The Good : My Choice Restaurant at 5 Sukhumvit Soi 36, Bangkok.
Hidden away in the narrow street, Sukhumvit Soi 36, is a small, homely Thai restaurant that serves fabulous food. It is a short 5 minutes walk from Thong Lo BTS station.
It is a no-frills, family-run restaurant, and the decor is quite minimal, but the ambience is still comfortable and homely. Service is passable, but the owner's daughter was very helpful with recommendations and friendly. The lemongrass drink I had was refreshing, not too sweet and not overpowering.
Lemongrass Drink
Roasted Duck with Gourd Leaves Stir Fried Water Mimosa
Spicy Crispy Catfish Salad Beef Panang Curry Pastel
Crab Dip served with Vegetables Stir Fried Seafood
The food menu lists more than 100 varieties, and much of it was in Thai. So ordering was abit difficult. However, with the help of the Ploy (the owner's daughter) and certain favourites recommended by bloggers, we decided on a selection of 6 dishes.
The Roasted Duck with Gourd Leaves was good. The duck was tender but still had texture, and the chilli dip that came with the dish was tasty without being too spicy. The Stir Fried Water Mimosa was quite a surprise. I had never heard of water mimosa, let alone tasted it, but it turned out to be very palatable and the mildly crunchy stalks of water mimosa was actually quite tasty.
Then came the Spicy Crispy Catfish Salad. It's Thai green mango salad resting on a bed of deep fried catfish meat and some green lettuce leaves. I love green mango salad, and this was excellent. The crunchy fried catfish totally complemented the sweet sour taste of the salad. A must try for all.
The Beef Panang Curry Pastel came with a generous dose of coconut cream. Totally unlike Indian curry, this Thai red curry stir fried beef slices was tasty without being pungent. The spices are mild and the meat was really tender. A very tasty dish indeed.
The best dish of the day was definitely the Crab Dip. Minced crab meat and pork in a mildly sweet coconut creamy sauce spiced with Thai chilli, the combination was heavenly. And to top it off, hidden in the small rice bowl of dip is an entire softshell crab complete with pincers, legs and paddles. Simply excellent.
The Stir Fried seafood had shrimps, squid and fish slices. It was tasty but ordinary.
I will definitely be back for more. So many more dishes I want to try. My first meal in Bangkok certainly set the mood for the rest of my stay.
The Bad : Ko Dang Talay 2194 Charoenkrung Road Asiatique The Waterfront Kodang 7
Visited Asiatique - The Riverfront, which is a massive shopping and lifestyle complex beside the Chao Praya River, featuring restaurants, quaint boutiques and shops, and even a spa. There is a free ferry boat service from Saphan Taksin BTS Station.
Since it was my last night in Bangkok, I had wanted a good Thai seafood dinner. We found Ko Dang Talay, a huge restaurant facing the riverfront. Looks impressive but was totally disappointed.
Most of the staff did not speak enough English to help. Then several important items such as River Prawns and Egg Crabs were not available. Finally when we managed to order a few dishes, what was served was a total let down.
Tom Yam Soup with Milk Chinese Kale Stir Fried with Salted Fish
Shrimp Fish Cake Charcoal Grilled Squid
The prawns in the Tom Yum Soup with Milk was so overcooked, the meat was rough and dry. And I have tasted much better Tom Yum Goong in a food court. Then the Chinese Kale Stir Fried with Salted Fish came as pictured above, with gravy dripped all over the plate. The presentation itself already made me lose appetite, and the vegetable had no leaves, just stalk.
The Shrimp Fish Cake looked like deep fried donuts, dry and there was no sauce or dip to go with it. It was like eating fried dough. And the Charcoal Grilled Squid was totally plain. No seasoning, no taste and no dip.
Finally, the Steam Mud Crab with Glass Noodles was burnt and dry. The mud crab was disappointing. The meat was dry and flaky. Not as meaty as expected.
Steam Mud Crab with Glass Noodles
Really a meal to be forgotten. And they even had the cheek to charge for ice. An absolute failure. I wonder how they managed to survive in the competitive food industry.
The Ugly: Durian at Yaowarat Road
How can such ugly looking, spiky, dirty-green husk, contain such tasty, silky, creamy and delicious golden flesh inside? Such is the wonder of the King of Fruits - the durian. Simply could not resist having a bite, although it was not durian season in Bangkok.
Notice how the durian seller cuts open the durian. It is quite different from what the guys in Singapore and Malaysia do it. Not fantastic, but still a craving satisfied.
No comments:
Post a Comment