After visiting Bangkok umpteen times for the past years, I have a personal favourite list of restaurants/places that I MUST VISIT whenever I am in Bangkok. Even when i have very limited or almost NO time, I will definitely try my best to squeeze some time out to visit these restaurants.

And the list keeps growing.... Every time i visit Bangkok, there is always something new that is worthy of adding to this list, sometimes I wish I had more time to try out everything in a single trip!

From humble roadside stalls to upscale fine dining restaurants, I'm sure this list has something for almost everyone.

And here you go, my list of favourite restaurants in Bangkok 2014. (Warning, this is a long list full of pictures)

1. PING's Shark's Fin Restaurant

Ping's is run by a Singaporean and they serve the BEST shark's fin soup in Bangkok. Whenever I have cravings for shark's fin soup, I always think of Ping's. I have visited this restaurant a couple of times over the years and their standard of premium quality food and service has always been consistently good.

Located at Asoke (near Asoke BTS), this restaurant is cozy, clean, comfortable and has a traditional Chinese restaurant setting which even your parents, grandparents, great grandparents and the older folks would feel comfortable at.

Absolutely LOVED their Shark's Fin soup, made with special brown sauce in their signature chicken broth and filled with generous chunks of shark's fin and vegetables.

Their oyster omelette is another MUST ORDER dish for me whenever I am here too. Oysters are sooo sweet and fresh! Even when I have no more space in my stomach, I will still want to eat this. Must eat this while it's hot and sizzling, otherwise it's not that nice when it turns cold.

This place serves up to standard crab tang hoon too.

Coconut jelly is super fresh, sweet and refreshing, it's quite unlike the ones found here in Singapore. I I have never ever ordered coconut juice in Singapore for myself before, I only do so in Thailand cuz somehow, their coconuts seem fresher and sweeter.

Service is top-notch. The lady boss is a Singaporean as mentioned earlier and she is extremely hospitable, she will introduce all their signature dishes to you and also chit chat with you, giving you information on good places to visit in Bangkok.

Ping's Sharksfin Restaurant

137/3 Sukhumvit 21 (Asoke) Rd.
Klongtuey-nua Watana, Bangkok 10110
Tel: (02) 661 7860
(5 mins walk from Asoke BTS Station)

Website : www.pingsharksfin.com

Opening Hours: 11am - 11.30pm

2. Ping's Hotpot

Opened by the same people above, Ping's Hotpot is a newly established restaurant located on the 2nd level of Pathumwan Princess Hotel. Just next to the restaurant is Ping's Thai-Teochew restaurant.

Ping's Thai-Teochew restaurant serves the exact same dishes as Ping's Shark's fin restaurant at Asoke.

Ping’s Hot Pot cuisine next door offers something very different from its Teochew counterpart, it is one of the few places in Bangkok where you can enjoy the communal, Taiwanese-style steamboat fare of which the broth and sauce are different from that of Japanese shabu shabu and Thai suki. You can also order dishes from the Thai-Teochew restaurant if you decide to dine in at the hotpot restaurant.

Ping’s Hotpot is Thailand’s first luxury hotpot restaurant that welcomes dining connoisseurs to a journey of unprecedented tastes.

Ping's impeccable taste of the Thai-Teochew cuisine has attracted many royalties and celebrities all over the world.

Here, the broth for the hot pot is meticulously prepared according to Ping’s secret recipe with the same soup base he uses for his famous shark’s fin soup. However, for the hot pot dining there are four kinds of blends to choose from. Options include the spicy Mongolian, the Thai-style tom yum, the Teochew herbal and the original superior soup. We had their original superior soup and Thai-style tom yum that night.

Prime quality meat and fresh seafood and vegetables are served to complement the superior soup.

4 types of home made sauces are available too.

And the BEST DISH of all, Braised Goose Web Mee Pok. This simple, unassuming dish is simply DIVINE. I couldn't stop complimenting this dish, I seriously wish I could have this for breakfast everyday!!! Every mouthful is so flavourful and savoury that I wish time could just freeze at that moment. It's really THAT GOOD. If you have the chance to try it, kindly let me know what you think about it too!

A very big thank you to Jacqueline, the lovely boss of the restaurants to host us and to introduce the wonderful Goose Web Mee Pok to us, another memorable dish to add to my list of 'must-eats' in Bangkok.

Ping's Hotpot:

Address: 2nd floor, Pathumwan Princess Hotel, 444, Phayathai Rd., Pathum Wan, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330 Thailand

Tel: (02) 661 7860

Website: http://www.pingsharksfin.com/

Lunch A La Carte: 11:30 a.m. – 02:30 p.m.
Dinner A La Carte: 05:30 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.

3. Issaya Siamese Club

In 2014 Issaya Siamese Club was honored to be included in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, sponsored by S. Pellegrino and Aqua Panna.

Housed in a charming double storey 1920s-era villa, Issaya showcases the distinctive modern Thai cuisine of chef Ian Kittichai- reflecting his transition from a childhood assisting with his mother’s street food cart to the glamour of opening much-lauded Thai restaurants in global cities ranging from New York, Barcelona and Mumbai.

The ground level of Issaya provides a large alfresco dining area overlooking lush greenery and a garden of home grown organic herbs used for their cooking. The main dining section is painted with a vibrant blue in contrast with terracotta ceramic tiles.

The upper floor dining area is also sophistically decorated with eclectic retro pieces and has a number of rooms suitable for large private functions.

Dishes were very well presented and alternate between somewhat saucy, meaty dishes and lighter dishes using produce from the restaurant’s organic garden.

YUM HUA PLEE- Banana Blossom and Heart of Palm Salad, Crispy Shallots and Roasted Peanuts in A Chili Jam Dressing (260 THB) one of Issaya's signature dishes. Sweet, spicy and equally refreshing.

Kradook Moo Aob Sauce- Spice rubbed pork baby back ribs glazed with Issaya house-blended chili paste. The smokey aroma of bbqed ribs filled the air as soon as this was placed on our table. Presented in a Japanese inspired stone stove, the meat was so tender that it falls off the bones upon a gentle bite.

Mussamun Gae- Boneless lamb shank simmered in Mussamun curry served with pickled cucumber (720 THB). Unlike many versions of massaman curry, the one at Issaya Siamese Club had an almost barbecue sauce flavor and was lightly sweet with a smokey cinnamon touch. Very nicely paired with the tender, buttery meat of the lamb which was slow cooked for hours. This is another of their signature dishes very popular among many guests here.

Khao Aob- Asian multigrains, Chiang Mai mushrooms and garlic sprinkled with mushroom-scented oil. (280 THB). A nice mix of rice and beans in a hot earthernware bowl.

Kanom Dok-Mali- Jasmine flower panna cotta served with Jasmine rice ice-cream and Jasmine rice tulips. I truly enjoyed this east meets west creation. I developed a new found love for Panna Cotta after indulging in this!

Our last dessert was something called the "Broken Bucket", an item off the menu that was reminiscent of a street vendor dessert. On a banana leaf, they spread dried coconut, passion fruit puree and popped rice, as well as a thin shell of chocolate and sponge cake rolls filled with cream- very simple but tasty.

Ended off with 2 glasses of very potent alcoholic beverages.

An awesome place to be remembered always. If you're looking for a place to relax and submerge yourself in drinks and good hearty Thai food, Issaya would fit the bill perfectly.

Issaya Siamese Club:

4 Soi Sri Aksorn, Chua Ploeng Road, Sathorn, Bangkok (The easiest way is to take a cab as it may be a little tricky getting here)

Opening hours: 11:30 am – 2:30 pm for lunch, 6:00 pm – 10:30 pm for dinner, open everyday

Website: http://www.issaya.com/index.html

ที่อยู่ 4 ซอยศรีอักษร ถนนเชื้อเพลิง สาทร กรุงเทพฯ

โทร. 02 -672-9041 , 02-672-9040

เปิดทุกวัน เวลา 11.00 – 21.00 น. และ 18.00 – 02.00 น.

4. Victory Monument Boat Noodle Alley

These noodles are named 'Boat Noodles' (kuay Tiew Rua, ก๋วยเตี๋ยวเรือ) because they were served from boats floating in the canals or rivers. Now, they are served in restaurants and these restaurants are found just beside the canals at Victory Monument.

One bowl is extremely small, it's about 2 tablespoon of noodles and one person can easily have 5-10 bowls each. Each bowl costs about 12 baht (as of now, 2014, around SGD 50 cents). There are a few restaurants along this alley and we recognized them by the colours of the uniforms the staff were wearing (easier to remember). We started from the restaurant right at the end. On the day we visited, there were 3 restaurants opened, namely, Orange, Blue and Purple.

The restaurants serve more or less the same type of noodles and snacks. Spicy chicken, beef, pork, tomyum pork, noodles thicken soup with beef and/or pork, fried pork skin, fried wanton. The Purple stall had coconut custard pudding which the others don't have.

My favourite was noodles thicken soup with beef from the PURPLE stall. 'Thicken soup' apparently meant that the broth were thickened with pig's blood which is not found in Singapore. I really loved pig's blood and it brought so much flavour and richness to the soup! Should try this if you're adventurous enough, it doesn't taste anything like blood.

VICTORY MONUMENT BOAT NOODLES ALLEY:

Sutyot Kuetiau Lua Payak Phaya Thai

Bangkok 10400, Thailand

If you're coming here by public transport, you may wish to follow these simple directions. I came by BTS and stopped at VICTORY MONUMENT STATION.

Walk along the skywalk, the 'circular' walkway directly outside the BTS station surrounding the monument. This is how the monument looks like just outside the BTS station:

Continue walking and look down on your right until you see a row of restaurants along a canal:

Once you see this, walk down the nearest stairs and you can head towards the restaurants downstairs and choose the restaurant you wish to have your boat noodles at.

5. GREYHOUND CAFE

This is a MUST VISIT everytime my friends and I visit Bangkok, all of us LOVE the food here and feel most at ease with the familiar decor blend of industrial chic and understated sophistication and the appetizing menu that combines Thai and Western comfort dishes, elevated with the signature Greyhound “twist”.

We usually go for lunch and most of the time we had to be put on waiting list, the last time we visited, our waiting time was about 20 minutes.

Due to their extensive variety of delicious cafe dishes including pasta, salads, Thai classics, rice and noodles plus bakery and the decadent desserts from the Sweet Hound menu, we all couldn't really decide and ordered many dishes to share!

The recommended dishes in Greyhound are:

Smoked Salmon with finely crushed green thai chilli and garlic. Spicy and sour, makes a fantastic appetizer.

Ice cubes are made of lemon tea and retains the flavour of this drink when ice melts.

Prawn Bisque, i liked this alot more than their french onion soup.

Deep fried 'Thai' Tasty chicken wings are very famous here and definitely MUST TRY this finger lickin' good addiction!

Baked spinach with cheese and sausages, you will love this if you're a big fan of cheese.

Crabmeat Linguine, this was awesome, creamy but not overwhelming, we couldn't get enough of this and ordered 2 portions.

Sea salt caramel chocolate cake- a delightful mix of sweet and salty. Very delightful creation.

Last but not least, the highlight of Greyhound:

Complicated Noodles!- wrap the minced pork with their green chilli concoction and veggi. Pop it down, it's very crunchy, fresh, bursting with flavours and crazily yummy!

GREYHOUND CAFE:

Siam Center, Ground Floor, Bangkok, Thailand (BTS Siam Station Exit 1) Tel: +662 658 112 930

Other Greyhound Café branches: J Avenue Lifestyle, Emporium, Central Chidlom, Phaholyothin; Ratchayothin; The Crystal (All in Bangkok) and IFC Mall (Hong Kong)

Opening Hours: 11:00 am – 9:00 pm Daily

6. BAN KHUN MAE

Conveniently located at Siam Square, Ban Khun Mae (meaning "My Mother's Cuisine") started operating since 1998 and has been well known for their authentic Thai dishes made from recipes which the older generations passed down and their rustic, laid back ambience.

This is the place to visit if you're looking for traditional and authentic, wallet friendly Thai dishes like Tom Yum Gung, Pad Thai, Pineapple fried rice, Basil leaf pork rice, red ruby, mango sticky rice, green curry etc.

Because there were so many of us (it just happens that I always visit Ban Khun Mae with a big group of friends), we get the chance to order many dishes and very happy to be able to try many items on their menu.

What i recommend to try from this restaurant would be their Tom Yum soup (really love the one with milk) which is spicy and sour enough for my liking. Their glass noodles seafood salad, Thai style steamed fish and stir-fry basil leaves with pork are very good and do not disappoint too.

Ban Khun Mae Restaurant:

458/6-9 Siam Square Soi 8, Rama 1 Road,

Patumwan District, Bangkok 10330

Tel. (662)250-1952-3, (662)658-4112-3

Opening Hours: Daily 11am – 11pm

7. STREET FOOD ON SUKHUMVIT SOI 38

สุขุมวิท ซอย 38

Located just below Thong Lor BTS station, this famous street food in Bangkok has a variety of highly raved local food that is not only appealing to locals but also to tourists.

Everyday, beginning at about 5 pm, a variety of street food stalls begin to set up on both sides of the road.

Soi 38's famous crab meat Wonton noodles stall has been around for 40 years, run by 2 brothers. Texture of noodles was so springy with lots of pork lard, char siew and crab meat added to it!

I personally preferred this to the wanton mee near Pratunum/Platinum mall which i think is very normal and nothing to rave about.

Do take note that this Wanton mee stall at soi 38 is not along the main road, you have to turn right into a side road where you see the stall selling Mango Sticky Rice and this wanton mee stall is somewhere beside the mango sticky rice stall.

Somewhere opposite the side road where the wanton mee stall is, there is this other stall selling fried fish maw! Worth a try as i think it's quite unique.

We also ordered pork leg rice with egg somewhere down the road. It's surprisingly very very appetizing despite it's simple presentation.

What surprised us even more were the desserts found down the road. Wanted to try the famous Mango Sticky Rice but we were too late and the stall was closed when we arrived, therefore we tried other desserts and they were really good too! A good mix of coconut and jelly to beat the heat!

How to get to Sukhumvit Soi 38:

Take the BTS Skytrain to Thong Lo station (ทองหล่อ). Exit #4 (you’ll see the street perpendicular to the station as you are on the skywalk), walk down the steps, then make an immediate u-turn, and you’ll be there – it’s impossible to miss.

8. SOMTAM NUA
Somtam Nua is a real Isaan restaurant in the heart of Bangkok. Traditional dishes from the North-East of the country such as Som Tam Lao (raw and spicy papaya salad) , Laab Moo (pork salad) and Khao Niau (traditional sticky rice). Most of the dishes are really spicy, so please be prepared.

I was first introduced by my friend a few years back to try the fried chicken wings in this restaurant and when i came, i tried some of their other dishes which were pretty impressive too.

Somtam (papaya salad) at Somtam Nua is very spicy but it's just the way we liked it to be! The salted eggs that came with it balances the spiciness.

These are the fried chicken wings which my friend said that we must try. It's VERY VERY YUMMY, SUCCULENT AND JUICY and we simply cannot stop eating it, they were garnished with fried crispy garlic and spring onions on top which made it even better, one basket may not even be enough!

Grilled pork neck. Tender and moist charcoal grilled meat.

Northern Style Spicy soup with pork. The last time i had this was when i was up north in Chiang Mai and i LOVED how spicy yet savoury this soup was. Somtam's version of this is fiery and spicy as well and I'm so glad they have it here in Bangkok.

SOMTAM NUA

Address: 392/14 Siam Square Soi 5, Rama 1 Road, Bangkok
Tel: +66 (0) 22 51 4880

Opening Hours: 10:45 a.m.-21.30 p.m.

9. Whale's Belly (9 course set dinner)

Whale's Belly has been receiving quite a lot of attention and applause from foodies and fine dining lovers in Bangkok and has recently been awarded 'Thailand's Best Restaurant 2014'. The name of this restaurant is inspired by the cartoon character, Pinocchio.

The concept of dining inside the Whale's Belly was fascinatingly exemplified through the white slates that imitates a whale's ribcage. With such an upscale thematic decor, we all sank into an adventurous night for their newly created 9-course set dinner which is also the Winning Menu of the Iron Chef.

The head chef of Whale's Belly recently won the title of Iron Chef on television, the freshest ingredients are used to ensure guests of the finest quality and be sure to be won over by the chef's delightfully innovative and delectable cuisine.

The meal begins with a Bread & Butter course made all the more special by the addition of a complimentary free-range Chicken Liver Pâté w/ Cognac.

Their signature Bamboo Charcoal Sunflower bread was used and it was really soft and warm and paired so well with the smooth and creamy texture of the pate.

1) Chef's Amuse Bouche.

2) Sweet & Sour. Marinated Bismarck herring, cape gooseberry, chicken paper and potato. The herring is amazingly fresh and the dish lives up to its name of having sweet and sourish flavours.

3) Blue Fin Tuna. Blue crab meat, cold capellini, caviar, Yuzu vinaigrette. This is one of the chef's award winning dish, it delivers a real spicy kick with fresh tuna, caviar and blue crab underneath. This dish was my favourite among all the others and very unforgettable.

4) Escargot & Ricard. Hand made ravioli with escargot and parmesan foam. A brilliant and extraordinary combination which I've never had elsewhere.

5) 62 degrees celsius Onsen Egg with shitake and bacon ragu, beurre blanc. A truly unforgettable dish with astounding presentation. The egg is cooked to a runny texture and having it together with the rich sauce is pure indulgence.

6) Refresher. Jelly, granita, foam.This refresher was served to prepare for the entrée. It totally cleanses our palettes and refreshed our taste buds so as to allow us to completely enjoy the next upcoming dish.

7) Wagyu Beef Cheek. Sweet pea, radish, black garlic, pepper sauce. Slow braised wagyu tenderloin cooked over 36 hours, totally melts in the mouth. Couldn't get enough of this.

8) Raspberry Panna Cotta with mixed berries, sorbet and cocoa. This sweet dessert ended our dinner beautifully.

9) Mocha with melting mashmallows in a tall, elegant glass.

A truly great experience with the " Iron Chef " winner, Chef Mai and company. The 9 course Degustation Menu (1950 baht per person) with wine pairing (1500 per 3 glasses) is outstanding and worth it. Every detail is thought of like in a french Michelin Restaurant , very enjoyable for food lovers with impeccable hospitality.

Whales Belly

39 Boulevard Tower, 2 floor

Soi Sukhumvit 39(Soi Phrom Chit)

Wattana, Khlong Tan Nuea, Bangkok 10110

Phone 02-1600-333 / 087 441 9545 (24 hours)

Website: www.whales-belly.com / www.facebook.com/whalesbelly

MRT: Sukhumvit

BTS: Phrom Phong

***Open only Dinner 5.30-11.00pm

10. Chatuchak Market Chicken Noodles

Sometimes, Bangkok can get so hot that I will totally skip Chatuchak altogether but thinking of this super delicious noodles will always get be going back to Chatuchak again and again.

I vivdly remember having this bowl of awesome noodles approximately 10 years ago when i visited Bangkok for the very first time in my life. It wasn't as famous at that time. Google was not in existence at that time and travel/food blogs were scarce too. In fact, budget airlines were also non-existant. This is one good noodles stall which i accidentally stumbled upon and over the years as more and more Singaporeans visited Bangkok and started sharing information online, this noodles store became more widely known!!!

I am very glad that 10 years down the road, this stall in Chatuchak is still surviving and flourishing. Standard is still as awesome as before too. Indulge in dark, herbal chicken broth coupled with tender chicken drumstick. Choose from a variety of noodles like bee hoon, kuay teow etc.