My top 5 mobile food stalls in Bangkok

Those who know me well will realise that I have been participating in many major exhibitions because of my new business venture selling King Koil Mattresses and Protect-A-Bed mattress protectors. But don't worry, this is not going to be a post telling you how to choose a mattress, that is reserved for a better day.

My frequent visits to BITEC Bang Na, IMPACT Muang Thong Thani and Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre have given me the revelation that food in convention centres in Thailand (just like in most other countries) are mostly overpriced and taste horrible. Therefore, I have been determined to find salvation for our hungry tummies, whether we are exhibitors or visitors, at major trade fairs. If you can't find decent food outside the shows (in the food courts/cafeterias), why not try your luck inside the show instead?

In this post, I am going to list down my 5 best mobile food stalls in Bangkok. By calling them mobile food stalls, I mean they are mostly found moving from event to event earning their living selling food without permanent locations. Aside of trade shows (big and small), they can sometimes be spotted during special events in different shopping malls.

Khao Mok Gai, or what I call Nasi Briyani with Chicken from a mobile Muslim stall

Before I formally go into my top 5, I would like to clarify that because I cannot read Thai properly, I am not able to tell you the full names of the stalls, but I will do my best to teach you how to identify them.

Stranger in Bangkok's 5th Best Mobile Food Stall: Strawberry Shake with Yoghurt

They sell assorted fruit drinks, focusing mainly on strawberry shakes

My favourite drink during trade shows

It was a huge struggle to include a drink into my top 5, but I believe this beverage deserves my accolades. Since I came to Thailand, I've drank at least 20 cups of this if not more, at different locations, mostly during some local food festivals at Paradise Park. The mixture of fresh yoghurt with deliciously tangy sweet strawberry ice gives this drink the right balance to refresh anyone in the sweltering heat.

Stranger in Bangkok's 4th Best Mobile Food Stall: Croissant Bistro

One of the only stalls that I can read the name. 

Gourmet Croissants

If I were to be brutally honest, I feel that Croissant Bistro should really not be on this list, because with the quality and price of the gourmet croissants they churn out, they can easily hold their own with their own stall in a major shopping mall.

I have spoken to the owner before regarding this, but it seems like she hasn't found a suitable location yet, so croissant lovers, please feel fortunate when Croissant Bistro still takes the trouble to come to a location near you, because I do not think it will last very much longer.

Stranger in Bangkok's 3rd Best Mobile Food Stall: Yaowarat Fish Ball

Remember how the stall looks, with its bright red steamers

It only sells 3 kinds of fish balls, and always steamed, never fried

I am a lover of fish balls in Singapore, and it's difficult to find similar ones in Bangkok. Instead of going to Foodland to buy those really expensive imported ones from Singapore, I have found my solution in this mobile fish ball stall. Aside of them being a little too salty, which I will solve by blanching them in hot water before cooking, there is really nothing bad to say about these fresh springy balls. Even Noah can chomp down a few of them at one go.

Stranger in Bangkok's 2nd Best Mobile Food Stall: Red Pork Noodles

Hey, I can read the name! Literally translates as Yaowarat Food Stall

You cannot miss it if you see the glut of hanging red pork or the mountain of noodles

Or even simpler, the sight of this bald uncle who is always there flamboyantly selling his noodles

I was sceptical at first when I saw the heap of pre-cooked yellow noodle. I am a firm supporter of cooked-to-order noodles and for me, this could never be good. However, there was always a long queue at the stall wherever I went, so out of curiousity, I took a plunge.

Noodles nicely Al-Dente and all ingredients extremely fresh, and the fried shrimp balls are an absolute delicacy!

It seems like they have proven me wrong. Not only do I have to eat it everytime I see it, I now rank this as the 2nd best mobile food stall in Bangkok.

Stranger in Bangkok's BEST Mobile Food Stall: Pad Thai

I know what you are thinking. You are thinking that I am just missing food back home, because 4 of my top 5 are not traditional Thai food. They are either Chinese food, French pastry or a childish cold drink.

You are not completely wrong, but I think I redeem myself by presenting to you a pure Thai dish as my number 1...... Pad Thai!!

The Pad Thai is usually served on 3 medium-sized white oval trays

This is an absolute must-try if you see it, especially if you love Pad Thai in the first place. The uncle you see in the picture only cooks them in small batches of perhaps around 10 servings per time. If you observe him cook, you will see how meticulous he is. He never looks flustered even though he's always busy, and the heaps of dried shrimp, chives and beansprouts ensure that his Pad Thai is not only tasty but healthy as well, and because there is a perpetual queue for his noodles (especially during mealtimes), you are almost certain to get your bowl piping hot. If you are not sure which of the 3 variants to choose, I recommend the spicy flat noodle without shrimp, because it saves you the trouble of peeling, and it gives you more noodles to enjoy for the same price.

Trust me, it tastes better than it looks.

So there you go, my top 5 mobile food stalls that will never disappoint you if you are lucky enough to see them during a tiring shopping trip in Bangkok. Don't say I didn't tell you!


PS. These opinions are purely mine, and I would like to hear from you! Do you agree with me? If not, do you have other mobile food stalls that you would like to recommend to me and all my readers? Feel free to leave comments!

Stranger in Bangkok's Mother's Day Tribute

When I look back at my childhood and the relationship with my mom, for some reason, bad memories will surface first, every single time.

My clearest memories of growing up with her are visions of her raging at my brother at the dining table for not doing well in school (even though he always got first in class in Primary School), beating me with a cane until the cane broke into two, then when I breathed a sigh of relief, she tore off the shorter half of the cane and continued her beating with what she had left in her hand, all because I got 90 for a Chinese test. The most traumatic one was when I cried when I knew I got second in class and did not dare to go home, spending the entire afternoon sitting at the bottom of the flight of steps leading up to my apartment in distress, contemplating how to explain my utter failure.

So yes, this is my mum, Lucy the Angel, who filled my childhood memories with horrifying images and nothing much else. 

However, through all these, something prevailed, even though she has never said it to me in my face.

Love.

My dad is from a different era, he concentrated on fulfilling his own set of duties for the family, which he did admirably, but as a result, he was seldom around during the time I was growing up. My parents' relationship was also not the most cordial one, so my mum pinned her efforts and hopes fully on her children.

Amidst the unforgettable instances of horror, there were things she did everyday that I probably took for granted and became blind to, the chores, the sending me to and from school, the food (that completely shaped my cooking style today), the laundry, the dishes etc. When I was sick, even the slightest moan in my sleep would wake her up (from her room, no less) and tender loving care would follow till I was nurtured back to perfect condition.

She always wanted the best for us, and wanted us to be the best. Though much of the time, her version of best differs greatly from ours, it did not take away the fact that all her life, she had been punching above her weight to ensure we punched above ours. Many times, I had the feeling that she was living her life purely for us, to the point I feel that she would die for us if necessary.

Thank you Mum, for showing me what sacrificial love is, and for doing everything to make sure I became the best person I could. 

Thank you too, for forcing me to get braces which put my teeth behind bars for 6 years so that I could look decent enough to get a wife (I got my girlfriend barely a year after I took my braces off).

Sorry for being away in Bangkok all the time and thank you for your understanding.

Happy Mother's Day, have a good one in Perth celebrating my cousin's wedding.

Love you.

Baby in Bangkok's step-by-step recipe for the most delicious home-made Gyoza!

Hello everyone, today we are going to teach you step-by-step on how to make the most delicious gyoza in the world.

So please pay attention.

Take 300grams of the finest ground pork, add to it 1 tablespoon of light soy (we use Kikkoman), a generous dash of pepper, 3 sprigs of spring onion, finely chopped, then grate in a clove of garlic and a small thumb of ginger. This makes around 40 nice plump gyozas

Now carefully lay a piece of gyoza skin on a clean plate

Dab some clean water in a semicircle round the edges of the skin.

Place a generous amount of the delicious minced pork in the centre

Fold the edges together and then pinch them tightly shut, the water will help it stick

Tadaaa.... one nice gyoza, done! If I can do it so can you

Now place them carefully on a large plate. The skins dry up really fast so if you are not cooking them immediately you could cover them up with some damp cloth

For cooking, heat some oil in a on-stick pan, lay the gyozas down and let them sizzle

When the bottom crisps and brown beautifully, it's time to pour in some water and cover the pan to let them steam till they are cooked

Once the water gets boiling, cover your pan immediately, and let the water dry out so that the gyoza returns to being fried by the remaining oil, then you are done!

The only thing left now is to chomp down your beautiful end-product. Enjoy!

PS. For a simple home-made gyoza sauce, dilute some japanese soya sauce with a bit of water, adding a bit of sugar and vinegar to it. I like to grate some ginger in but it's totally optional. Always taste the sauce as you add more condiments and you can stop when it tastes perfect!

A Songkran in Singapore without water: Is there any point?

The word "Songkran" has recently stirred up quite a bit of controversy. Though I haven't been following developments very closely, I feel that my position makes it appropriate to give my view on this matter.

Firstly, what is Songkran? From my shallow understanding, it's considered the new year (just like what Lunar New Year means to us) for people in Thailand, Mynamar, Cambodia, Laos and some minority tribes in China. Traditionally, during this festival, people visit temples and cleanse Buddha images with water in order to bring good luck for the new year. This gradually transformed into a crazy festival with everyone hurling water at everyone else to celebrate the new year. Tourists from every corner of the globe flock to different parts of Thailand during this event to experience it. In Mandarin, Songkran is called "泼水节", which translates literally as "Splashing Water Festival".  Suffice to say, no matter whether you are cleansing your Buddha images or throwing water at everyone you see, the spirit of Songkran revolves around 1 element, yes, you guessed it, water.

This controversy first caught my eye when I read an article which talked about some officials in Thailand's Culture Ministry threatening to sue Singapore over the organisation of their very own festival. My first thought was, "Why the big deal? Even though it might purely be a marketing event, at least it helps to showcase Thai culture, especially the Songkran culture to more people, surely that can't be a bad thing."

Besides, if anyone wants to REALLY experience what Songkran is really about, they will DEFINITELY choose to come to Thailand, no matter what Singapore can offer, so it's not really a threat to tourism as well. A couple of nights ago, I mentioned to my wife that it would be almost impossible for Singapore to close a couple streets to allow "water-fights" to take place for 2 whole days. Before I knew it, the bombshell was announced, Singapore's Songkran is to take place, dry.

This morning, I finally visited Singapore Songkran's official website. To my astonishment, this was the very first picture that greeted me.

Is this going to happen? NO

I also found out that it is going to involve a lot of Thai food, Thai products, Muay Thai and a plethora of gigs involving a few entertainers from Thailand.

If you ask me, attending a Songkran event without water is like going to Singaporean chicken rice stall to order chicken rice, and end up getting char kway teow instead. No matter how Singaporean the char kway teow tastes, I want my bloody chicken rice, complete with chicken, rice and chilli sauce, not lacking in ANY element.

If I can give my 2 cents worth to the organising committee, I feel that all backdrops and information regarding water pistol fights on the website need to be removed immediately in case more paying attendees (as not all events are free) are misled, and that the name of the festival needs to be carefully reconsidered, at least for future versions of the same event.

No water, no Songkran. Period.

An hour in the life of Daddy Eddie

I peeped through the small little clear circle on the otherwise totally frosted glass window of the classroom. Little Noah, just woken up not long ago, looked okay with attending the lesson and Li Li seemed up for it too. I guess it's time for me to leave and 'do my stuff'.

It's 5pm sharp, so now, what do I have to do? Ah yes, UOB and AIS to run some company errands, hopefully make an important phonecall, then it's a trip to the musical instrument shop, buy a cheap Ukelele, settle myself down in a cafe and master playing 爱琳娜 to give my sweeties a surprise when they see me again.

While waiting in line at UOB, a familiar vibration in my pockets prompts me to take another look at my phone. It's a WhatsApp message.

"Hi Eddie, your friend xxx just called asking about any news of the projects?"

Friendly fire from my supplier, pleasant but a definite addition to my stress levels for the day. The next hour would now be punctuated by message after message with him, explaining everything that's happening in Thailand.

5.34pm, UOB errands complete. It must be time to slowly walk back to the school, passing by the Ukelele shop. It must also be time to call my media company to tell them what I expect from our next meeting.

5.45pm, head a little bit groggy from the long conversation. Hmmm...... maybe I should call a potential dealer who had been stalling on our cooperation for many weeks.

6.00pm sharp. Unknowingly, I am back at the entrance of the school. I activated WhatsApp again to send my final message to my supplier. I scrolled back to have a look at our chat history. Gosh, more than 60 correspondences within the last hour.... really?

Wait a minute, wasn't I supposed to pass by AIS? Ah sh*t, so the errand accumulates and has to be done tomorrow. What about the Ukelele? I must have passed the place while on the phone and totally missed it.

I took a deep breath and walked into the school again to peer through the same tiny hole I did exactly an hour ago.

Ah..... my babies, my lovely babies. How nice to see you all again. What does my life even mean without you?

3rd couple date in 3 years on International Woman's Day 2014, and it's all about Singapore!

Posing with our cod dish

One of the major drawbacks of having a young family in a foreign land is that couple dates are virtually impossible. Noah is 25 months old now, and over the 3 calendar years, we have only had real couple dates twice, which have been extensively documented here and here. Family members came and went since the last one, but couple time just simply did not materialize for some reason or another, until saviour Miss Li Kunqi arrived last week. So here's a big THANK YOU to her for looking after Noah for a whole afternoon and agreeing to it without even flinching!

My plan for the 6 hours was very simple, and it revolved around making sure Li Li got an opportunity to walk through the brilliant "Hello World!" Exhibition at Emporium's TCDC before it ends later this month. However, exhibition aside, the date became one which felt like it happened in Singapore!

Cherry duck with tea-infused tangy sauce

Lunch was a simple but satisfying one at TWG, which is an up-class tea salon and boutique from Singapore. Food was good (not great), service was excellent and the dessert was decent as well. I had wanted to do a post on TWG a while ago when it just opened but got put off by a waiter telling me that pictures were not allowed. I am glad that they are now more open to customers taking pictures in the restaurant, though I am no longer in the mood to write about them.

Our tickets at the Singapore Film Festival

Gotten after around half an hour of queueing

The highlight of the date has got to be our participation in the Singapore Film Festival. 2 movies were on show, That Girl in Pinafore and Ilo Ilo of Golden Horse fame. Due to timing issues, we could only watch the first one but boy was it entertaining. 

I think it is also worth mentioning that this was our first cinema experience after Noah's birth (no, I did not watch a movie alone or with other friends), and due to it being a film festival, we could not choose our seats and ended up with a location requiring us to raise our heads in the northeast direction throughout the whole movie. It didn't help too, that my seat was faulty and uncomfortable, but ah well, it's free, it's a rare couple date and I got to watch the movie with the director himself, I shouldn't complain too much.

The movie itself though, was quite unforgettable. Set in 1993 Singapore talking about the lives and dreams of JC students linked together by a local folk music movement, it was really nostalgic and brought back a lot of memories, though I think my elder brother might be able to relate even more with the songs. I personally would have preferred a less abrupt end and perhaps at least 1 more uplifting song performance by the cast, but the movie is impressive enough for me to consider buying the DVD for keepsakes.

I will thus like to end this simple post off with a MV of my favourite song of the movie, "黎明的心", youthfully sung by the 3 energetic female leads in the show. Enjoy.

Art in Paradise Pattaya, where imagination runs wild

So, is that it? I'm dead? There are so many things I haven't done.

Pattaya has always, to me at least, been Thailand's Sin City. The beaches are mostly shallow, low class coyote bars spread all across the city and half-naked old Caucasian men stroll along the streets every single day as if it was their backyard. I was told that Pattaya used to be an army base for the US army during the Vietnam War, and goodness knows what they did here during their 'vacations' to make it what it is now.

However, over the last few years, there has been commendable effort to re-create Pattaya into a family destination. Up came many mega shopping malls, photo spots and top-class hotels and resorts. I still did not fancy it too much, but this Chinese New Year, I decided to make it my family's getaway destination while they were in town (my dad had been wanting to visit for a while and it's about time I granted his simple wish).

If you have to go to Pattaya, especially with your family, you really should not miss a visit to Art in Paradise, because, it is to me, a very good summary of Thailand in 1 building: whimsical, creative and absolutely no inhibition to turn ideas into creations. It's difficult to imagine what a 3D art gallery actually is, but boy will it keep you entertained for a good couple hours once you step in.

Noah enjoying a peck on his cheek

Showing off my brilliant fishing technique

Ah sh*t, there goes our coconut juice

Wait a minute, is that elephant actually coming towards us?

A friend in need is a friend indeed.

I sh*t in my pants

I meditated with Noah under the Bodhi tree

Li Li strolled through ancient Ayuthaya

Dad protected his grandchildren from the dinosaurs

Mum became the Angel I always thought she was. Why are you finding it funny, Noah.

Art in Paradise has just opened a branch in Bangkok at the end of February, so now you don't even have to visit Pattaya to immerse yourself in this wonderland.

Woohoo!

So what are you waiting for?