My Egg Noodles

Khao Mok Kai, as I understand it, translates to chicken cooked deep in rice. The dish is from southern Thailand and as the name suggests, consists of chicken that is cooked within fragrant yellow rice served with crispy garlic on top. It’s normally cooked in a big drum like pan, so you’ll need to keep an eye out for it.

Unfortunately it’s very rare I see Khao Mok Kai for sale, so whenever I do you can be guaranteed I’ll get some in. Even if I’ve already eaten, I’ll order it “take away” and eat it later, knowing it maybe months before I’ll get to eat it again.

Trust me on this one, if you ever see Khao Mok Kai for sale on the streets of Bangkok, order it! The slightly Indian spiced yellow rice with the moist chicken thigh was delicious :)

Over the last few weeks I’ve noticed a fair bit of hype within my Twitter stream with people “checking into” Dean and Deluca, a new sandwich and deli shop from New York who have recently opened their first branch in Thailand. Naturally, I was keen to check it out.

Dean and Deluca in Bangkok is easy to find. It’s located beside the Chong Nonsi BTS (the opposite side to Mc’Donalds) and is easily accessible by the Chong Nonsi BTS station.

The place kind of felt a little sterile to me, which I wasn’t a fan off. To the core it’s a sandwich shop, however it felt like a mix between a cosmetic stand you’d find at a department store with a hint of car showroom thrown in. It’s weird.

Saying that, the place was busy when I visited. Mainly Hi-So Thai’s who looked like they had put on their best garments while checking out the selection of sandwiches. Most were sharing a single piece of cake themselves. Yes, the hi-so crowd in Bangkok are a unique bunch :)

Anyway, don’t let this put you off. The quality food on offer more than makes up for the weird ambiance.

I opted for the Goats Cheese and Avocado sandwich (฿200). The bread was of high quality and was very delicious, with heaped fillings to boot. In fact, there was to much Avocado for me, which seemed to drain out everything else. After taking a few slices of avocado out, I ended up with a solid sandwich that went down a treat.

I then had the Lamb, Spinach and Peach salad (฿160). What can I say other than this was gorgeous! The 3 simple yet quality ingredients complimented each other perfectly, which were combined with a simple virgin olive oil dressing. This was simplicity as it’s best. Yum!

My banana milkshake (฿100) and Strawberry smoothie (฿120) which were both excellent, filled me up to the point I was not able to fit a desert in. Which is a shame, as they looked very special.

I think the newly opened Dean and Deluca in Bangkok is an excellent choice to have lunch, if you like quality sandwiches, salads and bakery items. They also have a dehli area where you can pick up quality spices, salts, chocolates etc. imported from all over the world. I couldn’t help but think these items would make great xmas pressies.

Have you checked out Dean and Deluca yet? What did you think?

For the last few weeks I’m been craving a nice bowl of comforting ramen noodles. In fact, ever since I went to Japan and sampled lot’s of different varieties of ramen noodles and broths, I’ve been hooked! I would even go as far as saying eating ramen noodles if dam right exciting, as each bowl I’ve had has had it’s own characteristics, just like different varieties of wine has. I wonder if there’s any professional ramen tasters out there? Now there’s an idea :)

The Bangkok wide Oishi Ramen Noodle Bar chain is quick, cheap and excellent value for money. Now don’t get me wrong; the broth does lack the real depth of flavor as you would find in Japan, however the bowls I’ve had sure do the trick.

I opted for the Gyu-Niu Ramen (ramen with bouble boiled beef). The beef was very tender, the broth meaty and wholesome and the noodles were thick and fresh. Great value at ฿85 (£1.75 / $2.70)

My friend opted for the Miso Ramen (Ramen in beanpaste soup). We also had some nice Gyoza (Fried pork dumplings with a sticky sour sauce dressing) – ฿45 for 4 pieces. These were very good. In fact, so good that I forgot to take a picture of them!

All in all, Oishi Ramen Noodle Bar in Bangkok is a great place to check out if you love your ramen noodles!

I came across this little Thai eatery in Ubon Ratchathani a couple of years ago and since then I’ve returned whenever I’m in town. It’s funny that whenever you go somewhere, there is normally one or two restaurants you’ll miss when you leave. I have that sort of relationship with this no frills place.

They have lot’s of pre-cooked dishes to chose from, however it’s their Beef Massaman Curry that keeps drawing me back. The potato with thick slices of tender beef cooked in a mildly spiced, southern curry paste is a real treat. Oh, and its excellent value at only 35b for a single serving or 70b for a double serving (as seen in the picture above).

If you ever make it to Ubon Ratchathani, make sure you hunt this place down. The eatery is opposite the Phadaeng Mansion Hotel (which is where I stay when I’m in town), making it easy to find.

Do you like Massaman Curry? If so, where’s the best Massaman Curry you’ve had?