Falling In Love With Bangkok Street Food

Salty, sweet, sour and spicy – Thai food is all about balance. The heat of the chilli released into the tart, freshly squeezed lime juice; the so-good-you-could-eat-a-whole-slab-of-it palm sugar dissolving slowly into a salty concoction of soy and fish sauces. And don’t get me started on the herbs! The chlorophyll-stuffed stems of coriander, Thai basil and mint – with their leaves picked delicately and tossed through Pad Thai noodles covered in crunchy bean sprouts.

As you can tell, I love Thai food. I cook it, I order it, and on my first trip to Thailand last year I consumed it in copious amounts. Unfortunately my schedule only allowed 48 hours in the city, but it in that time I unreservedly and whole-heartedly fell in love with Bangkok street food.

From my first taste of Pad Thai at the Chatuchak Weekend Market to scouring the streets off Thanon Sukhumvit for the best sticky rice and mango, there was not a taste or texture that I didn’t love. I had heard so much about the street food stalls from both friends and my own research that I felt that surely I would know what to expect – but what struck me arriving at the weekend markets after landing in Bangkok only a couple of hours earlier was the frequency of these stalls (they are literally on every street), but also the elaborate amount of ingredients that each one displays – it was like walking into my very own edible wonderland! I had no idea there would be so many herbs, so many vegetables and sauces at some of the stalls that you really could indulge to your heart’s content. And I so did!

My next culinary craving came while waiting to enter the grand palace, on the street corner opposite was a small caravan selling prawn dumplings in bowls filled with the most deliciously sweet and salty sauce, crispy shallots and fresh chilli. Oh.My.God. If I could eat these little parcels of gorgeousness every day, I would.

Next stop was Sukhumvit Soi 55, near the Thong Lo BTS station. I had read that this is where we could find the best seafood Pad Thai and Pad Kee Mao in the entire city, as well as the stickiest of sticky rice and mango. I wasn’t disappointed – our written directions were a little hard to follow, but once we saw the trays of fresh prawns and mussels, we knew we had arrived. The Pad Thai was the best I’d eaten on the whole trip and also the best value – not that value is a problem in Bangkok – we barely spent more than $2 per meal each, and we ate like Thai Royalty! The great thing about this seafood stall was that it was also next door to a stall selling sesame toffee banana – my ultimate comfort food.

Bellies full, cravings satisfied and with time running out, it was time to retreat back to the hotel before our flight. And while my first Thai food journey may not have been as adventurous as many others, it has certainly cemented it on my ‘must return to ASAP’ destination list. And I promise, next time I’ll try the scorpion.

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