Saengchai Phochana Thai Restaurant @ Bangkok in Thailand

To be honest, I have never heard of Saengchai Phochana before a Thai friend suggested having dinner there. According to him, it's famous among the locals in Bangkok, especially for late-night meals since it operates from 6.00 pm till 3.00 am. 

Walls in the eatery were neatly plastered with photographs taken of celebrities and local dignitaries with the owner (I presume). Somewhat similar to the sights at some old school eateries, before the advent of social media.

Let's start with... a bottle of mineral water. What shocked us was the accompanying metal tub of filled with ice and three small glasses! The bottle had only 500ml of water; seemed a bit too dramatic! 

Salted Peach Soup - said to be the specialty for the restaurant, I think it was the incorrect English translation as it was known as the sour plum soup according to our Thai friend, who is of Japanese and Thai-Chinese descent. 

For me, it tasted like tom yum soup, without its signature numbing spiciness. Sour was its key highlight and appetizing it sure was. I can imagine people who have had too much alcohol coming by just to have this soup to wake them up! p.s. a lot of offals! 

Spicy Fish Salad - I was scratching my head when I saw this. For a salad, there were too little vegetables although I am not complaining for the excessive amount of fish! 

For a Thai dish that had the word spicy in it; this wasn't very spicy in my opinion. Absolutely love the fish, which was sliced into smaller pieces and deep fried to a crisp! I should have ordered beer, instead of water. 

Fried Kale with Fried Pork Cackling - cooked al dente, and surrounded by a thick sauce that was spicier than the Spicy Fish Salad! I had assumed the fried pork cackling to be crispy pork lards and it turned out to be chopped roast pork. Ok tasting.

Grilled Prawns - Alex couldn't resist not ordering grilled prawns. Unlike him, my love is deeper for crabs rather than prawns! Fresh, meaty and sweet, especially when dipped into the spicy seafood sauce! 

Steamed Fish with Soy Sauce - went with sea bass as pomfret was sold out. Taste was quite normal, similar to what we can commonly get in Singapore. Let's be fair here, how unusual would steamed fish with soy sauce be, so long it is fresh?  

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For three persons, I think we over-ordered! However, there were so many things from the menu which we didn't manage to have. From the review above, I would say what we had didn't quite impress me; the only I would go back for would be the Spicy Fish Salad. 

Address

762/5–7 Sukhumvit Rd, Khlong Tan, 

Khlong Toei, Bangkok 10110, Thailand

Map

As above.

Menu

As above.

Pricing

Total 1,530 Baht. 

p.s. treat from our friend!