Halal Thai Pancake (Roti Prata) from Krabi Walking Street Night Market @ Thailand #krabiwalkingstreet #krabinightmarket

The Thai pancake i had in Phuket was more a crepe than the roti prata lookalike i was expecting and i thought it's the same thing with the above stall at Krabi Walking Street Night Market since Krabi and Phuket are quite near. 

Thankfully, it wasn't as i can recognise the differences in the dough, its preparation and the equipment used; all of which is similar to what we can see in Singapore when we order a roti prata! 

So uncle, one banana + chocolate pancake please! At 50 baht apiece, it's actually expensive as it would have cost about the same price in a roti prata eatery back in our little red dot.

Nevertheless, i have been craving for roti prata recently and overseas vacations are great opportunities to indulge; more jogging and exercises when i return to Singapore. 

Here in Bangkok, the seller would also help slice up the pancake so that it's easier for you to eat.  

The chocolate drizzle; in the past, Thai pancakes are were not that complicated and consisted of just the pancake and condensed milk which were drizzled over just like the chocolate in the above picture. 

So how was my verdict for this Thai pancake? Well, the dough was not fluffy and texture was a bit chewy which would not have been acceptable for roti prata in Singapore. Banana, hidden within, was sweet and likewise goes for the chocolate sauce. Satisfied? Not at all.

=====

Location

Within Krabi Walking Street Night Market,

Krabi Town, Thailand

Menu

As above.

Price

Banana + Chocolate Thai Pancake - 50 Baht

Click here for the 

itinerary of my 4-day visit to Krabi

Pad Thai with Egg Wrap from Krabi Walking Street Night Market @ Thailand #krabiwalkingstreet #krabinightmarket

A plate of BBQ pork ribs was definitely insufficient to fill my tummy at Krabi Night Market and in my search for more food; i came upon a Pad Thai with Egg Wrap stall. You know what it reminded me of? The egg wrapped pad thai from Thipsamai which Alex loves! 

Knowing i have someone to share the carbs; i happily queued up and marvelled at the skill of the stall owner. Frankly, it didn't look that hard but we must bear in mind that her experience was honed over many years.

The stall was marketing the Pad Thai Spaghetti with Egg Wrap; however, i am not that adventurous and thought it's better to stick with the original rice noodle. Furthermore, Alex is even less open to fusion / innovative food and i don't see the need to increase the risk of him rejecting the food. 

Not perfectly wrapped but hey; i am not complaining when this larger serving cost only 50 baht. Contrast this with the one from Thipsamai  which now cost a hefty 120 baht! 

Each strand was generously coated with the sauce that's flavourful and sweet! There's a spiciness to it that was too overwhelming for my liking. Compared to Thipsamai, i admit it's definitely a few notches lower in terms of taste and the rice noodle also seemed thicker and tougher in texture. 

There's no seafood; in its place was small cubes of tofu and chicken meat. I personally think they should be removed from the pad thai as the chicken was bland and the tofu tasted a bit off (i actually spat it out). p.s. there's so much of the palatable sauce; you could just buy a bowl of plain rice to mix it! 

=====

Location

Within Krabi Walking Street Night Market,

Krabi Town, Thailand

Price

50 baht a plate

Click here for the 

itinerary of my 4-day visit to Krabi

Barbecued Pork Ribs from Krabi Walking Street Night Market @ Thailand #krabiwalkingstreet #krabinightmarket

An advantage with night market is that you can easily find something to curb that hunger although in my case; it means i couldn't decide what to have with so much variety to choose from! 

When i was at Krabi night market back in November 2019, i was again faced with a dilemma on my dinner choice; until i caught a nice whiff of barbecued meat. I stopped walking and turned towards the source. 

Ohhhhhhh; barbecued pork ribs! Now, i am a meat person and prefer to have lesser carbohydrates in my diet, where possible. This would be perfect for dinner and i just love gnawing the bones with bits of charred ends! 

I was totally expecting one long strip of ribs so that i can slowly savour the moment of peeling the meat from the bone and eating it like a total barbarian! But chopped up it was; and i couldn't stop the lady in time.

There's bread?!?! Why why why??? Oh well, i never really reject free things and since the two pieces came with the ribs, i should welcome them with open arms; and then pass them over to Alex so that my carbohydrate intake wouldn't spike that night.

While tender; i thought the pork ribs could have been better marinated or smeared with more sauce as the taste was a bit too bland for my liking. Eat them while they are hard as the texture hardened up once the ribs cooled down!

=====

Location

Within Krabi Walking Street Night Market,

Krabi Town, Thailand

Price

150 baht a plate

Click here for the 

itinerary of my 4-day visit to Krabi

Betta - The Siamese Fighting Fish Store @ Krabi Walking Street (Night Market) in Thailand

I love exploring overseas night markets and when i chanced upon the above store at Krabi Town's night market; i didn't quite understand what it was all about. An art exhibition, a photo workshop or an aquarium?

Turned out it was all the above! Not so much about the workshop but i can see the operator seriously at work to capture the best shot for one of freshwater's most beautiful fish; the Siamese fighting fish (also known as betta to some). 

Photos taken were stunning; to the extent i thought they were paintings or fake! In some pictures, it appeared as if the fishes were dancing flamenco! 

There's even a best in show on display and as you can see, the price tag was 30,000 baht! That's like S$1,300 for a fish that's maybe the length of your pinky finger.

My bet is that its winning factor must be the similarity in colour to the flag of Thailand! While i was taking photographs, the owner walked over. For a moment, i thought i would be scolded for not requesting for permission! 

Thankfully, it was not to be. He actually came over to pass me a mirror as fighting fishes are extremely territorial (hence the name) and would express their beauty when they see another betta. By the way, you are aware that like peacocks, the glamorous looking fighting fishes are male whereas the female is plain looking? 

The store has other specimens that i believe you can purchase. Given that i am a foreigner, it might be hard for me to bring back a live fish to Singapore. Furthermore, i have tried to rear fishes without much success and they are supposed to be the hardier guppies! 

Last shot of the pretty Siamese fighting fish! 

=====

Location

Near the main stage of Krabi Walking Street (Night Market),

Krabi Town, Thailand  

Click here for the itinerary 

of my 4-day visit to Krabi

Shopping Frenzy in Singapore due to the 2019 Novel Coronavirus!

Alex suspected a week ago that food hoarding would be an issue once Singapore's Disease Outbreak Response System Condition (DORSCON)'s level is elevated and he is so darn right! 

I was near AMK hub for dinner last Friday when the announcement of elevation to orange was made, and the situation was crazy with insanely long queues for payment and empty shelves! Panic is such an interesting emotion as even i thought it might be good to buy a bit more food supplies for my parents the next morning.

Rationally, there's only so much we can buy as food items do expire and i don't believe in hoarding food unless there's a dire reason to do so. It's still shocking, however, to find almost cleared out shelves at about 10am! 

Traditional favourites like canned sardines, hotdogs, instant noodles were seen as hot favourites but it's obvious that only the cheaper brands were preferred. 

It was the toilet paper that got me thinking; why is there a need to hoard up on toilet paper?! My family has been using bidet sprays for quite some time and to be honest, my 30 rolls of toilet paper (10-piece pack, usually promotion for 3 packs) can last me almost a year.

Highly perishable products were not as popular even though i heard that in some places, vegetables and fruits were sold out. Seriously?! How much can you eat before they start rotting!? 

Finding empty shelves are nothing compared to the snaking long queue! I hate to wait and while i have my games to accompany me; i forgot to bring my ear buds! There's an advantage though.

Without listening, there might be a lot of assumptions and implied misunderstanding; like this lady ahead who had a trolley full of rice and other household products. I overheard her saying that she operates a restaurant and is worried that her supplier would delay her supply. Well, i wouldn't know if she is telling the truth but it wouldn't harm to give her the benefit of doubt.

Anti-bacterial hand wash which had its stocks replenished while i was queuing. With hand sanitizers almost sold out in the market; the next target would be the handwash as the government take is that we should always wash our hands with soap! 

Rare to find less than 10 trolleys available for shoppers.

What i got for my parents; items i know they would eat and in limited quantity should the need arise. Am i being kiasu? Maybe i am but i can understand some of the anxiety that people are feeling, especially when they see what is happening to China and Hong Kong. 

Having said that, severe hoarding is selfish and it doesn't make sense to just take as much as you could. It's no sustainable and illogical unless your main aim is to operate a central kitchen to feed everyone. Let's all do out part to fight this out together! 

p.s. i feel more sorry for the lady in front of me; she just wanted laundry powder, oil and rice and poor her had to queue for more than an hour for payment. 

For updates on the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (including clarifications on rumours, misinformation), click here for the website that's managed by the Ministry of Health.