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Vientiane Kitchen
Night after night, this open-air barn is alive with Isan (northeastern Thailand) music, dancing and the chatter of families sitting at low tables. But the vibe comes second to the authentic Isan specialities, like frog lâap (minced frog salad), kài yâang (grilled marinated chicken) and the ubiquitous sticky rice. Be sure to tip the band on your way out.
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Wang Lang Market
Beside Siriraj Hospital is a busy market that sprawls west from Tha Wang Lang. Many of the vendors prepare fiery southern-style curries and dishes such as phàt phèt sataw (spicy red curry stir-fry with stink beans). The theory is that southern Thai food took root here because of the nearby train station that served southern destinations.
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Whole Earth Restaurant
You might come to feel like you're spending a long afternoon in your New Age auntie's lounge room, which she has decorated with souvenirs from the 'getting spiritual' tour of Asia she undertook in the 1970s. And, if you stop to think about it, the vegetarian food is a bit like that too - homey, familiar and nutritious, but not actually all that exciting. Except for the divine fruit lassis.
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Yusup
The Thai-language sign in front of this restaurant boldly says Raachaa (King of Biryani) and Yusup backs it up with flawless biryani (try the unusual but delicious khâo mòk plaa , fish biryani), not to mention mouth-puckeringly sour oxtail soup and decadent kaeng mátsàmàn . For dessert try roti wǎan , a paratha-like crispy pancake topped with sweetened condensed milk and sugar - a dish that will send most carb-paranoid Westerners running away screaming.
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Yuy Lee
This aged but spotless eatery serves a variety of dishes, but most folks come for the northern Thai noodle duo of khâo sawy (wheat noodles in a curry broth) and khànǒm jiin náam ngíaw (fresh rice noodles in a tomato and pork broth). The former, although not bad for Bangkok, can't compete with the real deal from Chiang Mai, but the latter is an excellent take on a hard-to-find bowl.
