Contributor

Jonathan Stacey

Founder & writer

I moved to Thailand on a two-week plan and stayed. I have lived and grew up in Bangkok, taken the slow boats most travellers skip and worked out the hard way which neighbourhoods are worth your time.

Farang Travel is the site I wish existed when I first arrived. Written by someone who actually lives here. Honest write-ups, no affiliate fluff, no tour upsells.

Posts By Jonathan Stacey

19 Pieces

The front of Krua Bangna at night, with its blue neon sign in Thai and English on a stone panel, a lit glass front and string lights along an open-air mall arcade.

Leaf Wraps And Hot Pot At Krua Bangna

Two visits to Krua Bangna at Tops Marketplace Udomsuk: ฿245 sea bass leaf wraps, ฿170 fish cakes and a ฿440 hot pot for two at the Thai chain that started in Bang Na.

31 October 2026

A pork loin tonkatsu cut into strips on a wire rack at Tonkatsu Wako Mega Bangna, one piece turned to show its pale pink centre, with shredded cabbage behind and a wooden rice pot in the background.

Perfect Pork Loin At Tonkatsu Wako Mega Bangna

The ฿350 pork loin set at Tonkatsu Wako Mega Bangna, the ladies set my wife ordered, the free rice and cabbage refills and why I rank it level with Maisen as the best tonkatsu in Bangkok.

29 October 2026

The front of Shichi Japanese Restaurant at Central Chidlom, with its round sign over the open kitchen, backlit mountain panels on a slatted wood wall, a low planter wall and a wooden bench outside.

A Birthday Lunch At Shichi Japanese Restaurant Chidlom

A birthday lunch at Shichi Japanese Restaurant on the Public Lane at Central Chidlom: cold tempura inaniwa, a salmon roll and prawn tempura, what they cost and where I would rather eat nearby.

26 October 2026

The front of Hitori Shabu One Bangkok, with its lit sign between two orange lattice pillars, chefs in white caps behind the open kitchen and diners along the wooden counter.

Shabu For One At Hitori Shabu One Bangkok

A Friday night at the solo shabu counter of Hitori Shabu One Bangkok: two Charolais beef sets at ฿380, the starters and dessert they bring and a KTC coupon that took ฿200 off.

22 October 2026

The curved cream sofa in the living room of Junior Suite 2305 at Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit, with patterned cushions, flowers on a round marble table and three framed prints above.

A Birthday Weekend At Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit

Two nights in a Junior Suite at Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit for my birthday in July 2025: the room, the Club Millésime lounge, breakfast at Bella Sera and what ฿11,429 bought for two.

19 October 2026

The open-sided dining hall at Moom Aroi in Naklua, Pattaya, with rows of tables under a steel roof, cooling fans and the sea beyond.

Lunch At Moom Aroi Seafood Restaurant In Pattaya

Moom Aroi is a seafood restaurant in Pattaya right on the water in Naklua, where lunch for two in an air-conditioned room facing the sea came to ฿850.

05 October 2026

The long sushi counters at Katsu Midori CentralWorld, with chefs in white caps working beside glass tanks, framed fish prints on the walls and diners along the belt.

Conveyor Belt Sushi At Katsu Midori CentralWorld

How six of us got a lunch table at Katsu Midori CentralWorld through QueQ, what its 12 plate colours cost against Sushiro and why the Neko Pudding comes last.

28 September 2026

The rooftop terrace at Friendly Stranger at night, with a long timber table, white breeze block walls, hanging plants and a group drinking at the far end.

A Cheap Rooftop Bar Night At Friendly Stranger

Friendly Stranger is a 4th floor rooftop bar on Ekkamai 26 where four bottles of Regency cost ฿1,999, a bottle of red is ฿890 and Thai bands play to a local crowd until late.

24 September 2026

The round Diplomat Bar at Conrad Bangkok under a large amber ceiling lantern, with bar stools, tall windows onto greenery and an armchair in the foreground.

Honey Afternoon Tea At The Diplomat Bar

The Craft Of Golden Honey at the Conrad's Diplomat Bar is an afternoon tea for two on a hot air balloon stand, ฿1,500++ before a 30% KTC Visa discount, booked by phone two hours ahead.

21 September 2026

The entrance to LOFTER at Central Chidlom, with the words Eat Happily Like A Thai lit on a concrete beam above the seating hall.

Eating Lunch At The Central Chidlom Food Court

LOFTER is the Central Chidlom food court where I eat lunch most weeks. What the stalls charge, how paying works since June 2026, what I order again and when the office queue clears.

19 September 2026

A wooden deck at Cafe Chedi with a bench, a rope swing and a flower pot, looking over a canal to a covered market on stilts.

Coffee On The Canal At Cafe Chedi

A wooden cafe on a canal behind a temple in Song Phi Nong, Suphan Buri. What the drinks cost, what the name means, where to sit and why a ten baht bag of fish food is the best thing on the menu.

13 September 2026

A Japanese set meal at Bincho with grilled fish on a slate plate, an aluminium hagama rice pot on a wooden stand, miso soup and small side dishes.

Ordering Fish You Cannot Name At Bincho

Bincho grills whole fish over charcoal in the middle of the room at Mega Bangna. What the seasonal sets cost, how the teishoku arrives and why the unfamiliar fish is the one to order.

27 August 2026

A red velvet stage curtain framed in brass at Crimson Room, with globe lamps and red velvet stools in front of it.

A Night Of Live Jazz At Crimson Room

Live jazz in an art deco room at Velaa Langsuan. The two sets of the night, what the gin and the cocktails cost, the booth minimum and why you should book ahead.

09 August 2026

A Smizzle smash burger with a charred beef patty beside french fries and a pot of ketchup.

Lunch At Smizzle Burger Inside Open House

A smash burger lunch on the library floor at Central Embassy. The Hulk against the Afterburner, what the menu costs and why the room is half of what you pay for.

21 July 2026

Round bathtub set into a white counter beside floor-to-ceiling windows at SO/ Bangkok, with the city skyline beyond.

Three Nights At SO Bangkok For My Birthday

Three nights in a Water element room at SO/ Bangkok for a birthday. The room and its round bath, Club Signature lounge access, both breakfasts and what ฿15,654 buys for two.

17 July 2026

Nigiri on colour-coded plates at Sushiro PARC Bangna, with soy sauce in a small dish.

Five Years Of Eating At Sushiro

Sushiro has been my conveyor sushi regular since it arrived in Thailand five years ago. The branch without the queue, how the plate prices work and what to order first.

05 July 2026

Looking down the length of Libertish Salon Cafe. Crystal chandeliers, dark floral wallpaper and black styling chairs line both sides of the narrow room.

Getting A Haircut At Libertish Salon Cafe

Sherry Phoochai trained at Sassoon Academy and Toni & Guy in London, worked at Vidal Sassoon on Bond Street, then opened Libertish in Bangkok in 2003. Book before you fly home.

02 June 2026

Eating Cantonese Roast Meat At Apollo Duck

A walk-in lunch at Apollo Duck in Bangkok. Crispy pork, char siu and duck on the platter. ฿840 between us. Honest review with the receipt to prove it.

14 January 2024

Sino-Portuguese shophouses on Thalang Road in Old Phuket Town in late-afternoon light.

Getting Phuket Right On Your First Trip

Phuket is over-sold and most first-timers see the worst of it. Where to stay, what to eat, how to get around and what to skip, from someone who got it wrong first.

20 December 2023