Places to dine and drink in Suanplu and Yen Akart

The latest addition to Fred Meyer’s (the mastermind behind Issaya Siamese Club and Baan Phadthai) restaurant empire is taking you on a ride to culinary heaven. Embracing the shophouse that Japanese den Kom-Ba-Wa vacated in Soi Suanplu, Saawaan (which means “heaven” in Thai) serves up a procession of Thai cuisine that elevates humble recipes with innovative, modern-day techniques.

An avant-garde dining experience from one of Thailand’s most respected chefs—that’s pretty much enough said for Issaya Siamese Club. Celebrity chef Ian Chalermkittichai leads you through a journey of modern Thai flavors and state-of-the-art, innovative twists while still paying respect to old recipes.

Husband-and-wife restaurateurs Phoungkhae and Gav Koh have made Sathorn a destination for Northern cuisine with Eats Payao, a restaurant that churns out northern delights whipped up following recipes handed down within Phoungkhae’s family in Payao province, which lean toward bold and spicy side.

Twinnies Mathias and Thomas Sühring have partnered with Gaggan Anan, the owner of Asia’s best restaurant, to elevate German cuisine. Sühring serves up a tasting menu of either nine or twelve servings, both of which modernize traditional German dishes.

Maillard is a new steak destination that puts Thai wagyu—imported breeds, Nong Khairaised beef, to be precise—on a show.

Hidden in an old wooden house in Soi Suanplu is the neighborhood new French-slash-Thai seafood joint. Decked out in stripes of blue and white, Kutai evokes the beachside setting with bohemian, vintage kitschy objects, Maori wood carvings and Azulejo tiles.

Soi Yen Akart has recently welcomed the area’s first proper watering hole. The rooftop bar Cactus brings a touch of palmy California to the leafy alley with the festooning of prickly cactus and fire pits against view the palm-filled lawn.

The 90-year-old Victorian-style house, which used to belong to a cousin of King Rama V, was renovated, brushed up in vintage mint green and turned into a casual chic coffee shop.