Celine ChiamMy first trip to Thailand wasn’t to Bangkok, but to Phuket and some villages near it for my overseas community service project. The second time to Thailand was then to Bangkok where I experienced insane shopping and enjoyed the best street food ever.
The reason why I was back the third time is because I really, really missed the food there. Not so much of the shopping (although it’s a huge bonus hehehe), but mainly for the food. This time, I was determined to find out more street food.
My hotel (Budacco) and the previous hotel (Citin Pratunam) are both located around the Pratunam area, so I am pretty much familiar with this place. Back to what I was saying, there are many local street stalls around Pratunam area, but they are not just constrained to the Pratunam street only. They appear everywhere in Thailand!
1. Plain (Kosong) Prata 10baht
This. Prata man. Rocks.
He’s obviously not a Thai.
I see many prata stalls around the Pratunam street, but he makes the best prata here, and sells the cheapest too. My boyfriend patronised him every single night we were here because the prata is simply irresistible. We always start a small chat with the prata man and eventually found out that he has been living in Thailand for 15 years already.
And guess what? He sells 4000-7000 pratas every night, from 7pm to 2am.
 |
| The plain prata (10 baht) is drizzled with condensed milk and sprinkled with sugar. |
His plain prata is only 10baht. Other people sell it at 20baht, and not as nice as his. Not to mention this man is really friendly. Look how he smiles to my camera and always jokes with us. He has very good prata-making skills too. He does a lot of tricks while making, entertaining his customers while they wait patiently for his pratas.
The best food must be sought after. His stall is along an alley where Citin Pratunam Hotel is, so all the best in finding him, and it should be only him!
88/19 Ratchaprarop Road, Phayathai, Ratchathewi, Bangkok 10400, Thailand
2. Seafood Tom Yam 100-120baht
88/19 Ratchaprarop Road, Phayathai, Ratchathewi, Bangkok 10400, Thailand
UPDATED: He has upgraded to a shop! This proves that his soups are really impressively good. Check out his FB page here.
This is another exact stall you shouldn’t miss. Also along the Pratunam street outside Citin Pratunam Hotel, this man has been there for many years too. Look, he even set up a Facebook page for his stall. He sells his tom yam soup at an affordable price of 100-120 baht, depending on the ingredients you choose.
Chicken, fish, squid and prawns – you can pick any combination and he will quote you the price. You can either have the soup on the tables and chairs along the road side, or pack it back to your hotel.
The stall might look a little unhygienic (and that is exactly why street stalls are now prohibited in Singapore), but based on individual preferences, I am perfectly fine with street food as long as the stall owners wear gloves while handling the food.
Ps: don’t expect 100% cleanliness when we talk about street food.
3. BBQ Squid 20baht
This is my favourite street stall of all times.
TIP: If you would like to have juicy squid, choose the squid body instead of the squid legs.
BBQ squid may taste a little dry because of the loss of moisture through the process of barbecuing. Have it with the Thai sour and spicy sauce that complements all the food at the stall. Such sauce is really hard to find in Singapore, and I always come back for this.
This kind of stalls can be commonly found in the streets of Bangkok.
4. Assorted meatballs and sausages 20-30baht
Honestly, I have no idea how to differentiate the many types of meatballs displayed, like the one in the photo above. Sausages itself can count up to five types, so let’s not even bother counting the number of meatball types.
They can be purchased off the display or you can request the stall owner to re-fry the food for you. The latter was what I did and honestly, the food became much oilier but… I’m only here for a few days, heck it!
5. Roasted Banana 20baht
I’ve never seen such a way of preparing bananas in Singapore.
Singapore eateries commonly deep fry the bananas and we call them the fried fritters. As for roasting it, that sure is refreshing! I tried this version and it tastes a little more roasted on the outside with more moisture on the inside.
6. Fried Chicken (thigh/drumstick)
Bangkok street stalls’ fried chicken parts are neither too dry nor coated with thick layers of fried batter. The meat is extremely juicy and tender, and can I emphasise how cheap they are?
PS: they are undoubtedly heaty, so make sure you drink lots of water!
7. Roasted Sticky Rice Cake (3 for 20baht)
I didn’t spot this when I was at Bangkok the first time.
These petite, round pancakes are actually made from sticky rice and then roasted on top of a charcoal fire pit. They are a little more than chewy, but too bland for my preference.
8. Waffle with Corn fillings (10 baht)
My first bite into the waffle was just plain and bland. But subsequently it revealed sweet corn fillings which is, again, not common in Singapore! I like the sweet corn taste with real corn bits. They only cost 10 baht each!
9. Mango Sticky Rice
Mango sticky rice is quite common on the streets. You’ll find sweet and juicy mangoes atop sticky rice, drizzled with coconut syrup. A reasonable price range should be around 50-70 baht per serving. Some stalls sell the rice and mango separately, but you get more rice in return.
Their mangoes are so finger-licking sweet!
10. Phad Thai
The main difference between the street stalls’ phad thai and restaurants’ is definitely the price! At a third of restaurants’ price, I can safely vouch that the quality of street stalls’ phad thai will not lose to that of a restaurant. Stir-fried with simple ingredients like dried shrimps, dried tofu, eggs, peanut bits and some chilli flakes, they can be really satisfying breakfast/lunch/dinner. That means, I just don’t get sick of it.
11. Otah in a Bowl
Such stalls usually sell common home-cooked thai dishes. I’ve tried some of them because I was at my uni friend’s apartment (she went Bangkok for uni exchange) for dinner. Thai home-cooked dishes are quite different to that of Singapore’s because they tend to be more on the spicy and sour side, which means they are so much more flavourful, probably inferring unhealthiness too.
Back to the otah, which is usually a cake made of fish meat paste. Those found in Singapore are usually flat and slim, so the moment I saw this cup otah, I got really curious.
Apart from it being very spicy, I like how the coconut syrup serve to simmer down the hotness (though the coconut syrup can be really fattening). This is good for dinner.
12. Corn on the cob 20baht
I am a huge fan of corn, but I’ve never tried such sweet corn cob before.
I don’t really want to probe further as to whether they have soaked the corn in some high sugar content liquid or not, but the corn tasted really extraordinarily sweet. Sweet and juicy, but definitely not to the extent of being too artificial.
They will also ask if you would like to slice the corn out of the cob. And I gladly said yes because it saved me so much hassle!
13. Fried dough stick (you tiao) 3 for 10 baht
*found only in the morning*
I couldn’t resist trying this because they are so cheap. 3 small pieces for 10 baht, that’s probably less than half a Singapore dollar. Nothing much about the fried dough stick, but they are freshly fried when sold – crispy and airy!
14. Porridge
*found only in the morning*
The porridge stalls are only set up in the morning, and will be gone by 10am or so.
15. Quail Eggs
Like I’ve said, Thailand households seem to cook very rarely because I see many locals buying packets of side dishes from the street stalls.
Make sure you buy some drinks while enjoying the street food! The weather in Bangkok is scorching hot and it would be good to get some fruits or fruit juice to quench the thirst.
 |
| Street stalls outside Pantip Plaza, which is also know to be the IT center at Pratunam. |
I hope this post has provided you enough information about the street food in Bangkok!
If you ask what’s the most important thing to do in order to enjoy the street food in Bangkok, that would be to dress light!
Make sure you dress light while travelling around Bangkok. Afterall, you’re on a vacation! Relax.
Love,
Celine
Contributed by Celine’s Blog.
Inspired? Here are some sites for you to make your travel happen:
