Bangkok’s Street Food

I wanted to come to Thailand for the food. I find it to be some of the best in the world and throughout Bangkok’s long history, the people have incorporated different cultures into their cuisine offerings. Before I dive into our experiences on the food tour I want to establish a baseline of the food tours that I’ve done in America and Europe to fully appreciate how this one compares.

A typical food tour that I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing typically consists of 3 – 7 restaurants and a group of 6 – 12 people. At each restaurant, you can typically expect a small plate (2 -3 bites) that focuses on a signature dish, regional specialty, or something that’s easy to crank out 6 – 12 servings. Now that the baseline has been set let us go to Bangkok.

After having done the tour with Arrty using the withlocals site we decided to book a street food tour with a guide named Nok. It was going to cover the same area of Bangkok that Arrty had taken us through but with an almost singular focus on street food. We met Nok at exit three of the Saphan Taksin train station and since we stick out in Bangkok she easily identified us. Nok asked us if we had any food allergies or things we weren’t comfortable eating. It is not something I think about because I’ll try anything but it is a nice touch for those who have dietary restrictions or allergies.

Twenty feet from our starting point, Nok took us to our first food stall where she ordered a banana roti and Tom Yum soup. Nok positioned us so that we could watch the roti being made. A Thai Roti is made by frying a thin piece of dough with fillings, stretching it, and folding it so that it makes something similar to a turnover. Ours was filled with bananas and condensed milk. After watching the roti being made we sat down at a table adjacent to the food stall with a full-sized roti and two large bowls of soup each with chicken drumsticks and noodles. This was the first restaurant and there was enough food to feed four people!

The soups were a variety of the Thai specialty Tom Yum with chicken. Nok had ordered one that was sourer with flat noodles and one that was spicer with glass noodles. We tucked in and enjoyed the food.

On our way to the next stop, Nok was evaluating the different street vendors to find the next one she wanted to have us try. I thought this was really neat because she was using her expertise to find the best stuff on that particular day and time. She made her decision at a snack cart that had different pastry snacks. I know some were made from sesame but I was handed a bag and explained that these were snacks for walking.

Snacks in hand, I did eat one that was covered in sesame seeds and filled with what I think was a sesame or poppy seed filling. Nok brought us to one of the busier roads in this area of Bangkok and just like Artty proceeded to cross it in the same manner. Still terrifying but this was our third day in Bangkok and we’d gotten used to the concept of stepping in front of cars while willing them to stop.

The second sit-down restaurant was a Thai-Chinese noodle place called Prachak which is famous for its duck. Over its history, Thailand has welcomed large numbers of Chinese immigrants. It has the largest Chinese community outside of China. Nok ordered us duck over rice and two dim sum buns (bao) plus a small bowl of soup. All the food was brilliant – I love duck but Devin and I were giving each other some sideways looks because we were 30 minutes into a 2.5-hour tour and we were pretty full. Oh well, time to sacrifice for the experience!

After finishing the duck (we left the rice and soup), we headed back downstairs. I had to be careful not to bang my head on the way down. Nok stopped at another cart and ordered a glass of Thai iced tea. If you’ve never had it Thai iced tea is kinda similar to the tea served in the Southern US except instead of sugar they used condensed milk and their tea variety. Plastic bags are big here. They even put the cup in a plastic bag so that you can carry it with a handle and not get your hand wet from condensation.

Tea in hand we made it to a Thai Chinese cart specializing in ginger soup known as Bua Loy Nam Khing. The soup is loaded with spicy ginger flavor and includes dumplings and ginkgo nuts. The dumplings had a sesame butter filling and paired nicely with the spiciness of the ginger. I enjoyed it but for me, this was something best enjoyed in small quantities. Maybe the ginger will make more room in my stomach?

A short walk down the road Nok ducked into Panlee Bakery where she grabbed a bag of “spicy” sweets. She said they were for us to enjoy later. Whew! I could use the break from eating. The break didn’t last long as we turned right down another street/alley where we were seated at a table while Nok went to acquire more food.

We were at a Pad Thai stall and the cook delivered us a plate of Pad Thai with shrimp served on a banana leaf. Nok pointed out that there was also a bowl of fresh mung bean sprouts, garlic sprouts, and banana blossoms that could be added to enhance the dish if desired. I did add some garlic sprouts but the banana blossom confused me since I couldn’t figure out how to add it to the dish. The food was great although a bit more sour than I’m accustomed to.

We are very full but Nok wants to take us to a place in the Muslim section of Chinatown so we head there. Thankfully, Devin was slowing us down to take pictures of ALL the cats along the way giving us some time to digest our food. Nok started to play the game as well and started to point out all the cats that we missed.

The next-to-last place looked like someone’s house. It probably is, but the downstairs is used as a dining room with tables and floor seating. The cooking is done outside and brought in when ready. With shoes removed, we tuck in at our table. A bowl of soup is delivered to us with beef, macaroni pasta, potatoes, and various aromatics. It is very tasty but I am so full. Devin left me to work out my issues with the soup to go feed and pet cats outside the establishment. I made my best effort to consume and not be too rude by leaving too much in the bowl. I at least get the beef (oxtail?) down.

The last food stop was at an establishment with an ice cream stand. Each ice cream order came with a topping choice – lotus seeds, sugar palm seeds, or corn. Devin ordered coconut with sugar palm seeds and I got strawberry with lotus seeds. I couldn’t get myself to put corn on ice cream. The ice cream was more icey than normal but the flavors were really good. Neither of us really enjoyed the toppings so I don’t think DQ needs to adjust their North American menu.

It was an amazing tour and I recommend taking it if you have the time when in Bangkok. Come hungry there is so much food. More food than I’ve ever seen on any other tour!

PS – As we are walking back to the train station. Devin, who left me with the beef soup for cat time, spies a fresh fruit smoothie stall. In her attempt to order two smoothies, one with pineapple and one with passion fruit, she gets one with both fruits in it. A specially modified bag holder is included so that it can be carried like a purse.