Bangkok has more than 300 Italian restaurants, but my favourite is Antonio's. Australian owner/chef Antonio serves fine wine, Italian classics and some unfamiliar dishes; the homemade ravioli filled with imported porcini mushroom and topped with cream of truffle sauce is to die for. Dinner only Tuesday to Sunday. Phone +0 2258 4247, 59/1 Soi Sawadee, Sukhumvit Soi 31.

Bed Supperclub is Bangkok's trendiest address. The contemporary, all-white, tubular design and mattress-top dining will have your head spinning, and the modern-Asian cuisine is equally noteworthy. After dinner, dance here or in the adjoining club (700 bt entry, but free for diners).

"Khrua Aroy Aroy" means "delicious, delicious kitchen", and there is little more than a kitchen and a laid-back southern-Thai vibe in this unpretentious place off Silom Road. Dive into the range of fabulously rich curries and other southern specialties concocted with liberal doses of fish paste. Phone +0 2635 2365; Th Pan, Th Silom

Hidden in Talaat Mai (New Market), in the heart of Chinatown's manic "Trok Itsaranuphap" (aka Charoen Krung Soi 16), is this miniscule shop, famous for the wheat-and-egg noodle soups. Come for breakfast or lunch, but prepare to wait for a seat. 136 Trok Itsaranuphap, Th Charoen Krung

Just beside Thong Lor Skytrain station, you'll find accessible Thai and Chinese street food (indoor seating is available and some English is spoken), which hits the spot if you've been partying late (it's usually open 7pm to 3am). Seek out the famous flame-fried phat thai and divine mango sticky rice (both near the beginning of the soi). Soi 38, Th Sukhumvit

The curry-powder crab, and garlic and chili steamed sea bass, among many others, are so famous among Bangkokians that Somboon's now has five frantically busy restaurants. The air-con, multi-floor branch on Surawong Road is most convenient.

Spring dishes up a modern take on Asian cuisine, with a strong seafood influence, in a fabulous converted '60s-era house off Sukhumvit Road. It's popular with Bangkok's wealthy young hipsters, but isn't that expensive. From about November to May you can eat while sitting in beanbags on the front lawn.

Food has been sold on this street for generations and it's just about the archetypal Thai lunch experience. Graze your way south from Ratchadamnoen Road, stopping at whatever takes your fancy. After about 500m, turn right at Th Phraeng Phuthon, go into the courtyard and tuck into some coconut ice cream at Natthaphawn. Th Tanao, Banglamphu.

The Deck combines unbeatable views across the Chao Phraya river to towering Wat Arun with a good, modestly priced menu of Thai and Mediterranean bistro food. Get here by 6pm for sunset drinks on the rooftop; book an outdoor table downstairs if you think it's not going to rain.

If you're sick of the horrible phat thai found in most tourist areas, head to Thip Samai (known locally as "phat thai pratuu phii") for the real deal. This Bangkok institution, a 10-minute walk from Khao San Road, also serves several delicious variations on the phat thai theme.