Burapa Bird's Nest - My New Haunt @ Chinatown in Bangkok [Thailand] #burapabirdsnest

The problem with getting too comfortable is that we often take things for grants and don't really wish to venture beyond the unknowns.

That's how i feel whenever i am at Bangkok's Chinatown (known as Yaowarat) as i have been there so many times. Want food souvenirs, i would go 合記林真香. Want shopping, sampeng lane is the place. How about bird's nest and shark's fins? Well, it has been Lao Li Shark's Fin Restaurant (海外天) for the past few visits.

I am feeling way more adventurous in my recent trip to Bangkok as i decided to try a new place (recommended by eatingthaifood.com), by the name of Burapa Bird's Nest which is pretty near Hotel Royal Bangkok Chinatown (previously known as White Orchid Hotel).

Decor within the shop; traditionally Chinese with wooden chairs and jars and jars of pricey bird's nest of all grades! Imagine paying S$6,000 for a kilo of dried swallow's saliva; p.s. that's not even the most expensive!

Usually, the service staff would pass me a menu. At Burapa Bird's Nest, the friendly lady just started putting out metal carrier with numbers like 300, 1000 and 2000 and introduced the types of cooked bird's nest they have! And yes, the numbers represent the type and corresponding value and since i am no wealthy man, i made do with the mid range; the 500 baht blood bird's nest.

Complimentary chrysanthemum tea which i thought was a nice gesture! Most of such teas served in Yaowarat are too sweet but this was just nice to quench your thirst in the hot and humid Bangkok weather.

What's this sia?! I normally get just my bowl of bird's nest and nothing else! Aside from the spoon, there were ginkgo nuts and also a portion of sauce which i presume (and it really turned out) to be honey.

All the aforementioned only means one thing; the bird's nest would not be sugar-laden and it's up to you to decide how sweet you want your soup to be! And for those who dislike ginkgo, you can give it a miss too.

Difference between bird's nest here and elsewhere; undiluted with ice with generous strands of bird's nest in every scoop. Mom should have been here as i know how much she would have enjoyed this!

Let's drizzle the honey to enhance the taste as pure bird's nest without any sugar would be bland. A few friends asked what's the point of eating bird's nest then? I have no answer as i simply loved their taste and since i don't have the financial capability to eat them every day; their supposed nutritional effects were not felt.

Added in the ginkgo nuts and it's a complete yet blissful bowl of bird's nest that's an utter enjoyment! I bet you this would be my stopover every time i am in Bangkok!

Poor Alex didn't know how to enjoy the ginkgo nuts so i would do the nuts some justice by taking all of them; additional good stuff for my body and brain anyway.

I seriously didn't have enough and it didn't help that the bowl was rather small. Nevertheless, it was my best experience of bird's nest so far and it's worth every, single cent! Missing it right now....

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Address

63 ซอย Plaeng Nam Rd,

Khwaeng Samphanthawong,

Khet Samphanthawong,

Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10100, Thailand

Map

As above

Pricing

Blood Bird's Nest - 500 baht a bowl

Thipsamai - Now Upmarket Phad Thai @ ICONSIAM in Bangkok [Thailand] #thipsamaiiconsiam

I was all prepared to endure the long queue at Thipasmai's original outlet near Mount Saket but when i saw a branch on the 6th floor of Thailand's largest shopping centre; the temptation was too great to ignore and i knew i must get a bite of the legendary phad thai!

Maybe because i dropped by before 5.00 pm, there were ample tables for us to choose. For that slight moment, i was wondering if this would be a 'fake' store. However, except for the interior design, there were many similarities to its original store, including the iconic signage that changed its colour every few seconds.

Given that ICONSIAM is considered an upmarket commercial mall; prices are supposed to be marked up although i didn't expect the increase to be over 40% and that's a special price, by the way.

Superb Pad Thai - well, i couldn't say no as i was totally looking forward to satisfy my craving and it's good to note that i only waited about 10 minutes for my food!

The beauty of the egg-wrapped pad thai although i actually prefer the one with eggs that were fried in. It's more instagrammable i guess; for the social media.

Time to unravel the delicious noodles within! Sprinkled some peanuts, mixed them up, scooped one spoonful into my mouth and i almost gave a loud mmmmmmmm. The amazing taste that i have been missing for 5 months!!!!

The execution was fast (and furious) and while i wasn't full at the end of it; the thought of paying so much for phad thai made me think again. Guess i would still queue at Thipasmai's original outlet and hope it wouldn't be very long. For those who have limited time in Bangkok, you may wish to check out this branch at ICONSIAM instead.

Orange Juice (Big) - at 199 baht, this was about 25% more expensive than the original outlet and instead of having one bottle for each of us; Alex and i shared a bottle in order to cut down our expenditure. :( no doubt still the best orange juice! 

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Address

299 Charoen Nakhon Rd, Khwaeng Khlong Ton Sai, 

Khet Khlong San, 6th Floor, Zone Alangkarn 

Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10600, Thailand 

Menu

As above.

Pricing

Superb Pad Thai - 129 baht

Orange Juice (Big) - 199 baht

(Subject to Service Charge & Government Tax)

Nai Mong Hoi Thod Oyster Omelette (นายหมงหอยทอด) - A Michelin Eatery @ Bangkok Chinatown [Thailand] #Michelin #oysteromelette #foodinbangkok

Bangkok is like my second home after Singapore and even though i have my usual places to visit (and eat); i am always on the lookout for new yet affordable dining establishments in the city whenever i visit!

This trip, i finally got to try Nai Mong Hoi Thod; a small eatery in Bangkok's busy Chinatown! Non-air-conditioned with foldable tables and stackable chairs; it feels just like some of the coffee shops we have in Singapore but this one is helmed by only one stall that's famous for their oyster omelette.

Put it this way; famous enough to be on the Michelin guide for both year 2018 and 2019! That's not many years right? It's because 2018 was the inaugural edition for Michelin Guide Bangkok! 

We chose to sit outdoors, right by the dangerous roadside, as it could be much hotter and stuffier in the little, non-air-conditioned eatery that's so close to the cooking stove.

Time to scan through the 3-page menu, which was also in English. Guess the Michelin recommendation has resulted in an influx of foreign customers curious to check out the highly-acclaimed food by professional foodies. Shall share the menu later

Crispy & Plain Oyster Omelettes

The crispy mussel omelette wasn't available and we decided to go with a small serving of both the crispy and plain oyster omelettes! First thing that caught our eyes; so many oysters and a rough count revealed about 13 on each plate!

Texture wise, i think it's obvious one was crispier than the other and personally, i definitely would prefer the crispy oyster omelette which ranked much higher in palatability and tasted more similarly to Singapore's version of oyster omelette. However, i thought it didn't have that strong douse of oyster-ness to the taste.

Key changer was the oysters; the iconic disgusting fishy taste that often overwhelmed me was manageable and for someone who would always pick out the oysters and leave them by the side of the plate, i actually let more than 10 of them slide down my throat!

Chilli sauce could definitely be improved as the garlicky kind we have in Singapore would have complemented better! It's such a waste to leave so many pieces of oysters at the end of our meal. Granted this isn't the best oyster omelette i had in my life but at only 100 baht (abut S$4) a plate; it offers the best deal for the amount of oysters! 

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Address

539 Phlap Phla Chai Rd, Khwaeng Pom Prap,

Khet Pom Prap Sattru Phai, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10100,

Bangkok, Thailand

Map

As above.

Menu

As above. At the point of our visit, only items 1, 2 and 5 are available. It's a pity for me as i was looking forward to trying the crispy mussel omelette.

Pricing

Crispy Oyster Omelette - 100 baht

Plain Oyster Omelette - 100 baht

Beyond Burgers by Grand Hyatt and Smoocht R'Ice Cream #beyondburgers #smoochticecream

I am not a vegetarian and prefer meat-based over a plant-based meal any time! However, the hype about environmental sustainability and the constant visual bombardment of vegetarian burgers that look so much like real meat had piqued my curiousity!

Hence, i didn't hesitate to pre-order the Beyond Burgers by Grand Hyatt (with a top up of S$3.00 for the Sunny Strawberry Fields ice cream from Smoocht) when i received the mailer in my corporate mailbox.

Collection was a week later at my work place and boy was the queue long!

Informative pamphlets on the table for you to read more about the harmful effects of animal agriculture, the promotion of alternative sustainable living etc. Shamefully, i admit i expressed more interested in the food and dessert.

Chilli and tomato sauces were put in sustainable boxes and not in little packages which would actually result in more waste. As my intent was to try the burger without any sauce, at least for my first bite, i chose not to take any of the sauces.

Pull-up banner for Smoocht Ice Cream which i have never heard of! Said to be made from "organic crystal brown rice, organic evaporated sugar cane juice, real fruit and/or pure nut butters", its calorie count is only a third of normal ice cream!

Beyond Burger

Back to my office and getting ready to unravel the mystery, plant-based burger from mezza9 at Grand Hyatt; a high SES dining establishment that charges S$118 an adult for their Sunday Brunch!

The burger; to be totally frank, it looked nothing like the visually appealing one from the mailer sent to me. However, i was surprised by the wonderful aroma of the dairy-free brioche bun.

In addition to the pea-based patty and the buns, there were also "dairy-free cheddar, plant-based mayonnaise, pickles, lettuce, red onion and mustard". What's lacking is having all the ingredients organic too but i guess that would jack up the cost!

Thick patty that already won me over for its perceived satisfaction even though the key would still be the taste. Would it also "bleed" as rumoured? Let's find out with a big bite!

There's a nice smoky flavour to the patty although maybe it's psychological; i didn't find the taste 'meaty' or even meat-like and no, it didn't bleed too. Maybe it's better to be blindfolded and choose between a beef burger and this plant-based one.

Despite the above, my friends and i absolutely enjoyed the burger and i was relishing the brioche bun like nobody's business! Would we pay S$12 each for the same burger? Maybe but nothing higher.

Smoocht Ice Cream

My Sunny Strawberry Fields ice cream came in a small cup. Known as r'ice creams, there were four or five other flavours like hazelnut although the official Smoocht website listed a lot more!

You know what came to mind when i put a scoop into my mouth?! It tasted similarly to the strawberry popsicle from Cameron Highlands with bits of strawberry seeds! Best of all, it's not overly sweet! 

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Website

Beyond Burgers - Click Here. 

Smoocht R'ice Cream - Click Here.

Pricing

Beyond Burger - S$12.00

Smoocht R'Ice Cream - S$3.00 (Top Up Option)