Nara and Taling Pling, Bangkok

Yes, am back from a short break :)

A fantastic shopping break to be exact, which as usual, I find too short to satisfy me!

Since my main agenda to Bangkok was to unleash the full fledged shopaholic in me ;p, food was not the main quest *gasp*

But there must be some decent eats in malls too right?

Some recommendations by friends gave me a brief reprieve from the maddening shopping crowd while I recharged...

Nara

Gary's friend(who's based in BKK) brought him there for a meal, in which he promptly recommended me. The location was perfect- the main branch is at Erawan and another branch at Central World. Not hard for a pit stop at all :)

Heard that it's a popular spot for lunch where local businessmen go in throngs, so we decided for dinner instead. We were at the Erawan branch, there's a healthy crowd, but manageable.

A good range in the menu...

We started with the appetizer- Sakoo Sai Moo (pork tapioca pearl dumpling)

These dainty dumplings looked so pretty- Nara serves an uppity class version of this street food snack which I rather enjoyed. The minced pork filling was warm, savoury sweetish and paired well with the springy casing and crisp shallots.

The Yum Som-O (Pamelo salad) looks like it has potential..

But alas, failed to shine..The sauce was was too gooey sweet with a hint of coconut aroma, which was just not to my liking. I've had much better versions than this.

Poa Pia Nara..

Well, I guess I dont need to translate this. These cigar thin springrolls was beautifully present and it ends there. Pretty to look at, yet lacks in flavour. It was supposed to be filled with mince meat and vegetables, which we could hardly find any..

Phunim Phad Pong Curry came next..

Wonderful recommendation from Gary. Thai Crab Curry with a twist. It was served with deep fried soft shell crabs instead, which suprising worked quite well with the thick curry too. Have it piping hot with white rice, the combo was alluring- the soft shell crab was crunchy, the curry sauce creamy and thick and the rice soaks up everything.

We tried the Kuay Tiew Rua (Boat noodles)

This was supposed to be very popular in Nara and we had a choice of dry noodles/ with clear or dark broth. We asked for recommendations and dark broth was the choice. The soup was definitely acquired taste, it was rich in spices and herbs flavour that I found too overwhelming. The texture of the noodles was fantastic though, it was springy and I could easily slurp it down.

Some hits and misses at Nara, our total bill was about RM110.

Taling Pling

Jungle Jerry recommended me to pop by the original branch which I didnt have time for, but found that it has 2 branches in the midst of all the malls ( at Siam Paragon and Central World)

It was a rainy day, we were kind of stuck in Central World, so we decided to rest our legs at Taling Pling.

Obviously very popular amongst the locals, it was packed to the brim and we were lucky to get the last table.

Taling Pling serves plenty of local favourites, here's what we tried..

Morning Glory salad

A mixed of fried and cooked morning glory tossed in spicy sour dressing. Great to whet the appetite with a nice range of texture.

Spicy fish cake

Thick slabs of fish cake (compared to those sold at streets) which was lip smacking. The pattie was dense with fish paste (than of flour), have it with fried basil and the accompanying sauce- just wonderful.

The ubiquitous pandan chicken..

This was well executed. The chicken was well marinated and extremely juicy. Very succulent and I really enjoyed this. And the dipping sauce? It's sweet and plumish in flavour, hence having the chicken with the sauce almost convert it to a chinese dish. I prefer sans sauce.

The Duck Curry was a petite version..

The curry was mild, maybe that was scaled down for tourist? I'm not sure. The duck breast was fork tender and a delight to eat. But oh, if just the curry was more fiery.

The piece the resistance (well, at least for me and my friends) was the absolutely plain looking fried chayote..

This vegetable was surprisingly delicious, so good that I cant help taking hefty portions of it and not bothering if my friends had enough. Yes, it makes me greedy :p. The wok hei to this dish was fantastic but what draws me to this dish was the texture of the vegetable- crunchy, not fibrous, hint of sweetness and high in water content. Very very yum-o!

For local faves, Taling Pling seems to hit the right spots for us. Total bill was approx RM95.

E San Thai Kitchen, Ara Damansara

Diha who stayed in Ara Damansara spoke of E San many times last year- that the food is good. But I kept delaying my visit as it is halal Thai cuisine- I'll rather have some porky feast :p.

However, I was reminded of E San recently(reading Joe's post) and I finally decided to pop by after all.

It was a raining heavily when we reached, a perfect way to enjoy spicy food :)

I always thought that E San sounded familiar, and finally understood that it meant the same as Isan cuisine, something I've tried in Bangkok before. Basically Isan/ Esan refers to the North Eastern part of Thailand.

E San's menu was rather extensive, but with some recommended dishes from Diha in mind, we soon decided on what to eat..

E San's tom yum (RM35) was the right soup to warm our cold tummies..

The soup was rather clear looking, but dont be deceived. It was spicy, sour and sweet; the flavours awakening our sleepy tastebuds in full force. The ingredients were fresh and generous, we were very pleased with this soup.
The Crispy fried rice(RM12) was next..

We thought it was rather pricey as it was only a plate of rice with 4 prawns. Though lacking in ingredients, the taste was definitely not lacking- the aroma of crisp rice (something like those you get from the base of claypot), fluffy rice and fish sauce was evident and got us lapping it up.

From then on, the dishes kept coming so quickly, I had a hard time taking pictures and trying to keep my friends from eating! hahaha
The Egg Salad/ Kerabu (RM12) looks so plain..

But this dish got all our votes. The best dish of the night! The sides of the eggs were crisp, while the yolks were still runny. Mix it with the fresh greens and tangy sauce, we could not stop eating this. So, so delicious!
The Crispy kangkung(RM12) was something new to me..

Alas, it sounds and looks special, but taste wise, it was average. In fact, I find it rather oily after letting it sit for a while. The tangy chilli sauce was interesting though.

The Green Curry Chicken(RM18)

My first impression was 'a very diluted looking curry'. I was already rather disappointed before even trying it. hehehe. But after drenching my white rice with the curry, I take whatever gripe I had back. It was actually very scrumptious. I'm actually happy for this version of curry, at least it's not thick and rich, yet it retained all the wonderful flavours that a green curry should have.

The one sinful dish of the night was the Otak Otak Coconut(RM25)

Filled with lots of prawns and squids, the otak otak was not the usual steamed, tofuish version but a otak otak sauce version. Too rich for me, I only took one serving. Nice thick sauce, but I'm not a fan.
When they placed the Steamed Siakap with lime (RM48)in front of us, I was rather worried..

It was a large fish, and there were only 6 of us ladies...hmmm, wondered if we can finish this? And as usual, I worried for nothing...the fish was sweet and fresh, the soup was very spicy and sour, which woman wont like this? hehehe...Well, it did have some lingering sweetness in the soup, which I will remind them to tone down on the sugar on my next visit.

We were darn stuffed by the time they serve the Grilled Beef Salad (RM28)

This was the least popular dish, I'm not sure if it's because the ladies were full or the taste were rather..erm..interesting. The beef was sourish (from lime?) and a nutty aftertaste. It gets spicier as I took more of it. I find this dish ok..

Thats when we raised our white flag and finally finished our meal :p

But E San then served us with some complimentary desserts..Hey, we womenfolk always have a separate section in our stomach for desserts, no?

We polished this off in 1 minute :p. Refreshing and a perfect way to end a wonderful meal.

E San Thai Kitchen is located at G-G-3A& 5, Block G, Jalan PJU 1A/3, Taipan 2, Ara Damansara, 47301 Petaling Jaya.

Zense Restaurant, Bangkok

I read about Zense from Bangkok Tatler just before I went to Bangkok. It's new, it's hip and sounding rather enticing, I thought we should pop by to check it out. Went over on our last night in Bangkok, we wanted to pamper ourselves with a nice, long relaxing dinner before we leave ;)

Zense is located on the 17th floor of Zen Shopping Centre, right in the heart of the city. When the lift doors opened, we were greeted immediately by it's trendy interior..

It was very spacious, techno music filled the air and we thought we stepped into a club instead.hehe. Quick look around, we saw the inside bar, lots of beds, large beanies seats... and we finally saw some elegant dining area but we were only drawn to have our dinner alfresco. It was a balmy, breezy night..we should be dining alfresco, dont you think?

The alfresco area was wide and spread along the building, with different corners for your choice of dining pleasure- you can choose the cushioned rattan with dining height tables, have dinner in bed, sink into a large beanie cushion with low jap style tables or at the high bar area. Take your pick :)

Zense serves 4 cuisines- Thai, Italian, Japanese and Indian. Hmmm, tough choice but we went for italian since we OD-ed on thai for that many days..haha

We ordered a few stuff to try, since we have been eating the whole day- we were not that hungry :p

Started with fresh bread with lemon butter and our order of Grissini Parmaham (RM27)

We enjoyed the bread and the grissini parmaham was warm and crisp. The parmaham saltiness goes well with the grissini..nice to nibble while we chatted.

Though Zense looks chic and expensive, it's actually affordable classy dining but the waiters didnt really followed the serving rules here.. mains were served before we finished our starters :(

The Ravioli Neri (RM39) looked dark and mysterious..

This was absolutely scrumptious! The filling of chopped lobster was aromatic, the squid ink ravioli were meltingly smooth and the accompanying sauce was velvetly rich, but not cloying. Loved it.

Risotto Scoglio (RM43)

This risotto needs time to really enjoy its full flavours. The rice was still grainy and feels compact- the sauce slowly seeps deeper into the rice with every mouthful I took. The seafood aroma was evident in the rice- I could just eat the rice without the seafood. Delicious.

Alas, I wondered if we spent too much time enjoying the first 2 mains that we totally forgotten about our Pizza Diavola (RM29)..

We were happily cam whoring (or was that just dragon girl? :p), taking in the panaromic view and drinking...and we finally decided to have the pizza. We ordered an italian sausage pizza.. but was suprised that it looked like meatballs instead. Closer inspection confirmed that it was baby meat balls. The pizza was rather chewy at the base and the meat balls were salty. The girls were not impress, this was just mediocre at best. Oh well.

The cheeky bartender offered a pose without us requesting...

Panaromic skyline of Bangkok- though not as high as Sirocco's and Vertigo's

What a lovely way to unwind and to end our last night in Bangkok- with the soft jazz at the back ground and the cooling breeze brushing my skin. I know I will be back yet again. Wait for me Bangkok :)

Zense is located at Zen Shopping Centre, Rajadamri Road, Bangkok. For more information and much better pictures, click here. Thanks EL for the pictures!

Lek Seafood, Bangkok

I read about Lek online, a couple of years back when I was about to visit Bangkok then. Always, it'll be slotted as part of my eating itinerary, but somehow, we never did managed to try it. This trip, I was determined indeed...well, partly we were just in Bangkok for shopping, and secondly, my friends left all the planning of the food crawl places to me :p

It not hard to get to Lek Seafood at all, just take the BTS to Chong Nonsi station. Lek is just next to the station(ground level)

It was rather packed when we reached, and we chose our noisy corner. Filled with only local customers, I really hope for a good meal..

Since we have been trying out different cuisines before that, we went for the ubiquitous Tom Yum Goong(RM15)..

Lek's version was scrumptious! The soup was rich, yet not too sour nor overly spicy. You can actually enjoy the fragrance of this soup. And a generous amount of prawns and mushrooms helps too! However, if you are looking for those tom yum that burns your tongue, losing sensation for a few minutes, then this soup is not for you.

And those yummy grilled fresh water prawns (RM20). How can I miss it right? :p

These were super huge, the length of the head was about the size of my palm. The prawns were cooked to perfection; the meat was just cooked, absorbing the smokiness of the charcoal while the roe in the prawns heads were still runny..we were drinking sweet, creamy roe soup..*slurps*

Some local vegetables..Water minosa (RM7)

Looks like kangkung, though center was not hollow. Texture wise, it's similar to paku-pakis, but slightly more fibrous and sweeter. Takes longer to chew, enjoyable nonetheless.

We saw many tables having hot plates.. and we ordered too..

Sliced pork on hot plate (RM12)

Not what other tables had :(. Their's were very dark looking meat. Most probably ostrich meat. Ok, this dish was not bad at all, tasted like a typical chinese stir fried pork slices with bean paste. Pork was tender with some fatty strips.

Our last dish was steamed fish in lime soup (RM30)

Quite a large portion for the 3 of us after the other dishes we had, the slow burning charcoal keeps the soup simmering and the fish, warm. As the fish was kept simmering throughout the meal, the soup gets thicker and sweeter (though the base was still very sour and spicy). Rather addictive, alas we were too full to have the soup refills.hahaha.

Lek Seafood is located at 156 Soi Phiphat, Narathiwatrachanakharin Road, Silom, Bangruk, Bangkok. Just next to Chong Nonsi BTS station.

Fuji Japanese Restaurant, Bangkok

It's always fantastic if you get to travel with a group of friends with the same intention and interests. And when it comes to Bangkok, it's always for shopping and food with girlfriends. Yes, I go shop crazy when I'm there with the gals, and I usually shed a couple of pounds with all that walking during shopping! hahaha

And hence, this trip, all my eating places revolves around the shopping areas- for convenience :p

But hey, convenience dont mean comprimising on good food...and in this case, I took J2kfm's recommendation.

We ate at Fuji, a popular japanese chain that you can find in most of the shopping places in Bangkok. In our case, we ate at Siam Paragon.

It was very late lunch, so no waiting was required, we were led to our seats immediately. J2kfm did mentioned that the food here is very affordable and comparative to the Jap food chains in Malaysia, Fuji's food is better.

A rather extensive menu to choose from, we decided to have..

Salmon Tataki (RM18)

Somewhat localised, this was like a salmon som tum. Sour, spicy but refreshing. Goes well with the raw salmon slices.

Some grilled mussels with garlic (RM11)

Rather puny pieces, the garlic was absolutely aromatic but I thought the mussels were a tad over grilled. Some parts were rather chewy. Served with 3 types of dipping sauce.

Avocado Pork Roll (RM12)

We lurve this to bits. Creamy, smooth avocado melts into the still warm,tender pork slices. Nice texture and flavours.

Ordered some set meals too..

The Roll sushi set (RM25)

3 types of maki in this set- california, spider crab and ebi maki. The first 2 types were delicious; the serving was plump and fresh. But the ebi fell short- it was very average.

Kuro Buta Steak set (RM20)

We were satisfied with this set too. The pork steak was juicy and meat was springy. The thick sauce was addictive too. Goes very well with rice.

If you are shopping around Bangkok city center, you can find Fuji Japanese restaurant at Siam Centre, Siam Paragon, Central World and Platinum.

Back from pilgrimage..

Well, not really pilgrimage, but my annual trip to food and shopping paradise :)

It was also Dragon girl's second trip to Bangkok- her first trip being mostly for massage, sightseeing and relaxation; hence, this time around, the trip would be on shopping and loads of food.

Food was planned along with shopping location, to make things easier for us ladies :p

There were some repeats on our eats such as the grilled fish and som tum place at Chatujak market.

Most unfortunately, the grilled fish was no longer that nice; it was only luke warm when served..

Luckily the som tum place was still nice, though the serving's a tad smaller..

Other repeats include the juicy, tender samurai pork burger at McD's..

And we tried their newly launched chocolate pie..

The filling was more like chocolate custard; it was not too sweet, pretty ok.

Was looking for Amaltery ice cream at Siam Paragon, but it was no longer in operation, so we went back to our usual mango dessert place- Mango Tango..

Had the usual...

Glad to say that the mango ice cream has improved (compared to last year), the new addition of glutinous rice was decent too. The mangoes were ultra sweet and dripping with loads of juices. Yummy!

The second dessert was yummy too.. The crunchy corn flakes gave a nice crunch to the texture; the bottom was filled with mango chunks, mango ice cream and mango puree..

What else did we ate during our time in Bangkok?

Well, guess that will be in the next few posts....

Once Upon A Time Restaurant, Bangkok

We tried street food, we had seafood, foodcourts, even thai tai chow (stir fry stalls)...but where's a proper restaurant that serves traditional thai food?

We didn't spot any near the area we stayed nor at the shopping complexes. So we resorted to getting some recommendations from the hotel staff. And surprise, surprise, Once Upon A Time was just a few minutes away from our hotel :)

Very cosy ambiance, alfresco area was filled with lots of green while those who chose to dine in were treated with a cosy and nostalgic interior, filled with antiques and pictures of royal families, movies stars etc.

The menu was very extensive and we took rather long to decide on the dishes...

Had some Tom Yam Goong.. Fiery looking soup but it was not as spicy as we thought it would be. The soup is aromatic, sour and spicy, which hits our sleepy senses immediately. Filled with large, juicy prawns, this was a great way to start our meal.

We decided to have Yam Som O (Pamelo salad) since we have yet to try it before..

The pamelo was topped with mince pork, prawns, chopped peanuts, fried shallots and doused with some intoxicating sauce. The result? Utterly lip smacking, it was so, so scrumptious! I love it, I love it, I love it!

Pineapple Fried Rice for the carbs we so love..

Alicia loved it. Elaine and I find it a tad 'wet' but very tasty nonetheless.

The Kong Kai Ob Sabparod (Shrimp and chicken baked in pineapple) sounds interesting

Most unfortunately, that's about it. It was pratically stir fried chicken and shrimps with pineapple and tomato/ fish sauce combo. I'm all for simplicity, but this was so plain, I almost cried. :(. Give me a plate of goo lou yuk (sweet sour pork) anytime.

Luckily Hou Maeng Phou Phad (pan fried baby clams with yellow curry) was served soon after..
Thick, sweetish yellow curry goes very well with the mussels (i'm quite sure those are Not clams). Beautiful dish to go with white rice, we enjoyed this dish tremendously.

The last dish was Green Curry Chicken..The portion was perfect as we were pretty stuffed by then. All of us tried the curry with white rice to enjoy the taste of the green curry and we were pretty satisfied with it. Though again the curry was rather sweet, we still enjoyed it very much. Plus points as it was filled with lots of chicken chunks and aubergines.

I sorta lost the bill, but it costs us about RM30 per head i think..

Once Upon a Time Restaurant is located at Soi 17, Phetchburi Rd., Pratunam, Bangkok. It's the small road/ lane across from Pantip Plaza. Look for road sign Soi 17, walk about 5 mins and the restaurant's on your right.