14th Jun Day 1:
Pratunam
is a shopping district in Bangkok. It is a major market area with
thousands of fashion stores that sell wholesale with cheap prices.
<One of them is Platinum Fashion Mall, which is like an indoor version of the Chatuchak Weekend Market. It specializes in wholesale fashion clothing and accessories, with four floors of shopping space, packed with some 1,300 shops. The pricing is not really cheap, similar with Bugis Street in Singapore.
We couldn't wait to find food as we had not eaten anything since morning flight. We decided to have our first meal (dinner) in Bangkok, though it was not even 5pm.
Talad Neon is the newest night market in the city and it is backed by the same people behind the Platinum Fashion Mall. This lively market is conveniently situated in Pratunam and it houses over 900 food and retail shops. Unlike what you would expect from a usual night market, Talad Neon is helmed by the younger generation of Thai entrepreneurs who know how to cater to the hipster crowd. You can expect to find organized rows of beautifully set up neon stalls, food trucks and shipping container shops where aesthetically pleasing wares are being sold.
When Bangkok gets too hot, the best roadside snack to cool you down would be the coconut ice cream. Green coconuts are cut in half and used as the bowl for the ice cream. The flesh is the bed of the ice cream. There cannot be Thai food without peanuts! So those are added to the ice cream. The whole thing is topped with condensed milk.
15th Jun Day 2:
There are over 31200 Buddhist temples spread around Thailand. In Thai these are called wat. Wat Arun or The Temple Of Dawn, is named after Aruna, the Indian God of Dawn. Sitting majestically on the Thonburi side of the Chao Phraya River, the legendary Wat Arun is one of the most striking riverside landmarks of Thailand. The main feature of Wat Arun is its central prang (Khmer-style tower) which is encrusted with colourful porcelain. The height is around 66.8m (219 ft) and 86m (282 ft). The corners are surrounded by four smaller satellite prang. There was steep steps at the central prang to the top but it was closed.
Bangkok’s Chinatown is a popular tourist attraction and a food haven for new generation gourmands who flock here after sunset to explore the vibrant street-side cuisine.
NAI-EK ROLL NOODLES
Address: 442 Yaowarat Rd, Khwaeng Samphanthawong, Khet Samphanthawong, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10100, Thailand
There are a lot of kway chap shop in Chinatown Bangkok. This is the famous one that everyone loves visiting. This Kway Chap is different from Singapore’s version. The soup is very peppery and it comes with rice noodle rolls and different parts of the pig. The thai pepper used makes the peppery soup so popular that locals keep coming back to eat. They also sell pig trotter and double-boiled soup.
PLAENG NAM SHARK FIN-BIRD'S NEST
Address: 47 Plaeng Nam Rd, Samphanthawong, Bangkok 10100, Thailand
Due to the vast network of canals and waterways, Bangkok and the surrounding area, were formerly known as the Venice of the East. People relied on canals for transportation, and therefore people would tend to sell things directly from their boats, and congregate in certain areas to have floating boat markets. Fast forward to today, and although canals are still used as transportation in areas in and around Bangkok, many of the canals have been filled in to make way for roads, and boats and have turned into cars.
Their bird’s nest in coconut has got to be my favourite. It’s juicy, healthy and not too sweet. Putting it into the coconut gives it a subtle aroma, the perfect guilt-free dessert served hot or cold.
MUNG KORN KHAO NOODLE
Address: 395 Yaowarat Rd, Khwaeng Samphanthawong, Khet Samphanthawong, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10100, Thailand
This bowl of wanton mee is only about one huge tablespoon, with little crab meat. At Mung Korn Khao Noodle, it is her HK style thin egg noodles that won the hearts of many. What you get is really QQ baa mee. The noodle might be too dry for some people but that was what I like. I do not like watery tossing. The stall is open after 6.30pm.
16th Jun Day 3: Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market
Known to serve the best Hainanese style chicken rice in Bangkok, Go-Ang Kaomunkai Pratunam is also awarded a Bib Gourmand in the inaugural Bangkok Michelin Guide 2018. You can easily spot the place since it should have a long line of customers queuing, and staff in pink-coloured uniforms serving or doing crowd-control. Coming from Singapore, this chicken rice did not win my heart.
After heavy breakfast, we traveled far to Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market. Along with a great selection of food and nice atmosphere, another reason I think Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market is one of the best floating markets in Bangkok is because of the boat ride tour. Right at the center of the market along the canal they offer longtail boat tours, which are communal, and very affordable. We rode in the boat through the canal, passing through neighborhoods, homes, gardens, small orchards, and businesses. Here we got to get a feel for local Thai life in this Bangkok suburb, peeking into people’s gardens and houses, and passing by schools and temples. The journey included a half an hour stop at a temple.
There are a couple stalls selling goong ob woon sen, but for myself, the superior stall is a few minutes walk down the left side of the artfully preparing goong ob woon sen. If you love shrimp, you’re going to love this. I do not love shrimp but I love glass noodle so this dish definitely won my heart. The noodles were flavorful with garlic, ginger, black pepper, and a hint of Sichuan pepper, and they had a perfect sticky, yet not mushy, texture. The freshwater shrimp weren’t overcooked, and they were meaty and creamy. The accompanying sauce was also good, nice and garlicky, a little spicy, and balanced with both sourness and sweetness. The combination of the sauce with the prawns and mung bean noodles was excellent. Price – 150 THB
17th Jun Day 4: Chatuchak Market
Chatuchak Weekend Market is one of the largest market in the world, with 27 acres and happens every Saturday and Sunday from early morning until late at night. Prior to our visit to Chatuchak weekend market, many people were telling me it is humid & hot but actually it was quite cooling to walk in the inner rows as a lot of shops were opened with air-conditioning. My eyes were definitely opened to see a market selling all kinds of stuff from clothing, to home accessories and furniture, at a very affordable price.
18th Jun Day 5: Last breakfast
Along the way back to our accommodation, we followed the lunch crowd to have a bowl of roasted pork noodle. There were a few other stalls along this alley between two rows of shops. The dry noodle was surprisingly nice. It may be too dry for some people but that was what I like about it. Unlike the usual dry noodles in Singapore tossed in tomato sauce (and watery), this was definitely not sweet. The skin of the roast pork was crispy too. Oh, have I told you that my mum was shocked to see how much pork I have eaten during these few days? P/S: I actually cut down/stopped eating pork since I was 18 years old until recent years
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