Well I know there are a lot of street food in Bangkok but since I was staying near this street, I might as well write about the good and cheap food I had for the past few days I was there. I heard this street can be quite happening for good supper during the weekends. But I must warn my readers that I have a seasoned stomach train in Thailand and China, so when buying street food, please observe how they cook their food and check if the food itself is fresh, especially seafood. My comments for the food are in the pics.
Petchburi Soi 10There’s a wet market here as well selling lots of local fruits!This Thai-Chinese shop selling loads of local snacks and side dishes. See next photo.From the Thai-Chinese snack stall – Rice dumpling, Thai fish cake, and fried chicken. The chicken would be nice if hot from the wok. Rice dumpling and fish cake were really good. Forgot how much but damn cheap.Thai Fish Cakes. Lovely side dish to go with your rice.The rice dumpling was full of ingredients and really nice.
BBQ Chicken – I’ve always wanted to try this. They pasted ‘CP Chicken’ sticker on the stall hence I reckon it’s safe to eat.Choose your chicken carefully cos some sticks have chicken neck or boney parts. But the taste is really good.Taste awesome but cannot eat too often cos BBQ stuff.Thai Sausage – What is street food without thai sausage! This stall looks pretty good so I decided to try it.Looks really good right? I was told that this sausage was originated from Laos. Hence it prolly came through the North Eastern part of Thailand, Udon Thani. Taste is fragrant and savoury. But it comes with a little sour taste. Try it, it’s really not bad!I was wondering what this stall was until I came close and realized it’s a drink stall. This is where you can get your Thai milk teas or very good ice coffees. But what is that big pot of white stuff?Found out this big pot of white stuff is actually hot fresh milk! Thais love to drink this with sugar. I tried, very nice and milky. You can choose to have it iced as well.Ice Coffee made to perfection with less sugar.
Noodles! – Another stall must try is this stall that sells won ton noodles. Handed down by the lady’s mother and has been there for decades. I was told that they operate 24hrs. When this shop is close for the night, her sister will be selling by the side from 10pm till the next morning. And she speaks Teochew!I asked for a big packet of noodles with double portion of noodles and extra ingredients. Really nice for just 60 bahts.
I promise to write about this for www.agoda.com friends. If you happen to stay in this hotel like I did, and it happen to rain heavily or you happen to feel very tired and don’t feel like moving your ass to anywhere, you should really check out the food at the coffee house below.
I was having a lunch meeting one of the days at the coffee house located at the same lobby of Bangkok City Hotel. Well, it is not a distinctively coffee house but when you approach the staff at the front office, they will get someone to come and take your orders. The menus are not new, and not many varieties, afterall this is a boutique hotel. Hence I ordered what I felt like eating. They have room service as well but I reckon it’s a lot nicer to lunch downstairs and watch tourists go by… 😉
Lobby Coffee HousePineapple Fried Rice – AwesomeFried Kale With Roasted Pork – Apparently a local favouriteFried Red Chicken Curry – This is a really nice dish.
Rating: 5/5
Taste: Put it this way, my Thai counterparts even agreed that the food was good! Wonder who the chef is…. hmmm…
Portion: Average
Price: Very reasonable. Suitable for lunch meetings for local Thais.
RTE: If I’m nearby or staying at same hotel again, I definitely would!
This is gonna be something new in my blog… No, not about writing for popular restaurants or cafe, but more about condemning them. I mean, come on, you’ve come so far, grown so big, franchised your business, cross nations, etc… at least provide your customers with the standards you portray or even close to it. Apparently, for this coffee bistro joint, it was so bad, that it spurred me to write this blog post!
I was waiting to watch my movie at level 6 of MBK (as usual) and would wanna have a good coffee to keep myself awake throughout the show. So I’ve decided to check out Black Canyon for it’s coffee and what looks like damn nice White Chocolate Cake.
Shop Front
I sat down, no one attended to me, had to put up my huge hands to catch the attention of the almost dying waiter… well he seems like that. So I placed my order of Ice Latte and White Chocolate Cake. The cake came, it was Oreo Cookies Cake. I told the waiter I ordered the White Chocolate Cake, so he changed it. The cake came, still with all the plastic wrappers around it, unwraped it, took a pic, felt the weight of the cake, and I knew I would not like it. True enough, the whole cake was very light, full of cream, and the white chocolate is only the shavings on top! It was really disappointing!
Disappointing ‘White Chocolate’ Cake
After a while, my coffee came. From the colour of the Ice Latte, I knew it would not taste good. True enough, there was no coffee taste, milk inside was bland, I was like, WTF happened to Black Canyon??? The coffee tasted like overnight coffee, mixed with more than 3/4 of water and skimmed milk. It was really bad and disappointing. It was so bad, I had ate the cakey and white chocolate parts of the cake minus the cream, and left behind half glass of the Ice Latte.
My advise to aspiring franchisors, if you cannot maintain your standards, maybe it’s a better idea for you to hold your expansion plans and work out a more detailed and extensive SOP and franchise plan.
Rating: 1/5
Taste: Horrible
Portion: Average
Price: Above Average
RTE: Are you kidding?
Location: Seriously you wanna know? Alright MBK Level 6.
I do apologize for the absence as I was doing my stint in Shanghai. Just got back to Singapore and will be flying to Taipei for a short trip to feature lots of street food! Then after that will be heading on to my new stint in Suzhou, China, where there are a lot of nice and traditional snacks and foodstuff, which I will be slowly discovering them.
I was recently in Bangkok as you can see from my previous post on Bangkok’s Most Hated and apart from what pissed me off, was the great food in the land of smiles. I was checking back my previous posts and was quite surprise that I didn’t write anything about the food in the foodcourt of Mahboonkrung or otherwise known as MBK. For the benefit of those who have not been to Bangkok before, MBK is the MUST GO place in Bangkok. It has almost 80% of all the things Thailand has to offer. From titbits, to accessories, IT stuff, massage places, cinema, restaurants, cafes, supermarket, banks, money exchanges, lifestyle shops, furniture shops, etc… Basically I think you got the idea. And the foodcourt is the best place to try most of some Thai local dishes, in a cleaner environment, if you have a weak stomach. Like most Singaporeans, MBK’s foodcourt is where we usually report to when first reach Bangkok. The food there is pretty good (Thai local standards) but a little more pricey than that of the street. No choice lah, foreigners flood that place daily, forcing price up quite a lot.
MBK Foodcourt
So I was there last week, I already knew what I wanted to eat for lunch. But before you can buy your food, please go buy coupons first. Here is all base on coupons, no cash unless for the stalls not within the foodcourt. How much to change? Hmm… I usually change about 300bahts so that you don’t have to run here and there. You can refund balance coupons once you’re done with eating and remember, you have to utilize the coupons on the same day… if not, you’ll lose the monetary value tied to the coupons in your hands!
Coupon counter at the far endCoupons for food!
So after changing the coupons, I headed to my favourite Khao Kar Moo (Thai for Pork Leg Rice) stall. You can let the stall person know you don’t want fats or skin and they will just give you the pork leg meat with some salted vegetables. Add an egg for 10baht. Total is about 55baht (S$2.30). Just love the soft skin (without the fats of course) and together with the sourish chilli sauce, it’s really appetising! Yums!
Awesome Khao Kar Moo (Pork Leg Rice)
Portions like the above is actually quite little for a normal adult. So I would usually order a side dish which you can share with whoever is with you. Hoy Tod is like the Fried Oyster in Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan. But this one is crsipy and assorted seafood. Used to be 70baht but now it’s 120baht.
Hoy Tod Talaay (Hot Plate Seafood)
The great thing about dining in Bangkok, they always have these pharmaceutical companies sponsoring tissues on the tables! Free to use! 🙂
Free tissues
As for desserts, look out for the little fruit shops lined on the ‘outskirts’ of the foodcourt. Check out the yellow signages stalls. But prices have gone up a lot for the mango one to about 140baht. Used to be only 80-100baht. But this time I ordered Sticky Rice with Durian instead for 60baht. It was awesome. Very strong in taste, and very fulfilling. 🙂 If you are packing back to your hotel room, please make sure they tie properly and double pack it. Cos most hotels do not allow you to bring durians into the hotel premise itself. Make sure also the aircon is independant and not central sharing!
Stalls with yellow signages where desserts are soldSecurely packed for scentless bringing back to your hotel rooms 🙂Khao Niao Tulian (Durian Sticky Rice) Awesome and strong taste, gave a lot of durian, love it!
Rating: 4.5/5
Taste: Awesome food quite close to most street food!
Portion: Average
Price: Average for some. A lot cheaper than the food court at Siam Paragon.
RTE: Like I said, must report to this place everytime in Bangkok!
You must be wondering why such a subject title… I don’t usually write such stuff except on my Facebook notes. But I think this is way overdue. I believe others have written about this and I should do my part as well to help bring this to the attention of the Tourism of Thailand and hope they can work with the Thai Department Of Land Transportation asap.
I’m talking about the pesky tuk tuk drivers and taxi drivers. Tuk tuks are an icon in Thailand. You mention tuk tuk, everyone knows its Thailand. To be honest, I have stopped taking tuk tuks more than a decade ago. Reason is they don’t charge reasonably anymore. What used to be 20-40baht, became prices with no ceilings. I witnessed one couple being quoted 150baht to their nearby hotel from MBK‘s taxi stand when I was here in Jan but they still went for it… I reckon they thought it was cheap and they were middle-easterns. That’s why when someone comes up to me and ask if I wanna take a tuk tuk, I just walk pass them and brush them away. Tuk tuk my foot! Tuk your head then you know!
Of late, taxi drivers are also picking up the unreasonable ceiling-less cab fares. Yes, even when you board at MBK or any malls now. For those who have never been to Bangkok and MBK, this mall has everything you need and would cover perhaps 80% of your entire shopping in Bangkok. Hence the taxis that comes in the taxi queue now have only one thing in mind… SLAUGHTER. ‘Cos they know, 9 out of 10 in the queue is definitely a foreigner. So one of this taxi driver met me tonight, as I pretended I cannot speak Thai… tried to slaughter me.
I lined up as usual at the taxi queue around closing time around 10pm. When it was my turn to board, I told the security who will announce to the taxi driver where your hotel is so that they will have no excuse for not knowing where it is. So I boarded the taxi with the top sign turned on (it say metered btw) and I repeated to the driver my hotel name in English and the street name. He drove off, started smiling and said,”Heh heh gimme 200baht ok?” I was shocked and replied,”200baht??? No way! Go by meter!” Then he went on,”Ok ok 150baht!” I replied,”Go by meter if not I’ll get off!” Then he said,”Ok then you gimme how much? 100baht?” I said,”No meter, I get off!” Then he stopped the taxi and said,”Ok get off! I queue again” I told him I’m gonna report this and asked for his car number. He even pointed to me the number! I was so pissed I kicked open the door, told him he’s F#$KED UP and walked off without closing the door! After that I walked back to the taxi stand, the security guard was closing up the stand and got me another taxi and made sure he would go by meter before I got on. I got back to my hotel straight without going in circles (normally they would), and the fare was only 41baht. I gave the driver 60baht and asked him to keep the change. I came back and told the front office ladies about the whole incident, and they clapped and said I was very good and did the right thing!
Well this is not my first time happening to me and all my other friends experience the same shit as well. Obviously this has been reported many times and has been going on for the past 6-8 years? What are the Tourism Board and Land Authority of Thailand doing about this? What is suppose to be a relaxing and pleasant trip to Bangkok, turns out to be a bitter one, full of rage! Even the locals are affected by these blood suckers who are suppose to ferry their passengers safely point to point, going by the correct prices. Luckily for me, I had the last laugh because the queue was closed already and no more passengers, so if the bastard came back after one round, it’ll be an empty run! 🙂
Just in case the authorities do not know what to do, here are some suggestions:
Suspend the driver’s license for one month for first reported case, 6 months for second offence and 1 year for third time. After which, he/she will not be able to drive anymore.
Make first offenders serve the one month suspension above at the malls blowing the whistle and announcing the names of the hotels of every passenger.
Make second offenders wash 50 taxis daily for 6 months.
If need other suggestions, please let me know, my friends will be standing by with lots of ideas.
For foreigners in Bangkok for holidays or business:
Insist on going by meter for all cabs!
Tuk tuk rides should NOT be more than 100baht. 50bahts for less than 2km distance.
Do not oblige by going to visit some temples, jewellery shops, souvenir shops, etc. These drivers will get 5-10baht petrol vouchers if they bring you there and you must stay there for at least half an hour. The sales people are damn good at what they do, they’ll have a way to convince you to buy something.
Taxi from airport will go by meter as the ladies at the counter will write the name of your hotel to the drivers. If they wanna go by highway, then you’ll have to pay for the toll fees for a few more tenths.
Taxi to the airport from city should not be more than 300baht, including toll fees.
Exactly what I meant… a sign in the lift of my hotel.
If only everyone do what I did; that is, do not encourage these drivers to cheat and reward those who didn’t, then they will wake up their ideas and turn on the meter without a doubt whenever someone comes on board! It is so bad now that the driver is not even afraid of complains anymore… does that mean the authorities do not have any power over them? If the authorities do not do anything soon, the Land of SMILES will not be a nice place to visit anymore because the ones SMILING are the tuk tuk and cab drivers, with a long sword waiting to slaughter any foreigners.
Sounds scary right? Then do something about it by sharing with your friends via Facebook, Twitter, Weibo, etc… so that more people know how to react when they encounter during their visit to Bangkok. At the same time, I really hope this blog reaches the eyes of the authorities. Don’t get me wrong, I love Thailand. My relatives are here and loads of friends too. Just that some black sheep are making Bangkok really ugly and in the long run, will affect the livelihood and economy of Thailand.
Bought what? Bought the domain lah. eatwithroy.com is now mine! 🙂 Being back in Bangkok again does really help me to work on my food blog again and I do apologise for my readers for my absence. To add on to the spur are the statistics I see online where I have on average more than 100 unique hits daily without any new blog entries for more than a year! I know it’s little as compared for some other bloggers but to me, they are my readers, and I would wanna update more places for them to enjoy too!
So thank you my friends, for reading what I post, and for helping the blog to reach more than 40,000 hits already. I will be backlogging some nice food I discovered in Shanghai and will also be discovering new ones while in Bangkok or wherever I will be posted for my real job.
I reckon I should write about this awesome place I’ve been to during my last trip to Bangkok. Reason is, this place serves very authentic Thai food dated back to the days where they are being served to the Thai royalties and these dishes are believe to have medicinal effects on our bodies. No wonder most of the Thai girls we see are so slim! Well the attraction of this place is not just the food but also the whole structure. The place is made from traditional Thai teak wood and service staff are all dressed in traditional Thai costumes. So are the utensils and serving plates and bowls. My buddy in Bangkok brought me there for dinner much to my surprise as this place is tucked in some back alleys in Sukhumvit Soi 20 and it’s a really nice little paradise to have authentic Thai food, chat up with your mates, or even a date with that special someone. Check out the pics below:
As you enter the place...Many sculptures and carvings along the wayWood carvings like these are all hand crafted.Cashier Counter AKA Finanace Dept...Outdoors ambienceAnother side outdoorMe with service staffMenuFirst up, Chun-Cheu-Boos-Sa-Ba. An assortment of Fried Flowers which is said to aid digestion. This is nice. 🙂Tod-Mun-Goong. Some prawn mix batter. Taste good! Aids appetitie.Khao-Tang-Nha-Thung. Traditional rice crackers with shallot and garlic dip. Relieves cold & cough and reduces blood pressure.This is how you eat it... addictive!Kor-Moo-Yang. Grilled Pork and if eaten with dip, will aid digestive system, blood circulation and gas in stomach... No wonder that night I was so farty... ;PTom-Yum-Goong-Mae-Num. This soup needs no introduction but Tom Yum soups have some medicinal effects on us too! It has high vitamin C, decreases blood sugar and relieves coughs and indigestion.This is the clear broth version. Just love the big river prawns and the taste!Gang-Kheaw-Waan-Gai or Pla -Grai... Or Chicken Green Curry. Lovely dish and this dish actually helps in bone strengthening, cures rheumatism and decreases blood pressures.Nam-Prik-Khai-Poo. Salad base dish but the main thing is the dip. Very healthy dish. Promotes appetitite and healthy skin, relieves coiughs and promotes a healthy heart.Wonder how long they spend carving this... hmmm
Rating: 5/5.
Taste: Awesome. Must check it out at least once.
Portion: Average
Price: Buddy paid but I should think it’s quite reasonable for the quality of the food and ambience.
