Using an iPhone & iPad in Thailand Tips, App Reviews and News for the iPhone and iPad by Richard Barrow

Where to Eat and Drink in Bangkok

Sometimes, the best way to discover a city is through eating and drinking. EAT DRINK BKK is ideal for those looking for great food & drinks in Bangkok. Drop the guidebook and get locally-approved reviews of the best eats and drinks in Bangkok on-the-go with this application.

Eat and Drink in BKK seems to be the first iPhone app developed by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). The link for support on iTunes certainly goes to their www.tourismthailand.org. However, it is strange that the developer's name is listed as "Thai Cookbook by TAT". This could possibly be a play on words or maybe it is the name of their next iPhone app and they entered the information in the wrong field! Although the app is developed by the TAT, the content, certainly the pictures, come from the popular Thai language website www.bkkmenu.com. So, this app could be an English translation of that website.

You will find about 50 restaurants listed on Eat and Drink in BKK. These are sorted by neighbourhood and there is also a general list. However, the list on the "All" tab isn't sorted alphabetically which is a bit strange. If you find yourself in the Sukhumwit area you can click on the button for this and you will be taken to a new screen listing 12 restaurants. You get a small thumbnail picture of each restaurant and the first dozen or so words. There is no indication of where each one is so click on one at random. Here I clicked on CooCurry (see above picture). You then get the address, contact details, a brief paragraph about the restaurant and a list of recommended dishes. There is also two small pictures which you can click on to enlarge.

For a free app this is certainly worth downloading. However it isn't very interactive and you might as well carry around a restaurant guidebook. The main problem I see with it is that there are no maps. At the very least they should have a map of Bangkok with marker pins which you can click on to find out more information for each restaurant. In addition, as these iPhones have GPS, it should really tell you where you are on the map which will help you navigate. I have also seen apps that will show you in the listings how far you are away in kilometers from that place. Even the phone numbers are not interactive. We should be able to click on them and it should then start dialling that restaurant. Hopefully in future updates to this app they will make it more user friendly.

Bangkok Restaurant Finder

You can now use your iPhone to find restaurants in Bangkok in this new app.

The iPhone app called Bangkok Restaurant Finder should prove useful to people who are looking for a new place to eat in Bangkok. It has a search feature where you can find a particular restaurant by its location or cuisine. But, a cool feature is that it also uses GPS on your iPhone to show you on a map the restaurants around your immediate area. Once you have chosen a restaurant, there are reviews and pictures as well as other useful dining information. The app will also help you find restaurants with promotions. Overall, it is a good app though with more work it could be excellent. Many restaurants don't have any pictures or reviews. There doesn't even seem to be the ability to add your own review. Another minor point is that two restaurants marked as being near me are actually a fire station and someone's back garden! The address seems correct but the marker pins on the map are way off. Again there is no way of reporting this mistake. However, as the app is free we cannot really complain. I just hope they will work on it some more.