eatBANGKOK: Sensational Fried Chicken @ Som Tam Nua, Siam Square

Coming to Bangkok as a foreigner no matter how prepared, you might feel that cleanliness can be quite an issue (even if you country is no better). In saying that, I can guarantee you that looks are deceiving.  But if you insist, here is a place for the faint hearted.

Som Tam Nua in Siam Square 5 is a success story of a shop whose humble beginnings involved the mortar and pestle action of making the Thai staple, Som Tam (papaya salad).  Presumably the best eat at Som Tam Nua would be the Som Tam itself right?  Errr?  Yeah?  Ok, maybe but not really.  Your best bet to start the meal with a bang would be the Some Tam Nua’s fried chicken.  For three boys a large serve for 150 Baht (RM18/$AUD6) is just about right if you plan on decent eating rather than being a glutton.

The chicken portions came out piping hot and crisp from top to bottom.  A few bites was enough to to tell me why this chicken is so popular all over the Internet.  Som Tam Nua’s secret lies in its more-ish batter made from flour mixed with blended ginger, chilli, onion and garlic with generous lashings of fish sauce and other spices to reach a point where its balance of flavour was perfect.

Coming in second place at Som Tam Nua is none other than their Som Tam (Papaya Salad).  With a host of varieties including Som Tam with crab, salted eggs and shrimp, we decided to go with the original Som Tam topped with little shrimps.

Crisp and juicy with a refreshing aftertaste, this was the answer to Bangkok's sweltering heat.  Served cold, the acidity of the salad was just spot on.  Its seasoning which mixed sweet, salty, and sour flavours together with a hint of Chilli was just sensational.  Definitely a great bite!  But at 70 Baht (RM8/$AUD3), its serve size was smaller than anticipated.

Another in house specialty is the fried rice flour noodles topped with pork floss and crackling for 110 Baht (RM12/$AUD4.50). 

Deceivingly soft and stodgy, this noodle made our taste buds tingle with excitement. Its sticky, sweet and spicy flavours mixed the pork floss and crispy crackling were quite a joy to eat!  But more surprising was how Som Tam Nua manages to grill lean pork while keeping it so tender!  My suspicion?  Som Tam Nua marinades the pork with young papaya juice which acts as a tenderiser! 

Tender grilled pork 100 Baht (RM11/$AUD4).  Not the tastiest but tender enough to amaze!

Verdict?  Pretty damn good!  The food at Som Tam Nua is what you would expect.  It was not amazingly different but it was definitely a good enough to keep the crowd coming.  Price wise it was a little steep but for most it is a small price to pay for ambience and hygiene.  In saying that, I believe the general public agrees, so prepare to queue up!

WenY

About eatBANGKOK
I am no expert in eating but I have no hesitation in claiming Bangkok is easily one of the top cities for eating. In this mini series called eatBANGKOK, I bring you what my homeboys Yobi, ZS and I ate through this bustling city.  Everyone boasts to present the cuisine in this Royal loving city best so the quality of food here can quite easily get diluted.  But are you really eating Bangkok’s best? This is WHAT, WHERE and HOW to eat Bangkok’s  popular and hidden eateries.  Keen on a Bangkok food itinerary?  Look no further.

eatBANGKOK: A Foodie's Guide to Bangkok Street Food

From the hotdogs stands to Gryo Platters at Halal Bros. in NYC, the spicy Tteobokki in Seoul, and the Smelly Tofu & Curry Fish ball vendors in Hong Kong, street food is an interesting dining scene where spare change can make your buds tingle.  More importantly, street food plays a massive part in encouraging different cultures come together to create an identity of a nation.   In Bangkok though, its all about satisfying local hunger.   This post, I feasted on some of the tastiest street food at the local Wang Lang market, and at food street Soi 38 at Sukhumvit. 

Wang Lang Market

While I gave the floating markets a miss this trip,  I took the opportunity to travel on the Chao Praya river bus to Wang Lang market situated in Thonburi, a place where the population thrives on locals looking for a feast or fresh food to prepare one.

To get to Wang Lang market, take the BTS to Taksin before jumping on the ferry which costs 15 Baht.  The ferry is one of Bangkok’s main mode of transportation and its a breeze to ride with no traffic jams of course!  

I do not blame you if you start your street food trip a little fazed.  The selections are massive and if you have the mentality that the vendors up the front are for tourists, time to get that out.  At Wang Lang, start eating because your stomach needs the time in between to relax!  

Tod Mun Pla (Thai Fishcakes - 20 Baht for 4)

Need I explain this anymore?  This bite size delicacy comes in different odds and sods but its shape matters little when you get that massive spice punch serenading your buds.  To cool, the vendor pour a sweet chilli and cucumber relish.  Slurps~!

Moo Yang (Grilled pork - 40 Baht for 100 grams)

This makes the Texan folk away from home cry.  Surely not the same smoky goodness but who is able to resist the juicy, succulent pork grilled and tossed in that sticky sweet sauce!

The lady at the stall packing larger packets for other customers!


Tub Tim Grob (Rubies and Chestnuts in Coconut Milk - 15 Baht)

Its hot so you need to cool.  Bangkok’s sweltering heat is like that.  When coconut no longer excites you, settle for this icy alternative.  This royal loving vendor at Wang Lang market spares no expense in making this colourful dessert worth you buck.  He puts chestnuts in there like a boss.

Khao Na Bpet  (Roast duck on Rice - 50 Baht)

Ok this is not your typical street food in Bangkok. When all the locals dine there, who are you to question?  Keep calm, just eat.  Tender flavoursome  duck meat was lovely to eat but sauce a tad too sweet.  I prefer the Cantonese version better!

Khanom Buang Maprow/ Khanom Tuntag ( Thai crepes w/ grated coconut and coconut milk - 15 Baht)

Walking back does not mean I was finished.  A sweet ending is a compulsory one.   Crisp at the sides, and fluffy in the middle, this yummy dessert can make every day feel like a Sunday.  Its sweet coconut was lovely and the over all experience reminded me of Apom back home.

These are the ladies working their magic on the wonderful pastries.

Soi 38 Sukhumvit

If you just cannot get enough and need to feed your daily dose of Bangkok street food, another popular places to feast at is Soi 38 at Sukhumvit. This place offers around 30 stalls in the evening serving a mix of delicacies which might not be as impressive as the 100 over eateries scattered across Wang Lang market but there is something here which might just tickle your fancy.

To get here, get on the train to reach Thonglor BTS.  Once you get of the train, you should be able see Soi 38 from the crossover bridge!

Daniel Thaiger - Amazing Pork and Beef Burgers 140 Baht

Halal Boy to New York City is like Daniel Thaiger to Bangkok.  Cultural acceptance.  Just when you thought hordes of people would come to Soi 38 in Sukhumvit for local food, you will see a stream of people queueing up for the infamous Daniel Thaiger burgers.  That evening, we were the first in line and was served by Mrs Thaiger herself.In fluent English, she tells us that her American husband is the brains behind this mobile burger flipping idea.  Opening at 5.30pm, we made sure we came extra early to get ours first.  Surely enough, our safe plan came to fruition because at 5.30pm, there were already 8 orders in the make! 

The Classic Pork with Cheese

Mr Steve. Beef burger with Cheese and Bacon.

Whilst the kids in the region play tricks with bamboo coal buns, Daniel Thaiger decides that Kuro buns are too mainstream and pulls the classic back on track.  A quick wait for the early birds were rewarded with a burger that is worth the effort.  Put together like a piece of art, the composition is simple and it works.  Daniel Thaiger might be small, but it sure gives Shake Shack fans a run for their money!

Pad Krapow Moo (Pork Stir-fry with Holy Basil - 50 Baht)

A favourite back in Australia came less exciting than expected.  But for the unfamiliar, this might be a delicious bite graced with the flavour of the Basil leaf!

Khao Niaow Ma Muang w/ Tua Tong (Sliced mango with coconut stick rice topped with toasted Mung bean - 60 Baht)

Putting the name on the sentence above is like seeing Obama on TV with the close caption saying Obama.  If you need any introduction to this Thai sensation, you must live in a hole #neversaynever.  This was one of the best ones in town according to most.  It sure lives up to its expectation but best is still a claim too farfetched.

WenY

About eatBANGKOK

I am no expert in eating but I have no hesitation in claiming Bangkok is easily one of the top cities for eating. In this mini series called eatBANGKOK, I bring you what my homeboys Yobi, ZS and I ate through this bustling city.  Everyone boasts to present the cuisine in this Royal loving city best so the quality of food here can quite easily get diluted.  But are you really eating Bangkok’s best? This is WHAT, WHERE and HOW to eat Bangkok’s  popular and hidden eateries.  Keen on a Bangkok food itinerary?  Look no further.

Melbourne: Modern Thai @ Longrain, Little Bourke Street

While the highly rated Chin Chin seems to be all the rave in Melbourne, my trip to the modern Longrain on Little Bourke Street still shows that the top spot for Modern Asian is still up for grabs.  Modern Thai food has come a long way from the awkwardly sweet and deep fried things they were before, but was this a change good enough?  This was my first visit to Longrain in Melbourne and I loved its airy venue which paired high ceilings with its long tables that swept across the diner. On top were glasswares arranged neatly for the afternoon service. It all felt very "upmarket".  Its a nice feeling.  But remember, Longrain gets pretty busy so remember to make your booking via the telephone or the OpenTable website here.

To get the pace going, we order a couple of betel leafs! Mine was the betel leaf with pomelo, mint, green papaya, peanut and toasted coconut slices.  Som Tam on a leaf? Maybe!

Like how most Thai salads are, this one had a refreshing punch the moment you take it in whole.  There is something about the crisp vegetable crunching in your teeth whilst your palate is serenaded by the Thai dressing that simply awakens your senses.  Love that sweet-sour-salty combination! Not to mention that juicy pomelo and betel leaf that are sweet at first but carries a slightly bitter aftertaste.  This was an appetiser that leaves your mouth clean for the next.

Longrain’s signature dish of Eggnet, pork, prawns, sprouts, and peanuts served with a cucumber relish came next.

It is easy to see why the dish is so likeable.  Firstly, it is big.  Really bloody big.  But there is a little catch and it is that the dish is not filled entirely with meat and seafood but rather, massive amounts of juicy bean sprouts that compliments the herb and meat contents.  This to a certain extent felt like a noodle-less Pad Thai! It was yummy!  Its savoury, then a bit sweet but more importantly the dish was fragrant thanks to the little strips of kaffir lime, chill and lovely mint.  I really enjoyed this dish.  At the end though, I felt a little sad for the cucumber relish.  The balance in this dish was already optimal so I had no need to add anymore sweetness from the relish!

The next dish was the special of the day recommended to us by Longrain's waiter.  It was a whole fish filleted and deep fried served with a tangy tamarind sauce.

I love seeing my fish filleted with the whole lot deep fried to perfection.  Here the batter was thin so it only had a mild crisp from the deep frying.  What it lacked in crispy batter, it made up for by ensuring that the flesh was kept superbly moist.  Drizzle a little lime juice over the fish before dipping it into the Tamarind sauce and wow! It was an amazing meal!   This was one of my favourite dishes that day which I believe Hendra enjoyed too.  It aced both presentation and taste well.

The next dish to hit the table was the dish of pork hock.  Need I SAY. The dish looked good!!! At Longrain, the presentation is almost as important as the cooking.  

Before we started, the waiter explained to us that the dish has a lot of sugar.  To balance the sweetness, Longrain uses a chilli-vinegar concoction that brings a sense of balance to the dish.  True enough, I can imagine the dish being immensely sweet without the vinegar.  Whilst this dish was quite good, it can very quickly become overwhelming because of that deep fried fatty pork hock combination with a fairly sweet and sour sauce.  Definitely not a dish to be ordered for one, but its something to be shared around the table.  It is almost as if one piece is too little but two on the other hand is too much!

Last but not least was a dish of stir fried king prawns, and mussels in a turmeric x chilli sauce.

The dish looked meagre on the first sight.  All we had were 4 prawns and 3 mussels.  But fret not, each piece of seafood were still rather plump in size.  But Mei reckon that the garnish of fried kaffir lime leaf would already cost a fortune! She is most definitely right because Kaffir Lime leaves are  really expensive!   Putting prices aside, this dish is pretty damn tasty thanks to it sauce.  Also, the turmeric is really mild so do not worry if you dislike that herb.  In a nutshell, it was a rather tasty but a little expensive :P!

While I would have loved to order a dessert to end, my stomach thought otherwise.  I was very full!  With a bill the creeped close to $190, Longrain is by no means a cheap affair.  For 4 diners, we might have been overly ambitious and ordered too much but no regrets here for sure.  The service was decent, food was tasty, the ambience comfortable and more importantly, the company that afternoon was spot on.  My best comparison for modern Thai would be Nahm Thai which has now been branded to Nunam as well as Galangal Thai and Red Opium, all of which are in Perth.  Out of these four places (including Longrain), it is clear that Longrain is a winner for the many reason which includes better value, greater creativity and  more originality.  Nahm Thai dulls in comparison to the lot especially when most Perth people considers Nahm Thai to be Perth’s finest modern Thai restaurant.  In my opinion, only Galangal Thai’s Pad Prik King and Red Opiums incredible tapas selection comes close to challenging the delicious fish and egg net dish I had today at Longrain :)!  Oh do not forget, Galangal Thai is possible the cheapest contender of the lot albeit its small serving sizes!

WenY