For about 40 years, Jeh O was popular with locals who came for its simple boiled rice served with various side dishes. In recent years, the restaurant took the internet by storm with the newly added menu Mama Oh Ho, a variety of fancy versions of a national favourite: Mama brand instant noodles. Here, they come served with a thick and creamy tom yum base jam-packed with shrimp, squid, ground pork, two egg yolks and a handful of unidentifiable but delicious odds and ends. 

Other Chinese-inspired Thai dishes such as duck meat in five spice soup, spicy salad of sweet sausages, blanched blood cockles with seafood sauce, and raw shrimps served with bitter gourd and spicy sauce are also hits for a reason. Reservations are highly recommended. 

Jeh O
Address: 113 Soi Charat Mueang, +66 64 118 5888, +66 81 682 8816 

For more than 50 years, this little eatery has served just one thing: Thai-style sukiyaki, a bowl of stir-fried noodles (with soup or dry) with meat or seafood, greens and a special sauce made from fermented red bean curd to be used as seasoning, a dip for the meat – or both.

What makes this simple dish so enticing as to keep regulars coming back is the stir-frying technique: the super-super-high heat cooks the noodles just right, preventing the dish from becoming either too soggy or too parched. 

If you’re not the sort to follow the crowd, there are now other items on the menu: we recommend the turnip cake, steamed mussels with herbs, grilled scallops, and stir-fried noodles with chicken.

Tatler Tip: Don’t get disheartened by the usual long queue! The service is quick, and you can always walk around and grab a drink or pre-dinner snack while you’re waiting for your number to be called. 

Elvis Suki & Seafood 
Address: 200/37 Soi Yotse, Phlab Phla Chai Rd, +66 94 782 8223, elvissuki.com

Satay has been the speciality here for more than 50 years. Slightly fatty pork loin is marinated with Chinese herbs then grilled over an open flame and served with the usual two dips: thick curry peanut sauce with coconut milk and cucumber achar. But the highlight, and what really makes this place worth the visit, is the signature black soy sauce dip which combines traditional achar with a dash of soy sauce and extra hot chilis. Other meat options include chicken and pork liver. 

Satay is usually a snack, but you can make a full meal out of it with a plate of grilled buttered bread, or choose from rice dishes such as khao moo krob (rice with crispy pork belly) and khao moo daeng (rice with roasted barbecued pork). 

Ming Pochana
Address: 1763 Soi Chula 30. Banthadthong Road, Wang Mai, Pathum Wan 10330, +66 2 214 1750

Nothing caps off a decent meal with a sweet, refreshing note quite like a shaved ice dessert. Set up 65 years ago, serving customers from a simple pushcart with a hand ice-shaving machine, the family business established by the grandparents is now a dessert empire with more than a dozen branches all over town. 

Not only it is one the very few places of its kind that opens until late, there is also a massive selection of 50-plus toppings, two facts that make it a huge hit. For each bowl, you can choose three or four toppings, as well as your choice of syrups:  palm sugar, logan juice, fresh milk, coconut milk and more. Regular customers know what hits their sweet spot, but if the choices are a bit too overwhelming, there is also a list of recommended combos.

Cheng Sim Ei  
Address: 338 Chan Rd, Thung Wat Don, Sathon 10120, chengsimei1958s.com

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