Eating through Udom Suk

Gin khao rue yang? Have you eaten yet? This phrase is a popular way amongst close friends and family in Thailand to ask, how are you? Most people know that Thai food is one of the best cuisines in the world, renowned for its intense flavors; from spicy to sour to sweet, Thais know how to create a well-seasoned meal. But, one thing that is often overlooked, is why food is such a major player when it comes to Thailand's culture. The reason is, Thai people focus on food and eating above all else. 

When our van from school drops us off at the nearest BTS station (our Skytrain that can take you all over the city) and I make the 15 minute walk back to our apartment, there are quite literally dozens of places I could stop for a snack. Should I grab pork dumplings or a watermelon shake from the market? No? How about a stop at one of the two 7/11s on this walk for an onigiri (a triangular Japanese rice ball stuffed with assorted ingredients)? That doesn’t sound good? Well, I know that I will be having a Thai tea, but should I get it from the local market, the street stall, or one of the five cafes I like in the mall outside of our apartment? As I explore the city, food is always on my mind. So, I want to walk you through some of the options that we have discovered around our apartment building so far. 

3 minute walk

The closest and most convenient place to get a quick snack from our place is, of course, 7/11. Located just across the street at the opening of True Digital Park (the mall opposite our building) and open 24 hours a day is a fully-decked out 7/11. While 7/11s come in all shapes and sizes in Bangkok, ours is a big one, with many options and even two coffee bars. Now, I should clarify that 7/11 in Thailand, or other parts of Asia including Japan or Taiwan, are very different from the US variety. In the States, a 7/11 could service you for a slurpee or a bag of chips, but here they are noted for their quality. I don’t think I ever understood the phrase convenience store until I moved

to Thailand. On any given day, Nolan or I will be stopping at 7/11 at least once. 

The most important, even though it is the least fun, thing that we buy at 7/11 is water. Drinking the water in Thailand is a quick way to have days of the worst food poisoning of your life (detailed in a very old blog post about our trip to Hua Hin). So, about every other day Nolan or I need to buy a large jug of water to keep in our fridge. But, like I said, this is definitely the least fun thing to get there. 

Higher up on the fun scale are all of the ready made food items that are made fresh daily. Onigiri (as I described above) are definitely one of my favorites for a quick snack, but the list of options goes far past there. If I ever need a quick meal or I don’t have food to bring to school for lunch, I can always count on pad kra pao, or stir fried chicken with basil, or crab fried rice to get me through. If these meals don’t seem like they will be filling, I will also buy 2 soft boiled eggs to crack right on top. These are just two of dozens of ready made meals available for offer. 

Or, if Nolan and I are getting back late from a night out in Bangkok, it is a sure thing that we will be stopping in to get a ham and cheese toastie. A backpacker favorite, but well known for a reason, these extremely processed but legitimately delicious toasties can be panini-ed right behind the counter and be ready to soak up all the alcohol in your stomach in no time. While the ham and cheese toastie is the classic, others include a tuna and cheese toastie (Nolan’s favorite) or the spinach and cheese toastie which we love on an especially good night. 

While the food is definitely the shining star of 7/11, the coffee bars are not to be overlooked! These come in especially handy on a morning when going to school feels a bit harder and having a Thai tea in hand is sure to give me the extra boost I need. They are not the best teas in the world, but they are also open 24 hours and so it is great to have them there in a pinch. 

5 minute walk

Upon passing the 7/11 and entering the mall an assortment of delicious things spring out all at once. One of our favorite coffee and tea bars is just past 7/11, offering up sweet and robust Thai tea and iced lattes that have Nolan addicted. However, at these coffee bars, Nolan and I always opt for our drinks wan noi, a little bit sweet. Thai people LOVE sweets, and getting one of these drinks even at 25% sweet will still be the sweetest thing you have all day. 

Always happy at Bonchon!

A few steps further and you would find yourself surrounded by fast food: KFC, Subway, and Nolan and I’s personal favorite: Bonchon. Bonchon is a Korean fried chicken chain. Now, I have tried a fair amount of fried chicken in my life. I grew up as a chicken tender lover. I love KFC, and have eaten it around the world. In Phuket, I would eat street fried chicken once a week for breakfast. Bonchon has the best fried chicken I’ve ever had in my life. It is sweet, garlicky, and spicy, and the crispy skin is irresistible. Nolan goes for the fried fish, and has similar reviews. The side of sticky rice is perfect to balance the intense flavors of the chicken, and please do not sleep on the kimchi coleslaw. In our opinion, it is better than either kimchi or coleslaw. This place is seriously so good that when Nolan and I lived in Ecuador we had a fairly strict no talking about Bonchon rule because it would make us sad. This is all to say, we are happy it is within the 5 minute walk section of this post. 

Down and around the corner from Bonchon, past two more of our favorite tea stops, is a hip and trendy spot: Bartels. Bartels has become a bit of a chain around Bangkok due to its extreme popularity. They specialize in fresh sourdough bread and amazing hot sandwiches. The perfect spot when eating more noodles and rice doesn’t sound the most appetizing, Bartels is great when we are missing that perfect sandwich. They have a killer pesto tuna melt with hot jalapeno peppers that we love ordering for pick up and eating at a table next to another great coffee stop only an escalator ride away. 

Khao Soi with a watermelon shake, my favorite!

Curving back around the mall on the second floor is the food court. Food courts in Bangkok have a completely different feel and vibe then food courts anywhere else. Instead of being full of Panda Express and McDonalds, it has at least 30 authentic Asian food stalls where you can eat local food for very low prices. Nolan and I each have a few go to stalls at this point including: a

vegetarian spot where you can get a few entrees for under $3, a Michelin guide beef noodle soup for under $3, my personal favorite Khao Soi or red curry noodle soup with chicken for $3, crab omelet with chili over rice for $4, and so many more. I am also always in for a watermelon shake to round out the meal, for another $2. There is ample seating, it's extremely clean, and the food is impressively good. The food court has become a go-to for Nolan and I when we are feeling too lazy to cook and want a cheap, fast, and deliciously authentic meal. 

There are probably another 15 places to eat in True Digital Park that Nolan and I haven’t even tried yet. That is where all of the joy in eating in Thailand lies: there is always more to explore. 

8 minute walk

Upon exiting the clean and modern mall and walking down the soi, or small road, next to it, you are immediately immersed in the hustle and bustle of Bangkok. Street vendors line the skinny and sometimes perilous sidewalk, and force everyone to walk single file. Deep fried fish and skewered meat jump out at you from one side with a cart that is connected to a motorbike and covered with fresh vegetables surround you on the other. This street is dense, and while Nolan and I have yet to try and aren’t tempted by too many of the carts, there is a tiny restaurant with a few metal tables and stools that has been screaming my name (another adventure to be had!). A few more meters down is a baked goods shop that always has Nolan stopping in for a loaf of banana bread or a brownie. As we continue down the street past massage parlors and near constant traffic, the sidewalk chaos dies down and more restaurants start to appear. 

Just up on the left, past a little fried chicken stand and a takoyaki stop that both of us have been tempted into (both were great), Nolan and I have found another one of our regular nights out. There is a small courtyard that contains a few different restaurants, including a fancy-schmancy

burger joint, a cafe where you can cuddle with bunny rabbits and guinea pigs, a sushi place that I will get to later, and in the middle, a beautiful outdoor Thai restaurant. On any given night, Nolan and I can be found sitting out under the stringy lights diving into an assortment of Thai delicacies. We love this place, of course for the food, but also for the vibe here. It is never crowded, but if there are other people, they are always locals. We have even been there on a night or two with some acoustic Thai music. Lastly, all of the dishes are priced at just around $4 and the wait staff is so kind. While they don’t usually speak any English, it is a fun time to communicate in our extremely limited Thai and soak up the local scene. 

This restaurant is great because it serves up all the Thai classics. Any kind of curry, stir-fry, appetizer, or dessert that you have been craving, they have it here. Nolan is always tempted to put in an order for shrimp cakes as an appetizer, think a crab cake but deep fried and stuffed with purely shrimp, served with a side of sweet chili sauce. 

One classic that always has Nolan and I coming back for more, here and everywhere else, is fried rice. While fried rice in the US is mainly regarded as a side dish to the meal, here it is not to be overlooked. The fried rice is sprinkled with vegetables and your choice of meat (we often go for shrimp), seasoned to perfection with fish sauce, lime, and the smoky flavor of the wok it was cooked in. It is no side dish here, the fried rice itself is a shining star. 

Pad Kra Pao, ordered extra spicy

The curries at this place are also incredible, from red curry to stir-fried yellow curry, they are spicy and tangy and filled to the brim with flavor. The pad kra pao is also a winner; a Thai staple, sometimes the simplicity of having a good pad kra pao is all you need.

Whatever Nolan or I end up ordering, we always like to complement it with an order of stir-fried morning glory. This vegetable is a constant in Thailand. It is a type of water spinach, and stir-fried up with some oyster sauce and peppers, it becomes a delicious and fulfilling vegetable to complement any meal. And, as you may have realized in reading this, Nolan and I tend to eat out a lot, but we are not the only ones. I’ve heard that a study was done that found Bangkokians eat out 80% of their meals. Being constantly surrounded by food at such low prices, it's hard to justify spending time cooking for yourself. This is especially true after noticing that a can of beans at the grocery store can cost as much as a whole meal on the street. All of this is to say that while Nolan and I have been diving deep into the food culture here, it is always good to put in an order of morning glory to make sure we are getting the vegetables we need since we are rarely cooking them up at home. 

While our favorite Thai spot is always hard to miss, we recently branched out and tried the sushi place across the courtyard. The first thing we noticed about this place was the extremely kind staff who were available quickly and were happy to let us sit outside and enjoy the beautiful weather of the cold season (it was about 80 degrees). We were immediately greeted by edamame and a miso soup which scores high points for me any day. We ordered a few creative rolls, along with a tuna nigiri each, and while it wasn’t the most high quality sushi we’ve ever tried, it checked off all the boxes for a solid neighborhood sushi spot, and we do see ourselves returning soon. 

The next logical place for this post to go, as it is about a 12 minute walk from our apartment, is the Khun Yim Market. Full to the brim with everything you could want here, the market keeps Nolan and I constantly coming back for more. However, that market will undoubtedly need another post all to itself. 

When people ask me what my favorite thing about Thailand is, the food is obviously the best, but coming in close second is the convenience. As you’ve read, we are quite literally surrounded by delicious options at dirt cheap prices. The walk is never far (the farthest we got in this post was an 8 minute walk!) and the food is always show stopping. I can’t wait to continue showing you around the food scene of the endlessly interesting and always exciting city of Bangkok, Thailand.