Bangkok’s often dubbed a city that never sleeps; still, it’s hard to find places to while away the wee hours that don’t involve alcohol. Enter Too Fast to Sleep, a 24-hour café that’s been steadily growing in popularity since it opened earlier this year. Beyond the coffee and bakery treats, the restaurant side of this cute place also offers a solid range of dinner options. Upon opening, Italian dishes seemed to dominate the menu, but our last visit revealed that the kitchen is now more focused on Thai cuisine. And while good presentation ranks first on their list of priorities, the flavors aren’t too bad either. Their takes on many traditional dishes are generally better than what’s found in the chains that litter our malls. Their gaeng lieng (vegetables in herb mixed soup, B120), for example, features a nice balance between spice and aromatic herbs, while the vegetables are cooked until they’re really soft, letting you sip the soup all the way to the bottom of the bowl. Another traditional dish, gaeng hang-le (fried pork in Northern Thai curry, B120) also meets our expectations, thanks to the tender ribs and streaky pork that fill out a satisfyingly thick coconut curry. While the dish might be too salty for some, we think it works rather nicely when combined with steamed rice. The khao pad nam liab (fried rice with salted olive, B80), meanwhile, is nicely blended and avoids any potential mushiness, while the shoo shee plamuk yad sai (dried red curry with stuffed squid, B140) benefits from a flavorful stuffing that really bulks up the dish. Elsewhere, the chicken steak salad (B140) is quite disappointing with the cuts of chicken just way too thick and bland. On the whole, though, the food is pretty satisfying—unfortunately the venue blows all the hard work in the kitchen with some downright sloppy service. Despite being charged 10% for service, you still have to traipse up to order at the counter, which also acts as a protective barrier for the shirking staff to hide behind. If you can put up with that and find yourself craving a proper late-night meal then this is a good option. Just beware that the full kitchen isn’t open 24/7, unlike the cafe. Corkage B500.
