What is it?: The name means “many flavours,” and they deliver, with two branches (one on Rama 6, but probably better known for their branch in Sukhumvit Soi 49, across from Samitivej Hospital), serving forgotten recipes that we can’t help but love.
Why we love it: Soi 49 is the land of glass-and-steel condos, posh izakayas, and vanity-project boutiques, but half-century-old Lai Ros is a refreshing breath of air, air that smells like good old-fashioned cooking aromas rather than reed diffusers. Pu lon mixes crab, pork, and coconut into a classic dip, and their khai palo (pork belly and hard-boiled eggs in a five-spice broth) will overwrite any bad memories of cheap cafeteria versions. There are even some cookshop classics from the earliest days of Western influence on Thai cuisine, like garlic-butter clams and ox tongue stew that really should be eaten with pearls and a pillbox hat on.
Time Out tip: Ordering the khao chae (rice and a tapas-like assortment of pork and vegetable dishes, served alongside rice in chilled water, scented with flowers and candle smoke) is mandatory. They’re one of the few places that serve it year-round (not just in the summer). We repeat. Mandatory. Don’t make us tell your grandma.