Hot Rod

Not only is Hot Rod a cool and happening bar with some good happy hour specials and a prime spot near the head of Ekamai, it's also a pretty unique restaurant, one worth checking out both for the gastronomic offerings and dazzling creations done with traditional Thai dishes. It's really the only place in town doing traditional Thai served as tapas, and the restaurant succeeds wildly on this front. The venue is created by Bangkok nightlife design mogul Ashley Sutton (who has his own whiskey bar right next door), and features a zinc top curved bar inside with thousands of gecko carvings and Thai tattoo patterns above and under the bar. Stools have seat belts attached, hence the homage to Hot Rod, not to mention the focus on fast food...but it's all gourmet here. Former Smith chef Pete Piktawong is behind the small but stellar menu, which includes both hot and cold tapas. Standouts, which come from all regions of the country, include the northern larb kua pork neck and rind salad made with plenty of spices, as well as the slow cooked pork moo manao with lime dressing, and the tom yum haeng slow cooked baby back ribs with lemongrass, galanga, and chill. While the chilled out spot is well worth hanging around at for its signature cocktails as well, do save room for dessert, as the hard to find northern Thai sweet kanom wong, a glutinous rice donut made with glazed palm sugar, has to be one of the best desserts you'll find anywhere in the kingdom, it's just a pity that they don't have an espresso to go with it.