Even on a budget, I always make it a point to have one meal in an excellent restaurant that serves the best cuisine of the country. In France, although I may not be able to afford three star Michelin restaurants, I would go to a highly recommended place, perhaps with one or two stars (the stars don’t matter), to have a gastronomic feast.
Thailand is considered to have one of the five best cuisines in the world (arguably, France is No. 1 but to me excellent Chinese cuisine for its variety is No. 1 given that media is Western-oriented) so it would be advisable to look for a place that serves excellent Thai food. Reading the travel blogs and the guides, one must not leave Bangkok without tasting its enormous selection of street food. For shoppers, the food stalls at Chatuchak are great. As a rule of the thumb, however, always make sure you don’t drink tap water – the rule applies anywhere in the world where you’re not sure of the quality of the water – take bottled water or a soda. For street food anything boiled in front of you is ok, anything grilled properly is also ok. Look at the surroundings and the general hygiene of the food stall proprietor. He shouldn’t be mixing raw food with cooked food (a source of staph), the hamds must be clean and he should not handle food directly unless he washes after holding money, etc. Bangkok the rest of Thailand are a foodies paradise – apart from being a shopper’s Mecca and a massage afficionado’s dream city.
Any suggestions of favorite places to eat in between forays to Chatuchak, Hero, Albury, Babylon and Silom are highly appreciated.
One suggestion, the Japanese sashimi and sushi at the Oriental in Bangkok – first rate blue fin tuna sashimi and other treats. Also try its lunch buffet at least once!
Caloy03's Blog 
Even on a budget, I always make it a point to have one meal in an excellent restaurant that serves the best cuisine of the country. In France, although I may not be able to afford three star Michelin restaurants, I would go to a highly recommended place, perhaps with one or two stars (the stars don’t matter), to have a gastronomic feast.
Thailand is considered to have one of the five best cuisines in the world (arguably, France is No. 1 but to me excellent Chinese cuisine for its variety is No. 1 given that media is Western-oriented) so it would be advisable to look for a place that serves excellent Thai food. Reading the travel blogs and the guides, one must not leave Bangkok without tasting its enormous selection of street food. For shoppers, the food stalls at Chatuchak are great. As a rule of the thumb, however, always make sure you don’t drink tap water – the rule applies anywhere in the world where you’re not sure of the quality of the water – take bottled water or a soda. For street food anything boiled in front of you is ok, anything grilled properly is also ok. Look at the surroundings and the general hygiene of the food stall proprietor. He shouldn’t be mixing raw food with cooked food (a source of staph), the hamds must be clean and he should not handle food directly unless he washes after holding money, etc. Bangkok the rest of Thailand are a foodies paradise – apart from being a shopper’s Mecca and a massage afficionado’s dream city.
Any suggestions of favorite places to eat in between forays to Chatuchak, Hero, Albury, Babylon and Silom are highly appreciated.
One suggestion, the Japanese sashimi and sushi at the Oriental in Bangkok – first rate blue fin tuna sashimi and other treats. Also try its lunch buffet at least once!