Jeff Jedras: What I ate in Thailand last summer

I won’t claim I did a proper food tour of the city during my four days in Bangkok. Honestly, after five days in Maldives I was feeling pretty relaxed and wanted to keep that vibe for the rest of my vacation. And the afternoon heat really sapped my energy. But here’s what I did get up to.

My first stop was to find a 7-11, as I had heard much about how they’re different in Thailand and across Asia than ours in Canada. I was really impressed by the wide variety of chips on offer. Some familiar, some crazy flavours from familiar brands, and some just completely unknown to westerners. The selection was really something.

I tried a few while I was there, including the Nori Seaweed-flavoured Lays. They were fine. I packed a few of the wackier flavours to bring home, including prawn-flavoured chips, but they were lifted from my checked bag in transit. I didn’t fine a complaint over my maybe 50 cents worth of missing chips, but it was weird. The huge thing of mango candies went untouched.

Anyways, more than wacky chips, 7-11s here are also known for their cheap microwave sandwiches. Toasties, burgers, some familiar, some wacky, all cheap. You can bring them home or, more commonly, you can ask them to heat them up for you (apparently the magic word is wave) and then eat them on the go.

I opted for two fairly tame choices: a double cheeseburger on a sesame seed bun, and a pork burger on a bun made of rice.

They were exactly what you would expect for a convenience store refrigerated microwave sandwich. Just fine. A cheap lunch on the go. You can do much better in Bangkok. And don’t worry, I did.

Right next to my hotel was a street food stall offering Mango Sticky Rice for 8- Thai Baht, which works out to $3.41 CAD. She takes a fresh mango and carves it up right there in front of you, assembling glutinous rice, fresh mango and coconut milk, and some crunchy bits on top.

I took it back to my room to enjoy and it was delicious. I was skeptical at first — rice in a desert? — but it was flavourful and delicious and sweet, especially with the fresh mango. And a great deal, even for being right next to a tourist hotel.

My first proper meal was lunch at IconSiam, a large mall just across the river from my hotel and a major river ferry port. Most of my exploring was by river ferry, so I was here a bunch of times. My lunch was at Thipsami, an accessible Michelin Bib Gourmand spot known for its different varieties of Pad Thai.

I ordered the Pad Thai Siam Royal with Giant River Prawns along with fresh orange juice, which seems to be their signature thing.

I would say it was fine. The juice was refreshing after the afternoon heat. I enjoyed the flavours of the pad thai, but pad thai isn’t really my thing. But when in Thailand…

There was a street food-type hawker hall in the basement and it had a wide variety of foods, including this selection of fried offerings, available in air conditioned comfort (with requisite mark-up from the streets). Still cheaper than Canada. Some tasty-looking nibbles but I was full of pad thai.

I was also saving my appetite for my highlight dinner of the trip: the tasting menu at a Michelin Star restaurant in Bangkok – Nahm. They are renowned for their Heritage tasting menu that showcases the varied cuisine of Thailand – so much of which doesn’t make it to the West.

An amuse bouche centred on coconut to start.

(left) Miang Nopakoo: miang of live river prawn chicken, mango and herbs served on betel leaf

(right) Pu Sorn Klin: blue swimmer crab, pickled garlic and peanuts on rice cracker

(bottom) Khao neau kati sim tum: Sticky rice delicacy with celtuce salad

(top right) Yum dok mai tod: edible floral fritter delight, The texture of this was fun, and the sauce was delicious.

Namprik maak maad: Spicy fragrant northern style relish with pork jowl and vegetable. Very tasty.

Tom yung gung: Tom yum of prawn mushrooms and chili jam. A dish familiar to westerners. Not my favourite, but this is certainly an elevation of the form.

(bottom right) Gag pu bai cha plu: Southern turmeric curry of blue swimmer crab with betel leaf and calamansi lime

(bottom left) Pad pak goot: Stir-fried young fiddlehead ferns

(top) Pad nuea sau nomai nahm: Stir-fried wagyu beef, yellow capsicum and wild rice stems

The beef was amazing — tender and delicious, best beef I’ve had. Enjoyed the fiddlehead ferns. it was nice to have some greens and I was amused as I had always viewed fiddleheads as an Ontario seasonal thing. Enjoyed the creaminess of the crab dish.

And in the shot here is my rum and diet coke made with a local Thai rum that was quite tasty.

A lemony palate cleanser before desert.

Desert was called the lifestyle of coconut. Coconut isn’t my favourite, but it was a fun concept.

Here’s the Heritage Tasting Menu — you make a number of choices at the start, and they leave you the card to follow along. Other than the wagyu which was a must have for me, I placed myself in the hands of the chef.

All in all it was a fantastic culinary experience. Not cheap, but high quality and a great exposure to a wide variety of Thai cuisine that you certainly won’t find at Thai Express.

For my next dinner, I ate riverside at my hotel, the Royal Orchid Sheraton Riverside, dining at their Thai restaurant, Thara Thong. It was quite enjoyable to enjoy the river view at night at watch the boats go up and down while I ate. I would take one of these dinner cruises the next night; the views were amazing but the buffet was just OK and won’t be chronicled here.

Here I am at my table with my view.

First, I was served an amuse bouche of shrimp puffs with a Thai relish.

For my starter, I had the Por Pia Pak, or vegetarian Thai spring rolls. Basic, I know, but I could not come to Thailand without having them at the source. Pretty good, better quality ingredients than we usually get at home. Found the sauce a bit muted and hard to place.

For the main, the Nua Pad Bai, or a stir fry of beef, Thai basil and other things. Definitely very basil forward. It was supposed to be wagyu beef but, if so, it was cooked a bit too long. Again, I am longing for the beef the night before at Nahm. It was good, but suffers from the unfair comparison.

For desert, mango sorbet. I was mulling two scoops but was relieved I stuck with one as this was huge. I’m not sure the photo does justice to the size. Lived the fresh mango slices too.

Overall, while I regret not getting more proper street food in Thailand, I don’t regret keeping my first visit chill and just enjoying myself at a relaxed pace. It was a fun trip.

I leave you with a river view from my room at sunset.