We live for new openings. Fortunately, Bangkok is the city that just keeps on giving when it comes to new restaurants, cafes and bakeries—we really are a lucky bunch. The first month of 2024 has got us salivating. 

 

As the sibling of the well-liked Charmgang, Charmkrung launched as an early-to-late-night eatery to join Talat Noi's bustling restaurant and nightlife scene. Charmkrung, a 60-seat open-space venue with food, beverages, and music, is conveniently located near Charmgang, situated on the sixth floor of a 1950s-era factory on Charoenkrung Road. Under the direction of chef Jai Aruss Lerlerstkul, Charmkrung serves inventive takes on Thai cuisine. Charmkrung's menu also features a selection of small and medium-sized dishes that are designed to go well with a drink. "The cuisine at Charmkrung is more playful and less strict on its rules (than the Thai repertoire), featuring dishes like Vongole clams cooked in southern turmeric sauce or kanom krok filled with chicken liver pate and chives," says owner Lerlerstkul. 

 

 

Gordon Ramsay, the celebrity chef from Hell's Kitchen, opened Bread Street in Bangkok's brand-new Emsphere, making Thailand the third Asian nation to host this franchise. Since opening in 2011, this approachable restaurant with European flair has captured people's hearts. But let's face it, a lot of people come in because of Ramsay's reputation—both good and bad. The Emsphere facility features sleek metal accents and cozy mustard-colored couch benches, all while keeping the industrial interior design theme. Check out their pan-seared scallops, which are enhanced with pomegranate juice, smoky pancetta pieces, and carrot purée. If you haven't had the trademark beef Wellington, though, you haven't truly been here. There are just 50 portions of this filling dish available each day, so get in line.

 

 

A new American steakhouse-style restaurant atop of Grande Centre Point Surawong, this restaurant is part of the Seefah restaurant chain. Bangrak Grill boasts an elegant and classic interior design with enormous mirrors and arched ceilings that overlook the Bangkok cityscape and the Chao Phraya river. Bangrak Grill serves a lunch and dinner menu, and signature dishes include the Bangrak pig knuckle pot pie, Thai wagyu tenderloin, and black angus tomahawk florentine style. 

 

 

This spot is located on the second floor of the Mahanakorn Cube building. Under the direction of Takahashi Kouya, regarded by many as a sushi master, the chef has always created unique delicacies behind the wooden counter with his history and methods honed throughout his 40-year career. He started off small in Chiba before relocating to Tokyo and acquiring a global reputation. He introduces the original Edo-style omakase using a method of understated elegance, with attention to how raw materials naturally taste with low heat of cooking.  

 

 

The Cheesecake Factory, the well-known cheesecake company in America, has finally opened its first location in Thailand. The Cheesecake Factory restaurant boasts hundreds of cheesecake variations and a large menu, with more than 200 locations in the US and worldwide. Be sure to taste their Fresh Strawberry (B365), which is topped with a huge fresh strawberry, or treat yourself to the ultimate chocolate treat and try the Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake (B355). In addition to its traditional hallmark delicacies, The Cheesecake Factory offers more than 200 savory and sweet options.  

 

 

Palindrome is a creative cafe that opened earlier this year at the Food School Bangkok, a renowned institution that combines culinary programs from Alma, Tsuji, and Dusit Thani College. Teantan "Stamp" Valairuecha, the founder, is an entrepreneur who chose to join the school after entering the F&B sector. Coincidentally, the Alma program he enrolled in focuses on Italian pastries. With unexpected combinations, such as pistachio and raspberry or pumpkin and chocolate, can be found in Italian desserts. Their distinctive Pistachio Sonata ice cream rests over a nest of crumbles and lemon jam, offering a counterpoint to the richness of the dish, one of several desserts named after musical terms. Palindrome places equal emphasis on the texture of their delicacies as they do on flavor. Their ice cream base is frozen for the whole night at -20 degrees and then churned with a high-intensity blender called the Paco Jet until it reaches a fine consistency. 

 

 

The Sodality Thong Lo project now has a new tea store. Its catchy moniker, "Drink of Humanity," is inspired by the idea of tea bags that source their ingredients from all over the world, both west and east. There are different symbols throughout the shop's corners, comparable to historic colored murals that illustrate the uniqueness of tea made with actual non-synthetic components. They provide a variety of fruit teas, including mango yakult, honey, lemon orange sauce, and honey melon. We recommend the Ojt drink which consists of tea combined with orange jam and a dash of honey and lemon for cooling. There's also the raspberry, lychee, rose, and Ispahan tea, which smells like the real French Ispa-style. For a milk tea, try the Domk, which is honey milk and roasted oolong milk tea—lightly smokey and slightly unsweetened.