I think I’ll never be sick of Bangkok. The problem with Bangkok me is that I am always there on short visits. And I try to do too many things in that 2 or 3 days there. Due to the limited resources (i.e. stomach capacity and time), it is crucial for me to prioritize the food that I want to eat. On my recent last trip to Bangkok, these were some of the places that I ate at. It's going to be my to-eat list going forward, sorted by priority level. 

(A) High priority

1. After You - Shibuya honey toast

I think the picture says it all about the famous Shibuya honey toast. But I will still elaborate. The warm and lightly buttered toasted toast is airy on the inside and crispy on the outside. It is accompanied by smooth vanilla ice-cream. When drizzled with the honey, the combination is equivalent to fireworks in the mouth. Even my friends who hate sweet stuff love this.

I’ve not personally tried the other varieties that After You have but according to my research, don’t bother with other varieties. This is the real bomb.

Tip: Go during odd timings like dinner time when there is a shorter queue.

2. Ban Khun Mae

This is a one-stop place for all my favourite Thai dishes – Phad Thai, Basil chicken, Pandan chicken, spring rolls. I also tried the Tom Yam but didn't include it in the photo above as the photo turned out blurred. Going to Ban Khun Mae feels like going home. Because the food is hearty and taste like home-cooked dishes. And also because a lot of Singaporeans eat there too. Ban Khun Mae has really nice Red Ruby (water chestnuts) and Mango sticky rice too. This is a place to come if you are like clean and simple flavours with not too much experimentation or embellishment.

3. Coconut ice-cream at Chatuchak

Nothing beats refreshing coconut ice-cream + coconut water on a sweltering hot day at Chatuchak. There are several stores selling this but we got the one that came with a flag.

4. Som Tum Nua

The speciality is supposedly the Som Tum (papaya salad). But I love the fried chicken more. A perfect amalgamation of crispy texture and tasty flavour. A must order.

5. Out of the world fried chicken

Somehow the Thais just know how to cook really delicious fried chicken (or Gai Tod as they call it). Especially the ones at the streetside stalls (outside Central World). There is something in the marinade that makes it special and irresistible. I wouldn't be surprised to know if the marinade is a complicated concoction of a wide variety of herbs and spices. Southeast Asian food is famous for that, thanks to the easy access to various spices in the region. Unlike the American or Korean versions, the crispy skin is thinner and I think this allows the spices to be better absorbed by the tender meat underneath.

I call it my "out of the world" fried chicken because that's how AroiMakMak.com described it. You have to try it yourself to know exactly what we are talking about.

6. BAKE cheese tart

Best cheese tart ever. Within the crackly crust contains creamy and smooth cheese.

OK when I was there during my last trip, BAKE has not arrived in Singapore. But if you are in Bangkok, why not? Since the queue is much shorter, it only makes sense to eat in Bangkok.

7. Smooth Curry

Located in Plaza Athenee, a 5 star hotel, this is a hidden gem. The set lunch comprising of 4 courses is only THB 666 (~S$25). Among the 2 of us, we had 8 different dishes to share - crab sausage,  prawn spring rolls, Tom Kha Gai (spicy and sour coconut soup with chicken), Tom Yum Goong (spicy and sour lemongrass soup with shrimps), beef tenderloin with sweet basil and green chili, red curry with chicken and coconut, red ruby and mango sticky rice. The food is top notch and exquisite.

The place is super quiet, offering an elegant reprieve while being right in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the city.  We were the only ones there during lunch (I think it's more busy during dinner). Highly recommended to bring your secret lover here.

8. Mango Tree

Mango tree is located in transit area of Survarnabhumi airport. It is my to-go whenever I need a meal at the airport. And if I still can't get enough of Thai food before flying home. The green curry is sumptuous and chockfull of chicken meat, best drizzled on a bowl of jasmine rice. The Phad Thai is coated with a perfect mix of sweet and savoury sauce.

(B) Medium priority

1. T&K Seafood

This place is in Chinatown and very easy to find. The lazy us had the curry crab (peeled version) and a steamed fish. The curry crab was disappointing. It might be because it was peeled and so there was not much kick. The steamed fish was ridiculously cheap and we loved it.

2. Raan Jay Fai

We came here for the famous Drunken noodles which every blogger has recommended. I have no idea why the noodles are called drunken when there is no alcohol in it. It's mainly stir fried flat noodles with lots of seafood. The chef is Raan Jay Fai and she cooks her food over charcoal, giving the food an unmistakable wok-hei. The drunken noodles were great and spicy. The seafood were in abundance and fresh. But it is very expensive (THB 400 or ~S$15). OMG. The place is very popular at night but Madam Raan Jay Fai cooks each dish individually. (Seriouslyyy). Which meant we had to waittttt.. I think we waited for almost 2 hours. OMG. While the drunken noodles were awesome, I don't think I will be back unless I have a lot of time.

This place is a victim of its own success, unfortunately.

3. Mango sticky rice (Mae-varee)

Mae-Varee was top search result when I googled "Best Mango sticky rice". Hmm.. Mae-Varee is great and the mangoes are sweet not sour. Which is what you should be getting in Bangkok as the Thais usually use a special type of mango called nam-dokmai (flower nectar mango). I can't really tell how Mae-Varee is better than the rest of the mango sticky rice which you get at any part of Bangkok. They are same same and not different to me.

We trekked specially to Sukhumvit Soi 38 for it. Apparently, according to our pre-trip research, there is supposedly very good street food there. However, we found there aren't many stalls there and it was quite boring for us.

4. Coffee Beans by Dao

Coffee Beans by Dao has several outlets. We had the yam cake which was had a thick smooth layer of yam paste atop fluffy moist cream cake. Don't mind going back to try other cakes.

5. The Deck

The Deck is situated right opposite the Wat Arun across the river. We went there specially to get a night view of the glittering Wat Arun. Unfortunately, the Wat Arun lights were spoilt that night. Otherwise, it would be a perfect ambient place for some drinks.

6. 55 Pochana

It was of some comfort to us knowing that we were the only foreigners in this late night supper place in Sukhumvit. Which means we probably are eating the real Thai food. We were there for "dinnpper" (dinner + supper) so the famished us ordered more than 1 dish. I can't remember what was the name of the dish on the top left. I think it was some vegetable + vermicelli. The top right was a spicy crispy duck + crispy basil dish. The thin slices of duck were flavorful and very spicy, and tastes rather interesting with the fragrant crispy basil leaves. The Tom yam was a bottomless bowl of seafood and also very spicy.

If you can't handle spicy food, don't come. This place is not for amateurs.

We couldn't finish everything. It's wiser to just order two dishes in the future. The food is also too oily for me and I will request them to go easy on the oil next time.

7. Nara Thai

As we could not afford the Nara Thai in Singapore, we can only eat the original version at cheaper prices in Thailand. Pad Thai, Basil chicken and Tom Yum Goong get our thumbs up. 

8. A&W - Root beer + curly fries

Yea...Because we all missed our childhood comfort food. 

(C) No priority (won’t be back)

1. MK steamboat

MK is supposed to be a famous Thai steamboat. Hmm not sure what is the hype about. I mean the roast duck was not bad, tender meat, but not out of the world. The steamboat was quite a letdown.

2. P Aor Tom Yum Goong

This was supposed to be the best Tom Yum Goong in Bangkok. We were disappointed that it was served not hot, and that the prawns were not fresh. This is also the first non-spicy Tom Yum that I ate. Without drinking water.

3. Thip Samai Phad Thai

Supposedly the best Phad Thai. Not served hot. I prefer my food to be served hot and piping. It is tasty but I think it is comparable to other restaurants. Not worth the hassle to travel (it's not really in central Bangkok) and queue for it.

4. Roast Cafe

Another "must-try" from our pre-trip research. Hmmm so so and the dish was killed by the balsamic sauce which I hate most. Seriously balsamic sauce is like waste water. How can anyone serve waste water? If you want to serve waste water, you should disclose in your menu.

So there you have it. My two cent baht worth of where my priorities are. You're welcome. Now I can’t wait to go back to Bangkok again.. to eat.. repeat. 

This is the last part of my Cambodia trip which documents my adventures in the non temple region of Siem Reap.

Pub street & night market

Siem Reap has lots to offer apart from the famous Angkor Wat. When in Siem Reap, must go to Pub Street.  It's also the most happening place in Siem Reap any night. Pop English songs played loudly in the bars that lined up the street. Tuk tuk drivers trying to get business. Beggars and disabled come here but they do not pester for donations. 

Pub Street is also an alcoholic's and smoker's dream come true. Cheap booze and cigars. You can get beer for as low as US$0.50.

Are we talking about the same cocktail?

Sorry mama.. I was thirsty. The water was $1.50 but the beer was $0.50.

So beer became our daily supper event before we go back hotel.

The night market nearby tests your bargaining skills. One tip is don't display too much interest. And bargain at 50% of the prices. Pretend to walk away. If you are in groups, you have more bargaining power and ask for more discounts if you are buying more than one item. But if the item is really cheap already, don't still gien beng. Let people earn some money lah. 

Open concept massage house are available if you don't mind noises from nearby restaurants and occasionally a whiff of the kitchen's oiliness. Fish spas are very common too but we were kind of grossed out by it. Our favourite massage place was Master Feet near Old Market. US$6 only for a shoulder+head+legs massage. And it was ultra good!

Cambodia cuisine

Cambodia cuisine is less spicy than Thai cuisine. Major ingredients include lemongrass, pepper, palm sugar, fish sauce.

One of the famous Cambodian dishes is the Lok Lak, which is usually sliced chicken/beef and stir-fried in soya sauce and black Kampot pepper. We had one at Khmer Family Restaurant which was near the temple area. It was so good.. the meat was well marinated with the spices and sauces.

And not forgetting amok! The Mekong river cuts through Cambodia and hence seafood forms a major part of Cambodian cuisine. The catfish is commonly used in amok and it is steamed cooked in curry, coconut milk to create a creamy, souffle like texture. The best version we had was at Romdeng in Phnom Penh. We got to eat another version at Khmer Kitchen in Siem reap, which was not as nice as it is more soupy.

Amok

Luckily the banana blossom salad and lok lak were not too bad. In fact, the banana blossom salad which was sweet and crunchy left an impression and I picked it as my dish during a cooking class which I attended subsequently. The whole meal was less than US$15.

Banana blossom salad

Cambodians loved their barbecues. We tried one at Cambodian BBQ. And they served shark and crocodile meat? Not sure if it's the real thing but the shark meat tasted like normal fish meat, and the crocodile meat tasted like chicken!

Dessert time was corn ice-cream

And I ordered their iced lemon tea. Everytime. Somehow Cambodia's version had the right ratio of sweetness to sourness, unlike the overly sour or overly sweet version I usually get. And every restaurant's lemon tea was awesome.

Old Market

The old market was frequented by both locals and foreigners for day to day goods. There was a wet market located in it. Our cooking class's teacher brought us to tour the wet market and purchase the ingredients we need for our cooking class.

Hmm not sure why must the chicken legs straightened this way?

An auntie selling pre-made sauces.

Different types of rice

Cooking class

We signed up for a cooking class at Le Tigre for US$14. It was one of the best decisions we made. After attending the cooking class, I appreciated Cambodian cuisine even more because each dish required so much effort and time to make. For example, a simple banana blossom salad had probably more than 20 ingredients. Just the sauce required at least 5 to 6 ingredients to be chopped and mixed up. And I believe most South East Asian cuisines require effort, time and dedication to cook. Totally falling in love with South East Asian cuisines, including Singapore.

Our teacher was really humorous and patient. But I don't understand why she keep saying, "It's Ok.. " to me when I was cooking? HAHA. And I loved how she tried not to waste food. For example, she taught us how to make garnishes from the extra carrots.

So many ingredients for a banana salad

The amok paste production process really burnt all my fats. I had to pound lemongrass, tumeric, finger root, shallots, garlic into a fine paste. Reminds me of Little Nyonya.

And presenting to you our masterpieces... Needless to say, every dish was awesome because it was made with lots of love and dedication!

Spring rolls

Fish amok - The other 2 Australians who did the class with us praised this version made by me!

Beef lok lak

Dessert was banana with coconut milk

This marks the end of our Cambodia trip. We took Jetstar back and arrived I think 0.5 hour ahead of schedule because it flew back earlier. I think because all the passengers boarded. I like how close Cambodia is to home. We were back in our sunny island in just 2 hours :)

The resort-like airport

Bye bye Cambodia!

Other parts of this trip:

Cambodia | A day in Phnom Penh (Part 1 of 3)

Cambodia | The amazing Angkor temples of Siem Reap (Part 2 of 3)