Thai Style Pancake - It's Roti Prata @ Bangkok [Thailand]

My stomach is known for being sensitive and I am apprehensive whenever I eat street food. Strangely, Bangkok is one of the few places that I am happy to indulge in street food and, I almost went over the moon when I saw the above mobile food stall on day three of my trip.

Singaporeans and Malaysians alike would be familiar with this food as it's commonly found in both countries, although pronunciation wise, there are differences. In Singapore, it's known as roti prata and for our closest neighbor, it's called roti canai.

Whatever the case, the one in Thailand was an enhanced version as it's more a dessert whereas in both Singapore and Malaysia; we tend to eat it as a main meal, usually breakfast, and with curry / sugar. 

With sixteen choices, the one I was going for was banana and egg! Similar to roti prata / canai, the operator took out a piece of dough, flattened and pan-fried it, put in the fillings and then quickly folded the edges. 

Awaiting the dough to cook. The second photo would look no difference from a typical piece of roti prata / canai. I love roti prata but it's high in carbohydrates and I often need two portions to feel satisfied; hence, I try to restrict this specific indulgence! 

In Thailand, the roti was further drenched with condensed milk, which would bulk up the calories intake! However, it has one big draw; the spike in palatability and obviously a welcome for those with a sweet tooth! 

Here's the finalized product.

Let's indulge! Unlike Singapore / Malaysia, the Thailand's version would be cut into smaller pieces for ease of sharing and eating. My verdict for this Thai style pancake; pretty good when it was still warm but for someone who loves crispy prata; the texture, even the edges, was too soft for my liking.

Not the best Thai style pancake but as a dessert, this was acceptable. The condensed milk was definitely the deal-breaker and while I could do the same in Singapore, I think fellow Singaporeans would likely at me with absolute disbelief and disgust.  

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Location

Near Thammasat University.

Opposite from Green Coat Cafe.

p.s. this is a mobile food stall. 

Menu

As above.

Click here for my 7 Days 6 Nights Papazao Itinerary to Bangkok

Coin Museum @ Bangkok [Thailand]

I am not exactly a museum goer but I was out since morning and was desperately craving for some air-conditioning to cool the body. Coincidentally, we chanced upon the Coin Museum right after checking out Khao San road.

To prolong our stay, we expressed our interest in the museum tour. However, it was a 90-minute tour with timings to adhere too, and a ticket charge! 

Temporary exhibition was free though. The temptation of air-conditioning had turned us into scheming individuals. I actually went in with an open mind as there could be interesting stuff, although I think paper money has a higher value than coins.

Exhibition: Ascending the Throne.

Instead of coins, the information was on King Vajiralongkorn, the 10th King of the Chakri Dynasty, and his ascent to be King of Thailand following the death of his father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

There was some relevance to coins; like a set of circulation coins featuring the portrait of King Vajiralongkorn in 2018, before his coronation, even though his reign started in 2016.

King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit.

And the commemorative coin with their image.

After a while, I realized we had gone against the flow of the exhibition. It appeared that the exhibition was really talking about the medals, commemorative coins for each King and since King Vajiralongkorn has only started his reign, the coins under his reign were limited.

These were the medals produced during the reign of King Rama V, King Chulalongkorn. I studied history in secondary school and two Thai kings stood out in the books; one of whom is King Chulalongkorn.

Another exhibition, known as the beginning of currency. There was a no access sign and I think this would be part of the museum tour I spoke of earlier.

Technically, I didn't step in; just pull apart the curtain and took the above photograph. Looked like a cave and I am guessing projections of primitive human beings using seashells or even stones as "currency".

Back to the temporary exhibition. This time, on King Rama IV, King Mongkut who is father of King Chulalongkorn and another Thai king that the history book, in my secondary school, focused on.

I am accustomed to seeing flat coins.

And these nuggets fascinated me. Known as pod duang, they were the currencies used before 1860 when King Mongkut had his first royal mint built, with a steam-powered machine that was able to produce flat coinage.

There was another mention of pod duang near the museum shop. While we are accustomed to baht as a denomination in Thai, do you know that each baht can be divided into 100 satangs? I didn't know! 

Interested in collectable coins?

You can purchase some in the museum shop.

There was also a list of provincial medals. I run a check and there are a staggering 77 provinces in Thailand; even for China, the fourth largest country in the world, there are only 23 provinces! 

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Address

Chakrabongse Rd, Chana Songkhram, 

Phra Nakhon, Bangkok 10200, Thailand

Map

As above.

Website

http://coinmuseum.treasury.go.th/

Directory

As above.

Click here for my 7 Days 6 Nights Papazao Itinerary to Bangkok

MAiSEN Tonkatsu Restaurant @ Central World in Bangkok [Thailand]

Japanese cuisine in Bangkok is said to be of a higher quality than Singapore and with a recommendation from a friend who stays in Thailand's capital city; we made our way to have dinner at MAiSEN Tonkatsu Restaurant in Central World! 

Complimentary cabbage and green tea (hot / cold) that were refillable, provided you order the set! Two more items can also be topped up for free when you order the tonkatsu; miso soup and Japanese steamed rice.

The three sauces you can freely dispense for the bowl of cabbage. The roasted sesame sauce was similar to the popular kewpie one we can get in Singapore but I prefer the one with soy sauce which was more appetizing, given the heightened saltiness.

Freshly shredded cabbage drizzled with the roasted sesame soy sauce dressing was so good, and it did make me feel somewhat healthier since it would balance out the sinful, deep fried pork cutlet.

Grilled Salmon Set - this was Alex's order! The salmon was grilled perfectly, without the overcooked texture whenever I attempted to do the same at home. The accompanying chawanmushi had an unique flavor that tasted strongly of bonito.

Loin Tonkatsu Set - miso soup wasn't watered down, and now that I am older, I have a deeper appreciation for kelp in the soup, which is known for its health benefits (high in antioxidants).

I am always looking out for the layer of fat in my tonkatsu! While it might appear tender and juicy from the above photo, the texture of the meat was a bit tough. As usual. we would need the tonkatsu sauce to up the palatability but I very much prefer freshly ground sesame seeds to go with the sauce.

In summary, the tonkatsu was definitely above average although it still faces a tough fight to dethrone Saboten, which is where I would always go for whenever the craving for tonkatsu strikes. 

Dessert - we were about to leave when the service staff told me there was still dessert with options for either green tea ice cream or almond jelly. Since I am not a fan of green tea desserts, the latter it shall be. 

Pretty good and similar to my sister's homemade version, which was made using prepack powder that you can purchase from the supermarket. Nevertheless, this came with the set and I am not complaining. 

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Address

7th floor, centralwOrld,

Khet Pathumwan, 2978 Rama I Rd, 

Pathum Wan, Bangkok 1033, Thailand

Pricing

Grilled Salmon Set - 335 baht

Loin Tonkatsu Set - 365 baht

(Subject to Service Charge and Inclusive of Tax)

Click here for my 7 Days 6 Nights Papazao Itinerary to Bangkok