Thursday, November 27, 2008 Bangkok: dining on a shoestring By Daisy Yunam Go
These days, with the buzz on skyrocketing prices of oil and food, budget airfare and hotel accommodations and just about anything that can squeeze more value out of every centavo spent on travel and leisure, dining on a shoestring budget in Bangkok has never been more popular.
On my recent visit to this city, I discovered little-known dining places that spoke of elegance and sophistication with superb food quality (good enough to replace your traditional fine dining). And best of all, the cost was only a fraction higher than regular fastfood.
MBK Mall
Starting from this ever-popular shopping destination, visit the Food Court at the fifth floor. Recently renovated to reflect a younger and more hip ambiance, this huge 5,200 square-meter area is home to 16 world-class restaurants all served by very skilled chefs. Try the Soup Bar at the Tamarind Café. Choices include creamy pumpkin soup wonton, Tom Kha Hed (spicy mushroom in coconut broth), carrot and ginger soup and vegetable consommé. Korean by Kongie also offers authentic Kimchi Bokkum Bob (pan-fried kimchi rice) . Ali’s Arabic Cuisine has good chicken with shabab roti. Gindara teri/shioyaki set (with rice, miso soup and pickled veggies) at Yura-An Express is so good! Creative Canteen also serves very juicy and reasonable steaks and seafood. On weekends, this area also hosts mini concerts, product launches, events, exhibits and culinary shows.
Hong Min Restaurant
Still in MBK, Hong Min serves Chinese/Thai dishes. The original shop is at the ground floor near the taxi waiting area. Set in a traditional Chinese teahouse, you can easily spot this place by the baskets of live crabs displayed right at the entrance. They serve very good fish mau soup, stir-fried roasted duck in Thai herbal chicken, and sweet and sour sea bass with Thai basil sauce. I always order the Chinese sausage fried rice with pineapple and tenderloin beef with green peppercorn (very potent!). A second branch at the third level of the same mall has recently opened. It offers the same wonderful food but in modern, contemporary interiors.
Central Chit Lom
Most people only know Central as a huge, seven-storey building of elegant shopping, but the Food Loft at the seventh floor is in itself worth a visit. Known by its trendy and upscale international dining concept, it offers the best of Thai, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Italian and Indian cuisines. It is said that even the Princess herself owns one of the stalls and frequently dines in this place. I had the roasted pork skin with mini buns. The skin is very crispy and the layer of fat underneath actually melts in the mouth. The authentic way to eat this dish is to put the pork inside the bun and eat it as a sandwich. After that cholesterol-laden meal, try the Tong Yuen (black sesame) glutinous rice balls with ground peanuts. It comes served in a ginger soup with brown sugar. Served hot, it is just oozing with goodness at every bite. This delectable dessert is healthy and nourishing and somehow helps wash down the oil from the meal.
Black Canyon Coffee
A homegrown company established in 1993, it claims to be the “Largest Coffee House Chain” in Thailand. It’s a coffeehouse/restaurant chain that’s the closest thing to Starbucks. They have extensive coffee and beverage choices, sandwiches, salads, steaks, soups, stir fries and local Thai dishes. I tried the stir fried pasta with chicken and kee-mao sauce, very spicy and appetizing! Other must-haves include pork steak barbecue sauce, spicy stir-fried kee-mao seafood and hot basil rice, and Tom Kha Gai (chicken galangal). One of the best branches is the one in Sukhumvit Soi 21 Asoke. It’s under a teakwood house with lots of trees, teak beams, old drums and fishing equipment. It gives you that feeling of being in an Asian jungle in the 1800s sans a chinky-eyed Capt. Jack Sparrow.
Dinner cruise
Any local tour will offer this service that comes with hotel pick-up, dinner, cruise and entertainment. The best way to enjoy this is to take a late afternoon stroll first at the River City Mall. This mall offers elegant handcrafted silk, paintings and home décors in an old-world setting. Right outside the mall is the departure point for all tourist boats and dinner cruises. As soon as your cruise is ready to depart at 7 p.m., a Thai receptionist welcomes you with an orchid corsage and picture- taking (which will later on be sold to you in a picture frame). As the boat departs, the dinner buffet is served and entertainment starts. The international buffet serves soups, salads, pastas, sautéed vegetables, all kinds of meat and seafood. Desserts and coffee or tea are also served. For those wanting to enjoy the city night view some more, go to the upper deck where you are away from the noise of the local bands and just enjoy the scenic Chao Phraya River.
Foodland Supermart
Starting in 1985, this gourmet supermart has long been a best-kept secret among expats, guests of nearby five-star hotels and diplomatic personnel in the Sukhumvit, Ploenchit area. Open 24-hours, there are now 11 branches across the city. Weary travelers who just wish to enjoy a good dinner in the privacy of their hotels never fail to visit Took Lae Dee (meaning: cheap and good). This is a restaurant and food catering service within the supermart serving Thai, Chinese and European dishes. It is most famous for its American breakfast served as early as 5:30 a.m. Set menu includes bacon, sausages, ham, oven-fresh toast, eggs, fruit juice, tea and coffee. A special set menu on weekends is offered at a fixed price, but this changes weekly. Foodland diehards always go for the large array of fresh fruits and veggies (both local and imported)--- be it hydroponic or organic, fresh herbs and salad bar to boot. The Oven Fresh Bakery , their exclusive brand, offers bread rolls, puffs, croissants, cakes, pastries, cookies and freshly-wrapped sandwiches of tuna, chicken and ham.
My six-day journey to Bangkok was pleasurable in every sense! So many people out there have been dreaming about Bangkok for so long. Despite belt -tightening and all, I’d say no one should have to forego such a wonderful experience. There are so many ways to go around one’s budget. Not only will you come home with lovely memories, but who knows? You might even have stumbled upon a good business idea from their robust food industry.
