TOOKPAK (Stadium One) — Restaurant in Wang Mai Subdistrict

Was researching about places to eat around my hotel (it's less than 10 mins walk away!) prior to my trip to BKK when I came across this restaurant with so many good reviews and insanely high rating and I knew I MUST visit and try for myself! So right off the plane, went to the hotel to drop my luggage and headed straight to Tookpak! ;) And everything - from the food to the service to the ambiance - definitely exceeded my expectations! So much so that at the end of my trip, looking back, I dare conclude that it's the BEST dining experience I had in BKK (taking into consideration all previous 6 trips to the city) - even better than those places with Michelin Bib Gourmand!

What's even more mind-blowing was that despite the extensive menu, everything - from the mains to the beverages - we tried was cooked to perfection and tasted authentic - there's no so-called 'hits-and-misses'! Refined interpretation of representative Thai dishes, fresh, quality ingredients, and balanced flavors! You have to order their signatures, like the phenomenal green curry with beef and avocado - simply the best I've ever had! - fried pork in shrimp paste, crab omelette (which beats J@y F@i's version hands-down IMHO), fried stuffed chicken wings, crab fried rice, stir fried glass noodles with smelly beans and shrimps, pad thai, fried fishes and mango salad! Truly grateful for such a wonderful meal in such a stylish, pretty, cozy, relaxing and very instagrammable restaurant! Serving portions for some dishes are quite generous, so do check with the staff before ordering, especially if you are a small eater!

While some of the staff may not be fluent with English, they were all very friendly and attentive making you feel welcomed instantly. Service was fast and impeccable even tho the restaurant was packed and food were served - hot - promptly after our orders were taken. While the average prices of the dishes aren't exactly cheap, a meal here certainly will not break the bank either. 100% worth your calories and every baht you spend here - for the level of service, cleanliness/hygiene, the aesthetics, the ambiance, competently-executed food and great presentation!

Ample parking (the restaurant is located within the enclave of Stadium One) and walking distance from National Stadium BTS and/or MBK. Very popular with locals and the place gets filled up pretty fast during peak hours like lunch and dinner so you may wish to visit between 2pm to 5pm and after 7.30pm, especially if more than 2 pax. There's a well-maintained bathroom within the restaurant.

Highly recommend this place and do come with an...

We had made a reservation prior to our visit, but luckily, there weren't many people when we arrived (possibly because it was past lunchtime). The food wasn't particularly outstanding, but it didn't disappoint either.

We recommend trying their Homemade stir-fried pork with shrimp paste; it has a perfect balance of savory and sweet flavors, and pairs excellently with steamed rice.

Another dish worth trying is the Crispy roti served with Thai chicken green curry; the green curry has a delightful aroma and richness without being overwhelming (don't worry about it being too spicy, as the servers will ask for your preferred level of spiciness), and it tastes amazing with freshly baked roti.

You might also want to try the Fried boiled egg with tamarind sauce; it tasted good for us first-timers, and even after trying several places, theirs was the best.

We tried two different types of glass noodles (Steamed glass noodles with shrimps and Stir-fried stink veggies with glass noodles). I found both to be good, but I slightly preferred the stink veggies; the smell of fermented beans isn't overpowering, but this dish is best enjoyed with rice or another main dish, as it can be a bit salty when eaten alone.

We also ordered the Super crispy set, Stuffed chicken wings, and Crab meat in crab shell, but I found these three dishes to be just okay; they didn't particularly stand out.

The portions of food seemed a bit small to me, so if you're going with a group, it's best to order a few more dishes.

The staff were all very friendly, and the service...

🥘 Food & Taste: First meal in Bangkok. We had our dinner in the late afternoon so there was only one other table occupied and we were able to have our meal in a very pleasant environment. We ordered the signature pork dish with some sauce which tastes very much like prawn paste. Quite fragrant but a tad bit salty. The vermicelli dish was not bad at all. Quite enjoyed it. Crab meat in crab shell was good too, filled with a lot of chunky crab meat. It is abit on the sweet side though. The dishes are all very flavourful, so you might like it if your taste buds prefer foods seasonings on the heavier side.

📍 Place: The place does not seem crowded on because we were there in the late afternoon. The place is located on the first floor in a quiet “mall”.

🤵🏻 Service: Not bad. The staff were very polite.

💰 Price: Expensive for Thai standards but for tourists standards might be acceptable because this is afterall a restaurant.

🐣Waiting Time: Reasonable. Was not very long since time is still needed for food to...