Bangkok Food

The food is what really sets this place apart from other southeast Asian cities. And let's be real, eating is our favorite thing to do. Our week in Bangkok was not spent hunting down temples or visiting palaces (although we have done that in the past), instead, we spent it in search of the best meals we could find. We sampled many restaurants and dishes. 

This dish is from a restaurant called Krua Apsporn, which is commonly quoted as one of the best restaurants in the world, although you would never know it by the drabby cafeteria style dining room and unsuspecting storefront. To top that off, taxis and our hotel concierge had never heard of the place. Krua is know for their Thai curries and fresh and well spiced seafood. We sampled everything but the curry for some reason. This dish below was basically Thai fajitas with leaves, peanuts, lime, dried shrimp, sauce, onions, and some other things I could not really identify. Delish! Other standouts were the crab omelette and the spicy mussels. 

Not far from Krua Apsorn is Jays, which has probably my favorite noodle dish in the world - and that is no small accolade coming from me. 

The drunken noodle shown above is far more seafood than noodle (probably a whole pound and a half!). What makes this place even more special (the cherry on top!) is the grandma that makes it I her semi-outdoor kitchen.

For $15 you would be hard pressed to find a better deal on seafood anywhere in  the world, much less in a dish like this one. 

While we like to think of ourselves as foodies or at least adventurous when it comes to food, we are pretty much lonely planet drones. We go where the book says there is good local food. The thing is - they are almost always right! Nonetheless, we always try to get other recommendations outside the LP for stellar local restaurants. While I don't have photos of it, Seven Spoons hit the mark for us. A top 5 Bangkok restaurant on trip advisor, this Mediterranean fusion place is top notch, serving great food and cocktails at only 1/3-2/3 of western prices. We would recommend that place to anyone visiting Thailand. 

And here is the barn burner - Perhaps in my top 3 restaurants in the world is Somtam Coventry. A northeastern Thai cuisine "restaurant," this glorified roadside kitchen churns out some of the tastiest, cheapest, purest Thai food possible. From amazing roasted chicken, to delicious sticky rice, to whole fish grilled and salted (we all know I'm a sucker for a whole fish), to their larb and papaya salads, this place is an absolute home run. Despite being a lonely planet rec, this place is not yet destroyed by westerners, as it's clientele is still mostly Thai. Although, they do smirk when we walk in, recognizing us from our countless dines there. In all the dishes we have eaten here, I could not point out a flaw for you besides slightly dry chicken ONCE. 

Most dishes I mentioned are on this table. Note the "kitchen" in the background/on the street, and the classy plastic stools. I'm in love. I hope this place stays just busy enough to stay open and make the owner comfortable, but never too busy that it renovated itself or goes big. I know. I'm selfish.