Woodstock was the stuff of legends in its previous incarnation on one of Sukhumvit's entertainment strips. Known for its relaxed atmosphere and great music collection, it even won an award from a local newspaper for Bangkok's best hamburgers.

After 20-plus years, it disappeared in 2005, but has now resurfaced in Thonglor, surrounded by trendy bars and hip boutique shopping malls. Consequently, no doubt to the chagrin of old regulars, the new version is cleaner and brighter.

Downstairs is a area with red brick walls, a copper-topped bar and copper trim to much of the comfortable, darkwood booth seating. But the walls still have the original 60s and 70s rock posters advertising gigs by the likes of Pink Floyd, The Band and Quicksilver Messenger Service, and the food is the same.

The burger menu is filled out with Tex-Mex, steaks, stews and a smattering of Cajun, including Creole Gumbo and blackened fish. There's a long vegetarian menu, some Thai dishes and tasty key lime pie of New York cheesecake to finish.

Today's Bangkok is a city in constant motion. It still teems with temples and traffic, but there seems to be a new glitzy shopping mall opening every few months and countless restaurants.

Sightseeing in Bangkok

Main sights worth seeing are as they were years and even decades ago. Among these are the over-the-top Grand Palace, Wat Pho, Wat Arun and the always-busy Erawan Shrine. Bangkok cherishes its history but also enjoys shopping in long-established locales such as the sprawling Chatuchak Weekend Market, and some of the smaller markets such as Pak Khlong Talaat, heaven if flowers are of interest, or the makeshift markets in Chinatown.

Each of these stops offers a sense of the city – not to mention the country – that simply does not exist anywhere else in the world. When the day is done, cruise along the river at night past the illuminated Grand Palace and dare yourself not to be amazed.

It is never a coincidence that a vegetarian restaurant with pleasing dishes is chosen especially, particularly if you are still passionate about meat. Anotai, however, has opened and maintained its richly assorted menu for better health, available both in the form of local and foreign cuisine, all cooked using natural ingredients, free of meat and synthetic chemicals.

Stepping inside Anotai, the first impression is one of tranquility and the simplicity of the restaurant. Khun Anotai Kongvatana, proprietor of the restaurant, gives us the background to this vegetarian restaurant that started with a personal interest in vegetarian food called “Pluk Ruk”, everything seemed to be falling into place when she decided to open Anotai vegetarian restaurant using most of the fresh, green produce from the family farm, while she serves dishes of her own design and new concoctions.

For the decor, patrons' comfort takes precedent when dining at Anotai. Furniture here is therefore made mainly of dark woods with the gentle touch of bamboo in the form of bamboo bushes in front of the restaurant and glass panels on the exterior. Bamboo is the favorite plant chosen as decorative items for the restaurant, picked for its attributes akin to those of humans, constituting strength, gentleness, beauty and respect.