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Home Cuisine Islamic Restaurant (Map; 0 2234 7911; 196-198 Soi 36, Th Charoen Krung; dishes 45-130B; 11am-10pm Mon-Sat, 6-10pm Sun; river ferry Tha Oriental) This bungalow-style restaurant does tasty Thai-Muslim with an Indian accent. Sit out on the breezy patio and try the rich and sour fish curry, ideally accompanied by a flaky roti or three.

Kalapapruek (Map; 0 2236 4335; 27 Th Pramuan; dishes 60-120B; 8am-6pm; Skytrain Surasak) This venerable Thai eatery has numerous branches and mall spin-offs around town, but we still like the quasi-concealed original branch. The diverse menu spans regional Thai specialties from just about every region, daily specials and, occasionally, seasonal treats as well.

INTERNATIONAL

Chennai Kitchen (Map; 0 2234 1266; 10 Th Pan; dishes 50-150B; 10am-3pm; Skytrain Surasak) This thimble-sized restaurant puts out some of the most solid southern Indian vegetarian around. The arm-length dosais (a crispy southern Indian bread) are always a good choice, but if you’re feeling indecisive go for the thali set that seems to incorporate just about everything in the kitchen.

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WAVING THE YELLOW FLAG

During the annual Vegetarian Festival in September/October, Bangkok’s Chinatown becomes a virtual orgy of nonmeat cuisine. The festivities centre on Chinatown’s main street, Th Yaowarat, and the Talat Noi area (Click here), but food shops and stalls all over the city post yellow flags to announce their meat-free status.

Celebrating alongside the ethnic Chinese are Thais who look forward to the special dishes that appear during the festival period. Most restaurants put their normal menus on hold and instead prepare soy-based substitutes for standard Thai dishes like ôm yam and gaang kĕe·o whn. Even Thai regional cuisines are sold, without the meat, of course. Of the special festival dishes, yellow Hokkien-style noodles appear in stir-fried dishes along with meaty mushrooms and big hunks of vegetables.

Along with abstinence from meat, the 10-day festival is celebrated with special visits to the temple, often requiring worshippers to dress in white.

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CHINATOWN EATS WALK

Street food rules in this part of town and many of Chinatown’s best kitchens don’t require walls or a roof, making the area ideal for a food-based walking tour.

Although many vendors stay open until the wee hours, the more popular stalls tend to sell out quickly, and the best time to feast in this area is from approximately 7pm to 9pm. Avoid Mondays, when most of the city’s street vendors stay at home.

Start your walk at the intersection of Th Yaowarat and Th Phadungdao. Moving west, turn right into Th Plaeng Nam. Immediately on your right is Burapa Birds Nest (Map; 0 2623 0191; Th Plaeng Nam), as good a place as any to try the very Chinatown dish, birds’ nest soup. Directly across from Burapa you’ll see a gentleman on the street working three coal-fired stoves. This stall, Khrua Phornlamai ( Map; 0 81823 0397; Th Plaeng Nam), is a great place for greasy but delicious fried faves such as pàt kêe mow (wide rice noodles fried with seafood, chillies and Thai basil).

Continue down Th Plaeng Nam and cross Th Charoen Krung. Go straight, staying on the right-hand side for about 50m, until you reach Nay Mong ( Map; 0 2623 1890; 539 Th Phlap Phla Chai), a minuscule restaurant renowned for its delicious hŏy tôrt, mussels or oysters fried with egg in a sticky batter.

Backtrack to Th Charoen Krung and turn right. Upon reaching Th Mangkorn make a right and immediately on your left-hand side you’re bound to see a row of people waiting in line, as well as several more sitting on plastic stools holding plates of rice and curry in their hands. This is Jék Pûi ( Map; 0 81850 9960; Th Mangkorn), a stall known for its Chinese-style Thai curries, and also for the fact that it has no tables.

Head left down Th Charoen Krung again and continue east until you reach Trok Itsaranuphap