Bangkok Travel Diary: Eating My Way Through Bangkok

When the desire to travel started to stir in my heart and venturing outside the Philippines became the main focus of satisfying the burgeoning wanderlust that I was nurturing since my college days; the first ever country that caught my attention was Thailand. It was on top of my list but unfortunately it wasn’t the first foreign soil I stepped onto.

So when the opportunity to visit Bangkok became less murky, flights and hotels were booked. Airfare costs was out of the question because it had to be done as this was a longtime plan of mine and of my closest friends. She comes to this side of the world every few years only so "if not now, when?". If only I have work visa options, I wouldn't be here at home and daydreaming of travelling the world. So together with two other college friends, we found ourselves on a night flight from Siem Reap to Don Meuang International Airport in Bangkok.

I was already tired from that day touring around the temples in the Angkor Wat complex (check out my Siem Reap Travel Diary here) and then waited 5 hours at the airport before flying to BKK. But the moment we landed to Bangkok, my blood stream was full of adrenaline. I decided earlier that night that I will sleep on the way to the hotel, but while inside our Uber ride, I was like a doe eyed deer, I can’t shut my eyes, I enjoyed the view of Bangkok at night during the drive. I told myself it looks so much like Manila but all the signs are in Thai. Somebody pinch me, my dream is now a reality.

After freshening up and unpacking some stuff, we all went straight to bed as we have a very very long day ahead of us in the Land of Smiles. I am pretty sure I didn't get a good night sleep because I was beyond excited. My friends planned our itinerary and computed our transpo expenses and found out the price would just equate or just a teeny tiny above getting Grab or Uber rides around the city so we decided to avail of the latter. We got stuck in Bangkok once in a while but hey we were comfy and we needed the energy for all the walking that we did in BKK.

Like I said in my previous posts, we had three main reasons why we wanted to visit Bangkok: temples, food and shopping. I have finished writing my posts about the temples so let us move on to the food. Most of our stay in Bangkok we just ate wherever hunger strike. Part of how excited I am to go to Bangkok was about to trying authentic Thai food. I’ve tried so many restaurants serving Thai food in the Philippines but of course nothing beats the ones that I will get eat in Bangkok.

The first things that comes to mind when most people think of Thailand is the food. Aromatic spices, and a distinctive blend of sweet, sour, salty, and savory flavors characterize Thai cuisine. I love Thai cuisine because it puts emphasis on lightly prepared dishes with strong fragrant components and a spicy edge. The typical Thai meal consists of rice served alongside various curries, sauces, and vegetable dishes. Soups are an important part of the meal, and often include a unique blend of spices and flavors. Noodles are also popular.

When we were in Bangkok, whatever catches our attention when we were out and about, we basically buy and try them. On our first day, we had our late lunch at MBK Center, one of the most popular shopping places in all of Bangkok. There was a food fair on the ground floor so we looked around and bought the dishes that we find appealing to our taste buds. My first decent meal in Bangkok was an oyster omelet over rice, pork skewer and mango sticky rice. 

The oyster omelet was cooked in front of me over a wok, it was truly flavorful and so was the skewer. And then I finished off my meal with a mango sticky rice. One of the famous dessert snacks in Thailand. My gosh, I almost cried when I put the first scoop in my mouth! It was so good and was a glorious experience. From then on, I bought any mango sticky rice that I came across with in Bangkok. The best ones I tried was that one at MBK Center, at Asiatique and at the airport. 

Thailand’s markets and street food are a huge part of Thai food culture. These small food stands, often without any seating, might seem strange to people unfamiliar to Asian culture. However, they often have some of the most authentic and cheapest food around. Another favorite Thai snack that we often bought and ate while we were walking around the streets of Bangkok was those Thai pancakes that you can buy on the streets and in groceries. Their like hard shell tacos but sweeter with different fillings. 

I also noticed that in Bangkok, the people are big on fruits. You can see a lot of cut fruits stored in containers being sold in the streets. Also those fresh fruit juices. Their coconut is also a must try. The coconut in Thailand is smaller than the ones I grew up with in the Philippines. But the juice is equally refreshing and the coconut meat is also juicy. I also drunk Thai Milk Tea like 2-3 times a day when we were there. I just love how strong the Thai tea tastes, just how I prefer my milk teas. 

And of course, we tried their fresh spring rolls as well – one of my fave Thai food. Lastly the Pad Thai; I think we ate a couple of Pad Thai when we were in Bangkok, but for me the standout was the one being offered by Thipsamai. I have written a separate blog post for our visit at Thipsamai which you can read here: Bangkok Travel Diary: Thipsamai, The Best Pad Thai In Bangkok

Bangkok is probably one of the best places to eat your heart out. Like many people, I consider Thai food per se and Thai street food one of the best in the world. Have you tried Thai food? If so, what’s your favorite?  

Read more of my Bangkok 2017 trip:

- Bangkok Travel Diary: Wat Arun - Temple of Dawn
- Bangkok Travel Diary: Wat Pho - Temple of the Reclining Buddha
- Bangkok Travel Diary: Phra Ubosot, Phra Prang, Phra Rabiang and Phra Maha Chedi Si Rajakarn
- Bangkok Travel Diary: Asiatique
- Bangkok Travel Diary: Sky Bar at Hotel Lebua
- Bangkok Travel Diary: Thipsamai, the Best Pad Thai in Bangkok
- Bangkok Travel Diary: Eating My Way Through Bangkok
- Bangkok Travel Diary: Where to Shop in Bangkok
- Bangkok Travel Diary: Diamond Rachada Hotel

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