Ari & Saphan Khwai

Ari & Saphan Khwai groups two neighbourhoods in Bangkok, each with a BTS station carrying its name. Ari holds nearly all of it. The Saphan Khwai side contributes a single bar. That makes five restaurants and five bars, with no clubs on either side.

The restaurants in Ari, Bangkok run from Isaan grilling to Japanese sukiyaki. Lay Lao handles the Isaan end. Som tam comes with raw black crab and roe, and the grill turns out charcoal pork shoulder and deep-fried pork belly. Renga Sukiyaki Ari works through wagyu sets, Kagoshima A5 and Kamimura F1, with kurobuta pork and Charolais from France also on the list. A lunch set starts at 259 baht. Truffle and gold flakes turn up on the dim sum at Kopihub Prime Ari, which pours cha chuk, Thai pulled tea, alongside. Prices there are marked $$.

Wine and cocktails cover most of the drinking. No Bar Wine Bar pours a rotating natural wine flight, weighted towards orange and skin-contact bottles, with Isaan beef tartare and seared tuna to eat alongside. Cantina Italian Kitchen (Ari) takes the Italian route instead. Negroni Shakerato, Diavola pizza, burrata with tomatoes and basil, all at $$$. At aiya bkk the drinks carry names like Credible China and Yusuka, and the kitchen sends out fried chicken and a tom yum glass noodle hot pot.