hkaus72

That's exactly how Dave used to run the place, and if you were a regular he'd often pull up a chair and sit down for half an hour or so. 

Yes the new owner makes a point of coming over to every table after your meal to check if everything was OK etc.
It is a great personal touch and you can see he takes a lot of pride in his restaurant.
SAG

Many of the No Idea staff were part of the furniture years ago, when it was in it's original iteration on Soi 22. 
Would regularly stop in for a chinwag and a beer with the old owner, Dave. 
He sold up to a French bloke, maybe a year ago, but i still hear good reports about the place. 
 

Backstory
ToTo is visiting BKK as she is looking for wholesalers for her new Laos business and has also been invited to the WN04 Staff Trip later this week. @Behan suggested we take her to No Idea, which is a really nice restaurant on soi 18. 
I had visited No Idea with @Behan once before and remembered that it was a favourite of Iain's when it was located on soi 22. As Iain was a qualified chef, that was quite the recommendation.
There was a comical episode when I was trying to give the directions to ToTo:
ToTo: Where we meet?
SAG: No idea
ToTo: What name of restaurant?
SAG: No idea
ToTo: How I find it?
SAG: On soi 18.
ToTo: How I know I am there?
SAG: Stop at No idea
etc.
I finally managed to cut through the confusion, but must admit, it is a daft name for a restaurant!
The Restaurant
No Idea is situated about 300 metres, or a 5 minutes walk, inside soi 18, on the left hand side. It is set back from the road, with steps leading up to an outside area. 
The inside is spacious and feels very roomy, with a modern decor and tables far enough away from each other that you can have a private conversation.
There is also a bar area, which has a bar menu, and there must be 1,000+ bottles of wine on the walls. The cocktails and wine menu is extensive, 
What makes the restaurant stand out is that there are a lot of staff, who are very attentive and are well trained, with excellent English. 
The menu has about 8-10 starters and the same number of main courses and desserts. But what is quite unique about No Idea is that the list of specials is probably bigger than the menu itself. I have never seen so many specials and they definitely change from visit to visit.
The type of food is modern farang, and is probably most similar to the Wine Connection on soi 11, although the quality at No Idea is way better and the service cannot be compared.
If you're thinking that it is expensive, you would be wrong, I had the grilled chicken and seasonal vegetable, which was about THB 500 and the portions were very generous.
ToTo had the Wagyu Carpaccio as a starter and then the seafood pasta, which she seemed to enjoy. The carpaccio was THB 550 and the seafood pasta, which had a lot of seafood in it was 950. 
A sign of a good restaurant is that there is little to no staff turnover and I recognised three of the waiting on staff from the previous visit.
Summary
If you are looking for a nice place, that has very good food and excellent service, but is neither pretentious nor over-priced, then No Idea ticks all of the boxes. It is a perfect place to take a LB out for a special occasion, without her feeling intimidated or like a fish out of water.
If you set the benchmark at Wine Connection, then that place gets a 3.5/5.0 from me, as it is just OK food, with cramped tables and so-so service, as compared to much better quality food, way better service and a nice spacious layout. It is the difference between a corporate chain restaurant and an individually owned establishment.
I give No Idea a 4.5/5.0 and IMHO it cannot be faulted.
Highly recommended if you fancy some farang food and it has a highly extensive drinks list!
The customers were mainly farangs and it was a nice relaxed atmosphere.
Cheers
SAG
 

Or do what @Denbosch1971 does, borrow a decent one from the hotel and proceed to continuously leave them at CS11!

I'm in town for the weekend and decided to check this place out, as I needed a feed prior to the CIB11 Naughty Nurses evening. It was a quick stroll from Radisson Suites Soi 13, made all the more simple as there seems to be more walk-through options in the Ambassador Hotel, now with the renovation work they are doing, or perhaps they've always been there and I've just never noticed. After being shouted a greeting, about an inch from my face, by the over-enthusiastic young lad playing door tout, I took a seat at the counter to watch the world walk by. Upon receiving the menu, I thought this place must be pretty much the same as Krua Khun Puk (Soi 11/1), but flipping through the pages, the selection looked quite different. Anyway, I settled on some spring rolls and a chicken kee mao. 

While waiting for the food to arrive, an English gent stopped to peruse the menu at the front door. Immediately, young lad fired up and started shouting........."Welcome! What you wan? What you wan? You like prawn? This very good!!" and started flipping pages pointing out dishes, while continuing his unnecessarily loud delivery at this poor bloke. Through all this the bloke just stood there, stoic, unmoved. You could see the steam rising and eventually, to his credit, he just put up his hand, turned to the kid and just quietly said, "Stop!"
Message received, kid backed off and in the end no harm done as 30 seconds later he was walking up the steps and further into the venue.

Shortly after, the food arrived. The spring rolls clearly freshly made, very tasty, thought a little oily for me. The Kee Mao was great, just a little spicy, but not so much that I couldn't finish it. Two dishes and a Leo, B540 which I thought was pretty reasonable. For sure another option for future visits, though will say I think I prefer Krua Khun Puk, as that joint just seems much busier and vibrant.......and cheaper too.

I'm in town for the weekend and decided to check this place out, as I needed a feed prior to the CIB11 Naughty Nurses evening. It was a quick stroll from Radisson Suites Soi 13, made all the more simple as there seems to be more walk-through options in the Ambassador Hotel, now with the renovation work they are doing, or perhaps they've always been there and I've just never noticed. After being shouted a greeting, about an inch from my face, by the over-enthusiastic young lad playing door tout, I took a seat at the counter to watch the world walk by. Upon receiving the menu, I thought this place must be pretty much the same as Krua Khun Puk (Soi 11/1), but flipping through the pages, the selection looked quite different. Anyway, I settled on some spring rolls and a chicken kee mao. 

While waiting for the food to arrive, an English gent stopped to peruse the menu at the front door. Immediately, young lad fired up and started shouting........."Welcome! What you wan? What you wan? You like prawn? This very good!!" and started flipping pages pointing out dishes, while continuing his unnecessarily loud delivery at this poor bloke. Through all this the bloke just stood there, stoic, unmoved. You could see the steam rising and eventually, to his credit, he just put up his hand, turned to the kid and just quietly said, "Stop!"
Message received, kid backed off and in the end no harm done as 30 seconds later he was walking up the steps and further into the venue.

Shortly after, the food arrived. The spring rolls clearly freshly made, very tasty, thought a little oily for me. The Kee Mao was great, just a little spicy, but not so much that I couldn't finish it. Two dishes and a Leo, B540 which I thought was pretty reasonable. For sure another option for future visits, though will say I think I prefer Krua Khun Puk, as that joint just seems much busier and vibrant.......and cheaper too.

I'm in town for the weekend and decided to check this place out, as I needed a feed prior to the CIB11 Naughty Nurses evening. It was a quick stroll from Radisson Suites Soi 13, made all the more simple as there seems to be more walk-through options in the Ambassador Hotel, now with the renovation work they are doing, or perhaps they've always been there and I've just never noticed. After being shouted a greeting, about an inch from my face, by the over-enthusiastic young lad playing door tout, I took a seat at the counter to watch the world walk by. Upon receiving the menu, I thought this place must be pretty much the same as Krua Khun Puk (Soi 11/1), but flipping through the pages, the selection looked quite different. Anyway, I settled on some spring rolls and a chicken kee mao. 

While waiting for the food to arrive, an English gent stopped to peruse the menu at the front door. Immediately, young lad fired up and started shouting........."Welcome! What you wan? What you wan? You like prawn? This very good!!" and started flipping pages pointing out dishes, while continuing his unnecessarily loud delivery at this poor bloke. Through all this the bloke just stood there, stoic, unmoved. You could see the steam rising and eventually, to his credit, he just put up his hand, turned to the kid and just quietly said, "Stop!"
Message received, kid backed off and in the end no harm done as 30 seconds later he was walking up the steps and further into the venue.

Shortly after, the food arrived. The spring rolls clearly freshly made, very tasty, thought a little oily for me. The Kee Mao was great, just a little spicy, but not so much that I couldn't finish it. Two dishes and a Leo, B540 which I thought was pretty reasonable. For sure another option for future visits, though will say I think I prefer Krua Khun Puk, as that joint just seems much busier and vibrant.......and cheaper too.

I'm in town for the weekend and decided to check this place out, as I needed a feed prior to the CIB11 Naughty Nurses evening. It was a quick stroll from Radisson Suites Soi 13, made all the more simple as there seems to be more walk-through options in the Ambassador Hotel, now with the renovation work they are doing, or perhaps they've always been there and I've just never noticed. After being shouted a greeting, about an inch from my face, by the over-enthusiastic young lad playing door tout, I took a seat at the counter to watch the world walk by. Upon receiving the menu, I thought this place must be pretty much the same as Krua Khun Puk (Soi 11/1), but flipping through the pages, the selection looked quite different. Anyway, I settled on some spring rolls and a chicken kee mao. 

While waiting for the food to arrive, an English gent stopped to peruse the menu at the front door. Immediately, young lad fired up and started shouting........."Welcome! What you wan? What you wan? You like prawn? This very good!!" and started flipping pages pointing out dishes, while continuing his unnecessarily loud delivery at this poor bloke. Through all this the bloke just stood there, stoic, unmoved. You could see the steam rising and eventually, to his credit, he just put up his hand, turned to the kid and just quietly said, "Stop!"
Message received, kid backed off and in the end no harm done as 30 seconds later he was walking up the steps and further into the venue.

Shortly after, the food arrived. The spring rolls clearly freshly made, very tasty, thought a little oily for me. The Kee Mao was great, just a little spicy, but not so much that I couldn't finish it. Two dishes and a Leo, B540 which I thought was pretty reasonable. For sure another option for future visits, though will say I think I prefer Krua Khun Puk, as that joint just seems much busier and vibrant.......and cheaper too.

I'm in town for the weekend and decided to check this place out, as I needed a feed prior to the CIB11 Naughty Nurses evening. It was a quick stroll from Radisson Suites Soi 13, made all the more simple as there seems to be more walk-through options in the Ambassador Hotel, now with the renovation work they are doing, or perhaps they've always been there and I've just never noticed. After being shouted a greeting, about an inch from my face, by the over-enthusiastic young lad playing door tout, I took a seat at the counter to watch the world walk by. Upon receiving the menu, I thought this place must be pretty much the same as Krua Khun Puk (Soi 11/1), but flipping through the pages, the selection looked quite different. Anyway, I settled on some spring rolls and a chicken kee mao. 

While waiting for the food to arrive, an English gent stopped to peruse the menu at the front door. Immediately, young lad fired up and started shouting........."Welcome! What you wan? What you wan? You like prawn? This very good!!" and started flipping pages pointing out dishes, while continuing his unnecessarily loud delivery at this poor bloke. Through all this the bloke just stood there, stoic, unmoved. You could see the steam rising and eventually, to his credit, he just put up his hand, turned to the kid and just quietly said, "Stop!"
Message received, kid backed off and in the end no harm done as 30 seconds later he was walking up the steps and further into the venue.

Shortly after, the food arrived. The spring rolls clearly freshly made, very tasty, thought a little oily for me. The Kee Mao was great, just a little spicy, but not so much that I couldn't finish it. Two dishes and a Leo, B540 which I thought was pretty reasonable. For sure another option for future visits, though will say I think I prefer Krua Khun Puk, as that joint just seems much busier and vibrant.......and cheaper too.

Let's face it, the most influential business model in Thailand is the Ping Pong Show.

I'd definitely look for any alternative to the Landmark, as they are total muppets, or at least think we are. 
Looking at a quick trip either end of the month or early next. 
Checked Landmark and saw that they have a "Book 2, Get 1 night FREE" deal for July, which was quite enticing. Selected the dates, selected "Premium Corner Room" @ THB4,733 per night, which is pretty much standard pricing for that room, but a great deal when you're getting a 3rd night free. I hit "Reserve Now" just to check that it's valid and lo and behold, it's a bit of a scam. 
Night 1 = THB7,100
Night 2 = THB7,100
Night 3 = FREE!

So all they've done is total up what they normally charged for three nights (THB4,733 x 3 = THB14,199)  and then divide that into two nights. Scumbags. 

I'd definitely look for any alternative to the Landmark, as they are total muppets, or at least think we are. 
Looking at a quick trip either end of the month or early next. 
Checked Landmark and saw that they have a "Book 2, Get 1 night FREE" deal for July, which was quite enticing. Selected the dates, selected "Premium Corner Room" @ THB4,733 per night, which is pretty much standard pricing for that room, but a great deal when you're getting a 3rd night free. I hit "Reserve Now" just to check that it's valid and lo and behold, it's a bit of a scam. 
Night 1 = THB7,100
Night 2 = THB7,100
Night 3 = FREE!

So all they've done is total up what they normally charged for three nights (THB4,733 x 3 = THB14,199)  and then divide that into two nights. Scumbags. 

I'd definitely look for any alternative to the Landmark, as they are total muppets, or at least think we are. 
Looking at a quick trip either end of the month or early next. 
Checked Landmark and saw that they have a "Book 2, Get 1 night FREE" deal for July, which was quite enticing. Selected the dates, selected "Premium Corner Room" @ THB4,733 per night, which is pretty much standard pricing for that room, but a great deal when you're getting a 3rd night free. I hit "Reserve Now" just to check that it's valid and lo and behold, it's a bit of a scam. 
Night 1 = THB7,100
Night 2 = THB7,100
Night 3 = FREE!

So all they've done is total up what they normally charged for three nights (THB4,733 x 3 = THB14,199)  and then divide that into two nights. Scumbags. 

I'd definitely look for any alternative to the Landmark, as they are total muppets, or at least think we are. 
Looking at a quick trip either end of the month or early next. 
Checked Landmark and saw that they have a "Book 2, Get 1 night FREE" deal for July, which was quite enticing. Selected the dates, selected "Premium Corner Room" @ THB4,733 per night, which is pretty much standard pricing for that room, but a great deal when you're getting a 3rd night free. I hit "Reserve Now" just to check that it's valid and lo and behold, it's a bit of a scam. 
Night 1 = THB7,100
Night 2 = THB7,100
Night 3 = FREE!

So all they've done is total up what they normally charged for three nights (THB4,733 x 3 = THB14,199)  and then divide that into two nights. Scumbags. 

I would rather hammer a ladyboy but each to their own. You do you!
 

These are great, $24 a pack in Singapore. 
I had to wean myself off them, I was hammering two at a time after a night at the pub. 

These are great, $24 a pack in Singapore. 
I had to wean myself off them, I was hammering two at a time after a night at the pub. 

My mum serves Christmas pud as a slice. Proper old-school-boiled-for-six-hours Irish Christmas pud.
It's probably slightly angled, because the pud is round. You're not after big wedges though so slice it thin, because it's quite a solid dessert. 
Bit of cream, or for me ice -cream on top, yes please may I have another!

Well, it's FAR from "not the cheapest" (that's what "substantially more" means). As far as I can tell, it's one of the most expensive, charging almost double what the discount pharmacies charge.
For years many have recommended Chula Bhaesaj Drug Store on Rama IV. I've used it and found it to offer both the largest inventory and probably the lowest prices. You can find pretty much any drug there, things that the little Sukhumvit pharmacies won't have. The only drawback is that the lines can be a bit long, as it's not far from a major hospital.
https://www.thebigchilli.com/feature-stories/bangkok-pharmacy-with-a-cure-for-a-tight-budget
It's a short walk from the Sala Daeng BTS station, and convenient to Patpong 

If you're ever looking for a high quality (but more expensive than Krua Khun Puk etc of course) option on Soi 11, maybe for a date etc I'd recommend Burapa. 
It specialises in Eastern Thai food, lots of good seafood and some unusual dishes that you don't see often. It's tje sister restaurant to Sri Trat which is one of my favourite places further up Sukhumvit on Soi 33.
The restaurant has a good atmosphere,  it's decorated like the Orient Express train and is also a good spot for a few drinks.
Not somewhere that I'd recommend for a cheap meal when out mongering but a cool place if you want to take someone out to a very nice restaurant that would still be cheaper than most other date type venues we've discussed previously here and with food that would probably be better than most of them too IMO, for Thais at least.

I love this place, always pop in here at least once on each visit to BKK.

I love this place, always pop in here at least once on each visit to BKK.

I finally got to eat at Krua Khun Puk on the corner on Soi 11/1. After walking past a thousand times thinking i've got to try it, i went in. I had walked past at 2pm and it was packed. Went back at 3.30pm and it was still packed. As I was alone they stuck me on a table with other solo, no friends like me  - last seat available.
Had their braised pork noodle soup. 50 baht for small bowl, I went for large bowl for 60 baht. YUMMO. Loads of different cuts of pork, chunks of braised pork (not as tender as I thought it would be but still delicious), fried slices of pork, pork balls (much smaller than I except a pig ball to be hehehehe) and some pork liver (i'm not a fan.....). You get a choice of 6 different noodles, thin noodles, thick noodles, egg noodles....I went for the flat rice noodles. This is not spicy at all. You can spice it up with the dried chill on the table.
Can of coke 20 baht, so had a very delicious, decent meal for 80 baht A$3.50. Felt like a right cheap charlie. I'm going back for sure!

 
'

I know this adds very little to the conversation - but my method of madness is the value i get from the lounge access. Hilton on 22 is approx. £120 per night but with status i get lounge access. I estimate i drink (mainly) and eat £50 per session. So i got ‘the flavour’ before i go out-out.. That brings it down in my head to £70 a night,  bargain! 
 
i also like the Park Plaza on 18, for £75 a night you can grt one of their 3 suites (vv large). The sofa/sitting area, office area and walk in shower just allows for more ‘diverse action’ and the option to keep the  bed ‘sleepable’.