Adventure #239: Som Tam Nua (Bangkok)

When we first started to visit Bangkok, we used to hang around Siam Square. Siam Square these days is a lot different but one thing remained - Som Tam Nua.

Always a queue

A must - traditional sticky rice in bamboo basket

North East Style Spicy Soup with Pork Bone - amazingly good

Northern Thai sausages. Sausages itself is tasty, don't know how to eat with the rest.....

Grilled pork neck - pork was moist and tender. Great with the dipping sauces.

Fried chicken - very tasty

And another must have - Som Tam. Personally not a fan of Som Tam but it is refreshing and good as a starter

Som Tam Nua
392/14 Soi Siam Square 5
Rama 1 Road
Bangkok
Thailand

Adventure #205: Baba Soul Food (Phuket)

This year, G's mum turned 70 and the whole family celebrated it with her in Phuket.  We had the birthday dinner at Baba Soul Food at Hotel Sri Panwa. 

The hotel was beautifully lit.  We had pre-dinner drinks at the lounge, taking in the lights, the breeze and the band.  There were 14 of us including 4 children.  So, when the menu came, I was a bit over-whelmed.  Luckily, they produced an iPad menu, so if we liked what we saw, we just ordered it.  Once again, we ended up ordering way more than we can eat!

Between taking photos of the dishes, passing them around and feeding the little ones, I can hardly remembered what the dishes were.  I only remembered that there were a lot of food and that most dishes were delicious.  It was definitely worth a visit!

I will attempt to name the dishes from the online menu.

 

Poh Pia Karee Pup - Deep fried potato and onion spring rolls served with Baba's chili dip

Thod Man Ghoong - Deep fried shrimp cake served with Baba's chili dip

Moo Manao - grilled pork with a spicy lime chili dressing

Yam Mamuang - spicy green mango salad with a local "yam" citrus dressing

Tao Hoo and Hed Hom Thod Samoonprai - deep fried tofu and shitake mushroom with garlic, shallot, kaffir lime leaves

Tom Yam Ghoong Lai Seur - Spicy coconut milk soup with tiger prawns, local herbs and lime

Tom Som Pla Kra-bok - Phuket style clear mullet soup with lemongrass

Phad Pak Boong Fai Dang - Stir-fried morning glory with chili and soy sauce

Poo Phad Manao - stir-fried Andaman crab meat with lime sauce.

Phad Cha Pla Meuk - Stir-fried squid with Thai herbs and spices served on a hotplate

Khai Jiew Poo - Andaman crab meat omelet

My favourite dishes were the stir-fried Andaman crab meat with lime sauce and the mullet soup.  Great food, great decor.

Adventure #173: Soul Food (Bangkok)

After yesterday's excellent dinner at Bottega di Luca, we tried Soul Food Mahanakorn today.  Although Soul Food is not opened by a Thai but by an American food writer, it serves regional Thai food and has good reviews.

The restaurant is small but has a couple of floors. Decor is warm and cosy. We were seated on the ground floor by the window.

Soul Food is also known for its cocktails. No one on our table was interested but I got a Lycheegrass Collins.

Southern Thai samosas made with minced chicken with a mint and yogurt dip.  Tasty and great as a snack with beer.

Pat see ew, wok-seared rice noodle in soy sauce with smoked pork jowl, crispy kale and fried garlic.  This was delicious.  A bit like our Malaysian fried koey teow and the older one loved it.

Charred pork neck salad with a tamrind and chili dressing wuth fried shallots and herbs. This was a great dish. The tamarind dressing very refreshing and the chopped chili definitely a kick.  Great as a starter.

Gaeng massaman, southern-style Massaman curry with chicken and potatoes. Another delicious dish.   It taste different from the curries we normally have at the Indians in HK or the Indian Muslim joints in Malaysia. 

Sticky tamarind ribs, pork ribs braised in a tamarind barbeque sauce and then grilled, with caramelized pineapple on the side.  Interesting dish but didn't really stand out as much compared to the rest.



Isaan smokey grilled chicken wings with sweet chili sauce and a spicy and sour naam jiim.  This was definitely flavourful and another fantastic snack dish with beer.



Isaan and Chiang Mai sausages with vegetables and grilled chili dip.  This dish was definitely the odd one out.  We couldn't really figure out how the different bits on the plate gelled.  Each bit by themself was a bit bland but different combinations didn't quite do the trick either.  I guess this one's just a little too local for us.

Fish in banana leaf with lemongrass, dill and lime and grilled over coals.  The fish was fresh and succulent and would have been great with plain white rice if we all weren't so stuffed and tired.

One small criticism, the dishes came in a haphazard manner i.e. starters came interpersed with the main dishes. Notwithstanding this, the food was definitely up to local standards (although the menu isn't extensive) and there was no attempt to modify the dishes to cater to farangs in the spiciness and authenticity department.  Compared to the Italian the previous day, the price is also very reasonable.  Would definitely recommend this place to any traveller who wants a more comfortable Thai eatery with an authentic spin to traditional dishes.

Soul Food Mahanakorn
56/10 Sukhumvit Soi 55
Tel: +66-85-904-2691
Daily 6:30pm-1am

Adventure #161: Oasis (Koh Samui)

There is a long road along the Bophut beach called Thanon Haad.  It is lined with bars, eateries, massage parlours and shops.  A typical tourist area.  Along that road, we found a little gem called Oasis. 

Oasis is a family-run little restaurant. I think the family lives upstairs. We wanted some local Thai food and the food here is very local, portion small but very reasonably priced. We dined here over the next 2 days.

The dinning room, simple yet functional with family photos lining the walls.

Beer served in chilled glasses! This place has got standard.

Red fanta for the kids....sugar overload!

Tom yum kung - spicy but not thick enough for me.  As expected it had more vegetables than seafood.

Lad Na - Thai rice noodle in thick sauce, portion small but tasty. The kids loved this.

Stir-fried squid - good.

Chicken with onions and ginger - lots of ginger! Great for those who likes ginger.

Thai green curry - tasty and again had more veggies than normal. Good for eating with rice.

The ever tasty Thai rice!

A great find.  Food was good and prices reasonable.  Service friendly. Only point to note - this is a mum and pop shop, so probably only mum is doing the cooking back there.  When the restaurant is full, about 6 tables, it can be a fairly long wait for the food.

Oasis
Thanon Haad
Bophut
Koh Samui

Adventure #160: Cafe 69 (Koh Samui)

After a 2-hour flight on Firefly's propeller plane we arrived in Koh Samui and checked into our hotel, Anantara at Bohput.  We rarely eat in hotels because that's usually not where the good food is.  G already picked out a list of restaurants for us to try and 2 of them are within walking distance from our hotel.

Cafe 69 which we tried tonight is on the main road right outside the hotel and it serves fusion Thai.

Decor is funky. Kids said it looked like a bedroom!

We also liked the colour changing logo on the ceiling.

For drinks I ordered a passion fruit based cocktail.  Gigantic! Delicious!

Kids had something they cannot get at home - Green Fanta!

Thai chicken curry dumpling.  Delicious and great as a starter.  Very interesting presentation too!

Pad Thai for the older one.  Interesting with its signature tamarind sauce.

Kao Pad Tom Yum - Tom yum flavoured fried rice! The fried rice was not wet and full of flavour. The prawns were fresh. Very interesting and the best dish of this evening.

Gai Tod Arirang - Korean fried chicken (without chili). Ordered this for the little one. As it was without chili, it was good but without the kick. 

The food was good and I really enjoyed it as well as the funky decor and food presentation. 

Cafe 69
157/52 Bophut Avenue Apartment
Bophut
Koh Samui
Thailand
Tel: +66-81-978-1945