Bangkok Notes

[andy deemer]

About to head northwest to Mae Sot, but thought I'd take a moment and run through some of the eating highlights of the last week in Bangkok, including some of the Chowhound faves... I've asterix-ed my choices of "can't miss" spots.

*Sara Jane's Italian Issan (couldn't find the Wireless branch -- maybe it's gone? -- ended up at the 55/21 Narathiwas branch, between Soi 4 & 6) -- *absolutely* amazing. avoid the brightly-lit donut-shop-feel inside, and sit in the garden. even though it's just off the busy Narathiwas, it's still cozy and really pleasant.
Outstanding: Yum Glass Noodles (with shrimp and squid), Fried Spring Rolls (were they fried twice? so crispy and perfect, I suspect they were -- reminded me of really good Korean Fried Chicken), Issan Sausage (the best I've ever had -- deep, full and only slightly spicy) and Bamboo Shoot Larb (wow!)
I didn't like the deep-fried morning glory (which came with a free side-larb), but my foodie mom loved it. And the cotton fish with mango salad was overcooked -- neither of us were impressed.

Krua Rommai (16 Sukh. 36) -- was really let down by this place after all the rave reviews. The garden was gorgeous, off a surprisingly busy small dark soi. bring (or ask for) mosquito spray -- in the dark space, they were thriving. I loved the shrimp in hot sauce (although the shrimp may have been slightly overcooked), the larb moo was okay, but too spicy to really enjoy, the pork skin fried was atrocious -- like a stale london pub snack. the chicken pa curry and chicken massaman were both pretty decent, but nothing to write home about.

Thip Samui (313 Mahachai) -- found by googling "best pad thai in bangkok," and apparently there's consensus. but again, not so incredible. half the block was taken up with chairs outside this sidewalk spot. (if you want beer, pick it up from the 7/11 across the street.) it was good, but too egg-y. more like a pad thai scram. I found myself dousing it in condiments, sadly ridding it of any thip samui personality.

Best Som Tam -- was looking for the Khun Pen fried chicken stall behind the Taksin hospital, but never found it. Instead, was seduced into sitting down at a small restaurant on Lat Ya a few doors east of Charoen Nakhon, south side. At lunchtime, it was packed with locals ordering Som Tam, which one older woman was mixing up, one bowl at a time, in her huge mortar & pestle thingee. Watching her was amazing -- she'd found the groove, and was just mashing and mixing away. It would have felt like a chic NYC mexican place with table-made guacamole, but for the plastic stool I was sitting on and the toilet paper roll on my table. Food was served by a 3yo boy, who was incredibly taken with the farang visitor. Roadside chicken was also tasty here, although I was intrigued by the long, thin barbecued fish some others were served.

Polo Fried Chicken (Soi Polo, off Wireless Rd) -- good, but not *sooo* good. expats have concurred that it's past its prime. sad to discover. crispy, tasty, but didn't compare to the upstairs latenight KFC off 32nd St in Manhattan (??? Can't remember the name.)

Food Court at MBK -- I always end up at the 6th Floor food court (not the gourmet one, but not the local one by the bootleg DVDs.) The one dish that always knocks my socks off, perfectly, is the Muslim Chicken, down at the very end. Mmmyeah! So Indian, so soft, so happy. The green beans in red sauce were lousy, the som tam was acceptable. I've heard tell that the Vietnamese restaurant on the top floor, by the movie theater, is incredible. But speaking of food courts....

*Best Pork Leg on Rice -- Central World food court. Towards the far right. OMG!!! I'd meant to try some of the restaurants here, but am so glad I ended up courting again. Meat just falling apart, perfectly stewed. Make sure to douse your rice in a little of the yellow sauce (???), with the solid stuff. No idea what it was, but copied others, and was very glad!!

*Best Sliced Pork and Sausage -- Aw Taw Kaw. This food court, by Chatuchak, was everything I'd hoped. Open, but covered. A breeze flows through it, pushed on by fans all over the ceiling. Few Farang, even though it's just across the street from JJ. Mostly fruit stalls, but tons of food stalls as well. My choice? The sliced pork and thinly-sliced sausage, over rice, doused in a slosh of red/brown sauce, from Stall #12/5. I can't really stop thinking about it, and have been back for it -- just as good. It was my favorite meal of the trip until Central World above. Didn't like the multi-colored sweet rices with flan on top, or the mini-eggplant stew. But that pork dish? mmmmmyeah.

Best Potato Tornado -- I read about them on Boing Boing. I lusted after them for years. And then I read that the food court at Paragon sells them! The deep-fried one-continuous-slice potato-on-a-stick! If you read the same tale of elegantly-flavored deep fried goodness, don't bother going. After an hour of searching, and some post-humous investigations, I can tell you that they're gone, replaced by a wealth of Japanese food stalls, that will in turn be replaced with something else. (But the Paragon Food Court looked great, otherwise. Lousy red bean paste fish pastries.)

Most Interesting Food Court -- in the basement of the Siriraj hospital @ Pier 10. Go at lunchtime, and eat surrounded by junior nurses and medical students, mostly women in their pressed white suits and nurse ratchet hats. It's wild and weird and fun. Then go upstairs and explore the forensic museum, a wealth of truly terrible things. (Across from the hospital there's also a great southern thai food market -- with amazing-looking thai pizzas (???) being baked in a crowded alley. watch out for the precariously-balanced wok full of boiling oil as you walk in the market, btw. at the very end of the main alleyway there are some cute local restaurants -- one was full of cops. I was nervously offered "pig on rice" at the cop hangout (pun not intended here or there), and had a great fried rice with pork.)

*Somboon (Surawong @ Narathiwas) -- OMG YES! Best fried crab curry I've ever had. And the stir-fried morning glory? I never knew good morning glory until this moment. I ordered for three, and, like a true glutton, ate every bite by myself. It's a HK-feeling multi-floor well-lit very clean restaurant, filled with businessmen -- not the atmosphere I'd generally appreciate. But this is a can't miss.

Tongue Thai (18-20 Charoen Krung 38, near the Oriental) -- expensive, but great. I think the bill was $50 for two. would have been worth it in NY, but not convinced about BKK. highlights were the banana flower salad (the first time I've tried it) and the glass noodles with soft-shell crab (oh, it was so perfect.) mango and sticky rice was also a must-order here. (Although I usually prefer to eat mine at San Luam, watching the insane dance shows.)

To avoid: street food that looks like olives in chili oil. I don't know what they were, but they were 100% gag-a-riffic. (raw olives maybe??? can't imagine those are that terrible...)

[Curt the Soi Hound]

I concur on Aw Taw Kaw's stall 12/5. Although I always go for he ba mi, my wife like the khao mu oap (12/5 adds the lop chung and egg).

MBK's "Muslim Rice" is always my goto dish when we're there.

We haven't had a chance to visit Khun Pen for a while. Last time by, she had to move out of her "shop" and onto the street. HShe set up just as you enter the "parking" area around Yok Yor.

We've found just about any fried chicken, from about any cart, will blow Polo out of the park.

[SCS]

Curt, do you really think any cart is better than Polo? I find Polo a bit inconsistent, especially with respect to the moistness of the meat, but I have to rank it ahead of your average cart, if for no other reason than the fact that the chicken arrives hot (the garlic is also delicious, IMO). My big pet peeve with fried food in Bangkok, especially on the street, is that it is allowed to sit around and get cold. My Thai friends find my complaints about cold, soggy fried chicken quite amusing. For them, it's no big deal. Try as I might, though, I have a really hard time convincing myself that cold fried chicken is as tasty as freshly made, hot fried chicken.

[Curt the Soi Hound]

"Curt, do you really think any cart is better than Polo?" No, I'm just yankin' your chain.

Years ago, we enjoyed Polo Chicken. But, the last few times we've tried it, it rank as bad as any chicken I've had. In fact, the very last time we had it, I fell ill. I spent the entire night re-eating the chicken.

Previously, we had my brother-in-law drop some off. While eating it, I commented of how it tasted fishy. Everyone had a laugh. The next visit to Polo, we watched them fry chicken, then fish, then chicken in the same oil.

Every single kai thod cart we have tried has been better. I am serious. Maybe we just have good luck!

I don't mind cold chicken. Maybe it's because I grew up during a time when cold chicken was a picnic staple.

Now fried bananas, that's another story. Those really lose something when cooled.

Sound like you get around Bangkok. Have you tried Polo Rice Soup, the shop directly on the corner of Soi Polo and Wireless. They do a great pu pad pong kari and stir fried morning glory. Not quite as good as Somboon, but it's about one fifth the price! If they don't have crab, try it with squid.

[SCS]

Okay, that is pretty bad. Now I see where you're coming from.

I've lived in Bangkok for about six months now, and eating is my main weekend activity here, so yes, I do get around. Haven't tried Polo Rice Soup, but thanks for the recommendation - I'll give it a try. I'm a big pad pong kari fan - enjoyed a mixed seafood version recently at Lek Seafood.