Highlights from the Thailand trip

What was the best new food item I discovered in Thailand?

The rolled icecream – in Phuket, the vendors selling it had signs that referred to ‘Fried Ice Cream’ which confused me because there was no frying and I had a very different image of Fried Ice Cream to what they were serving. They basically make icecream from condensed / evaporation milk and fruit or other toppings by mixing the ingredients with a rapid chopping motion on a cold slate and then rolling up the icecream like below. Delicious and light!

What was the most authentic dish I had?

The Boat Noodles in Boat Noodle Alley near Victory Monuent in Bangkok for 12 baht (less than 50 cents AUD!). The bowls were tiny but every mouthful of the broth was so fragrant and flavoursome from the cow’s/pig’s blood, the garlic and the chilli flakes. If I hadn’t stupidly had breakfast about an hour prior to going to Boat Noodle Alley, I would have definitely eaten 10 of the bowls! You can even choose your noodles (I recommend the glass noodles) and there are about 5 different types of noodle soups you can choose from but I preferred the standard pork one which was served with pork slices and pork balls.

Where did I eat at twice, because it was just THAT good?

Chinatown – you must must go to Chinatown. It is a smorgasbord of street food and the place to go if you feel like seafood in Bangkok. I’m not sure what the restaurant/street food stall was called but it was on a side street (Phalit Phon Alley) off the main Yaowarat Road. Firstly, the skills of the chef at the front manning about 3 different woks is incredible – and he’s not afraid to put on a bit of a show with the flames. For a restaurant on the sidewalk which has an air of chaos, they definitely have some system going with our various grilled, stirfried, streamed dishes arriving at the table at the same time.

My absolute favourite dish has to be the grilled scallops (below). I had the dish on two occasions and on both times, the scallops were perfectly cooked (just done) and covered in a fragrant garlic based sauce. You don’t even need the Thai dipping sauce (the pink plate) for this one and I love the spicy sour dipping sauce!

I don’t think I had a single bad dish at that place. From the simple stirfried morning glory to grilled squid to vermicelli with black pepper prawns to a whole deep fried fish, everything tasted fresh, well flavoured and cooked perfectly.

Should you eat in food courts?

Absolutely yes – prices a little more expensive on the street but hey, that’s the price of cleanliness and importantly, air conditioning! In a lot of the food courts, you go to a counter, put money onto a special card and then pay at the various stalls with the card. You can always get any leftover money on the card back from the counter when you’re done eating.

Below photos are from the food court in Terminal 21 – such a huge array of food choices!