A Michelin-rated restaurant tour in Thailand, from Penlaos in Isaan to 2-star Baan Tepa, Mauro Colaegreco’s Côte and new entry Inddee in Bangkok

From Penlaos in the northeast to two-star Baan Tepa in Bangkok and new entry Inddee, serving Indian food, Michelin’s line-up in Thailand is an eclectic mix

From tantalising tasting menus of technically dazzling bites to traditional riverside fare and a fiery Isaan catfish soup, we try some of Thailand’s finest food

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Penlaos in northeast Thailand, newly awarded a Bib Gourmand in the Michelin Guide Thailand 2024, can seat hundreds of people at a time to sample its good-value Isaan cuisine, such as sour catfish soup. Photo: Penlaos

Tristan Rutherford

Published: 11:15am, 3 Feb 2024Updated: 11:30am, 3 Feb 2024

Penlaos ranks among the newest, cheapest and most unlikely places recognised in the Michelin Guide Thailand 2024.

Hidden in the elephant-dotted hills of northeast Thailand, it offers 300 covers, and a choice of 200 dishes, and has 70 front-of-house staff.

Most guests dine in its warehouse-like interior, a gargantuan space decorated with Laotian bunting, which flaps in a tornado of giant fans.

The cuisine at Penlaos is from the Isaan region, as Thailand’s northeast is called. Dishes are made with river fish and whatever can be foraged from the forests.

Penlaos’ spicy sliced papaya salad with shrimp paste and pickled fish. Photo: Penlaos

Sour catfish soup (200 baht/US$5.70) is ladled into tiffin pots at top speed. It contains silken mushrooms, sharp bones and enough chilli to resurrect someone’s Laotian grandmother.

Pork belly comes crisped with enough fermented fish sauce to elicit an umami crackle.