Restaurants

We have used the following symbols to give an idea of the price for a three-course meal for one, including wine, cover and service:

$$$$ over US$50

$$$ US$30–50

$$ US$15–30

$ less than US$15

Bangkok

Biscotti $$$ Four Seasons Hotel, 155 Ratchadamri Road, tel: 0 2126 8866 ext. 1229-30, www.biscottibangkok.com. Open daily for lunch and dinner. One of the most popular Italian restaurants in Bangkok is casual but elegant with a contemporary flair and an open kitchen. There is a wood-fired oven for the inventive pizzas (such as the lobster tail pizza with forest mushrooms) and the fragrant focaccia bread with herbs. Risottos, pastas and a few meat dishes round out the menu.

Celadon $$$$ The Sukhothai, 13/3 South Sathorn Road, tel: 0 2344 8888, www.sukhothai.com. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Wonderfully located in the Zen-like Sukhothai hotel, overlooking a lotus pond. Here you can sample Royal Thai cuisine served by very knowledgeable staff who can help you combine dishes to create a most memorable meal. Banana blossom salad, spicy kingfish soup and sweet-and-sour tofu are just a few of the specialities. Desserts are outstanding.

Chim by Siam Wisdom $$$$ 66 Soi Sukhumvit 31 Yak 4, tel: 0 2260 7811, www.catbox.fr. Open daily for dinner. With a Michelin star you might have to double take when looking at the prices of the set menus. Sure, they are quite some way above the street food rate cards, but you might not get the chance to try Michelin-rated food at such a low price again. Thaninthorn “Noom” Chantrawan is the chef behind the culinary wisdom, which he garnered over the course of 14 years at some of the finest restaurants in London.

China House $$$$ The Mandarin Oriental hotel, 48 Oriental Avenue, tel: 0 2659 9000 ext. 739, www.mandarinoriental.com. Open daily for lunch and dinner. The beautiful 1930s Shanghainese art deco interior features red lanterns, carved wood and ebony pillars. Miniature black-and-white photos and Chinese calligraphy cover the walls; a brass samovar steams in the central tearoom. It is a wonderful setting for top-quality dishes like hot-and-sour soup filled with fresh herbs and sweet lobster meat.

The Deck by Arun Residence $$$ Arun Residence, 36–38 Soi Pratoo Nok Yoong, tel: 0 2221 9158, www.arunresidence.com. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Just two minutes’ walk from Wat Pho, this cute place has outdoor seating, river views of Wat Arun and a bar, Amorosa, on the third floor. A mixed Thai and Euro fusion menu features plates such as carpaccio of tea-smoked duck. Book ahead (if you can) for a riverside table.

Harmonique $$ 22 Charoenkrung Soi 34, tel: 0 2237 8175. Open Mon–Sat for lunch and dinner. Occupying several old Chinese shophouses with leafy courtyards, and filled with antiques, this is a charming restaurant near the French Embassy. Because there is usually a large contingent of Western diners, the spices are subdued, but the food is generally of a very high standard.

Long Table $$$ Floor 25, The Column Residence, Sukhumvit Soi 16, tel: 0 2302 2557/9, www.longtablebangkok.com. Open daily for dinner. A classy modern Thai restaurant designed with panache. Fantastic city views and a very long communal table are the focal points as you dine, while films on overhead monitors roll to a funky soundtrack. Yellow curry with crab and foie gras with dried shrimp and tamarind are both standouts.

Mango Tree Surawong $$ 37 Soi Tantawan, Surawongse Road, tel: 0 2236 2820. Open daily for lunch and dinner. This lovely Thai restaurant is housed within a charming old house offering indoor/outdoor dining just steps from the busy Patpong neighbourhood. Specialities include fresh and spicy mango salad, chicken baked in pandanus leaf and a variety of green curries. There is Thai dancing on weekend evenings.

Nahm $$$$ Metropolitan Hotel, 27 South Sathorn Road, tel: 0 2625 3388, www.comohotels.com . Open daily for lunch and dinner. Run by Australian chef David Thompson, this Thai restaurant has a traditional menu, which includes intriguing flavours that are becoming harder to find in modern Thai cooking. Regional dishes, like red curry of calf’s tongue, peanuts and Thai basil and grilled prawn with citrus and sour fruits relish are just two of the unique spins on Thai food.

New York Steakhouse $$$$ JW Marriott Hotel, 4 Sukhumvit Soi 2, tel: 0 2656 7700, www.marriott.com. Open daily for dinner. This steakhouse is a pleasant and very contemporary restaurant serving the best steaks in the city. Aged to perfection, grain-fed Angus beef is flown in from the US along with excellent (and more affordable) Australian steaks. There is also a large selection of seafood including fresh lobster, swordfish and salmon.

Seafood Market and Restaurant $$$ 89 Sukhumvit Soi 24, Klongtoey, tel: 0 2261 2071. In this seafood market-cum-restaurant you can select your dinner while it is still alive and have it cooked the way you like. Alternatively, those who do not dare to look their food in the eye may select dishes from the set menu. Stir-fried crab with curry powder and spicy soup with shrimp are recommended.

Sirocco $$$$ 63/F, Lebua at State Tower, 1055/111 Silom Road, tel: 0 2624 9555, www.lebua.com/sirocco. Open daily for dinner. This spectacular 200 metre (656ft) -high rooftop restaurant has magnificent views of the river. Greco-Roman architecture and a jazz band add to the sense of occasion. While the food can be inconsistent, it is often excellent. In the same complex there is the classy Distil Bar, the Sky Bar for cocktails, the Italian eatery Mezzaluna, and the alfresco pan-Asian seafood restaurant Breeze.

Sra Bua $$$$ Siam Kempinski Hotel, 991/9 Rama I Road, tel: 0 2162 9000, www.kempinskibangkok.com. Open daily for lunch and dinner. This branch of Copenhagen’s Michelin-starred Kiin Kiin has a playful approach to Thai food. Dishes are artfully presented – a green curry mousse in a flower pot, soups served as tiny jellies and red curry ice-cream. It is centrally-located, behind Siam Paragon shopping mall.

Tables Grill $$$$ Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel, 494 Ratchadamri Road, tel: 0 2254 1234, www.tablesgrill.com. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Oxidised mirrors and waiters in white aprons aid the smart Parisian interior in this restaurant designed by Tony Chi. Billed as classic European, it is full of old stalwarts like Sunday roast, lobster bisque and champagne risotto. Chefs cook some dishes in the open at copper-topped tables.

Theo Mio $$$ InterContinental Bangkok, 973 Ploenchit Road, tel: 0 2656 0444, bangkok.intercontinental.com. Open daily for lunch and dinner. This Italian restaurant comes courtesy of British chef (and Italian cuisine specialist) Theo Randall. There is a floor of large black and white checks, marble counter displays of wines, bread and cold cuts. The menu eschews obvious Italian exports for dishes like creamy Burrata slow cooked with red peppers, and Randall’s award winning Cappaletti di Vitello with porcini mushroom sauce.

Chiang Mai

The Gallery $$ 25–29 Charoenrat Road, tel: 0 5324 8601, www.thegallery-restaurant.com. Open 24 hours daily. This lovely restaurant is located on the banks of the River Ping in an old teakwood house that doubles as an art gallery. There is a wide variety of northern Thai dishes as well as a good selection of vegetarian specialities, plus a small wine list.

Huen Phen $ 112 Rachamankha, tel: 08 1882 1544. Open daily for lunch and dinner. This old wooden house located just inside the old city walls is decorated with local antiques and is reputed to serve some of the best northern Thai dishes in Chiang Mai. Good picks are laap khua (spicy minced-pork salad) and kaeng hang-leh (savoury, Burmese-influenced curry).

Phuket

Baan Rim Pa $$$$ 223 Prabaramee Road, Patong, tel: 0 7634 0789, www.baanrimpa.com. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Exquisitely prepared Thai food is presented in this restaurant on a cliff overlooking the ocean. It includes such specialities as steamed fish in pickled-plum sauce and hot-and-sour soup with fish and vegetables. There is also a good selection of vegetarian dishes.

Boathouse Wine & Grill $$$ 182 Koktanode Road, Kata Beach, tel: 0 7633 0015, www.boathousephuket.com. Open daily 11am–11pm. Offering fine views of the Andaman Sea, this beach-front restaurant offers refined Thai and European dining as well as seafood specialties. There is a large wine selection and indoor and outdoor seating is available.

Tamarind Spa Restaurant $$ Banyan Tree Phuket, 33, 33/27 Moo 4, Srisoonthorn Road, Cherngtalay, Amphur Talang, tel: 0 7637 2400, www.banyantree.com. Open daily for lunch and dinner. This cool, airy and shaded restaurant is located alongside the serene and Zen-like lap pool at a luxurious resort hotel. The unusual (but very affordable) menu features low-calorie specialities such as soba-noodle salad with fresh greens, vegetable juice cocktails and delicious sandwiches. Only the freshest market ingredients are used, along with local herbs and spices, to add a subtle fusion of Thai flavours to every dish.

Ko Samui

The Beach Club $$$ BuriRasa Village Resort & Spa, 11/2 Moo 2 Chaweng Beach, tel: 0 7723 0222, www.burirasa.com. Open daily for lunch and dinner. This smart, wooden beachside restaurant, with some tables on the sand, plates modern Californian/Pacific Rim dishes. Specialities include scallops, duck with black rice and soba noodles with seared ahi tuna. Desserts like chocolate air cake with tonka bean ice cream are exquisite.

La Boudoir $$$ Soi 1 Mae Nam, tel: 8 5783 1031. Owned by an expatriate couple from France, this small cosy restaurant, with flamboyant décor, serves enjoyable French fare and great cocktails. It has a romantic setting for alfresco dining. Slightly off the beaten track, but well worth a visit.

Poppies Restaurant $$$ Poppies Samui resort, Chaweng Beach, tel: 0 7742 2419, www.poppiessamui.com. Open daily for lunch and dinner. One of the most romantic restaurants on the island, it is right on the beach and serves Thai cuisine infused with a Western twist, such as the popular prawn cakes with plum sauce and charcoal-roasted duck. There is also an excellent selection of fusion dishes such as the chicken filled with crabmeat and baked in a seafood sauce.

Chiang Rai

Salung Kham $$ 384/3 Paholyothin Road, tel: 0 5371 7192, www.salungkham.com. Open daily for lunch and dinner. The Northern Thai menu includes Chiang Rai sausage, curries, and steamed herbal chicken with bamboo shoots. The indoor section is decorated with Thai handicrafts and there is also a pleasant garden.

Mae Hong Son

Fern Restaurant $ 87 Khunlumpraphat Road, tel: 0 5361 1374. This rustic restaurant near Jong Kum Lake is one of the town’s best. The house speciality is tasty and crunchy fern shoots, served either stir-fried or as a spicy warm salad. The typically spicy dishes are cooked with a deft touch and are not too overpowering.

Hua Hin

Brasserie de Paris $$$ 3 Naresdamri Road, tel: 0 3253 0637, www.brasseriedeparis.net. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Sit upstairs at this wooden pier restaurant for views of fishing boats bobbing on the waves. It has delicious, freshly caught seafood served French-style, such as rock lobster au beurre blanc.

Chao Lay $$$ 15 Naresdamri Road, tel: 0 3251 3436. Open daily for lunch and dinner. One of the most popular of several Thai restaurants on stilts over the sea, the menu features all kinds of seafood, grilled, deep-fried and steamed, either freshly caught or live from tanks downstairs.