Bangkok -- The Lady Gaga Of Asia

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Bangkok -- the Lady Gaga of Asia
Robert Oliver
Chef, Author, Bon Vivant

I love Bangkok. I even love arriving here, slipping into the languorous heat of this fabulous city. Food, traffic, sex, pollution: this town has it all. Far from the austere majesty of Beijing, the befuddling hubbub of Hanoi, the dilemma that is Delhi, Bangkok screams and teems. All pinks and neons, there is nothing half-baked about Bangkok. Pouting, flouting, leering, sneering, Bangkok is the Lady Gaga of Asia.

Thai food is like condensed milk: I cannot even imagine the amount of self loathing required to not absolutely love it.

And Bangkok is hands down the world's greatest city for street food. It simply doesn't get better than this. I've never had a bad meal here, and its street food is the foundation of Thai culinary culture. In fact, twice I have been here and only eaten street side, it's that good. Everywhere, everyday everyone chows down on cheap, great grub.

In a few short chilli addled days, I quaffed sweet sausage soup with salted egg and rice noodles, sugar stoked Thai iced coffee with espresso, evaporated milk, sugar, sugar and then sugar (when once I asked to "hold the sugar," I got a look that conveyed concern at my sanity), fresh squeezed fresh juice made from giddily sweet tiny green oranges, Chiang Mai sausage, som tum-Thailand's eponymous green papaya salad made to order in a big wooden mortar, green coconut juice, spicy fried chicken, jackfruit smoothie, searingly hot noodle dishes, sparkling salads of pork skin and morning glory, fried crab and green mango.

It's a rollercoaster of counterpoints: hot, cold, smooth, crunchy, sweet, sour, up, down that at times has you gasping, but always happy. Countless satays, noodle salads, fresh cut mangoes, guavas, papayas juicily displayed in glass cases on wheels, and more and more and more that you grab and graze as you go. It's endless and fabulous and expertly made. People specialize -- one vendor makes only coconut pancakes, another banana fritters -- that's it. Hence, they are perfect, all finesse and focus.

But do you know what I see, as I jostle through barely passable streets and markets, crowded with food stalls and happy eaters? I see an extremely successful cuisine. Each of these vendors is a micro- economy -- often family based -- making food that is an expression of the heart. And because this food is Thai in origin, it reaches further into the farms and fisherman and food producers to create a dynamic of culinary prosperity.

With all of this outside, why would you go into a restaurant? Simple, really. In a city that is devoted to eating, the excellence on the street has urged even greater excellence indoors. So when my buddy Quentin Dante, a restaurant refugee from New York, now happily based in Bangkok from where he creates restaurants all over Asia, said to me one sultry Silom soir "Tonight I am going to take you to the best restaurant in the world," I nodded meekly like an obedient food slave.

Full story: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-oliver/bangkok-food-scene_b_3049815.html

-- HUFFINGTON POST 2013-04-11

[Kananga]

Well someone seems to be easily excitable. Must be all that MSG.

[TackyToo]

Bon Vivant- that says it all. Looking for a job at the TAT?

Edited April 11, 2013 by TackyToo

[Jingthing]

Looking for a job at the TAT?

I doubt it. Already too many cheap Charley tourists eating street food and not spending 10K baht a day like the good tourists!

[joboss]

Well someone seems to be easily excitable. Must be all that MSG.

Something white.

[wordchild]

" Best restaurant in the world " hyped up nonsense from the PR people, an obvious paid for promo dressed up as travel writing.

I have eaten at a Issaya Siamese and Supanigga both were pretty good, but style, in both cases , well ahead of substance, IMO neither would be even close to being worthy of the best Thai food in Bangkok title let alone ,hm hm, "the world"!

Edited April 11, 2013 by wordchild

[Stjohnm]

This has been a Public service announcement from the PRD & TAT Welcome to Amazing Thailand ....

[Tatsujin]

Just a tad over the top . . . what did he get paid for that review?

[bri1guy]

I do love the street food in thailand too but not as much as you Robert Oliver.. Thai food is my absolute favorite but when it comes to varietys have you tried the street food in Bejing China or other places in China?? Its fantastic & more exotic..

Edited April 12, 2013 by metisdead
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[Loptr]

Just a tad over the top . . . what did he get paid for that review?

It's the Huffington Post, what do you expect?

[Kananga]

Just a tad over the top . . . what did he get paid for that review?

It's the Huffington Post, what do you expect?

More like the huffing and puffington post.

[rbrooks]

I have to admit Thai street food is my favorite.

[Udox]

'Street food' is just as much of a gamble as restaurant food.

There are good ones and bad ones.

I have been to several (in both categories) where the chef/cook didn't really care what he threw on the plate as long as it 'loosely resembled' what I had ordered, in some cases just 'crap-on a plate'

At least in a half decent restaurant (one thats worth its salt) you can send the food back

And - I don't even want to start on the hygiene debate!

[TheGhostWithin]

'Street food' is just as much of a gamble as restaurant food.

There are good ones and bad ones.

I have been to several (in both categories) where the chef/cook didn't really care what he threw on the plate as long as it 'loosely resembled' what I had ordered, in some cases just 'crap-on a plate'

At least in a half decent restaurant (one thats worth its salt) you can send the food back

And - I don't even want to start on the hygiene debate!

Dare I ask, when you say "I have been to".. that you ate at these places?

There are ways that people who were once skinny, and have become fat porkers such as myself have of picking out "good" street food - it is not 100% on the nail but pretty close. I have never become sick, and never been dissapointed by street foodm, with the exception to my Pad Thai in my favourite market in Lat Krabang, which some genius decided to throw Chilli in my Pad Thai (dissapointed I was, because I never eat Pad Thai because of the caolorie count)..

There is a reason that in Thailand, some stalls have more customers than they can possibly ever serve quickly, and other stalls are as baron of customers as one could imagine..

Edited April 11, 2013 by TheGhostWithin

[katana]

Singapore. When I was last there, now that's got some great street food and hawkers stalls.

[DRONGOH]

Bangkok is the Lady Gaga of Asia.

Great news!!!!

Is she going to market her own brand of healthy water?

[Payboy]

Not Lady GoGo of Asia?

[Petey]

The problem with street food is that its so cheap that for a vendor to turn a profit he has to use the cheapest ingredients he can find. That means, among other things, using palm oil, other low-grade oils, poor quality meats, vegetables grown with pesticides, etc. Granted, its still delicious. But its probably not good for one's health to live largely off street food, not to mention all the sugar, salt and MSG.

[BradinAsia]

The problem with street food is that its so cheap that for a vendor to turn a profit he has to use the cheapest ingredients he can find. That means, among other things, using palm oil, other low-grade oils, poor quality meats, vegetables grown with pesticides, etc. Granted, its still delicious. But its probably not good for one's health to live largely off street food, not to mention all the sugar, salt and MSG.

What a load of disinformation.

In case you haven't learned yet, coconut/palm oil ranks at the very top (along with olive

oil) for the healthiest oils you can use. Much healthier than those touted by the US FDA

-- canola oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, corn oil, or soybean oil.

If you've spent any time in Bangkok, you'd know that the street vendors buy their fruits

and vegetable at the Khlong Toey market, the same place most of Bangkok's upscale

restaurants buy theirs.

Please avoid posting bad information.

[metisdead]

A post containing a link to Bangkok Post as per forum rule 31:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?app=forums&module=extras&section=boardrules

[doggie888888]

The problem with street food is that its so cheap that for a vendor to turn a profit he has to use the cheapest ingredients he can find. That means, among other things, using palm oil, other low-grade oils, poor quality meats, vegetables grown with pesticides, etc. Granted, its still delicious. But its probably not good for one's health to live largely off street food, not to mention all the sugar, salt and MSG.

What a load of disinformation.

In case you haven't learned yet, coconut/palm oil ranks at the very top (along with olive

oil) for the healthiest oils you can use. Much healthier than those touted by the US FDA

-- canola oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, corn oil, or soybean oil.

If you've spent any time in Bangkok, you'd know that the street vendors buy their fruits

and vegetable at the Khlong Toey market, the same place most of Bangkok's upscale

restaurants buy theirs.

Please avoid posting bad information.

The doctor at bumrungrad told me to avoid palm oil. Ditto the doctor at Bangkok hospital Pattaya.

Is it just a case of inconclusive evidence either way, or do you know something definitive that the good doctors don't ?

[Konini]

fresh squeezed fresh juice made from giddily sweet tiny green oranges

Oh dear. Doesn't look like he realises that juice is so giddy because of all the sugar they put inside. I ask them to make fresh with no sugar, sometimes they need to be convinced I really mean no sugar - it is very refreshing and not terribly sweet).

[DocN]

I think it was Orlando Bloom who said :Lady GaGa looks like she covers herself in glue and rolls around in random objects.

Bangkok...ahm...yessssss!

[joboss]

The problem with street food is that its so cheap that for a vendor to turn a profit he has to use the cheapest ingredients he can find. That means, among other things, using palm oil, other low-grade oils, poor quality meats, vegetables grown with pesticides, etc. Granted, its still delicious. But its probably not good for one's health to live largely off street food, not to mention all the sugar, salt and MSG.

What a load of disinformation.

In case you haven't learned yet, coconut/palm oil ranks at the very top (along with olive

oil) for the healthiest oils you can use. Much healthier than those touted by the US FDA

-- canola oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, corn oil, or soybean oil.

If you've spent any time in Bangkok, you'd know that the street vendors buy their fruits

and vegetable at the Khlong Toey market, the same place most of Bangkok's upscale

restaurants buy theirs.

Please avoid posting bad information.

Thank you Brad. Nice sharp rap on the nuckles for "opening mouth before engaging brain".

[canman]

The problem with street food is that its so cheap that for a vendor to turn a profit he has to use the cheapest ingredients he can find. That means, among other things, using palm oil, other low-grade oils, poor quality meats, vegetables grown with pesticides, etc. Granted, its still delicious. But its probably not good for one's health to live largely off street food, not to mention all the sugar, salt and MSG.

What a load of disinformation.

In case you haven't learned yet, coconut/palm oil ranks at the very top (along with olive

oil) for the healthiest oils you can use. Much healthier than those touted by the US FDA

-- canola oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, corn oil, or soybean oil.

If you've spent any time in Bangkok, you'd know that the street vendors buy their fruits

and vegetable at the Khlong Toey market, the same place most of Bangkok's upscale

restaurants buy theirs.

Please avoid posting bad information.

I had always understood that palm oil was one of the least healthy of the cooking oils. Your post prompted me to have another look and I would say the jury is out on this one. It would seem roughly equal amounts of opinions on both sides. Some articles say Palm oil cures cancer others saying it causes it.

[HoudiniXLogic]

My test of a good street food comes with a very simple dish. Khao Muu kratiem prik thai dum (Garlic pork with black pepper on white rice), which is quite an easy dish to make, but easy to mess up also. And plus I can see how the rice is cooked (too damp --- too dry).

But noodles at sukh 38 after a drunk night is also good......

[Morakot]

the austere majesty of Beijing, the befuddling hubbub of Hanoi, the dilemma that is Delhi

Aah, an astute analysis of a lifestyle-section writer.