Wednesday 28 August 2013

A summons to court

One of my favourite things about Thailand is the ubiquitous presence of food. Eating seems to be the number one pastime, and the fact that you're never far from the aroma of something delicious was a major draw for me in moving here. The problem with the street food, though, is that despite tempting you from every corner, it's not always that accessible or convenient. As a newly arrived expat, my language skills aren't yet up to scratch, which can make ordering (or even understanding what you might get when you order) a little tricky. And eating on the street on a hot day when burdened with shopping is not always ideal.

Let's be thankful, then for Bangkok's many food courts. These awesome culinary institutions basically provide tasty and cheap street food in a convenient, farang-friendly environment. What greater joy can life have to offer than a delicious 40 baht lunch in a clean, air-conditioned environment, with a side order of people watching thrown in? They also sidestep a particular pet hate of mine when it comes to eating out - waiting for the bill. I don't mind waiting for my food to be delivered - the anticipation only serves to heighten the flavour - but when it comes to eating I'm a 'wham bam thank you ma'am' kind of diner. Once I'm satiated I want to move on, not sit around awkwardly trying to catch the eye of the waiting staff.

For the benefit of the uninitiated, here's how it works. Upon entering the food court, you must (usually) pay first. Look for the counter with a queue but no food - here you can hand over some money and receive a plastic card in return (or sometimes some paper vouchers, but these seem to be rapidly becoming redundant). It may seem strange to have to estimate the price of your meal in advance, but don't worry, you can get a refund later. I find a hundred baht is usually plenty, but who am I to judge you on your appetite? You may find the odd place that just hands over a card and expects you to pay at the end (such as the one at the top of Central World), but these are in the minority.

Once you have your magic card, you can begin to browse the various stalls. Think of these as highlights of the city's street food vendors, handily convened in one place for you to choose from. A menu you can take a stroll through. Most stalls specialise in a particular type of dish, and will have an English translation on the menu behind the vendors (although annoyingly they usually only state the name in Thai script and an English translation, which makes it hard to learn the Thai name for that delicious chicken thing with the noodles that you enjoyed so much). Once you've chosen your dish, ordering is simple. In the courts more used to dealing with tourists, for example the excellent one in MBK, the vendors will generally speak English. Even where they don't, the menus are usually numbered, or a little pointing and smiling will get the message across.

Now comes the best bit. Stand back and watch as your dish is prepared in front of you in a fascinating display of culinary dexterity. These people prepare the same dishes hundreds of times a day, and practice makes perfect. This is fast food as it should be - freshly prepared to order and served up piping hot and at its best. After helping yourself to the condiments on offer (native Bangkokians tend to go heavy on the sugar. You may prefer not to), find a seat and enjoy.

Actually, a quick word on seating. If you visit a popular court at a busy time, you may find it difficult to get a seat. The first couple of times this happened to me I wandered round clutching my tray, my noodle soup getting cold whilst I searched fruitlessly for an empty table. It was only after approaching several seemingly-unoccupied places to find they were not as empty as they appeared that the system became clear. During busy periods, you find an empty table before getting your food (I find scanning for somebody finishing their meal and then swooping as they get up and leave their empty dishes works best), and then 'reserve' it by leaving one of your possessions on it whilst you go and get your food. Right now, during rainy season, the umbrella seems to be a popular choice, but I've also seen packs of cigarettes, sunglasses, and most surprisingly but quite commonly, security passes. People here are quite trusting when it comes to leaving their stuff unattended.

So where can you find these temples of taste? Most of Bangkok's many shopping malls have one, although they're not always well advertised or signposted. Check the top floor first, or wander until you see a knife and fork sign. Some malls will have more than one - the type I've described above, and also a more international version with higher prices and bigger stalls selling food from around the world. Your choice, but I didn't move here to eat overpriced European food. Also supermarkets - Tesco Lotus and Tops both feature one.

Some recommendations? The aforementioned MBK one is good, offering a great range of dishes, as long as you don't mind watching pasty tourists in beachwear wander past as you eat. Cut-price fashion mecca Platinum Fashion Mall has a great one hidden away on the top floor, well worth a visit if you're in the area anyway seeking out cheap threads. My personal favourite though is my regular lunch venue, Terminal 21 at Asoke. This entertaining mall is worth a visit anyway for its odd air travel theme, with each floor based around a different destination - the London floor I find particularly amusing - but head on up to the 5th floor (confusingly, one of two dedicated to San Francisco) and among the restaurants you'll discover one of the cheapest and tastiest courts in town. So good I keep their card permanently in my wallet. I particularly recommend the egg noodles and crispy chicken in Sukhothai style broth. You can thank me later.


2 comments:

  1. I have always like food courts and small restaurants much more than street food, as I do not see carbon monoxide an appealing condiment

    great post
    thx

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  2. oooh! this sounds great! i am moving from australia to thailand in january to teach english and cant wait to try all these food courts! thanks for a great read!

    ReplyDelete