Bangkok is a city made for food lovers. If you have just a day in town to eat your heart out at some of the best local eateries the city has to offer, then this itinerary is made for you.
Breakfast
If you were starting your day as most Thais do, then breakfast wouldn't be too big. Most folks make due with a bowl of noodles, or perhaps jok or congee, variations of rice porridge.
But for something a bit more elegant, make your way to Gastro 1/6, a hidden garden off of Sukhumvit Soi 22, which looks more like something out of a borough of New York. Everything is made from scratch and with organic ingredients, following the "slow cooking" movement as often as possible.
Go for the poached eggs with asparagus, parmesan cheese and truffle oil.
Poached eggs at Gastro 1/6 — Photo courtesy of Gastro 1/6
Lunch
Once you've recovered, why not head over to the Bang Rak neighborhood by the Chao Phraya River? While many folks go there for the fancy buffets in the swank hotels, it is better to go and try some of the local fare.
One place that impresses mightily is Prachak. Prachak is a tiny hole in the wall dive on Charoen Krung Road between the hotels Shangri La and lebua at State Tower. The restaurant has been packing in customers day in and day out for over 100 years.
Almost everyone visits for the purpose of sampling their delectable roast duck, served alone or with wonton or egg noodles. In fact the duck here often sells out by the late afternoon. People line up halfway down the block, as they have been doing since 1897 to make sure they get some of the best slices of the grilled bird.
Remember: don't eat too much, because dinner awaits and promises to be the best meal of the day.
Roast duck — Photo courtesy of jackol
Dinner
For your evening meal, head back to Sukhumvit, this time to Soi 23. Drop in at The Local, which highlights hard-to-find, classic Thai food at its best.
Owner Kan Markowat comes from a family of traditional foodies, and he and his sister have followed in their restaurateur parents' footsteps by searching out old recipes that don't get made much anymore. The dishes come from all over the country, making The Local the perfect spot to sample northern and southern regional dishes in the capital.
For older fare, try the gaeng lun juan, hailing from the Rama V Royal Court. The dish is made with beef or pork laced with aromatic Thai herbs and shrimp paste, highly aromatic and bursting with flavor.
For a regional dish, get the gaeng kua pla, a spicy yellow curry fish with orange leaves from the south of Thailand.
Despite the fact that you've been a glutton all day, don't forget to leave room for dessert: the homemade ice cream is divine.
Gaeng kua pla — Photo courtesy of Dave Stamboulis
