Somtum Der

While Thong Lor is home to some of the city's most chic eats, Thailand's spicy northeastern fare, known as Isan food, is sadly under-respresented. That has all changed with the opening of Somtum Der, an authentic northeastern eatery that has already garnered plenty of acclaim. Run by one of Bangkok's top restaurateurs, Thanaruek Laoraowirodge, Somtum Der serves up popular Isan street treats like larb tawt (spicy minced pork salad), kor moo yang (grilled marinated pork), somtum pla tu khao mun (shredded unripe papaya with grilled mackerel and coconut rice), and tum suo sakhonnakorn, a somtum with Thai vermicelli and white popinac seeds (an ingredient which cannot be found in Bangkok).

Michelin Bangkok has given the restaurant a Plate award, and one of the original branches of Somtum Der, started by Laoraowirodge in Manhattan, received a Michelin star. Laoraowirodge's other culinary endeavor, Supanniga Eating Room, also has a branch in Thong Lor, and features hard to find recipes from his grandmother's native Trat on Thailand's Eastern seaboard. All of his restaurants focus on authentic and unpretentious real Thai cuisine at affordable prices, and Somtum Der is no exception to the trend.