478
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Eating by the river
Eating at a night bazaar is (usually) the last place that I would like to dine at, such as the recently opened Asiatique the Riverfront. By chance, a few days ago I ate at Ko Dang Talay, and I found out that the food is good and the price is decent. Ko Dang Talay is not the place that sucks the tourist spending budget, but an honest seafood restaurant that really aims on cooking people a meal. Finally there is a place for me to eat, after a round of exhausted night bazaar shopping with heat and sweat.
Ko Dang Talay Seafood Restaurant ***1/2
Warehouse 7
Asiatique the Riverfront
Charoen Krung Road
Bang Kho Laem, Bangkok 10120
Open daily : 5 - 10 pm
Pay (food only for one): around THB 400
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445
.Noble lobsters snobbish crabs
On Bangkok's bustling Ekamai Road, there is the decades old Khun Ying, serving seafood to the high-so(ciety) aunties and their families as well as the well paid expats. There are humors commenting that their service is sluggish and snobbish, but I found that it is attentive and enthusiastic, attached with their Siam smile throughout my dinner. Khun Ying's seafood is undoubtedly fresh and of good quality, thus they deserved us to dig into our pocket a bit deeper to summon for that.
spicy century-year eggs salad, THB 120+; squid in spicy lime juice, THB 120+
steamed curried souffle with seafood in whole coconut, THB 320+
steamed sea bass in spicy lime and Thai herb broth, THB 450+
ripe mango, sticky rice with kati sweet coconut cream, THB 120+
stir-fried bitter gourd stem and leaves, THB 120+
Khun Ying Seafood Restaurant ***1/2
55 Sukhumvit 63 Road (Soi Ekamai)
Wattana, Bangkok 10110
Tel.: 02.391.5769
Open daily : 11 am - 11 pm
Pay (food only for two, all seafood dining): around THB 1,800
418
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Full moon under the GarudaAlmost a century ago, Chandrphen, started from a small food vendor in front of a vinegar factory, is now a prominent restaurant with the honor of the Royal Garuda emblem in recognition for its long-time service to the royal banquets and events; it is originally renowned for their char-grilled chicken (it was called seaside chicken, or gai-yang chai-talay at that time), and is now a symbol of high-so(ciety) Thai-Chinese feasts with the offer of both Thai and Thai-Chinese gourmet dishes.
One of my local friends told me that he was disappointed with Chandrphen's expensive dishes, especially her 'over half-century favorites' barbecued chicken, and I was puzzled. So recently we went to Chanrphen to uncover his reason of dislike. We found that Chandrphen's chicken has two choices on the menu, they are the original gai-yang chai-talay 'our half-century famous' barbecued chicken (THB 220) and char-grilled Thai farm (free range) chicken (THB 480). The cheaper (and original) one was what my friend ordered, and he dislikes, while I always order the char-grilled free range chicken, which has a good texture and flavor. And my friend agreed that the latter one was much more tasty. Chandrphen dishes are good but expensive, didn't I mention that it is a high-so(ciety) restaurant!
Chandrphen curried fish cakes, THB 180+
shrimp and crab meat nuggets combo, THB 240+
Thai style dried sukiyaki with seafood and vegetables (suki han), THB 250+
char-grilled free range farm chicken (gai-baan), half, THB 250+
stir-fried bitter gourd leaves & stem with chilies, very spicy, THB 120+
stir-fried spinach with mushroom in oyster sauce, THB 120+
spicy & sour soup w/ prawns and kati (tomyum goong nam khon), THB 280+
deep fried ocean pomfret, medium, seasonal price, this one was THB 1,100+
char-grilled river lobsters, seasonal price, this pair was, THB 1,640+
cooked gingko nuts in syrup, in whole young coconut, THB 125+
home-made young coconut ice cream with jello, THB 95+
Chandrphen Restaurant ***3/4
Rama IV branch
1030/1 Rama IV Road
Sathorn, Bangkok 10120
Tel.: 02.287.1535
Chandrphen
Open daily : lunch 11:30 am - 2:30 pm, dinner 5 - 10 pm
Pay (food only for two): around THB 1,200
