My Food Adventures in Bangkok
While Bangkok, one of the most-visited cities in the world, still lumbers under the stigma of the soulless sleaze for some, the highlight of my trip was without a doubt – food. Bangkok is a paradise for foodies! From the universally loved Pad Thais and Tom Yums to exotic bug food – it has got it all.
My foodie adventures started at Plathong BBQ Buffet, a little known place that serves over 100 items of food at just 129 Baht (roughly BDT 300). What makes it special is that most of them are raw, waiting to be cooked on your very own BBQ grill. If you think of overloading your platter, remember that they will fine you for wasting food. It was truly the ideal place for long conversations as my shrimp and meat took a while to get cooked to perfection. The best part of my meal was the dessert- a chunk of coconut ice cream served with sticky rice, nuts and jello.
The following morning, my friend took me to a fresh market and I started craving Thai breakfast. While the experience of being in a bustling local market was great, I was really puzzled about what to get. That's because most locals eat rice or noodles three times a day which reflected on the food selection. My only food blunder came with my selection of Tom Yum Soup. It's a lot spicier then what we have here! I stared in disbelief as they also gave plate of optional add-ons (more spices) even though I barely finished a quarter of the bowl.
Later that day, I had my favourite food experience at a place called "Today Steak", located at Samyan Market near MBK mall. Every local in the area knows their signature dish which they proudly call "The Macho Platter". Basically, it's a gigantic plate of assorted meats, bread, cheese, fish, some vegetables and spaghetti. All this set me back just 300 Bahts and I could even order a supreme sized coke. I thought this was a great place to try out Thai style steak without breaking the piggy bank.
For the next day, I had already booked an evening with Chef Bee because I not only wanted to taste Thai food, but learn how to cook it as well! Bee and his family run "Tailek's House", an uber cool Homestay/Guesthouse where they welcome any interested travelers for a cooking lesson and dinner on mostly Saturdays. We started our venture by visiting a local market together. I was really impressed to see the preparation of fresh coconut milk and the abundance of interesting items such as angry bird fishcakes. After getting what was needed, we headed back to the house where she showed me how to cook a red curry dish to perfection. The awesome dinner was complimented by conversation between fellow travelers, who came from all over the place. This was definitely different from cooking schools as there was really no hurry to finish or schedule to worry about.
That night, as I was finding my way back to my place - I discovered "Roti Mai Sai", Thailand's version of cotton candy wrapped in a sweet roti. Along with the great taste, I could not but admire all the vibrant colors it came in.
In the course of six days, I got to taste many other delicacies that I don't even know the names of. From a foodie perspective, Bangkok is much more than fried bugs and fast food chains. Look around you and you'll be awarded with one of the most diverse culinary experiences in the world.
The author is the Business Development Manager in Noman Group.
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