Postcards from Thailand
Did you know that Bangkok’s full name is *inhale* Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Ayuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit? *exhale*
Although I’ve been visiting Thailand quite regularly, (five trips in the past four years and each trip last for about a month long). There are still so many things to explore and learn (like the slightly chaotic name above I just heard of earlier in February).
From a four-hour self pampering spa session to chancing on ‘son-in-law eggs’, here are some of the most memorable experiences (with unrelated photos) I had during my last trip to Thailand.
A week before my trip, I came across a ‘flash sale’ for a spa place near my hotel. Four hours of spa for THB1,800(approx $52)?? That sounds too good to be true. Looked up the place and.. damn it’s legit and clean. Booked for two and prayed hard for a negative PCR entry test.
Just when I thought I am the poster girl for self-pamper, self-love hashtagblessed, I learned the hard way that four hours of spa is not suitable for side sleepers.
Half of the time I was fighting the urge to lie side ways!! Whenever the masseuse walks away, I’d be wiggling to ‘adjust’ myself.
And the other half of the time… I was trying to breathe. I have this condition where my nose gets blocked when I lie down on my back. I need to elevate my head to a certain height to unblock my nose.
Sigh, I guess I’ll just stick to the normal 1.5 hours foot massage.
Also pro tip: When you have to lie face down, make sure you aim your face down the ‘hole’ on the massage bed. I have a big face so um.. there was a brief moment partial of my left eye made it to the hole and the other half was out of the hole. Very uncomfortable.
Another highlight of the trip was trying the legendary crab omelette at Jay Fai’s. We booked a month and a half in advance for a table!
Jay Fai is a street side restaurant that serves charcoal heated wok-cooked seafood dishes, and is highly popular among foodies despite its high prices and long waiting time. It received one star in the inaugural Bangkok 2018 Michelin Guide.
(Check out Jay Fai on Episode 1 of Netfilix’s Street Food Asia)
Priced at THB 1000 ($30) per dish, this was the most expensive Thai omelette I’ve ever had. Was it worth it? YES! The omelette was filled with chunky, fleshy thicc crab meat. There’s probably more meat in the omelette than a KFC snack plate.
Was it overhyped? A little.
Maybe it was the mouth ulcers (I had four ulcer at that time) that was preventing me from savouring the food fully but when you’re paying THB 1000 for every dish … I need more than ‘wok hei’.
Nevertheless, it was still a joy to watch her work and it seemed like everyone who works there took pride in their work.
On the topic of food, one of my favourite food texture is ‘soft-crispy’. When I came across ‘son-in-law eggs’ (deep fried hard boiled eggs) on the menu of Supanniga Eating Room, I knew I had to order it.
Why son-in-law eggs?
According to Atlas Obscura, upon learning that her daughter wasn’t being treated well by her son-in-law, the concerned mother fried up two hard-boiled eggs as a warning. The deep-fried pair sent a message: Get it together, or your “pair” will be next in line for the deep fryer.
Subtle warning aside, this dish celebrates the best of Thai flavours. Topped with a sweet and sour sauce of sugar, tamarind, and of course fish sauce, it’s tangy, sweet, salty, umami all at once.
I will definitely try to recreate this dish at home but maybe make the yokes a bit runny like ramen eggs.
Side note, Supanniga Eating Room is really really good. Please go there and try their food! The Thonglor branch has nice vibes and plays good music but the Tha Thain branch’s view is priceless.
Speaking of Thonglor, I really really like this district! It’s walkable, so many things to see and reminded me so much of Tokyo!
I was at The Commons Thonglor and decided to walk to this Vintage Market that I saw online. The article claimed that the market is near The Commons (I was checking out the place) so I decided to walk there.
Load it on Google Maps and turns out that the vintage place is 6km away. I thought to myself “Ah it’s ok. If it takes 35 mins to run 5km, it will take about an hour to walk 6km maybe? I have time to spare anyway.”
I started walking and had this familiar feeling. There were a couple of Japanese restaurants and I did not bump into any Japanese speaking people but the roads, architecture, canals..somehow it ooze Tokyo shitamachi vibes.
Spoke to my friend Jarp about my ‘caught feels’ and found out from her that Thonglor actually has the largest concentration of Japanese expats. She also showed me the way to Thonglor’s “Japantown” where you can get really yummy custard cream puffs!
And this concludes my Thailand trilogy. Thank you Thailand for the fun times and thank you to my Thai friends for being such great hosts! I don’t know when is my next trip but I would love to check out Chiangmai in the future.
Also from my Thailand series:
Sun’s Out, Light’s Out — Exploring Beach Rd in the AM
Celebrating Summer Flavours & Rethinking Food — A Cooking Workshop at Bo.Lan
