Ban Khun Mae Restaurant, Bangkok

Another new eatery which we discovered in Siam Square, Bangkok.

Spicy glass noodle salad

 Hot ! Hot ! Hot !


Tom Yam kung or prawn tom yam

 Another hot and sour but irresitable dish with fresh water prawns.

Baked prawns with glass noodle

 My perennial fav but would have preferred the noodles with baked crabs instead.



Pineapple fried rice

Fried with the right amount of sweetness. Love those cashew nuts.



Tapioca ball & steamed pancake stuffed with pork and peanut

A mild and slightly sweet dish compared to the rest of the appetisers. But didn't do it for me. 

Tapioca boiled in syrup with coconut milk sauce and crispy water chestnut in coconut milk

Tapioca was boiled just right and goes well with the thick coconut milk. I literally licked every morsel off the plate.

Overall, the meal was delicious. The authentic Thai food is accompanied by the soft melody of the traditional Thai music which is available during dinner time. Not sure if they have the music for lunch though.

The restaurant can be found at Siam Square, Soi 8. It's hard to miss it. Just ask around if you are lost.

Thai food reminds me of my good old college days in UK where I was the kitchen helper cum waitress at a Thai restaurant. Back then life was so simple. We fussed over assignment deadlines and what to buy at Next. We worried about not getting our hands on that newly released single at Our Price. But now, it's a different ball game altogether. How I wish I could go back to those carefree days. Sighhh...

''If only I could turn back time

If only I had said what I still hide''

~Aqua~

Som Tam Nua, Bangkok

My love affair with Bangkok started way back in 1992 when I was still in my teens. Alike any other typical first timers, we visited the temples, snake farms, jewellery factories, etc and had our fair share of badly cooked tom yam, pineapple rice, etc which did not do justice at all to the actual yummy Thai cuisine.

Back here in December 2010 for the Xth time, Bangkok remains my all time favourite cities with its affordable and delicious food, shopping haven, abundance of massage parlours available, cheap booze and the list goes on and on and on..

We discovered Som Tam Nua (literally translated as Papaya Salad Restaurant) on our way to the massage centre. What piqued our curiosity was the long queue of both tourists and locals alike waiting patiently for a place to sit in the small shop.

After 40 minutes or so of waiting, we finally got our table. Pretty easy to while your time away here as there are plenty of shops and stalls to keep you occupied. The famed Siam Paragon; an upmarket shopping centre is located just across the road.

Here are some of the dishes which we had :



Som Tam or Papaya Salad

 What better way to start the meal than with their famed papaya salad. It has just the right amount of fish sauce, spicy-ness and young, crunchy papaya.

Tom Sap Moo or Spicy Pork Soup

This is one mean and spicy soup. Had me breaking out in sweat. But we finished the entire bowl coz it was too addictive.



Meat floss & pork salad

Sweet and crunchy light-weight salad. Suitable for those who can't take spicy food. 


Fried chicken

Very very well marinated and delicious fried chicken. A must have. It was on everyone's table.  


Barbeque pork dish

Nothing special. 


Deep fried fish with sweet & spicy sauce and condiments

Crunchy fish with goes well with white rice or glutinous rice.



Thai fragrant rice

 I just love Thai fragrant rice and can eat a whole bowl just on its own.


Singha beer

Down your spicy and hot dinner with a glass of cold Singha beer or coconut. Burrpp!! Time to hit the shops again.

A meal for four costs around RM 60-80 (less than USD 25). Som Tam Nua offers affordable, fuss-free and quick meals.

The shop is located at Siam Square, Soi 5. You won't miss it if you are in the Siam Square vicinity. It is near the BTS sky train station opposite Siam Paragon.

Heavenly...

Ok, I know this has one has probably been done to death by other people and it's not something new .. BUT.. it remains my all time favourite dessert.

Every morsel of the caramalised peanuts with the soft texture of the rum-laced cake with a dosh of the strawberry sauce is simply heavenly.. Just perks me up instantly.

People can wax lyricals about other famous tiramisu cakes but this to me is still the best.

Yes, it's THE famous tiramisu cake from Alexis Bistro.

Alexis can be found at Bangsar Shopping Centre, Jln Telawi @ Bangsar, The Gardens @ MidValley and Ampang's Great Eastern Mall.

Do yourself a favour. Go, try it !!

New Beginning

Have been wanting to start a blog for ages.. Finally got my lazy arse cracking after getting my best x'mas present to date.. a new Sony Nex-3 camera (and yes, it's in my favourite hue, red).. Would be such a shame to keep my new toy in the drawer for 11 months of the year and not put it to good use..

And with the new year, I do hope to erase the pain and bad memories of the past 2 years for good.. Here's to a truly happy and wonderful 2011 !! (Yes, I know I'm 15 days late but better late than never, right ?)

Cheers, all !!

"When one door of happiness closes, another opens, but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened for us."
Helen Keller