Happy National Day, Malaysia!

We don’t raise flags at home, but we have bunga raya-s (Malaysia’s National Flower) blooming all year round :D

Taken from oneyani.blogspot.com

Somboon Seafood @ Bantadthong Road, Pathumwan, Bangkok

This place was actually recommended by my IDM, Alex. He mentioned that the food is good, price is reasonable and they have good and comfortable ambiance. I’ve read good reviews about this place too, for their famous fried curry crabs.

But beware, I’ve also read about some tuk tuk drivers that will bring your to another restaurant with slight similar name (eg: Somboondee) and they get paid a certain commission for doing so. So just make sure you see it correctly, It’s SOMBOON SEAFOOD with this crab logo.  This place is actually more famous among tourist, Japanese and Chinese majority, and not local Thais. That’s what my counterpart told me.

They have only 5 outlets across Bangkok and all are pretty much easy accessible from BTS Sky train, subway and a short walk. The outlet I went was the one at Bantadthong Road, also the biggest outlet among the 5. And it’s also I went directly after shopping in MBK. You can opt for a cab from MBK, which will probably cost around THB35 to 40 (MYR3.50 to 4.00).  I, on the other hand thought it was very near, walked all the way there passing by the National Stadium and so. It was at least 10 to 15 minutes walk. Upon arrival, Mr. Friend requested that we take a cab back after dinner to MBK (BTS Sky Train, National Stadium Station) which I immediately agree to. Haha… don’t bother walking la… it’s tiring after whole day on your feet shopping and walking around…

Being very dehydrated, drinking water was the best choice! Of course, some may prefer to go for chilled beer! And yes, as what Alex (my IDM) told me, once you open up the menu, you pretty much get undecided of what to order. And the downside this round is, because there were only two of us for dinner, we could not order much! And to ease everything up, I ordered the dishes from the recommended dish page, except for the famous curry crab! I’ll leave that for next round when we have more pax in. Ordering chu char for 2 is not an easy task :P

The reviews I’ve read, most actually ordered the morning glory vege (more of like kangkung) @ THB100 (MYR10) but I decided to go for stir fried scallops with asparagus @ THB150 (MYR15.00) small portion for 2. Big portion is at THB250.

Alex actually recommended the deep fried sea bass with fish sauce but since this on is on the recommended page, I ordered this instead.  Deep Fried Grouper with Crispy Basil @ THB 240 (MYR24.00). The fish is fresh and it’s yummy! Gravy goes well with the rice and it’s quite a big fish for 2. Oh yea.. steamed rice is at THB15 (MYR1.50) per bowl, if I remembered it correctly.

And it’s spicy too! After eating, the mouth kenot close, just like the fish!

Also at the recommended page is the Roasted Fresh Water Prawns with Glass Noodles in Hot Pot @ THB240 (MYR24.00) Big portion is @ THB480 (MYR48.00). In the menu, got 3 prawns lo… but dish arrived with only 2 prawns…  but got disclaimer la, photo is for illustration only.. :P

This one just okay, perhaps fresh water prawns are not very sweet, and I prefer crab with glass noodles better.  Or maybe because we were already full trying to finish the fish and the asparagus, so by the time we proceed with the glass noodles, tummy already kinda full.

The prawns were fresh nonetheless. Another dish on the recommended page was the fried curry crabs that we didn’t try. Not very sure about the price though. It states there THB260 (MYR26), and then another set of price by kg. Maybe it’s a small portion for the ones costing at THB260. half crab maybe :P.

I was actually looking for desserts like Tub Tim Krob, but they don’t have any. The waitress recommended the mango with glutinous rice, sounds tempting but my tummy could not take anything heavy anymore… haha.. if I ordered it, I might just eat the mango and return the glutinous rice. So I ordered this Melon Frappe with Sago @ THB60 (MYR6.00). I liked it although it’s a little sweeter than I thought, well, desserts are supposed to be sweet mah.. :D

The place is pretty packed during dinner time, both floors. They have square table seating and also round table seating. Service wise was pretty good, waiters/waitresses are pretty attentive, and the dishes was served up pretty fast too! And there’s an old lady who helps in serving the dishes that speaks good mandarin as well.

Total bill came up to around THB800 (MYR80.00)plus, which is okay considering we had fish, prawns and scallops with asparagus. And the place is clean and comfortable to dine in.

It’s a big outlet as you can see and business seems good, near to full house on the day I went, and it’s a weekday.

You will see Somboon Chinese from the main road and will only see Somboon Seafood when you turn into the lane. Will definitely go back to try more of the dishes I did not managed to this round.

Somboon Seafood (Bantadthong Branch)
895/6-21 Soi Chula 8, Bantadthong Rd.,
Wangmai, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330
Contact ☎ 02-216-4203-5
Fax ☎02-216-7999

Seafood Fried Rice, Prawn Pad Thai and Duck Rice, Platinum Mall, Bangkok

Platinum Mall is one huge wholesale mall with like 2000 shops available. It’s huge, sometimes a bit confusing and it may take up to whole day if you were to explore each shops one by one. They Sell 1 piece with retail price and some 2 pieces and above, you get wholesale price! For example a dress is sold at THB450 per piece, If you take 2, they might sell it to you at THB300 each. The more you buy, the cheaper price you get! And you don’t have to buy the same identical piece, you can mix and match any 2 to 3 pieces of each different designs.

There are actually a few food outlets available in Platinum Mall but we decided to have a quick lunch so we can proceed for a quick shopping, before heading to Erawan’s Shrine and MBK. So, food court it is… Food court, as usual, offers a huge selection of local delicacies and dishes.

Again, Mr Friend gave another try for Thai duck rice and concluded that Penang Duck rice tastes much better! I think it was in between THB 50 to 65 (MYR5.00 – 6.50)

I ordered the easiest dish, seafood fried rice. Can’t remember how much in exact, but it was around THB 70 (MYR7.00), I think.  Nothing to shout about, the one in Lek Seafood tastes better.

Then the pad thai with prawns, I think it was around THB70 –75 (MYR7.00 – 7.50). The prawns is grilled separately and not shelled.

Tasted just ok, I personally prefer the one in Siam Paragon’s food hall, if I were to make the comparison between these 2. The portion also smaller.

So, the conclusion is, Platinum food court’s food, so so only la.. okay la if you’re in a hurry and want something quick and cheaper in air conditioned shopping mall. Most people there brought along big luggage/trolley bags when shopping in Platinum Mall. They will stop for a fast meal and then continue shopping for more goods. Although the variety is there but it’s not a place offering any fancy or super good food la…

Tom Yam Fried Rice and Stir Fried Seafood Spaghetti, Tesco Lotus, Bangkok

After a whole afternoon being out moving in the hot sun, we went to Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew (The Emerald Buddha), Wat Pho, Wat Ratchapradit near the Golden Pig Statue, Chinatown,  Wat Traimit and all the way to the Hua Lamphong subway, we decided to just take away food from Tesco Lotus near the hotel and stay in for dinner, rest and watch AFC on the tv. 

Tesco Lotus is connected to the BTS Skytrain, On Nut station and it’s very much a convenience for us to move around and get anything, since it’s nearby to the hotel. Street food is available outside Tesco Lotus, fast food options and food court available.

Being very tired, we take away tom yam fried rice @ THB50 (MYR5.00) from the food court. That’s the first stall we approached and couldn't be bothered checking out other stalls. :P Flavour is there, just too oily lo.
From the same stall, we ordered Stir Fried Seafood Spaghetti @ THB60 (MYR6.00), and this is good! It’s tastes just nice with the flavour and slightly with a little gravy.

Then we got a 2 pieces of yummy hot and spicy chicken from KFC with 3 drummets set too… haha… I’ll blog about that with the other fast food I’ve had during this trip later… Then we got these jumbo sausages, 3 different flavours @ THB10 (MYR1.00) each.

We pretty much spent the evening eating and watching tv, until at one extent we got bored of Thai speaking Chef Wan (they changed the language halfway! but it was a repeated show anyways), we went to Tesco Lotus for grocery shopping…. haha… most of the things are cheap there ok! I bought 2 tubes of Darlie’s toothpaste at THB79 (MYR7.90), here they sell at MYR 13.00 to 14.00. I bought sanitary pads at THB75 (MYR7.50) and they are selling here at MYR 15.00! Double the price.. haha.. now i feel a bit lau ee d.

And like I earlier mentioned, beers and alcoholic drink is so cheap! Heineken is at THB35 (MYR3.50) and here selling at MYR7.50. This is retail price la.. don’t compare duty free…I got a couple of Bacardi cocktail bottles also at around THB35 to 38 (MYR3.50-3.80)each. Anyways, lesson learnt, buy bigger baggage for return next round.

Rub ar Roon Cafe, near Wat Pho, Bangkok

This place is situated just right opposite one of the entrance to Wat Pho. I think it’s the back entrance, where the feet of the reclining Buddha is facing. In fact, it’s the nearest eatery we can find within Wat Pho area. It’s one of the old Chinese shophouses that has been converted into a street side cafe.

With the scorching hot sun,  what we really need is a cool place to relax, drink and eat. This cafe appeared to be the perfect one! I’m not actually very sure of the name of the place but it’s stated on the banner outside the shop and yes, you can only see tourist inside.

We ordered a dish each not knowing the portion is kinda big and is enough for 2 person. We ordered the ginger and spring onion stir fried pork, with lotsa ginger! If I’m not mistaken, it’s THB80 to 85 (MYR8.00 – 8.50). Steamed rice is separately ordered at THB15 (MYR1.50) each. Expensive for a portion of steamed white rice.
Stir fried chicken with holy basil and long beans and red chilies also at around THB80 to 85 (MYR8.00 – 8.50). Most of the dishes are averagely at this price, each. They have local dishes, fried rice, noodles, sandwiches, cakes, and variety of drink from coffee to beer.

It’s pretty filling la, since the portion is big.  If there’s next visit, gonna just order one dish for 2 person, which is just nice. It has nice ambiance, though the next doors are more of like sundry shops, salted fish stalls, some food stuffs stalls, which made it more outstanding than the others.
Cakes in the display fridge is also covered separately and individually.  I personally feel it’s more hygienic in a way. They do look a little tempting… normal la.. when you are tired and hungry, you just want to eat everything.

The bill book.. :) Oh ya.. did I mention that the Thais are very courteous people? They indeed ah.. when you enter a shop/stall they will greet you with a warm welcome and thank you when you leave the shop. Eateries especially, when you check the bill and leave, they will place their hands together at chest level, bow and say khrob khun kap(male)/kha(female), which means thank you. Such nice hospitality and warm people…
Rub-ar-roon Cafe 310-312 Maharaj Road
Bangkok, Thailand 10200
Contact ☎ +66 2 2622 2312

Lek Seafood @ Silom, Bangkok

Having to read a number of blog posts on Lek Seafood and was also recommended by a Thai counterpart,  I made a visit to this dining place recently during my trip to Bangkok. With only 2 person on board this time, I did not manage to try many of the dishes.

So, mental note made, the next round to Bangkok, will ajak more people and it’s gonna be purely makan and shopping trip, no more sight seeing, no more places of interest. It’s gonna be purely stuffing ourselves silly with food and then workout by shopping until pockets koyak.

Lek Seafood offers a pretty extensive menu, from meat to seafood and it is said to be frequently visited by local Thais and their family. This is more of like Thai version of chu char (dai chow). The price is of course cheaper than the fancy restaurants too. It’s pretty much a humble little corner, with perhaps around 9 small square tables in the air conditioned area, and few more tables outdoors.

Menu is very friendly, in both english and thai language, and photos of the dishes too.

Service is good and pretty fast too. First dish was served in less than 10 minutes. Seafood fried rice @ THB80 (MYR8.00) if I remembered it correctly la. Maybe a lil pricey la for a fried rice, portion is not that big but taste wise, it was good.

Tom Yam Goong, serving for 2, I think it was around THB100 (MYR10.00). If serving for 2, they serve you in a bowl. If  bigger portion, they serve you in the typical tom yam goong/steamboat pot.

Tom Yam Goong is seafood tom yam with prawns, squids, fish meat and straw mushrooms. Thai Authentic tom yam tasted a little rich (lemak) compared to what we usually have here in Malaysia where it’s purely tom yam paste with the few main ingredients like lemongrass, ginger and kaffir lime leaves. This one was okay, quite spicy (you can get them to adjust the spiciness to your liking upon ordering), and more salty that our regular tom yam, which I think it should be it la, cos the last few authentic tom yam goong I had, pretty much tasted the same.

One of my Thai food favourite is the Som Tam (raw papaya salad) @ THB50 (MYR5.00).This one is good and refreshing. With hint of sweet and sourness,  it’s also kinda spicy too! Mr. Friend is not very much used to it so I practically whacked the whole plate myself!

Sizzling hot plate oyster omelets @ around THB120 – 150 (MYR12.00-15.00). I couldn’t really remember how much was it. you get to choose either you have the normal typical oyster omelet that is kinda scrambled together with the big juicy oyster or this type with crispy omelet covering the big juicy oysters on the bed of bean sprouts. Something different. And it’s really crispy! It’s a little bit oily though, but the taste is actually just so so… I would prefer the normal oyster omelets ala scrambled. So maybe I’ll try that next round :D

Beer and alcohol is very cheap in Thailand. A small bottle of Heineken/Asahi/ or any other beer is sold at THB350 to 380 (MYR3.50 to 3.80). It would be nice to have seafood with good friends and bottle up some good beer. But haha… I ordered lime juice instead. more of like sparking like juice (lime juice with soda) I’m not sure how much they charged for this. Dinner totaled up to around THB380 (MYR38). Pretty much cost around the same with some authentic Thai chu char we have in Penang. Some even cheaper here :D

That’s the counter and the kitchen at the back. It’s an open air kitchen and you could smell grilled seafood from the stairways up and down to/from the BTS station. I’ll surely go back to try the seafood next round.

Lek Sefood is conveniently accessible thru the Chong Nongsi BTS station. If you are not sure of which exit to take, it’s the left exit once you come out from the sky train and the staffs at the BTS counter is more than glad to guide you.

Lek Seafood
156 Soi Phiphat, Narathiwat Ratchanakharin Road, Silom, Bangkok
Below the Chong Nonsi Skytrain Platform
Contact ☎ (02) 636-6460, 636-6054

Lunch at a Steak Stall & Toh Plue Restaurant @ Chatuchak, Bangkok

Basically, food is all over Bangkok, even in Chatuchak Weekend Market itself, at any time you feel like stopping at any point, you will find food everywhere and anywhere.. you basically won’t die starving in Bangkok.

We initially planned to go to the same place I went the last visit (Toh Plue Restaurant) as it’s one of the few air conditioned dining place… but then after walking pass this stall, we decided to give it a try since it’s full of customers and it seems not bad. But majority of of food stalls are full with people… people are eating all day regardless what the time is.

Ordered the pork chop and fried rice set, THB 110 (MYR11.00) not that cheap though.. but the pork chop piece was generous, tender and nice… the rice was just so so, with salad in tangy dressing.

It’s just a small stall and business seems to be good, offering variety of sets.

And just to share some photos below from my last visit back in 2008, at the Toh Plue Restaurant, also in Chatuchak. Just noticed that I never really did blogged about it :D

It’s also another packed outlet, tourist mostly. Local Thais usually go to the stretch of food stalls for their favourite dishes and delicacies.

Different types of fried rice, and fish cake. Can’t really remember the names and the price though, but it’s definitely more expensive than the regular stalls available.

Pineapple fried rice in a pineapple, topped with raisins.

Can’t really remember what rice it was already.

Fish cakes with dipping.  

Something like american fried rice.. can’t remember either.. haha.. overall, the food there is not bad, presentation is very good, as you can see. Price wise is slightly pricey, comparatively. But you will pay whatever it is when your brain is actually boiling under the hot sun to get into this air conditioned outlet :P

Coconut Ice Cream@ Chatuchak, Bangkok

Right after my milk snow ice, I saw this stall and of course I stopped and get myself one! It’s a coconut ice cream and young coconut drink stall with shade and chairs for customers under their umbrellas.

Coconut ice cream is served in the cute coconut shell, with the coconut meat under and peanuts on top. One scoop of each sold at THB25 (MYR2.50). The young coconut drink is also sold at the same price.

There are many stalls around the big weekend market. I managed to stop at this one with seats under the shade.. It’s creamy and yummy! The coconut meat is also soft, and it’s so oh.. refreshing! If I have not had the milk snow ice, I would have had another serving :P

Good thing also, they serve free sample cups coconut drink for the patrons. Guess it’s for tasting la… another refreshing option besides the ice cream. But if you beh phai seh, then you can go get extra serving from the dispenser lo… that’s what most tourists do ler I noticed… haha… but the drink is really  sweet and sedap la… pure coconut juice leh… thirst quenching!

One of the must try-s in Chatuchak weekend market…

Chatuchak Weekend Market is conveniently accessible thru cab and tuk tuk, or by the BTS Sky Train to Mo Chit Station.