(More Than) One Night In Bangkok

I went to Bangkok lat week for a few days and as usual, had a really good time. Well, for the most part anyway. It started off not so well because of some scamming taxi drivers and some rude hotel staff. The taxi driver problems are, unfortunately, somewhat normal, but hotel staff in Thailand are usually always nice and friendly. I am happy to say that after the whole trip, these incidents were the exception and not the norm.

Bangkok was Bangkok. It's a big city that comes with big city issues: overcrowded, lots of tourist, big city attitude, etc. Anyway, despite being the rainy season I really lucked out and had very little rain.

Stayed at the Davis Hotel. I've now stayed there three times. I have to say I think the quality of the hotel is slipping somewhat. However, I still enjoyed my stay there. The hotel is located a little far from the Sky Train and the small road gets really jammed up at times, which makes taking a taxi long. I like this hotel for what you get. You can get a pretty nice room for a very nice price. This is because Bangkok is a pretty inexpensive city. I also like it because it is located near two of my favorite restaurants.

Lemongrass

Lemongrass is a place I found last summer right near Emporium shopping mall on Sukhumvit Soi 24 (Sky Train: Phrom Phong). They do a really nice job with there Thai food. They are a little on the more expensive side for Bangkok, but the quality is good and the food is authentic. One time I overheard a local explaining to his dinner quest that "this restaurant challenges foreigners because the food is authentically spicy." And he was right. Just then I noticed two Brits next to me suffering from the spiciness of their food.


Lemongrass' spicy red curry without coconut milk is face scorchingly hot, but oh so good. Their green coconut curry can also be fairly spicy. Since I love spicy food this is a big plus in my book.
The quality of this restaurant has declined a little, but the food is still good sometimes.


Thong Lee

Thong Lee has one of my favorite Thai dishes of all time: pork fried in shrimp paste. Their food is of good quality and their prices are fantastically cheap. You can eat a lot here twice for what you pay at Lemongrass. It's no frills and the presentation is minimal. It's small and looks a little old (been there for 60 years). But, that all makes it my kind of place. Basically, Thong Lee is a small mom and pop restaurant where the food tastes very homemade, kind of like your mom or grandma made it.

Pictured above is Tom Yum, Red Curry, and Pork Fried in Shrimp Paste.

I've also had the green curry and the sweet fried noodles. All the dishes here are great. If someone asked me what my top 5 places I wanted to eat where location didn't matter, Thong Lee would be on that list. It's located about halfway up Sukhumvit Soi 20.


I also enjoyed some pretty good activities; visited the Moon Bar @ Vertigo (first pic), located on the roof of the Banyan Tree Hotel and listen to live jazz music at the Bamboo Bar in the famed Mandarin Oriental Hotel (below).


Despite my body's aversion to heat and humidity, I really like Thailand. This visit was short, but I will return soon. Till next time...