richness, a kind of thick tonkotsu broth. They’re everywhere because people can’t get enough of them. – Instagram
Multiple locations
Krua Apsorn
Jay Fai is world-famous for her crab omelette and for being the first street vendor to have received a Michelin star. She’s an institution for a reason: she’s 81 and she still cooks herself. If you can get there for 10am to queue for a ticket that might get you a table, then do it – it’s worth it for the theatrics alone. But if you can’t get a reservation, there’s a really great local canteen, Krua Apsorn, not far from there, near the Democracy Monument. The local government workers and university students all eat there, and it does really great traditional Thai dishes like green curry.
169 Dinso Road, Wat Bowon Niwet, Phra Nakhon; no website
Chomwan Weeraworawit is the co-founder of the Thai fashion label Philip Huang; philiphuang.com
Interview by David Annand. David is editorial director of Secret Trips
