The next place for us to visit was a bit far from our hotel, but hopping onto the city’s BTS system made the journey a breeze. More than that, it was amusing to watch the monorail cars as they snaked in between clusters of buildings, to view the vast greenery of Lumphini Park and to see the latest skyscrapers of the city.
I was a little disoriented when we finally got to Bangrak, a district in the city where we were to have our lunch. Initially, I wanted to do a food tour here, as those advertised on the internet seemed enticing. In the end, I decided against it, knowing how my parents couldn’t exactly stomach dining in small alleyways and less-than-clean eateries. I did the best I could to find some of the places other had sampled their food in, but my suggestion of eating the seemingly more delicious Prachak roasted duck was quickly turned down by my family. Hence, we opted to sample a bit more authentic Thai food: curry.
Queen of Curry
From what I gathered on my research, Queen of Curry serves some great curry (Jek Pui curry in Chinatown would have been the top choice, but it would take me a lifetime to convince my parents to eat a rice dish without a table), and so we headed towards the restaurant. It was empty when we got there (maybe we were just too early for lunch), but we were the only customers in the entirety of our meal.
Admittedly, I had never eaten curry in Thailand before. I tended to lean on the more famous dishes such as pad thai, tom yum and sate (or moo ping). Once in a while though, I would enjoy a bowl of green curry from Mango Tree in Manila. It was even in the US where I indulged in my first bowl of Panang curry. Embarrasingly, even with all the varieties of curry available to try, I still went with the variants I was familiar with, green curry and beef panang. Add to this some pineapple fried rice, another uniquely Thai specialty, and it was a meal ready to be devoured.
Given my limited tastings of curry, I couldn’t pinpoint the nuances of flavors. Both curries were good, with punches of spices, hints of aromatics, and the creaminess of coconut milk. I was a little surprised how they were less spicy than expected, perhaps the restaurant being located close to five-star hotels made them tame the level of heat of these dishes. It was a good meal, but I wasn’t sure whether I’d trek down to Bangrak again for those bowls of curry (then again, I’m no curry expert).
Boonsap Thai Desserts
We were full (I know the curry meal wasn’t too much but we had quite a heavy breakfast at the hotel), but we had to have the renowned mango sticky rice. The store was not only famous through the food tour, but I also saw it on Bizarre Foods Delicious Destinations. We only ordered one plate to share since we had overindulged, but one spoonful quickly changed our stance. As the creamy yet chewy rice reached our mouths, along the sweet, firm mango and the crunchy topping (I didn’t know what it was) I was impressed with the flavors and textures this humble dish bestowed. Our bellies seemed to have made room for more as we requested for two more orders, with one serving to be had at the hotel. We also bought a few boxes of local sweets, but we didn’t enjoy them as much when we tried them later in the day.
If only this was within walking distance, I’d gladly go and eat everyday I was in Bangkok. Their sticky rice had become the benchmark of all mango sticky rice I had tried, and it was glorious and simply the best.
More food in Bangkok next time. Until then, happy (virtual) travels!
