Phed Mark - Bangkok's spiciest basil pork made by a world-famous food blogger

Mark Wiens is quite possibly the most famous expat in Bangkok. A food blogger and vlogger, he travels all over the world with the dream job of eating food. Mark Wiens is especially famous for loving spicy food (his slogan in Thai translates to "if it's not spicy, I'm not eating"), and when I heard that he had opened up his very own restaurant in Bangkok, I knew that I had to go.

If you don't know Mark Wiens, you can see him here in one of his videos. This is a great video of "duck guitar" that I think you'll enjoy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RktdJIBv2Ww

The name of the restaurant, Phed Mark, is a pun. In Thai, "phed maak" means "very spicy", and from the logo of a flame with a big hot chili smile, I knew that I was in for something phed maak indeed!

The tiny local shop, which looks like a very classic Thai street food restaurant, is located just outside of the Ekkamai Bus Terminal, where all great adventures towards Pattaya, Chonburi, or Rayong begin.

His restaurant just serves one dish: krapao (a spicy dish of  minced meat with Thai holy basil). Turns out, it's his favorite Thai dish, and he worked with some celebrity chefs, including the Iron Chef Thailand, to come up with what he decided was the best of the best of Thai krapao.

"Is the 'very spicy' very spicy?", Pinky asked the lady working the counter. She reassured us that yes, it was, in fact very, very spicy.

I very bravely ordered a medium-spicy pork basil. I couldn't help noticing that "less spicy" was rated at just one chili, "medium signature" was rated at two chilis, and "very spicy" was rated at not the expected three, but an astounding SEVEN chilis! I shudder to think...

Due to COVID-19 dining regulations, we couldn't eat in, but my fiancee and I ordered two medium basil porks to go. Riding the BTS Skytrain home, the amazing smell of Thai holy basil and chili kept hitting me, and my mouth was watering by the time we got back home.

The dish was incredible! While a little expensive for a krapao (the go-to street food dish preferred by Bangkokians), which normally runs for 50-60 baht, it was well worth the price. The bowl was full of premium jasmine rice and an extremely generous portion of lots and lots of basil pork. The dish was topped off with a rich duck egg fried to perfection with a slightly runny yolk - just the way I like an egg served over my Thai food!

The taste was a little different than a standard street corner krapao. We guessed that instead of just throwing a handful of chopped chilis into the wok, they must have created a chili paste of secret spices and herbs to give it a uniquely aromatic and slightly smoky flavor. Amazing!

Now, when I first came to Thailand, I couldn't eat spicy foods. Over the years, I've slowly built up my tolerance, and now I can almost keep up with my Thai fiancée (almost). I have now come to love the taste of spicy food, and I finally understand why people like to eat spicy dishes.

I thought that medium wouldn't be too hot (It was, after all, rated just two chilis). But, boy! It was! I had to eat the krapao in two eye-watering sittings. While I relished every single delicious bite, I had to keep a carton of milk on hand.

Totally worth it!

But I can't help but wonder what the seven chili "very hot" krapao would have been like...

If you enjoy reading about the great food that I eat in Thailand and on my travels throughout Southeast Asia, head on over to my other blog The World of Street Food! I think you'll enjoy it. 

>>www.theworldofstreetfood.com