MK Gold Restaurant, Central World, Bangkok

I was recommended to the MK group of restaurants, a Thai-Chinese steamboat chain by a co worker. So Googling came up with the most convenient location at disposal at Central World. Incidentally, there were two of the MK restaurants located there. The regular MK Restaurant which is located almost everywhere in Bangkok and the MK Gold Restaurant (6th Floor Central World, Rama 1 Road, Prathumwan, Bangkok Central 10330) which was the pricier of the two and also the one which had a eat all you can deal in 90 minutes for 449 baht. Which sounded like quite a good deal. 

We quite liked this. The food was certainly fresh tasting and aside from the steamboat ingredients that one could order a la carte style, there were  dim sum, drinks and desserts.

One thing to note though - what the menu described as thinly sliced beef which we loaded up on were actually those that most of us would know as shabu styled beef; while their shabu beef was actually much thicker sliced ones that had been bicarbonated to death - having lost all the natural flavours of the meat. Their pork was also pretty tasty, turning ivory white after a few good swooshes in the bubbling pot.  Forget the spinach noodles. Get the siew mai with roe. Shrimps were pretty good.

We missed out on the roasted duck which seemed to be one of their popular items to order, but that would have been too much food.

Quince Eatery and Bar, Sukhumvit, Bangkok

A couple of trendy words like 'nose to tail dining' and 'locavore' were associated with Quince (Sukhumvit soi 45, Bangkok, tel : +66 2 662 4478) which was opened last year. Yes, these were one of those people whom are concerned with the details and ethics of their ingredient sources, use every part of the animal possible, support local organic produce and love going seasonal that the menu constantly evolves. This place had apparently generated quite a bit of buzz for itself 

So I'm just here to check out the food which was created from a mash of influences and started by an Australian chef, Jess Barnes who's an ex vegetarian and had actually left the restaurant earlier this year.

Amuse bouche was rather.....insipid. Cucumber, mayo and chives crostini. It tasted like how it looked.

The melon + curd starter they had was a nice interpretation of the more traditional Italian tomato, basil and buffalo Mozzarella salad. There was sweetness from the honeydew and tomatoes along with the tart from the Balsamic vinegar lightly cloaked in the flavours of olive oil and melting lime sorbet. And then salt and pepper. I liked this.

These lamb samosas were amazing. Served piping hot with juicy minced lamb that was full with the lamb-y flavours, each mouthful was a debate between tzatziki or no tzatziki. This was one warm starter that tasted wayyyy better than it looked. The influence here was clearly Middle Eastern.

The quail eggs were well, just quail eggs. Albeit ones that are deep fried with a slightly crispy skin sitting in a very deliciously milky sweet potato puree sprinkled with chorizo shreds. It was more puree than foam as the menu had described.

And next, unctuous rich and generous portions of bone marrow on more toast and capers parsley. I need not describe this further. The portions were pretty large and needless to say, we were marrowed down. Hahahaha....

Thankfully, we held back and only ordered one main which was a tomato and basil flavoured pasta. The crab meat was freshly sweet amidst all the other flavours, which apart from the salt and pepper, was a simple trinity of its own.

A filler side of polenta with shaven Parmesan cheese. There was too little cheese so we had to ask for more which then, did the job. Lovely filler.

This dessert was a special that's off the regular menu. It tasted addictively good. For most of us, it would register as something akin to wasabi, creamy and sweet; balanced off by the fruity tart of the jam.

Quince is located in soi 45 off Sukhumvit Road. So if you're strolling down from Phrom Phong BTS, just look out for Casa Pagoda from the main street and you'll be able to spot it just at the back.

Som Tam Nua, Siam Square, Bangkok

I noticed this place (392/14 Soi Siam Square 5, Rama 1 Road. Tel +66 (0) 22 51 4880) while wandering the streets of Siam Square in the last trip and decided to give them a try. Apparently, they were awarded the best som tam by CNNGo's Best Eats in 2010 and have been around for about a decade. As the name of the restaurant may imply, they specialise, I use the word loosely here, in som tam; offering multiple variants of the popular papaya salad here.

The lunch crowd here was pretty intense and it was a good thing that we arrived shortly before the main bulk arrived.

The dishes here were pretty affordable, served in small manageable portions that were ideal for sharing. For those that may not be able to man up to the heat, their Earl Grey latte was pretty much the only drink that helps quell all that spice.

We had a pork liver salad. The livers in slivers were well cooked that it was neither under done nor overly so. The flavour was dominantly spicy, sour and savory. I liked this.

And there was a lemon grassy pork which arrived like a salad too. This particular dish had delicious soft cloves of garlic.

Well received were their grilled and sliced pork collar, with a nice thin caramalization on the outside while retaining juices in the meat. Delicious too.

Moving along, came a deep fried fish. I don't eat deep fried fish so often, so I don't know if they're considered great. But I thought it was well done, drained of excessive oil and very crispy to boot.

Of course, we had to give their claim to fame a go. These was what was described as the Thai som tam on the menu. The servers had explained that the regular one was spicier compared to this one. The salad still packed a mild heat, but what we really liked about this one was the very invigorating flavour from the lime. The mild heat and salt along with the medley of textures that came from the ingredients made it a very refreshing salad. Yes, that definitely included the crispy deep fried pork rinds as well.

Food Plus, Siam Square, Bangkok

Great little lane that joins Soi 5 and Soi 6 down in Siam Square. A stretch of long tables runs down this section of the sheltered alley with food stalls flanking both sides of those tables. Food is cheap and catered to the working crowd in the vicinity with petite sized meals can be had for as little as 50 baht. 

More khao kha moo can be found here. This had leaner meat that wasn't directly from the knuckle. Delicious too if I may say. 

And a stall that serves a tasty and umami braised duck rice noodles in soup. It came with gizzards, fish balls and addition portions of duck blood curds. The flavour was crisp and clear. I'd eat this again in a heartbeat.

A side of a lemon grassy hok mok (Thai otah), fried egg and stir fried bitter gourd.

And chicken rice that is served with deep fried meat from the thigh. This was as the whole pretty good in spite of the fact that the rice was in no way on par in terms of flavour with the one at Siam Paragon.

The surprising find in this street food stretch was one of two coffee stalls that sold coffee brewed from freshly ground beans. The beans were measured and then ground by to order, brewed from a machine and flavoured with evaporated milk. It puts the regular brew at Starbucks to shame. Don't just take my word for it, try it for yourself.

A khao kha moo from the MBK food court

What a delicious mess this was from the food court at Mahboonkrong (328 Rama IV Rd, Pathum Wan, Bangkok 10330). Like the last time we had them, it was essentially a heap of collagen, fat and tender meat with little bits of bone (careful there) chopped off from a trotter that's been stewing for some time in a large pot of more trotters and offal. All on top of a portion of rice which served as a vehicle to soak up all the braising liquid and juices. And to reiterate what I've mentioned before, this worked with the fish sauce and finely sliced chilli that they provided; to break between the richness from the trotter.

BKK Bagel Bakery, Ploenchit Road, Bangkok

As the story goes, this shop (518/3 Maneeya Center, Ploenchit Road, Bangkok 10330, tel : +662 254 8157 ) in town was set up by two friends - an American and a Thai that decided that Bangkok needed a front for real bagels. Hence BKK Bagels was born, set up to provide New York styled bagels that are rolled, boiled and baked daily. Where one simply picked the choice of fillings, selects a bagel of choice to go and that was pretty much it. 

Since this shop was also conveniently located 5 minutes walk from where we were staying, it was an opportunity for us to drop by for breakfast with minimal hassle. For at least a couple of times. It seems that the location of the deli was taken over from Kipling next door as the decor looked too similar and the entrance to this deli had the suspicious looking monkey shaped door handles.

Some of the meats such as their ham and bacon were made in house and they were actually pretty good. Good in that aromatic smoky manner that one generally likes in cured meat. The corned beef that they used was also pretty delicious stuff. Their sausages didn't taste like something that was made from a factory as well. So as little as I know about them, it had seemed like most of the ingredients that they were using were made from scratch and not simply bought. Unfortunately, the pickles which were also house made weren't agreeable as they were too salty. Their interestingly crunchy sauerkraut was definitely not very fermented, but did work with their reuben like a slaw. I suspect that their approach to pickling vegetables were much like how the locals here like their greens, leaving the vegetables a little too raw-ish for my preferences. 

pastrami

breakfast epic

reuben

moishe's lunch

verrazano

hog heaven