“Order Here” – A Sneak Peek into Opposite Mess Hall

Pull up a seat at the bar for this preview of Opposite’s Mess Hall.

I have fond memories of an offbeat restaurant on the street I first lived on in Bangkok.

The place was called Pickle Factory and served snacks like pizza and cocktails until late — sometimes very late depending on how much they liked you.

“Boozy Ice Granita”

Boozy Ice Granita – A refreshingly sour iced cocktail treat

Now granted, there was a ton of things wrong with that place. And before someone who’s been around Bangkok long enough to do so, bursts my overly fond memory, I’d just like to point out as Bangkok’s experiences a restaurant explosion, places offering character, creativity, and community pocket extra WIN with people who love this city.

So whilst a faction of the foodie community in Bangkok is falling over itself to find the next ‘wow‘ place to overspend on, there always need to be places to gather and throw down on great food without the usual pomp (otherwise, we’d gladly stick to Thai street food).

To hell with nostalgia, here’s a REAL pickle factory.

Opposite (frequent host to art shows, screenings and pop up dinners) has a new restaurant concept called Mess Hall with the potential to become as much of a favorite watering hole as has the eclectic, cross-soi sister bar WTF.

So widely anticipated has Mess Hall’s arrival been, it’s preemptively been made one of CNN Travel’s top 9 picks for Bangkok’s best bars.

I wonder if  this had anything to do with pre-qualifying as one of Bangkok’s top bars!

Make that watering hole AND late night feeding spot.

The first course ready and waiting to be devoured.

Got your attention, yet? Mine too!

I jumped on the bandwagon early and booked a private dinner with a small group of other food loving friends.

We basically signed up to come to a blind tasting which included a cocktail, 5-6 courses, and most importantly gave everyone an idea of what to expect from Mess Hall when it opens officially.

To start: House pickles in chili salt and pork pate, onion jam, and toast

Can you spot the chili speckles in this pomelo flavored cocktail?

To start: Fried squid khao kua with aioli.

This month’s private dinners leading up to their full opening, along with catering and a few pre-order items have only fed into the hype surrounding Mess Hall, much of it word of mouth.

So you can bet I was in the house early to see which items from their experimental menu were selected for us to preview.

Small Bites: Steamed buns with pork belly, slaw, scratchings & prawn may served with a pumpkin & gorgonzola croquette and grilled leeks & romesco.

Traffic, natural disasters — the natural Bangkok traffic disaster –whatever may come– I knew I just couldn’t be late for dinner.

Especially not with strong cocktails and a slew of Mess Hall’s dishes meant to emphasize comfort through locally sourced and in-house specialty ingredients waiting to be devoured.

And Then: Potato & sorrel, horseradish, egg, artichoke, mayo (top right) and another dish of salad greens, pickled chayote and avocado

And Then: Fried chicken, corn puree, & pickled chilli

One thing you’re sure to notice as you make your way through the small, minimalist restaurant over to the diner-style long bar separating you from the open kitchen, is the ingredients jarred and stacked on the back wall.

The small kitchen team is involved in preparing many of their own ingredients and even many of the cocktails are mixed using blends of fruit and herbal concoctions made in-house.

Finish: Peach custard tart, salt caramel, and peach sorbet

Impressive for a small space which got noisy pretty quickly after friends piled in.

We had a party of about 14, but the space is said to be able to seat about 50 or so.

I’m scratching my head wondering where they’ll put everyone, but it will surely be a place where some hovering and rubbing of elbows takes place.

Making early memories at Mess Hall

So you’d be right to add Mess Hall on to your list of places to try out once the doors open in a few days. I’m already putting it on the favorites list and I don’t doubt I’ll have to crowbar my way to through a crowd to get to the bar on my next visit.

But for the preview dinner I enjoyed making quiet, messy memories here!

Mess Hall from the street, enter across from WTF and go to the 2nd Floor.

The Bottom Line

Mess Hall’s motto is ‘Ordinary Pleasures Offered with Uncommon Pleasure‘ and this is definitely embodied by the food I tasted. Whip your weary palate into shape because unlike what you expect when eating Thai food, the dishes here are subtle and you may miss enjoying tender nuances of flavor if you don’t adjust.

Expect a small line of nibbling food with few heavy dishes and mainly items meant to be shared in small groups.

The true test of the restaurant will be how they respond to crowds and the initial influx of fans. If they can handle the crowds in true mess hall style with little fanfare and big delivery, they’ll be making a mess of Bangkok’s food scene before you know it.

Soft opening is rumored to begin as early as the weekend, but expect things to be fully roaring the first week of June.

Opposite Mess Hall

Prices: Not a place to break the budget, unless you really go crazy with the drinks. Expect a quick meal with a few dishes and alcohol to fall around 800-1200 baht per person.
Website: http://oppositebangkok.com
Address: 27/2 Sukhumvit Soi 51, 2nd floor opposite WTF Gallery & Bar
Open Hours: 7pm to Midnight for food and for drinks 6pm til late.
Reservations: +66(0)2 662 6330

How to get there:

Easiest way to arrive is by sky train to BTS Thonglor and exit towards Sukhumvit soi 51. Follow the elevated skywalk until it ends and exit between Sukhumvit Sois 51 and 53. You can follow the small back alley path right to WTF and Opposite or go around and enter soi 51 and take the first small sub street to the left.

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HelpLive Coffee Kiosk, Bangkok, Thailand

If you’re in Bangkok and love coffee, you don’t want to miss HelpLive coffee kiosk!

Started by a couple personal friends of mine, HelpLive is an organization that aims to help and provide for needy children. Their main project is supporting an orphanage located in northwestern Thailand on the border of Myanmar.

So where does coffee come into play?

My HelpLive latte

In order to raise money and be able to provide shelter and necessities for needy children, HelpLive decided to open a coffee kiosk in the Silom business area of town. Now, there is not just a single coffee kiosk, but three different locations in Bangkok.

Their menu is simple, consisting of just a number of different coffee choices like espresso, americano, cappuccino, latte, or mocha, in either hot or iced form.

The last time I stopped by, I ordered an iced latte, which was nothing short of marvelous, creamy, and strong.

Chocolatey cocoa

If coffee isn’t your thing, you’ll also find a chocolatey cup of iced cocoa or a green tea latte on the menu.

HelpLive Thailand

But what’s better than their coffee?

Despite their coffee being excellent, for every cup of coffee you buy at HelpLive coffee shop in Bangkok, you’ll also be buying a meal for a child in need.

Did you get that? 

Now that’s what I call WIN-WIN. For just 45 Thai Baht you get a wonderful cup of coffee and the money you spend will also purchase a meal for a child.

Don’t forget your card either!

And if you’re in Bangkok for a while, be sure to grab one of the HelpLive frequent coffee cards where you’ll get your 10th cup for free – and even your free cup will buy a meal!

HelpLive Coffee Kiosk – Chong Nonsi BTS Exit 3 or 4, Bangkok, Thailand

HelpLive Thailand Coffee

Location #1: Silom, Thanon Saladaeng – it’s just a 5 minute walk from Sala Daeng BTS station. Head to Thanon Saladaeng and the coffee kiosk is on your left hand side just outside Adam’s Organic store. Open Monday-Friday from 6 am-2 pm.

Location #2: Chong Nonsi BTS Station (the location pictured) – Take the BTS to Chong Nonsi and follow the signs for Exit 3 or 4, and you’ll see the HelpLive coffee kiosk right there. Open Monday-Friday from 6 am-2 pm.

Location #3: Near Bangkok’s flower market (Pak Khlong Talad). This location is actually inside the Farm To Table organic cafe. Open daily from 7 am-9pm.

Coffees cost just 40 – 45 Thai Baht, and while you’ll get a delicious cup of coffee, you’ll also be purchasing a meal for a needy child at the same time!

When you’re in Bangkok, head out to HelpLive coffee kiosk, bring your friends and enjoy!

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One of the best ways to eat small little tasty fish is by deep frying them with lots of shredded turmeric and garlic, and a sprinkle of salt.

This is especially a southern Thai food method of eating mackerel and other small fish. Goes extremely well with a plate of fresh rice!

Every first weekend of the month the city of Rayong comes together for one of the coolest night markets I’ve been to in Thailand.

The market takes place on Yomjinda road, home to some of the city of Rayong’s oldest buildings and an area with a lot of character.

You get the sense of this right away when you turn onto the cleanly paved stone road, which forbade use of any type of vehicles during the market.

The market is part art show, part antiques fair, and you guessed it— EATING FEST!

There’s so much food. And just like the people of Rayong, the types of food available is made up cuisine from all different regions of Thailand.

The kapi (ข้าวคลุกกะปิ) man!

Rice cooked with Thai shrimp paste and all the fixins’ ข้าวน้ำพริกกะปิ

There’s finger food!

Everyone loves miang kham (เมี่ยงคำ) aka jungle tacos, right?

Also, there’s something special about Rayong’s padthai (ผัดไทยระยอง).

The sauce they use is a tad sweeter and to me a bit more flavorful. Although if you planned to enjoy it from this vendor, you had to wait in line!

Old school donuts and a rainbow of curries!

Part of the reason the market has so much character is because the event is well organized with some important regulations to keep things fun.

The Thai shrimp paste fried rice with a multitude of toppings in a lotus leaf (ข้าวคลุกน้ำพริกกะปิห่อใบบัว)

The Thai shrimp paste fried rice with a multitude of toppings in a lotus leaf (ข้าวคลุกน้ำพริกกะปิห่อใบบัว)

The regulations include keeping all vehicles out of the market area and a blanket ban on styrofoam products.

Those rules don’t keep things from being fun and I was still able to pull off quite the durian heist!

Although, trying to get away by riding the shoulders of a six foot Japanese dude didn’t exactly help me escape inconspicuously.

If you’re the creative type you’ll fit right in.

There are galleries along the path, street artists, and occasional creative activities you can join in on.

Unfortunately for this kid, no matter how old he gets, he’ll never be able to live down this hair cut.

On top of all the art there’s also traditional Thai shadow puppets and 70′s voice over movies with people live dubbing (HAY-LARIOUS to see two people do all the voices— even more so if you understand the Thai).

You’ll also notice that often both the people attending and the vendors are encouraged to don traditional Thai garb like this woman making kow kriap wow (ข้าวเกรียบว่าว).

Singing, dancing, and especially hoarding is encouraged.

There are entire houses who open up with antiquities dating back twenty or thirty years.

Along with vintage cars, motorcycles, and street food carts.

In additional to the street vendors there are a bunch of restaurants along Yomjinda walking street where you can eat.

The most famous restaurant is Baan Kru Moo (ครูบ้านหมู) where you can try a spicy local Rayong style curry.

Also along the Yomjinda walking street is also Gelato 44 Degrees which we shared last week!

Ice cream kisses and bye from Rayong!

Monthly Rayong Night Market on Yomjinda Walking Street

Just remember one of the reasons the market is special is because it only happens once of month and it’s always the first weekend of the month. The market takes places from approximately 4pm to 9pm on the first Friday and Saturday.

Thanks for reading. If you get a chance to join this cool night market you want regret it!

P.S. – They do have their own Facebook page called Yomjinda Road Rayong (ถนนคนเดินยมจินดา ระยอง) with more photos, but the majority of the info is in Thai.

Flaming Baked Alaska Dessert Photo Sequence at Smith Restaurant on Sukhumvit 49

Here’s a few photos that couldn’t wait until the end of the week to share with you!

After dinner one night at Smith Resaturant on Sukhumvit 49, I was admiring the Baked Alaska dessert the waiter had just put down. Then another staff member walks up and sets it on fire!

I didn’t have time to get the camera settings ready, but was able to get a few snaps off in time for you to enjoy.

Smith’s version of baked Alaska is not only beautiful, but delicious and filled with passion fruit ice cream.

Modern Thai Food at Paste Bangkok

Looking for exciting and marvelously delicious modern Thai food in Bangkok? Paste Restaurant is as far as you need to search.

What is Modern Thai Food?

The first thing to know about modern Thai food, as Chef Jason clearly states, is that it’s not fusion.

Fusion is the combining of different cuisines; An exaggerated fusion example is Khao Pad American (Thai fried rice with hot dogs). Modern Thai food is not fusion.

The menu at Paste restaurant does include some brilliantly creative combinations, but they are combinations within the Thai food sphere, not extending into other cuisines.

Modern Thai food is an extension of Thai cuisine, it’s the high end, high quality version of Thai food.

Modern Thai food is also not just about decoration. There are plenty of high end Thai restaurants in Bangkok that prepare normal Thai food, then present it artfully, and charge high prices. That’s not what Paste is about, and while they are experts in presentation, their main focus is on ingredients, flavor perfection and remaining fully Thai yet with a modern take.

Using only super high quality ingredients (often local and organic), paying meticulous attention to fine preparation details, and taking ultimate care in cooking techniques (most of which have been researched far into the culinary history of Thailand), modern Thai food comes into existence.

One thing the chef duo at Paste don’t compromise is flavor. Dishes are never compromised to weaken the flavors intended, but are instead packed with natural flavors that will elevate your taste buds to new levels – they way they are supposed to.

Seng Wa Goong Pao (แสร้งว่ากุ้งเผา)

So, on to the amazing dishes I ate…

My first bite was a dish called Seng Wa Goong Pao (แสร้งว่ากุ้งเผา) – a dish that’s rare nowadays, but always rings a bell for Thais who associate it as a royal dish.

Wild ocean king prawns, crispy catfish (similar to yam pla duk foo), lemongrass, young ginger, and a variety of different herbs were the main ingredients. But rather than being dressed in normal lime juice like nearly all Thai salads, this dish only used kaffir lime juice mixed with a hint of mandarin juice.

The diversity of textures, the herbs, the perfectly cooked shrimp, and the kaffir lime juice made their Seng Wa Goong Pao (แสร้งว่ากุ้งเผา) banging with zesty flavor.

Price: 420 THB

Melt in your mouth flavorful pork

One of Paste Restaurants signature dishes is their master stock poached organic pork (หมูตุ๋นเสริฟ์กับเกรฟฟรุ๊ตและดอกไม้ไทย).

If you can’t already conclude from the close up photo of this pork, let me tell you that it was nothing short of stunning.

From the inside to the outside, the pork was saturated in flavor. It came on a plate with a light salad consisting of  basil, cilantro, red grapefruit, avocado, toasted rice, and local flowers.

Price: 380 THB

Steamed sea bass in turmeric sauce

To round things up, we had the wild sea bass which was steamed and smothered in an insanely delicious sauce made from turmeric, logan honey, and fennel. Crispy shallots and hair-thin shaved kaffir lime leaves added a brilliant finishing touch.

The fish was the perfect consistency, and the sauce was heavenly – not heavy like a curry – but lighter and packed with flavor.

Their rice is no ordinary rice; It’s steamed in water that’s been soaked overnight with organic jasmine flowers to create a superb fragrance. I was a very happy diner!

Paste

The Bottom Line

Chef Jason and Chef Bee are delivering top notch modern Thai food in Bangkok at Paste, and their passion shines through their cooking.

They serve a menu of incredibly tasty dishes that are creatively prepared and truly focus on getting all flavors balanced in perfect harmony, and packed with a complexity of fresh and lively ingredients.

Paste Restaurant is real special treat for anyone that loves Thai food, and I personally would highly recommend it. You’ll be amazed at the flavors and combinations you experience at Paste!

Paste Restaurant Bangkok

Prices: Expect to pay around 600 – 1000 THB per person for a truly memorable meal, they also have a full menu of cocktails and wines
Website: http://pastebangkok.com/
Address: 120/6 Sukhumvit Soi 49 (Opposite Samitivej Sukhumvit Hospital) Klongton Nua, Vadhana, Bangkok 10110
Open Hours: Lunch Wed – Sun 12.00 pm – 2.30 pm Dinner Tues – Sun 6.00 pm – till late
Reservations: +66(0)2 392 4313

How to get there:

Paste is located in the backstreets of Thong Lor. If you take the BTS, get off at Thong Lor, walk over to Soi 49 and then grab a motorbike taxi to Samitivej Hospital. Just past the hospital, and on the opposite side of the road you’ll see the sign for Paste. You could alternatively just hop in a taxi.

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Crispy Roadside Fried Fish Chunk with Spicy Mango Topping

I didn’t stare at this piece of fish too long. However, while I paused to admire it’s beauty, I couldn’t help but wonder if for centuries this same beautiful slice of fried fish stretching toward the sky had inspired architecture, folklore, and music in Thailand.

I don’t know for sure, but in the brief moment before I indulged, I believed it.

Have you eaten anything lately that inspired greatness?

Enjoy the weekend and look for more of this amazing fish, and great restaurants in Rayong.

Curries and soups aren’t the only thing the Rayong-nese like sweet. Here’s two spots that let us have a peek into their operations dishing out diabetes and heat relief in the quiet city of Rayong, east of Bangkok.

These two places are in very different locations and have two very different styles — but BOTH make great after meal stops as you’re exploring Rayong.

Rabbit Mafia

The first was a post-lunch stop at Rabbit Mafia a shop with tea, coffee, and all kinds of pastries.

Honestly, I wasn’t even hungry. But owners and mafia boss ‘Kra-tai‘ (which means rabbit) welcomed us and let us be nosy in the cake room where they where making all of the desserts.

Luck would have it that when we arrived, they had just begun making more banana caramel crepes.

Even after having a GIANT lunch, watching them make these helped me recover quickly.

A few other things you should know about the Rabbit Mafia spot is there’s free wifi and it’s connected to a giant, open air noodle shop. This may be the middle of nowhere, but it’s still nice you can have a beer and noodles or pork sticks and cakes all in the same spot.

Funky Flavors: ‘Yakult Pepo’ Gelato right out of the freezer

Gelato 44 Degrees

The first thing that popped into my mind was the name of this place— What the heck does 44 degrees have to do with gelato?

We hung out with Zeen, who didn’t need to remind us that chilled snacks are a gift from God in a country like Thailand where the temperature and the humidity make it feel like 44 degrees celsius ( or 110+ Fahrenheit) on a regular basis!

Quickly Melting Red Bull Vodka Gelato Shot

That kinda heat will kill ya man. So what better excuse to indulge in gelato than self-preservation?

7 Scoop Gelato ‘moh fai’ smoking as it hits the hot Thai air. (220 Baht)

You’ll need some friends to help you dish all seven scoops in your mouth before they melt.

Inspired by Bangkok’s Tongue Fun Ice Cream, Zeen and his team have lined up some funky alcohol-infused flavors which are always selling out like Fruit Beer, Red Bull Vodka, and Rum Raisin. And, of course, similarly they offer scoops of gelato in a ‘moh fai’ pot that we’re so used to being teeming with boiling hot Thai soups instead of freezing sweets.

Gelato 44 Degrees is located in the old town part of Rayong and they’re a fun last stop if you’ve been sweating it out in Rayong’s markets most of the day!

If sweets aren’t your style, don’t worry because there’s a ton of food from Rayong we’ll be featuring too. And if you do happen to love ‘em the map’s below (Note: both shops are among the almost 50 restaurants on the Bkkfatty Rayong restaurant list).

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Kuay teow tom yum w/ fried pork

This past weekend I had some time to re-visit Bang Nam Pheung floating market.

Although I think Khlong Lat Mayom floating market is just a bit better, Bang Nam Pheung is probably my second favorite weekend floating market in the Bangkok area. You should definitely visit one day on a weekend!

Hoy tod

I started things off with a bowl of kuay teow tom yum, which came filled with deep fried pork and crunchies on top. It was really good, the deep fried pork adding some serious porky flavor to the normal bowl of tom yum noodles.

Due to a little rain storm that came upon us while slurping down our noodles, we took the opportunity to get an order of hoy tod – a fried mussels omelet. It was of the sticky variety, not the best I’ve had, but still by all means tasty.

Pork meat ball wrapped in noodle

Something I’d never had before is this pork meat ball wrapped in a noodle and deep fried (หมูโสร่ง). It was good, what could be wrong with a fried ball of pork wrapped in crispy noodles and dipped in a sweet and sour sauce?

Dried squid

Continue with the snacking, I couldn’t resist dried squid.

Dried squid

After they give dried squid a quick roast over charcoal, it’s then flattened out using a roller and served with a sticky sweet peanut sauce.

It tastes like squid jerky, full of seafood flavor with a nice chewy texture. The sweet sauce contrasts the salty squid.

Coconut ice cream

And lastly, things wouldn’t be complete without ending with a lovely scoop of coconut ice cream topped with toasted peanuts – this time served in a coconut shell, not in a bun!

Bang Nam Pheung floating market is open on Saturday and Sunday. I like to go at around 10 am and stay for a few hours of browsing and snacking.

Bees in the Trap (aka the palm sugar at this awesome street side fruit smoothie stall)

Walk up to get my favorite share at our super shake lady (who you can read about in the post called Bangkok’s Best Fruit Shake – Blended Nectar Anyone?) and discover I’m not the only one addicted to this fruit nectar, check out the bees swarming the palm sugar on her table!