People are out again; people are eating together again. Here we are in March with restaurants actually able to serve alcohol again and barflies able to order drinks until 11pm.
From juicy burgers and natty wines to hibiscus tacos, there are many new things to put in your mouth at Bangkok’s new restaurants, including some you may have missed over the uneven start to 2021.
Check them out now:
Asoke Pi Shop
This semi-chef’s table is turning heads with its feel-good food and daily specials. Chef-owner Kunanun Lertpisikul offers something between a Michelin-caliber meal and wine bar fare. On the menu might be fresh Dover sole, Rangers Valley ribeye, or diver scallops from Norway. Currently, you can try grilled shiitake with coffee dashi and pink peppercorn (THB350); hanger steak with gorgonzola (THB950); and risotto alla Milanese with bone marrow (THB650). All the dishes include one or more smoky elements – even the signature flatbreads, which include smoked artichokes and taro in the dough. As far as drinks go, wine is the way to go, and it’s bottles-only for now, with plans to change to by the glass. Eventually, the space plans to stay open late night with a snack menu offering dishes like cereal-coated fried chicken and curry ramen, too.
116/8 Sukhumvit Soi 23, 088-979-5436. Open Tue-Sat, 5pm-11:30pm
Conti
Sleek yet minimal, quaint Conti boasts a French-bistro vibe, with splashes of olive green and dark brown. Intimate lighting fans out across the counter bar, through the banquet seating, all the way to the velvet-curtained private dining area upstairs. The menu draws on European traditions for inspiration: beef tartare with mustard, capers, shallots, and quail egg (THB370); crispy lotus root and foie gras ravioli topped with a Parmesan foam (THB250); and standouts like the Jack’s Creek ribeye (THB990), served with mashed potato, garlic confit, and sauteed mushrooms, and pan-seared North Atlantic lobster (THB890/half) with aligot foam and crispy potatoes. Pair your meal with a medium-bodied Antinori Villa Chianti (THB390 glass/THB1,990 bottle), or go for a smooth Kelleri Bozen (THB1,390), a light-bodied white with remnants of citrus and green fruit.
34/1 Si Bamphen, 099-494-9428. Open Mon-Sat 5-11pm
Crave Man
Located at the Fox Thonglor, Crave Man specializes in juicy burgers made with Australian beef and fully loaded sandwiches. Keep it simple with a classic beef burger topped with special sauce (THB200), or level up to options like the Crave Man (THB270), loaded with grilled mushrooms, caramelized onions, cheddar, and special sauce, or Jose Del Craver (THB250), topped with fried onion rings, jalapenos, and a spicy chipotle-honey barbecue sauce. The selection of sandwiches include steak and cheese melts (THB260) and vegan wraps (THB200), and there are loads of classic, gut-busting sides – mozzarella sticks (THB140), buffalo chicken wings (THB160 for 5 wings), and more.
The Fox Thonglor, 209 Sukhumvit Soi 55, 096-960-3042. Open daily 11am-midnight
El Hefe
Run by a chef who spent ten years at Sunrise Tacos, the colorful yet kind of minimal two-floor space serves over 20 styles of tacos, including tacos de alambre (THB260 for 3 tacos), with spiced grilled chicken topped with onions, bell peppers, and cheese, and the on-trend birria (THB260 for 3 tacos) made with beef slow-cooked in an adobo sauce made of vinegar, dry chilies, herbs, and spices. What people are really going loco for are the vegan tacos, from the jackfruit tacos (THB260 for 3 tacos) to the hibiscus flower tacos (THB240 for 3 tacos) served with refreshing hibiscus salsa. For drinks, they offer a wide variety of Mexican spirits and cocktails.
Read: Grilled jackfruit, cow tongue are boss at new Sukhumvit taqueria ‘El Hefe’
2/8 Sukhumvit Soi 34, 02-040-0473. Open daily 7am-11pm
Black King Bar
Attached to Tax, the latest cocktail bar from the Teens of Thailand and Asia Today crew, comes this pizza- and pasta-forward bar-restaurant off Soi Nana. Inside a minimal shophouse space speckled with contemporary art, including some cheeky calligraphy in the back of the dining room, Karit “Gong” Yuvaboon uses Italian food as a canvas to explore new flavors and combinations, particularly those that draw on Asian cuisines. For example, the Black King, a pizza with a striking charcoal-black, squid ink-infused crust, chopped scallop, squid, and bacon (THB345), and the Inglorious AOP (THB399 small/THB650 large), a dish of homemade al dente pasta with chunks of Surat Thani tiger prawn and a coating of oven-baked prawn head fat.
701 Soi Maitri Chit, 096-841-6619. Open Tue-Sun 12pm-12am
Miss Fish
Run by the folks behind Cholo’s, Miss Fish is a brightly colored space serving up Aussie-inspired seafood fare. Go for the BFF (THB250), loaded with deep-fried cod, pickles, tomato, onion, and cheddar on a homemade potato bun; the Miss Fish Royale (THB250), featuring fried cod, shredded iceberg lettuce, and a mountain of their signature tartare sauce, also on a potato bun; or the classic fish and chips (THB200 dory/THB290 cod). Rice bowls, meanwhile, offer a healthy alternative for dine-in or takeaway. Choose from salmon (THB350) or tuna (THB390), with options like the Green Goddess, which packs in greens like broccoli rabe, peas, guacamole, brussels sprouts, pea sprouts, and yogurt-cucumber dill dressing on brown rice.
67 Soi Suksavithaya, Sathorn Soi 10, 081-831-6277. Open Wed-Sun 11:30am- 9:30pm
Mod Kaew Wine Bar
At Mod Kaew, there’s no wine list – instead, browse the bottles yourself or ask for some assistance from co-founder and ex-Gaggan somm Ottara Pyne, a walking thesaurus of wines. If you still can’t decide, try the flight school (THB690), which includes three options like the Bruno Duchene 2019, a dry, spicy natural red, and the Italian Elisabetta Foradori 2017, a house-recommended entry point into the world of orange wines. Food is no afterthought, with a menu of bites like the WAP (THB380), made with beyond meat, Texas toast, black garlic chickpea mayo, and crispy shallots.
Read: Bottoms up at ‘Mod Kaew,’ new Phloen Chit wine bar
1041/21 Phloen Chit Road. Open 5:45pm-1am, Thu-Sun; 5:45pm-1am, Mon; 5:45pm-1am, Tue
Samlor
Chefs Napol “Joe” Jantraget and Saki Hoshino are back with a brand-new project after departing from 80/20. Soon-to-open Samlor moves away from the formalities of fine dining, however, aiming for no-frills comfort food and gap glaem like “Hunting Dog” chicken wings (THB180), mussels baked with gapi and Thai basil (THB300), crispy cauliflower tacos (THB220), and the Canadian classic, poutine (THB180). For drinks, expect jugs of beer, Thai whiskey, and buckets of booze instead of upscale cocktails and wine. It’s food and drinks for the many, not the few.
1076 Charoenkrung Road (on the corner of Si Phraya Road)
Sirimahannop
Set sail on the Sirimahannop, the Marriott group’s boat dining experience stationed on the river in front of Asiatique. Aboard the three-deck ship replica of an old Royal Thai Navy ship, kitted out with an outdoor lounge, private dining room dubbed the Bridge, and rum bar hidden below deck, guests enjoy menus that reflect its globetrotting past. Think dishes like smoked pepper mackerel served with hardtack biscuits and Scandinavian horseradish sauce (THB270), and fish sliders with Danish remoulade and homemade dill gherkins (THB160). Sundowners here come in the form of cocktails like the Tamarind (THB380), a mix of Caorunn gin, curacao liqueur, clarified tamarind, beer syrup, and foam.
Asiatique, Soi Charoenkrung 72 – 76, 02-059-5555. Open Mon-Fri 4pm-midnight, Sat-Sun 1pm-midnight
