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Somtam Nua @ Siam Square

Somtam Nua (ส้มตำนัว) @ Siam Square
Cuisine: Thai (Isaan)
Address: 392/14 Siam Square Soi 5, Bangkok 10110.
GPS: Nil
Tel: 02 2514880
Open: Daily from 10am to 10pm. Kitchen closes at 930pm.
Payment: Cash only.
Web: Nil

So many have been written about food in Bangkok. This blog will never be complete if there is no mention of a restaurant in the heart of Bangkok called Som Tam Nua which is renowned for their delectable Issan food.

** Our order **
This is a sample of our order which we last visited the restaurant two months ago (May'11). Most of them are signature dishes of the northeastern Thai cooking. Among all, the Laab Moo is the most spicy dish on the table. This time, we'd a special dish called Phad Khanom Jeen which, I believe, is not a typical Isaan dish. Khanom Jeen, a kind of thick white noodle, is usually taken with hot spicy/curry soup topped with shredded cabbage and hard-boiled eggs. However, this was our first time sampling stir-fried Khanom Jeen with pork floss. The dish turned out to be surprisingly good. It isn't spicy and tasted a little sweet, probably because of the pork floss!

Kor Moo Yang / คอหมูย่าง (Grilled pork collar) THB98

Laab Moo / ลาบหมู (Spicy minced pork) THB85

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Name: Mango Tango @ Siam Square
Cuisine: Dessert (Mango)
Address: Siam Square Soi 5, Bangkok
GPS: NA
Tel: NA
Open: 11:30 am to 10:00 pm
Payment: Cash only.
Web: http://www.mymangotango.com/
Remarks: Nil
Originally posted: March'2011
Last updated: Nil

After last year's May incident which wrote off almost the entire Siam Square Soi 4, most of the shops along the street are still being fenced off pending rebuilding. Mango Tango, unfortunately, was one of these victims. Last month, we visited the new Mango Tango which has since found its new foothold at Soi 5. The new location is right at the intersection of Soi 5 and Soi 7 and directly across from Ban Khun Mae restaurant.

** Our order **
Looking through my past write ups, I realized that we always have the same order. Perhaps, we could be a bit more adventurous next time.

Mango Sticky Rice (THB120)

Mango Aloha (THB65)

Mango Smoothie (THB75)

Our table ...

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Amphawa River Tour

Originally posted: February'2011
Last updated: Nil

One of the highlights in Amphawa is to enjoy an evening boat ride on the river Mae Klong. But first things first, I'm always skeptical about all these guided tours. I remembered once we were holidaying in Taipei, we booked an one-day city tour but a ginseng presentation cum fair was miraculously included in our itinerary! And then there was my very first overseas trip to Penang and Ipoh (in Malaysia), we are made to visit leather and jewelery boutiques. Admittedly, those were yesteryear's, but I doubt things have gotten any better.

Contrary to my past experiences, the Amphawa river tour has only one mundane objective which is to provide city-pumpkins, like us, a chance to watch fireflies. The 1.5hrs long-tail boat ride we booked, suffice it to say is safe (life vests were provided), slow moving and full of novelties. Also, more importantly, we were not coaxed into visiting any gem factory or souvenir shops. The entire experience was largely positive.

** Booking of River Tour **I do not know how many river-tour operators are there in Amphawa, but I find the one we engaged to be reliable. The long-tail boat set-off on time, there are onboard life vests provided and the embarkation point is just around the corner from the shop.

Pointer : If you plan to return to Bangkok on the same day, it is important that you pick the earliest timing so that there is ample time to catch the last departing van/bus. For obvious reason, the 90-minutes firefly-watching trip couldn't commence too early.

We booked our tickets from this counter. You can find them next to the concrete bridge.

The boat ride costs 60B (~S$2.50) / pax and our ride starts at 18:30hrs.

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Amphawa Floating Market

Originally posted: January'2011
Last updated: Nil

Last year, we took a trip to Amphawa Floating Market. It was an ad-hoc event. By the time, we arrived at the scene, the sun was setting and the place was already crowded despite being a Friday. We thought the place becomes jam-packed only on weekends! Well, we were wrong. Amphawa was literally overran by groups and groups of foreign tourists led by their zealous guides.

** Amphawa Bazaar **Before we could reach the floating market, we are welcomed by streets of makeshift-stalls and pushcarts selling all kinds of traditional foods, snacks, tees, hand-made souvenirs and even potted plants.

This small alley leads to the klong where the floating market is. Fancy a big packet of crispy fish crackers for only THB20?