For some reason, finding good northern Thai food (aharn nuea) in Bangkok is a tougher proposition. Often confused for the spicier, more straightforward fare of Isan, northern dishes are actually a mellower, fattier celebration of the herbs and vegetables (and pigs) that grow so abundantly in the mountains. In Bangkok, your best bet for this is Maan Mueng, hidden away in a northern Bangkok suburb. Dishes range from the curried noodles known as khao soy to sai oua (minced pork sausages), naem (cured pork sausages), and nam prik num (green chili dip); diners with an adventurous bent should sample the samong moo—pigs’ brains grilled in a banana leaf.
While southern Thai food woos diners with chilies and northern Thai plies them with pork, many Thai-Chinese eateries focus on quality seafood in a bare-bones setting. One such place is Nakorn Pochana, known for its crayfish tails, abalone, and stir-fried curried crab. Another Thai-Chinese family favorite is Chandrphen, set in a cavernous space off of Rama IV Road (try the barbecued chicken). Finally, diners too busy for a trip to the beach can make a beeline for Laem Charoen Seafood, a Rayong institution that brings a touch of the seaside to Bangkok via its steamed crabs, wok-fried scallops, and deep-fried sea bass.
Modern Magic
What is modern Thai food? In some cases, it’s a reworking of the food itself with the help of a few ingredients or techniques borrowed from the West. In others, it’s a reworking of the format—a more café-style, dessert-oriented menu, or a bistro-like setting. Whichever you choose, it reflects the way many Bangkokians dine out today.
Taling Pling won’t win any style awards. The ambience at the original restaurant off of Silom Road resembles the lobby of a two-star resort hotel. Instead, the reason this place is so beloved among middle-class Thais rests squarely on its dependably decent curries, yums (tart, spicy salads), and stir-fried dishes. The formula is catching on, as the popularity of Taling Pling’s various shopping-mall “gastro-café” offshoots can attest.
While Taling Pling is packed with locals, the wood-paneled Soul Food Mahanakorn on Thonglor caters to a more international clientele. This is strange, since the flavors coming from the kitchen of this self-styled “Thai izakaya” are resolutely homespun, despite culinary tweaks like crumbled bacon and smoked chicken. Crowd favorites include the minced-lamb grapao (stir-fried with holy basil and presented atop a mound of rice with a single runny egg) and yum makuea yao (grilled, smoky eggplant covered in a tangy dressing).
Stylishness is also a big draw at Le Lys, where Thai food (and homemade pork rillettes) is presented in a homey setting off Nang Lin- chi. Owned by Frenchman Philippe Delmas and his Thai wife Paty, Le Lys makes food that veers toward the traditional with minor adjust- ments and major hits of flavor: an Isan-style larb salad is dressed up with minced salmon, while tender, perfectly cooked morsels of duck arrive swathed in Penang curry. It’s the atmosphere that is more of a fusion: Thai artifacts mixed with a breezy French-colonial feel, complete with a pétanque court.
