In business since 2009, Opus remains the restaurant of choice for bigwigs seeking discretion, consistently good Italian cuisine and a walk-in wine cellar with over 400 Italian labels. The setting, a stylish house-turned-restaurant, boasts a masculine vibe rich with leather and red accents. Let owner/manager Alex Morabito guide your wine selection and leave the rest to chef Davide Calo, whose authentic cooking has earned him the Italian government’s accreditation, an honor reserved to only a dozen venues in Bangkok. Mixologist Michele Montauti (formerly of Miky’s and House on Sathorn) whips up classics and handcrafted concoctions—try his negroni for B250. 

An oldie but a goodie, this Chinese restaurant’s down-at-heel look takes nothing away from its luxurious spreads. The kitchen parked out front whips out specialties like braised abalone (start at B3,000), guay tiew Shanghai (B260) and stir-fried fish maw (B300-500). For a quick meal, we’ll happily chow down on the crab fried rice (B100), which comes packed with substantial crabmeat and a heady aroma from expert wok frying.