Carlo Mantuano

1 month ago | theinfatuation.com | Carlo Mantuano

Chenin is one of Bangkok's few wine bars, and a nice change of pace from all the fancy cocktail bars and local dives where chugging Leo beers is the primary option. They constantly host pop-ups with special menus, but the main menu itself is solid—lovely warm olives, squishy focaccia, Neapolitan-style pizza, and pastas with creamy cotechino, shrimp, and lemon. The wine list is pretty standard—mostly dominated by French and Italian producers—but they do have some interesting stuff from Japan.

1 month ago | theinfatuation.com | Carlo Mantuano

Yes, you’ll definitely have to wait for the crab omelet from Raan Jay Fai—we did for over three hours. But how often do you get to win the crab lottery in the form of a crustacean-loaded omelette cooked by an 81-year-old street food legend? The answer is only here. The omelet, and every other dish with crab, like one with celery leaves and chilies, are wholeheartedly worth the wait.

1 month ago | theinfatuation.com | Carlo Mantuano

You should have your last meal in Bangkok at Samlor, a slightly upscale Thai spot, if only to keep their take on mango sticky rice in your memory even longer. Mango parfait comes wrapped in a sticky rice dumpling, with mango matchsticks resting on top. That dish is pretty representative of the kind of food you’ll find here—Thai classics with a twist that are executed at the highest level.

1 month ago | theinfatuation.com | Carlo Mantuano

100 Mahaseth is a very serious restaurant where you can have a seriously delicious lunch. It’s a great place to try the classics, like (free) papaya salad, thai fried chicken that comes in small and flavorful bone-in pieces, showered with garlic, and gigantic shell-on river prawns grilled over charcoal. But from there, the menu goes in a lot of different directions—you can shell out for a ribeye, order a plate of fried tripe, or get some laab with deep-fried intestines as a crunchy topping.

1 month ago | theinfatuation.com | Carlo Mantuano

This bar in Chinatown specializes in cocktails made with tea and vinegar. One example: the Hops with mango gin, passionfruit shrub, and a vinegar made out of lager that sips like a really refined (and tangy) gin and tonic. Tax is hidden in an alley off a main street in the neighborhood, and the vibe is pretty relaxed. It’s the perfect entry point into the Bangkok bar scene, and makes for a great stop before or after an outing at Chinatown’s night market or many street food stalls.