Create Your Taste at the Golden Arches

No shit, this is McDonald's. Apparently this is part of their new strategy introduced at limited outlets where one can customise a burger order from a kiosk along with limited table service. Basically we get to be able to choose the component(s) that maketh the burger inclusive of any add ons based on the options they have. And it all gets served up on a wooden board with fries that comes in the little metal baskets. This would probably be the first time in my life with fast food where the food actually looks like something from the menu.

Honestly, this tasted better than the generic menu items that they have (except for the fries which are their regular fries). The glazed bun was a little buttery, the lettuce was fresh and there were real sliced tomatoes in there. You probably cannot tell from the picture, but there were also jalapeño, a spicy tomato relish and wild rockets as well. Neatly packed into the buns. Burger Up had better start sweating. McD had obviously gotten themselves a superior team to work their order kiosk software.

T&K Seafood, Yaowarat Road, Bangkok

Much has already been said about this tourist packed seafood joint down at Bangkok's Chinatown (458 Yaowarat Road, Samphanthawong, Bangkok 10100). Since we were curious enough, we came down to see what was it about the establishment that attracted the throngs. 

We came by for an early dinner deliberately to avoid the crowd. Just as we made the place and got seated, it started getting packed.

Grilled scallops were very edible and far from the better ones we've had. Strangely, it didn't arrive very warm like what I would have expected of grilled shellfish. A little disappointed that they didn't have larger corals.

These were grilled river prawns. They're not the largest around and the texture of the flesh of those bugs were pretty decent if not spectacularly firm. It was a lot less meat than the plate of it suggested since they had such big heads. But I wouldn't argue against the affordability.

Those grilled sea snails above as I've recently learnt, are known as babylonia areolatas. I was thinking that they would taste like those conches commonly known as gong gong, but these weren't the same mollusk. The meat of these snails was a lot chewier and tougher like whelk. Don't think I'll be ordering these things again.

This was deep fried squid roe. It tasted a lot better than what the very mundane looks suggested.

The thing that got me was their fish steamed with limes and chillis. Specifically the broth that packed an impressive heat and lime citrus that kept me spooning mouthful after mouthful in spite of the sweltering humidity. The fish was tender, but the flesh didn't feel as firm as I though it would. Maybe these kind are like that.

While I couldn't say that we were blown away by the quality, it remained a very affordable option compared to the cost of seafood back home. Don't think I would mind coming back.

More daybreak grubbery from BKK Bagel

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We found ourselves here for breakfast a couple of times because it was literally right around the corner across the road from where we were staying and that we remembered that the food's pretty decent. It seems that they're doing a pretty good grilled cheese with bacon sandwich (it definitely tasted better than it looked). That house cured bacon was delicious. 

My first street pad krapow

I’ve had these ubiquitous meat and basil stir fry rice plates a number of times at various places and this was probably the very first I’ve had on the street. Albeit a street smack in the middle of Bangkok city central where a glance across the road sees the window display of Marc Jacobs at Siam Paragon. So, affordable as it may be, it’s not really cheap as cheap goes for street eats at this particular location.

So how was this particular gai pad krapow? I liked the feisty heat from the chilli and the slightly edgy savouriness from the fish sauce. Again, I’m surprised by how much I liked the steamed rice here. The only thing that struck me as out of the ordinary was that the chicken came in little chunks instead of the usual minced meat.

The salt grilled fish between Central World and Platinum Mall

This was at the stretch along Ratchadamri Road between Central World and Platinum Mall where many people talk about and go to eat their salt encrusted grilled fish. The location was actually a short line of street vendors with their densely packed foldable tables and stools that churned out plates of stir fries, grills and the various commonly available Thai salads. Seating space was elbow to elbow - plagued by warmth, smoke and probably some traffic exhaust, layered with a good measure of humidity.

Suitably atmospheric would be the phrase I'd use to describe the place. Kinda like a dai pai dong in Hong Kong.

The thing to order was obviously their salted crusted grilled fish; with a choice between catfish and tilapia. The latter of which has been in recent year or so lambasted for being worse than bacon and are potential bearers of disease as bottom feeders. Well, here's the catfish anyways. It's simple as peeling back the skin and eating the tender flesh underneath.

While there are some that might be bothered by the earthy (or commonly referred to as muddy) taste of freshwater fish, their spicy dip on the side works wonders in detracting from those said flavours and adds a delicious spicy zing. And man, the rice was good with all that.

Next up were tasty strips of grilled pork neck, laced with what some might consider a brow raising but delicious amount of tasty fat to go with the caramelized exterior.

Stir fried water spinach (or also known as kang kong) with garlic and a bit of chilli. Nothing unexpected there.

And a coconut of juice to drown my sorrows for the order of som tam that never arrived in spite of reminders. Oh well... there is always a next time. Right?

Provence, The Peninsula Plaza, Bangkok

For some reasons, I had in my previous visit thought this place to be L'Occitane Cafe. Seems like it's actually Provence instead. It's a nice little spot of quiet and cool from the bustling crowd and heat of central Bangkok.

Here're some garlic chive dumplings. Very tasty stuff with or without the dip of sweet dark soy sauce dip with sliced bird's eye chilli.

The really outstanding item was their special beef boat noodles. These are called boat noodles as they were traditionally served by vendors on boats along the the canals/rivers of Bangkok. Today, these can also be found in streets away from the waterside as well. In essence, these boat noodles are a small bowl of soup noodles with choice of meat in a broth fortified with spices and blood.

This one has obviously been elevated beyond the boat/street status and into a larger bowl as well, but the method of preparation as I'm guessing, has been largely preserved. The flavours were  both spicy and robust in a earthy savoury manner. Served piping hot. We enjoyed the broth so much that we asked for a refill which the restaurant obliged.

Some tangy spicy wing bean salad. One shouldn't regard Thai salads as a vegetable quota or an afterthought since it is here very often, appetite inducingly tasty.

And for something a little different from the usual Thai stuff, chicken livers wrapped in bacon. In retrospect, this was a mistake. It wasn't grilled as nicely as we would have expected and the red wine sauce was oddly bitter.

Because we had so much food before, it's some sweet mango requested without the glutinous rice. Sweet and juicy they were.

And sugar marinated bananas with texture akin to steamed tapioca. These were accompanied with coconut milk.