RealThai

The deep south

2008-02-16T19:38:00.005+07:00

On my most recent trip I spent a week in three of Thailand's southernmost provinces: Songkhla, Pattani and Narathiwat. Due to a violent insurgency that's been brewing since 2004, there's not a lot of folks visiting these parts, but there's still a lot of interesting things to see...and eat.

Every big city in the south has a night market. Hat Yai's:

featured a few stalls selling curries, grilled seafood and khanom jeen (fresh rice noodles served with curry). There were also several stalls selling kai thawt hat hai, Hat Yai-style fried chicken. However where it concerns the local dish, the residents I talked to consider Kai Tod Daycha, with three branches around town, the best:

Hat Yai-style fried chicken differs from elsewhere in its spice-laden marinade, and Daycha served the eponymous bird over fragrant yellow rice, or with a side of som tam (papaya salad).

In addition to Muslim-style food, there are also lots of ethnic Chinese in the south, and at a cafe in Hat Yai I had a wonderful bowl of ba kut teh:

pork ribs cooked in a herbal broth and served with sides of rice and deep-fried bits of dough. And yes, that's an entire head of garlic there in the broth.

Moving south, Pattani also has a much smaller, but still interesting night market serving a mix of Thai-Muslim and Chinese dishes:

The city also has one of the most vibrant morning markets in the region:

Most people in Pattani are ethnic Malays and there were more conversations in Yawi (a Malay dialect) than in Thai. In addition to language, breakfast is also very different in Thailand's deep south. Undoubtedly the most popular morning meal in these parts is khao yam (pictured at the top of this post), rice, often cooked with a type of purple flower, and topped with a bunch of finely-sliced herbs, roasted coconut, and a type of fish sauce called budu. The thin red strips are a kind of flower called dawk dala.

Another ubiquitous breakfast, especially in Muslim areas, is roti, a type of crispy pancake associated with Thai-Muslim cooking, and often served with a curry dip:

Thai Muslims really love sweet food, and will often put a tablespoon of sugar or three into the dip. In fact, despite southern Thai food's reputation as the hottest regional cuisine in the country, I found that many dishes featured sweet as their leading flavour. In Songkhla they like a dish called tao khua:

thin rice noodles and deep-fried crispy bits swimming in an insanely sweet sauce.

After a meal like that, I rarely felt a need for dessert, but really fell for khanom kho:

These are soft balls of dough and coconut meat surrounding a tiny cube of raw sugar. The combination of the soft, fluffy outside and the crunchy inside was amazing.

Ayuthaya (again)

2008-02-14T20:05:00.002+07:00

I've been on the road quite a bit lately, the reason for not having posted in while. However I've recently become the owner of an intimidatingly black MacBook, so you can expect some mobile blogging in the near future.

My first trip took me once again visit Ayuthaya. I'm always happy to go there for fresh air and the chance to explore, but the excellent Thai food has also become a good enough excuse in its own right. I've already mentioned it here and here, so by now you know that if you visit Ayuthaya, you must eat at Baan Wacharachai. This time I wanted to try something different, and asked the locals about the best place to eat kuaytiaw ruea, 'boat noodles', a dish associated with the city. I was enthusiastically pointed in the direction of an open-air restaurant across from the ruins of Wat Ratburana called Lung Lek ('Uncle Lek'):

Lung Lek's noodles here must be among the most intense bowls I've ever consumed. There were the usual condiments on the table (fish sauce, dried chilies, sugar), but none was necessary--the noodles were already thoroughly spicy, sour and sweet. The beef variety (pictured above) contained a few slices of very tender stewed beef along with lots of unidentifiable bits, and the pork combined par-boiled pork and meatballs. Both contained a handful of par-boiled phak boong (sometimes known as 'morning glory', a green aquatic veggie), crispy rinds and a dose of blood. After a bowl of each (they're small and cost 15 baht) I cycled just up Thanon Chee Kun to Paa Lek ('Aunt Lek'), another recommended noodle joint. Paa Lek's noodles (pictured at the top of the post) were slightly more attractive, and judging by the crowd (and the wait) more popular, but I felt they lacked the intensity of the previous shop's. Sweet was the leading flavour here, and I'm not a big fan of bean sprouts.

I've previously mentioned roti sai mai, candy floss wrapped up in thin pancakes. On this trip I had my sights set on another Ayuthaya sweet fav, khanom babin:

Tiny pancakes of sticky rice flour and coconut meat. When done right they're just a tiny bit crispy on the outside, and soft and sticky on the inside. And they're usually not too sweet either (a rare trait among Thai sweets). Khanom babin can be found in abundance at the market located directly behind Wat Phramongkhon Bophit.

Nittaya Curry Shop

2008-01-25T19:38:00.000+07:00

Many Thai dishes begin with a thick, pungent paste, typically combining chilies, garlic, shallots and sometimes dried spices. These pastes are known as phrik kaeng or khrueang kaeng, and in the past, were made at home, using a mortar and pestle. Nowadays, at least in Bangkok, most people skip this time-consuming step and buy pre-made pastes. There are lots of brands out there, but if you're lucky enough to live near Banglamphu, you can get yours at Nittaya.

Having made curry pastes for several decades now, Nittaya has quite a reputation. They've got everything here, from ready-to-go matsaman paste, to an excellent nam phrik phao. The curry pastes are kept in covered containers:

although this does little to mask the...delicious odour. They're sold by weight, and the staff can even put your choice into a leak-proof tube.

Nittaya also sells heaps of prepared curries and other dishes:

(To see a larger version of this pic, go here.)

Nittaya Curry Shop (Google Maps link)
136-40 Th Chakhraphong
02 282 8212
10am-7pm

Guilty pleasures

2008-01-23T07:25:00.000+07:00

Lest you think it's all famous restaurants and ancient recipes for me here in Bangkok, I do enjoy (relatively) trashy food once in a while. This desire usually manifests itself early in the morning, when I'm on my way to Chinatown to take photos. Stopping by Hua Lamphong, the city's main train terminal, I beeline to the snacks shown above. The waffle-like pastry above is in fact, cleverly known as The Waffle (motto: "Enjoy your life enjoy your waffle"). Lately I've been opting for sesame-salt flavour, but I'm also an firm supporter of rum-raisin. A hunk of The Waffle is best enjoyed with a steaming paper cup of espresso from Black Canyon (motto: "A drink from paradise... available on Earth"), a bargain at 50 baht.

And if there was any additional need to justify my decision, here's the view at Hua Lamphong:

(For a larger version of this pic, go here.)

Friend and fellow blogger Newley Purnell is also a big player on the Bangkok waffle scene. He has been known to down one or two The Waffles, but is probably most recognized for his promotion of that ancient Thai snack dish, the waffle-coated hot dog.

Choy Tii

2008-01-17T19:05:00.000+07:00

Ever find yourself in a rut? There's so much good stuff to eat in Bangkok's Chinatown, but somehow I always find myself going to the same places. Thus with the intention of trying something new, I stopped by Choy Tii, a shophouse noodle joint on Thanon Plaeng Naam in the heart of Bangkok's Chinatown. What initially drew me in was the shop's sign (above), which advertised phat mee hong kong, Hong Kong-style fried noodles. Unfortunately Choy Tii was out of the thin, pale wheat noodles used to make this dish and I was asked if I'd rather have mee haeng, 'dry noodles'. I agreed, reluctantly, and received this:

The noodles, the flat kind known as bamii, were par-boiled along with a few leaves of lettuce, and the whole lot was topped with cubes of fatty muu waan, 'sweet pork', and generous lashings of thick dark Chinese-style vinegar. The dish was meaty, oily and sour, and I thought it was one of the best bowls of noodles I've had in a long while. I ate every last bit.

Looking at the sign again it appeared that yen taa fo was Choy Tii's signature dish, so I decided to try a bowl. I was highly disappointed: the soggy noodles, tasteless factory-like fishballs and weak broth were particularly disappointing, especially after the wonderful yet simple bowl I had just eaten. It was almost enough to make me order another mee haeng.

Choy Tii (Google Maps link)
59 Th Plaeng Naam
02 222 6087
Lunch & dinner

Poj Spa Kar

2008-01-15T16:39:00.000+07:00

This restaurant, pronounced phot saphaa khaan, is famous for its cook, who is the relative of a former cook in the royal palace. The restaurant, which has been located in the same place since 1925, claims to follow these royal recipes, and serves excellent old-school faves such as mee krawp (sweet/sour crispy noodles) and kaeng liang (a thick soup combining shrimp and vegetables). I particularly like the more unusual dishes such as a delicious salad of fresh herbs and grilled pork, and the deceptively simple but delicious omelet with lemongrass (pictured above).

Poj Spa Kar (Google Maps link)
443 Th Tanao
02 222 2686
10:30am-2:30pm, 5:30-9pm Mon-Fri; 11am-9:30pm Sat-Sun

Media roundup

2008-01-14T13:47:00.000+07:00

It's been a busy holiday season:

Phil, of The Last Appetite, and I did a piece about Cambodia's pepper (above) that is in the current issue of Chile Pepper.

I took the photos for a piece about dining in Bangkok in last month's Olive.

I believe I have a piece about phat thai in the current issue of Intermezzo.

Here's an interview (in French), with friend and photographer Eric Valli about our experience photographing bird nest gatherers in southern Thailand one year ago. His photos, including one that I took, were in a recent Paris Match.

And lastly, RealThai was mentioned in a recent New York Times piece on food in Bangkok.

Sor Raad Naa

2008-01-12T15:53:00.000+07:00

You'd think you could get fried rice just about anywhere in Bangkok. But Cherry insisted we needed to go to Thanon Thaa Din Daeng, across the river in Thonburi. Cherry has taken me to some good places on this street before, so I had no reason to object.

What makes Sor Raad Naa's fried rice worth the journey is that owner fries the rice old-school style in a wide flat wok over very, very hot coals. Occasionally he tilts the wok to impart everything with a smoky flavour:

If the coals aren't hot enough, he flips a switch that turns on a high powered fan. He does two types of fried rice, one with tomato (pictured above) and another with Chinese kale:

The tomato version was slightly sour, and I imagine that the kale version would taste slightly bitter from the greens. Both are topped with pork that has been marinated and cooked ahead of time.

As the name suggests, the shop was originally known for its raad naa, noodles fried in a thick gravy. They also do the fried noodle dish, phat sii iw, but it seemed that most people, like us, came for the fried rice.

Other places on the same street that Cherry has taken me to include the famous satay place and Chua Jiab Nugan.

Sor Laad Naa (Google Maps link)
Soi 13, Th Thaa Din Daeng
Lunch & dinner

Sanguan Sri

2008-01-09T17:35:00.000+07:00

This restaurant (pronounced sa ngoo an see), resembling a concrete bunker filled with office furniture circa 1973, has been a longtime favourite of the the lower Sukhumvit professional set. The kitchen specializes in central and southern Thai fare, with an emphasis on sweet-savoury dishes and curries.

On a recent visit, friends Liz and Dan and I ordered khaao tang naa tang (pictured above), crispy rice cakes served with a sweet-savoury coconut milk, herb and ground pork topping. On previous visits I have had a good kaeng phet pet yaang, red curry with grilled duck breast served over khanom jeen noodles, and an interesting salad containing dried fish:

I've eaten here quite a few times recently, and have enjoyed each meal. This is in contrast to David Thompson, who told me he didn't enjoy his latest visit. I urge those of you in Bangkok to stop by and let us know what you thought.

To find Sanguan Sri, enter Thanon Withayu and look for a gray, featureless building that you'll inevitably walk past without noticing.

Sanguan Sri (Google Maps link)
59/1 Th Withayu
02 252 7637
Mon-Sat, 10am-2pm

Maan Mueng/Yaa Maeng Wai

2008-01-08T00:15:00.000+07:00

I've mentioned this northern Thai restaurant suburban Bangkok previously, but after a recent meal, and now that I'm mapping restaurants, feel compelled to mention it again.

Perhaps I wasn't so decisive about this before, but after my third visit, I'd say that this place serves the best northern Thai food I've eaten outside of the region. In fact, I'd wager that Maan Mueng puts out better northern Thai nosh than many restaurants in Chiang Mai! If you come during the day, the selection if huge, and you can just point to whatever looks good from the pots out front. It's probably one of the only places in Bangkok where you can get seasonal dishes, such as the dish pictured above. It's called yam phak hueat, and is made from sour-tasting leaf (phak hueat) that is minced and par-boiled before being mixed with a curry paste and some other herbs and seasonings. It may not look (or sound?) that pleasant, but was delicious.

Another fun dish was something of a northern Thai tempura; big green chilies stuffed with a delicious minced pork mixture, then battered and deep-fried:

But perhaps the coolest thing about Maan Mueng is the greens; there's a vast table topped with bowls containing different veggies, leaves and herbs, many of which most Bangkok Thais wouldn't even recognize:

A waitress warned me that one herb I chose would make my mouth numb. She was right.

Maan Mueng, which is also known as Yaa Maeng Wai, and which is now open evenings, recently moved a bit further up Ramkhamhaeng, and is now truly outside of the city, but is definitely worth a visit.

Maan Mueng/Yaa Maeng Wai (Google Maps link)
Ramkhamhaeng 162
8am-10pm (closed Tuesday)
081 913 3413/081 771 1708

Samut Songkhram's morning market

2008-01-06T10:28:00.000+07:00

Samut Songkhram, a small town south of Bangkok, has one of the most interesting fresh markets in the country. As illustrated above, a significant part of the market is located directly on the city's railroad tracks. When the train runs through, as it does several times each day, everybody picks up and moves to allow it to pass, then immediately gets back down to important task of vending. The aesthetics of the situation, not to mention the excellent food, led to some interesting images, some of which can be seen here.

Update: Reader cranrob sent a link to a hilarious YouTube video (not mine) of the train running through the market:

Foreign food

2008-01-05T19:18:00.000+07:00

It may not look like it, but these very Thai-looking sweets, photographed at a market in Samut Songkhram, are in fact Portuguese in origin. Here's a description of how they came about, excerpted from an article I wrote a while back for Chile Pepper magazine:

Other than simply having brought new ingredients to the people and places they colonized, in some cases, by living and mixing with local populations, the Portuguese also had an impact on the way Asians cooked. This can be seen as early as the early 16th century, when after having secured the port of Melaka in present-day Malaysia, the Portuguese went abroad to nearby Thailand, then known as Siam. Establishing friendly relations with the kingdom that was based in Ayuthaya, the Portuguese influenced an unexpected aspect of Thai cuisine: its sweets. By introducing the concept of using egg yolks and flour, ingredients integral to Portuguese dessert making, the Portuguese had an impact on Thai desserts that exists until today. Remnants of this legacy can still be found Ayuthaya today. There I came across a variety of Thai sweets, probably variants of ovos moles, a Portuguese egg custard. These bright orange sweets included foy thong, ‘golden strands’, thong yot, ‘golden drops’, and thong yip, ‘pinched gold’, the names all including the Thai word for gold, thong, a reference to the color imparted by the use of duck-egg yolks.

Do I have any Portuguese readers out there? Am curious to know if these sweets still take the same form in their country of origin.

Stay tuned for more pics from Samut Songkhram's very impressive market.

Kok Kaat

2008-01-04T16:24:00.000+07:00

Curries are a big deal in Kanchanaburi. People in this province love them, and love lots of them. I saw a restaurant in Thong Phaa Phoom district advertising 100 dishes. You can recognize such restaurants by the stainless steel pots out front. Other than curries, you'll also find soups, stir-fries and other dishes. Understandably, it's a big decision:

Finding myself both in Kanchanaburi and hungry, I was lucky to find Ko Kaat, a roadside stall boasting 39 dishes. After lifting about 20 lids, my partner in eating, Aong and I finally rounded it down to four dishes. Unfortunately, Kok Kaat appears to favour quantity over quality, and the dishes were had were average, although not bad. These included a pretty good tom yam het, mushroom tom yam:

and kaeng khii lek, a curry made from a bitter leaf:

For a few more pics, see the slideshow here.

Kok Kaat (Google Maps link)
211/1 Th Saengchuto, Kanchanaburi
034 512481
7am-3pm

Jay Wa

2007-12-30T16:12:00.000+07:00

Khao man kai, Hainanese-style chicken rice is a dish you can find just about anywhere in Bangkok. The hard part is finding a good one. Working on vague word-of-mouth instructions, my food detective friend Aong and I found ourselves near the Victory Monument confronted by two identical-looking khao man kai restaurants. Employing an innate ability to find good eats in Bangkok that has yet to fail us, we chose Jay Wa. Good choice. The rice was perfectly-cooked (not too soggy or to dry), and my favourite part, the sauce -- a mixture of tao jiaw (fermented soybeans), ginger and vinegar -- was also wonderful.

In the course of our gluttony we discovered that Jay Wa also does a wonderful kuaytiaw yentafo (a noodle soup combining fish balls and a red, spicy broth).

Khao Man Kai Jay Wa (Google Maps link)
Victory Monument
02 640 9891
lunch & dinner

A change is gonna come...

2007-12-21T12:57:00.000+07:00

In the words of the great Mr. Cooke, I'd like to announce some significant changes coming to RealThai. In the next couple days, those visiting this blog will automatically be redirected to a more general foodblog at my online portfolio, www.austinbushphotography.com/foodblog. RealThai has been just as international as it has been Thai for while now, so you can expect to see no real change in content. However I thought thought that integrating my blogs (I'll also have a photography blog, www.austinbushphotography.com/photoblog) with my online portfolio would make a unique 'hub' of all my work. I hope you'll agree, and I also hope you'll take the time to check out the new images that form my portfolio, as well as my photography blog. Enjoy!

Naay Mong

2007-12-20T09:56:00.000+07:00

Mr. Mong makes the best hawy thawt, fried oysters, in town. Actually, don't tell Mr. Mong, but I prefer it when Mrs. Mong is at the stove (see above). Her dish is greasy, has little nutritional value, and honestly, doesn't look very attractive:

but it's delicious, which is what counts.

To make it, they fry a flour and egg-based batter over a coal-burning stove until it resembles crispy and nearly burnt pancake:

They then toss either mussels or oysters on the stove and along with some spring onions, soy sauce and a corn starch wash, fry until just done. These are then used to top the crispy batter.

I'm told they also make an excellent fried rice with crab.

Naay Mong (Google Maps link)
539 Thanon Phlapplaachai
02 623 1890
5-10pm

Thai Charoen

2007-12-19T10:53:00.000+07:00

Wandering about Bangkok's Chinatown as I often do, I tend to pass by lots of good eats, usually immediately after I've finished eating. I always make a mental note to come back, but it's not often that this happens.

A couple weeks ago I finally made it back a shop that I had noticed several times. Thai Charoen, a tiny family-run place along Thanon Charoen Krung, sells equal parts Thai (curries, spicy stir-fried dishes) and Chinese (stewed veggies, fried noodles), and dishes, such as the stuffed squid shown above, that seem to straddle both cuisines.

I had eggplant stir-fried with fish dumplings (another Thai-Chinese 'fusion' dish), and a bowl of jap chai, a Chinese vegetable stew.

Both excellent, and I would recommend stopping by. And on this note, I realize Bangkok is a big, confusing town, so from now on, I'm going to try to link all my restaurant writeups to Google Maps. Hope this helps!

Thai Charoen
454 Thanon Charoen Krung (Google Maps link)
02 221 2633
9am-7pm

Not exactly food related, but

2007-12-16T21:13:00.000+07:00

the images I got of actors getting ready for a ngiw performance in Bangkok's Chinatown are still pretty cool. Some more can be seen at my photo blog, The Old Main Drag.

Menu for Hope '07

2007-12-13T19:00:00.000+07:00

What is Menu for Hope?
It's when food bloggers from all over the world join together, and take leave from our usual obsession with our own stomachs. Throughout the year, we tend to wank on about food, beer, wine and other such visceral pleasures, but for two weeks every December, we pull together a bunch of excellent prizes and ask you, our readers, to help us support those who are not so lucky, to whom food is not a mere indulgence but a matter of survival. This Menu for Hope is our small way to help. All proceeds go to the World Food Program.

RealThai and all other excellent and gracious foodblogfriends have managed to add to the global prize pool....prizes are:

BANGKOK PRIZES
From me, a free copy of latest edition of the Lonely Planet's Bangkok Guide (which I'm currently writing) + one-day Bangkok food tour. (value $200 USD)
Code: AP30

Dinner for 2 @ Bangkok's premier destination restaurant Bed Supperclub Bangkok (value 3500 baht)
Code: AP28

18 year old Chivas Regal Scotch Whisky Gold Signature (value 95 USD) also from the good folks at Bed Supperclub
Code: AP23

12 bottles of deliciously good 42 Below Vodkas to see you through 2008 courtesy of the kind kiwis at 42 Below (value 12,000 baht)
Code: AP24

6 bottles of 42 Below Seven Tiki Rum. Also from the kiwi crew. Makes perfect mojitos (value 6,000 baht)
Code: AP25

One night accommodation at hip hotel Dream Hotel, Bangkok (value $280++ USD). Donate and sleep in peace in their sumptuous DREAM Beds
Code: AP29

SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA PRIZES
One night accommodation at uber hip hotel Hotel De La Paix, Siem Reap (value $235 USD)
Code: AP31

One night accommodation at boutique hotel in the heart of Siem Reap's charming laneway Be Hotel Angkor subject to availability (value $150 USD)
Code: AP32

Market Tour and Cooking Class with Joannes Riviere, Khmer food expert and author of La Cuisine du Cambodge avec les apprentis de Sala Bai. He knows all the women at the market, speaks fluent Khmer and can teach you how to make a mean samlor machu
Code: AP33

Wild Jungle Honey Collecting Tour with Angkor Conservation Centre for Biodiversity Sustainable Bee Program. A once in a lifetime experience. Trek into the jungle with experienced guides, collect wild honey and taste the magic that is freshly harvested bee pollen (value 200 USD)
Code: AP34

To Donate and Enter the Menu for Hope Raffle
Here's what you need to do:

1. Choose a prize or prizes of your choice from our Menu for Hope above or at the global prize list site
2. Go to the donation site at First Giving and make a donation.
3. Please specify which prize you'd like in the 'Personal Message' section in the donation form when confirming your donation. You must write-in how many tickets per prize, and please use the prize code.
Each $10 you donate will give you one raffle ticket toward a prize of your choice. For example, a donation of $50 can be 2 tickets for EU01 and 3 tickets for EU02 - 2xEU01, 3xEU02.
4. If your company matches your charity donation, please check the box and fill in the information so we could claim the corporate match.
5. Please check the box to allow us to see your email address so that we can contact you in case you win. Your email address will not be shared with anyone.

Regional Prizes
UK: The Passionate Cook and Cooksister!
Europe:Food Beam
US: West Coast:Rasa Malaysia
US: East Coast: Serious Eats
US: Central: Kalyn's Kitchen
Canada: The Domestic Goddess
Asia Pacific, Australia, New Zealand: Grab Your Fork
and, last but not least, our special Wine Blog Host: Vinography

Check back on Chez Pim on Wednesday, January 9 for the results of the raffle.
Thanks for your participation, and good luck in the raffle!

Modern Thai cuisine

2007-12-07T15:25:00.000+07:00

Phil's recent post at The Last Appetite reminded me that I've yet to post a few additional images from our recent mini Southeast Asian bloggers summit. The pictures in question are of khanom pang ping sangkhayaa, toast topped with a kind of coconut custard (pictured above). I'm not entirely sure what is responsible for the orange colour, but whatever it was, it tasted as artificial as it looked.

There was also nom naam daeng:

chilled milk mixed with naam daeng, a syrup-and-food-colouring mixture that all Thais seem to love, and that I thought went very well with this employee's outfit:

Despite garish colours involved, I actually like this restaurant. It's called Thian Song, and is an old-school Chinese eatery-slash coffee shop in a fun part of town, minutes from the Giant Swing. It's probably favourite place to drink iced coffee--just stay away from anything bright.

Thian Song (Google Maps link)
168-172 Thanon Din Sor
02 224 4554
8am-8.30pm

A brief Australian interlude

2007-12-05T10:29:00.000+07:00

I recently made my first trip to Australia to attend a Lonely Planet writers' workshop (ta Tony and Maureen!). The workshop was held at LPHQ in Melbourne, but I touched down near Byron Bay, at a place called Brunswick Heads. My friend K lives a short walk from the sea, which, I've been told, is good for a variety of things, in particular easy access to excellent fish and chips:

It was also a pleasure to discover that Australians consistently do excellent coffee:

although the nomenclature is a bit difficult to get one's head around. In Australia, an espresso is known as a 'short black', but at the coffee bar above I mistakenly called it a 'small black' and received a blank stare as a response!

After a long weekend of relaxing by the beach, I flew over to Melbourne for the workshop. I only had an afternoon free to explore the city, so armed with tips from Phil and Hock, I headed directly to the amazing Queen Vic Market:

I really loved the deli section (above) that has all that good stuff that is so hard to find, and/or too expensive here in Bangkok.

This was followed by a delicious lamb souvlaki at Medallion Cafe in the Greek district (apparently Melbourne is the largest Greek city outside of Greece), immensely filling Western-Chinese at the brilliantly named Supper Inn, and a mini pub crawl to Transport (which boasts 150+ kinds of beer including the excellent Crackenback Pale Ale, and the local brew, Mountain Goat Pale Ale), and Hock's old haunt, Troika.

Melbourne has to the be most Asian 'Western' city I've ever visited, and seeing as LP HQ is in Footscray, home to the city's largest concentration of Vietnamese, J, one of my former editors, took some of us out for a Vietnamese lunch:

where we had huge bowls of a very tasty vegetarian pho:

Yuy Lee

2007-12-02T13:54:00.000+07:00

You've just got to keep your eyes open. Khao soi, the northern Thai curry noodle dish that every foreigner seems to love, is in fact available in Bangkok. My most recent discovery was on Thanon Sukhumvit, an unlikely place to find good, let alone, regional Thai food. A small family-run shophouse outfit, Yuy Lee has been serving khao soi for a couple decades. Despite this, the product of their labour:

is, in my opinion, decent, but not exceptional. The broth could have used a bit more oomph, and the noodles were regular round bamee noodles, not the flattish noodles typically used in khao soi. The deep-fried crispy noodles were also of the cheap, packaged variety.

Much stronger was the khanom jeen naam ngiao (pictured above). The broth was fragrant and deliciously sour (from the addition of tomatoes), and loaded with deep-fried crispy garlic. If I went to Yuy Lee again, I would probably go straight for this rather than waste time with the khao soi.

For a cutting edge dispatch from the heart of khao soi country, check out The Last Appetite's recent post, which in a bizarre circle, also links back here.

Yuy Lee (Google Maps link)
25 Sukhumvit Soi 31
02 258 4600
10am-8pm, closed Sun

Any guesses where I've spent the previous week?

2007-11-24T20:52:00.000+07:00

Hint: The vendor was out of tomato sauce.

Ko Lun

2007-11-12T22:29:00.000+07:00

Something of a mini Southeast Asian food bloggers summit was held a couple weeks ago here in Bangkok. This involved Hock of Gut Feelings, Phil formerly of Phnomenon and currently The Last Appetite, and me of here, and any day now, Gut Feelings. Aided with my in-depth Bangkok food experience, as well as a handy illustrated map provided by food-blogger-in-spirit Aong, we attacked Thanons Tanao and Mahanop, leaving nary a crumb behind.

I've mentioned most of our stops in previous posts, so I'll just touch the one new place I visited, Ko Lun. Directed by Aong's map, we entered Thanon Mahanop and turned right at the fat dog:

and started with the recommended khanom jeen hailam, Hainan-style noodles (pictured above). The dish took the form of a clear, rather bland broth, with hearty udon-like noodles, and deep-fried and par-boiled pork, and oddly, toasted sesame seeds. It wasn't much to write home about until you added the tiny bowl of seasoned shrimp paste, an unusual but tasty condiment for a noodle dish.

The restaurant's other signature dish is goat stewed in red sauce:

It was good--although perhaps not as flavourful as the deeply-coloured broth would suggest. The goat was still pretty tough, and was supplemented with tofu skin and offal:

The dish was served with rice and two dipping sauces, one very much like the spicy/sour Thai seafood dipping sauce, another of finely shredded dried galangal that I found absolutely delish.

Despite the big names and egos involved, it was an enjoyable day, and the Summit went generally well until Phil unsuccessfully tried to score us a free meal by promising to blog on the restaurant ('Do you know who I am? No? Does a little thing called Phnomenon ring a bell? Bitch...').

Ko Lun (Google Maps link)
Thanon Mahanop
089 010 2123
8am-4pm

Grass jelly

2007-11-10T20:18:00.000+07:00

Grass jelly is a dessert of Chinese origin that can be found virtually everywhere in Southeast Asia. If you're not familiar with it, have a look at this piece I wrote last year for a domestic paper.

My favourite place in Bangkok to eat grass jelly is an old shophouse just a few steps away from Tha Chang. There are a couple of chairs and tables inside, but most people simply sit on the stools set out along Thanon Maharat, as shown in the picture above.

The grass jelly itself has subtle 'herbal' flavour, and is served with crushed ice, but my favourite part is the unprocessed cane sugar, naam taan daeng, that the dish is topped with:

9 Days in the Kingdom Photo Exhibition

2007-11-09T20:01:00.000+07:00

I'd like to urge any readers in Bangkok to visit the 9 Days in the Kingdom photo exhibition currently being held on the 8th floor of ZEN, Central World. The exhibition is the offshoot of the book of the same name that features the images of world-famous photographers such as Greg Gorman, David Alan Harvey, Steve McCurry, Mike Yamashita, Abbas, Eric Valli, et al over a nine-day period in Thailand during January, 2007. James Nachtwey's images on an AIDS hospice are particularly moving, and I really enjoyed shots by Surat Osathanukhrah, Dow Wasiksiri, Gueorgui Pinkhassov and Ben Simmons. And as an added bonus, I'm actually featured in one of the images! Mad props to the first RealThai reader who finds me.

Roti Mataba

2007-11-08T16:35:00.000+07:00

Roti Mataba is the name of restaurant on Thanon Phra Athit that has been made extremely popular by its place in the Lonely Planet guide. It used to be quite good, but standards have dipped in recent years and I'd not really recommend it any more. The Roti Mataba I'm mentioning today is an entirely different place.

Found around the corner next to Thammasat University, this Roti Mataba is located at the beginning of the impossibly narrow alleyway known as the Tha Phra Chan Market. We were simply here for a snack, and ordered a mataba (pictured above), a Thai-Muslim dish similar to a stuffed pancake. This one was filled with minced chicken that had been mixed with a delicious 'curry' mixture and egg. Mataba are always served with ajaat, a sweet/sour dipping sauce that includes sliced chilies (the mild type) and cucumber.

The restaurant itself is tiny cave-like affair:

(Click here to see a larger version.)

and since there's no ventilation, and virtually everything the restaurant makes is fried, the entire place is coated with a thin film of oil. It's also very hot, but despite all this, it really is an ideal place for a snack, as they serve a huge variety of drinks, as well as every imaginable type of Thai snack-type food, including hoy thord (fried oysters), spring rolls, som tam, and in particular, yam plaa duk foo:

the salad of crispy deep-fried catfish.

Roti Mataba Tha Phra Chan (Google Maps link)
081 309 6780

Likhit Kai Yaang

2007-11-05T08:50:00.000+07:00

Another day, another Bangkok food legend. Today's gem is Likhit Kai Yaang, an ancient isaan restaurant next door to Ratchadamnoen Thai boxing stadium in Banglamphu. Likhit doesn't appear to have changed much since its apparent grand opening in 1960-something, and is not unlike, I imagine, a Soviet-era mess hall. And as was probably the case with Soviet-era mess halls, I wouldn't particularly advise looking into the cave-like kitchen.

Kai yaang means grilled chicken, and this is what people come here to eat. The birds (in this case kai baan, the Thai version of free range chicken) are first marinaded in a secret mixture, which I'm thinking must include at the least garlic, coriander seeds and/or roots and perhaps a bit of turmeric, before being grilled over coals outside the restaurant by an expert:

The result is a crispy skin redolent of the delicious marinade, and flesh that is tender and slightly smoky. Lovely indeed. Other than the restaurant's namesake, Likhit also does the issan staples, including a delicious som tam:

tap waan, liver:

grilled catfish:

and tom saep, a spicy/sour issan-type tom yam:

All wonderful, in particular the som tam, but the chicken is the reason I'll come back.

Likhit Kai Yaang (Google Maps link)
74/1 Thanon Ratchadamnoen Klang (next to the Thai boxing stadium)
02 281 1094

Paa Thong Ko Sawoey

2007-11-02T18:16:00.000+07:00

Still in the Thanon Tanao area of Banglamphu, virtually across the street from K. Phanich and Nom Jo (I told you there's a lot of good stuff to eat here), exists a second-generation shop that specializes in making one product: paa thong ko. Essentially deep-fried bits of dough, it's a simple dish, and the owner has been making them in the same place for fifty years, taking over from his parents after they were too old to run the business.

The paa thong ko are served with a sweet milk-based dipping sauce flavoured with (and turned green by) bai toey, pandanus:

They are best eaten right away, when they're still hot, but I was surprised to find that the paa thong ko remained relatively crispy a good half hour after we bought them.

Paa Thong Ko Sawoey (Google Maps link)
540 Thanon Tanao
02 222 2635

Nom Jo

2007-11-01T09:17:00.000+07:00

Virtually next door to K. Phanich is Nom Jo, a small restaurant that specializes in, of all things, milk. This is an odd variety of Thai restaurant that, I assume, dates back to the days when milk was something not generally available in Thailand and Thais had to go to specialist restaurants to drink it. Nowadays milk can be bought everywhere, but the restaurants still exist, and have begun to sell a variety of dishes to stay alive.

At Nom Jo ('Jo's Milk') we skipped over the milk altogether and went directly to kuaytiao luy suan, literally 'noodles on an adventure in the garden'. I really have no idea regarding the origin of this name (can anybody help?), and can only assume that it has to do with the fact that the dish is served with a large variety of fresh herbs and veggies.

As shown above, the dish is similar in form to spring rolls, the main difference being that kuaytiao luy suan are 'wetter' and more savoury. With lesser versions of this dish, when you break the noodle wrapper, the typically 'dry' filling tends to tumble out. With Jo's version, the filling, a mixture of ground pork, carrot and shiitake mushrooms, and a few other things I can't recall, had been sauteed before being placed on a lettuce leaf and bundled in the noodle. This helped hold the mixture together, and the seasoning during this process also provided a salty, savoury taste. The rice-flour noodle wrapper was also very nice, and was thick and toothsome without being soggy or heavy.

The dish was served with two sauces: a delicious spicy/sour one similar to that served with Thai seafood, and another sweet sauce similar to the one Thais eat with fried chicken, not to mention herbs including basil, mint, sawtooth coriander and lettuce.

Nom Jo also serves what look like some very interesting Chinese-Thai stews and curries, not to mention a variety of drinks (both milk and non-milk).

Nom Jo (Google Maps link)
Thanon Tanao (next door to K. Phanich--look for the cow sign)
089 788 6417

K. Phanich

2007-10-30T16:58:00.000+07:00

Mango and sticky rice is, like phat thai and tom yam, one of the few Thai dishes foreigners seem to be familiar with even before arriving in Thailand. On Khao San Road there are even a couple mobile mango sticky rice carts that wander up and down the streets, scavenging for hungry new arrivals. I haven't tried these carts, but doubt they're anywhere as good as the stuff sold literally across the way at K. Phanich.

K. Phanich only sells khao niaow moon, sweetened sticky rice, and a few other sweet/savoury toppings; if you want to eat your rice with mango you can buy one from the woman waiting patiently out front. We arrived late in the day and she apologized several times that she only had slightly sour mangoes left. She choose what she reckoned to be the sweetest one and proceeded to peel and slice it for us:

K. Phanich has no seating, so we took our booty to the shop next door (another interesting place that I'll blog about next) where, after ordering a few more things to eat, we combined about half of the sticky rice with the mangoes, poured over the still-warm salty-sweet coconut dressing, and sprinkled the lot with the crispy dried peas (the peas don't provide much taste, but provide the dish a wonderfully crunchy texture). The mango was slightly sour, but I thought it was a pleasant counterpoint to the very sweet rice and sauce. This dish, like many other Thai desserts, also has a slightly salty flavour, and is best eaten slightly warm, which really allows the bizarre but delicious salty/sweet combo. to shine.

If you'd like to try to make this dish at home, here's a recipe from Pim.

K. Phanich
431-433 Thanon Tanao
02 221 3554

Bananas on the run

2007-10-29T14:33:00.000+07:00

Nakhorn Sawan Street, just outside Banglamphu in old Bangkok, is home to Talaat Nang Loeng, one of the older and more interesting markets in town. However the street is probably even more associated with the several shops in the area that sell kluay thawt, deep-fried bananas. This snack, also sometimes known as kluay khaek, is found just about everywhere in Bangkok, but what's special about these bananas is the way they're sold.

As illustrated above, the vendors take their product directly to the streets, waiting for a red light and weaving between stopped cars.

Technically, this is illegal, and every time a policeman comes, the vendors scream warnings at each other and run away frantically. I saw this happen several times in the nearly 15 minutes I watched them at work and thought that it seemed an awful nerve-wracking way to make a living.

Eventually I took a seat and tried the bananas. Although they're normally sold in bags of two for 20 baht, I bought a single bag for 10. The bananas of the particular vendor I bought were decent; not too greasy, but could have been a bit sweeter (and I prefer the ones with sesame in the batter). While I sat and crunched through my bag, I chatted with the vendors while they screamed at their co-workers in the streets when cops drove by. One vendor told me that he was particularly annoyed with journalists who had pretended to want to buy bananas, only to snap pictures and leave without buying anything.

Pok Pok

2007-10-24T09:10:00.000+07:00

I was recently forwarded this New York Times article about dining in Portland, Oregon (one of my three 'hometowns', along with Bangkok and Stockholm). Other than making me slightly homesick, I was surprised to learn that a Thai restaurant is among those currently creating a buzz back at home. I did a bit of research and found that Pok Pok, the restaurant mentioned, serves not just Thai, but ahaan isaan, northeastern-style Thai food. The self-proclaimed 'shack' was also voted the Oregonian's Restaurant of the Year. Two detailed and generally favourable blog reviews can be seen here and here (I particularly like this bit: "Fortunately the lighting is is much better than what you’d typically find in Thailand."). Sounds very interesting. Has anybody been?

Khao Soi Sophaphan

2007-10-21T14:57:00.000+07:00

I used to think khao soi, the northern Thai curry noodle dish, was nearly impossible to find in Bangkok, but in the last few weeks I've run across it more than a couple times. My latest discovery was ironically only a few kilos from my house, under the Ram Intra Expressway near the intersection with Lad Phrao.

Arriving just after lunch with my generally reliable food sidekick Aong, we were dismayed to find that they only khao sois remaining at that time were the pork and seafood varieties. This was immensely disturbing news, as khao soi is almost exclusively served with chicken or beef (a sign of the dish's Muslim roots). Pork is a lazy substitute and seafood khao soi is a heresy beyond words, and those responsible for the concept should be forced to eat...seafood khao soi for the rest of their days. Grudgingly, we chose the pork (shown above). The dish was a decent, if not mediocre take on the dish, but lacking the creamy, oily, spiciness of Faa Haam's nearly-perfect bowl. The sides (pickled mustard cabbage, sliced shallots and lime) also seemed of substandard quality. Sophaphan also serves the Shan noodle dish, naam ngiaow, as well as some northern Thai standards and som tam. Good in a pinch, I reckon, or if you're in the neighborhood (make sure you come early), but you'll be much happier if you make the trip over to Viphawadee to eat at Faa Haam.

I've also come across khao soi on Sukhumvit Sois 22 and 31; stay tuned for a detailed investigation.

Khao Soi Sophaphan
86 Soi Inthraphorn (under the Ram Intra Expressway not far from the intersection with Lad Phrao)
02 530 6292
Mon-Sat, 9am-4:30pm

Addendum: In flipping through my replies to this blog, I recently received a comment from a woman who's doing a blog exclusively about khao soi in New York City! Honestly, I was surprised enough to find out that one can actually get khao soi in in the US (it's hard enough to find in Bangkok), but even more shocking is the price: $16 for a bowl of khao soi??!!?? Maybe I'm spoiled living here, but the price I payed for the bowl above, 30 baht--slightly less than $1, feels about right to me. Guess I won't be going home anytime soon...

Jay

2007-10-18T11:33:00.000+07:00

The annual Chinese vegetarian festival is now on until the 19th. On Tuesday I made it out to the Talaat Noi area where a Chinese temple called Saan Jao Jo Sue Kong is a centre of all the meat-free frenzy. Here heaps of white-clad worshipers come to watch ngiw (a Chinese drama, shown at the top of this post) pray, burn incense and candles, and buy the paper lanterns that form a virtual roof over the temple.

This is all fun, but my main goal was to eat, and my favourite dish to eat during the veggie festival is mii lueang, stir-fried Hokkien-style noodles:

At Talaat Noi these were made at very popular stall where had to wait about 20 minutes before we even got a seat.

Another thing I really enjoyed was khanom tup tab, a snack made by pounding peanuts with sugar until a thick, sweet skin is formed:

This is then wrapped around crushed peanuts. The result looks similar to, and tastes almost exactly like Butterfinger, but without the chocolate. Delicious.

Here and elsewhere in Chinatown you'll find meat-free versions of most popular Chinese-Thai dishes, including noodles, stews and stir-fries. Oddly enough though, despite this being a vegetarian festival, you'll find very few vegetables, and hardly anything green, Thailand's Chinese community preferring soybean and flour-based dishes.

A few more pics from the veggie festival, including some from last year's, can be seen here.

Chanthaburi

2007-10-11T08:56:00.000+07:00

I recently spent a couple days in the town of Chanthaburi. Discovering a new place is always fun, but sometimes it's better to have a guide, and on this trip I was fortunate to be accompanied by a well-connected half-Chanthaburian food freak.

Rice noodles, the main ingredient in phat thai (shown above) are associated with Chanthaburi, and we stopped by a factory where they still make the noodles the old school way, by drying them in the sun on bamboo racks:

Rice noodles are also used in kuaytiao muu liang, another dish associated with Chanthaburi:

We at at a place outside of town called Phrya Trang (address below). The broth gets its dark colour from a combination of local herbs, and its slightly sweet taste from the addition of pineapple. I'd say it was somewhat similar to kuaytiao ruea, but not quite as intense.

Root herbs are actually a very important part of the local cuisine in Chanthaburi, and a walk through any of the city's markets will reveal several kinds of plants generally not used elsewhere in Thailand, such as krawaan:

and young krachaay:

Being close to the sea, seafood is also a big deal, and the markets are stocked with heaps of fish, shrimp and squid, and even odder things, such as horseshoe crabs:

The ones above have already been grilled, and you only eat the eggs (often made into yam, Thai-style salad); there is no meat.

If you're at Chanthaburi's main market in the morning and find yourself in need of a snack, you can do like the locals and stop by this tiny stall selling paa thong ko, deep-fried bits of dough:

The stall is very popular, as the line of impatient motorcyclists suggests. Unlike elsewhere, in Chanthaburi paa thong ko are served with a thin, sweet/sour sauce, somewhat similar to that sometimes served with deep-fried chicken elsewhere in Thailand.

Muu Liang Phraya Trang
60/1 Moo 12 Tambon Tha Chang
039 339 761

Modern Thai cuisine

2007-10-10T22:07:00.000+07:00

Spotted at a market in Chanthaburi. My sources tell me they are filled with some sort of sweet liquid and are particularly favoured by the younger generation. Perhaps my all-knowing food mentor Aong can provide some insight? Anybody else?

More from Chanthaburi to follow in the next couple days.

Jay Kii

2007-10-04T14:33:00.000+07:00

If you've ever looked at my photo blog, The Old Main Drag, you'll have noticed that I tend to spend lots of time in Yaowarat, Bangkok's Chinatown. For the last few months, I've been working on a photo project that will be shown Bangkok's own Kathmandu Photo Gallery late next year. As a result, I've been going to Yaowarat at least once a week, often more. My favourite time to take pics in Yaowarat is early in the morning, and after a couple hours of walking and shooting, inevitably I get pretty hungry. Despite the variety of eats in Chinatown, I always end up eating at a streetside curry stall off of Thanon Phaatsaay called Jay Kii.

Jay Kii sells a variety of Chinese-Thai curries, stir-fries and soups:

These include an excellent kaeng khiaow waan look chin plaa kraay, green curry with fish dumplings, some nice soups, namely jap chai, the Chinese-style vegetable stew, or an excellent bitter gourd stuffed with pork in broth. But I always tend to go for her daily 'specials', such as this morning's naam phrik kapi 'set' (pictured at the top of this post), or her excellent khao khluk kapi (shown in this post). After some eats, and a glass of iced coffee from the stall in the same soi, I'm usually ready to wander for another hour or so before heading home.

Jay Kii
Thanon Phaatsaay (virtually next door to Iea Sae Coffee Shop) (Google Maps link)
7am-noon (or until all the curries are sold out)

Mee Krob

2007-09-29T14:31:00.000+07:00

Chote Chitr, a six-table restaurant in the Banglamphu district, has gained something of an underground following since it was mentioned in a New York Times article a few years back. I first learned about Chote Chitr (pronounced chote jit) from Suthon Sukphisit, author of the Bangkok Post's excellent weekly Thai food column, Cornucopia. Suthon told me that it is of his favourite places in town to eat, and in particular he always orders, mee krob, 'crispy noodles' (pictured above). He explained that Chote Chitr is one of the few places that makes this dish the old school way, using the peel of som saa, a certain kind of citrus fruit, to flavour the sauce. The sour/citrus flavour of the som saa is indeed very prominent in the dish, which despite appearances, wasn't as sweet as I feared. In fact, it was a very nice balance of sour, sweet and savoury, with a satisfying crunch. There were a few prawns and squid bits thrown in, a topping of shredded pickled ginger, and sides of Chinese kale and beansprouts. I've never made the dish, and have no idea where to get a good recipe. Any ideas?

For other good eats in this area, check out this post.

Chote Chitr
146 Thanon Phraeng Phuthon
02 221 4082
10am-10pm

Mangkorn Khao

2007-09-23T16:19:00.000+07:00

Bamii, wheat noodles served with muu daeng, barbecued pork, is a dish you can find just about anywhere in Bangkok. The vast majority of stalls are leased out by a franchise called Chai Sii, and are mediocre at best. The noodles at these stalls tend to be quite pasty, and the barbecued pork is largely flavourless meat that appears to have been painted with a overly-sweet red sauce. I'm sure there must be some good bamii out there, but the only place that has reached my lofty standards thus far is Mangkorn Khao ('White Dragon'), way out in Chinatown.

I always order kiaow naam:

wontons in broth. The wontons are filled with ground pork that has been mixed with an ungodly amount of ground black pepper, garlic and coriander roots, and wrapped around a single shrimp. The broth is subtle, but fragrant, and includes a few bits of greens and deep-fried pork rinds. Eat this and I can guarantee you'll still be tasting the warm black pepper/garlic/coriander root flavour a good half-hour after leaving. It's a nice feeling.

I like to follow this with a bowl of bamii haeng muu daeng, 'dry' noodles with barbecued pork:

The noodles at Mangkorn Khao are slightly thinner than those you'll find elsewhere, and are toothsome and have a pleasant nutty flavour. The barbecued pork appears to have really been barbecued, and is slightly crispy and fatty, almost bacon-like. If pork is not your thing, you can also get crab meat, which I usually do at lesser stalls, but the pork here is so good I can't pass it up. If you order your noodles 'dry', the broth is served on the side, and I like to add just a couple tablespoons to loosen up the noodles.

Mangkorn Khao was mentioned previously here.

Mangkorn Khao
Corner of Thanon Yaowarat and Thanon Yaowaphanit (across the street from the corner of Th Yaowarat and Th Plaeng Naam)
Every day 7pm-12am (but they often run out as early as 10 or 11)

Eat this dish

2007-09-19T14:14:00.000+07:00

There are heaps of good things to eat in Thailand. But if there was one dish that I would recommend to visitors, particularly because so few foreigners seem to be familiar with it, I would choose khao khluk kapi. This literally means 'rice mixed with shrimp paste', which is a poor description of this vibrant dish that seems to include every favourable flavour and texture in Thai cooking.

The dish is based around rice that has been fried, or sometimes boiled, with shrimp paste, giving it a pleasant fishy odour and a greyish-brown hue. This rice is topped with ingredients that usually include shredded green mango, slices of cucumber, a thin omelet that that has been sliced into strips, thinly sliced shallots, thinly sliced green beans, crispy deep-fried dried shrimp, and sometimes a few slices of kun chiang, Chinese-style pork sausage, and small slices of pineapple. There's always a side of muu waan, pork belly that has been braised in palm sugar and fish sauce, a garnish of few dried chilies deep-fried until crispy, and often a slice of lime. The dish is often, but not always served with a dish of clear broth.

The dish is salty from the shrimp paste, fresh and crispy from the veggies, sweet from the fruit and muu waan, and can also be spicy, if you decide to mix in the chilies. I like to mix everything together beforehand to ensure that I get a bit of each flavour/texture in each mouthful.

For more in-your-face khao khluk kapi action, check out the excellent version done at Ratana; an acceptable take at a local noodle stall; a decent but scant version at Tha Chang market; an improvised version at the Suan Lum Night Bazaar; and a haphazard dish at a local restaurant.

Jay Fai

2007-09-18T21:36:00.000+07:00

Jay Fai is probably the most famous place in town to get phat khii mao ('drunkards' stir-fry'), the spicy fried noodle dish that, like the name suggests, seems to combine just about everything in the kitchen. People go to Jay Fai because the noodles are good, but her restaurant might actually be more famous because the noodles are expensive. Now, 200 baht (about $7) may seem like chump change to those of you reading this in the West, but it's a helluvalot for noodles here in Bangkok. Expectations run high.

I got there at 5pm, just as she was opening, which meant having to wait through a lengthy prayer and offering session at her spirit altar. Jay Fai began by pouring a good half-litre of cooking oil into a smoking hot wok. This was followed by two large prawns. After deep-frying these, she tilted the wok to pour out nearly every last drop of oil, reassuring me the entire time that "It won't be oily, it won't be oily..." And indeed, without adding any additional oil, she followed with the rest of the ingredients: the wide noodles known as sen yai, squid (both fresh and pickled), minced garlic, crab meat, chopped green beans, long slices of carrot, baby corn, palm heart, shiitake mushrooms, and finally, a healthy handful of holy basil leaves and a dollop of fresh chilies. While she sprinkled the lot with fish sauce, she explained that if the mixture stuck, she loosened it with a bit of broth, not more oil. The result:

was delicious: meaty, smoky, garlicky and only slightly oily. Was it worth 200 baht? Taste is subjective; try it yourself and decide. I'll certainly be back.

Jay Fai
327 Thanon Mahachai
02 223 9384
5pm-2am, Sun-Fri

Khrua Thalay

2007-09-17T21:18:00.000+07:00

On Sunday I was lucky enough to go to a new place with some new friends. New Friend #1 Hock spent several years on the professional banana boat circuit, but after a near-fatal collision with a dolphin, is currently flipping burgers at an anonymous Bangkok restaurant. His wife, and New Friend #2 Maytel is a self-confessed full-time blogger (Half Asian Tourist, Gut Feelings) and part-time academic. And there was New Friend #3, who I will refer to as New Friend #4, and who, although it's only marginally relevant, somehow reminded me of Australian chef David Thompson.

The new place was Mae Phim Beach in Rayong. In the Thai tradition, half of the beach is devoted to fresh seafood shacks, one of which, Khrua Thalay, Hock and Maytel had been to a few times previously. Rummaging though glass cases of live seafood, Hock chose Moreton Bay bugs, which our lovely chefstress suggested deep-frying with garlic:

Very nice, and actually a first for me.

Somebody wanted whelks (pictured above), another novelty for me--I had only known them as hoy waan. We had grilled, and dipped into the famous Thai seafood dipping sauce, they were wonderful.

I ordered hoy phat chaa:

clams fried with fresh herbs, including garlic, kaffir lime leaf, holy basil and krachaay. The clams were just done, and the balance of flavours nearly perfect.

Hock ordered plaa kraphong, seabass that was splayed and marinated with fish sauce before being deep-fried and served with a green mango dressing:

The fish was slightly salty and the salad provided the sweet and sour. There was balance.

And along with balance there was also a generous portion of fried rice with crab:

A lovely meal and a lovely day.

Khrua Thalay Seafood
Mae Phim Beach
07 138 7598

Yentafo Kruengsong

2007-09-17T10:04:00.000+07:00

The restaurant is named after yen ta fo, a Chinese noodle dish that has become very popular in Thailand in the last few years. For many foreigners, the dish, which includes delicacies such as coagulated blood, pickled squid and fish balls, not to mention a disturbingly bright-red broth, is rather off-putting. I previously felt this way, but have learned to embrace the weirdness of yen ta fo and now consider it one of my favourite noodle dishes, especially when consumed here.

On a recent visit, Aong ordered a bowl, which at this restaurant, is immense:

It includes all the weird stuff mentioned above, as well as phak boong, deep-fried fish skin and heaps of chili. Oh, and apparently somewhere in there are some noodles.

This restaurant also makes some very good non-noodle dishes, and I ordered khao phat nam phik long ruea:

rice fried with a particular type of chili dip (nam phrik long ruea) and served with sides of battered and deep-fried and fresh veggies. Very nice, but not as good as their khao nam phik khai poo, rice served with a spicy chili dip made from crab eggs.

We also ordered a couple sides, including deep-fried fish skin:

which tastes much better than it sounds. The crispy skin is served with nam phrik phao, a sweet/spicy chili dip. Ironically, I usually pick the skin off when I eat fish, but like eating this stuff, especially with the dip.

There was also an assortment of look chin plaa, fish balls:

served with a delicious dipping sauce not unlike that typically served with seafood in Thailand. I particularly like the kiaow plaa, fish wontons (far left); the 'wrapper' is made from fish, and the filling is ground pork pounded up with fresh herbs.

For more yen ta fo-related mirth, refer to the yen ta fo eating contest (sponsored by Yentafo Kruengsong) that my buddy Kelly took part in last year.

Yentafo Kruengsong
(various locations about town: check this link for the one nearest you)

A taste of Luang Prabang in Bangkok

2007-09-14T00:13:00.000+07:00

Joy Ngeuamboupha (above) and Caroline Gaylard of Tamarind restaurant in Luang Prabang have been making their delicious Lao food at the Sheraton Grand Sukhumvit this week. As part of the occasion, a small, but elite group of the city's media was invited to take part in a cooking demonstration of three traditional Luang Prabang dishes taught by Joy himself.

Joy, a native of Luang Prabang province, and Caroline, an Australian, originally collaborated to make a cookbook of authentic Lao recipes. This led to, as these things do, a restaurant, and in 2005 Tamarind was born. Today their restaurant is still one of the only handful of places in Luang Prabang where visitors can sample authentic local dishes, and the owners have made it their mission to introduce people to authentic Lao food.

Before going through the dishes Joy taught us, here are a few tips from Joy about sticky rice, the Lao staple:

-Sticky rice should be soaked for 12 hours before cooking
-After soaking, the sticky rice needs to be washed three times; the first time gently squeezing the rice, the second two simply rinsing until eventually the water runs clear
-Sticky rice should be steamed for about 30-40 minutes, uncovered; when steam begins to rise from the top of the rice, take the sticky rice out, flip it over, and steam for another five minutes
-When the sticky rice is done, keep it in a katip, a permeable bamboo basket; keeping the sticky rice in a sealed container will cause it to become inedible mush

Oua Si Khai - Stuffed Lemongrass

Joy began by showing us how to make several long slices in the bottom parts of largish stalks of lemongrass:

After being softened (with a pestle) and opened, the stalks were then stuffed with a filling of ground chicken that had been blended in mortar and pestle along with salt, garlic, spring onions, coriander and kaffir lime leaf:

The lemongrass sticks were then dipped in an egg wash and deep-fried:

until the meat was just done, resulting in the finished product seen above.

Jaew Makok - A "Dip" of Roasted Chilies and Makok

This one might be a hard dish for many of you to make at home, as makok, also known as hog plum, is undoubtedly quite hard to find abroad. I wouldn't really recommend substituting anything, but would just say that it's there to provide a sour flavour to the dish.

Joy had a bowl of previously-roasted chilies (the large ones called phrik chee faa), shallots, garlic and the makok, the green fruit shown below:

He told us to peel the burnt bits off before mashing the mixture up in a mortar and pestle along with some salt and that very Lao of flavourings, MSG:

To this mixture Joy added a handful of deep-fried pork rinds, some chopped coriander and green onions. Still using the mortar and pestle, he mixed the ingredients again, adding a few tablespoons of water as it was quite thick. The finished dip should be salty and sour in flavour, and is served with sticky rice and fresh veggies and herbs.

Or Lam - Thick Luang Prabang-Style Vegetable Stew

This is one of my favourite Luang Prabang dishes. It should have a spicy/bitter flavour, the result of the addition of sakhaan, a vine used in Luang Prabang cooking. Joy brought several chunks of sakhaan to Bangkok, and showed us how it should be used.

He began by peeling and quartering the sakhaan, and soaking it in water:

While this was soaking, Joy brought a couple stalks of lemongrass, a few round eggplants, a couple cloves of garlic and a handful of pea eggplants to a boil:

A few minutes later he added some sliced pork and the sakhaan. The mixture was left to simmer for about a half hour, or until as Joy said, "The eggplants are soft." When this was accomplished, he removed all the solid ingredients, except for the pork and sakhaan, reserving the broth. He then pounded the now-soft herbs and veggies in a mortar and pestle until a rough paste was formed. This paste was re-introduced to the simmering liquid, along with a couple tablespoons of paa daek (Lao-style fish sauce), chopped green beans, more pea eggplant, mouse-ear mushrooms (het huu nuu), tamlueng, a vine-like leaf, and khao buea, sticky rice that had been soaked in water then broken up into a course powder, a traditional thickening agent:

While this was simmering, Top was ordered to chop up a huge amount of dill, coriander, green onions, sawtooth coriander and Thai basil:

Which he happily did. When the most recently-added veggies were just about done, the chopped herbs were stirred in:

and the mixture left to simmer for a couple more minutes. Enjoy with sticky rice and Beer Lao.

If you just can't get enough Lao, check out this photo essay on Luang Prabang food I did for Lonely Planet a while back; a still-unpublished piece I wrote about Luang Prabang food; some super cool Lao recipes; and an article about Lao food I wrote that ran in the US food mag, Intermezzo.

Fashion tips from a military dictator

2007-09-07T14:03:00.000+07:00

(A larger version can be seen here.)

I came across this interesting item at Wikipedia. It's a poster advocating how Thais should and should not have dressed during the conservative Phibulsongkhram era (1938-1945). It reads:

Thai Culture
When in communal or official places
When in public or on the street

(left side)
Do Not
Dressing in this manner is not part of Thai custom
Men:
Do not wear a sarong or expose the upper body
Do not shave your head or wear a Muslim-style hat
Women:
Do not expose the upper body or wear a shawl
Do not wear only underclothes or carry things on your head

(right side)
Do
Thai custom entails dressing this way
Men:
Do wear international-style clothes or Thai style short trousers
Do wear a proper button-down shirt
Women:
Do wear your hair long and a clean, proper outer shirt
Everybody must wear a proper skirt

Mad publicity

2007-09-05T20:33:00.000+07:00

Finally seeing the fruits of my labour, in print form:

I wrote the Food & Drink chapter of Lonely Planet's new Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos & the Greater Mekong guide,

supplied the pics for the Food & Drink chapter of the most recent Vietnam guide,

and did the "Local Voice" portraits and interviews for the new Bangkok Encounter book.

I'm currently at work on the next Bangkok and Thailand's Islands & Beaches guides.

Whew.

Mmm... toast

2007-09-05T19:06:00.000+07:00

Grilled, jammed and margarined toast, seen on Thanon Charoen Krung, Bangkok. For additional weird bread, check out previous posts on the Magical World of Thai Baked Goods. At your own risk, of course.

Fatima

2007-09-01T18:30:00.000+07:00

I recently met with Suthon Sukphisit, the author of the Bangkok Post's excellent weekly Thai food column, Cornucopia (ever Saturday in the Outlook section of the Bangkok Post). Khun Suthon is a gold mine of information about Thai food and hole-in-the-wall restaurants in Bangkok, and was kind enough to give me a few interesting leads that I will certainly follow up on these pages. One of the places he mentioned was a khao mok, biryani, stall near the Haroon Mosque off of Thanon Charoen Krung. According to Khun Suthon, the stall serves what he considers the best khao mok in town, but is only open on Fridays, the biggest Muslim prayer day.

Curious, I headed down last Friday to check it out. The stall was a bit hard to find, but after asking around I located a long table topped with snacks and sweets and three immense pots of biryani:

I ordered a plate of khao mok nuea, beef biryani (pictured at the top of this post), but honestly was skeptical. The rice seemed to lack the deep yellow/orange colour of previous excellent biryanis, such as that of Naaz, and wasn't even topped with crispy deep-fried shallots! Despite appearances, the rice and the beef were both rich in flavour, the rice was perfectly cooked, and had a pleasant spicy flavour and was laced with sweet golden raisins and green peas. I'm not sure if I would call it the best khao mok in town, but sitting at the open-air table next to the mosque and chatting with the other diners, reckon it's undoubtedly the most atmospheric.

Among the other things available here are a variety sweet snacks, some very tasty samosas:

and khao yam:

the southern Thai rice 'salad'.

Fatima, the owner, and her helpers were very friendly and talkative, and when I asked why she only sold on Fridays, she said that "There are not enough customers in this neighbourhood!" Too bad, that.

Fatima
Next to Haroon Mosque
Friday, 8am-noon

Chiang Heng

2007-08-31T14:16:00.001+07:00

(For a larger version of this pic taken with my Nikon 10.5 mm fisheye and edited with DxO go here.)

Chiang Heng is a blink-and-you'll-miss-it kitchen supplies store on Thanon Charoen Krung. The owner estimates that the Sino-Portuguese building that houses the shop is at least 100 years old, and he is the third generation of his family to own the business. The inside of Chiang Heng is coated with wood paneling that has been painted blue, attractive glass cabinets, and a floor made up of stone-like tiles that have obviously seen many feet over the years. Inside you'll find the kind of utilitarian, made-in-China kitchen supplies found in every Thai kitchen:

along with some pretty cool old-school kitchen gear, such as Chinese crockery:

aluminum and enamel-coated pots:

handmade woks:

pinto, the stainless-steel stackable Thai lunchboxes:

and lotsa plates:

Most of this stuff can probably be found at the Central department store just up the street, but entering Chiang Heng is a fun glance into the type of specialized, cramped but atmospheric shops that have all but disappeared from Bangkok.

Chiang Heng
1466 Th Charoen Krung (a short walk from Saphan Taksin BTS station)
02 234 7237

Rosdee

2007-08-28T20:40:00.000+07:00

After all this time, I think I've begun to develop something of a sixth sense for finding good restaurants in Bangkok. It's reached the point where after a quick glance, I can usually tell if a place is worth entering. Take today's restaurant, Rosdee. Walking by one day, I think it was the cool swan logo (shown above) that initially caught my attention, but upon entering, the restaurant's uniformed and bow-tied waiters, geriatric Chinese-Thai customers and old-school atmosphere left no doubt in my mind that this meal was going to be good.

There was or suan:

Oysters fried with egg and a sticky batter. At lesser restaurants this dish is like a tasteless, gelatinous blob. Here it was rich with garlic and barely-cooked egg, not to mention fresh, plump oysters. The batter served to hold the ingredients together, rather than dominate. Excellent.

On a previous visit I had crispy pork served over rice:

The pork was perilously crispy, but tasty nonetheless. I was somewhat disappointed not to see the spicy/sour dipping sauce that usually accompanies this dish, but the side of pickled ginger was an interesting substitute.

I particularly enjoyed fish fried with black pepper:

The fish had been deep-fried beforehand and was slightly crispy, and was re-fried with an insane amount of ground pepper, onions, sliced chilies, onions and green onion. There was so much pepper I found myself in a warm, peppery stupor afterwards. This is a good thing.

This being food of Chinese origin, one must order stir-fried veggies such as poy leng:

a green leaf not unlike spinach, and khanaa, Chinese kale with oyster sauce:

Salty, garlicky and only slightly oily. Perfect.

I was right.

Rosdee
2357 Sukhumvit (corner of Soi 95/1)
02 331 1375

Do have a look

2007-08-27T09:46:00.000+07:00

Although it still looks embarrassingly basic, I'm making more of an effort to update my photo blog, The Old Main Drag, on a regular basis these days. Despite the 'teaser' above, the images are not entirely food-related, but the vast majority were taken in Bangkok.

Baan Wacharachai Part II

2007-08-22T15:18:00.000+07:00

While in Ayuthaya we made a point of taking our friends to Baan Wacharachai, the restaurant we visited on our last trip. This place combines a wonderful atmosphere right on the river, outstanding Thai food, great service, and by Western standards, is very cheap--just about the perfect restaurant, I reckon!

We started with kapi khua, a 'dip' of shrimp paste sauteed with herbs and coconut milk:

The dish had a strong flavour of smoked fish and was pretty spicy--not something I thought everybody would like, but most people seemed to enjoy it.

There was a 'salad' of thin slices of grilled pork collar:

The pork was topped with a spicy/sour sauce similar to the Thai seafood dipping sauce, and was served with sides of tiny (but strong) cloves of garlic, slices of cucumber and tomato and garnished with mint. Delicious.

Tony ordered tom khaa:

the coconut milk and galangal soup that is usually made with chicken, but done here with large prawns.

Sophie ordered mixed veggies sauteed in oyster sauce:

I ordered kaeng liang:

and somebody ordered chu chi plaa nuea orn:

freshwater fish fried with curry paste. The curry sauce was tasty, but usually the fish is deep fried beforehand to make it crispy. Here fresh fish was used and Tony and I didn't much care for the texture.

There were a couple reruns from last time, including the spot-on yam thua phlu, wing bean salad:

and the sublime plaa chon phao, grilled/smoked snakehead fish:

served, as always, with three delicious dipping sauces. We ordered two of these, and hardly anything was left...

Baan Wacharachai
Wat Kasatrathirat
035 321 333

What is Carla eating?

2007-08-21T22:31:00.000+07:00

No, it's not blond hair rolled up in a napkin. In fact it is a sweet snack very much associated with Ayuthaya. Any guesses?

The Devil's in the Curry

2007-08-21T11:35:00.000+07:00

Clive Monte Sta Maria making the Kristang dish, debal curry, in the kitchen of Restaurant San Pedro, Melaka, Malaysia.

I have an article about Kristang (mixed Portuguese-Malay) food in the October issue of Chile Pepper magazine. Anybody happen to see it?

Bann Kun Pra

2007-08-19T18:14:00.000+07:00

I spent last weekend in Ayuthaya with a group of friends. As mentioned previously, the quiet town is a wonderful place to escape big city life, and features great restaurants, (relatively) cool weather and lots of stuff to do. After arriving, we asked the staff of our guest house to suggest a good place to eat, and they suggested a place called Bann Kun Pra.

The hotel/restaurant is located in a beautiful antique building directly on the river, and has creative menu. Unfortunately, as the stereotype goes, the places with the best locations/view often have mediocre food, and this was definitely the case with Bann Kun Pra. The first warning sign should have been the fact that the restaurant serves its rice in cute animal shapes:

After beheading our turtles, we dug into the dishes we ordered, which included asparagus stir-fried with prawns:

It was decent, although like most of the meal, bland and characterless.

A soup of cucumbers stuffed with ground-pork:

was, in my opinion, probably the nicest dish of the meal. The cucumber added a pleasantly sweet flavour to the broth, and the pork filling was peppery and tasty.

The sesame grilled chicken:

was, despite appearances, slightly spicy and not bad, although very dry.

Possibly the biggest disappointment was the grilled beef and mangosteen salad:

The dish sounded interesting on the menu, but the beef appeared to have been par-boiled, and other than a nearly tasteless coconut milk dressing, the dish had little flavour.

Carla ordered rice fried with curry powder:

and Ron can apparently not go an entire meal without ordering flash-fried morning glory:

Which is OK, as I'm the same way. Unfortunately Bann Kun Pra's take on the dish was bland and unnecessarily included ground pork.

Again, I imagine Bann Kun Pra is a lovely (although slightly overpriced) place to stay, but not a very good destination for authentic Thai food.

Bann Kunn Pra
48 Moo 3 U-Thong Road
Ayuthaya
035 241 978

Ovalcano

2007-08-19T15:38:00.000+07:00

Meet the Ovalcano--an iced Ovaltine drink topped with several heaping tablespoons of Ovaltine powder and a sprinkling of Coco Pops. Soon to be Thai classic along the lines of tom yam kung and phat thai. Available at a mobile coffee vendor near you.

Foo Mui Kee

2007-08-16T19:17:00.000+07:00

I had first read about Foo Mui Kee in a review in the Bangkok Post several years back. I forgot to make note of where the restaurant was, and after a while, forgot about it entirely. On a recent day I was only a block away from the English language library I visit frequently when I stumbled upon the restaurant. Upon entering and sitting down at one of the old-school wooden booths, I noticed that on every table sat a bottle of not fish sauce, but rather Worcestershire sauce:

and was reminded that Foo Mui Kee is known for its Chinese takes on English/Continental dishes. The menu confirmed this, with dishes such as pork chop, oxtail soup, and beef fillet salad. I decided on one of the recommended dishes, ox-tongue stew:

The ox-tongue, cooked in a tomato-based gravy, was tasty and very tender, and was coupled with potatoes, tinned peas and a plate of rice. The dish reminded me of a meal a Chinese cook would have made his English employers in Hong Kong back in 1942. It was not particularly inspiring, but good, and I loved the atmosphere of the restaurant and touches such as the complimentary chilled towel to wipe up after the meal. The women working there told me the restaurant was 80 years old, and I found it fun to take part in something that's been around for so long. I'll certainly be back.

Foo Mui Kee
10-12 Soi Prachoom (Soi 22)
02 234 6648

Pattaya: Som Tam Naa Mueang

2007-08-13T14:27:00.000+07:00

I had eaten at this modest isaan restaurant on my only previous visit to Pattaya several years back. The place is well known, and the memory of the som tam thai I had back still lives strong: crispy, chilled strips of green papaya gently coaxed with tart lime and barely smashed tiny cloves of garlic... I always wondered if the place was still around, and was excited when, arriving at the grilled chicken restaurant Songdet recommended, realized it was the very same place. I told you these guys have good taste in food.

This place is all about the som tam, in particular, the som tam thai:

which is som tam made with bottled fish sauce, and topped with peanuts and dried shrimp. It was every bit as good as I remembered; the papaya crispy, and the dish sporting an assertively tart flavour.

As a counterpoint to this central Thai dish, someone ordered the very northeastern version, tam sua, isaan-style som tam with khanom jeen noodles:

complete with the northeastern-style unpasteurized fish sauce known as plaa raa and pickled field crabs, I was surprised these Bangkok kids could eat stuff like this.

There were isaan staples such as laap muu, pork laap:

tap waan, 'sweet liver':

three dishes of khor muu yaang, grilled pork collar:

and an entirely too sweet wing bean salad:

And of course, the main reason Songdet took us here, the grilled chicken:

which according to him, is marinaded in honey.

And finally Peach, for some strange reason, decided to order som tam khao phot, corn som tam:

a bizarre mixture of corn and carrot. She said wasn't very nice. It didn't look very nice. Everything else was wonderful though.

Som Tam Naa Mueang
Thanon Pattaya Nuea (near the Tesco-Lotus)
038 423 927

Pattaya: Time Out

2007-08-12T15:52:00.000+07:00

Immediately after eating copious amounts of seafood at Tankay, we obviously required dessert. This turned out to be a no-brainer, as just across the street from the restaurant were two interesting looking gelato bars. Peach, Leew and I decided to try the one called Time Out, while all the others went into Italia, mostly because Mr. Noo described it as having a more "milky" smell.

Here's Peach and Leew choosing their flavours at Time Out, a process that involved considerable time and tasting:

I had rum raisin, as always, and found it more than acceptable. I'm pretty sure the girls enjoyed theirs.

And back at Italia, Pongston also appeared to enjoy his decision:

I wish there was more of this kind of ice cream in Bangkok...

Time Out
Walking Street, Pattaya
06 341 3500

Pattaya: Tankay Restaurant

2007-08-11T16:10:00.000+07:00

I spent the last three days in the resort town of Pattaya with my former students, the Satit Kaset IP Class of 2006. At 19 and 20 they're pretty much adults now, which seems strange to me as I first met most of them when they were in 6th grade! Apparently I had a good influence on them, as a few of them are now totally camera obsessed, and based on the meals we had, they generally seem to have pretty good taste in restaurants.

I'll be blogging on a couple of the places we ate at, but will start with our first meal, and the primary reason Thai people visit such places: seafood. Varawit led us to Tankay Restaurant, an open-air seafood joint located smack dab in the middle of Walking Street, Pattaya's sleazy go go bar area, an area he's apparently intimately familiar with.

There we consumed plaa meuk khai:

Grilled squid, including its eggs. I always like grilled squid, but don't really care for the eggs, which honestly have little if any flavour, and a spongy texture.

Plaa kraphong neung sii ew, fish steamed in soy sauce:

which included heaps of shredded green onion and ginger in a pleasantly salty broth. Very nice, apparently, as Chanon appeared to eat virtually every last fish molecule:

Somebody ordered thord man koong, deep-fried shrimp cakes:

and steamed crab legs:

and perhaps as a result of feeling a bit too carnivorous, I also decided to order some greens:

flash-fried morning glory, which was done exceptionally well here.

The meal was accompanied with three huge plates of crab fried rice (first pic above), the usual carb accompaniment to Thai seafood feasts.

All in all a very good Thai seafood meal, although considering the area, I imagine the atmosphere might be quite different at night!

Tankay Restaurant
Walking Street, Pattaya
038 710 447

Naam phrik kapi

2007-08-07T17:49:00.000+07:00

Today I found myself at the food court of Carrefour Rama IV. As with most food courts, there's a lot to eat there: Muslim food, yen ta fo noodles, Thai-Chinese eats, laad naa, curries and much, much more. All in all, it's a pretty average Bangkok food court, albeit on a slightly grander scale. However despite all these choices, I can never resist one particular dish when I see it. I'm a huge fan of veggies, and this dish has heaps. I also love fish and spicy stuff, and they're both there as well. And I don't like being locked into one single taste or flavour, and this dish has lots of variety.

The dish is naam phrik kapi, a 'dip' of shrimp paste mashed up with garlic, sugar, chilies and lime juice. The dip is served with rice, fresh vegetables, including green beans, wing beans and eggplants, par-boiled veggies, including cabbage, buap (a type of gourd), pumpkin, Chinese greens, and deep-fried battered eggplant, an omelet laced with cha om (a pungent herblike green), and perhaps most importantly, an entire battered and deep-fried mackerel.

Nam phrik kapi is a very Thai dish that tends to be served at people's homes, rather than at restaurants. It's also a dish that I don't see too many foreigners eating. If you happen to be at a food court and see something that looks like the above, do try it. You might find the naam phrik spicy, but you can always just take a bit less. If you don't happen to have a Thai food court at hand, recipes for naam phrik kapi can be found here and here.

Kinkoku

2007-08-06T16:59:00.000+07:00

Japanese food is big in Bangkok. Restaurants serving Japanese food can be found just about everywhere, and 'sushi' is even sold at my neighborhood's Saturday market. Despite this, I generally don't get too excited about eating Japanese here. The vast majority of Japanese restaurants take the form of characterless corporate chain-type places such as Zen, or the gorge-yourself-to-get-your-500-baht-worth buffets such as Oishi. There are also many privately-owned authentic eateries, particularly in the areas of Sukhumvit around the Emporium shopping center and Thong Lor, but these are quite far from my house. And yet another form of Japanese restaurant in Bangkok is the small informal Thai-owned and run place that put out a few standard dishes. Such is the case with Kinkoku, a tiny streetside Japanese restaurant/cafe at the Chatujak Weekend Market.

I and my friend Nick, doing research on an article about eats at Chatujak, sat down directly in front of one of those fans that blows cool misty air and started with yakisoba:

which was, well, yakisoba. Despite this, I think I enjoyed this dish the most, and the noodles were reasonably tasty and graciously un-oily. The dish contained tasty bits of browned chicken, and I liked the white cabbage (maybe because Thais rarely eat it?), especially when dipped in the salty soy sauce provided.

We asked the waitress what she recommended and she suggested the grilled mackerel with soy sauce:

I find this type of mackerel, known in Thai (via Japanese) as saba, to be almost assertively fishy and oily in flavour. Maybe I've just never had a really fresh one? This one was no different, although the sweet-tasting soy sauce almost concealed the fishiness. This dish was served with a bowl of Japanese rice and miso soup.

And finally we had grilled mushrooms:

For some reason they used the virtually flavourless straw mushrooms, het faang, as opposed to the more delicious (and infinitely more Japanese, not to mention appropriate for grilling) shiitake, het hom.

All in all a decent eat, and a fun break from the ubiquitous som tam and southern food of Chatujak, but certainly not worth a detour.

And on a non food-related tip, that morning I also got some pretty cool candid shots of vendors and shoppers that I've posted in black and white at my photo blog, The Old Main Drag.

Kinkoku
Chatujak Weekend Market
Section 6, Soi 18

Modern Thai cuisine

2007-08-03T18:50:00.000+07:00

Khanom bueang, temple fair, Ayuthaya. Mmm...

Ran Nam Tao Hu Yong Her

2007-08-03T14:07:00.000+07:00

The name of this restaurant literally means Yong Her Soy Milk Shop. Clever, isn't it? But soy milk is available just about everywhere in Bangkok, and clever restaurant names abound. The real reason you should come here is to try authentic northern Chinese food, a relative rarity here in Bangkok. The menu spans all the doughy, starchy foods loved by the residents of China's cold north, as well as some interesting salads, pickles, soups and oh yeah, soy milk (pictured above).

I asked the Chinese waitress what she recommended and she pointed to a menu item described in English as "Small steamed dumpling." Despite the vague name, I trusted her, and what came to my table was actually a huge tray of xiao long bao, the Shanghainese broth-filled steamed dumplings:

I found these to be much, much better than those I had previously at Crystal Jade. The skins were just strong enough to support the hot broth without being too thick, and the pork filling was soft, tasty and not overwhelming.

Unfortunately I was on my own and didn't get a chance to try much else, but I really enjoyed the dumplings, and the other diners' meals looked great as well, so you can expect to hear more from me about this place.

Ran Nam Tao Hu Yong Her
68 Thanon Narathiwat (near Chong Nonsi BTS station)
02 635 0003

Naaz

2007-07-31T20:21:00.000+07:00

I'm currently in the process doing research for the next edition of Lonely Planet's Bangkok guide. This involves, and I'm serious here, visiting and eating at lots and lots of restaurants. It's refreshing to finally get paid for doing this, and as expected, I'm taking the job very seriously. For this morning's research I made a point of stopping by Naaz, a Muslim restaurant that, in the words of the current edition, serves "...some of the city's richest khao mok kai (chicken biryani)." Upon reading this I immediately felt provoked and defensive, as I live nearly next door to what I consider one of Bangkok's best Muslim restaurants, the self-proclaimed King of Biryani, Yusup.

Upon arriving at Naaz I diverged a bit and ordered khao mok phae, goat biryani. Even before tasting it was clear that the guide doesn't lie. The rice was absolutely perfectly cooked (overcooked rice is a common theme of lesser biryanis) and was topped with slightly sweet golden grapes, halved cashews and deep-fried crispy shallots. The fragrant yellow mound concealed a joint of goat with meat so tender it could probably be consumed by an infant. The meat was also coated in a rich curry-like sauce that had soaked into some of the rice. The dish was so perfect I didn't even use the (overly sweet) sauce provided.

Yusup, you've got competition.

Here's the interior of Naaz, as well as the diverse and interesting menu:

I had other places to visit, so I unfortunately I couldn't try anything else, but I'd certainly be curious to visit on Thursday when apparently they serve something called Karai Ghost.

Do go here.

Naaz
24/9 Soi Phutta Osot (Charoen Krung Soi 43--opposite the Main Post Office)
02 234 4537
8:30am-10pm

Islamic Food Center

2007-07-30T17:33:00.000+07:00

I must be the luckiest food blogger in Bangkok. Hardly a day has passed lately when I'm not invited to try a friend's favourite restaurant. Now it seems that word of RealThai is spreading among the relatives of my friends, which has led to even more discoveries. Most recently I was taken to a new restaurant by Apple and Ae, the older brother and wife of my friend Cherry. They are fans of a Muslim restaurant near their home in Bang Khae that they thought I might be interested in, and on quiet Sunday we all drove out there.

The restaurant sports the inspirational name, Islamic Food Center (soon ahaan isalaam), and is not so much a kitchen, but rather a gathering place for several different vendors who each specialize in a specific dish. As a result, the food here is of quite high quality, and pretty much runs the gamut of Thai-Muslim eats. Of course there was khao mok kai, chicken biryani:

the stuffed 'pancake' known in Thailand as mataba:

and the salad Thais call salat khaek, 'Indian salad':

For those not familiar with this dish, the dressing, served as a side in the pink bowl, is a sweetish peanut sauce nearly identical to the one served with satay. I usually find it too sweet, but liked this version. The yellow strips are, I believe, deep-fried tofu.

This being Muslim food there were lots of meaty things, such as nuea daet diao thord:

Semi-dried and marinated (?) beef that was deep-fried. Nobody else seemed to like this very much, but I found it delicious, especially with the crispy garlic topping.

Chicken satay:

and one of my personal faves, oxtail soup:

Phii Ae ordered kuaytiao kaeng, curry-noodle soup:

Forgot to ask her how it was, but it certainly looked good.

And for dessert Cherry couldn't resist ordering a dish of rotii waan:

Roti sprinkled with sugar and sweetened condensed milk before being chopped up and mixed. We were initially surprised by this presentation, but in the end agreed it was much better.

Islamic Food Center
Located on the Outer Ring Highway, under the Muu Baan Suksan u-turn bridge, not far from The Mall Bang Khae (I recommend calling...)
087 021 0804

Baan Wacharachai

2007-07-29T21:22:00.000+07:00

Ayuthaya is only a one hour drive from Bangkok, but in terms of atmosphere, feels a world away. Besides the famous ruins, the city also has some great restaurants and fun bars, and is a best-kept-secret weekend getaway destination for those tired of the big city. I wanted to introduce some friends to this side of Ayuthaya, and on a Friday afternoon we boarded the bus for a night of eating and drinking. I wasn't sure exactly where to eat, and asked my trusty food sidekick Aong for help. She sent me an email with several recommendations, but reckoned her favourite was a place called Baan Wacharachai.

We cycled to the restaurant, located on the river behind beautiful Wat Kasatrathirat, and upon arriving I gave Aong a call and asked her what to order. Without hesitation, she listed several dishes I had to order, including the grilled snakehead fish:

Which, upon ordering, the waiter asked me, "Have you ever had this before?" Smoked is probably a more accurate way to describe the fish, and it had such a wonderful smoky flavour that I felt guilty using the three (!) delicious dipping sauces provided.

I was also told to order tom khlong plaa salit bai makhaam on:

A sour soup with salit fish and young tamarind leaves. Upon ordering this the waiter asked again, "Have you ever had this? It's really sour!" It was indeed sour, but we like this, and enjoyed the soup very much.

And finally she insisted we order yam thua phlu, wing bean salad:

Again, very tasty and well done. Thank you, Aong.

Left to our own devices Carla ordered yam plaa duk foo, crispy catfish salad:

If you're not famililar with this dish, it's made from grilled catfish flesh that has been deep-fried until crispy (Pim's description of this unique process, and a recipe can be found here and here). The "fluffy" fish is is then served topped with peanuts and yam mamuang, a sweet/sour green mango salad. Good, but I found the mango topping a bit too sweet, as if often is.

Ron ordered phat phak boong fai daeng:

Flash-fried morning glory. Mad garlic. Delicious.

Baan Wacharachai is located on a handsome stretch of the Chao Phraya, and other than the lovely house and garden, also includes a moored boat upon which one can dine. Unfortunately in my hunger and haste, I neglected to take any photos. Next time.

Baan Wacharachai
Wat Kasatrathirat
035 321 333

Chua Jiab Nguan

2007-07-25T18:25:00.000+07:00

Previously when I thought of phalo, the first thing that came to mind was a soupy Chinese dish combining fatty pork and a boiled egg with a sweet cinnamon and anise-flavoured broth. It took the help of a friend and a trip the other side of the Chao Phraya River to realize that, when done well, this can be one of the better Chinese-Thai dishes out there.

The friend was Cherry, the same person who introduced me to one of the Bangkok-area's most famous satay vendors, and the place was again Thaa Din Daeng on the Thonburi side of the river. There we stopped by Chua Jiab Nguan, a 70 year-old restaurant known for its haan phalo, goose cooked in a spiced Chinese-style broth:

The dish is simply thin slices of goose breast served in a liberally spiced (but not spicy) broth. The goose (a notoriously difficult bird to cook) was tender, and the broth salty and spicy, and lacked the sweetness and cinnamon-flavour that I previously associated with the dish.

We also ordered another dish consisting entirely of goose intestines and goose blood:

Both were surprisingly edible, although by nature they lacked flavour; all the taste came from the broth.

Here's our spread:

The phalo was served with rice and bowls of broth, one containing bitter gourd and another with a preserved Chinese vegetable. The dishes were also accompanied by an extra bowl of the nearly black broth and a delicious dipping sauce of vinegar, crushed chilies and copious garlic.

After finishing the goose, Cherry (above) couldn't resist, and also ordered a dish of hoy jor, tofu skins filled with a crab and ground pork mixture and deep-fried:

These appeared to have more crab than pork, which is rare, and were among the best I've had.

Chua Jiab Nguan (Google Maps link)
438 Thanon Thaa Din Daeng, Thonburi
02 437 2084

Bangkok markets in Sawasdee

2007-07-21T20:21:00.000+07:00

I have an eight-page photo feature on Bangkok's markets in the current issue of Sawasdee, Thai Airway's in flight magazine. Any of you in transit happen to see it?

Chiang Kii

2007-07-19T13:49:00.000+07:00

Chiang Kii, a old-school restaurant located in Bangkok's Chinatown, is known for serving Bangkok's most expensive khao tom plaa, rice and fish soup. A 250 baht (about $8) bowl (pictured above) includes heaps of very fresh fish (I believe it's pomfret), tiny cubes of sweet/salty pork, dried shrimp, preserved white radish, dried galangal, a pinch of bitter greens, strips of dried tofu, and a garnish of deep-fried garlic; a simple dish, based on simple, but high-quality ingredients.

Each bowl is prepared by an elderly couple:

who tend to speak Chinese to each other (and, incidentally, Thai with a strong accent). Considering the cost of their product, they take their work very seriously, and each order involves a fair bit of consultation and discussion, with some customers ordering variations such as less rice or more fish (I asked for oysters). It took the man several minutes of concentrated work to turn out my bowl, which was served with a tiny bowl of tao jiao, fermented soybeans, the obligatory condiment.

The broth itself was inobtrusive, and required the saltiness a few spoons of tao jiao would supply. The fish was both copious and incredibly fresh, the reason, I suspect, for the dish's high price tag. As a whole the khao tom was very good, but I have a feeling that if it weren't for the essentially unrelated factors of atmosphere and the whole 'ceremony' associated with preparing the dish, I might feel slightly ripped off. As it is though, I'll certainly be back come pay day.

Chiang Kii
54 Soi Bamrungrat (also known as Thanon Yaowarat Soi 12)
5-10pm

Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao

2007-07-18T11:09:00.000+07:00

Along with having one of the longest restaurant names in Bangkok, Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao must also serve some of the city's best Chinese food. The restaurant is one of a Singapore-based franchise that has branches all over Asia. Bangkok's branch opened about a year ago, and always seems to be packed during lunch time. It was my turn to impress Aong with my restaurant choice prowess, and I thought this place, with its excellent and authentic Chinese noodles, would do the trick.

We began with Shredded celery with dried beancurd and sesame oil:

The dish was served chilled, and was flavoured with little more than sesame oil and perhaps a drop or two of soy sauce. The celery and carrot carried this subtle flavour, and also provided the dish with a deliciously crunchy element.

But this was just a starter, and the real reason people come here is for la mian, fresh, hand-pulled noodles:

We split a huge bowl of Hot and spicy 'La Mian' with Sichuan preserved vegetable and minced pork. The noodles come to the table coated with a layer of oily broth redolent of Szechuan pepper and cumin:

Immediately after receiving your bowl, you'll be approached by an employee wielding a pair of kitchen shears who will ask if you want your noodles cut. I would recommend this, as the noodles are very long, and otherwise you'll end up getting most of the oily broth on your shirt. The noodles, no doubt made minutes earlier (you can see the noodle pullers at work behind the counter) taste fresh and soft, and are surprisingly light. The broth is spicy, sour (from the pickled veggies) and salty.

These were followed by the restaurant's other namesake, Xiao long bao, steamed, broth-filled pork dumplings:

which Aong and I agreed were average at best. The wrappers were thin and tore easily, making it a messy and difficult dish to eat, and the pork filling seemed disproportionately large.

The only possible complaint I have would be that much of this is cold weather food, and this being Bangkok, it wouldn't hurt the restaurant to turn up the air conditioning a few notches just for atmosphere!

Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao
Urban Kitchen (located in the basement of the Erawan Bangkok)
494 Thanon Phloen Chit (Phloen Chit BTS station)
02 250 7990

Kuaytiao Naam Ngiao

2007-07-16T22:48:00.000+07:00

There are many dishes of Chinese origin in Thailand, as well as a great deal of food using Chinese ingredients, but Chinese food as the Chinese eat it in China is quite rare. Thus my ears perked up when my trusty partner in food, Aong, mentioned that she knew a good Yunanaese restaurant.

In reality, Kuaytiao Naam Ngiaow is something of a hodge-podge of Chinese cuisines, ranging from Taiwanese to Szechuanese, but the most interesting dishes are those of Yunanese origin. The owner comes from the Yunanese community of Doi Mae Salong in remote Chiang Rai Province, a town known for the noodle dish that serves as the restaurant's namesake. Like the food, the restaurant's clientèle was authentically Chinese, and the menu items were written on the wall in Chinese characters.

Before we even had a chance to sit Aong had already ordered mii phat, fried noodles:

This was the first dish that arrived, and upon tasting it, I knew that this restaurant was going to be special. The noodles had a deliciously smoky wok hei and lacked the oiliness of lesser fried noodle dishes.

I like green things that are fried with salty things so I ordered a dish of yot thua lantao, pea greens, fried with oyster sauce:

The greens were fried the way the Chinese do so well; cooked but not soggy or wilted. Tons of garlic and dried chilies didn't hurt either. At this point, things were going very well.

Things got even better when we received my favourite dish of the meal: Szechuan-style tofu:

A variant of this dish, tao huu son khrueng, is quite popular in Thailand, but doesn't come close to this version, which was strong with the numbing/hot flavour of Szechuan pepper.

And last but not least, we ordered nuea phae naam daeng, goat in red sauce:

A stew-like concoction served over a layer of steamed bok choy. I liked this one a lot as it reminded me of a very similar oxtail dish I had once eaten in Macau. The broth was thick and tasty, and loaded with red wolfberries, which a Chinese chemist once told me are good for the eyes.

Well done, Aong.

Kuaytiao Naam Ngiao
466 Soi 20 Mithuna, Thanon Pracharatbamphen
(The easiest way to reach the restaurant is, beginning from Huay Khwang MRT station, take exit #1 for Pracharatbamphen Road. Get in a taxi and immediately turn left into the aforementioned street. Continue until you reach an intersection where you're forced to turn right or left; turn left and the restaurant, identified by Chinese letters, is about 500 m up on your left side.)
02 690 3174

Hot off the presses

2007-07-15T21:34:00.000+07:00

My photos grace the food & drink chapter of Lonely Planet's most recent Vietnam guide. I'm also responsible for writing the food & drink chapter of the soon-to-be-published Greater Mekong guide, and will be co-authoring the upcoming Bangkok guide, as well as the Bangkok chapter of the upcoming Thailand's Islands & Beaches guide. Whew!

Mae Sot

2007-07-15T15:07:00.000+07:00

On the surface, Mae Sot is one of the least likely food destinations in Thailand. However those in search of something unusual will certainly be rewarded, as because of its location near the border with Myanmar (Burma), Mae Sot is in many ways more Burmese than Thai. This has led to a variety of dishes and ingredients that are rarely seen elsewhere in Thailand. This is especially evident in the town's morning market (pictured above), where I began my day with a breakfast of mohinga:

the famous Burmese noodle soup, which in Mae Sot is sold from several basic restaurants near the market:

The mohinga was OK, not nearly as good as some I've had in Yangon, but considering this is one of the few places in Thailand where one can get the dish, I was happy. The strips you see in the top of the soup are yuak kluay, the inner pity stem of the banana tree, an essential ingredient in mohinga. Upon ordering the dish, the vendor also crumbles a deep-fried lentil cracker into the soup.

Other interesting things to eat at the morning market included this delicious Burmese sugar cane sweet:

another rarity in Thailand, samosas:

and fresh eels:

There were also some interesting things to see, such as the Burmese shoppers and shopkeepers themselves:

After exploring the market, we stopped by Wat Chumphon Khiri where we had a snack of lephet thoke:

the Burmese dish of pickled tea leaves mixed with deep-fried nuts, tomatoes, shredded cabbage, lime juice, sesame oil and garlic. There were lots of other Burmese dishes for sale at the grounds of this temple.

Lunch was another dish of probable Burmese origin, khao soi:

Made here by Muslims, an ethnic group that is quite evident in Mae Sot. The khao soi was average; undoubtedly better is hkauk hswe, the Burmese predecessor to khao soi that is sold at the same shops that sell mohinga.

So if you're looking for an exotic market and even more exotic food, I'd highly recommend Mae Sot.

Foon Talop

2007-07-13T18:47:00.000+07:00

Ahaan isaan, northeastern Thai-style food, is available virtually everywhere in Bangkok. In fact, I'll bet there's more isaan food in Bangkok than in isaan! The vast majority of this food is cheap and informal, and is sold primarily to homesick working class immigrants. However, there is also a great deal of isaan food that is directed towards middle class Bangkok diners. Although this kind of food may not always be as "authentic," it's often much cleaner and more accessible.

Foon Talop, a wildly popular restaurant located in the Chatuchak Weekend Market is an example of the latter. The restaurant is as interesting in terms of its atmosphere as its food, with diners seemingly stuffed into every tight corner and waiters and som tam pounders screaming orders at each other:

Since it is isaan, of course you've got to order som tam:

which, although it's made en masse in two gigantic mortar and pestles, is quite decent. We ordered som tam thai, som tam with bottled fish sauce, peanuts and dried shrimp. As with every restaurant serving this dish, it is made to order, and I ordered mine "phet priaow," spicy and sour.

Another isaan standby is nam tok muu:

This is strips of grilled pork made into a "salad" along with roasted sticky rice, lime, fish sauce, mint leaves and shallots. Nam tok literally means "waterfall," and refers to the fact that traditionally the drippings of the grilled meat are collected and added to the dish. I'm not sure if that's the case here though.

These dishes are good, but I like Foon Talop for its slightly more unusual items, such as plaa som (pictured at the top of this post), a freshwater fish that has been stuffed with sticky rice and allowed to sour. The fish is then battered and deep-fried and served with heaps of crispy fried garlic. Absolutely delicious, except for the tiny bones that are almost impossible to avoid.

Another interesting dish is kuay jap yuan, literally, "Vietnamese noodle soup":

A delicious pork broth containing thick round rice noodles, chunks of the Vietnamese sausage known in Thai as muu yor, strips of chicken, and topped with crispy fried shallots. Simple but good.

Foon Talop
Chatuchak Weekend Market (the restaurant is located along the outside edge of Section 24, on the Kamphaeng Phet II Road side.)

Maan Mueng

2007-07-12T10:56:00.000+07:00

Much like Mexican, authentic northern-style Thai food can be very, very hard to find in Bangkok. A few mediocre dishes are sold at my neighborhood's Tuesday market, and good khao soi is available if you're willing to make the trek out to Viphavadee in northern Bangkok, but in general you're hard pressed to find a tasty kaeng hangle or a pleasant kaeng ho. This is a pity, as when done well, northern Thai food can be among the best in the country. It is markedly more seasonal than other Thai cuisines, featuring the odd mushroom, green or fruit that is only available at certain times of the year, makes great use of a wide variety of indigenous veggies, and is porky, porky and porky. Which, I am told, is a good thing.

So thanks to the keen nose of my food friend Aong, I was recently directed towards Maan Mueng, a restaurant in Bangkok specializing in the dishes of the north. Maan Mueng features a huge array of authenticly prepared dishes:

so even those who can't speak Thai or aren't familiar with northern Thai food can simply point to whatever looks good. And damn, does it look good. Witness:

Nam phrik khaa:

A nam phrik or "dip" of chilies and galangal that is typically served with steamed mushrooms (now is mushroom season up north) and beef that is boiled before being steamed over fresh herbs. Thanks to the copious galangal, known in Thai as khaa, this nam phrik has a truly unique flavour, and the beef was, unlike most Thai beef, tender and very edible.

Tam khanun:

This is a thick "mash" of young jackfruit and a chili paste topped with crispy fried garlic. Simple but delicious.

Sai ua:

The famous northern-style sausage that is loaded with heaps of fresh herbs (lime leaf, lemongrass, garlic, etc.) and grilled. Spot on.

Nam phrik num:

Another "dip", this time of grilled chilies mashed up with grilled garlic, shallots and fish sauce, and served with pork rinds and fresh and par-boiled veggies for dipping.

Laap khua:

This is laap that has been fried with a chili paste mixture that includes the herb makhwaen, which provides the dish a distinct bitter/hot flavour. The meat includes lots of offal (the heart fans out there will love laap khua), and includes the ubiquitous but delicious crispy garlic topping.

Naem:

Raw pork that has been buried for three days until sour. Much better than it sounds.

Here's the spread:

Note the pile of greens on the left-hand side; Maan Mueng features an entire table stacked with fresh herbs and greens for its customers. And dishes are accompanied by perfectly-steamed red sticky rice.

Our meal ended with coconut ice cream:

a dish available just about anywhere in Thailand, but I'm sure this is among the best I've ever had the pleasure to enjoy. The ice cream was incredibly creamy and light in texture, and was suggestive of the soft meat of young coconuts rather than the cloying coconut milk that is typically used.

Maan Mueng is located quite far from the center of Bangkok, but is in all regards considerably easier than going to Chiang Mai or Mae Hong Son.

Maan Mueng
Located between Ramkhamhaeng 152-154
8am-5pm (closed Tuesday)
02 728 0945

Rice and pork

2007-07-03T19:12:00.000+07:00

After all these years in Thailand I've still never really taken to the Thai breakfast. Jok, pureed rice soup, is about as delicious as the description sounds. Paa thong ko, deep-fried bits of dough typically dipped into crap coffee is a nightmare waiting to happen. And at home Thais generally tend to eat the previous night's leftovers with rice. So when traveling to other countries in SE Asia I always keep an eye open for interesting breakfasts, and invariably I'm impressed: crispy roti and sweet teh tarik in Malaysia and Singapore; a steaming bowl of mohinga (a fish-based noodle soup) in Myanmar; and in Cambodia, rice and pork.

Known in Khmer as bai sach chrouk (literally "rice pork"), this dish is more or less as simple as the name sounds, but is much more delicious. There are two divergent schools of bai sach chrouk. Proper restaurants, invariably Chinese in origin, tend to deep fry their pork and serve it with sides of a porky broth and a sauce similar to a sweet Vietnamese dipping sauce (illustrated above). Preferable, in my opinion at least, are the more "Cambodian" places where after being marinated in soy sauce and palm sugar (and apparently sometimes garlic and coconut milk), the thin slices of pork are grilled over coals:

The result is sweeter and smokier than the deep-fried version. This kind of bai sach chrouk tends also to be served with a small dish of lightly pickled veggies, and is generally served outdoors, at makeshift stalls.

Regardless of the ethnicity of the vendor, all bai sach chrouk is served topped with heaps of chopped green onion, and is served over broken rice that, if you're lucky, has been cooked in broth, as shown in this pic:

For a more detailed take on the dish, proceed to Phnomenon.

Iea Sae

2007-07-02T19:36:00.000+07:00

Iea Sae is the unpronounceable name of an old-skool Chinese-style coffee shop in Bangkok's Chinatown. There are quite a few cafes like this in southern Thailand, and heaps in Malaysia, but very, very few in Bangkok, which makes this place somewhat special.

If you're coming here for good coffee, you're going to be sorely disappointed, but if you get a buzz from atmosphere, it can be a fun place. The shop is 60 years old (a fact written on nearly every dish and cup in the restaurant) and is outfitted with antique tables, an old tile floor, and some interesting murals on the walls. These furnishings could be purchased just about anywhere, but the thing that makes Iea Sae interesting is its patrons. The old Chinese-Thai men who frequent the cafe order a single cup of coffee and spend the next three hours doing their best to drink it as slowly as possible while arguing about politics, discussing food, smoking, and in the true Chinese tradition, carrying on with lots of hawking and spitting.

As far as I can see, they just serve coffee (some food items are written on a chalkboard, but they never seem available), and in the Chinese-Thai style, a cup or glass is always followed by a chaser of weak Chinese tea:

Iea Sae
Thanon Phat Sai (This street runs parallel to Thanon Yaowarat, Chinatown's main road, and is most easily reached via Thanon Phadung Dao. Iea Sae is located smack in the middle of the short street; simply look for lots of old men drinking coffee.)
02 221 0549

Sunrise Tacos

2007-06-29T19:53:00.000+07:00

Mexican is a cuisine that one is pretty hard-pressed to find in Bangkok. Thus there was something of a buzz in Bangkok (OK, essentially an email from a friend) when a new taco shop opened off of Sukhumvit.

Compelled to investigate, I ordered three soft tacos (pictured above), which in the Mexican style, are served open-faced and topped with your choice of meat: chicken, seasoned ground beef, carnitas, carne asada and barbacoa beef. I went with carnitas and carne asada and found them both to be pretty good. The corn tortillas weren't bad either, but the entire taco package was brought down by shoddy toppings (shredded iceberg lettuce, tinned jalapeños and "cheese") and a sweet, slightly artificial tasting salsa ("John's Red Hot Salsa"). Inexcusable really, considering that most the requisite taco ingredients, including some of those lacking at Sunshine (cilantro, lime, onions) are available fresh here in Bangkok.

Burritos and chips and salsa/guacamole are also available, as well as a couple plate dishes. Sunrise Tacos is a located a short walk from Asoke BTS station and is open 24 hours.

For obsessively in-depth insight into the Los Angeles taco scene, including images of real tacos, visit The Great Taco Hunt.

Sunrise Tacos
No. 236/3-4 Sukhumvit
02 229 4851

Let's get this party started.

2007-06-28T23:28:00.000+07:00

I've returned from Cambodia and will soon be posting some bits and pieces from my adventures there, as well as finally getting back to some good old fashioned Thai food blogging.

Tuesday market

2007-06-12T18:55:00.000+07:00

Every Saturday my neighborhood plays host to a gigantic talaat nat, or weekend market. I love this market and always look forward to it. Ironically, I always tend to forget that we also have a much smaller market every Tuesday afternoon. It's probably only 1/4 the size of the Saturday market, but there's still some interesting stuff, including fruit:

deep-fried fish:

and Thai sweets:

This girl was helping her dad sell crabs:

This stall sells northern Thai dishes:

Not the best, but good when you need a northern Thai fix. Much better were the southern Thai hor mok yaang, grilled curries:

They're sold topped with crab meat, shrimp, fish or horseshoe crab eggs. A crab and a shrimp and a plate of rice formed my dinner.

I'm off to Cambodia tomorrow for a week where I'll be working with Phil of Phenomenon on some articles. I won't be posting, but you can expect some follow up posts here after I get back.

Dinner at the market

2007-06-10T17:14:00.000+07:00

Kota Kinabulu's evening market, besides having some great raw ingredients, also had some wonderful prepared food. In particular there was an entire section dedicated to grilled seafood. Choosing from shrimp, lobster, several kinds of fish and crabs, I had a grilled mackerel/tuna tail and a grilled squid:

These were accompanied by a spicy sambal, rice and various sides that were already laid out on the table:

The sides included hinava, a local raw fish dish, shredded green mangoes, and a couple seaweed 'salads,' which is what I chose:

The seaweed was naturally salty and crunchy in texture, and was great with a squeeze of lime. An excellent meal, and best of all, the whole thing cost me about $3.

Kota Kinabalu's evening market

2007-06-07T20:21:00.000+07:00

Finally back to Asia...

I recently found myself in Kota Kinabalu, the capital of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. It's a small town with not a great deal to offer, but fortunately has what must be one of the most colorful and interesting fresh markets I've ever visited. The market is located right on the waterfront, and gets started just before sunset:

The emphasis here is seafood, and the market had the biggest variety of fresh fish I've ever seen anywhere:

In particular, there were several vendors selling a tuna-like fish that I've never come across in mainland SE Asia:

as well as every other kind of fish you could imagine:

and the people who prepare them:

There were also several kids walking around clutching plastic bags, begging for fish scraps. This girl, one of them, was very interested in my camera:

Other interesting sea-related eats were several varieties of edible seaweed:

and conch shells with their meat sold separately in plastic bags:

There's also plenty of land-based food:

and a great deal of prepared food, including curry shops selling stuff such as these deep-fried soft shell crabs:

and drinks sold by flirtatious vendors:

I'll detail the interesting meal I had here in my next post.

Portland Farmers' Market

2007-06-06T16:34:00.000+07:00

One of the highlights of my visit to Oregon was the chance to finally visit the Portland Farmers' Market. It is considered one of the premier farmers' markets in the US, and features all the stuff I dream about while in Thailand: cheese, fresh herbs, wild mushrooms, wine, oysters and depending on the season, a huge variety of other produce.

I was there in May, very early summer, so understandably there wasn't a huge amount of stuff available. There were lots of cold-weather veggies, including carrots:

chard:

and some early strawberries:

And perhaps more unusually, fern shoots:

Mushrooms from the forests of Oregon looked particularly interesting:

There is also heaps of delicious-looking prepared food, including these pizzas:

baked in this mobile wood-burning oven:

Another stall tossed its pizza dough on site:

This stall selling Italian sausage sandwiches was particularly popular:

I was particularly interested in the breads and baked goods, including these amazing looking loaves from Ken's, currently considered one of Portland's best bakeries:

Italian-style loaves from a German bakery:

and baked sweets, such as tiny lemon tart:

There were also lots of happy customers:

Including me.

Fish and chips in Astoria

2007-06-05T14:49:00.000+07:00

My brother Garett lives outside Astoria, Oregon, a city located at the mouth of the Columbia River in the far northwest corner of the state. Astoria is an incredibly hilly town with lots of old buildings, and has served as the setting of such influential and groundbreaking films as The Goonies and Kindergarten Cop. Film history is not, however, one of my interests, and luckily Astoria also has some interesting restaurants.

In town for lunch one day we stopped by Clemente's, a seafood market and restaurant known for its fish and chips. Rather than plain old fish and chips, I went with the more exotic oyster and chips:

The coast of Washington, directly north of Astoria, is known for producing some of the finest oysters in the world, and I wanted to take advantage of this. Thankfully the restaurant treated them well, barely coating them in batter and deep-frying them so that the batter was crispy, but the oysters inside were more or less still raw, just like they should be.

Garett ordered albacore tuna with his chips, a fish that previously formed the basis of Astoria's fishing industry.

This being Oregon, the fish and chips were accompanied by a bottle of simply amazing beer, in this case the Dechutes Brewery's Black Butte Porter:

I chose this bottle because Deschutes makes what must be my favorite beer of all, the Mirror Pond Pale Ale. The porter, although not my favorite style of beer, was excellent, and went very well with oily deep-fried seafood.

And in case you've already forgotten, there's some pretty good f & c available in Bangkok here. My writeup can be found here.

Clemente's
1335 Marine Drive
Astoria, OR
(503) 325 1067

Joe's Donuts

2007-06-05T13:43:00.000+07:00

Joe's Donuts is a donut shop in my hometown of Sandy, Oregon. Apparently the place has quite a reputation, and has a keen a following among locals, foodies in the Portland area, as well as skiers on their way up to Mt Hood:

Ironically, despite having more or less grown up in Sandy, I had never been to Joe's Donuts. So one morning, with nothing to do and a hunger for American food, I decided to make the 10 minute walk over to the place. I ordered a double espresso, a blueberry fritter (I think that's what it was called) and my favorite, an old fashioned:

The donuts were pretty good, but I've been out of the deep-fried dough loop so long I wouldn't know an exceptional one if it hit me on the head. I've never even been to Krispy Kreme. And setting me even further apart from most Americans, I wasn't even able to finish my donuts, and ended up taking half home in a bag.

Regarding the coffee, I find a perverse pleasure in ordering espresso in the US; because most Americans drink incredibly complicated coffee creations that involve multiple-digit ingredients, my order of a simple espresso almost always elicits a bewildered response. Several times while in Oregon I was only charged for what is known as an "extra shot" and got a decent espresso for 50 cents!

Joe's Donuts
39230 Pioneer Blvd
Sandy, OR
(503) 668-7215

A bit of Swedish sausage

2007-06-02T09:35:00.001+07:00

I'm still on the road and won't be posting for a few days, but a piece I did on Swedish sausage culture can currently be seen here at the Lonely Planet website. Enjoy!

After I get back, I'd still like to blog on a couple things I saw in Oregon before getting back to Thai and other Asian food, which judging by the emails I've been receiving, has sorely been missed here!

Edsbacka Krog

2007-05-22T18:58:00.000+07:00

One of the highlights of my trip to Sweden was a visit to the country's most acclaimed restaurant, the two-star Edsbacka Krog. Ironically, the restaurant is located a short walk away from where I lived as an exchange student in the town of Sollentuna, although I was blissfully unaware of it at the time (my culinary interests during the period focused mostly around kebab). My dining companion, Göran Lager, who I've mentioned here several times previously, is friends with the restaurant's well-known chef, Christer Lingström, and as I was also working on an article, we were treated very well.

We chose the avsmakningsmeny, the tasting menu, a eight-course extravaganza of taste that began with the following trio of Creamed parsnip with strawberry jelly, fish broth with basil foam, and asparagus soup with crispy pork:

Unusual combinations that worked together very well, as Göran's expression suggests:

The remaining seven courses included exotic ingredients such as pigeon and sea buckthorn, indigenous ingredients such as ramslök (kind of onion) and gooseberries, and challenging combinations such as marinated hälleflundra (type of fish) with a vanilla-lemon foam. I'm planning on printing some of the photos later, so I'd rather not run any here before they've had a chance to run. It was an amazing experience, and by far the best food-wine pairing I've ever had the pleasure to experience. Highly recommended--if you can afford it!

Edsbacka Krog
Sollentunavägen 220
Sollentuna
+46 (0)8-96 33 00

Pre-game nosh

2007-05-19T18:00:00.000+07:00

While in Stockholm I accompanied my friends to a couple soccer matches. My friends are big fans of AIK, one of three Stockholm teams in the Swedish league, and hold season tickets. One of their pre-game rituals, other than two warm beer to cool their nerves, involves dinner at a kebab restaurant near the stadium in Solna. Having consumed kebab earlier on my trip, I followed my friend Ola's lead and ordered the "vegetable plate":

This took the form of various deep-fried veggies: eggplant, cauliflower, onions and falafel, served over a massive heap of saffron rice (or French fries), with sides of hummus and a yogurt sauce. The image above doesn't do a good job of illustrating the sheer vastness of the plate, and I was only able to eat about 75% of it. It was tasty, but incredibly salty, and at about $10, isn't exactly a "deal" for fast food, but that's Sweden.

Here's Ola devouring his:

He finished it.

During the game the only food option is korv, Swedish-style sausages:

a food I will soon document in detail at the Lonely Planet website.

To see more of the images I took at the game, go over to my newish photoblog, The Old Main Drag.

KB

2007-05-17T20:42:00.000+07:00

A couple weeks ago Göran Lager and I took lunch at KB, Konstnärs Baren ("Artists' Bar"), a Stockholm institution. Located in a beautiful building from 1891 that also houses Stockholm's dramatic theatre, the restaurant is known excellent traditional Swedish fare and for its murals that cover the walls of the upstairs dining area:

But as you can guess, we were mostly interested in the former. The menu (shown in the first pic above) offers a short but very interesting array of traditional Swedish dishes based around indigenous ingredients such as shrimp, herring, salmon, dill and lingonberries. We began with gravade strömming:

marinated herring served on a slice of pumpernickel-like bread and boiled potatoes. Sounds like starch overload, but it really was wonderful, and thankfully, for me at least, the herring lacked the sweet taste found in most Swedish pickled fish. It was easily the best fish dish I had during my stay in Stockholm, and even the potatoes were delicious and perfectly cooked.

This was followed by raggmunkar, Swedish-style potato pancakes:

which were served with knaperstekt fläsk, bacon-like strips of ham, and a side of rårörda lingon, stewed lingonberries:

It was rustic, salty, oily, and hearty, and when topped with the lingonberries, sweet and a bit sour; basically everything I like in a dish. It also had the added benefit, according to Göran, of being an excellent hangover cure (I had been at a wedding the previous night...).

Here's Göran's take on the meal (unfortunately only in Swedish), which, as a bonus, includes a recipe for gravade strömming. Despite the utter simplicity of the dishes, this was easily one of the most memorable meals of my trip. I'd encourage any of you who happen to be in Stockholm to stop by.

KonstnärsBaren
Smålandsgatan 7 (off Biblioteksgatan, near Stureplan)
08 - 679 60 32

Please be patient!

2007-05-10T12:25:00.000+07:00

I apologize for the lack of blogging from RealThai as of late. I'm currently in Oregon and haven't even caught up with all the blogs I'd like to do from Stockholm, which shows you how far behind I am! In addition to this, I already have plans to visit Borneo and Cambodia more or less right after I get back to Bangkok. In the meantime, I'll try to get my mits on a Mac so I can share a few more of the things I ate in Stockhom and here.

Saluhallen

2007-04-24T14:33:00.000+07:00

Saluhallen, opened in 1888, is the largest and most famous of Stockholm's indoor markets. Located in Östermalm, traditionally the wealthiest part of town, you're not going to find any deals here, but the setting is amazing, and the products excellent.

This market is considerably more "Swedish" than Hötorgshallen, and inside you'll find more traditional Swedish staples such as potatoes:

herring to eat over them:

or even smoked eel:

Or maybe you'd rather have your potatoes fried with ham, as in the traditional Swedish dish, pytt i panna:

If you crave Swedish food but can't be bothered to cook, there's also prepared food inside the hall:

as well as baked goods to take home:

If you don't mind doing a bit of cooking, pick up some sausages:

It's all there:

To reach Saluhallen, take the red line subway to Östermalmstorg station.

Kvarnen

2007-04-23T13:43:00.000+07:00

Found myself again in Södermalm, southern Stockholm, where just around the corner from Jerusalem Kebab you'll find a 99 year-old restaurant and Stockholm staple, Kvarnen. Friend and blogger Göran Lager invited me out here recently, and we had a great time, eating some excellent svensk husmanskost (traditional Swedish food) and chatting with the restaurant's chef and owner.

Göran suggested the havswallenbergare, a seafood take on a traditional Swedish meat dish (pictured above). Normally made from a patty of beef, this version was comprised of salmon and pike, and was served with mashed potatoes and peas and a hollandaise sauce. Although it was very simple it was very, very good.

Göran and I were almost equally impressed with the restaurant's excellent bread basket:

''

a reliable indicator of a good restaurant. The basket contained a variety of delicious and slightly unusual Swedish hårdbröd, which thankfully, was served with butter (most Swedes prefer margarine).

After dinner we chatted with the Kvarnen's chef, Mauritz Lind and the restaurant's owner, Thomas Steinwendr:

These are two guys who love talking about food (Mauritz worked at Edsbacka Krog as well as at a restaurant in Phuket for nearly a decade), and after we complimented their bread, Thomas brought us a few more that they're planning on including in the basket:

Restaurang Aktiebolaget Kvarnen
Tjärhovsgatan 4 (Medborgareplatsen subway)
08 643 03 80

Thai in Stockholm

2007-04-23T04:08:00.000+07:00

I recently spent a lovely evening at the home of writer and food historian (and blogger), Göran Lager:

Göran lives in Sollentuna, the same suburb of Stockholm that I lived in when I went to high school here more than 10 years ago. He and I orginally had plans to take dinner at Edsbacka Krog, possibly Sweden's best restaurant, also located in Sollentuna, but our appointment was moved to Thursday (more on that later). Instead, we went back to Göran's house where his wife Rodjana, a native of Thailand (and a former employee of Edsbacka Krog), made us a wonderful meal.

We started with a teriffic tom kha kai:

the famous coconut milk soup with chicken. I never order this dish in Thailand, but think that Rodjana's has inspired me to begin doing so! This was accompanied by a spicy som tam:

The image of which was actually taken by budding food photographer, and Lager's daugher, Plaifah:

And finally, an absolutely delicious muu thawt, deep-fried pork:

Which was made from pork shortribs from G. Nilsson Livs, Göran's favourite butcher in Hötorghallen. Rodjana marinated these in fish sauce and coriander seed, and liberally sprinkled with deep-fried crispy garlic.

Thai restaurants in Stockholm are very expensive, and by all accounts, mediocre. If you're here and want Thai food, my advice is to become friends with a Thai--preferably one who cooked at a two-star restaurant!

Hötorgshallen

2007-04-16T20:47:00.000+07:00

As in most other big European cities, the residents of Stockholm buy their groceries at modern supermarkets. However the city still supports a couple examples of old-school market halls, which I'd like to feature on these pages. The first of these is Hötorgshallen, located in a basement below a large movie theatre smack in the middle of downtown Stockholm.

This being Scandinavia, you'll find quite a bit of seafood, including fresh:

preserved:

and ready to eat:

Other interesting looking local food is found at Saluplats 30, a stall selling the prepared dishes and ingredients of Sweden's neighbour to the east, Finland:

The food here looked delicious, and quite similar to traditional Swedish food, and I definitely plan on buying a few things for a picnic in the future. In general however, Scandinavian food is not the emphasis at Hötorgshallen, but rather other cuisines, including Greek:

Middle-Eastern, including these amazing salads and mezze:

and most predominantly, Turkish. Other than a couple Turkish delis and the obligatory kebab stall, there were also two places selling 'Turkish burgers':

These took the form of buns filled with various Turkish condiments. I found this too interesting to resist, and ordered a vegetarian version:

It was stuffed with deep-fried eggplant, grilled cheese, a dolma, some salad, and then topped with two sauces of your choice. It was actually quite good, but got me wondering if such a thing is actually found in Turkey, or is a result of the Swedish desire to serve everything in burger form...?

For more info on Hötorgshallen (only in Swedish), go here.

Nystekt Strömming

2007-04-13T13:24:00.000+07:00

Ironically, Swedish food can sometimes be a bit difficult to find here in Stockholm. The fish-and-potatoes diet that most Swedes' grandparents grew up with is seen as woefully old-fashioned compared to the more popular tapas, Mexican, sushi and Italian cuisines that are found on every street in the city. I think this is a pity as there really are some wonderful traditional dishes here. In particular I absolutely love the breads, from the cracker-like knäckebröd to the rye-laden limpor, and am fascinated by the variety of fish dishes; pickled herring, baked salmon, smoked eel, etc. Thus I was fortunate when upon exiting Slussen subway station on Södermalm I came across the stall pictured above that combined the two. Nystekt strömming means "freshly fried herring", a traditional Swedish dish that at this stall is served both traditionally and with a modern touch.

After a long wait (I guess people do like this kind of food--why isn't there more?), I ordered a knäckis, which takes the form of a pizza slice-sized hunk of knäckebröd topped with two fillets of the fried herring, lightly pickled slices of cucumber, red onion and parsley:

This is the "snack" version and cost 27 kronor, but the herring is also available as a heartier plate along with mashed potatoes and a salad. For those who cannot break themselves away from American-style fast food, there is also a bizarre-sounding "herring burger".

According to this site, the owners, Tommy and Viveka, have been selling nystekt strömming at Slussen since 1991. When asked if they ever get tired of fish they replied, "No. If you work here you eat herring every day." Sounds good to me.

Nystekt Strömming stall
Slussen subway station
11-6

A welcome back kebab

2007-04-12T15:11:00.000+07:00

I'm back in Stockholm, Sweden, one of my three "hometowns". I lived here as a teenager and have been back and forth quite a few times over the years. Oddly enough, I actually have more friends here in Stockholm than in America, so it always feels great and somehow familiar to come back.

I wasn't particularly interested in food when I was living here, but one thing that left a strong impression was the very un-Swedish (yet very Swedish) kebab. This kind of food may seem common to most Europeans nowadays, but I'd never come across the stuff growing up in Oregon, and at the time it seemed very exotic. My friends and I swore by Kebab Kungen ("The Kebab King"), a hole-in-the-wall (by Swedish standards, anyway) place in Södermalm that served what were the cheapest kebabs in town (I think they were 19 kronor back then?). I recall skipping gymansiet (the Swedish equivalent of high school) to come down there, fill up on kebab, then explore the city. Nostalgia and a desire for chippped beef brought me back to Götgatan, only to find that Kebab Kungen has been replaced by a shop selling sporting equipment for children or some other rubbish... I was forced to walk directly across the street to Jerusalem Kebab, Kebab Kungen's direct competitor, and a place I had seen countless times, but had never entered on strict moral grounds:

Like most (all?) kebab places in Stockholm, you can order beef or chicken kebab, in a pita or on a plate (with pommes frites), in addition to pitas or plates of felafel or deep-fried eggplant:

I've always wanted to try the other dishes (does anybody ever order anything but kebab?), but haven't got around to it yet... My 25 kronor (125 baht, about 2 US dollars) got me a kebab i bröd with everything. The bulging pita (pictured above) was filled with a generous amount of salty, spiced chipped beef, which was covered with lettuce, red onions, bell pepper, yogurt and chili sauce, and my personal fav, pickled chilies. It's messy, but absoultely delicious, and by Stockholm standards, very cheap.

Incidentally, in trying to find the address for this place I came across a site called Allt om kebab ("Everything about kebab"), which looks to be a great reference for kebab fans in Stockholm, but which unfortunately appears to be down at the moment.

By the way, är det nån som vet vad hände med Kebab Kungen?

Jerusalem Kebab
Götgatan 59 (near Medborgarplatsen subway station)

My new blog

2007-04-06T10:32:00.000+07:00

I'm proud to announce that I've recently started up a new blog. The Old Main Drag is where I'll be dumping my non food-related photos, in particular the "street" photography that I've been obsessed with as of late. The blog is embarrassingly bare-bones at this point, but I wanted to get it up ASAP as I'm heading off for my second and third homes of Oregon, USA and Stockholm, Sweden in a couple days, and wanted a platform from which to post images from these places.

Tha Din Daeng pork satay

2007-04-03T17:25:00.000+07:00

It's good to know people in other parts of town. Today my friend Cherry, a resident of Thonburi, took me to Tha Din Daeng, a part of her 'hood I would otherwise never have visited. According to Cherry, this area is known for its vendors who sell satay, the Indo/Malaysian dish of grilled skewers of meat.

There are several satay vendors along this relatively short street, and they serve from lunch until late evening, and use some of the longest grills I've ever seen:

I can't even imagine how hot it must be to grill food over coals on an April day in Thailand:

We sat down at the first shop we came to and ordered 20 sticks. As shown in the first pic, pork satay is served with the famous peanut sauce (which, incidentally, many people in America mistakenly associate with Thai food) and shallots, cucumbers and sliced chilies in a vinegar/syrup mixture. In Thailand satay is also often served with grilled white bread:

something I'd be curious to know the origin of.

Everything was great, although I must admit that I prefer the Malaysian practice of furiously fanning the flames so that the satay have a smokier flavour. Cherry, on the other hand, seemed to find no fault with it:

Thaa Din Daeng Pork Satay (Google Maps link)
Tha Thaa Din Daeng, Thonburi
Lunch & dinner