When your onaka is rumbling and the taishou is getting on your case about getting back to work on time, these Japanese standbys scattered throughout Bangkok come in handy at lunchtime. They are all good, offer great deals and are as quick as a shinkansen. Get that onaka ippai in no time!

Serina

Setting: Think FBI witness protection hideaway meets Japanese spy cave in a James Bond movie. The taciturn apron-wearing waitresses, who brook no silliness, add to the no-nonsense ambience.  Seats are not in abundance, especially at the popular teppanyaki counter, so get there early. Payment by credit card and receipts are provided at extra charge.

Food: As you might have guessed, it’s about the teppanyaki—the efficient chefs fry and dice their way through lunch orders with little pomp or ceremony. The concise, short menu is equally no-nonsense, from the most expensive item, the steak set (B450), to the kitschy deep-fried hamburger set (B250), which comes with a thin coating of breading (ask for an egg, too.) All sets come with rice (you may have to remind them, though), along with soup, salad and a dessert.

Recommendations: Many who have discovered this place come solely for the salmon steak set (B220), fresh and juicy slabs of flesh accompanied by soy-radish, green onion and mayonnaise sauces. More satisfying than the deep-fried hamburger (and less threatening to your arteries) is the regular hamburger set (B250), without the breading.

9/26 Soi Jim Thompson, Surawongse Rd., 02-235-8382. Lunch Mon-Fri 11:30am-2pm.

Tsukiji

Setting: Nothing special here at this sushi joint named after the famed Tokyo fish market, aside from the ubiquitous sliding wooden door and sushi counter. The venue virtually shouts “serious place for hung-over Japanese salarymen” as does the menu.

Food: The set lunches in and of themselves don’t seem to be all that special, but the fish is fresh enough to warrant the name. The typical soup, rice (if you didn’t order sushi) and dessert troika accompany your orders.

Recommendations: The actual reason we recommend this place is for what Tsukiji doesn’t have on the menu—the special sushi set (B297), a steal bristling with yellowtail, maguro, shrimp, and anything else the sushi chefs fancy that day. And they offer only 30 sets daily. Take the blank stare when you order the “special sushi set” as some sort of test you must endure in order to attain this Holy Grail of Cheap Lunchtime Sushi Sets. Stare right back.

62/19-20 Soi Thaniya, Silom Rd., 02-233-9698. Lunch daily 11:30am-2pm.

Keyaki

Setting: The elegant and austere setting, replete with wood-and-paper interiors, kimonoed waitresses and Zen window garden, belie a real heart of gold when it comes to lunch sets.

Food: The sets here are BIG: be it the tempura or the mackerel, sets come with a salad, heaping bowl of white rice, miso soup, pickle, fruit and hot drink at the end; most also come with egg custard (chawanmushi) and what is referred to on the menu as a “simmered dish,” which is usually some sort of vegetable-based cold appetizer.  There is no stinting when it comes to quality or portions—except for maybe the desultory offering of fruit at the end, reminiscent of the ending of a meal at Fuji. Instead, request their tasty coffe custard.

Recommendations: The hokke hiraki, or grilled mackerel set (B520), garnished with a small mountain of grated radish, offers up a whole and healthy-looking fish yielding lean and clean-tasting flesh. The chef here is also an ace at the deep-fryer. The kaki furai set (B390) offers five plump oysters liberally coated in that breading the Japanese are so rightly famous for, plus a side of thick and sweet tonkatsu sauce and a wedge of lime. And the shrimp and vegetable tempura (B280) ends up being a small basket bearing a treasure trove of crisp and coated goodies running the gamut from big, fresh prawns to delicate slivers of sweet potato. Or opt for the full-blown Shyokado Bento (B670), which includes a bit of everything from tempura, sashimi and egg custard to green tea ice cream.

22/F, Pan Pacific Hotel Bangkok, 952 Rama 4 Rd., 02-632-9000 ext 4205. Lunch daily 11:30am-2:30pm.

Tsu

Setting: Not only does this hotel restaurant somehow manage to offer some of the best sushi in town, but it does so in typical five-star hotel surroundings, mixed with a little nightclub-type flair. With its flash, colorful lighting and sleek wood-and-glass interior, the dining area can strike some conservative fogies as being a bit Too Cool for School.

Food: What’s there to complain about? Pickup truck fanatic Chef Akihiro Izumi personifies the brash nouveau spirit of his restaurant with subtly tweaked renditions of old Japanese favorites. Since this quality doesn’t come cheap, flock to Tsu at lunchtime for a real deal—a choice of six bento boxes or five noodle dishes (ranging from B190-B650). Tsu’s sister restaurant, teppanyaki specialist Nami, also provides set lunches (averaging around B450) including an appetizer, salad, choice of fried or plain rice, and dessert.

Recommendations:  Lovers of the smoky silk that is eel meat can opt for the aptly named Unagi in a Box (B400), which includes vegetable tempura, an appetizer and sashimi. Those with big appetites (or the inability to make a decision on anything) can go for Sushi and Sashimi in a Box (B580), a hulking creation that offers sliced raw fish, nigiri sushi, tempura, potato croquettes, grilled fish, cold udon and an appetizer.

JW Marriott Bangkok, 4 Sukhumvit Rd., 02-656-7709. Lunch daily 11:30am-2:30pm.