Looking For Elusive Sukhumvit-area Thai Restaurant

[jfchandler]

It seems there are two main kinds of everyday Thai food around Sukhumvit: 1) the street vendor stands or hole in the wall pre-prepared, food in the tray places at 20 or 30 baht per entree with little or nothing in the way of comfort, or 2) the inside, air con, fixed-to-order restaurants and pubs where Thai entres usually are in the 100 to 160 baht range.

What seems very hard to find, though, is a middle ground place along Sukhumvit: good Thai food fixed to order, reasonably comfortable to sit down inside and air con if possible, and per entree prices more in the 40 to 70 baht range.

I had a very nice small, middle-ground Thai restaurant shop on my soi that met all the criteria, except for air con. But now it's been closed to make way for another massage shop (do we really need any more????). So I'm on the hunt for a suitable place where two people can get away with a 200 baht bill or so for Thai food including water or soft drinks (your basic every day meal).

I know there's got to be others out there. But where?????????? Thanks much, in advance. --John.

[Cobalt60]

Eat a meal with drinks in aircon eatery for about £1.50 each, hmmm tough one that. Couple of places i know up Soi 22, but they are not that cheap.

Honey House (or is it Pot, or is that my warped brain) is nice enough, not sure on the prices though, may be a bit more than you want to pay.

There is a small place on the 22, same side as Imperial just a short way up from Sukhumvit, that is cheap, but dont know the name, its on the corner of a small side street.

Edited February 12, 2008 by Cobalt60

[jfchandler]

Thanks much for the suggestions...

Just fyi, I wasn't saying 40 to 70 baht because I can't or wouldn't pay more... just using that as a general/flexible target range. I meant more perhaps a place catering to Thai people and budgets vs. farang.

My general meaning was ... some places less expensive than the usual farang restuarant/pub prices that can be had everywhere.

I'm always on the lookout for a bargain, provided the food is good!

[mauiguy90]

There's Suda at Sukhumvit 14, which most people know about, as well as the food courts(thai styled) at the Emporium and at Robinson's. There's another open air place between Sukhumvit 15 and Robinson's, which serves decent food. Tough to find a good place with air conditioning with reasonable pricing!

[lomatopo]

I think just about every soi, has at least a few open-air Thai restaurants which fit the OP's requirements. Many seem to be focused on the lunch and after-work trade so might close by 8 PM. I think it's just a matter of looking outside the tourist areas. Example: Niyom, Sukhumvit Soi 4, all the way down on the right, just before the entrance to the Thai Tobacco Monopoly.

edited to add: also check out some of the Thai food blogs.

Edited February 19, 2008 by lomatopo

[zorro1]

Dont know the name but eat there daily just under Asoke bts one soi before the black swann pub (not a soi but a little lane) 40 tables and full of thais, food brilliant average 50bht a dish

[jfchandler]

Just this weekend... found a good answer/addition to the question I raised in this original post...

Just at the foot of the Thong Lo BTS station stairs on the Soi 36 (even) side of Suk Road is a small new Isan restaurant specializing in som tam (papaya salads) called Malagor (papaya).

I mention it because

1) it's new, modern/clean and very convenient, just having been open about 2 months;

2) it's fully air conditioned with comfortable, large wood tables and benches inside;

3) it's cheap with almost every menu item in the 30-40 baht range;

4) they have their menu available in both Thai and English;

and 5) the food is GOOD!!!

The individual portion sizes are small by Western standards, but everything was very tasty.... They had probably a half dozen different som tams available (we liked som tam kai kiem with salty egg), larb salads, nam tok, khao niaew (sticky rice), sliced/grilled and deep fried meats (pork and beef), pork ribs, and various other choices...

The TGF and I ate our fill of probably 7 or 8 different dishes, and had a total bill of only about 200 baht. No room left after for the thai fruit ice cream they were offering... And, the whole time we were there, rather than luk thung music on the stereo system, they had some funky sound I'm not sure how to describe.

Only downside, as best as I recall, is they don't have a liquor license for beer.....

With the disappearance of some other Isan real restaurants (as opposed to stands or street shops) around BKK (including Tee Sud and Baan Lao), this is a nice, modest, comfortable addition.... and even a peaceful break from the noise outside.