Another one of Bangkok's top Cantonese and dim sum establishments. Siang Ping Loh has an elegant dining room located on the 8th floor of the Grand China Princess Hotel, and their food has a reputation for being some of the most consistent and satisfying in Chinatown. Their steamed fish in soy sauce is a common choice, as are the xiao long bao steamed dumplings served with the dim sum menu. The Peking duck, as opposed to traditional Hong Kong Cantonese, is not carved up at the table, but the chefs here will cook up the meat in any style selected by the diner, which is a rarity in Bangkok.
Recommended for Chinese because: For outstanding Cantonese cuisine, Siang Ping Loh is one of Bangkok's most authentic choices.
Dave's expert tip: located in the heart of Chinatown, the easiest way to get here is to take the MRT subway to Hualamphong Station and either make the 15 minute walk or grab a taxi from here. The dim sum lunch gets quite busy on the weekend, so best to make a reservation.
Mention dumplings to any local in Bangkok and they will point you towards Yong He Dou Jian. This simple eatery located just below the stairs of the Chong Nonsi Skytrain Station is not only easy to get to, it provides plenty of inexpensive and mouth watering treats. While dumpling aficionados might argue about whether or not nearby Hong Teong Long is better or not (both places are truly outstanding), the menu here does seem a bit more extensive. Dumplings aside, the mutton noodle soup is a real winner, filled with savory broth and soft noodles, and the pork and beef pancake rolls are more akin to a western sandwich, dense and meaty, as are the burger resembling Chinese pork pies. Another nice feature here are the small trays of appetizer like dishes that they bring to your table to choose from, with items such as kimchi, various seaweed and pickled vegetables, and other bite size delectable snacks to complement your meal. The fried chrysanthemum are the best greens in the house, and the management is proud to push their hearty black bean soy milk on those who have any room left.
Recommended for Chinese because: For delicious and affordable Taiwanese style dumplings and plenty more, Yong He Dou Jiang is a guaranteed treat.
Dave's expert tip: best to come here with a large group so as to sample from the extensive menu. Take the BTS Skytrain to Chong Nonsi and exit on the northwest side, and you will find the restaurant just 50 meters ahead on the left.
You can't miss T & K Seafood. Hundreds of tourists and locals descend on its corner tables set up at the Phadungdao intersection with Yaowarat Road each night, to take part in a feast of every type of seafood imaginable, from fresh oysters to giant prawns, crab claws, and entire fresh fish servings, all of which get carried through traffic by the energetic wait staff who seem to get just as much of a kick out of the festivities as the diners. Seriously, the seafood is good here, and a lot cheaper than most spots in Chinatown. Disregard the overflow of tourists, T & K is the real deal. The tom yum seafood is outstanding, as is the "pla kapong" steamed sea bass served in a tangy lime sauce.
Recommended for Chinese because: For continued atmosphere combined with great seafood, T & K is ahead of the competition.
Dave's expert tip: don't bother with trying to elbow in with the tourist masses for an outdoor table, especially if it is hot and humid out. Ask the waiters to point out the slightly hidden indoor section of T & K, which is air conditioned and where you will find all the local Thais eating!
If you have an affinity for Chinese dumplings, you have found nirvana at Hong Teong Long. This hole in the wall with red lanterns hanging outside specializes in Shanghai cuisine, and boy do they get their dumplings right. Look on every diner's table and you will see plates of xiao long bao dumplings, both steamed and fried, that are filled with delicious juice, not too heavy, not overcooked, and will have you already scheduling your next visit. The menu isn't limited to dumplings either. There is a wonderful spicy cucumber and seaweed salad, a red pork dish bursting with flavors, and there are plenty of delicious soups to pick from as well. It may be a hole in the wall, but Hong Teong Long is full every night and for good reason.
Recommended for Chinese because: Hong Teong Long may not look like much, but it is the undisputed dumpling king of Thailand.
Dave's expert tip: the best way to find this out of the way location is to Skytrain to Chong Nonsi, walk north up to Silom, cross the road and go through the ITF Tower building, turn right, walk 100 meters to the next corner, and then left, you will see the red lanterns hanging across the street from the Ocean Insurance Building.
Goose feet and noodles, sharks fin soup in a clay pot, and plenty of tender roast duck served with sweet sauce are just some of the staples at Hua Seng Hong that draw patrons in night after night. Other great eats include the "aw suan" oyster and egg omelet, that gets served on a sizzling iron platter, and just about any dumplings or other selection from the large dim sum menu. The service here can be a bit brusque and the endless crowds of hungry diners a bit daunting, but this is to be expected from yet another top choice in bustling Chinatown.
Recommended for Chinese because: If you are looking for authentic Chinatown fare, go no further than Hua Seng Hong.
Dave's expert tip: Reservations are well advised here, Hua Seng Hong tends to be packed most nights. Take the MRT subway to Hualamphong station and then taxi over to Yaowarat in the heart of Chinatown.
as with all of the Banyan Tree's exquisite restaurants and bars, Bai Yun gets high marks for its fine dining experience. This 60th floor elegant restaurant with views of the city offers sumptuous Cantonese dining, with top menu items such as braised abalone with black mushrooms and oyster sauce, steamed giant crab claw, and exotic fare such as essence of bird's nest with ginko nuts in cantaloupe! Bai Yun also has an excellent selection of dim sum dishes, perfect for a lazy weekend brunch. Reservations are advisable here as it can get crowded.
Recommended for Chinese because: For elegant Chinese above the crowds and clouds, Bai Yun sits above the rest.
Dave's expert tip: Best way to get here is to take the MRT subway to the Lumpini Station and then walk down Sathorn Road 10 minutes or so. Also remember, flip flops and athletic apparel are not allowed at Bai Yun
If you are looking for authentic dim sum, then you're headed in the right direction if you've come to Man Ho, set on the 2nd floor of Sukhumvit's JW Marriott Hotel. The five-star dining restaurant offers an exquisite all you can eat dim sum buffet throughout the week, with signature 'shiu mai' jumbo pork and shrimp dumplings stuffed with tobiko caviar, shrimp and mango rolls, and 'Cheung Fun' rice flour noodles with crispy shrimp leading the list of delicacies. There are steamed, baked, wok fried, vegetarian, noodle, and soup dishes to choose from, and you can also order great a la carte items like Peking duck from the Cantonese-heavy menu. The dining room is pretty opulent, fit for royalty, and indeed, Executive Chef Teng has served luminaries like the King of Cambodia and the President of China in his storied career. The sumptuous dim sum buffets cost 1150 baht on weekends, but drop to 888 on weekdays.
Recommended for Chinese because: For fine dining dim sum, Man Ho wins on all fronts.
Dave's expert tip: If you come during the week, the dim sum buffet is 250 baht cheaper than on Saturday and Sunday.
While Chinatown may offer an authentic experience and while there are plenty of cheap joints that make very good Chinese food in town, if you want a fabulous splurge in Bangkok, head for the China House, the Mandarin Oriental's offering to Cantonese high end cuisine, located in a beautiful refurbished colonial house that has been decorated to resemble something out of the Shanghai roaring twenties. But you don't just come here for the architecture. The chef is a Michelin 5 star honoree, and the dishes are sublime. The Peking duck is cut and served by a master chef at your table, wrapped in a pancake with plum sauce after you watch the skin delicately removed. The prawns in wasabi sauce are a true knockout, and the shark fin soup here is the best you will find in town.
Recommended for Chinese because: Famed for its refined and elegant dining, sumptuous duck, and top notch dim sum brunches.
Dave's expert tip: the weekend dim sum brunch is highly recommended, with items being prepared as ordered.
There is a reason why Din Tai Fung has been named one of the world's ten best restaurants by the New York Times, one of the best franchises by CNN, and awarded a Michelin star. This Taiwanese originated franchise excels at clean and delicious Chinese food, and is extremely well noted for its xiao long bao dumplings, made to perfection with 18 folds. At this new outlet, located in the elegant Central Embassy Mall, you can watch the master chefs in the open kitchen showing off their talents, churning out their artistic food creations for the hungry masses. The dumplings here are light and truly a bit of master craftsmanship (they even offer dumpling making workshops, same as the one poster boy Tom Cruise took in Taiwan). Showmanship aside, it's the food here you're after. Menu standouts include the steamed chicken or pork rib soups, black fungus with vinegar dressing served with wolfberries and ginger, and the green chilies stuffed with marinated mincemeat, a specialty served only at the Thailand branches. The xiao long bao are available in their original juicy pork filling as well as in seasonal varieties like crab meat in Singaporean-style spicy chilli-and-crab broth, an autumn treat. This new location offers great views of downtown Bangkok from its large glass windows and the spacious layout affords plenty of room for that exploding dumpling juice coming from the mouths of delighted diners.
Recommended for Chinese because: For dumplings extraordinaire and clean well crafted food, you can't beat Din Tai Fung
Dave's expert tip: There is also a branch of Din Tai Fung at Central World on the 7th Floor. To get here, take the BTS Skytrain to Ploenchit and use the Central Embassy exit sky bridge straight into the mall.
The Michelin Guide to Bangkok predominantly features either creative takes on traditional Thai cuisine or else refined versions of classic and contemporary French, especially amongst the restaurants that have been awarded stars. While they are all well earned, it's a much needed diversification in the most recent 5th edition that the Four Season's Yu Ting Yuan received a star for its outstanding Cantonese cuisine, especially noteworthy in a city full of Chinese restaurants that are lauded for their authenticity, with a discerning Thai Chinese population awaiting to pass judgement should they not live up to expectations.
Chinese Chef Qiu Xiaogui heads a team here that turns Cantonese favorites into works of art, with sublime presentations of traditional dim sum items, Peking duck, or other Chinese cuisine staples, using fresh, high end ingredients to elevate the food to a spectacular dining experience. Take the dim sum offerings led by the steamed lobster dumpling that combines Boston lobster with a scallop, crab, and fish mix, uses a spinach sauce for the dumpling skin, and is topped with salmon roe, or an abalone puff where fresh abalone sits on a puff made from diced chicken, mushrooms, and barbecue sauce.
The seafood here is as fresh as it gets, with a live tank in the kitchen, and you'll find Canadian lobsters alongside of the largest and most succulent prawns you can get in town. The double-boiled fish maw soup is particularly pungent, and comes served with black truffles, one of Chef Qiu's few indulgences towards Western sentiments. As he says, "Cantonese cuisine is all about flavor, so here we must get that right as well as elevating it with our presentations. " Qiu adds that the awarding of a Michelin star has also pushed his team to strive even harder to make sure their renditions are perfect, and the restaurant seems to be in good hands for the upcoming food guide's 6th edition coming in the winter of 2022.
It's not only just the cuisine that sets the tone at Yu Ting Yuan, as the restaurant features floor to ceiling windows that sit facing out to a zen-like reflecting pool courtyard that is filled with metal art sculptures which gets lit up in the evening. Diners can opt for a chef's tasting menu with 8 dishes, a Yu Ting Yuan menu experience that features 7 dishes, or else just order a la carte, as the regular menu is rich in Cantonese classics from pork belly to abalone, and of course the spectacular steamed and fried dim sum items, which are only available for lunch. Yu Ting Yuan also features a fabulous selection of premier Chinese teas in addition to wine pairing options for the menu choices. Chances are you are going to need at least one day and night dining session here to cover the best that Yu Ting Yuan has to offer, as it is one welcome addition to the growing list of Bangkok Michelin experiences, and well worth a visit.
Recommended for Chinese because: For Michelin-starred Chinese food in Bangkok, there is only one: Yu Ting Yuan
Dave's expert tip: Reservations are essential at Yu Ting Yuan. The easiest way to get here and avoid Bangkok traffic is to take the BTS skytrain to Saphan Taksin, and then the free shuttle boat that goes to the Four Seasons from the nearby ferry pier.