The other week I was invited to go on a Bangkok evening street food tour by tuk-tuk by Lost Plate Food Tours. I've been on two tours with them in Cambodia before...
...but this time they compensated my tour in exchange for me creating content for them for my food blog, theworldofstreetfood.com. I've written about Lost Plate on my blog a few times, and I even made a video for them on my World of Street Food YouTube Channel.
The Bangkok evening food tour video is coming soon!
I arrived at Hua Lamphong MRT Station just before dusk and met my guide, Golf, who led me towards the tuk-tuk that would be our method of transportation for the evening.
On the first stop, Golf took me to eat at Trok Rong Moo Noodle, an old-school shophouse restaurant in Bangkok, Thailand's Chinatown, for a bowl of fusion-style tom yum fried wontons.
I had never had anything like this before! The dish began with a serving of crispy deep-fried wontons stuffed with pork and lots of herbs and flavorings. They were served in a bowl and loaded up with ground pork, roasted peanuts, and lots and lots of tom yum spices, such as lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime, fish sauce, spring onion, red chili, and more.
The classic flavors of Thailand's famous tom yum soup were infused into the crispy Chinese-style wontons to create an incredible blend of flavors.
I also got to try a bowl of old-fashioned tom yum noodle soup served with slices of tender pork, minced pork, and pieces of crispy tofu. The noodles soaked up all of the flavorful broth, and the crispy tofu added a complex texture to the delicious dish.
I was not the only participant on this tour. With me was a Mexican girl who has been working in Japan for several years and who is currently in Bangkok on vacation. We chatted about expat life and swapped stories of our adventures across Asia as we zipped along in the tuk-tuk through Bangkok's historic Chinatown neighborhood.
We drove on towards one of the oldest parts of Bangkok, arriving in the Talad Noi neighborhood.
I'm slightly familiar with this neighborhood due to my participation in the National Museum's Neighborhood Walks program.
This quiet neighborhood is located in the heart of Bangkok's old town but is one of the lesser-known areas amongst tourists.
Talad Noi, whose name means "old market", is a sleepy old-fashioned neighborhood filled with ancient shophouses, Chinese temples, old-style cafes, and lots of street art.
As the sun began sinking below the horizon, the Chaophraya River began sparkling with the golden glow of sunset. We walked on towards the riverside to enjoy a few Chang Beers purchased from a local 7-Eleven convenience store and to watch the boats and barges chug their way along the River of Kings.
As dusk fell, we squeezed ourselves back into the tuk-tuk and moved on through the traffic of Chinatown towards the Pattana Property Market.
This old market caters to locals by selling fresh produce and cheap meals to go.
We walked through the market, stopping along the way to sample the offerings.
One of my favorite things about living in Thailand is all of the incredible fresh fruit! We stopped to try ngaw, or rambutan, which is a sweet grapelike fruit wrapped around a thick and woody seed. Rambutan fruits are surrounded by a thick red skin covered in green spikes, making it one of the most exotic fruits I've ever encountered in my travels and still to this day one of my favorites. It looks very alien.
Next we tried my very favorite Thai fruit: mangosteen. These little purple balls have a thick rind that covers the soft, sweet, juicy fruit inside. The sweet white flesh of the mangosteen is divided into segments, kind of like an orange, and offers a very delicate and refreshing taste.
In Thailand, the mangosteen is referred to as the "queen of fruits".
In Thailand, the mangosteen is referred to as the "queen of fruits".
We walked through the market exploring all of the stalls. Along the way we tasted moo ping (marinated and grilled pork), fried sesame balls, banana fritters, and more traditional Thai snack foods.
Leaving the market, we walked on through a dark, narrow alley. This was a very local neighborhood, and it was interesting to see how the residents went about their lives. Although it was getting late, the soi was lively, and many people were walking around doing their shopping.
I enjoyed seeing the local cat who was relaxing amongst the produce of his shop.
I enjoyed seeing the local cat who was relaxing amongst the produce of his shop.
We ended up arriving just outside the Loha Prasat, or the Iron Castle.
This temple structure is the only one remaining of three Loha Prasats in the world! The other two, which have since disappeared, were located in India and Sri Lanka.
This temple structure is the only one remaining of three Loha Prasats in the world! The other two, which have since disappeared, were located in India and Sri Lanka.
The Loha Prasat was one of the first places that I ever visited in Bangkok, although back then the temple was black instead of gold.
The Loha Prasat is a meditation center. People from across Bangkok come here to sit in the small quiet alcoves to meditate and study Buddhist scripture.
It's one of the less popular sites with tourists and is always a quiet and peaceful place to visit. It's also home to one of Bangkok's foremost amulet markets.
It was a quiet night when we visited, and the temple grounds were nearly deserted. After walking around and taking a few photos, it was time to continue the adventure.
We loaded back into the tuk-tuk and drove on to our next stop: Gai Yang Boran.
This Issan restaurant serves some of Bangkok's most authentic northeastern Thai cuisine, and we tried several amazing dishes.
The first dish we tried was som tam, or papaya salad. This iconic Issan Thai dish is a spicy fruit salad made from shredded young papaya, tomatoes, green beans, dried shrimp, and roasted peanuts, tossed in a tangy dressing of lime juice, fish sauce, and chilies. The combination of sweet, sour, salty, and spicy flavors creates a refreshing and addictive dish that perfectly balances the heat of the chilies with the crispness of the papaya. It's an explosion of flavors and is typically served with a side of sticky rice to soak up all of the delicious dressing.
Next up was laab moo, or spicy minced pork salad. This Thai minced meat salad is rich, savory, and spicy. This dish is made with a base of minced pork cooked with toasted rice, green onions, chilies, purple onions, fish sauce, lime juice, and lots of fresh herbs.
Although considered to be one of the national dishes of neighboring Laos, laab is a very popular northeastern Thai dish, and is one of the iconic dishes of the Issan region.
Finally, we tasted spicy laab meatballs. The deep-fried balls of laab meat have a crispy exterior and are bursting with flavor. The meatballs are served with fried kaffir lime leaves and fried crispy chili peppers.
After that, we went for dessert.
Cheng Sim Ei is an old-fashioned dessert shop that serves shaved ice with various Thai sweets in the traditional bowl of sweet coconut milk. You can order from their menu or choose your own selection of ingredients to be served in a bowl of shaved ice and sweet coconut milk.
I ordered a bowl of shaved ice in coconut milk with pandan noodles, sweet corn, toddy palm, pandan jelly, and slivers of coconut meat in a bowl of cold sweet coconut milk.
There's nothing better than coconut milk and shaved ice on a hot tropical evening. It's one of the best ways to refresh yourself on a long day of exploring Bangkok.
The tour was coming to an end, and Golf invited me out for a beer at a local rooftop bar. We sat down to chat about our travels as we watched night fall over Bangkok. From the rooftop hotel bar, we could look out to see the Golden Mount, the Loha Prasat, and more of the old town's most iconic sights.
It was a nice way to end the evening.
As the tour came to an end, I bade my guide and my fellow tourist farewell and set off on foot towards the nearest MRT station.
There's something to be said for being a tourist in your own town. Even though I've lived in Bangkok for more than a decade, I still visited lots of new places that I've never been before.
There's something to be said for being a tourist in your own town. Even though I've lived in Bangkok for more than a decade, I still visited lots of new places that I've never been before.
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