Table talk in Bangkok (May 28–June 3)

There is something about a good hotel brunch that slowly wipes out the rest of your plans for the day, and Waldorf Astoria Bangkok seems fully aware of that. The hotel has launched a monthly Saturday Brunch at The Brasserie, running on the first Saturday of every month from noon-3pm, built for the sort of weekends where nobody is in any particular rush to leave. The seafood section lands first and unapologetically big, with towers stacked with oysters, lobster, river prawns, scallops alongside a roaming caviar trolley. Waldorf Astoria’s signature eggs benedict makes an appearance too, while foie gras stations and carving counters keep the whole thing firmly in leisurely celebration territory. From there, the menu shifts between international mains and richer Asian comfort dishes. Pan-seared snow fish, smoked duck breast, sous vide beef short rib and creamy crab capellini sit alongside Peking duck, suckling pig and barbecue pork. Dessert keeps the momentum going with a chocolate fountain, pastries, lychee-yuzu creations and enough cake to justify quietly cancelling your evening plans afterwards.

From B3,550++ per person. The Brasserie, Waldorf Astoria Bangkok. Advance booking recommended. First Saturday of every month, 12pm-3pm. Upcoming dates include June 6, July 4, August 12 (special H.M. The Queen Mother’s Birthday edition), September 5, October 3, November 7 and December 5

Bangkok has never exactly struggled with stylish restaurants, but Cuisine feels more interested in creating a mood than simply opening another good-looking dining room. The new Saladaeng space comes with stainless steel counters, concrete textures and an open kitchen setup that turns the whole restaurant into part performance, part social hangout. The room runs almost like one continuous conversation, with chefs plating dishes directly across from communal tables while cocktails, wine and small plates keep moving around the space. It leans heavily into the kind of dining Bangkok seems to want right now: relaxed, social and slightly chaotic in a fun way. The menu leans into seafood-forward dishes and sharing plates made for passing between conversations, while the open-fire cooking keeps just enough theatre happening in the background. It is one of the few new openings lately that feels designed around how Bangkok likes to eat after dark.

Open now. Cuisine, Saladaeng Road. Monday-Thursday 5.30pm-midnight, Friday-Saturday 5.30pm-1am. Closed Sunday

Bangkok sees plenty of collaborative dinners, but few arrive with quite this much purpose behind them. On June 10, Dusit Thani Bangkok hosts Her Future, Our Promise. A Dinner of Hope, bringing together six acclaimed chefs for a seven-course fundraising dinner in support of Friends of Thai Daughters, an organisation helping vulnerable girls in Northern Thailand access education and long-term support to prevent trafficking and exploitation. Chef Andrea Susto of Cannubi by Umberto Bombana leads the evening alongside chefs Deepanker from Haoma, Tap from Restaurant Coda, Thav from 80/20, Napol from Nawa Thai Cuisine and Steve from I-SANG. The menu moves through tomato water porridge with caviar, Hokkaido scallops with fermented beans, local squid with nam prik-black ink, uni fusilli with seafood jus, Japanese mackerel in coconut curry and duck pithivier with holy basil, before closing with limoncello baba. The evening also includes a wine pairing, a cocktail reception and a charity auction featuring luxury hotel stays and dining experiences. Most importantly, every baht raised goes directly towards Friends of Thai Daughters and its work across Thailand.

June 10 from 6pm. B8,800 net per person or B65,600 net per table of eight. Lumpini Room, Dusit Thani Bangkok

Bangkok’s current doughnut era keeps spiralling in increasingly specific directions, and Sodo Donut may be one of the nicest examples yet. Hidden inside a century-old wooden house near Si Phraya, the small Bang Rak opening specialises in doughnuts made from Thai rice flour, giving the dough a softer, slightly chewy texture that sits somewhere between nostalgic snack and dangerously easy afternoon habit. Flavours swing between playful and very Thai. Salted egg, spicy lime chilli salt, espresso blend with Thai highland coffee and dark chocolate all make appearances, while the original salt glaze already feels like the sort of order regulars become weirdly protective about. The old wooden interiors make the whole thing feel calmer, especially once trays start selling out by late afternoon. Judging by the current queues, that is already happening fairly often.

Open now. Sodo Donut, Nares Road, Bang Rak. Open daily 8am-6pm

Anyone who has stood in line at Borough Market praying the crème brûlée doughnuts have not sold out will probably understand why Bread Ahead arriving in Bangkok feels like slightly bigger news than it should. The London bakery officially opens its first Thailand and Asia branch at Siam Paragon this week, bringing its famously overfilled brioche doughnuts and caramelised custard centres into Bangkok’s already very competitive sugar landscape. The Bangkok branch also comes with a Thailand-exclusive ‘Hot Doughnut Shop’ concept, where customers can watch the whole process unfold in front of them, from proofing and frying to filling and torching each doughnut individually. The viral crème brûlée version is naturally the headline act, though pistachio, sea-salted caramel honeycomb and blackcurrant cheesecake are likely to disappear quickly too. Bangkok also gets an exclusive Uji matcha and white chocolate flavour available only here. Honestly, the city probably did not need another viral dessert queue right now. But here we are anyway.

Grand opening May 30. Bread Ahead, G/F, Siam Paragon