re. 6. Open Air Market by Wat Pho (aka market at Ta Chang)
fantastic food and fun location! great hainan chicken -- spicy, tender, juicy, and flavorful. absolutely amazing pad thai from the woman 2nd-furthest from the dock, in the middle. the larb gai, spicy as hell, from the shops along the wall, was good, but stingy servings (just a sprinkling of meat over a mound of rice). som tam (papaya salad, "2 chilis") was nowhere near hot enough -- maybe ask for 4 next time? the mangosteens were incredibly expensive and half of them were moldy (I'm just going to presume this is the worst time to order them?). decent, but somewhat bland, glass noodles with chicken and greens. and my brother found these little gelatonous doughy balls and dumplings that were great -- chewy and filled with peanutty goodness.
10. Food Court at MBK Mall -- we first found ourselves in the 5th floor food court, which felt like I was in kentucky -- farang everywhere, smelled of antiseptic bleach, and every sign ("chinese food") was clearly printed in english. we redirected to the 6th floor, where it felt a little less tourist-directed. later, though, we passed a small food court on the 4th floor that looked to be the perfect street-foodie treat. anyhow, this is all about the 5th floor, and I ultimately wasn't so impressed at all:
- oysters in hot plate -- enh.
- steamed pork with rice -- tough, bland, and not at all tasty.
- pork knuckles over rice with tons of fat - the first taste was a wham of flavor, but after that, it really wasn't much to write home about the fat slices dipped into the chili sauce made it worth ordering, but probably wouldn't get it again.
- som tam - medium spiucy, swimming in nam pla. really loved it.
- mama noodles with chicken and gravy - wide, flat rice noodles with a thick sour sauce, and greens, was okay.
- tom yum kang was underwhelming.
the two standouts were definitely:
- muslim chicken curry with rice - wow. this was a knockout. very indian, but sour, tasty, spicy. absolutely fantastic.
- spicy seafood fried rice - excellent. reall great.
re deserts:
- sticky rice with durian -- I'm not a durian devotee, but based on reports, wanted to give it a shot here. anyhow, with each bite it became a little more palateable. from tasting "like car exhaust" to "not so bad"... my chinese brother insists you just not inhale, which seems to defeat the purpose to me.
- fried balls filled with bacon/shrimp/other stuff, and doused in mayo and thick soy sauce -- while the sign insists they're a hit across japan and australia, these were not worth it.
sukhumvit 38 - a cute little food stall area just 1/2 block in from sukhumvit. the chicken satay was cheap as all getup, but was thick thickness, consistency, and taste of cardboard. (reminded me of the beijing dumpling stories.) hainan chicken was aces. a really nice spot to sit and watch the street, though.
ana's issan - gorgeous spot. the dinner was, by all accounts, delicious, although I didn't get to enjoy half of it thanks to the copious chilis that left my mouth quite numb throughout the night, and led to beer after beer trying to wash the pain away. from my notes, the sausage with green chilli peppers was amazing -- but dear *** please try and avoid the whole green chillis deep inside the sausage. deep fried sea bass with thai spices and chilli sauces was gorgeous. the roadside chicken wasn't very edible at all -- lots of neck, and bones -- but everyone at the table insisted it was normally amazing -- we got the last 1/2 chicken they had, so perhaps we just got the one they'd been planning to throw out.
suan lum night bazaar - still operating, and still huge. couldn't resist a mangos & sticky rice. swimming in coconut milk, and delicious, just as I'd remembered. (the thai cover singers with backup dancers on stage made it all the more fun.) (also stopped in for a little karaoke in the minibooths to whet my appetite.)
oriental hotel - desserts for mum's birthday. the mango with sticky rice was dreamlike... the most perfect I've had. tapioca balls in coconute milk with raspberry syrup -- first few bites were pure tapioca pleasure, but the glory petered out pretty quickly, and it became just a bowl on bits floating in coconut milk. but those first few bites? mmmmm.
single best dish of the few days there:
fried rice with chicken, at some two-table shop on charoen nakhon, north of taksin bridge. sorry I don't have a name, but it proves the old adage about BKK, that the best food you'll have will be a nameless shop on a busy street.
forgot a few restaurant names which I'll try to update with later...
next trip:
- need to hit this polo fried chicken place -- you guys all seem to love it
- rut & lek (soi texas? somewhere in chinatown)
- khrua rommai (from post above)
- yok yor marina (with floor show?)
- soi pradit for breakfast
- NYT article on street food
- Or Tor Gor Food Market - across from Chatuchak - from WSJ's top 10 restaurants in Asia. 101 Khampaengphet Road
