In this edition of Koktail Kuisine, drive past the city limits for estate-grown wines in Nakhon Ratchasima and punchy waterfront Thai in Nonthaburi.

Whoever claimed “it’s about the journey, not the destination” clearly never sat in Bangkok traffic for a mediocre dinner. Sometimes escaping the city limits is entirely about what ends up on your plate, offering a vital change of scenery and a delicious reward for surviving the outer ring road.

This week, Koktail Kuisine ventures just beyond the city limits to highlight two restaurants genuinely worth the petrol money. We head up to Nakhon Ratchasima for a wine-drenched vineyard feast, before pulling up a chair by the water in Nonthaburi for a punchy canal-side Thai spread.

VinCotto

Wine-drenched braises and spice-smart Thai classics anchor a vineyard feast in Asoke Valley, Nakhon Ratchasima, as home-grown grapes flavour both the plate and the pour 

VinCotto makes a convincing case for Thailand as an unexpected wine destination. Set at GranMonte’s Asoke Valley estate, the restaurant takes a homegrown approach, with its cooking shaped around wines produced from grapes grown on the property. The atmosphere is relaxed and rural without going overboard on the vineyard fantasy, while the food is hearty and built for pairing. Wine is also used in the cooking itself, giving the menu a satisfying connection to the estate rather than treating the bottles as mere dinner companions, making the experience feel rooted in its surroundings while keeping the focus squarely on what ends up on the table.

The menu is at its best when it leans into slow cooking and big flavours. Coq au Vin brings tender chicken into a rich red-wine sauce, while the braised veal shank arrives with the sort of velvety gravy that makes restraint a questionable choice. Lamb shank cooked in Syrah goes even further, pairing the estate’s robust red with meat that falls apart at the slightest touch. On the Thai side, fragrant curries and local favourites offer a fresher route into the wine list, with crisp whites and fruity rosés proving they can handle spice rather well. It is a menu with enough range to keep both comfort-food devotees and Thai cuisine purists happily occupied. 

GranMonte Vineyard and Winery, 52 Moo 9, Phayayen, Pak Chong, Nakhon Ratchasima. Tel: +66 92 806 7744. Open daily from 7.30am–10pm. 

W1

Sunset views along Nonthaburi’s Om Non canal meet Thai cooking, where lotus petal wraps, shrimp-paste curries and fish cakes are served under glowing lotus ceiling patterns 

W1 Restaurant knows how to put on a show. At sunset, the obvious move is to grab a table outside by the Om Non canal, but the indoor dining room is no wallflower either. Lotus patterns glow overhead, bathing the room in a soft, relaxed light and making the whole place feel a little more magical than your average dinner spot. Then there is the food: authentically Thai, generously flavoured and occasionally given a modern twist. It is the sort of menu that arrives with plenty of personality and warmth.

Miang kleep bualuang, or red lotus petal wrap, is the dish to order, served on real lotus petals and topped with dried shrimp, roasted coconut, peanuts, herbs and sweet tamarind sauce. It is crunchy, fragrant and just theatrical enough without being fussy. Run juan pork curry brings heat from fermented shrimp paste and chilli, while salmon spicy salad pairs crisp salmon with green mango, cashew, lime dressing and betel leaf. Namprik kapi platoo tord adds fried mackerel and seasonal vegetables to a punchy shrimp paste dip, while beef green curry combines tender shank with coconut milk, basil, eggplant and bird chilli. Fried fish cakes and banana with coconut ice cream provide the final flourish. 

W1@Bangkoknoi, 44 Moo 7 Soi Banglen 21/2, Bang Len, Bang Yai, Nonthaburi. Tel: +66 81 382 9888. Open Monday to Thursday from 7am–8pm, and Friday to Sunday from 7am–10pm.