bangkok is my absolute food wonderland. street food paradise and home to some of the best (and cheap) food thrills.
i should've written about bangkok earlier. if only i knew what to write. in a place where everything looks and tastes good, it's tough.
here's a place i don't feel the need to google where and what to eat. this is a place where anything goes. whatever i see by the street, whichever eatery catches my eye, im there. i trust bangkok. i refuse to believe i can have a bad meal there. and looks like i never did.
breakfast for me, street-side fruits. pure joy.
saving room for heavy lunch.
which is quite a challenge when every corner of the city, there's something tempting to bite.
one tip: don't fight it, just give in.
for lunch, i suggest you head to Hai SomTam Convent, Thanon Convent (near Sala Daeng BTS). they specialize in Isaan food. Isaan province is north-east of thailand and the birthplace of the famous som tam.
som tam or green papaya salad is a beautiful mosaic of unripe papaya, hot chili, fish sauce, dried shrimp, tomatoes and so much more. in my case, with nuts and salted egg.
they make it fresh in front of you. that's a plus in my book.
never was a big fan of somtam before. Hai Somtam Convent changed my mind. it was fresh, spicy and bursting with yummy goodness.
had the popular grilled chicken, too.
it was so-so. i don't know if it was because it wasn't fresh from the grill. or maybe being from the inasal-capital gave me high expectations for chicken. either way, it was just ok. maybe you can try the isaan sausages instead.
or, try the other popular dish, larb (minced meat salad). i would've tried it if only i didn't have a wedding gown to fit in a few months. no, really, i just didn't know how i can eat it all. you'll be mine next time!
they only open for lunch from 10am-3pm, until 2pm on saturdays and closed on sundays. and is usually packed. once again, i was the first customer, and just when i was about to leave, the crowd was coming in.
and if there's one place the crowd loves even more, there's Thip Samai. most locals would agree, foodies and bloggers, CNN and BBC too, they have the best pad thai in town.
ive been coming back and forth to bangkok and have had pad thais every time. so when i heard about Thip Samai, wasn't at all that ecstatic, since i know ive had really good pad thais before. i knew wrong.
apparently, the pad thais ive had all these years that i was so amazed with, was nothing but a lame imitation of this legendary pad thai from Thip Samai.
this pad thai factory has been there since 1966. it's fascinating to watch them endlessly preparing and cooking pad thai, as people line up just to get a taste. it is a well-oiled machine of a restaurant.
we had the pad thai wrapped in egg, the pad thai without noodles and the original pad thai with shrimp and egg. cooked in shrimp juices, which i think is the not-so-secret-ingredient to this scrumptious dish.
Thip Samai is at 313 Maha Chai Road, Samran Rat. Open mondays-sundays at 6pm-1am. a place that should be a part of everyone's bangkok itinerary.
it just ruined all the pad thais out there for me. the only place ill have pad thai. and should be the same for you, too.
happy eating, everyone!
2 comments:
Ah nice to see people venturing off the beaten track in bkk. I used to live near hai somtam and it's one of my favorite isaan restaurants. And yes i agree i'm not a fan of the chicken. I prefer the grilled pork neck called kor moo yang or the sausages. There's a newish isaan place a block away called somtum der on saladaeng but have yet to try it.
As for thip samai i find it too sweet for my taste. But if there's still that old lady outside selling mango and sticky rice, that is to die for. I like the place a few doors down called raan jai fai.
hi paul! thanks for taking time to read my blog, and for the added info. im actually going back to bangkok next week, and am looking forward to eating at jai fai. heard about that place. will let you know ;)
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