T&K Seafood at Chinatown (Thailand, Bangkok)

A trip to Bangkok is not complete without a stopover at Chinatown (also known as Yaowarat) for a meal. The best time to visit Chinatown is at night; between evening to midnight. This is the period where the area comes alive with many eateries setting up shop along the side of the road, and tourist and locals start flocking into the area to savour the delicious delicacies such as bird nest, sharkfins and seafood.

T&K Seafood (highlighted in red)

The most highly raved about eatery at Chinatown is T&K Seafood, a roadside eatery renowned for the cheap and good seafood. T&K Seafood is located at along the main road (Yaowarat Road) that cuts across the chinatown. There are two such eateries located opposite each other. One of the ways to differentiate them is through the colour of the polo tee the staff are wearing. Staff at T&K Seafood wear green polo tee while their competitor wear red polo tee.

Tip: There are several zebra crossings located along the main road. If you are going to cross the road, it is advisable to use these zebra crossings. Kudos to the Thai Authorities, I remember several years back, there were no such zebra crossings. 

We arrived just after 6pm (on a weekday); their opening time as we did not want to queue. As it was raining before that, the staff were still setting up chairs and tables when we arrived. And surprisingly, it was already three quarter full.

The setup included placing placing fans above the makeshift shelter to ensure that it was well ventilated.

ps: They have an air-condition restaurant just beside this makeshift setup. We choose alfresco dining (outdoors - next to the road side).

Menu Cover

The menu was well categorized, in English and prices were stated clearly.

The biggest mistake we made were ordering these bottled drinks. Way too sweet, tasted like syrup drinks.

Condiments 

Steamed White snapper in Spicy Garlic Lime Juice Soup

The Steamed White snapper in Spicy Garlic Lime Juice Soup (Baht 300, S$12.50) is a Thai-style steamed fish. This was a tasty dish rich with different flavours such as spicy, sweet yet sour. The fish was fresh and cooked just right such that its meat was so soft. A must order! 

Tom Yum Soup

Tom Yum Soup

The Tom Yum Soup - seafood lemongrass soup with milk (150 Baht, S$6.25) did not disappoint. It had the right balance in taste with none of them overwhelming the other. Although it was spicy, it was addictive - you would be digging for more after each mouthful. The ingredients in it include squid, prawns, fish slices and button mushrooms. 

Stir Fried Water Cress 

Stir Fried Water Cress (80 Baht, S$3.33) was average with nothing much to shout about. We had to order some greens to make this a more balanced meal. 

Fried Stuff Crab with Crab Meat and Glass Noodle

Fried Stuff Crab with Crab Meat and Glass Noodle

Fried Stuff Crab with Crab Meat and Glass Noodle (50 Baht, S$2.08 per piece) consisted of a mixture of crab meat, chicken meat and vermicelli. It was unique but in terms of taste was average. I felt that the flavours of the ingredients were not brought out. Not really a must order, but worth a try if you have not eaten such an item before.

Stir Fried Squid with Yellow Curry Powder

Stir Fried Squid with Yellow Curry Powder

Stir Fried Squid with Yellow Curry Powder (150 Baht, S$6.25) is another Thai-style curry dish. They have a similar variation with crab. However, as we had ordered too many crab dishes, we decided to order squid instead. 

This was superbly executed - utterly delicious. The squids were cooked in curry pasta mixed with egg. The key to this dish was not the squid, instead it was the curry pasta with the egg. It was rich in flavour (due to the blend of curry powder), fragrant and not overly spicy. The sauce was irresistible and complement perfectly with rice. This was so good that it stole the show from the squid which to its credit was fresh and cooked to perfection (not overcooked). I am sure this dish would taste great with crabs or any other ingredients as long as the sauce is executed correctly. A must order!

Steamed Meat Crab with Glass Noodle in Claypot

Steamed Meat Crab with Glass Noodle in Claypot

Steamed Meat Crab with Glass Noodle in Claypot (350 Baht, S$14.58) was out of the world! Easily one of the better ones I have eaten. The glass noodle (vermicelli) was moist and incredibly flavourful with a slight spicy kick due to the peppercorns. The essence of all the juices (including the sweetness from the crab) in this dish was all captured in the glass noodle. It was so good that it stole the limelight from the crab. Yummy! Another must order!

The Steamed Meat Crab with Glass Noodle in Claypot reminded me of The Cheers Beer commercial which my Marketing lecturer showed us (watch from 1.05 onwards) when I was still studying. The execution, exaggeration, expression, humor and a simple tagline made this one of the most highly rated and popular beer commercials of all times. And just like the feelings shown on the video, this was what I felt after eating the Steamed Meat Crab with Glass Noodle in Claypot! So.. to every little good things in life... CHEERS! 

As we were leaving, we noticed a large crowd standing outside waiting for their turn to be seated. The crowd had literally spilled out to the road. It is advisable to come early.

What a sumptuous meal! Cheap and good! Well worth the trip down to Chinatown. If only we can get such food at such prices back home in Singapore.

T&K Seafood at Chinatown (Thailand, Bangkok)

49-51 Soi Phadung Dao, Yaowarat Road

Chinatown, Bangkok 10100, Thailand

Tel: +66 2 223 4519

Opening Hours: Daily 6pm to 2am

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A&W Restaurant at Pantip Plaza (Thailand, Bangkok)

I know how some Singaporeans would make it a point to visit A&W whenever they are in Bangkok, Batam or Kuala Lumpur. I am no exception. Here's the good news for A&W fanatics who need their A&W fix. There are several A&W restaurants in Bangkok and one of the restaurant is located 5 minutes walk away from Platinum Fashion Mall!

This A&W restaurant is located at Level 1 of Pantip Plaza (also known as The Computer City). All you have to do is walk out of Platinum Mall and then walk along the main road; Petchaburi Road (follow the flow of the traffic). There is no need to cross the main road. Instead you would just need to cross 3 small alley roads and you would have reached Pantip Plaza. You would be able to spot the A&W signage once you are outside the plaza. 

As this was for our tea break, we ordered the Super Waffle Combo Set 135 Baht (S$5.62) which consisted of a Root Beer Float (which we up-sized), Curly Fries (Small) and Super Waffle (Chocolate). In addition, we also ordered another Curly Fries (large) 55 Baht (S$2.29) and Half Waffle (Strawberry) 55 Baht (S$2.29). We did not order any fried chicken as we were just too full.

Root Beer Float

You may wish to note know that it has been sometime since the writer had A&W. So this post is definitely biased. =P

The signature A&W's Root Beer Float which most of us are familiar with is served in a A&W mug with a scoop of vanilla ice cream added into the Root Beer. Just like how I always remember it (when A&W still existed in Ang Mo Kio), there was a layer of foam on top. Shiok!

Curly Fries

Another favourite of mine is the Curly Fries! It is me? But it's not as curly as before. Nevertheless, this tasted so good (kfc new solgan)! I have not had this for a long long time.

Half Waffle (Strawberry)

Super Waffle (Chocolate)

Waffle with ice cream, another A&W signature dish! The waffles whether Super Waffle or Half Waffle are both served with 2 scoops of ice cream! The waffle was great as it was freshly made and was crispy on the outside. The warm and cold combination of waffle and ice cream was a perfect combination that's hard to go wrong (even with ordinary ice cream)! Maple syrup are available too for those who wish to enhance the taste further.

Glad to have my A&W craving satisfied! I wonder when will A&W make a come back to Singapore. 

A&W Restaurant at Pantip Plaza (Thailand, Bangkok)

Level 1 Pantip Plaza, The Computer City

604/3 Petchaburi Rd, Thanon Phetchaburi

Ratchathewi, Bangkok 10400, Thailand

Tel: 02-250-1190

Opening Hours: Daily 8am to 9pm
Website (other outlet locations)

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Crepe Stall Opposite Platinum Mall (Thailand, Bangkok)

As we were finding Saeb X2 Wonton Noodles, we walked past this crepe stall. It was not hard to miss this as the crowd gathered there was blocking the path of this narrow walkway. Hence, as we walked back towards Platinum Mall, we stopped by this Crepe Stall to try it for ourselves.

This crepe stall is located at the junction of Phetchaburi Road and Soi 19 Petchburi Road. For the exact location, please refer to the map appended at the bottom of this post. The different types of fillings for the crepes are shown on the signboard. 

It can be a little chaotic ordering for your crepe as there is no queue due to the narrow walkway. It was more of who could grab the attention of the stall owners when attempting to order. The crepes were made freshly on the spot. 

We ordered the Chocolate Banana Crepe.

Chocolate Banana Crepe 60 Baht (S$2.50)

Chocolate Banana Crepe 60 Baht (S$2.50)

The Chocolate Banana Crepe cost 60 Baht ($2.50). It was pricey if you were to consider the Thai cost of living. In Singapore, such a Chocolate Banana Crepe would have cost $4.80. 

The crepe was wrapped up like an ice cream cone to make it easy to takeaway. The crepe was crispy with a layer of chocolate spread on with slices of bananas. I thought that it was ordinary and did not have the wow factor. Towards the end, the chocolate was too sweet for my liking. 

I wonder why there was a crowd gathered there.. I would suggest giving this a skip as there's a crepe stall located at the basement of Platinum Mall called Penn Crepe selling the exact same crepe at just 25 Baht! If you have tried it, do let me know if it's good.

Crepe Stall Opposite Platinum Mall (Thailand, Bangkok)

Junction of Phetchaburi Road and Soi 19 Petchburi Road
Pratunam, Bangkok

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Saeb X2 Wonton Noodles (Thailand, Bangkok)

Back then during my last trip to Bangkok more than 7 years ago, MBK was the place for shopping and was more popular than the then newly built Platinum Fashion Mall. During that time, I have not even heard of Saeb X2 Wonton Noodles.

Saeb X2 Wonton Noodles

Fast forward to 2013, Platinum Fashion Mall is a must stop destination for wholesales shopping. I am sure that its success has also spin off to the neighbouring hospitality and F&B businesses. Saeb X2 Wonton Noodles is probably one of the many business nearby which has benefited. 

Saeb X2 Wonton Noodles

Saeb X2 Wonton Noodles located in Pratunam, opposite Platinum Fashion Mall is a popular Thai eatery among tourist among tourist and has been highly raved about on the internet. We had initially came down here on the day we arrived, however we arrived 5 minutes late and the place was closed. This time, we decided to come by for lunch at 2pm after shopping at Platinum Mall.

Directions to this place from Platinum Mall is appended at the end of this post.

Wonton Noodle

 The friendly cook manning the Wonton (Wanton) Noodle stall flashing his megawatt smile.

Braised Pork Trotter and Intestines

Braised Pork Trotter and Intestines

On the other side was the Braised Pork Trotter and Intestines stall.

Menu

The menu which states the dishes they sell. Their other menu with price stated on it was in Thai.

We were surprised that eatery was practically empty except for 1 other table which was being occupied. However, as we we were waiting for our food to be cooked and served, more customers began to arrive. Before long, it was nearly full. Taking a quick look around us, we realised that nearly all the customers in here were all tourist. Most seemed to be Singaporeans or Malaysians.

Braised Small Intestines

The Braised Small Intestines was the first to be served.

As usual, in nearly all thai eateries, there would be a set of condiments (Chilli padi, Garlic and Chilli sauce) at every table.

Braised Intestines

This Braised Small Intestines tasted heavenly. I dare say that it was better than the Wonton Noodles (which has been highly raved about). One reason could be due to the fact that only a selected group consumes the braised intestines, hence, fewer people try or even write about it.

Judging from the taste of the small intestines, I would say that it had been cleaned thoroughly. Mind you, it is not an easy task cleaning it. The small intestines were braised till they were oh so soft. In addition, they were so tasty as they had a spongy texture and soaked up the delectable brown sauce. It would have been perfect if I could slurping this down with a bowl of plain rice, porridge or Kway Chap!

Addition small details include the fact that they were not rubbery. Thumbs up!

Wonton Noodles (dry)

The Wonton Noodles (Wanton Noodles) come in two version, dry or soup. We all ordered the dry version.

The Wonton Noodles was served with 3 wontons, slices of char siew, vegetables, egg noodles and topped with spring onions.

Wonton Noodles (dry)

If you were to look closely you would be able to notice that they were so generous with the pork lard. So many pieces!

The noodles did not come with any sauce like how we have it back in Singapore. Instead, it was plain and dry. It was surprisingly tasty because of the amount of pork lard. I felt that it was on the oily end - very sinfully. The portion was small and we ordered extra bowls to share.

Overall, the Wonton Noodles were not bad. It was above average, decent. But its not really a die die must try. Personally I thought that their Braised Small Intestines wowed me more compared to the Wonton Noodles. Saeb X2 Wonton Noodles is also famous for the Braised Pork Trotter and Braised Pork Rice. The meal consisting of 7 bowls of Wonton Noodles (dry) and 1 plate of Braised Small Intestines cost 500 Baht (S$20.83).

View of Platinum Mall from the overhead bridge

Directions to Saeb X2 Wonton Noodles: From Platinum Fashion Mall you would need to head towards the overhead bridge located at level 2. Cross the overhead bridge, towards the other side of the main road; Phetchaburi Road. At the other end of the bridge you would notice that there's an escalator and a flight stairs leading to opposite directions. Take the flight of stairs down and walk straight till you see the first small road with a blue sign called Soi Phetchaburi 19. This is also where you can see a crepe stall is located. Turn right into and walk down Soi Phetchaburi 19. You will be able to see Saeb X2 Wonton Noodles at your right after walking 1 to 2 minutes. Alternatively, just use the map located at the bottom to navigate. 

Saeb X2 Wonton Noodles (Thailand, Bangkok) 

4/33 Soi 19 Petchburi Road
Pratunam, Bangkok

Opening Hours: Daily 9am to 4pm

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Damnoen Saduak Floating Market (Thailand, Bangkok)

Damnoen Saduak Floating Market 

There are several floating markets near Bangkok. The most famous floating and is known to be one of the largest floating market popular among tourists is the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market located in Damnoen Saduak District in the Ratchaburi Province. The floating market is around half an hour drive (subjected to traffic conditions) from Maeklong Railway Market.

Damnoen Saduak Floating Market  (Boarding Area)

Everyday, the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market is crowded with of vendors boats plying the canal selling all kind of stuff from souvenirs, vegetables, fruits, live snakes and even food that requires cooking such as phad thai! Do note, if you are buying souvenirs, you would need to bargain as the prices can be marked up by as high as 80%.

Damnoen Saduak Floating Market  (Boarding Area)

The ideal time for visiting this floating market is before 9am, before the tourist crowd starting coming in. As we visited the Maeklong Railway Market first to witness the rail train travelling through the market, we only arrived at the floating market just before 10am. The part of the canal which was used for boarding and alighting was congested (see photo above)! Look at the number of boats (the boat fee was covered in the deal)! Part of the reason why it was so congested was because there were many vendor boats selling all type of goods and food. In a way, it was a kind of tourist trap and not everyone would like this place.

Now, if you are starting to think that since its so crowded, you should skip this, read on. This is because some of the food sold here by the boat vendors made this trip so worthwhile!

Damnoen Saduak Floating Market 

It was still relatively congested as we were near the boarding area.

Damnoen Saduak Floating Market 

Once we got past the crowd, we were able to tour the less congested canals. There were less vendor boats and more shop houses which were located just next to the canal. If you would like to purchase any items, you can request for the boat to be stopped just next to the shops.

If you are starting to feel that this place looks familiar, well it is because this was the place where the James Bond; 'The Man With The Golden Gun' and Nicolas Cage's 'Bangkok Dangerous' movies were filmed.

Damnoen Saduak Floating Market 

Although we did not purchase any souvenirs while on the boat ride, we stopped twice to purchase food! Once for Grilled Banana and another for Mango Sticky Rice!

We bought the Grilled Banana from the boat vendor which was stationed near the boarding area (congested area). This boat was obvious as it had a yellow sign which shouted out what it's owner was selling - Grilled Banana. All the other boat vendors which I saw did not have any sign stating what they were selling. The Grilled Banana boat vendor had a small stove in the middle of her boat for grilling the bananas.

Grilled Banana 40 Baht (S$1.67)

The Grilled Banana cost 40 Baht (S$1.67). Several pieces of grilled bananas cut into smaller pieces were served. As we 'cruised' down the murky water, we savoured on this snack. It was a struggle finishing it as we all were more used to the fried banana - Goreng Pisang.

Mango Sticky Rice 50 Baht (S$2.08)

We also bought Mango Sticky Rice from a boat vendor while taking the boat ride. There were many boat vendors selling this product. The Mango Sticky Rice cost 50 Baht (S$2.08). It was our first Mango Sticky Rice since we arrived in Bangkok and it did not disappoint! The mango was so fresh - sweet and juicy. The sticky rice topped with sesame seed was soft, moist and flavourful. Each grain of rice was coated with coconut milk which made a whole world of difference to the taste. I must say that it was superb.

After my trip in Bangkok, I realised that it was hard to find a lousy Mango Sticky Rice in  Bangkok, even those bought along the streets tasted delicious!

Damnoen Saduak Floating Market 

After our boat ride, we walked over and crossed the road to access another part of the floating market (for clearer direction, please refer to the map located at the end of this post). This stretch was where you could find some of the best food boat vendors! From selling fruits, desserts to fully cooked meals such as char siew rice and even tom yum noodles.

Kway Teow and Tom Yum Noodles' Boat Vendor

As we walked along the stretch, we spotted a row of customers (around 7 customers) seated down next to each other in front of this boat vendor. Each customer was sitting along the river on small stools with either a bowl of Kway Teow or Tom Yum Noodles! Although this caught our eye, we hesitated for quite a long time worrying about the hygiene. In fact, we left and came back only after mustering enough courage and succumbing to temptation. This was the only two boat vendor which could garnered a crowd of customers. The other was the Coconut Ice Cream Vendor (which I shall elaborate on later in this post).

Kway Teow 40 Baht (S$1.67)

The Kway Teow aka Boat Noodles was simple yet delicious. A hearty and comfortable bowl of noodles. It was a joy slurping down the Kway Teow which was thin and smooth. There were pieces of chicken meat, fish cakes, beansprouts, liver, pork lard, spring onions and peanuts added inside. The peanuts gave this dish a crunchy bite while the pork lard enhanced the taste further. The liver also deserved a mention as it was fresh! There are the usual condiments set located at the side for customers to adjust the taste to their liking.

Tom Yum 40 Baht (S$1.67)

Tom Yum 40 Baht (S$1.67)

The Tom Yum Kway Teow came with similar ingredients. The difference was the taste of condiments added in it. The soup was tastier and more complex; sourish yet spicy. We were shocked when we saw the local sitting next to us adding several spoonful of sugar into her Tom Yum! Not bad quite a decent bowl of kway teow considering the location and price.

When we were eating, we saw someone washing the bowls and utensils using a piped water located at the side of the river. It felt good to be assured that they did not use the river water to wash the bowls and utensils.

Coconut Ice Cream Boat Vendor

Further down this same stretch, you can purchase an authentic Coconut Ice Cream served in a coconut shell from this boat vendor! We were debating whether to go for this as we were worried about the hygiene. Luckily, we gave this a try. What a pleasant find!

The boat vendor first chop the coconut into half and drain the coconut juice into the river. After that, he would scrap the flesh of the coconut and leave it in the shell. He then proceeded on to scoop three scoops of coconut flavoured ice cream into the coconut shell on top of the pieces of coconut flesh / pulp. As shown in the above picture, the boat vendor scooped the ice cream from a tall, round stainless steel canister which was used to keep the ice cream frozen. Lastly, he sprinkled roasted nuts on top of the ice cream.

Coconut Ice Cream 30 Baht (S$1.25)

This Coconut Ice Cream is a must try! The ice cream was impressive. It was full of milky fragrant coconut flavour; not diluted. In addition, the coconut flesh was so soft, tender and flavourful. The roasted nuts added on top added an extra crunchy and addictive element into this dessert.

It was delicious and refreshing! Moreover, considering the price, it was so cheap! We should have bought more of this! This is the BEST Coconut Ice Cream we had in Bangkok! If you have read about how awesome the coconut ice cream at Chatuchak weekend market  tastes, you really need to give this a try.

Prior to this trip, from our desktop research, we got to know that the coconut ice cream at Chatuchak weekend market was highly raved about. We thought that the one at Chatuchak would be much better than this. But well, we were wrong! This Coconut Ice Cream which we bought from Damnoen Saduak Floating Market was way better! I will post on the coconut ice cream from Chatuchak market at a subsequent post. (Refer to this link for the post)

Overall, we had no regrets purchasing the Half-Day Damnoen Saduak Floating Market & Mae Klong Railway Market Tour deal on Deal.com.sg. The tour guide Vorn did a great job. He was professional, friendly, safe driver and provided great service.  At $26 per pax, it was a value for money deal! In addition, I was glad that there was no additional charges. The boat fee was included in the deal. Tips for the tour guide were at customers' own discretion.

Do note the food / snacks expenses in this post was not included in the tour.

Please note for the parts in Italic. I do not get any benefits and am not paid to writing this. I am just writing this because I was satisfied with the half day tour.

Damnoen Saduak Floating Market (Thailand, Bangkok)

Damnoen Saduak District, Ratchaburi, Thailand ‎

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