10/21/13-11/2/13: Bangkok, Thailand
Spicy food, 不夜城(a nightless city) & lady boy...... those are 3 words came to my mind before I got into Bangkok, Thailand. I could say it's all the true..... Halloween@Bangkok was quite wild actually(but not as crazy as Castro in San Francisco... it was the CRAZIEST I ever seen....), anyway I could say Bangkok is much bigger & modern than I thought. I spent 2wks in Bangkok. Party? Yes, a bit nothing to crazy, but culinary metal vagabond on fire, I got staged 3 restaurants 2days each, total of 6 days!! Viva, world domination!
I staged Nahm restaurant, Bo Ian restaurant & Sra bua by Kiin Kiin restaurant. Staging over 150 restaurants across the world(Nahm is actually my 150th stage!!), those were the only Thai restaurants I ever staged. Let's see, Thai kitchen... I could say mortar peste seems like essential tool/method/techniques to make different pastes, sauces & dressing. For example,at Nahm each 7 stations have own mortar peste during the service and they have 'curry' and 'relish' stations on line, it was something I never seen anywhere. Slicing lemongrass super fine, playing with different chilies(very dangerous!!) & mortar paste actions seems like daily Thai kitchen routine seeing everywhere.
From 3 stages & several market visiting, I have discovered many unseen Thai ingredients. Name some ingredients, shampoo ginger, krachai, apple eggplant, cherry eggplant, cha-om, pandan leaves ... Since traveling southeast Asia, palm sugar became my new favorite and fish sauce at Nahm is the stinkiest, most intense and most flavorful fish sauce I ever taste in my life! It's not house-made fish sauce(it was my major question, I heard no restaurant make own fish sauce due to amount of work, time, smells plus considering the amount be used. Makes sense, JP restaurant in Japan don't make own soy sauce as well!!!), but it is infused with rice roaches and more secret(???).
Anyway all 3 restaurants had been really treated me well and have the chances to taste several dishes during my stage. Mostly tad over-spicy for me(a bitter smile), but I was really surprised the depth & width of flavor. Starting from first bites, punching face spiciness, kick in aroma, one after the other bitterness & mildness... it's like harmonic, complex and kinda 'group sound'. Nnnn... my Engrish sucks, I can't be food reviewer/laugh ... just... Thai food ROCK!!! Here I'd like to say big "ขอขอบคุณคุณ" to 3 restaurants I staged. Chef Thompson & entire Nahm team(special thanks to "chef tiger eye" Jack), Chef Songvisava, chef Jones & Bo Ian team and Chef Siljegovic & Sra bua team Thank you so much, hope we meet again!!!!!
Munch N' Inspiration: During off the stage I have one week in Bangkok and munch around local dishes. I'd say Lotus of siam would be best authentic Thai foods I ever ate, but Foods I ate in Bangkok are LOT different from other Thai restaurants I been before. I tried many Thai dishes classy pad Thai, Tom yum gung, Som tam, Jim jum, Moo dad diew, Variety of curries and others as you see below. I have especially 2 great web links for looking up the list of Thai dishes/desserts to try in Thailand >>
But better watch out reading this link because once you click..... you may can't help yourself to go to Thailand as I can't wait to go back to Thailand!!!!!
Bangkok restaurant web links:
http://www.kempinskibangkok.
Bangkok/Thailand culinary web links:
CJWDT'13 Euhoriania grand tour continues..... One of Asia's 10 greatest street food city by CNN(http://travel.cnn.com/