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| Chef Boonlert - the man, the legend behind Gold Bay Leaves. |
While the best eats are not always the cheapest, Bangkok is home to loads of restaurants serving extraordinary food for just a few dollars.
If you don't have the budget to eat this pricy bowl of rad na, don't fret because fantastic and affordable food is around most corners of the capital. And not just Thai food. Here are a few of our favourite "cheap but good" places...
A recent trip to the old school, and much vaunted, Royal India (tucked away in probably the most famous alley in Pahurat), was disappointing. Lucky for me, my good dining buddy Adam put me onto Namuskaar on Sukhumvit Soi 8 a little while back. It's the 'dog's bollocks' for North Indian cuisine and their chickpea curry, daal makani and many other plates are sensational. The owners are also super friendly, and as long as you're not seated too close to American tourists bragging about their trip adventures it's always a great spot for a bloody good eating night out.
A block away on Soi 14 is Istanbul, a new'ish Turkish restaurant serving big plates of Turkish staples. Istanbul's eggplant and tomato casserole is terrific - balancing savoury and sweet flavours well. Also recommended is the lamb stew, falafel and variety of salads. Sure it feels, and looks like a mobster's joint, and the menu is unreadable (three languages crammed in) - but don't be intimidated you are in Planet Nana after all. And Istanbul is miles better than many awful Middle Eastern places on Sukhumvit Soi 3.
I waxed lyrical about Gold Bay Leaves last year and it has been "well and truly discovered" judging by the packed house during our last visit. Chef Boonlert deserves his success because the food is sublime and cheap - offering maximum culinary bang for the buck. Where else are you going to get a beautifully cooked fish for around 250-280 baht? Just a small quibble (and it's minor), service could do with a tune-up to better meet the increased popularity.
Ok, Pala is not a cheap charlie sort of place but its pizza is better than the rest. If you're going to pay over the odds for a slice of pie in Bangkok (as you do in most places) you may as well eat the best. Pala is the only pizzeria in the Kingdom to serve square slices of pizza - Rome style I believe. Every slice is a crunchy, cheesy, herby winner, as are their magnificent and generous antipasto plates.
Finally in lower Silom - an under the radar sort of area - you'll find the tiny Chennai Kitchen (about 50 metres from the landmark Hindu Temple) famed for its South Indian vegetarian delights including dosas, utappam, poori, chappathi, and masala tea. While the food is super tasty and low priced, service varies depending on the mood of the owners (this is part of its charm as well).
And two blocks down on Silom Soi 19 is Lo Strabacco, my latest budget blockbusting find. Run by a couple of Italian gents, Lo Strobbaco is a trattoria serving Italian basics prepared superbly. Their pizzas, pastas and sauces are heavy on flavour and quality, but light on the wallet. Their robust and flavoursome tomato soup is the best I've had in Thailand and their lunch set menus are generous to say the least and siesta will beckon after dining.
If you don't have the budget to eat this pricy bowl of rad na, don't fret because fantastic and affordable food is around most corners of the capital. And not just Thai food. Here are a few of our favourite "cheap but good" places...
A recent trip to the old school, and much vaunted, Royal India (tucked away in probably the most famous alley in Pahurat), was disappointing. Lucky for me, my good dining buddy Adam put me onto Namuskaar on Sukhumvit Soi 8 a little while back. It's the 'dog's bollocks' for North Indian cuisine and their chickpea curry, daal makani and many other plates are sensational. The owners are also super friendly, and as long as you're not seated too close to American tourists bragging about their trip adventures it's always a great spot for a bloody good eating night out.
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| Chennai Kitchen's finest. |
I waxed lyrical about Gold Bay Leaves last year and it has been "well and truly discovered" judging by the packed house during our last visit. Chef Boonlert deserves his success because the food is sublime and cheap - offering maximum culinary bang for the buck. Where else are you going to get a beautifully cooked fish for around 250-280 baht? Just a small quibble (and it's minor), service could do with a tune-up to better meet the increased popularity.
Ok, Pala is not a cheap charlie sort of place but its pizza is better than the rest. If you're going to pay over the odds for a slice of pie in Bangkok (as you do in most places) you may as well eat the best. Pala is the only pizzeria in the Kingdom to serve square slices of pizza - Rome style I believe. Every slice is a crunchy, cheesy, herby winner, as are their magnificent and generous antipasto plates.
Finally in lower Silom - an under the radar sort of area - you'll find the tiny Chennai Kitchen (about 50 metres from the landmark Hindu Temple) famed for its South Indian vegetarian delights including dosas, utappam, poori, chappathi, and masala tea. While the food is super tasty and low priced, service varies depending on the mood of the owners (this is part of its charm as well).
And two blocks down on Silom Soi 19 is Lo Strabacco, my latest budget blockbusting find. Run by a couple of Italian gents, Lo Strobbaco is a trattoria serving Italian basics prepared superbly. Their pizzas, pastas and sauces are heavy on flavour and quality, but light on the wallet. Their robust and flavoursome tomato soup is the best I've had in Thailand and their lunch set menus are generous to say the least and siesta will beckon after dining.
