Bangkok Restaurants

It was the first time for us to have Thanksgiving outside the U.S., and we spent the day very differently.

No turkey, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, or pumpkin pie.

But nonetheless, we had a wonderful meal with great friends.

If you really want the traditional Thanksgiving dinner, you can find it at several hotels in Bangkok.

But since none of us really loved turkey, we decided to have a very nontraditional meal for that day.

We picked Din Tai Fung.

They offer many vegetarian (most of them if not all seemed vegan), and the pictures and reviews were great, so I was excited to try.

You can watch how their dumplings are made through the glass window.

Din Tai Fung originated in Taiwan, but they have restaurants outside of Taiwan, including the U.S.

In Bangkok there are three locations, and our friend suggested that we should go to the Central Embassy one because of their view.

She was right.

The view was amazing!

They are known for their juicy pork dumplings.

Instead of pork, we had mushrooms ones, “Steamed Assorted Mushroom Xiao Long Bao Infused with Truffle Oil”, and they were delicious.

We also had these “Steamed Vegetarian Dumplings”, and they were equally tasty too.

In addition to the dumplings we had a few more dishes.

This was “Oriental Salad in Special Vinegar Dressing”, and I absolutely loved it.

Stir-fried Spinach with Garlic.

“Deep-fried Homemade Tofu with Water Chestnuts and Mushrooms”

These were scrumptious!

It was crispy outside and soft inside.

I loved the texture of the water chestnuts in the soft tofu.

It wasn’t listed as “vegetarian (or vegan)”, but if anything I would guess there was some egg in the batter.

It came with tasty sweet chili sauce.

We also had three kinds of steamed buns: vegetables, mushrooms, and sweet red beans.

They were all good, but by that time I was already full, so I didn’t need them.

This was our first time, so we didn’t know how much to order.

Next time I will order exactly the same except that I will get 5 dumplings each instead of 8, no steamed buns, but I will get a bowl of Dan Dan Noodle (on the menu it indicates they can make it vegetarian).

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Din Tan Fung – Menu

I cannot wait to go back.

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After our lunch we went upstairs for a cup of tea.

If you are in this mall, you should definitely check out this area.

It’s a large bookstore with several cafes all over the floor.

Beautiful and comfortable space.

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The same night we met with my husband’s ex-colleague who was visiting Bangkok from the U.S. and we went to the Speakeasy Rooftop Bar for a drink.

It was a really cool place, and the view was amazing.

We don’t drink alcohol much, so we hardly go to a bar.

So it was a nice opportunity for us to experience this rooftop bar scene.

Our plan was to check out a popular cafe that is introduced everywhere on social media as “a must visit”, but on our way there, we got distracted.

When the gate decorated with the beautiful flowers was so inviting, and we decided to quickly check out this place.

Straight ahead we saw a cute cafe called Sala Bran Cafe – “fermented food & beverage”.

I always liked fermented food, and my husband recently began to express interest in fermented food, so we were excited to check it out.

When we found out we could try some fermented drinks, we changed our plan and spend our afternoon here instead of the original destination.

The dining room is bright with large windows.

There is a nursery next door, and you feel surrounded by greens even though you are indoors.

My husband had their house-brewed Kombucha.

He liked it.

I had ginger Amazake.

We also had Kinako cookies.

The following day we went back because we wanted to try their lunch.

We had Tempeh lunch set.

I loved that it comes with all the small dishes, many of which included some fermented items.

My favorite was tempeh.

The texture and taste were both excellent.

This is not a vegan meal (it’s NOT described as “vegan”), but I believe it’s mostly (probably close to 95% (that’s my guess) plant-based).

Their menu explains what each dish is on the tray, in English and Japanese for sure, (and maybe in Thai as well?).

We also shared a small piece of cheesecake (not vegan) and a cup of tea.

The cheesecake was delicious.

There is a little shop near the entrance, where you can purchase some baked goods, kombucha, and some other fermented items, like this one.

I am thinking of going back to buy their Shio koji.

The puppy was so friendly!

If you ever go to the cafe, make sure to check out the nursery next door on the same campus, called The Jungle on Ekamai.

It’s a wonderful oasis in the middle of the city.

It’s beautiful, whimsical, and the selection and display of items shows the owner’s good taste.

On the same campus you will also find a salon, where you can take a rice bran enzyme bath!

The cafe staff (owner?), Ms. Kumi, invited us to see the bath, and it was pretty impressive.

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Sala Bran Cafe – Website

It was another place that was on our list for a long time.

Broccoli Revolution is located an 8-minute walk from Thong Lo BTS station.

Once you enter, you notice the high ceiling and how bright it is inside.

The place is flooded with natural light.

There are a lot of plants, which also adds organic natural feel to the space.

It’s located on a busy street, but once inside you forget the hustle and bustle of the city.

The menu is pretty big.

My husband had Zen Burger made of jackfruit, and a side of fried potatoes.

He loved it.

(I had a bite, and it was delicious.)

It didn’t look big, but it (minus a big piece taken by me) made him full.

I decided to try something new to me.

It was “Khao Gaeng Som: Thai sour curry served with organic brown rice”.

It had complicated flavor and was very tasty.

I’m glad I tried it.

It tasted something fermented.

I didn’t know exactly what, but I liked it.

The soup had a kick to it, but I wouldn’t say it was overly spicy.

They serve a nice mix of Western and Asian dishes.

I want to try the Broccoli Quinoa Charcoal Burger next time.

They also had some sweets displayed on the counter.

Unfortunately, we were too full to try any.

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Broccoli Revolution – Website

We will definitely go back, hopefully soon!

Nature’s Charm Cafe had been on my list for a long time.

I don’t know why it took us this long, but finally we made it for our lunch date today.

It was an easy walk from the Thong Lor BTS station, about a 10 minute walk.

It’s on a quieter street.

Their sign on the building is hard to see, heavily covered by the wires.

The dining space is upstairs.

We got there a little late, around 2:00 p.m. for lunch, and it was nice and quiet.

The menu was unexpectedly huge.

I did my homework and studied the menu on their website in advance, but their actual menu shown at the cafe was much bigger than the one on their website.

From the look of their online menu, I quickly assumed that they mostly served western dishes, but in fact a lot of Asian dishes were also offered.

It took us a while to look at every page (the above pages in the photos are only a part of their whole menu!) and decide what to order.

It is nice that they had lemon-watermelon water available for self-service.

My husband chose this appetizer, vegan Ma Haw.

I had no idea what it was (I didn’t know if it was supposed to be sweet or savory), but it was unique and delicious!

The balls were made of some kind of nuts, something that had meat-like texture, and they were held together with something sticky.

They were sweet and savory at the same time, and served on juicy orange slices, topped off with fresh cilantro and a small chili pepper piece.

According to my little research…

Ma haw is a popular Thai appetizer, translated as galloping horses, sweet-savory pork/peanut balls served on pineapple or orange pieces.

I never had it before (vegan or traditional), so I can’t say how authentic it was, but it was delightful.

My husband also ordered this tofu dish (I don’t remember the name) and a bowl of jasmine rice.

It was hard for me to choose what to order because I was torn between a dish that would look pretty and a dish that I wanted to eat at that time.

I’ve seen others pictures, and I knew they did a great job at presenting many of their dishes (so photogenic!), particularly western dishes.

But I ended up with Bibimbap because I was in the mood for it.

And I wasn’t disappointed.

I loved the variety of the toppings, especially all the vegetables.

The gochujang sauce was very tasty, not excessively spicy.

If you get this dish, make sure to add a vegan egg.

Their vegan fried egg was 💯！

I will definitely go back to this cafe, hopefully soon, because there as so many things on their menu I still want to try.

When we went downstairs after our wonderful meal, we noticed theses shelves displaying interesting products, including what I had been looking for for months: 100% coconut milk without any additives.

And at that point I realized that this cafe was owned by the same coconut milk company!

Anyway, we happily bought a can of 100% coconut milk as well as a few other goodies.

It’s great that now I know where I can buy 100% coconut milk.

This will be another reason for us to go back.

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Nature’s Charm Cafe – Website

My husband found this Vegan/Vegetarian Italian restaurant, and we thought it would be perfect to go there on our Pizza Sunday for dinner.

It was a short walk from the Phrom Phom BTS station, but it was a bit tricky to find it because it was off of the large street.

We got there around 8:00 p.m., and we were told that they were full except for the outside tables.

Luckily, it was not too warm that night.

There was a fan, and staff even brought a mosquito spray (lol) for us.

These were served first.

The red oil looking thing was chili oil, and it was SPICY.

The menu clearly indicated which dishes could be made vegan, which was very helpful.

Our server was also nice and answered our questions well.

We ordered Caprese (vegan) and Ravioli (vegan) with pink sauce and mushrooms.

We were not sure if they would be enough, but we thought we would order more if they were not.

The plate looked a bit different from the picture (lol).

With the first bite I wasn’t sure if I liked it.

The cheese was slightly warm, which threw me off a bit, and its texture was not what I expected.

But it slowly grew on me.

My husband probably liked it more than I did.

We came for pizza, but we ended up having ravioli instead.

Mostly because there were great reviews on this ravioli.

I initially thought the green thing in the picture on the menu was broccoli or some kind of vegetables, but they were actually ravioli itself.

The ravioli was green-colored.

This dish was absolutely delicious!

The house-made spinach ravioli and the sauce were both excellent.

I will definitely order it again.

We will go back for me to eat the ravioli again and for my husband (and I) to try pizza next time.

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Govinda Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria

Everything is vegetarian, and many items can be made vegan.

9 minute walk from the Phrom Phong BTS station.

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I’m not much of a drinker, but I like pretty cocktails minus alcohol (lol).

So when a beautiful tasty mocktail is offered, I’m all for it!

We were strolling in the Thong Lo area the other evening.

We walked for over an hour without noticing, and we were ready for a little break with a cold drink.

And this sign caught my eye.

We had been to this coffee shop, The Coffee Club, before, but we did not know they served cocktails.

The picture was so pretty, and we decided to go inside to check it out.

It’s a part of Staybridge Suites hotel, and it’s very spacious.

And lucky me they could make five of their cocktails alcohol-free!

These are Citrus Butter and Escape from There.

The descriptions say…

Citrus Butter – White Rum, Butterscotch, Pineapple, Yuzu, and Lime

Escape from There – Gin, Mixed Berry, Red Apple, and Lime

We had them both alcohol-free (mocktail), and they were not only pretty but also delicious!

A few weeks later we went back and this time we had…

Survivor – Gin, Lychee, Pear, and Lime

Tropical Cooler – Gin, Aloe vera, Ginger Ale, and Lime.

Again, we had them alcohol free.

The presentation of these drinks were also amazing!

We went back one more time last night mostly because I wanted to try Eve’s Garden (Jim Bean Bourbon, Apple, Chrysanthemum, Lemon Sea Salt, and Lime) in the mocktail version, but unfortunately, they were out…

So, we had Citrus Butter (my husband’s favorite; this time he had the “cocktail” version) and Survivor (mocktail) instead.

I will report back when I have a chance to try Eve’s Garden.

There is a nice outdoor space in front of the cafe.

This picture was taken around 5:30 p.m., but soon it would get dark, the street view would become prettier with lights.

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As the sign says, their happy hour is between 5:00 and 8:00 p.m. every day (including the weekend).

It’s such a great deal, and I appreciate that they offer mocktail options.

Check it out if you are in the area at the right time.

It’s a 10-minute walk from the Thong Lo BTS station.

We started search for vegan afternoon tea in Bangkok a while ago.

When we found there were a few options, we got excited.

We were meaning to make a reservation, but there was always something going on, which delayed our afternoon tea date, but finally we made it happen.

We picked Baan Borneo Club inside 137 Pillars Suites & Residences because we liked the pictures (presentation) of their afternoon tea on their website, and it was the closest to us (and easy to get to).

Phrom Phong is a busy station with a few popular shopping malls attached to it, but the hotel was a bit away from the hustle and bustle and located in a quieter area.

It was an easy 15-minute walk from Phrom Phom BTS station.

The lobby of the hotel was elegantly decorated.

The shop at the lobby was featuring local and Thai brands, including these beautiful bags.

You take the elevator to the 26th floor, where Baan Borneo Club is located.

We made our reservation at 1:00 p.m., and our table was set up right by the large window.

It was Monday, and when we arrived, the place was empty.

A few tables were later occupied, but the restaurant was pleasantly quiet the whole time we were there with soft jazz music in the background.

I should also mention the view from our table was amazing.

First, you pick your tea.

I chose Siam Blend Black Tea.

Kombucha was also offered as an option, and that’s what my husband had.

They only had one flavor that day, and it was L’Atelier Kombucha’s Tonka & Pear.

L’Atelier Kombucha is a local kombucha brand, and according to their site, this was crafted with “organic pear and imported tonka”.

(We had never heard of tonka before. According to my quick search, it is an exotic spice whose scent is described as vanilla, almond-like.)

My husband loved it, and he is now interested in finding more about this brand and where else he can get their kombucha.

And I liked my tea.

The teapot and the cup were lovely.

I liked the colors and the designs that seemed very Thai and sophisticated.

As much as my husband liked his Kombucha (I had a sip, and it was good and refreshing), unsweetened tea was a better choice to enjoy all the treats we had with, especially the sweet ones, in my opinion (I don’t think he regretted his choice, though).

Here was the list of what was included in the vegan afternoon tea.

The presentation was lovely.

(The scones and jam came first separately.)

The savory treats were on the bottom tray, and the middle and the top trays had the sweet items.

Once they bring your tea, scones/jam, and this three-tiered tray, they will leave you alone.

Our table was nestled in the corner of the room and there was a glass wall that separated our table from the next table, so we felt like we were in a private setting, which was very nice.

You can tell a lot of work was put into each and every one of them.

Attention to detail was amazing.

But here are our favorites (it doesn’t always happen, but this time my husband and I agreed).

Parsnip Creameux with Piquillos on Quinoa Crunch.

Truffle Cashew Nut Cheese, Pine Nuts & Purple Sweet Potatoes Millefeuille.

This was our absolute favorite.

Delicious!

Pistachio Mousse with Orange Coulis.

This was amazing!

What a sophisticated taste and presentation.

Red berry Entremets with Strawberry.

This was so pretty and refreshing with fresh strawberry pieces inside.

Almond Praline on Sponge Biscuit.

We finished our afternoon tea with this cake, and it was a perfect ending.

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Overall, we were very happy with the experience.

The location was convenient, and the city view was very nice.

The service was great.

The presentation was amazing.

Regarding the menu I would have liked a little more savory items and less sweet ones.

Each sweet piece was not overly sweet, but towards the end I did feel sugar rush, and I wished I had something to balance that.

I really liked their whole-food approach and unique (and some bold) flavor combinations. Some of them (especially those I listed above) were excellent. However, a few items were not the best (e.g., some crackers were not crunchy and tasted a bit stale, scones were a bit dry, etc.).

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Nature’s Opulence Afternoon Tea (Vegan)

Location: Baan Borneo Club at 137 Pillars Suites & Residences

15 minute-walk from Phrom Phong BTS station

Available every day 1:00 to 5:00 p.m.

Price: THB 1600 – for two persons, includes Monsoon Tea or Kombucha

THB 2000 – for two persons, includes 2 glasses of sparkling wine

Prices are subject to 10% service charge and 7% government tax

Reservation is required (minimum one-day in advance)

*Please check their official site (English) for updated information before you make a reservation.

https://137pillarshotels.com/en/bangkok/seasonal/natures-opulence-afternoon-tea/

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Before leaving the hotel, we spotted this bright airy restaurant on the ground floor.

Staff told us that they serve brunch and light casual meals in that restaurant.

It looked like a lovely place to have a meal.

They did have a few vegan options on their menu.

If you ever go to the hotel on foot from Phrom Phong, don’t forget to take a look at this interesting tree.

It’s found in front of a condominium, on the left side of the street.

It’s called Cannonball Tree.

Pretty cool, isn’t it?