gainsbarre

Never use the expat sites, they are overpricing things,
If you come often and stay like for one month or more, look for a place beyond Ekkamai, prices are half 
I have a condo in Bangchak area (one station after Onnut) 8 minutes away from Nana with BTS 60m² with pool and gym and I pay 15000/month  - there are small ones from 30m² available for 6 months or one year ar prices between 8500 to 10000THB per month
https://propertyhub.in.th/en/listings/regent-home-sukhumvit-97-1-fully-furnish-special-price-ask-more-info-lineofficial-promptyou3---3439682
just an example, 8500/month is like 3 hotel night or less in just a decent hotel
 
 
 
 

Never use the expat sites, they are overpricing things,
If you come often and stay like for one month or more, look for a place beyond Ekkamai, prices are half 
I have a condo in Bangchak area (one station after Onnut) 8 minutes away from Nana with BTS 60m² with pool and gym and I pay 15000/month  - there are small ones from 30m² available for 6 months or one year ar prices between 8500 to 10000THB per month
https://propertyhub.in.th/en/listings/regent-home-sukhumvit-97-1-fully-furnish-special-price-ask-more-info-lineofficial-promptyou3---3439682
just an example, 8500/month is like 3 hotel night or less in just a decent hotel
 
 
 
 

A monkey pod is actually a tree, and of course outside there is a big Monkey pod tree 

Yesterday evening I organized a business dinner with some customers, and went to Monkey Pod restaurant on the corner of soi11 and soi 13.
Magnificent old Thai style wooden house (one of the only ones left in the area). 
Incredible service and wonderful setting inside the restaurant, pure luxury but very classy.
We went for the discovery menu an 8 course thai style dinner (2200thb/person) 
The food is just incredible, thai style but on an exceptional level, lots of traditional Thai dishes with a gastronomic twitch that enhances the traditional Thai flavours even more.
Huge cocktail list with exotic and dared cocktails (i went for a Rhum based cocktail, with kafir lime, lemongrass and ginger), we paired the food with 2 bottles of Gewürzstraminer (Hugel), which is a slightly sweet and spicy wine that works wonderfully well with thai food.
Per menu every body could choose his own level of spicyness he wanted, so no surprises there for those who want it a bit softer in taste.
all in all an excellent choice if you want to go for fine dining in a nice setting and still be able to hit the streets afterwards.
We ended the business part with a couple of pisco sours in Above11 and closed down the business part around half past midnight. After waving my customers out, I finished a very nice evening at cindy's (300m walk)
if you want to have some culinary experience with some friends or a romantic dinner with one of your sweethearts, this is an excellent place to go.
I should warn that if you wanted to take a Ladyboy friend out there, you have to make sure it is somebody that can appreciate a high quality meal. The advantage however is that it is thai food and Thai flavour so they most probably will like it.
There is a dresscode, but just the obvious one, no flip flops, no tank tops, and I would suggest your girl not to wear bikini's
Not for everyday, but worth it for a special occasion or if you want to give yourself a treat.
 
 
 
 
 

If you walk into the Trendy Building on Sukhumvit Soi 13, there is probably the greatest concentration of visa agents under one roof in the whole of BKK.
I have used the agent in the shop on the right hand side as you walk in through the main door. It is about 3 shops in and is manned by 2 Thai ladies.
They do all kinds of admin services (all visa types, drivers licenses, bank accounts, photocopying, scans, attestations etc.) and have always been highly efficient.
Costs wise they appear to be charging the standard rates for the various services, so I would recommend starting with them.
The older lady has very good English and knows all of the ins and outs.
SAG

Hello everybody. Familiar with Pattaya but much less so Bangkok. Looking to discover the city in either August or September.
Looking forward to reading the forum and learning what I can before then. Cheers!

Yesterday evening I organized a business dinner with some customers, and went to Monkey Pod restaurant on the corner of soi11 and soi 13.
Magnificent old Thai style wooden house (one of the only ones left in the area). 
Incredible service and wonderful setting inside the restaurant, pure luxury but very classy.
We went for the discovery menu an 8 course thai style dinner (2200thb/person) 
The food is just incredible, thai style but on an exceptional level, lots of traditional Thai dishes with a gastronomic twitch that enhances the traditional Thai flavours even more.
Huge cocktail list with exotic and dared cocktails (i went for a Rhum based cocktail, with kafir lime, lemongrass and ginger), we paired the food with 2 bottles of Gewürzstraminer (Hugel), which is a slightly sweet and spicy wine that works wonderfully well with thai food.
Per menu every body could choose his own level of spicyness he wanted, so no surprises there for those who want it a bit softer in taste.
all in all an excellent choice if you want to go for fine dining in a nice setting and still be able to hit the streets afterwards.
We ended the business part with a couple of pisco sours in Above11 and closed down the business part around half past midnight. After waving my customers out, I finished a very nice evening at cindy's (300m walk)
if you want to have some culinary experience with some friends or a romantic dinner with one of your sweethearts, this is an excellent place to go.
I should warn that if you wanted to take a Ladyboy friend out there, you have to make sure it is somebody that can appreciate a high quality meal. The advantage however is that it is thai food and Thai flavour so they most probably will like it.
There is a dresscode, but just the obvious one, no flip flops, no tank tops, and I would suggest your girl not to wear bikini's
Not for everyday, but worth it for a special occasion or if you want to give yourself a treat.
 
 
 
 
 

This saturday was a full business day, had people from vietnam and Holland and for lunch we invited one of our Thai partners.
We went to the Goji buffet in the Mariott Marquis on soi 22.
Not the cheapest (1900THB/p) but value for money.
A huge buffet but with outstanding quality food, Western, Japanese, Thai etc..
- yellowfin and red tuna sashimi of the best quality- and huge selection of other Japanese delights
- 3 different cuts of Wagyu beef
- selection of top shelf cond cuts and European cheeses like prosciutto, stilton, real brie de Meaux, chorizo, etc...
- instant diabetes dessert buffet
we spent a pleasurable 3 hours eating way too much (still had dinner appointment at 8PM) 
Good place for a weekend brunch/lunch with friends 
Like I said, not cheap but very good value for money!
As it is buffet style, maybe not the best idea for a romantic date, but excellent if you are with some friends or family.
 
 

This saturday was a full business day, had people from vietnam and Holland and for lunch we invited one of our Thai partners.
We went to the Goji buffet in the Mariott Marquis on soi 22.
Not the cheapest (1900THB/p) but value for money.
A huge buffet but with outstanding quality food, Western, Japanese, Thai etc..
- yellowfin and red tuna sashimi of the best quality- and huge selection of other Japanese delights
- 3 different cuts of Wagyu beef
- selection of top shelf cond cuts and European cheeses like prosciutto, stilton, real brie de Meaux, chorizo, etc...
- instant diabetes dessert buffet
we spent a pleasurable 3 hours eating way too much (still had dinner appointment at 8PM) 
Good place for a weekend brunch/lunch with friends 
Like I said, not cheap but very good value for money!
As it is buffet style, maybe not the best idea for a romantic date, but excellent if you are with some friends or family.
 
 

Yesterday evening I organized a business dinner with some customers, and went to Monkey Pod restaurant on the corner of soi11 and soi 13.
Magnificent old Thai style wooden house (one of the only ones left in the area). 
Incredible service and wonderful setting inside the restaurant, pure luxury but very classy.
We went for the discovery menu an 8 course thai style dinner (2200thb/person) 
The food is just incredible, thai style but on an exceptional level, lots of traditional Thai dishes with a gastronomic twitch that enhances the traditional Thai flavours even more.
Huge cocktail list with exotic and dared cocktails (i went for a Rhum based cocktail, with kafir lime, lemongrass and ginger), we paired the food with 2 bottles of Gewürzstraminer (Hugel), which is a slightly sweet and spicy wine that works wonderfully well with thai food.
Per menu every body could choose his own level of spicyness he wanted, so no surprises there for those who want it a bit softer in taste.
all in all an excellent choice if you want to go for fine dining in a nice setting and still be able to hit the streets afterwards.
We ended the business part with a couple of pisco sours in Above11 and closed down the business part around half past midnight. After waving my customers out, I finished a very nice evening at cindy's (300m walk)
if you want to have some culinary experience with some friends or a romantic dinner with one of your sweethearts, this is an excellent place to go.
I should warn that if you wanted to take a Ladyboy friend out there, you have to make sure it is somebody that can appreciate a high quality meal. The advantage however is that it is thai food and Thai flavour so they most probably will like it.
There is a dresscode, but just the obvious one, no flip flops, no tank tops, and I would suggest your girl not to wear bikini's
Not for everyday, but worth it for a special occasion or if you want to give yourself a treat.
 
 
 
 
 

This saturday was a full business day, had people from vietnam and Holland and for lunch we invited one of our Thai partners.
We went to the Goji buffet in the Mariott Marquis on soi 22.
Not the cheapest (1900THB/p) but value for money.
A huge buffet but with outstanding quality food, Western, Japanese, Thai etc..
- yellowfin and red tuna sashimi of the best quality- and huge selection of other Japanese delights
- 3 different cuts of Wagyu beef
- selection of top shelf cond cuts and European cheeses like prosciutto, stilton, real brie de Meaux, chorizo, etc...
- instant diabetes dessert buffet
we spent a pleasurable 3 hours eating way too much (still had dinner appointment at 8PM) 
Good place for a weekend brunch/lunch with friends 
Like I said, not cheap but very good value for money!
As it is buffet style, maybe not the best idea for a romantic date, but excellent if you are with some friends or family.
 
 

The fun part about the blue elephant restaurants is that the original one was in Brussels and started in 1980 by Thai people who later came back to BKK to set up the one on Sathorn.
Unfortunately the restaurant in Brussels did not survive COVID, and is now permanently closed, but the catering division still exists where they started the whole range of products that you can still find now in most of the big supermarkets. I think the actual manager of the whole chain is still a Belgian guy, i met him a couple of times here in BKK during Chamber of Commerce meetings. Not relevant for the quality of the food but a nice story. 

Nice tip  I am lucky enough to host the occasional business dinner with some important customers, so those places are perfect, mixing Thai culture, thai food, with some luxury and fine dining.
Don't get me wrong I can enjoy as much a raw beef salad in the isaan joint on 7/1 with the girls after the bars are closing !

Yesterday evening I organized a business dinner with some customers, and went to Monkey Pod restaurant on the corner of soi11 and soi 13.
Magnificent old Thai style wooden house (one of the only ones left in the area). 
Incredible service and wonderful setting inside the restaurant, pure luxury but very classy.
We went for the discovery menu an 8 course thai style dinner (2200thb/person) 
The food is just incredible, thai style but on an exceptional level, lots of traditional Thai dishes with a gastronomic twitch that enhances the traditional Thai flavours even more.
Huge cocktail list with exotic and dared cocktails (i went for a Rhum based cocktail, with kafir lime, lemongrass and ginger), we paired the food with 2 bottles of Gewürzstraminer (Hugel), which is a slightly sweet and spicy wine that works wonderfully well with thai food.
Per menu every body could choose his own level of spicyness he wanted, so no surprises there for those who want it a bit softer in taste.
all in all an excellent choice if you want to go for fine dining in a nice setting and still be able to hit the streets afterwards.
We ended the business part with a couple of pisco sours in Above11 and closed down the business part around half past midnight. After waving my customers out, I finished a very nice evening at cindy's (300m walk)
if you want to have some culinary experience with some friends or a romantic dinner with one of your sweethearts, this is an excellent place to go.
I should warn that if you wanted to take a Ladyboy friend out there, you have to make sure it is somebody that can appreciate a high quality meal. The advantage however is that it is thai food and Thai flavour so they most probably will like it.
There is a dresscode, but just the obvious one, no flip flops, no tank tops, and I would suggest your girl not to wear bikini's
Not for everyday, but worth it for a special occasion or if you want to give yourself a treat.
 
 
 
 
 

Yesterday evening I organized a business dinner with some customers, and went to Monkey Pod restaurant on the corner of soi11 and soi 13.
Magnificent old Thai style wooden house (one of the only ones left in the area). 
Incredible service and wonderful setting inside the restaurant, pure luxury but very classy.
We went for the discovery menu an 8 course thai style dinner (2200thb/person) 
The food is just incredible, thai style but on an exceptional level, lots of traditional Thai dishes with a gastronomic twitch that enhances the traditional Thai flavours even more.
Huge cocktail list with exotic and dared cocktails (i went for a Rhum based cocktail, with kafir lime, lemongrass and ginger), we paired the food with 2 bottles of Gewürzstraminer (Hugel), which is a slightly sweet and spicy wine that works wonderfully well with thai food.
Per menu every body could choose his own level of spicyness he wanted, so no surprises there for those who want it a bit softer in taste.
all in all an excellent choice if you want to go for fine dining in a nice setting and still be able to hit the streets afterwards.
We ended the business part with a couple of pisco sours in Above11 and closed down the business part around half past midnight. After waving my customers out, I finished a very nice evening at cindy's (300m walk)
if you want to have some culinary experience with some friends or a romantic dinner with one of your sweethearts, this is an excellent place to go.
I should warn that if you wanted to take a Ladyboy friend out there, you have to make sure it is somebody that can appreciate a high quality meal. The advantage however is that it is thai food and Thai flavour so they most probably will like it.
There is a dresscode, but just the obvious one, no flip flops, no tank tops, and I would suggest your girl not to wear bikini's
Not for everyday, but worth it for a special occasion or if you want to give yourself a treat.
 
 
 
 
 

The fun part about the blue elephant restaurants is that the original one was in Brussels and started in 1980 by Thai people who later came back to BKK to set up the one on Sathorn.
Unfortunately the restaurant in Brussels did not survive COVID, and is now permanently closed, but the catering division still exists where they started the whole range of products that you can still find now in most of the big supermarkets. I think the actual manager of the whole chain is still a Belgian guy, i met him a couple of times here in BKK during Chamber of Commerce meetings. Not relevant for the quality of the food but a nice story. 

Nice tip  I am lucky enough to host the occasional business dinner with some important customers, so those places are perfect, mixing Thai culture, thai food, with some luxury and fine dining.
Don't get me wrong I can enjoy as much a raw beef salad in the isaan joint on 7/1 with the girls after the bars are closing !

I was at the Blue Elephant in Paris and the place was just how you described it. Absolutely exquisite. When I entered I noticed the Thai staff were speaking French and I cannot speak any French (apart from what I learned on Sesame Street) but I can speak basic Thai.
Anyways, when the waiter approached I said (in Thai) "I am sorry but I cannot speak French, I can only speak a bit of Thai". The waiter waved his hands and said "so sorry" while he ran to his female boss.
The boss came over and I said the same spiel "I am sorry but I cannot speak French, I can only speak a bit of Thai" 
She asked "Can you speak English?" to which I agreed. She said "Good, because the waiter is Filipino". Lol, too funny!

Yesterday evening I organized a business dinner with some customers, and went to Monkey Pod restaurant on the corner of soi11 and soi 13.
Magnificent old Thai style wooden house (one of the only ones left in the area). 
Incredible service and wonderful setting inside the restaurant, pure luxury but very classy.
We went for the discovery menu an 8 course thai style dinner (2200thb/person) 
The food is just incredible, thai style but on an exceptional level, lots of traditional Thai dishes with a gastronomic twitch that enhances the traditional Thai flavours even more.
Huge cocktail list with exotic and dared cocktails (i went for a Rhum based cocktail, with kafir lime, lemongrass and ginger), we paired the food with 2 bottles of Gewürzstraminer (Hugel), which is a slightly sweet and spicy wine that works wonderfully well with thai food.
Per menu every body could choose his own level of spicyness he wanted, so no surprises there for those who want it a bit softer in taste.
all in all an excellent choice if you want to go for fine dining in a nice setting and still be able to hit the streets afterwards.
We ended the business part with a couple of pisco sours in Above11 and closed down the business part around half past midnight. After waving my customers out, I finished a very nice evening at cindy's (300m walk)
if you want to have some culinary experience with some friends or a romantic dinner with one of your sweethearts, this is an excellent place to go.
I should warn that if you wanted to take a Ladyboy friend out there, you have to make sure it is somebody that can appreciate a high quality meal. The advantage however is that it is thai food and Thai flavour so they most probably will like it.
There is a dresscode, but just the obvious one, no flip flops, no tank tops, and I would suggest your girl not to wear bikini's
Not for everyday, but worth it for a special occasion or if you want to give yourself a treat.
 
 
 
 
 

https://blueelephant.com/restaurant/blue-elephant-sukhumvit/
There are a few restaurants in those beautiful old homes scattered around Bangkok. Blue Elephant/Monkey Pod is the most recent. Great review, @gainsbarre!
A favorite of mine is The Local, which is located just a few blocks from Soi Cowboy. The house is over-the-top elegant, with teak and silk fabrics everywhere. The food is as good as the setting. I've never taken a LB here. It's definitely a Hi-So kind of place, dressy, and on the expensive side.
http://www.thelocalthaicuisine.com

A monkey pod is actually a tree, and of course outside there is a big Monkey pod tree 

Yesterday evening I organized a business dinner with some customers, and went to Monkey Pod restaurant on the corner of soi11 and soi 13.
Magnificent old Thai style wooden house (one of the only ones left in the area). 
Incredible service and wonderful setting inside the restaurant, pure luxury but very classy.
We went for the discovery menu an 8 course thai style dinner (2200thb/person) 
The food is just incredible, thai style but on an exceptional level, lots of traditional Thai dishes with a gastronomic twitch that enhances the traditional Thai flavours even more.
Huge cocktail list with exotic and dared cocktails (i went for a Rhum based cocktail, with kafir lime, lemongrass and ginger), we paired the food with 2 bottles of Gewürzstraminer (Hugel), which is a slightly sweet and spicy wine that works wonderfully well with thai food.
Per menu every body could choose his own level of spicyness he wanted, so no surprises there for those who want it a bit softer in taste.
all in all an excellent choice if you want to go for fine dining in a nice setting and still be able to hit the streets afterwards.
We ended the business part with a couple of pisco sours in Above11 and closed down the business part around half past midnight. After waving my customers out, I finished a very nice evening at cindy's (300m walk)
if you want to have some culinary experience with some friends or a romantic dinner with one of your sweethearts, this is an excellent place to go.
I should warn that if you wanted to take a Ladyboy friend out there, you have to make sure it is somebody that can appreciate a high quality meal. The advantage however is that it is thai food and Thai flavour so they most probably will like it.
There is a dresscode, but just the obvious one, no flip flops, no tank tops, and I would suggest your girl not to wear bikini's
Not for everyday, but worth it for a special occasion or if you want to give yourself a treat.
 
 
 
 
 

A monkey pod is actually a tree, and of course outside there is a big Monkey pod tree 

Yesterday evening I organized a business dinner with some customers, and went to Monkey Pod restaurant on the corner of soi11 and soi 13.
Magnificent old Thai style wooden house (one of the only ones left in the area). 
Incredible service and wonderful setting inside the restaurant, pure luxury but very classy.
We went for the discovery menu an 8 course thai style dinner (2200thb/person) 
The food is just incredible, thai style but on an exceptional level, lots of traditional Thai dishes with a gastronomic twitch that enhances the traditional Thai flavours even more.
Huge cocktail list with exotic and dared cocktails (i went for a Rhum based cocktail, with kafir lime, lemongrass and ginger), we paired the food with 2 bottles of Gewürzstraminer (Hugel), which is a slightly sweet and spicy wine that works wonderfully well with thai food.
Per menu every body could choose his own level of spicyness he wanted, so no surprises there for those who want it a bit softer in taste.
all in all an excellent choice if you want to go for fine dining in a nice setting and still be able to hit the streets afterwards.
We ended the business part with a couple of pisco sours in Above11 and closed down the business part around half past midnight. After waving my customers out, I finished a very nice evening at cindy's (300m walk)
if you want to have some culinary experience with some friends or a romantic dinner with one of your sweethearts, this is an excellent place to go.
I should warn that if you wanted to take a Ladyboy friend out there, you have to make sure it is somebody that can appreciate a high quality meal. The advantage however is that it is thai food and Thai flavour so they most probably will like it.
There is a dresscode, but just the obvious one, no flip flops, no tank tops, and I would suggest your girl not to wear bikini's
Not for everyday, but worth it for a special occasion or if you want to give yourself a treat.
 
 
 
 
 

This saturday was a full business day, had people from vietnam and Holland and for lunch we invited one of our Thai partners.
We went to the Goji buffet in the Mariott Marquis on soi 22.
Not the cheapest (1900THB/p) but value for money.
A huge buffet but with outstanding quality food, Western, Japanese, Thai etc..
- yellowfin and red tuna sashimi of the best quality- and huge selection of other Japanese delights
- 3 different cuts of Wagyu beef
- selection of top shelf cond cuts and European cheeses like prosciutto, stilton, real brie de Meaux, chorizo, etc...
- instant diabetes dessert buffet
we spent a pleasurable 3 hours eating way too much (still had dinner appointment at 8PM) 
Good place for a weekend brunch/lunch with friends 
Like I said, not cheap but very good value for money!
As it is buffet style, maybe not the best idea for a romantic date, but excellent if you are with some friends or family.