Current Addiction: Look Choop

I'm fighting the urge to go to Old Siam to buy a pack of these.  Oh, boy!  

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Look Choop is a popular Thai candy that are shaped like miniature fruits and veggies.  They are made with a mung bean paste and sugar filling and a nice, colorful jelly covering.

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So beautiful and yummy -- very cheap too at Thb30/pack (Php43).

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This one is shaped like corn.

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Macopa?

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My favorite: chili because I can't eat the real thing.  Heehee!

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I love the bean past filling.  It reminds me of our mongo hopia back home :)

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I can just imagine the time and effort in making one of these!  They're too beautiful and nakakagigil to eat -- pero syempre, I ate them.  Heehee!  After Googling Look Choop, I found out that it was originally made for Thai royalty.  No wonder they're so pretty! It's definitely food that's fit for a queen...of the home like me.  Haha!

Current Addiction: Khanom Krog

Khanom Krog:  I can't get enough of these!  I can finish this entire box in one sitting.

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Khanom Krog is a bite-sized snack made from coconut milk, rice flour and sugar.  Think maja blanca with a slightly chewy bottom and a soft center.  It usually comes with a variety of sweet and savory toppings such as corn, sweetened pumpkin and sliced green onions, but I like mine plain.

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I was feeling under the weather the other day so Richard gave me a box of these as pasalubong.  Boy did that cheer me up!  Well, I'm still sick as of this writing, but the Khanom Krob made me forget about my icky throat at least for a while. These coconut thingies cost only Thb30/box from my suki and it goes so well with our other addiction, the spicy grilled beef from our other suki (that deserves another post but till our next meal).

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I should really sign up for a Thai cooking class.

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Ria + Kerwin in Chatuchak

I always say that a trip to BKK won't be complete without visiting Chatuchak. This place is so colorful and it has so much character that if you're looking for a taste of local Thai flavor, you will definitely find it here: street food, souvenir items, the people who shop, streetside entertainment...Oh, and did I mention the shopping? The items here are super cheap that's why ahluvit!

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We arrived at lunch time so our first stop was Toh Plue Restaurant. Kerwin said he wanted to try super spicy Thai food. This is what we had for lunch...

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...Khao Phad Goong (fried rice with shrimp) Alyannah's favorite Thai dish.

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Crispy catfish...

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with mango salad. Spicy!

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I can't remember the name of this dish but it's marinated shrimp-something. Just like our very own kinilaw, but instead of fish, they use shrimp. I didn't try it but Richard said it was good.

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Pineapple fried rice.

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My favorite Tom Yum Goong (sour and spicy prawn soup).

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After lunch, we started our Chatuchak expedition. Let me share with you some scenes from the weekend market.

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Ria with the masked pirate.

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Kerwin can't decide if he will shop or eat street food.

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Fruit stand.

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Ready-to-eat strawberries for only Thb20.

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Fried fish.

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Cotton candy.

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When you're in Chatuchak, you MUST try the coconut ice cream.

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May free coconut juice pa yan.

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Street side entertainment: a group of students dancing and cheering (in Thai so we didn't understand what they were cheering about).

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Da moves. Naks!

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Boots, anyone? Sorry for the bad pic. I was told by the tindera "no picture allowed" daw eh nakuhanan ko na ng pic. Oh well. Sorry na lang sya.

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Again, like what I always say, Chatuchak can be as hot as hell! But I still love the place. Shopping is cheap, the food is cheap, everything is super cheap! How can you not love that? Nakapag-shopping ka na, may libreng excercise pa. Anong sinabi ng treadmill?

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Next stop: Chao Phraya River for our dinner cruise.

Khao San Road

Ria told me that Khao San Road was top priority on their itinerary. She wanted to see where they filmed some of the scenes from the movie The Beach. Khao San means raw rice in Thai. This street used to be a major rice market in Bangkok before it became a popular tourist spot. It is also known as a backpacker's haven because of the cheap accommodations available in the area. I haven't been to Khao San Road and based on the stuff that I've read online about the place, I knew we were in for a lot of surprises :)

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Welcome to Khao San Road!

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Bank on wheels. Talk about mobile banking!

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We arrived in Khao San at around 5:30pm and the place was just starting to come alive -- food vendors are just starting to pour in, the stalls are still being set-up, etc. We figured that most of the people there probably partied until the wee hours of the morning at ngayon pa lang sila gumigising. We actually saw a few people na mukha talagang bagong gising.

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Cool: foldable lamps.

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Not cool: may bumibili kaya nito? Well, pag may kaaway ka, bigyan mo sya nito. Hehe!

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Kerwin's first taste of street food. Fresh orange juice.

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Kerwin shopping for shirts.

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During our Khao San tambay, we tried out all sorts of street food! As in, nonstop kain but we enjoyed it. Who wouldn't? Hehe!

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Street food #1: pancake roti with nutella.

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First, they take out a piece of dough and they flatten it.

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They also flip it from side to side.

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Then they fry it in a lot of oil (ack!)...

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...until it becomes crispy.

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Look at all that Nutella! I was drooling na at this point.

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Pero picture muna. Kerwin, bilis! Naglalaway na talaga ko!

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It was YUMMY!!! How can you go wrong with Nutella?

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Mandatory tourist shots. Lovers in Khao San. Heehee!

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Ria with a tuktuk and the stariray tuktuk driver.

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Street food #2: pita sandwich.

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Richard chose lamb.

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Sarap ba, sweetie?

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Street food #3: pad thai with egg. Ri and Kerwin loved this.

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We didn't buy barbecue, but I thought the concept of putting an exhaust fan on top of the grill was a brilliant idea. Genius ka, manong!

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This is not really street food, but it was still part of our food trip. Italian gelato for me and my little girl. I had mint chocolate chip and Yan had cookies and cream.

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Another unique idea. Advertisement on wheels. Loud music + loud decor, mapapansin ka talaga.

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Pati yung driver agaw-atensyon.

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Hilltribe women selling wooden frogs (the one that makes a croaking sound when you rub a small stick on its back) and all sorts of knick knacks.

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Street food # 4: spring rolls.

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A pint of Heineken for Richard and mango shake for me.

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More scenes from Khao San road.

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This is funny: Yan kept saying "babo, babo". Paulit ulit. I thought it was another one of her pauso words (she sometimes calls me googoo mommy) so I didn't think much about it. Then I saw this sign...

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BA-B-Q (the Q was written weird lang so it looks like an O). Yun pala, Yan was reading this. Haha!

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My lovey.

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Khao San at night. Ri, what are you looking at?

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Smile, mommy!

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From Khao San road, we dropped off the lovebirds at Patpong. Hindi na kami makasama kasi the place is not exactly kid friendly. Hehe! They just wanted to see Bangkok's famous red-light district.

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Ri and Kerwin wanted to try some local beer so they brought some home.

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Tired after a long day. Imagine, we went to four places -- Wat Pho, Chinatown, Pantip Plaza (no photos kasi tech shopping lang), and Khao San Road all in one day! Five pala for Ri and Kerwin kasi they went to Patpong pa. But it was fun! I love that we made two new discoveries that day -- Wat Pho and Khao San Road. I will definitely recommend these two to our future visitors.