Just a few hours earlier than midnight, we acquired picked up from our hotel in Bangkok for an opportunity to expertise the town in a manner we wouldn’t have in any other case.
Our day had began with one of the vital fashionable spots within the metropolis (the Grand Palace, Khlongs and Wat Arun – see all of it right here) however top-of-the-line methods to really get pleasure from a metropolis is to go the place the locals go which is maybe why I loved this night bit a lot.
See, this night, we’d be off on a meals tour and to be completely sincere, I’m sometimes a bit cautious of meals excursions.
I’ve been on some actually wonderful ones however meals excursions will also be a bit “Meh!”. I believe each the information and the precise locations you go to get the meals makes such an enormous distinction and if even considered one of them isn’t fairly proper, it’s really easy to seek out your self caught in hours of tedium. If each, nevertheless, are proper – you then’re in for fairly a deal with!
Off some actually strong native suggestions (backed up by suggestions from pals), we booked onto a non-public meals tour with Bangkok Food Tours. They choose you up by tuk-tuk at your resort and drop you proper again there so any logistics or tips on how to get round is all dealt with by them.
So yeah, completely ravenous however energised by an influence “jetlag-be-gone” night nap, we hopped into the tuk-tuk in quest of culinary delights in Bangkok.
Now, the suggestions for the meals excursions may need fairly strong however once we confirmed as much as the primary place, I used to be initially a bit sceptical. It was a kind of spots that I suppose, I’d assume solely the locals would go to maybe partly due to what it seemed like on the surface however largely as a result of we wouldn’t know what to order (or even perhaps tips on how to order?).
Fortunately, our information took care of all the things and ordered up some delights he was sure we’d actually get pleasure from.
That is maybe the precise second after I knew why the meals tour with these guys was so particular and why everybody had really useful it – each single dish that got here out of the kitchen, and I imply each one, was completely scrumptious!
Like, gobble it down, trying round for seconds scrumptious! (It’s sooooooo far more scrumptious than it appears).
There are not any airs and graces right here both, you simply get caught proper in. I knew proper there after which that this was maybe a kind of hidden gems within the metropolis I’d by no means have regardless that to go to.
I didn’t have seconds although. We might be going to different locations so it made sense to not peak too quickly. With that, we hopped into our tuk-tuk, in quest of the subsequent meal – whereas taking within the metropolis at night time.
Our subsequent cease was someplace fairly particular – it’s one of many least expensive. Michelin star eating places on the earth – Ann Guay Tiew Kua Gai.
The precise meal you’re right here to eat is the Guay Tiew Kua Gai – hen fried noodles with an egg within the center and (ergo the restaurant identify) and in the event you simply ‘present up’, anticipate to be on a queue simply to get in.
Don’t fear, the meals are created pretty shortly so the queue does transfer. In case you’re not eager on queuing (I do not know why anybody could be eager on queuing only for the sake of it), then that is the place the tour is useful. See, as a result of they’ve pre-booked seats, you get to skip the queue and are ushered to a desk immediately.
You even get to go to the again and see the Guay Tiew Kua Gai being ready.
It’s an intense, fastpaced course of that left us at a loss at how the folks making the meals nonetheless had eye-brows with these 4 – 5 foot flames from the flambéing being accomplished within the pans. 😀
The Guay Tiew Kua Gai is well worth the wait, by the best way! Completely scrumptious and leaving you with an appreciation of why folks queue each day for this scrumptious meal.
Now, this is perhaps billed as a meals tour but it surely’s truly far more than that! See, the tour takes a little bit of a diversion from the foodie aspect of issues and will get you to go discover elements of the town you maybe wouldn’t have – particularly not at night time.
Working example – our subsequent cease was the night time market – extra particularly, the flower market. See, flowers are an enormous deal in Thailand.
They’re used for therefore many issues each day (ceremonies, greetings, decorations…and many others) and are maybe a extra energetic a part of folks’s each day lives than you may discover in different nations so the flower market is a extremely important a part of life in Bangkok.
As you may think about, totally different flowers are used for various functions a few of which you’ll discover out about as you traipse by the market.
Out there too, you’ll discover distributors promoting all kinds of snacks and seeing as we had been on a meals tour in spite of everything, it made sense to indulge a bit.
We acquired a few cookies to go, most of which had been fairly tasty however there was one which, tasty because it was, was additionally tremendous dry! 😆 (Can’t bear in mind the identify of it – truly, come to think about it, I don’t suppose I ever came upon the identify). With that, it was determined that we must always in all probability cease someplace to get drinks. 😀
However first, and seeing as we had been shut sufficient, we determined to cease off at Wat Pho – the Temple of the Reclining Buddha.
Now whilst you can go to the temple at night time, it’s price noting that you may’t truly go inside to see the reclining Buddha – that bit is closed at night time. The temple complicated, nevertheless, is open and also you get to roam by it, freed from the entire crowds round.
Wat Pho completely magnificent and such a powerful a part of the town. It in all probability goes with out saying that that is undoubtedly one spot within the metropolis you completely have to go to – what I’d add to that’s maybe additionally visiting at night time in addition to in the course of the day. It’s simply such a special vibe at night time.
Simply as we had been about to go away Wat Pho, the clouds opened up and it began raining, which turned out to be truly excellent timing as we hot-footed it to our tuk-tuk and made our manner over to a rooftop bar a number of streets away.
This bar was one other a kind of hidden gems you wouldn’t essentially have recognized to go to.
It’s in a reasonably residential neighbourhood however is completely positioned proper by the river, and has wonderful views of Wat Arun (the temple on this submit right here) and even Wat Pho.
After a number of cocktails, we made our manner over to our ultimate cease for the night for probably the most well-known of Thai dishes – Pad Thai!
For this, we went to Thip Samai Pad Thai – one place within the metropolis you completely need to attempt Pad Thai in.
The flipside is that it’s one other a kind of locations that’s actually busy however once more, due to our information we didn’t have to attend for a desk and had been ushered in immediately.
There are a number of methods to have a Pad Thai, one is the absolutely enveloped one (with all the things within the egg) and the opposite is form with the stuff scrambled and outdoors of the egg (that’s the model I used to be much less conversant in).
Unable to determine, we went for each types and determined to share between us.
This place is well worth the hype, by the best way! The Pad Thai is sooo sooooooo good!
Simply as we had been leaving, we noticed a neighborhood vendor outdoors the restaurant promoting khanom bueang, that are like Thai crepes. By this level, I used to be completely stuffed however our tour information really useful making an attempt some and as you in all probability know by the, I’m not one to say no to meals.
I can’t say the khanom bueang had been truly my favorite, like they’re tasty however I’m not too positive concerning the filling inside it. That being stated although it was good to attempt one thing I do know I wouldn’t have in any other case.
And with that, we known as it an evening and headed again to the hotel!
This entire night in Bangkok had been such a delight and it felt like we’d crammed in a lot greater than I’d anticipated.
It was additionally the proper alternative to fall in love with Thai meals over again and to discover Bangkok in a novel manner we undoubtedly wouldn’t have in any other case. 😀
