Silom, Sathorn & Riverside

Silom, Sathorn and the Chao Phraya riverside form Bangkok's older business and hotel district, where grand riverside hotels sit alongside office towers, embassies and quiet sois with garden houses. It holds the city's most established French dining.

Le Normandie by Anne-Sophie Pic at the Mandarin Oriental holds two Michelin stars, and Maison Dunand on Sathorn 10 has one, with Savoie influences and a cheese trolley. Brasserie Palmier (Michelin Selected) at the Four Seasons has an oyster bar and river terrace, and Scarlett (Michelin Selected) is a wine bar on the 37th floor of the Pullman Hotel G. Brasserie 9 offers a weekday business lunch in a colonial-style house, Le Bouchon serves Lyonnaise-leaning classics in a garden house, and Indigo, Bistro Sathorn and André cover home-style bistro cooking and steak frites.

Book the starred rooms and Scarlett's view tables ahead. Hotel restaurants expect smart dress. The BTS Silom Line runs to Saphan Taksin, where the river boats stop. Prices run from mid-range bistros to full tasting menus.