Aug. 3 (Bloomberg) -- Visitors to Southeast Asia are often told street food offers the most authentic dining experience. There is a sweaty thrill to chowing down with the locals.

Thailand, though, is the top location for Britons suffering food poisoning, according to a Norwich Union Plc survey, which might remove some of the sweetness from those roadside iced- pineapple chunks or spice from that late-night tom yam gong.

Yet you can safely savor fabulous food cheaply in Bangkok at eateries such as Suda, on Sukhumvit Road. If you're happy to pay more, Celadon at the Sukhothai Hotel serves food that is a match for any Thai cuisine I have tried anywhere. Hotel chains such as the Hilton and the Marriott aren't such good bets.

Suda is tricky to find. It's on Soi 14, close to the Asoke intersection between the Skytrain and subway. The place is open on two sides, with tables outside, which means it can get very hot. The plastic Pepsi-Cola table coverings add to the heat.

Groups of Thai office workers on their lunch break, the men smartly dressed in ties and short-sleeved shirts, the women in skirts and blouses, sit alongside foreigners perspiring in shorts and T-shirts while enjoying iced Singha beers. The floor is stone. The walls are decorated with advertising posters and pictures of King Bhumibol Adulyadej and the royal family.

Soups, No Smiles

The illustrated menu, with English translations, lists 170 Thai and Chinese dishes. There's even a choice of 14 soups. The staff speaks little English and the service sometimes challenges Thailand's image as the land of smiles. Still, it's efficient and not impolite and the prices and food are a joy.

Stir-fried tuna with basil leaves and chili costs 80 baht ($2.10); fried chicken with cashew nut and roasted chili paste is 80 baht. There are 13 vegetarian dishes, plus fish options, while other meat dishes include fried pork liver with garlic and pepper, and charcoal-grilled sirloin with hot sauce. The waitresses wander around, dishing out rice from a large pot.

The kitchen looks tiny, yet everything is freshly cooked. My tuna and chicken were generous, hot and delicious. I consumed three dishes and a bottle of soda water for a bill of 190 baht.

The prices are appreciably higher at the Sukhothai, a hotel to challenge the famous Oriental in terms of luxury and service though the location off a busy road isn't ideal. Celadon is housed in a separate building, surrounded by a lotus pond.

The restaurant, seating 110, serves cuisine from Thailand's four main regions: north, northeast, central and south. I tried a rich southern red curry of sea scallop with pineapple (260 baht). The subtlety of the scallop was lost in the heat of the curry and the acidity of the fruit, yet I loved the dish.

Chili Levels?

Grilled beef sirloin, dried chili and shallot sauce offered some lovely meat, and I appreciated the air-conditioning in which to enjoy it. It's the heat of eating outside that generally keeps me away from street food. In Celadon, diners are asked if they'd like less chili in their dishes, which are otherwise authentic.

Celadon, with its white walls and high ceilings, is elegant, if a little boring. The harsh lighting doesn't work at all. But I'd go back any time for the food. I want to try the eight-course tasting menu, which is 1,200 baht plus tax and service. (It's 800 for a vegetarian version.)

Sukhothai's Sunday brunch, which I've tried several times, beats any buffet in Bangkok, including that of the Oriental. It's 1,200 baht and includes oysters and foie gras.

Tired Food

For a regular buffet, I have always liked the J.W. Marriott on Sukhumvit. When I visited on a public holiday last month, the food looked old and tired. It's the only time I have left a buffet feeling hungry. I'm also normally a fan of the Marriott's New York steak bar, but I didn't make it back there this time.

My biggest disappointment was with the new Millennium Hilton. If doesn't even have a Thai restaurant. Instead, there is a fancy Cantonese place and a coffee shop and tea house serving a buffet and Asian favorites that include a few Thai dishes. The hotel's location, across the Chao Phraya River from the rest of Bangkok, makes it a hassle to reach. Why bother?

One of the hottest Italian restaurants in Bangkok is Zanotti. In fact, it's so popular it was booked when I wanted a table. Fans of French food should have an easier time as it's not hard to book at Lyon, a small restaurant in an old house.

Lyon serves defiantly Gallic favorites such as tripe, veal tongue and pig brains sauteed in butter with red-wine vinegar, along with more tourist-friendly fare. It traces its history back 30 years as a pioneer of French food in Bangkok.

Lyonnais Charm

I didn't find the food all that good. A seafood crepe was fine but it didn't taste especially fresh. Pan-fried foie gras wasn't strong on flavor, unlike the cloying sauce poured over it. I've had better cheeseboards cling-wrapped direct from supermarket chiller cabinets. Yet Lyon isn't without charm.

My favorite bit of dining there was that instead of a wine list, you enter the cellar, where bottles are individually priced. I picked up a 1994 Bordeaux, Chateau Villot, Laurent Musset, which was delicious. It was a bargain at 1,400 baht. Dinner for three came to less than 4,850 baht. The restaurant is popular and it's difficult to argue with such low prices.

If you're just making a short trip to Bangkok, why would you want French food? There's no surprise. Thai cuisine is best.

Suda, 6-6/1 Sukhumvit 14, Bangkok 10110. Tel. 66) (2) 229- 4518 or 229-4664.

Sukhothai Hotel, 13/3 South Sathorn, 10120. Tel. (66) (2) 344-8888 or go to http://www.sukhothai.com/

Millennium Hilton, 123 Charoennakorn Road, Klongsan, 10600. Tel. (66) (2) 442-2000 or see http://www.hilton.com

Zanotti, 21/1 1st Floor, Saladaeng Colonnade Condominium, Silom Rd., Silom Bangrak, 10500. Tel. (66) (2) 636-0002 or 636- 0266 or go to http://www.zanotti-ristorante.com/index.html

Lyon, 33/2 Soi Ruam Rudee 2, Ploenchit Road, Lumpini, Pathumwan, 10330. Tel. (66) (2) 253-8141 or 650-7852.

(Richard Vines is London food critic for Bloomberg News. The opinions expressed are his own.)

To contact the reporter on this story: Richard Vines in London at rvines@Bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: August 2, 2006 19:56 EDT