Kokhun Ponyangkham BBQ

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BBQ bite crossover

The consume of quality local beef (don't yuck, Thailand has decent beef); not only do we save money from trans-ocean transportation cost and high excise tax for those imported cuts, but we may also help the world to reduce carbon emission. The most tender local beef, reua kokhun ponyangkham, is the original Thai-French bred cattle, first raised in Moo Baan Ponyangkham Village of Sakon Nakhon province, is best known for its tenderness of texture and flavorful taste of the red meat.

Thais are not keen on eating meat in a big chunk (e.g. steak); the common scene where I see locals eating beef are in suki (Thai-Chinese hot pot) restaurants or in jim-joom (Issan hot pot) joints; that's especially for the Issan (northeastern provinces) villagers; slices of beef are the essential ingredients for a pot of a fiery jim-joom feast, and of course the best choice is laid on the kokhun ponyangkham Thai-French beef.





In Bangkok, though there is a handful of jim-joom and barbecue specialty eateries which serve kokhun ponyangkham beef from Sakon Nakhon; the original vendor shall be honored to be Khunthong, whose his father was the one who brought up this Thai-French breed of cattle, at Ponyangkham Village, Sakon Nakhon; that is where the name kokhun ponyangkham beef came from. Today Khunthong's family is the key Thai-French beef supplier to local supermarkets and individuals through its Thai-French specialty butchery; Khunthong himself runs jim-joom and barbecue restaurants under the brand Kokhun Khunthong Ponyangkham Restaurant (nine of them now). There they serve kokhun ponyangkham beef with choices, barbecue or jim-joom, and a wide range of Issan 'must-have' delicacies, such as somtum (spicy shredded raw papaya pok-pok salad) and gai yang (grilled chicken).





Kokhun Khunthong Ponyangkham Restaurant ***
Huaykwang branch:
Ratchada Soi 4
Ratchadapisek Road
Huaykwang, Bangkok 10310
Tel.: 085.056.7330
Kokhun

Open daily : 5 - 11 pm
Pay (food only for two): around THB 500

Raan Ahhan Aroi Nae Non

358
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Encroachment delicious

Aroi Nae Non (literally delicious definitely) Restaurant, located at the beginning of Ladprao Road, serves a wide variety of classic Issan (northeastern provinces) fare. The menu covers an extensive selection of country-style favorites of Issan region, like different kind of somtum and yum to gaeng and jim-joom. My favorites are namtok moo yang and gai yang.

The owner really has guts to name its restaurant Aroi Nae Non or Definitely Delicious! However, I found, every dish I ordered was flavorsome, they are delicious, and wallet friendly too.


1. yum eggplant salad with seafood THB 90
2. grilled pork, with mint, in namtok dressing THB 60
(CNNgo world most delicious foods no. 19)

3. grilled chicken, marinated in Issan recipe THB 70

4 deep-fried sea bass THB 290

5. fried prawn in tamarind sauce THB 150
6. tomyum goong the CNNgo world 8th most delicious foods, THB 100

Aroi Nae Non Issan Restaurant ****
Ladprao Road
near Ladprao Soi 1
Chatuchak, Bangkok 10900
Tel: 02.939.3808

Open daily : 3 pm - 1 am
Pay (food only for two): around THB 400

Esarn Derm

BANGKOK AMAZING GOURMET
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Twin - the beautiful one

Almost next to Raan Deur is Esarn Derm, another Thai-Issan restaurant on Narathiwas Road. Packed with delicious Thai cuisine with a northeastern (Issan) twist. And it is packed during (every) evening, even on a rainy day.


somtum, gai yang

nam-tok moo yang, pla kapong pao

Esarn Derm Issan Restaurant ****
377 Naradhiwas-najanagarindra Road
(near Narathiwas-Ratchada intersection)
Yannawa, Bangkok 10120
Tel.: 081.919.8297

Open daily : 4 pm - 2 am
Pay (food only for two): around THB 300


*this picture was taken at 1:29am (in the evening, it was full house)

Raan Deur

BANGKOK AMAZING GOURMET
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Almost twin - unfortunately

Thai-Issan cuisine is never short of in Bangkok whether in a form of sidewalk hawker, small vendor, or high-end eatery. Right! Those restaurants with specialties of gai-yang (grilled marinated chicken), som-tum (shredded raw papaya spicy Thai salad), yum (spicy Thai salads), tom-zaap (spicy and sour soup), and jim-joom (spicy Issan hotpot).

Today, after tea with a friend at Belle Park, we agreed to eat Issan food where the restaurant is not far from his house. He claimed, rumor says it is a good one.

We started with nam-tok khaw moo yang (grilled pork neck, Issan namtok sauce), gai yang (grilled marinated chicken), tom-zaap (spicy and spicy soup Issan style), and pla pao (grilled sea bass), and would like to order either the Issan hotpot or barbecue after the first round was done. However, after sampled the bland grilled chicken meat, spicy and salty only but not flavorsome pork neck, and also spicy and salty only but not flavorsome tom-zaap soup, we canceled the grilled fish. And of course forget about the hotpot or barbecue.

Rumor says it is a good one? Truly rumor.





Raan Deur Issan Restaurant **3/4
371 Naradhiwas-rajanagarindra Road
(corner Naradhiwas Soi 24)
Yannawa, Bangkok 10120
Tel.: 02.674.3040

Open daily : 4 pm - 1 am
Pay (food only for two): around THB 300

All about hot-pot

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Hot-pot carnival

Hot-pot is a popular dish around the world, especially well received in Asia.

In China, hot-pot is called huǒ-guō (a.k.a. steamboat, or you may call it Chinese fondue). Different provinces in China have its distinctive hot-pot. Southern provinces, such as Guangdong has its clear herbs soup hot-pot, Northern provinces are good at mutton hot-pot (shuān-yáng-ròu), and in Sichuan its Chengdu numb and spicy (má-là) hot-pot took the medal. In Taiwan, sha-cha hot-pot is on the heat, even Sichuan má-là hot-pot is also popular on the island.

Nabe (nabemono) is the Japanese answer to hot-pot. Common nabe are yosenabe, sukiyaki and shabu-shabu.

In Thailand, it is the combination of Chinese hot-pot and Japanese shabu-shabu, called Thai suki (a.k.a. suki). Also, Jim-joom Northeastern (Isan) hot-pot is popular in Isan and Bangkok among people from the northeast provinces.

Hot-pot is also well eaten by people in European countries with different names in their dialects. Switzerland maybe the country no one can afford to miss the Swiss fondue. Swiss fondue usually means a cheese fondue, but do not limited to hot-oil fondue. Chocolate fondue is also popular in Switzerland, France, and through out the European communities.

In Bangkok, you get them all!

For Chinese hot-pot, try:
Green Bamboo House
Silom Plaza, 491/42 Silom Road

Bangrak, Bangkok 10500
Tel.: 02.635.2724

For Yosenabe, try:
Kisso Japanese Restaurant

Westin Grande Sukhumvit Hotel
259 Sukhumvit Road (at Sukhumvit Soi 19)
Wattana, Bangkok 10110
Tel.: 02.207.8000

For Shabu-shabu, try:
Mo-mo Paradise
7/F, Zone Atrium, Central World Plaza
4 Rajdamri Road, Bangkok 10330

Tel.: 02.290.9007

For Sukiyaki, try:

Nippon Tei

Basement, Nantawan Building,

161 Rajdarmri Road

Lumpini, Bangkok 10330

Tel.: 02.252.9438

For Thai Suki, try:
Coca Suki Restaurant
Sukhumvit 39 branch
Soi 39, Sukhumvit Road

Wattana, Bangkok 10110
Tel.: 02.234.1957 (central number)

For Jim-joom Isan Hot-pot, try:

Joom Zap Hut

2/F, Silom Complex, 191 Silom Road

Bangrak, Bangkok 10500

* Jim-joom normally serves at roadside vendors with seats, it is uncommon with jim-joom serves in an air-conditioned restaurant in a shoppong mall; Joom Zap Hut (over 50 branches in shopping malls throughout Thailand) maybe the only choice if one would like to sample jim-joom in comfort!

For Cheese, Hot-oil and Chocolate Fondue, try:

Chesa Swiss Cuisine

5 Sukhimvit Soi 20
Klong Toey, Bangkok 10110
Tel.: 02.261.6650

For Ice Cream Fondue, try:

Häagen-Dazs
Central World branch

3/F, Zone Atrium, Central World Plaza
4 Rajaramri Road, Bangkok 10330
Tel.: 02.613.1460

Enjoy!