Bangkok Restaurants – A Hidden Pearl

wokAfter a particularly painful stint of chicken kebab-induced diarrhoea in Morocco a few years ago, I began to curtail my adventurous spirit within the realm of culinary delights. Today I pushed the boundaries. I ignored the convulsions my body automatically threw itself into as it saw another possibility of days of intestinal agony. I ignored my own questionable judgment. I even ignored the note my mother had pinned to my pocket, warning me not to trust my questionable judgment. Yup – a little confusing I’ll admit – but I did it anyway. Into the lion’s den of gastronomic exploration I went.

ingredientsIn Morocco the culprit was down a dingy street, on the cart of an old vendor with grubby hands. – Mmmmm. Today, I decided to stick with the grubby street theme, but the “kitchen” seemed almost clean (this was a real clincher). The problem was that the first time I saw this great place in Bangkok, I didn’t even realize that it was a kitchen or restaurant. There was a small, outside cooking area, but that isn’t so unusual for family homes to have in this area. There were a few people sitting around chatting, but again it’s not out of the ordinary in hospitable places like Thailand. Everyone was staring at the dumb-ass foreigner who must be lost, but hell – I get that look all the time in my own suburb back home. It actually took a Thai friend to point out that it was actually a restaurant.

kitchenNo menus, limited English and an extreme lack of Thai on my part always makes ordering a little tricky, but with the help of animated body language, a little pointing, as well as staff who seemed both incredibly friendly and quite bemused by the idiot farang, I was able to get a few dishes: Ground pork with an extremely good sauce, fried squid to die for, with sweet chili sauce and fish in some type of soy sauce, all served with rice and tea. The verdict – Damn, damn good. The service – Brilliant. The cost – About 50 cents. Unbeatable. The aftermath – Let’s just say there was nothing… regrettable.

Now, we here at Polo’s Bastards usually don’t give plugs unless there is serious bribery involved. We really put the grit into integrity, but today I am going to break all the rules. Go to this place! It is a great place to eat. But what is it called? you ask. Well, that’s kinda tricky ‘cos it doesn’t actually have a name. Where is it located? Hmm… no street name that I could see. But I will attempt to give directions. Go to the Queen Mother’s Garden in the South of Bangkok. Go directly through the garden to the very rear and you will hit a street. Turn right. Go to the end. Turn left. Go straight and it’s the first street on the left. If they look at you like you’re a lost idiot, then that’s it.

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