This Thai restaurant is probably best known for its khao chae recipe. Cool down with the refreshing jasmine-scented rice before rolling up your sleeves and tucking into our fave, the nung pla kem chub numtan (salty fish skin mixed with sugar, B250), which goes particularly well with the khai daeng khem (salted egg yolk).

 

Set in a beautiful Rama 6-era house, Baan Wannakovit serves a three-generation-old khao chae recipe (B220) with five basic condiments. Other than that, there is a short list of rotating dishes like kanom jeen sao nam (rice noodles with coconut milk), green curry with roti and kao tung na tung (crispy rice crackers with coconut dipping sauce).

 

The recipe here was created by M.C. Sulapwanleng Wisuthi during Rama 7’s reign and comes with five side dishes (B353): luk kapi (deep-fried shrimp paste balls), hom tord (deep fried shallots), prik yuak yud sai moo (green chili pepper stuffed with minced pork), chai pow pad khai (stir-fried dry turnip with egg) and neua wan (shredded sweet meat). Reservations required.

 

Lai Rod is a more central option and their khao chae is delicious. While the fine ingredients (especially the sweet fish) shine, it’s the overall aroma of the khao chae that brings people back time and time again. They also claim that the rice is cooked in the traditional way here (using a charcoal stove)—with the added bonus that they serve the dish (B250) all year round.

 

Banglamphu’s khao chae specialist offers the refreshing rice set all year long at  very a humble B30. Serving khao chae since Rama 5 era, Mae Siri sticks strictly to the traditional recipes. The sweet-sauteed spotted eagle ray, for example, takes eight hours to make.