The buzz: Although it’s tucked away on the second floor of a relatively underrated community mall between Thong Lor Sois 5 and 9, Bangkok Bitter could potentially count thoroughfare joints like Meeting Room and Asian Gastro among its peers. Combining a faux rustic décor with a menu of popular (mostly) Western standards and affordable imported wines and beers, it’s a great place to catch a bite with a drink.

The décor: Part medieval cloisters and part IKEA catalogue, the relatively small dining room has prominent brick walls and tall arched windows. There are several types of seating: couches and coffee tables; tall, neat-lined wood tables with saddle stools and black booths. We’re dismayed by the mounted television, but it seems to remain the norm for small bistros, elegance notwithstanding.

The food: The menu here is comprised largely of Western drinking snacks like fried calamari (B150) and some Western standards like crab bisque (B140) and rocket salad (with grilled shrimp, B220). The signature dish is the Bangkok Bitter pizza (with salami, B250) which has a black crust due to the addition of squid ink in the dough. The other notable section of the menu is modern Thai, which includes dishes like soft shell crab with bai krapao (B370) and beef steak with green curry (served with mashed potatoes, B350).

The drink: The tall shelves by the entrance hold wine bottles that range from B990-3,000, or you can get wine by the glass for B150. They do a small selection of German and Dutch beers like Leffe Blonde (B170) and Bavarian Premium (B160).

The crowd: Due perhaps to its almost secret location, the crowds have been slow in coming, with the exception of groups of foreigners and a few couples, but we think it may only be a matter of time until this cute little place gets discovered. Mrigaa Sethi