Entree Kibbles: August 2022

Wednesday, August 31, 2022

Jodd Fairs Train Night Market near Phra Ram 9 MRT Station in Bangkok [Thailand]

Singaporeans were devastated when news reported that the famous Ratchada Train Market in Singapore would be closing down; much as we wanted to, many of us couldn't even bid a tearful goodbye, physically, as borders were not fully open then.

Fret not, another night market has taken over and aside from being the newest kid on the block, it's also located nearer to downtown Bangkok, at a convenient venue just a short walk from Phra Ram 9 MRT Station.

It's obvious I would check it out in my recent Bangkok trip; JODD Fairs Train Night Market! There were two main entrances and I took the one next to Central Rama 9 shopping mall as it was connected to the MRT station.

This was a governmental declaration that the night market had met the clean and safe standard for deterring COVID-19. Does it make you feel safer? I am actually quite jaded when it comes to such certificates but at least there is something.

The amount of people in the night market would definitely scare off those who have been accustomed to safe distancing! One thing good about Bangkok was that many people were masked up and those who were usually unmasked are foreigners.

People everywhere! I am not a crowd lover although I love the lively, bustling atmosphere when people congregate; so long it doesn't result in a human traffic jam where sweat and sweat intermingle.

I wouldn't go Bangkok just to drink milo! To be honest, I haven't had milo for a long time even though it was my favorite beverage as a teen! Nowadays, it's mainly coffee or tea; a sign of ageing.

One thing for sure; you would never get hungry at JODD Fairs! There were so many stalls and it's unfortunate that I have only one stomach that isn't able to stuff food as much as before. Gone were the days when I could easily ingest 8 slices of pizza, 1 serving of spaghetti and 2 portions of lasagna, in one sitting.

Would you dare? Squid sashimi where you eat them raw, and still moving! That's like such a barbaric dining act but I bet some would do it for hits on social media.

I could maybe make do with the jumping prawns salad but I need a willing companion and we all know Alex is even less adventurous like I am, and I am unwilling to try on my own.

Went with the normal stuff instead; grilled salmon stick, grilled beef skewer, thai style fried banana and 100% milk ice cream. Street snacks that entice and comfort the tummy. Click the respective links for review.

Had a proper seafood in a bag meal at Crazy Shrimps! Sadly, it couldn't hold a candle to Holy Shrimps that was previously at Ratchada Train Market.

Guess what this was!

Grilled jellyfish! Not exactly exotic in Chinese standards as it's commonly found in cold dishes served during Chinese banquet dinners. In Japanese cuisine, it's also a popular appetizer.

Spicy pork spine soup - also known as leng saap, it's a spicy dish that gained popularity due to the visuals of the gigantic bones. As Alex doesn't take well to spicy food, I actually have never tried this before.

She was supposed to be extremely famous back at Ratchada Train Market and from the many onlookers surrounding her; her popularity remained intact despite the move to JODD Fairs.

Wondering I should have a bowl of Thai style cheng tng! The Thai version is sweeter than our local version and featured a lot more ingredients. At 50 baht (less than S$2), you get nine toppings! In Singapore, a basic cheng tng has like only about five toppings.

Plenty of dining tables; provided you are lucky to secure an empty one. And I don't think Thais understand Singapore's unique way of using tissue paper to chope. Let's not embarrass ourselves.

Those looking to chill with beer, wine and alcohol can consider the open space lined with palm trees, and a tent that appeared, weirdly, to protect a tree! Anyway, it screamed of free style, bohemian vibes. I should have grabbed a bottle of Chang beer.

Now that we are done with food, let's now proceed with photos for non-food. To be honest, JODD Fairs was much smaller than Ratchada Train Market and I personally think that bulk of vendors was dealing with food and beverage.

In my opinion, it's not wise to concentrate on F&B as everyone has only one stomach and can only eat that much. Shopping is way less restrictive and I totally enjoy seeing unique items for sale or items that have their prices slashed to an irresistible level.

The above are commonly found in Thailand's night markets. The younger me would have grabbed a few sleeveless tees, tees with interesting designs, or even a pair of colored contacts. The older me have too many pieces of clothing at home and contacts made my eyes too dry!

Thank god I couldn't bring pets back to Singapore. Technically I could but the effort for quarantine, medical checks, paperwork for export / import etc isn't worth it, I feel.

My dog-lover friends would likely spend a lot of time at this stall. I used to be like this when Rubee was around; rummaging through pet shops when I am overseas to search for items that I think my dog would like.

Dogs in the shops!

Screen protector for your mobile phone; for Singaporeans, we would likely pop by KSL Mall in Johor Bahru where competition for handphone related accessories is stiff as hell!

Fancy some Egyptian memorabilia from Bangkok?

I was more fascinated with these tiny glass bottles with intricate designs. The Thai written language is foreign to me and I am guessing these are perfume. Any Thai can help?

Wide variety of cups!

If I am a lady, I would have been captivated by the bling bling tumblers. These would have been great for Christmas presents actually but I no luggage space. Haha.

Like Singaporeans, Thais were as crazy over plants during this pandemic and more so for Thailand as many of them are not living in cramped apartments like most of us in Singapore, and have ample space to add on to their green collection.

Don't you just love the lights!? So tempted to get the Pac Men series despite knowing that they would eventually end up as white elephants prone to collecting dust as I can't be switching them everyday at home, and waste electricity.

Personable clocks with your own photo as the backdrop; not exactly a draw for me. I am more keen in knowing how much it cost to print with the frame. Had been thinking of having a photo wall at home.

This shop would invite disapproving stares from parents with daughters. I don't have kids so it didn't have much of an impact of me when I took the picture. My main focus was on the big-eyed mannequin.

DIY workshop that I would likely try in my next visit as I noted a piggy bank design! Not at the moment as I still have five empty piggy banks that require feeding.

Bearbricks are "collectible figures comprised of nine parts — a head, torso, hips, arms, hands, and legs with joints that can move, which come in a range of materials, although most frequently plastic." They cost a lot but you can get imitations, painted yourself, at just 250 baht in this shop.

Empty bowls that hold the leng saap. You can easily use the biggest one as a bathtub for infants! Anyway, I am against ordering big portions unless there are many people sharing the meal.

Interestingly designed eatery that's shaped like a spaceship.

At Ratchada Train Market, there were a ton of shops selling food souvenirs. At JODD Fairs, I think this was the only shop I chanced upon. Singaporeans usually buy their food mementos from Big C Supercentre.