Bangkok: Krua Apsorn

I’ve had the great blessing of traveling with people of similar tastes to mine, where food is high on our list of priorities. Thus despite a rather long and circular taxi ride, we all thoroughly enjoyed this gem of a Thai zichar (cooked food) restaurant tucked away in one of the more quiet areas of Bangkok. A spoiler for crab lovers – this is most definitely a must!

I’m not sure whether the menu at this Dinh So branch is pared down, as it isn’t flagship outlet. Nevertheless there was more than enough options to whet one’s appetite – we couldn’t control ourselves and ended up with a feast for just the three of us. Krua Apsorn is started by a lady whose cooking so wowed the previous Princesses of Thailand that they employed her as their personal chef, so really this dilemma was quite understandable.

Highlights include every dish containing crab – generous, huge and juicy chunks of crab meat de-shelled and lightly steamed before being incorporated into the dish. Its freshness was quite evident from a complete lack of rubbery texture of grimy aftertaste; what lingered instead was a lovely subtle sweetness that a good crab just does so well. We loved the crab fried rice, yellow curry, and crab omelette, the last an umami bomb of sweet crab in a beautifully crispy ball of egg.

Special mention also to perfectly marinated chicken wings, which were then fried to render the skin into a wonderfully thin, crisp consistency, yet still revealing juicy, glistening meat. I also loved how they did not hold back on the tom yam soup, which with its semi-clear broth looked deceivingly mild. Quite the opposite, but such a treat, without any of that contrived sweetness from too much sugar, its source here being generous servings of seafood and lemongrass.

I could go on, this place brings back great memories for my stomach. The staff were pretty impressed at our eating stamina, but it was truly worth it! Highly recommend this to be on your next Bangkok itinerary.

Krua Apsorn
http://www.kruaapsorn.com/
Main: Samsen 1 Alley, Wat Sam Phraya, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok 10200, Thailand
+66 2 241 8528

169 Dinso Road,
+66 (0)2 685 4531
Open Monday-Saturday, 10:30 a.m.-8 p.

Bangkok: On Lok Yun

I love how the common roots of countries in the Indochina and greater East Asian region can be see quite visibly through our food – it’s one of the truly lasting, living articles of heritage today. A perfect example would be the traditional steamed bread with kaya at On Lok Yun, a time capsule of ’60s Thailand tucked away in the streets of Bangkok’s Chinatown.

On Lok Yun is quite rightly famous for it’s pillowy soft steamed bread, which still yield a firm bite, coated with a rich, smooth kaya (coconut jam) and condensed milk dip. This same bread can also be ordered in toast form, slathered generously with butter and sugar – a mouthful of pure joy before any of these health campaigns ever got into the picture. Decent, also, was their western breakfast sets, an Asian take on diner food which you realise when you stumble upon those few slivers of chinese sausage tucked behind their western, cocktail kin.

All this rounded off with a tall glass of sweetened Thai iced tea. A worthy trip down for a peek into a Bangkok of years past…or ironically, check out #onlokyun @onlokyun on Instagram.

On Lok Yun – Thai Style American Breakfast
https://www.instagram.com/onlokyun/
72 Charoen Krung Road
Hours: Daily, 0600h-1600h

Bangkok: Roast Cafe Bangkok

On the back of rave reviews from Laura and her lovely mum we trooped down to EmQuartier’s Roast Cafe to fuel up before a long day of shopping ahead (it’s a really short taxi ride away from Platinum / Pratunam). Not disappointed at all, hugely delighted by crusty baguette slices accompanied by an indulgent knob of butter, and a creamy, chocolatey flat white for starters. Their signature iced tea is lychee based, and does not use milk, yet still manages to achieve a rich mouthfeel.

Zucchini and Walnut Pesto: Spaghetti, Shaved Zucchini Strips, Parmesan

The thing I love about Roast is that the entire menu is available all-day! You know, for the times where you just really crave a good rack of pork ribs in the morning. Or more realistically, it can be quite a bummer when something looks so delicious on the menu but you aren’t there at the right time to try it. Which is how we got around to ordering this nutty, aromatic pesto pasta, piquant from the generous use of basil. I loved how they toned down on the olive oil and subbed pine nuts for walnuts in the sauce, such that any lingering aftertaste isn’t too heavy on the palate.

Corn & Zucchini Fritters: Avocado Salsa, Tomato, Tzatziki, Bacon

We also shared a dish of corn and zucchini fritters from the brunch menu, generously topped with crispy bacon, cubed avocado and a thoroughly addictive tzatziki sauce. No sourness from the use of yogurt, being well seasoned, and a touch of mint to really balance the heavier fritters. Studded with sweet corn kernels, the fritters were fluffy and flavourful while still retaining their exterior crisp. A very impressive medley of flavours and textures in each bite. Note also – how beautiful is that delicate blue-grey tone of their tableware? Makes the colours of the food pop!

Huevos Rancheros: Baked Eggs, Tomato, Chorizo, Tortilla

Only slightly disappointing was the huevos rancheros, a Mexican echo of the Middle-Eastern shakshuka, as the eggs were not as runny as we would have liked and the tomato sauce rather spicy owing to the inclusion of chorizo. It was a pretty huge serving though, and the olives added a nice tang to what would otherwise have been a flat-tasting tomato dish. Still, can’t fault the generous scattering of fresh herbs which as always added a great depth of flavour. I really do love herbs.

Roast Cafe is a great space – wide and delicious selection, service attentive and prompt. Prices are on the high side for Bangkok, leaning towards Singapore cafe pricing, but you do get much more bang for your buck. Now if they only came south this way…

Roast Cafe
http://www.roastbkk.com/menu-brunch

1st floor, The Helix Quartier, EmQuartier (BTS Phrom Phong Station)
1000h-2200h daily

Seen Space, Thonglor 13 (BTS Thonglor Station)
1000h-2300h Mon-Thu, 0900h-2300h Fri-Sat, 0900h-2200h Sun