Bangkok

First day in Bangkok and I spot this supposedly “best tom yum kung noodles in the city” near my hotel, so off I go to try it in the very charming and local neighbourhood of Soi Petchaburi 5.

The tom yum soup itself is stellar – rich and creamy from the use of condensed milk and loads of prawn head oil and custard enriching a broth that’s also a little sweet, a little sour and very fragrant with the scents of lemongrass and kaffir lime. Whilst packing a little heat, it’s definitely not as spicy as alot of other tom yums I’ve had, but that suits my tastes just fine.

You can pick from a variety of noodles, and the rice noodles I had were cooked chewier than they would be in Singapore, which I liked alot. There are also many combinations of ingredients you can choose to add to your bowl. I had fish slices, which were tender and fresh tasting. Most bowls also come with a custardy egg and a giant prawn too, and whilst portions are a little on the small side, it is still very satisfying.

Taste: 3.5/5

Watching the assembly line of at least 8 cooks stirring up a pad thai storm under raging fan-driven wok fires whilst we waited in the long queue outside of Thip Samai - perhaps the most famous pad thai restaurant in Bangkok - was enough to fan the flames of our appetites.

After a surprisingly short half an hour or so wait, piping hot plates of pad thai finally landed on our table and we promptly devoured them with gusto. The omelette casing is some of the finest egg work I've seen, paper-thin and just barely holding the noodles in. Though fried with prawn oil, the pad thai itself was unremarkable to me and no better than what you could get elsewhere, although someone else remarked its the best pad thai they've ever had.

Taste: 3/5

Despite the accolades under its belt, there’s nothing groundbreaking about Nahm. What it does is traditional Thai cuisine, and it does it very well. With an emphasis on fresh ingredients and robust flavours, every element in each dish is in perfect balance, especially in the curries. The massaman is a master stroke of rich, hearty flavours and harmonising spices, with huge chunks of tender lamb, sweet lychee, soft young potato and fragrant burnt shallots.

Taste: 4/5

Great starters here, especially this miang of lobster, chicken green mango, snakefruit and herbs served with thong lang leaves, and shatteringly crisp and crumbly fritters.

Taste: 4/5

Yet another excellent curry to be had at Nahm. The pieces of duck are tender and not at all gamy, swimming in a hearty and piquant red curry alongside snake fruit and sour yellow eggplant.

Taste: 4/5

A beautifully plated traditional Thai appetiser of assorted fruit including pomegranate and lime, shallots, ginger and a chilli jam on what I assume is a betel leaf. Eat it in one bite for a burst of myriad and refreshing flavours that'll whet your appetite for more.

Taste: 3.5/5

The aroma of green peppercorns and basil gently permeates the entire dish, infusing the tender, wok-fried wagyu beef and crunchy young coconut shoots with mouth-watering flavour. A simple, quality tze char-esque dish, but I’m sure can get similar sans the fine dining for a fraction of the price elsewhere in Bangkok.

Taste: 3.5/5

What was supposed to be a 15 minute commute by Grab turned out to be an arduous merry-go-round ride that took nearly an hour as our driver blindly followed his GPS down a rabbit hole. Arriving 5 minutes after closing time, we had already given up hope, but still managed to somehow miraculously get food by the skin of our teeth.

Unfortunately they had already run out of their noodle soup, but that still didn’t stop us from tucking into fantastically crispy yet fatty and tender roast pork belly, rice, sweet dark sauce and a fiery dry roasted chilli. Every order also comes with a highly peppery bak kut teh-esque soup which we greedily slurped down. The crispy pork belly was so cheap and good we had to get an extra plate. But, I would recommend just skipping the trip to this rather out of the way location and order through the Foodpanda or Line Man app in the comfort of your own room.

Taste: 4/5

I'll say this - the Somtam Pu-ma Pla La(฿120) we ordered might not be to everyone's tastes. The fresh green papaya is lost in tongue numbing spice and the acrid pungency of pickled fish really shoots straight up your nose. Fancy raw blue crab thrown into the mix? I don't. Unappetisingly grey with a dearth of meat, we left the briny crab to its own devices.

I was more keen on the Kai Yang(฿120 for large), succulent roast chicken served with a sweet chilli dipping sauce. This went well with the straw basket of sticky rice we ordered.

Taste: 3/5

In my quest for boat noodles I came across this little eatery surrounded by mostly Japanese restaurants in the vicinity. A dingy hole in the wall that slings out cheap and tasty bowls that start as low as ฿50 for a small portion but you can top up for larger servings.

Ordering is a three step process. Begin by picking your choice of noodles from egg noodles, rice noodles(thin, narrow, wide or mini) or glass noodles. Then choose whether you'd like it with soup or dry(Both options can be tom yum flavoured). Lastly, your choice of toppings - minced/sliced pork, pig innards, fish balls/fishcake, or a mix of everything.

The noodles are satisfying but average, however the crunchy deep fried fish skins(฿20 a bowl) are addictive as hell.

Popular among the locals, go at 11am in the morning when they open or after 130pm to avoid the lunch crowd.

Taste: 3.5/5

Chockful of flaky meat, the crabcake certainly doesn't stinge on crustacean nor does it possess the stale gumminess commonly found in crabcakes of lesser establishments. Complemented by a nicely charred and stringy potato rosti, as well as a concentrated onion jam, the hollandaise smothered oozy poached egg was almost overshadowed by its supporting cast.

Taste: 4/5

Arriving at our table pretty in pink, we were impressed by how delicate the dessert looked. The red grape granita and sorbet were both refreshing if a little sweet, and the panna cotta packed harmonious rosemary and vanilla flavours, but was let down by being overly set from too much gelatin.

Taste: 3/5