A reverse side of my memory

Wonderful things always happen when we travel, especially to the place we thought we knew and then found out that we knew nothing at all. We went to Trang several years back and thought, to ourselves while driving pass the sleepy roads and partly run-down areas, that the place had just nothing. There was no signs of life bubbling at their local restaurants  like there were in other touristy spots. And when there’s no big sign, how could we choose which place to eat?

So we just ended up in starvation, knowing that there MUST be some places that I’ve heard of, such as Trang’s world famous grilled pork, arrays of dim sum breakfast, seafood and home-cooked Chinese meals hidden… somewhere!! But how could they be found? Luck was on my side when a good friend of mine introduced me to her Trang friend whose boundless hospitality opened up to me the hidden gems of Trang!!

My two weeks in Trang and Phuket reversed my ideas about both provinces. Since we were traveling with the local people, we saw different sides of everything. No signage at restaurants? No problem! This is because I knew through our wonderful guide(s) that the place was wonderful and because the local people there know exactly what you’re talking about by just mentioning the most popular dish they serve!

Our new eating saga started in Trang. And you know, there will be whole book about it with my new small venture launch along with it. Will definitely keep you posted!

And for some excerpts of many breathtaking pictures we took throughout those days, visit Tae’s flickr.

Dining with the downturn

With the downturn, we hopefully dine with more conscience. Prices in many restaurants are rolling down to the point that they are offering us delicious food for practically nothing. Remember the time when people have to literally break their banks when dining in one of the five-star establishments or dread the bills then the check finally comes?

That is no longer the case now that even the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok is offering super deals in many of their fabulous outlets. We recently had a feast at the China House where, on Sundays, scrumptious Chinese buffet brunch, is served at Bt1,100 per person (net) with free-flow iced tea, coffee and desserts.  Plus, they super cozy interior adds on to the atmosphere, too.

Their brunch buffet are in 2 main sections: buffet line brimmed with mouthwatering dishes such as drunken chicken (my favorite, for they are tender and aromatic with the skin on), soups of prawn wanton, fresh shrimp in chinese herbs and spicy sichuan style. My favorite is the wanton soup with a dash of chili sauce on the table.  There are also typical Chinese grills of suckling pig, pekking duck, roasted duck and BBQ pork, cold slices of pork knuckle served with spicy sauce, salad of soy chicken, mushroom salad and much more.

The feast is completed with their dim sum and main course selections that you can order from the menu as much as you like and they will be freshly cooked for you.  I liked their snow fish steamed/deep-fried with soy sauce, their super crunch wasabi prawns, stir-fried noodle with seafood and for desserts, do not miss the red tea ice cream and seseme dumplings. The China House is also open for dinner daily and their Sunday Brunch opens from 11.30-15.00, T: 02-659-9000. Also, for those looking for fabulous French deal, Le Normandie is now serving set lunch at Bt1,000 net/person. Good chance for those looking to experience Le Normandie’s lengedary cuisine, plus their wonderful breads/butter    

Another deal that I found quite nice is at Indian Host where we last week tried their set lunch for 2 (minimum) at Bt199 net per person. The set comes with one appetizer, main and dessert. But see what we have got on our table when ordering 2 sets. They have nans, rice and salad too. I wish we had known that the amount would be this much before ordering another fish tikka, which was also good, on the side.

However, despite the whining, we still cleaned the plates. The chef should be proud. Indian Host cooks their food fresh and I particularly like their Bhindi Masala and chicken tikka masala. So good.

 

As it always happens with me and Indian food, one dish is always more than enough. May be this is the reason why I have to go back there often to try more dishes soon.