In the City of Smiles where cafes and restaurants are aplenty, a fish market exists too and you definitely need to know about it.

Shinsen Fish Market is a seafood haven in Bangkok, and it is a new addition to Bangkok’s ever-happening food scene. Just a few months shy of its first birthday, Shinsen Fish Market is supposedly inspired by and modelled after Taipei’s Addiction Aquatic Developments.

The modern fish market in Sukhumvit is a must-visit when you next visit Bangkok. Here’s everything to love about Shinsen Fish Market.

Live aquamarine and sea creatures in tanks, fresh Japanese fruits and vegetables, wine cellar and all sorts of Japanese choya & sake, hot food stations and sushi bars, some good steaks… these are but a few highlights of Shinsen Fish Market.

The establishment seeks to provide seafood lovers one space where seafood-everything is congregated and you can find almost anything you need—live products, fresh produce, cooked dishes etc.

When at Shinsen Fish Market, you must have a taste of the freshest seafood. Grab a seat at one of the bar counters; they don’t differ much, and the menu revolves mainly around sushi, sashimi and cooked food. And what we’d highly recommend is the live seafood.

Take your pick from the many tanks—crabs, lobsters, prawns, clams…

Tell the staff your desired size/ serving size, and they will catch the seafood from the respective tanks, have them weighed (prices go by weight) and ask you for your desired cooking method.

Of course, we couldn’t leave without having a Japanese crab. Zuwai crabs were the crab of the day when we went, and we had a 800g crab (approximately S$60) steamed fresh and cut up for us. If you are going in a big group, it only means seafood party for you.

Get yourselves some akagai (ark claim), lobster, awabi (abalone) and maybe a few more crabs; we promise it would be an unforgettable meal.

Shinsen Fish Market
163/6 Soi Sukhumvit 39, Bangkok
Tel: +66 2 260 6522
Nearest BTS: Phrom Phong

Endo Sushi – Osaka’s best sushi restaurant has opened a branch in Bangkok. It was such a piece of fantastic news for us, and of course we had to check it out during our recent trip to Bangkok.

Endo Sushi is synonymous with Osaka Central Fish Market, where the nondescript eatery gained international recognition for its sushi platters; they are nothing but fresh and affordable.

So is its Bangkok outpost worth visiting? The answer is a definite yes. Our decision to take a special trip there proved to be right and here is why you need to visit Endo Sushi in Bangkok.

Sitting on the second level of The Taste Thonglor, Endo Sushi is a lot posher than its humble space in Osaka Central Fish Market. The seating capacity is a lot bigger as well, and the restaurant is segmented. Pick from counter seats where you can watch the chefs in action, individual tables of 4, and private rooms.

The menu differs slightly too. From appetisers to main courses, everything is as Japanese as it can get.

Of course, you have the classic Endo Sushi sushi platter. Each set is THB480, and it comes with five pieces per platter. We went with Sets A and D, and loved every single piece from Set A that we had to get another serving.

Set A includes a piece of the much-coveted Toro sushi—fatty tuna that is so creamy with a melt-in-the-mouth texture; something that Endo Sushi is known for.

While prices are significantly higher than its original Osaka branch—THB480 (S$18.80) as compared to  ¥1,050 (S$13.90)—you should still go ahead with that little splurge at Endo Sushi.

The freshness is unrivalled, and the high standards the chefs hold for their sushi is definitely worth appreciating.

Endo Sushi Bangkok
235 The Taste Thonglor,2nd Floor, Thonglor
Tel: +66 2 712 5211
Tue to Sun: 11.30am – 2.30pm, 5.30pm – 10.30pm
Nearest Station: Thonglo

Read: Our guide to the best cafes in Bangkok.

Vanilla Garden enjoys a lavish space at Ekkamai. Like a secret hideout in a labyrinth, Vanilla Garden is lovely, peaceful and cosy. Garden benches, fountains and little corners make up the outdoors of the precinct; beautiful butterflies are often spotted, so are occasional squirrels.

It is like a scene from a storybook. We are only missing Alice here.

Home to a cafe and a desserts room, Vanilla Garden is a destination in Bangkok to note, for it is most definitely worth the visit.

The bakeshop sits at the foot of the garden. Buttery bakes and its aroma whizzed past as we stepped in. The fresh bread and pastries are favourites to the residents in the area.

Over at the cafe, the spacious mezzanine unit reminds us of a quaint, Japanese home. Filled with Japanese comics, toy figurines and retro knick-knacks, Vanilla Cafe makes a fabulous space to kick back and relax over a nice Japanese-Italian meal.

On the menu, there is a series of sushi and maki – which we love. Creative rolls include Premium Strip Loin Steak Sushi (THB 420), Ume Pork & Bacon Maki (THB 280) and Salmon & Tempura Crispy Roll (THB 320). The latter was so good that we polished it off in seconds.

They take pride in their fusion pasta choices too – think Signature Carbonara (THB 280), Angel Hair with Crispy Tuna Flake (THB 260) and Spaghetti with Prawn Roe (THB 360). But honestly, we say give this a miss and stick to the sushi.

Japanese-style desserts such as parfaits and pancakes are on the desserts menu should you want to come here for a sweet treat.

You can also take a piece of Vanilla Garden home from the curated merchandise section.

Vanilla Garden
53 Ekamai Soi 12,Sukhumvit Soi 63 10110
10110, Thailand
Tel: +66 2 381 6120
Daily: 7am – 10pm
Nearest Station: Ekkamai

For more recommendations, read our guide to the best cafes in Bangkok.

Isao Sushi Bar, known for its fusion sushi creations, is probably one of the hottest Japanese restaurants in Bangkok. It is the kind of place where you will go crazy and want to order everything from the menu. It is the kind of place which you hope nobody will discover because it is really that good.

Everyone comes here for the much-lauded Sushi Sandwich (THB300). After trying it, we have to say it lived up to all the hype. The combination – spicy tuna and salmon stuffed between layers of sushi rice with tempura batter, ebiko and scallion – is brilliant! It is, without exaggerating, to die for.

When asked to recommend another popular item, the staff urged us to go for Jackie (THB350), which is shaped in the form of a caterpillar. Shrimp tempura, ebiko, avocado are wrapped with ebi and it comes with a special savoury-sweet sauce. We appreciate how the chefs put in effort to make the sushi fun and interesting for diners.

Isao’s Chirashi (THB250 for a smaller portion during lunch, usual ala carte THB360) is equally impressive with a generous serving of fresh sashimi. It is ridiculously cheap and good. If I was staying in Bangkok, I would have this for lunch everyday.

Overall, the food at Isao is very good. Bold, playful and delicious. Not to mention that the prices are a bargain for the quality of food. It is advisable to go during lunch as it is a lot less crowded. They are extremely popular during dinner, and reservations are needed unless you are willing to wait in line.

Isao Sushi Bar
5 Sukhumvit 31, Watthana
Tel: +66 2 258 0645
Daily: 11am – 2am
Nearest BTS: Asok

In The Mood for Love is a very sexy and chi-chi sushi bar that simulates a funky lounge, complete with an open counter where the chefs prepare the sushi right before you. Staff are dressed in plain black and they keep a distance from the tables, but just as well because it gives plenty of room for the décor to speak with you. The plush sofa booths with accompanying vintage floral seats feel like granny’s home in Victoria, but the brass table-side lamps illuminate with a mysterious sexiness that somehow sets your mind to singing along with the sensual lounge music.

The faint whispers from the chefs and the intermittent laughs from neighbouring tables seemed so distant, as our souls were sunk too deep in the very atmospheric bar – not once did we feel intruded in our booth seat, and as the dishes were quietly placed on our tables, we were growing accustomed to this intimate dinner setting that we forgot for a moment that we were actually in the bustling Bangkok.

Dinner was a pleasurable fare of one starter and two kinds of maki. Our appetites were whet with the Horenzo no Goma Ae – quite simply blanched fresh spinach drizzled with sesame dressing.

Amongst its many pages of creative rolls is a galore of sushi configurations to choose from, and after we took what seemed like forever to decide, we settled for the Very Salmon (THB380) and Happy-to-get-her (THB380).

The former is the classic salmon aburi roll, torched to a degree of sweetness, while still retaining the freshness in its raw form. It may not be the best rendition we have had, but it was one that made dinner at a bar like this very memorable.

Happy-to-get-her was indeed happy together. The combination of Hokkaido scallops, tobikko and spicy crabmeat is a brilliant move, for the sweet and chewy scallop posed as a contrast to the tangy and creamy spicy crabmeat. Of course, everyone loves their sushi with ounces of tobikko to chew on; oh, the glorious sweet and salty Japanese goodness.

Prices may be on the steeper side by Bangkok’s standard, but it is a place that is worth visiting. For one, with an evening experience like this, anyone would be In The Mood For Love – in abundance, perhaps.

In The Mood For Love
9/9 Sukhumvit Soi 36, Sukhumvit Road
Phra Kanong, Khlong Toei, Bangkok
Tel: +66 2 661 5076
Mon to Fri: 5.30pm – 12am
Sat & Sun: 11.30am – 2pm, 5.30pm – 12pm
Nearest Station: Thonglor BTS

Words by Melody Yap