The Green Gecko - Travel and Product Blog - Fine Dining?

On arriving in Bangkok I usually have one thing on my mind; some sleep is usually needed after the long trip from Canada; but first, FOOD.  It’s hard to go anywhere in Bangkok and not be surrounded by the aromas of various food.  Thai’s are fantastic at cooking up amazing dishes in a flash.  Bangkok is well known for it’s Street Food.  Which generally refers to vendors with carts that each specialize in one item or dish. 

A typical street food stall selling noodle soup with chicken.

One of my favorite places to eat in Bangkok is not quite street food, but also, it’s not really a restaurant.  These on-the-spot-eateries, often set up at night, turn a street corner into a make-shift restaurant.  Plastic stools and tables will start to be pulled out just before dusk (around 5pm) and the cooking will be done at a mobile kitchen.  One I love to visit we affectingly call the ‘7-11 Restaurant’ because it is on the corner where a 7-11 convenience store is.  It’s a short walk from our hotel and is open late into the night.  They always have an array of Thai dishes ready.  And several on the go.

It’s run by a group of 4 guys who look younger than they likely are.  They are slammin’ busy every night and for good reason, they just keep pumping out the amazing food. 

      Multi tasking   :)

 The dishes are displayed in trays on the cart, You just start pointing at what looks good and they start dishing it up.  Of course served with rice.  One of my favorites is panang curry with pork.  The best panang curry I’ve had!  They also make this amazing pork with green beans in a sweet-hot chili sauce.  The last time I had Thai green curry from these guys I think I burnt a whole layer of my stomach lining off.  But it was SO GOOD!
A meal for 2 people with 3 dishes, and rice costs about $3 CND.

Sounds super cheap, but depending on your comfort level there is some compromise. You are literally sitting on the street on a plastic stool.  If a large vehicle comes by you may have to get up and move your table over to let it through.  And likely all of the exhaust fumes don’t do us much good, but the air quality in Bangkok sucks anyway.  To me these are small compromises and the people watching is also great entertainment.

When you’re having your meal and your lips are about to fall off from the heat you’ll likely need a cold beer.  These guys won’t sell you one, they tell you to just go into the 7-11 and get yourself one.  So, in addition to great food, you get beer with no mark up. Cool.