Thailand - Planning (Chapter)

BANGKOK

BANGKOK

EATING

BANGKOK

EATING

Krua ‘Aroy-Aroy’ THAI $
(Map p 82 ; Th Pan; mains 30-70B; h8am-8.30pm,
closed 2nd & 4th Sun of each month; BTS Sura-
sak) It can be crowded and hot, but Krua
‘Aroy-Aroy’ (‘Delicious Kitchen’) rarely
fails to live up to its lofty name. Stop by

for some of Bangkok’s richest curries, as

well as a revolving menu of daily specials.

SIAM SQUARE & PRATUNAM

If you fi nd yourself hungry in this part of

central Bangkok, you’re largely at the mercy

of shopping-mall food courts and chain

CHINATOWN EATS WALK

Street food rules in this part of town and many of Chinatown’s best kitchens don’t re-

quire walls or a roof, making the area ideal for a food-based stroll.

Although many vendors stay open until the wee hours, the more popular stalls tend to

sell out quickly, and the best time to feast in this area is from about 7pm to 9pm. Avoid

Mondays, when most of the city’s street vendors stay at home. A dish at just about any of

the following stalls should set you back no more than 50B. Access to the area is by MRT

to Hua Lamphong, followed by a brief walk or taxi ride.

Start your walk at the intersection of Th Yaowarat and Th Phadungdao. Moving west,

turn right into Th Plaeng Nam. Immediately on your right is Burapa Birds Nest (Map

p 76 ; Th Plaeng Nam), as good a place as any to try the very Chinatown dish, birds’ nest

soup. Directly across from Burapa you’ll see a gentleman on the street working three

coal-fi red stoves. This stall, Khrua Phornlamai (ครัวพรละมัย; Map p 76 ; Th Plaeng Nam), is

a great place for greasy but delicious fried faves such as pàt kêe mow (wide rice noodles

fried with seafood, chillies and Thai basil).

Continue down Th Plaeng Nam and cross Th Charoen Krung. Go straight, staying on

the right-hand side for about 50m, until you reach Nay Mong (นายหมง; Map p 76 ; 539 Th

Phlap Phla Chai), a minuscule restaurant renowned for its delicious hŏy tôrt, mussels or

oysters fried with egg in a sticky batter.

Backtrack to Th Charoen Krung and turn right. Upon reaching Th Mangkorn make a

right and immediately on your left-hand side you’re bound to see a row of people waiting

in line, as well as several more sitting on plastic stools holding plates of rice and curry in

their hands. This is Jék Pûi (เจ็กปยุ้; Map p 76 ; Th Mangkorn), a stall known for its Chinese-

style Thai curries and also for the fact that it has no tables.

Head left down Th Charoen Krung again and continue east until you reach Trok It-

saranuphap (Soi 16). This narrow alleyway is also known as Talat Mai (ตลาดใหม่), and is

the area’s most famous strip of commerce. Although morning is the best time to visit this

market, if you’re not too late you can still get a good idea of the exotic ingredients that

defi ne the area.

At the end of the alley you’ll see a gentleman frying noodles with a brass wok and a

spoon. He’s making gŏo·ay ðĕe·o kôo·a gài (ก๋วยเตี๋ยวคั่วไก่; Map p 76 ), a simple but deli-

cious dish of rice noodles fried with chicken, egg and garlic oil.

Upon emerging at Th Yaowarat, cross over to the busy market area directly across

the street. The fi rst vendor on the right, Nay Lék Uan (นายเล็กอ้วน; Map p 76 ; Soi 11, Th

Yaowarat), is among the most popular stalls in Bangkok, and sells gŏo·ay jáp nám săi, a

thick, intensely peppery broth containing noodles and pork off al. There are several more

stalls here, selling everything from pàt tai to satay.

Walk east down Th Yaowarat, and on the corner of Th Yaowaphanit and Th Yaowarat

you’ll see a stall with yellow noodles and barbecued pork. This is Mangkorn Khăo (มังกร

ขาว; Map p 76 ; cnr Th Yawarat & Th Yaowaphanit), a respected vendor of bà·mèe, Chinese-

style wheat noodles, and delicious wontons.

Keep walking down Th Yaowarat and you’ll be back to where you started. By now the

two opposing seafood places, Lek & Rut (Map p 76 ; cnr Th Yaowarat & Th Phadungdao) and

T&K (Map p 76 ; cnr Th Yaowarat & Th Phadungdao) should be buzzing. You could join the

tourists for grilled prawns and fried rice, but hopefully by this point you’ve had your fi ll of

what Chinatown really has to off er.