My husband and I are going to Singapore and Thailand beginning in early October. I have never been to either, my husband only has been to Singapore for brief business trips. I’m looking for some restaurant recommendations for both cities where we can experience local food specialties - however, we’re not interested in tasting menus. Thank you in advance for your help!
While you’re waiting for new replies, you’ll no doubt find it helpful to simply scroll down the list. You’ll find several mentions for both Singapore and Thailand posted this year.
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For Singapore, you can browse through this thread:
For Bangkok, tourists/foreign visitors have always made a beeline for the bustling Yaowarat Road in Chinatown in the evenings.
Try and catch afternoon tea at the Oriental Bangkok. It’s a local dining institution.
For local Bangkokians, the most “happening” food precinct in the evenings is Ban Tad Thong:
Bangkok’s latest up-and-coming spot for coffee joints is Songwat Road.
Try browsing through the Michelin Guide for Bangkok - it covers quite a broad range of eateries:
For Thai classics
My personal two favorite eateries in Bangkok for all the Thai classic dishes are:
- Krua Apsorn
- Kalpapruek at Silom
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This is very, very helpful. Should we try to make reservations for dinner? What is the customary dinner hour? Any particular suggestions for Sunday evening dinner?
Thank you!
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Yikes! Accidentally deleted my own post. Let’s try this again.
Khalapapruek is more of a lunch place that closes late afternoon. Well worth hitting it up for lunch on another day.
On a Sunday evening, I like braving the lighter traffic and head to one of Yaowarat’s excellent mid-range modern Thai places. Here are a some suggestions:
Charmgang, (a “curry shop”) in the aforementioned Michelin guide does less well known curries and other dishes with big bold flavors (they sell a “sorry no pad Thai sold here” t-shirt). The Panang curry is a must but try some of the other less well know curry options as well as their dips (nahm priks).
Nearby, and by the same group is Charmkok, with Thai “drinking snacks” and other small plates with Thai spirits, cocktails and beers. Don’t miss the nam kao salad (fermented pork sausage).
Under the radar is Phukej (yes, with a “j” at the end). It’s often empty (sometimes totally packed) but we keep coming back for their classic southern Thai dishes reinterpreted. Don’t miss the southern crab curry, their take on braised pork belly (moo hong), the massaman and the soups.
You could also have a drink at the excellent Mahaniyom cocktail bar they do “resourceful” cocktails using basic local Thai ingredient. It’s a good representation of where the cocktail scene has come compared to 10 years ago. You could then head downstairs to 100 Mahaseth, a modern Isaan (northeast region) place. Get the grilled fermented pork rib, the sticky rice with dips (jaews) and the classic som tam.
Also in the neighborhood is Sam Lor, street food in a restaurant setting by two well known Bangkok restaurateurs (they have a few high end tasting places). Their crab omlet is a bit famous but I like the duck laab, the salads, the fried soft shell crab , the crispy pork belly and the pork neck rice in claypot.
Away from Yaowarat on the Skytrain line on sukhumvit is Sri Trat with dishes from eastern Thailand (near the Cambodian border). Try the chicken curry with young durian, the soft shell crab noodles, the shrimp paste dip and the cardamom shoots stir fry.
All of these require reservations but most can be done online.
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For Singapore, you can spend Sunday evening at one of the good restaurants on Dempsey Hill - Jumbo Seafood for their rendition of Singapore’s famous chili crabs, The Dempsey Cookhouse & Bar for some nice cocktails and Asian-European fusion fare by Jean-Georges Vongerichten, or Canchita for Peruvian cuisine.
Dinner times in Singapore and Bangkok usually start between 6pm to 8pm.
Do try and make reservations in advance - it can get really busy in both cities.
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These are the restaurants I’ve booked so far - would love your thoughts:
Singapore: Yum Cha Chinatown
The Blue Ginger
Jumbo Seafood - Dempsey Hill
Bangkok: Charmgang
Issaya Siamese Club
Chiang Mai: Kiti Panit
Thank you in advance!
For peranakan/nonya, I’m not a fan of Blue Ginger (lived about a 2 min walk from it for 10 years), I’ll refer you to Peter’s excellent thread on Nonya options and add also Candlenut on Dempsey Hill, and Coconut Club in River Valley as other options. [Penang, Melaka, Singapore] Distinctive regional Peranakan variations - #2 by klyeoh
Issaya Siamese Club tends to draw a lot of foreign tourists across their 4 locations but the dishes are not all that interesting and cater toward foreign palates. They do have a homegrown thai vegetable program and so if that is an intrest perhaps you can consider it but for the rest of the menu there are much more interesting places.
Thank you - very helpful
For Singapore, I would absolutely plan to eat some meals at hawker stalls (perhaps you already have this in mind). There are some very good threads on HO but if you have specific dishes you want to try I can make recommendations. Peter also has a wealth of suggestions in previous threads.
We have some lunches planned at Hawker stalls.
I’ve switched out our Blue Ginger reservation for one at Guan Hoe Soon.
Our Issaya Siamese Club reservation I do want to switch - that’s for a Tuesday evening and I’m finding a lot of restaurants are closed on Tuesdays. Any ideas?
Thank you
I think 100 Mahaseth and Sri Trat are open on Tuesday. Sri Trat is farther down on Sukhumvit but has dishes you won’t be able to find at other places.
Also Charmkrung, a “wine bar” with excellent modern thai dishes by the Charmgang people, but in that case you would be doubling up on the same chef team. They things like a porchetta but with laab spices from Chiang Mai instead of italian style, or a beef wellington using curry puff dough in a green curry sauce.
If you are staying somehwere on Sukhumvit near the BTS you could consider Bannok BKK, by a chef from Korat. It does the classics really well (suggest Saikot Issan Korat sausage salad, green curry, korat noodles with pork belly, the shrimp with sator beans). You will need a reservation and may need to call them.
I will second/third Kalpapruek for lunch. I have really enjoyed it! But be careful walking to and from your table if you are 5’8"/1.7M tall because there are low overheads.
Some others in BKK I would mention (most of which I got from Peter) are:
Sui Heng Chicken Rice
Ek Teng Phu Ki for Iced Ceylon Milk Tea and Toast Bread with Coconut Egg Custard
The Original Mae On for Green Curry and egg
Ten Suns for Beef Noodle Soup
Khao Kaeng Ruttana for anything in the assortment of dishes.
Rung Rueang off of Sukhumvit for pork noodle soup.
I am saving a bookmark of this discussion because it is really useful. Thanks to all!
Here is a link to my experience from a year ago.
hopefully not an issue, but Krua Apsorn on Samsen is a block away from the giant sinkhole in front of Vajira Hospital.
Bangkok traffic is HORRENDOUS so it would be helpful to know where you will be staying. Don’t want to send you to places across town and then have you sit in traffic for 90 minutes or more trying to get to dinner. Yes, that CAN happen.
We will be staying at the 137 Pillars Hotel, Sri Sukhumvit.
Nice area! You will be around 400M from the EmSphere which is a kind of sensory overload food court on steroids. Not great food, but good food, and outstanding people watching.
Sarnies is right near Sukhumvit Road right next to your soi. Again, good not great food, but good sorbet and power plugs at many of the tables if you need to charge your electronics.
And Rung Rueang is right across the street from Sarnies. Michelin Bib and very good pork noodle soup.
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In that case, for your Tuesday dinner I suggest somewhere on Sukhumvit rather than areas near the river. You are an 8 min walk from Sri Trat.
An 8-minute walk sounds very doable. I am having trouble finding a way to make an online reservation at Sri Trat - that is where we would like to dine Tuesday evening.
