Eating in Bangkok.... Part I

1. Fried catfish salad at Chatuchak Weekend Market; 2. Fried chicken at Chatuchak Weekend Market; 3. Barbequed beef on Convent Road; 4. Fried chicken at the Suan Lum Night Bazaar beer garden; 5. Barbequed pork on rice at the Suan Lum Night Bazaar beer garden; 6. Ice cream from a street cart east of Lumphini Park; 7. Crispy crabs at the Suan Lum Night Bazaar beer garden; 8. Tom yum gung at the Suan Lum Night Bazaar beer garden; 9. Chili hot chocolate at Vanilla Restaurant; 10. Seafood noodles on Convent Road; 11. Condiments on Convent Road; 12. Mini sorbet at To Die For; 13. Foie gras salad at To Die For; 14. Garlic butter clams at To Die For; 15. Chocolate mint ice tea at Create8 in Central World Plaza; 16. Soft-shelled crab salad at Greyhound Cafe; 17. Papaya salad at Soi 38 Night Market near Thong Lor BTS station; 18. Pork laab at Soi 38 Night Market near Thong Lor BTS station; 19. Some kind of dumplings? on Sampeng Lane in Chinatown; 20. Siu mai on Sampeng Lane in Chinatown; 21. Khanom krok in Chinatown; 22. Sticky rice balls? on Yotha Road in Chinatown; 23. Fried vegetable puffs on Trok Itsaranuphap in Chinatown; 24. Amok at day market in Ayutthaya

In our hunt for yummy eats in Bangkok we hit a few bumps and we made some delicious discoveries. And we found ourselves rethinking and relinquishing some misconceptions. Not all street snacks are good. Not all mall food is bad. Not all Thai food is spicy. Food in a bar can be great. And sometimes taxi drivers will lead you astray....

For an introduction on what Bangkok has to offer, photographer Austin Bush has a wonderful food blog, coupled with a handy Google Map. Cheap Eats Bangkok also has noteworthy food guide, updated with a handydandy Google Map this year. And, the folks over at Chowhound can always be counted on to obsess about great food and where to find it.

In the end, though, finding street addresses in Bangkok is an exercise in futility for the uninitiated. A good rule of thumb? Use guidebooks as just that: guides to get you in the general vicinity; but ultimately, trust and follow your nose to sniff out the best street carts and restaurants. It's true: if the restaurant has lots of locals in it, it's probably very good! Also true: it may be good advice to ask taxi drivers for restaurant recommendations in other cities, but don't do it in Bangkok! In fact.... try not to ask taxi drivers for anything other than getting from point A to point B. And make sure they turn the meter on before you get in.

The streets are congested along Yaowarat Road in Chinatown but it's worth the fight through the crowd to find yourself a streetside seat and indulge in some delicious Chinese Thai food. The flavors hail from the Chiu Chow provence from whence Chinese immigrants arrived hundreds of years ago. Over half the population of Bangkok has some Chinese ancestry, affecting the flavors and character of food throughout the city.

Street stalls appear and disappear at different times of day, so even if you've walked down a road once, don't think you've seen all it has to offer! On Convent Road between Sathorn and Silom we found noodles during the day and barbeque at night.

A lot of my favorite Thai dishes come from Isaan, the northeast region of Thailand bordering Laos. At first, I dispaired of finding any fiery-pungent laab (meat salad) or som tum (papaya salad) during this trip. Thankfully, we found our way to Soi Rang Nam, a street near the Victory Monument BTS Station where a number of Isaan restaurants can be found. Arriving late, we found only one bar open, but the patrons were all heartily eating from a full menu of northeastern Thai cuisine and we happily joined in.

At the Suan Lum Night Bazaar, the stalls are filled with cheesy souvenir tchotchkes and crowded foot massage parlors, but the beer garden is a festive place for eating and drinking the night away. It's not the pinnacle of Thai tastiness, but you can try a variety of things in one setting for very reasonable prices. A caveat: freshness really depends on the traffic and turnover, so if the beer garden is looking empty for some reason, you might want to head elsewhere. Buy some food coupons, order a drink from a beer girl who's touting your favorite brand of beer, and have your pick...

...more Bangkok eats to come...