Bangkok's China Town

Our last night in Bangkok. I had covered pretty much everything I had in my custom-made itinerary except a visit to China Town, one among the busiest streets of Bangkok. We hired a Tuk-Tuk which took us to end of the main Chinatown street. The place was crowded with pedestrians, vehicles, street hawkers and shop owners. It was slightly raining, but it didn't affect the daily functioning of these people at all. We stopped at a Pa Tong Go Shop for a quick bite.

Pa Tong Go is a famous Thai Dessert which is basically grilled rice buns with hot coconut, chocolate or strawberry syrup. 

Definitely not a waste of TBH 10.

We were pretty hungry, so was eager to find a decent yet new taste. We entered an alley, where we saw this beautiful little lady selling Pork Rice (TBH 40). 

Boiled white rice topped with salted and roasted pork slices, egg and a sweet gravy. That was brilliant. We quickly cleaned our plates and went for a second round. 

We were about to head back, when we saw this beauty! Grilled Octopus. We were given a 4-5 pieces in a plastic bag, seasoned with a light chili sauce. It was salty, spicy and delicious. 

Float 'n Eat! - Taling Chan Floating Market

The city of Bangkok is famous for its floating markets. Taling Chan is one among the most visited weekend floating markets near Bangkok. Located along the shores of Chao Phraya river, Taling Chan is a major hub for boat hawkers selling meat and seafood.

You can select your menu from the wide selection of live seafood, displayed by vendors on their boat.

I chose to have the burnt fish platter (TBH 240) and a portion of red lobster (TBH 200).

The platter was smoking' hot with strong flavors of fish sauce and tamarind. The well-cooked lobster was indeed a treat along with a unique spicy gravy as accompaniment. 

Taling Chan Floating Market : Click here to know more

Food of Koh-Larn

45 minutes from the coast of Pattaya, there lies the cheerful island,  Koh-Larn (Coral Island).

I primarily went there for the white sandy beaches and crystal clear water, but to my surprise I had a very satisfying meal.

Apart from the expected seafood heavy menu, got to see a lot of alternate cuisine along the shore.

A must-try is the assorted grill buffet with a wide selection of seafood varying from Mackerel to Pomfret and Squid to Octopus.

Another worthy try was the honey glazed barbecued duck.

   

A basic seafood buffet starts from TBH 200/- . The barbecued duck was marked  a slightly high TBH 180/- 

Rum-Pum Soup of Thong Lo Street

On my first night at Bangkok, I decided to stroll through the wet streets of Thong Lo to fulfill my primary and ultimate objective of the trip - FOOD (You can read more about the trip in here). And in less than 2 minutes, there I was, waiting in front of a roadside hawker selling this delicious soup. Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you, the Rum-Pum Soup of Thong Lo.

As like many vendors in Bangkok, they do focus on one product, the soup. The ingredients were right in front of us but at first glance, they were confusing as nothing seemed working together. At one point,  I even noticed rotten eggs!

The soup seemed like a mix of various seafood, pork, chicken and eggs. And the bowl came in three sizes. I chose the medium one which was TBH 40/-

The soup was a decent mix of all meat. It had a good balance between the tanginess and spices. Seasoned with Coriander, Spring Onions and Shallots, the soup had a strong fish sauce flavor to it. On the downside, you might end up with a lot of liquid once after you have finished all your pieces and the only option is to leave it (which could be a little heart-breaking). 

Rating: 3/5