Food Travel Diary: Bangkok

Date: 16 -19 Sep / 2024

Lodging: Leela Orchid Hotel

Theme: A Food Adventure 

Wat Arun

This whole Bangkok trip was planned by my elder sister, Ru Yi. Since both she and my brother-in-law are passionate food lovers, they turned it into a full-on food adventure (with a little bit of shopping on the side). Even though Bangkok is just next door to Malaysia, and my family and friends have visited Thailand occasionally, this was actually my very first trip to the city. Although it was my first trip to Thailand, I didn’t visit the famous floating markets along the river or even the zoo. I had only heard about them from my sister, and she told me that, knowing my preferences, I probably wouldn’t enjoy them. So I trusted her and decided to skip these places—haha! 😆

Every restaurant in this post is a personal favourite, and I would happily revisit if I go back to Bangkok 😋

📍The Place 168

Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)
Michelin/Award: -
💰Total for 4: 980 Baht

Pad thai

Stir-Fried Kailan in Fish Sauce with Crispy Pork

Tomyum soup

Crispy pork fried rice

📍The Ginger Farm (Icon Siam)

Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5)
Award: Michelin Bib Gourmand (2020-2024)

📌 Note: The Ginger Farm Kitchen (and related Ginger Farm restaurants) has been featured in the Michelin Guide selections and recommended lists, often noted for its focus on quality ingredients and northern Thai cuisine. No official Michelin star, yet.

cutie plates

Khao Soi (Nothern Thai Curry Noodle Soup)

Spicy Pork Ribs with Rice

📍Jeh-O-Chula

Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)
Award: Michelin Bib Gourmand (since 2018)
💰Total for 4: 600 Baht

This place is very famous for Tom Yum Mama Noodles. Waiting time was long, we waited in line for 3 hours. Was the food nice? Yes.  Was this place worth the hype and waiting time? No, because you can definitely find similar taste all over Malaysia.

Tom Yum Mama Noodles with Meatballs

Tom Yum Mama Noodles with Crispy Pork Belly

Homemade fish cake

Menu 

📍Nara Thai Cuisine (Central World)

Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5)

Michelin: ⭐️

If I had to pick a winner from this trip, it’s definitely Nara Thai Cuisine. Every dish was insanely delicious! *Cries tears of joy*😭

Tom Yum Fried Rice

At first, we assumed Tom Yum fried rice was just a simple, everyday dish, not something that could really wow us. But we were so, so wrong! It was truly a big slap in the face when all of us casually took our first bite. That first bite sent all of our taste buds exploding and our worlds spinning in shock! It's like you can hear the sound "Boom" and our worlds crashing in the background.  Hope you can understand how amazing the food was through my utmost-best description! Hahaha! This was honestly the best Tom Yum fried rice we’ve ever eaten (no exaggeration)! It was completely unforgettable. No wonder it’s listed on the menu as the chef’s recommended dish.

Pineapple Fried Rice - Amazing too, but Tom Yum Fried Rice won first place!

Pomelo Salad 

Pomelo salad is super refreshing! It has crunchy peanuts, fresh herbs, and a kick of chili. It’s sweet, tangy, spicy, and crunchy all at once. If Tom Yum fried rice came in first, this pomelo salad would definitely come in second. To describe this dish, all I can say is that you never knew such a taste existed, and you never knew your taste buds were capable of experiencing something like this!

Green Curry - the real authentic taste👍

Lemon Chicken - taste like our 咕咾肉 （gū lǎo ròu）

📍SabX2 Wanton Noodles

Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5)
Michelin/Award: -

This restaurant serves classic Thai-style wonton noodles and braised pork leg rice. It’s located in Pratunam, near Platinum Fashion Mall. The queue is long, and the portions are a bit small (not even enough for me!), but the food is totally yums. I’m usually very picky with pork. I hardly ever eat it if I can avoid it (except for bak kut teh hahaha). Somehow, I can always detect that off-porky taste when it’s not fresh or properly cooked. Thankfully, this place passed the pork test with flying colours! 😋

Braised Pork Leg Rice

Thai-style Wonton Noodles

And that’s a wrap for my long-awaited Bangkok Food Travel Diary! Thank you for sticking around to read this almost-expired post 😆. After every trip, I’m reminded how fortunate I am to have my hubby and siblings to explore the world with. Friends may come and go, but family will always be there, through every meal, every adventure, every laugh along the way, and of course, through every quarrel haha! People always say the greatest gift a parent can give a child is a sibling, and I truly couldn’t agree more.

P/S: My elder sister and I often travel together since our holidays coincide, but I still hope that one day all three of us sisters will have matching holidays, regardless of whether we work in the government or private sector. Looking forward to travelling the world together! 🌍✈️

The four of us 💗

cute behind-the-scenes 😚

“To love someone is like moving into a house," Sonja used to say. "At first you fall in love in everything new, you wonder every morning that this is one's own, as if they are afraid that someone will suddenly come tumbling through the door and say that there has been a serious mistake and that it simply was not meant to live so fine. But as the years go by, the facade worn, the wood cracks here and there, and you start to love this house not so much for all the ways it is perfect in that for all the ways it is not. You become familiar with all its nooks and crannies. How to avoid that the key gets stuck in the lock if it is cold outside. Which floorboards have some give when you step on them, and exactly how to open the doors for them not to creak. That's it, all the little secrets that make it your home.”

― Fredrik Backman, A Man Called Ove