Bo Lan - Sustainable & Seasonal Thai Cuisine

Our last dinner in Thailand.  There's no better way to end the weekend's food tour than with a tasting menu full of Bangkok's seasonal treats.  Bo.lan is a Thai restaurant that boasts of its sustainable and seasonal Thai cooking.  "Sustainable" and "seasonal" - two words that instantly attract me when it comes to local cooking and eating.  Using the freshest and the best of what's available - that's the heart of local cuisine.

Bo.lan offers traditional Thai cuisine presented classically and with modern variations.  You have a choice of the A la Carte menu and the Bo.lan Balance menu (the tasting menu).  If you make the effort to come here, go with the tasting menu.  It's just over $50 USD, soo reasonable compared to tasting menus in the states.

The menu starts the night off properly...with alcohol!.  These guys know how to treat their guests to a good night.  The drink is followed with a generous amuse bouche plate - sort of an introduction to the range of flavors that Thai cuisine offers.  And then the main event is in true Asian fashion, family style.

The tasting menu changes every quarter, and the restaurant even offers Saturday cooking classes for a hands-on demonstration on how to make a range of Thai dishes.  Two incentives to go back!

Place your cursor above "Notes" below to read the captions for each photo.

If you can't see the slide show here, check out my Flickr album: Bo Lan

A Traditional Thai Dinner at Jim Thompson's House

While our Bangkok food trip was mostly filled with street eats and markets, we started the weekend with a traditional Thai dinner at Jim Thompson's house by the river, a notable tourist destination.  I briefly stopped by last year to see what the place is about.  Here are some pictures from that visit.

Because of the heavy rains, the restaurant was ours for the night.  Talk about exclusive dining for our first meal in Bangkok!  There is even a Thai dancer who pops in occasionally during the night to perform a traditional dance.  In between the dances, the room is filled with tunes ranging from yodels to Christmas jingles.  Something for everyone.

The meal itself was a great introduction to the different plates of Thai cuisine.  We didn't get the obvious dishes, and I really enjoyed that.  We had a range of appetizing bites to awaken our stomachs.  Thai appetizers are filled with citrus, herbs, and spice that make you want to eat for the whole night.  While I can't get enough of the classic dishes, I love tasting new bites to discover more and more of all that Thai cuisine has to offer.  And there is so much in their cuisine that you'll always be trying something new.

Place your cursor above "Notes" below to read the captions for each photo.

If you can't see the slide show, check out my Flickr album: Jim Thompson Dinner

Local eats around the streets of Bangkok

Touring Bangkok this time around on this food tour was a fun and tasty adventure all around the city.  We ate well at local hidden gems, filling up on some of Bangkok's classic street foods:

~ Thai boat noodle shop is a staple on boat vendors and at food stalls and soup shops.  It's like the Thai's version of Vietnamese pho.

~ Pad Thai, probably one of the best known Thai dishes around the world.  Everyone has their own version and presentation.  From a street vendor, ours was beautifully wrapped in a thin omelet pouch which held together a generous serving of noodles, served with fresh vegetables.  Street food with fresh vegetables - I love it.

~ Crab Omelet at Jay Fai was one of my favorite dishes of the trip.  This seemed so simple, yet so packed with flavor.  Fresh crab meat and some crab fat rolled in batter and fried, paired with a Thai sriracha dipping sauce for a little spicy kick.  I could eat that over rice for days.  Jay Fai was a great dinner place for local seafood dishes.  Each one had its unique flavor of spice or herbs or a classic gravy sauce.  Local street food done so well.

During our tour, we also had a couple moments to unwind with cocktails and mocktails.  In the midst of Bangkok's summer heat, a cold cocktail is a true relief.  Arun Residences by the River is a restaurant and bar by the Chao Phraya River with some fun concoctions to sip on while taking a break from the bustle of the city.  There's always a good reason to relax with a drink.

If you can't see the slide show, check out my Flickr album: Local Eats

Food Tripping in Bangkok

Back in Bangkok!  One of my favorite food cities in the world.  And this time, I'm on a food tour!

Pinoy Eats World has been expanding their global tours, and I was lucky enough to be around to catch this one.  In comparison to my past trips to Thailand, this was mostly casual and filled with markets and local joints.  I love that you can go back to this city multiple times and it can always be a different kind of trip - luxurious and pampered, casual, historical, architectural, Hangover Part II.. take your pick.

In these next two weeks and in these next four updates, I'll be showing you the markets, the local eats, and a couple of the nicer restaurants we were taken to over the course of a weekend trip.

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First up, markets and street eats!

When I was younger, touring cities included museums, churches, department stores, and restaurants.  These days when I travel, I tend to bypass the churches, temples, and pagodas.  If I really need a filler for time, then I'll look into museums.  If I'm in a shopping mood (which doesn't happen frequently), then I'll check out the department stores.

Instead, I love focusing my trips on the local foods and drinks.  Markets, food halls, cooking classes, and local restaurants and bars.  These are my museums and my cultural tours.

On this trip, we were taken to 4 markets, including 2 food markets and a night market.

Jatujak (or Chatuchak) Market.  If you're into outdoor markets full of everything from A-Z, this is your place.  Get ready to bargain!... But for me, I just came from the states where I filled my luggage with clothes from Gilt.com and Zappos.com (shameless plug promoting a couple of my favorite online shopping sites.), so shopping wasn't on my mind for the weekend.

Or Tor Kor Market, one of the cities nicest food markets, right next to Jatujak.  I first went here a couple years ago prior to a cooking class.  I'm so impressed with how this is such a clean dry & wet market.  If I lived in Bangkok, I'd buy a lot of my fruits and produce here for my weekly meals.  You can also stop for a bite, which I highly recommend.  These vendors are using the freshest ingredients straight from this market.

Amphawa Floating Market.  Located near the Gulf of Thailand, it's a bit of a drive from the city.  We enjoyed an afternoon leisurely strolling by each of the vendors, nibbling on local treats, and taking in the sights of locals and tourists.  I love seeing the food boats - that's way cooler than the food trucks in the states!  Each little wooden boat had their own specialty - papaya salad, grilled seafood, fried rice, noodles, etc.  If you have an extra afternoon or night, and you want to visit this afternoon floating market, it stays open through the early morning on weekends as well.  You can also grab a boat at night to enjoy the river and the fireflies whizzing around.

Soi 38 Night Market.  In Thai culture, you have frequent mini meals throughout the day.  That means you have a dinner part 1 followed by a dinner part 2 later in the evening.  So when in Bangkok, eat all the time.  After a big meal, we were taken to Soi 38 for more savory bites and some memorable sticky rice and coconut milk with mango.  I love watching the vendors cook up your orders in high heat, so quickly, and with such passion.

Thais love their food, and it's always such a pleasure to dine with them in their country.

If you can't see the slideshow, check out my Flickr album: Market/Street Eats

Top 10s of 2011: Top 10 Favorite Cities

It's been another successful year of traveling! I've been back to my favorite cities and I've discovered new favorites as well. The list constantly grows and changes after every trip and at the end of each year.

These are my favorite cities that I traveled to this year. I took out San Francisco, Las Vegas, Manila, and New Haven because I go there so often and for long periods of time that it seems a bit unfair to include them in this travel list. But, expect to see at least SF on my favorite food cities list tomorrow

These are the 10 cities I traveled to this past year. My favorite cities are ranked according to cities with the tastiest foods and repeatability to go back.

My Top 10 Favorite Cites from 2011:
10. Kathmandu (to be posted in January)
9. Pokhara (also to be posted in January)
8. Hangzhou (to be posted this coming week)
7. Boston
6. Shanghai
5. Chiang Mai
4. New York City
3. Taipei
2. Hong Kong
1. Bangkok

Can't wait for my 2012 travels!

Next Top 10s: Top 10 Favorite Food Cities

Top 10s of 2011: Top 10 Favorite Restaurants in the World

Now this is a difficult list to rank. There were countless of amazing eats this year. These past two years of living in Asia have been phenomenal for my taste buds and stomach.

My Top 10 Favorite Restaurants in the World from 2011:
10. People's Palace, Manila
9. Ye Shanghai, Hong Kong
8. Jin Sha, Hangzhou
7. Wolfgang's Steakhouse, New York City
6. Bocadillos, San Francisco
5. Every restaurant in Eataly, New York City
4. Sen-ryo, Hong Kong
3. Sala Rim Naam, Bangkok
2. Every single Din Tai Fung in Taipei and Shanghai
1. Chef's Table at the Four Seasons Hotel in Chiang Mai


Next Weekend's Top 10s: My Top 10 Favorite Cities from 2011

4 x 4 = 16 Thai Dishes for Dinner

High end hotels around the world are known for hiring some of the best chefs. Years and outstanding skill make an executive hotel chef. Outside of the US, many Michelin rated chefs are from the league of these hotels.

In every city we travel, my family makes a point to eat in at least one of these hotel restaurants. In Bangkok, we are repeat customers of both Mandarin Oriental and The Peninsula's Thai restaurants. They are completely authentic and high quality with the most beautiful riverside settings.

At the Mandarin Oriental, Sala Rim Naam is a must-try. You have a choice of the Thai lunch buffet, a la carte dinner out by the river, or a set dinner while watching traditional Thai dances. Or, if you don't want to choose, you totally can go back and do all three. The lunch buffet is my favorite buffet from around the world right now. It's such a fun and extensive spread.

On my most recent trip back to Bangkok, the four of us enjoyed 16 dishes, 18 including dessert. 4 salads, 4 appetizers, 4 dips, 4 curries, and 2 desserts. Sala Rim Naam's menu lets you have these assortments of 4 dishes and you get to choose the 4 in each category. I love variety during meals, and this was totally the way to go. It's also a great way to try out new dishes to learn more and more about this amazing Thai cuisine.


Place your cursor above "Notes" below to read the captions for each photo.

The slide show here runs on Flash. If you can't see it, check out my Flickr album: Sala Rim Naam

Back at The Oriental Thai Cooking School!

Back in Bangkok.. and back to The Oriental Thai Cooking School! This is my third time in Bangkok, and this is my third time taking a class at the cooking school.

I love the format and the detailed explanations from Chef Narain. It's not just the menu or the atmosphere of the school, it's really the chef/teacher that keeps bringing me back. I learn so many new things about cooking techniques and Thai cuisine every time.

Aside from learning about the dishes, you also discover new ingredients that you can use in other cuisines, aside from Thai. Plus, after the class, we make a list to shop for ingredients and certain brands at Paragon to take home.

Thai food has instantly become one of my favorite cuisines. The flavors are really exciting to the palate, especially with the combinations of salty, sweet, sour, bitter, and spicy packed in every bite. I can eat it multiple times during the week. Thanks to all these lessons, I have a growing list of recipes to make at home. I can't wait to go back to learn more!


Place your cursor above "Notes" below to read the captions for each photo.

The slide show here runs on Flash. If you can't see it, check out my Flickr album: MO Bangkok Cooking Class

Lord Jim's at the Mandarin Oriental in Bangkok

For a very special occasion dinner, my family and I dined at Lord Jim's in the Mandarin Oriental. It is the hotel's seafood restaurant. The indoor setting is pleasant and filled with seafood, both live and ready to be cooked, as you enter.

I love the slow pacing of special occasion restaurants. You get to enjoy your food at your own pace and enjoy your company throughout the meal. It's also great with the chef provides extra treats, like an amuse bouche and palate cleanser. It makes for a more enjoyable and special night.

Place your cursor above "Notes" to read more about the pictures.

Check out my Flickr album if you can't see the slide show here.

Salathip at the Shangri-la Bangkok Hotel

Taking a quick boat ride across the Chao Phraya River, my parents and I ventured to the Shangri-la Hotel. After walking around the hotel grounds, we saw the beautiful setting of their Thai restaurant, Salathip. It's nicely set with both indoor and outdoor dining. It was another great dinner and meal in Bangkok. It always seems like all our Thai meals are so memorable and delicious.

The dishes, especially, the appetizer are all so fun to look at and eat. Eating is not just about sustenance, but about enjoying life and what's given to us.

Place your cursor above "Notes" to read more about the pictures.

Check out my Flickr album if you can't see the slide show here.

Thiptara at the Peninsula Hotel in Bangkok

Whenever I travel I really enjoy eating at our hotel's restaurant, especially if they have a restaurant with their local cuisine. These hotel restaurants (while a bit pricey) are so authentic and with a most beautiful setting. So, really, the price becomes worth it because of the whole experience.

The Thiptara restaurant in the Peninsula Hotel in Bangkok is one of our favorite Thai restaurants. The setting is by the river with an all outdoor setting. The menu has a great variety for everyone to be satisfied. It's always a great experience eating here.

Place your cursor above "Notes" to read more about some of the pictures.

Check out my Flickr album if you can't see the slide show here.

Paragon, Bangkok

Apart from eating and local markets, I love going to local groceries and food centers to learn more about a culture. We took the Sky Train to Paragon for an afternoon of food browsing.

Here are some of the local foods that caught my eye:

Hotel Food in Thailand

After our cooking classes ended each afternoon, we enjoyed the hotels' restaurants for dinners. All of our meals were successful (in that it was delicious and well-executed) and satisfying!

The Peninsula Hotel, Bangkok
The Lobby

Thai Iced Tea
Before coming to Thailand, I had a mental-list of things to eat and drink. This was on the top of my list. Sweet and rich with tea flavor!

Ginger Biscuits


River Cafe and Terrace
This restaurant served buffet breakfasts and dinners every night. The spread was pretty decent.




Thiptara
Authentic Thai home-style cuisine. A nice outdoor setting complete with traditional music and a beautiful riverside view.



The Beer Pairing
Leo. A local Thai beer. It's a decent light tasting lager, but it gets pretty bitter as it sits and gets warm.

Spice-Coated Cashews
A complimentary snack to start the meal. Nice and lightly spiced.

Miang Kham
Dried shrimp, roasted coconut, roasted peanut, shallot, ginger, and lemon wrapped with betel leaf. Served with palm sauce.
A fun starter! I love the freshness of the ingredients!

Satay Gai Rue Moo
Thai spice marinated pork satay with peanut sauce

Poo Jaa
Crabmeat and minced pork filled in crab shell, with chili sauce

Crispy Bananas
With coconut ice cream



Mandarin Oriental Bangkok
Sala Rim Naam
Lunch buffet. This is probably one of the best buffets I've been to. I think it's partly because of my increasing love for Thai cuisine. Everything was fresh and delicious!







Terrace Rim Naam
Outdoor a la carte Thai dining by the River. Another beautiful setting with great food.


The Beer Pairing
Singha - Local beer at its best. A great taste, while maintain the light, refreshing taste.
Tiger - Singaporean beer. Another refreshing lager.


Taro Chips with Tamarind Dipping Sauce

Mee Grob
Herbed crispy noodles with minced shrimps and chicken mixture
Delicious! And, I love that this came with a bowl of fresh vegetables. The fried noodles tasted healthy when eaten with all those raw veggies.

Yaam Hua Plee Goong Gub Gai
Spiced banana blossom salad with shrimps and chicken

Naam Prig Makham
Dip of chili, young tamarind, minced chicken and shrimp accompanied by deep-fried Siamese sardines. Also accompanied by fresh raw vegetables. The balance of freshness and spice awakens your senses.


Gaeng Si-yang
Four assorted curries. Delicious, but spicy! My palate is slowly getting used to spicier foods, but a couple of these curries brought me to tears.

Chuchi Poo Nim Rue Goong Lai Suea
Soft Shell Crab curry with lesser galangal

Gaeng Kua Sabparos Gub Goong
Pineapple and prawn curry.

Gaeng Khiew Waan Phag Je
Green vegetable curry

Panaeng Ped Gub Linchee
Creamy red duck curry with lychees

Rice Noodles
The palate "mellower." When the wait staff saw we were sweating and crying from the spice, they gave us bowls of rice noodles to ease our pains.



Mandarin Oriental Chiang Mai
Horn Bar
We opted to sit out in the lobby while enjoying drinks from the bar.
Lemongrass Tea

Lemongrass Martini

Le Grand Lanna
A beautiful outdoor setting for traditional Thai and northern Thai cuisine

Som Tam Farang
Chiang Mai's original spicy guava salad with prawns and cashew nuts
A nice balance of sweet, sour, spicy, and freshness.

Ga Pi Lon
Traditional shrimp paste coconut milk dip with river prawns and young chili, accompanied by mixed vegetables and boiled egg
Another great dish that features fresh, raw vegetables.

Moo Ping
Chiang Mai's favorite charcoal grilled marinated pork, accompanied by roasted chili dip

Khao-Soi Nuea
Traditional Chiang Mai egg noodles in yellow curry with beef
This was a fun dish because of the crispy fried noodles. As the noodles sat in the curry sauce, it softened the noodles to an al dente state.

Gaeng Hang-Lay Moo
Spicy curry with pork, pickled garlic and ginger


Steamed Brown Rice


Coconut Ice Cream

Assorted Thai Sweets
A fun plate, but I found the sweets were too sweet.



In-House Vegetable Gardens
I loved that each of the hotels had their own vegetable gardens. Some were more extensive than others.
The Peninsula Hotel, Bangkok





Mandarin Oriental Bangkok

Mandarin Oriental Chiang Mai