gas•tron•o•my

Unlike our previous days in Bangkok, we didn’t have much of a game plan for our final full day in the city. All we knew was that we wanted to eat and walk around a bit to feel less guilty for stuffing our faces every half hour.

We eventually settled on visiting Wat Arun, a temple located on the west side of the Chao Phraya River, and exploring more of Chinatown. We once again boarded two skytrains and a water taxi to arrive at our destination. The transportation system in Bangkok is fast and efficient.

The water taxi dropped us off at an outdoor market similar to the one before, but smaller in scale and variety. Before making our way to the temple, The Astronomer and I shared a green papaya salad (25 baht). The salad was assembled to order and contained tomatoes, peanuts and green beans in addition to green papaya. The ingredients were coated in a vinaigrette of fish sauce and lime juice. I think the vendor intentionally left out all the spices because she knows our type a little too well. As a result, the salad tasted fresh, but dull.

Following the salad, The Astronomer and I shared a plate of Pad Thai (30 baht) made by the hefty and sweaty gentleman above.

The Pad Thai tasted sour and contained tomatoes and leafy greens. Clearly, N.A.R.P.T.—not a real Pad Thai.

The Astronomer concluded breakfast with a stick of quail eggs wrapped in crispy wonton wrappers (10 baht). The eggs were served with a sweet and sour sauce that paired nicely with the wonton wrappers. The use of quail eggs in South East Asia is deliciously widespread.

After our three course breakfast, we finally headed to Wat Arun, which boasted a spectacular view of the city and vertigo-inducing climbs that reminded us of Angkor.

Following our temple excursion, we made our way toward Chinatown. On our walk, I purchased a bag of fresh cantaloupe. The fruit was served up rare, which is customary in these here parts, so it was light on sweetness and heavy on crunch.

Lush and The Astronomer couldn’t pass up an opportunity for protein and grabbed some pork on a stick dipped in a peppery sauce.

As we walked through an outdoor market of sorts in Chinatown, I ducked into a stall selling duck noodle soup (30 baht). The eatery was packed with locals slurping down noodles, so I knew we were in for a treat. The noodles were served in a dark brown duck broth deeply infused with star anise and celery, and topped with pieces of shredded duck. The dish reminded me of mi vit, a Chinese-inspired Vietnamese noodle soup that I often eat at home in San Diego. The Astronomer and I were immensely impressed with this noodle soup.

As I scanned the small dining room, I noticed that many of the local patrons were digging into some “spring rolls” (25 baht) along with their soups, so I decided to do the same. The rolls contained tofu, Chinese sausage, bean sprouts and cucumber. Scrambled eggs, cuttlefish, chilies and a sweet hoisin sauce were served on top of the rolls. The texture and taste of the roll’s wrapper was similar to the pancakes served with Chinese moo shu. This dish was really different from anything we had eaten prior in Bangkok and we were once again quite impressed.

The Astronomer ordered a dried shrimp dumpling (7 baht) from a different stall and had it delivered to our table. While we generally like greasy dim sum, eating this dumpling alongside the noodle soup and spring rolls made for a lesser experience.

Before saying goodbye to Chinatown, Lush and I each purchased a tall cup of Thai iced tea (10 baht), which tasted a bit like an icy because of the ice’s texture.

Meanwhile, the Astronomer picked up a beautiful, golden drumstick (15 baht)—looks like someone on the street got a hold of the Colonel’s Original Recipe… and his steroid-juiced chickens! The flavor was rather one dimensional; the Astronomer declared that the fried chicken he ate near our hostel was better.

Who has no thumbs and was sad to see us leave Chinatown? This guy.

Sadness! This sign was posted in the metro station.

For our final dinner in the city, we headed to Baan Khanitha (36/1 Sukhumvit, Soi 23, Phone: 0-2258-4128). My high school cross country and track coach, who has traveled extensively throughout Thailand, recommended this eatery, which has been voted Bangkok’s best for a number of years.

I think one of the strangest experiences of my trip to Bangkok was constantly eating and enjoying food even though I wasn’t hungry. This sort of behavior wasn’t sustainable, but it was a lot of fun while it lasted.

We started off our meal at Baan Khanitha with a complimentary appetizer called “mieng kham.” We were instructed by our waiter to make a funnel using a single leaf and to fill it with the sauce and the ingredients in the little dishes, which included dried shrimps, shallots, chilies, diced limes, ginger and peanuts. Although no singular ingredient was spectacular, when combined together the flavors melded into a satisfying bite. Awesome.

Next, we shared a serving of “yam woon sen,” a glass noodle salad with squid, shrimp, pork, tomatoes, shallots, spring onions and peanuts in a vinaigrette (180 baht). Light and refreshing, the salad was just what we wanted this evening.

For our main course, we shared “gaeng phed ped yang a ngun,” a roasted duck curry with grapes and pineapples (280 baht). The duck was pleasingly sweet and meaty, while the fruits eased the spiciness and brought bursts of sunshine to the curry.

After dinner at Baan Khanitha, we paid a visit to the roti vendor that we had spotted prior.

Liana and I shared a roti with bananas, sugar and condensed milk (20 baht).

The Astronomer had one without bananas (7 baht). Man, those things are so bad for you, but they taste so good! I’m pretty sure that if I lived in Bangkok I’d gain a few kilos from eating too much roti.

Our final stop of the evening was at a night market The Astronomer read about in the Lonely Planet. The market turned out to be a lot smaller than we expected and mostly catered to tourists. Boo.

Lush and I passed on the offerings, but The Astronomer went for a plate of BBQ pork over rice (40 baht). The pork looked delicious, but I was too stuffed to try.

The Astronomer and I started our second full day in Bangkok with another run around the man-made lake, while Lush indulged in a two-hour long, full-body massage. We headed out of the hostel around noon to explore the Royal Palace, Chinatown, and whatever else floated our boats along the way.

Sukhumvit Soi 11, the alley in which our hostel was located, is packed with food vendors practically all day and night. Even when we weren’t looking to eat, there was always a delight that temptingly caught our eyes.

While walking to the skytrain station, Lush picked up a bag of mussels sautéed with vegetables and chilies (20 baht). The seafood salad was sold pre-portioned and at room temperature. It was a bit too spicy for me, but Lush enjoyed it thoroughly because her palate is cut out for that kind of stuff, whereas mine just burns.

The Astronomer and I kicked off the day with a fried tamarind fish with rice (40 baht), which was sold next to the mussel salad vendor. The fish’s crispy skin absorbed the tamarind sauce like a sponge, while the white flaky flesh was moist and fresh. There was something about the fish’s residual oiliness mixed with the tangy tamarind that was so awesome!

Two skytrains and a water taxi ride later, we arrived in the vicinity of the Royal Palace. The water taxi dropped us off in an extensive outdoor food market. Even though we ate merely a half an hour ago, we were game for more.

Lush grabbed a rum raisin waffle that reminded The Astronomer and I of the wonderful Belgian waffles we used to eat at Bonte in Philadelphia. The crispy and flaky specimen was the first of many more Bangkok waffles to come

The Astronomer spotted a tub full of chicken drumsticks resembling his favorite Chinese-American dish, sesame chicken. He ordered a plate with rice and announced that they met his expectations–the sweet and sticky flavor was classic and unmistakable.

I had a Barry Schwartz moment as I perused the selections on hand at a rice and fixins stall.

After a bit of hemming and hawing, I settled on the Thai braised pork belly with hardboiled eggs (25). The appearance of “Thai Pakow” bore an uncanny resemblance to thit kho, one of my all-time favorite Vietnamese dishes. The pork pieces were smaller than the ones in thit kho, but just as tender. Although I wanted to love it, the dish’s overwhelming sweetness was too much for me. I guess syrupy meats just aren’t my thing.

While the Astronomer ate his chicken and I ate my sweet meat, Lush sipped down a cool glass of Matoom juice (10 baht). Matoom is Thai for bael fruit. It was sorta sweet, sorta sour, and 100% hydrating.

For dessert, Lush and I visited a man with forearms of steel.

He served us up mini-scoops of coconut ice cream topped with lychees, pineapple and corn nibblets (10 baht). Ever since my friend Britta told me about the corn ice cream she sampled while studying abroad in China, I’ve wanted to try the unorthodox combination. The verdict? Not bad at all. I’d buy a quart of cornbread-flavored ice cream with corn nibblet swirls any day.

From the outdoor market, we headed to the Royal Palace, where our eyeballs and skin were seared from the shiny buildings and relentless sun. The sites were beautiful but draining.

After we left the historic site, we meandered toward Chinatown. Not having stuffed our faces for at least three hours, we were ready to eat once again. Our first purchase of the evening was half a kilogram of Man Plums (60 baht). A cross between mangoes and apricots, these little plums were simultaneously sweet and tart. I do love trying new fruits!

Just a few steps away from the Man Plum dealer, we spotted a woman making several varieties of roti using eggs, bananas, sugar and condensed milk.

We opted for the basic roti made with an orange-colored “butter,” condensed milk and sugar (7 baht). The roti were served hot and crispy off the pan and wrapped in butcher paper to absorb the excess grease. The roti’s texture was a cross between naan and chapatti, while the sweet and creamy innards were nothing short of dreamy.

Even though I had a disappointing experience with grilled bananas the day before, I wasn’t ready to give up yet. I knew I was in for a treat when I saw a small crowd huddling around this vendor.

The hot-off-the-grill banana (5 baht) was firm but ripe and served with a caramelized palm sugar sauce that was salty and sweet. The combination was lovely.

As soon as I polished off the hot banana, I purchased a Thai iced tea (13 baht) to wash it all down. Served with crushed ice and a straw in a plastic bag, the tea was creamy and sweet as can be. The tea may have been too sweet for some, but it was just right for me.

Still on the search for a killer plate of Pad Thai, we stopped for dinner at Thip Samai (3/3 Mahachar Road, Phone: 022216280), an eatery specializing in the famous Thai noodles. I arrived at our destination not the least bit hungry, but still in the mood to feast—that can’t be healthy.

We shared one order of the restaurant’s special Pad Thai, which came with giant prawns, cuttlefish and green mangoes (120 baht). Bean sprouts, peanuts, fish sauce, hearts of palm, and limes were served on the side for diners to garnish.

This was perhaps the best Pad Thai I ate in Bangkok, but it wasn’t nearly as good as what I’ve eaten in the states. I wonder if the Pad Thai that I fell in love with is actually an Americanized version…probably.

We also shared a plate of the traditional Pad Thai (25 baht). It was pretty much the same as the special featured above, minus the juicy shrimps, cuttlefish, and mangoes.

As a follow-up to our Pad Thai-fest, The Astronomer ordered a huge bowl of wontons (40 baht) from a vendor nearby. Lush and I both frowned upon eating Chinese food while in Thailand and didn’t partake. The meaty dumplings and savory broth filled up The Astronomer’s bottomless pit for the time being.

As we walked toward the metro station to jet home, we stumbled upon a ginormous nighttime market selling food, electronics and junk. The market spanned at least five city blocks and was frequented mostly by locals. Even though The Astronomer was already full, the squid on a stick (20 baht) looked too irresistible to pass up. The squid was cut up into rings and served in a plastic bag with a chili sauce. It’s texture was Phu Quoc-tender, but the sauce wasn’t up to par.

Liana purchased a pomegranate sweet (20 baht) that was served with crushed ice. Whereas Vietnamese che is sweet and refreshing, I found this Thai rendition quite tasteless.

The Astronomer’s final treat of the day was a rainbow ice cream (10 baht). The flavors advertised included chocolate, orange, pandan, strawberry, and coconut. The ice cream turned out to be cold and sweet, but the flavors were nothing more than food coloring.

We went to bed satisfyingly stuffed.