Supanniga Eating Room (Tha Tien)

Supanniga Eating Room is a small group of Thai restaurants founded by a Bangkok family to serve the home cooking they grew up with. Recipes from the founders' grandmother, from the eastern province of Trat, underpin the menu, alongside dishes from Khon Kaen and the northeast. The Tha Tien branch sits in the Riva Arun Hotel on Maharaj Road, beside the Chao Phraya, and its window tables look straight across the river to Wat Arun.

The menu is broad and approachable, with dishes designed to be shared. Look for the eastern Thai specialities such as moo cha muang, a slow-cooked pork curry flavoured with the sour leaves of the cha muang tree, along with crab and seafood dishes from the coast, northeastern salads and grilled meats, and stir-fries and curries familiar to most visitors. Portions are moderate, so ordering three or four dishes between two people works well. Spice levels can be adjusted on request, and the staff are used to explaining the dishes to first-time visitors.

The restaurant is open from 11:00 to 22:00 on weekdays and from 10:00 to 22:00 at weekends, with last orders at 21:00. Reservations can be made through the reservations email address, and they are worth making for dinner if you want a window table at sunset, when the temple across the river is lit up. Lunch is generally easier to walk into. Dress is casual, but remember that you are in the temple district, so keep shoulders covered if you are going on to visit Wat Pho or the Grand Palace.

Supanniga suits families, couples and groups who want well-cooked Thai food in a comfortable setting at mid-range prices, and it is an obvious choice after a morning at Wat Pho or the Grand Palace. Allow about an hour and a half for a relaxed meal.

The restaurant is at 392/25-26 Maharaj Road, inside the Riva Arun Hotel. Tha Tien Pier on the Chao Phraya Express Boat and the cross-river ferry to Wat Arun are a few minutes' walk away, Sanam Chai MRT station is about five minutes on foot, and Wat Pho and Museum Siam are just round the corner.