I would never have thought to check out Thonkrueng Thai Restaurant if not for my friends who've been living in Bangkok since mid-2011. It's in a relatively obscure neighborhood not frequented by tourists. From the BTS Skytrain Thong Lo station, you still have to take a cab. Their signboard is barely readable, and they don't have a strong online presence. Their
website is woefully inadequate, but no matter-- the food is more than satisfactory.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiumK3mXcbjBBmeOdFuLmfdESShTvCGwBy7PTu6yW_HaUXrQ3A_WJikQmUa1M9V4sV677YxkijjXLneiUijgQD1OOIhFYnqEmzX8bQwyz6G4Nf88KWrlvm-y6P0ymeLN7ahffi5cIJWhQg/s1600/P1130395.JPG) |
Started with my favorite Thai dish, som tam. This time with breaded and fried slices of salted egg. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqDI98VfFBiXMRQTiSqK2EOloJh51fovO8qN-I__DJhg3unBcpfeDQmDAvDHTYoEi0mao3U01fTModb9jxk2VT0dLNKKTQByWMF0QxPrRslxQHqCnL2VvC2M6rjXKA9XBSYekTcQbbR1A/s1600/P1130396.jpg) |
Super tender stir-fried beef with holy basil. Often imitated outside Thailand, but never equalled. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1e0A9q39umRqVsrRajGpwPljTtTrfYXJztEbAcqV6HFpQWW0s7RVKnwB0w7bSAJFKNyHvPAVhqI3Z4R_X2TIxqMK8pECNiv4VWQd2cGOUuWkd5mN4HlaZbCl2d8QmZK-OPg672s649rw/s1600/P1130397.jpg) |
Crisp morning glory (kangkong) sautéed with garlic. Seemingly effortless and yet so perfect. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCZI7HKIsOSkYAYCw1TfpuIaKtCAt4tb18SdbMNLlkXyXi3LQoHcWOTpN6ddjc6zsIlmBH1ZwBZWspQ5esqpMUohs9UzmyA2-tsU7slHUN8_13kKWNpjzBwRfkIMDPmzxahXrVPpv9Dfg/s1600/P1130398.jpg) |
Deep-fried crab or fish cake, can't remember exactly. Must've been overshadowed by the other dishes. |
I refused to eat the great Pinoy favorite chicken in pandan leaves the whole time I was in Thailand, but as a concession to our being Filipino, we agreed to get the other Pinoy favorite, pineapple rice. At this point, I was starting to worry that we may have ordered too much for our measly group of five, but we steadfastly soldiered on.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPYeFLZ68UirAPZkuTQ5hOmIBtZryaTGAhnApNYD2l53K-ebDyazMrE_nYsWKKivkpubonWePgKR1jetsrJX0WmLSFyHnT3jYudl1N3wNpNNAWRcGPHX13ylKDgqjRRDVDtfMOV3uTVms/s1600/P1130399.jpg) |
Fried rice served in a carved out pineapple. I think I ate too many interpretations of this back in the '90s. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzp5vJnn3jZsdKgAcTREiF6JEJ9Mt-rlwJloUc7gugqKDHlMO7LiUtQZPMGjEpjwdc6qDN8wwU-nNA_BuhK0L7VCqtkulbw44o86Mt47C4JTXrhFXOkJj9EBh-zf5LJCMT1R0bbVWKjQk/s1600/P1130402.JPG) |
Thonkrueng's Thai fresh spring rolls were quite good, but I much prefer the Vietnamese version. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxmkskBc6VT2ToBzJmTdw7F3YuzgLse4k2KDecWH5un96CZJDDahOPvx9KmXcymkvqbEkE-ew0pc74Bq2rrX5OdFNAop_irAXCO5yay397KypghX9ebzgeIWYNZjxpAltf3EuNwk9AKPs/s1600/P1130400.JPG) |
I actually liked this catfish salad because the dressing was served on the side. Great idea. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv313eXF-VXHy8mulU7BIcSPH2EzG6rLe_MKGna4q9g3H_ggqZBRcxHeZbqyakpqaULAwBLlqp1Kr8DbXu6iYuNqfoFhNRvNyKerwXhdGRELwBqBV-AqScWpQq41CsOu5YKfChmSNUKfY/s1600/P1130404.JPG) |
Tom kha gai, or chicken soup with coconut milk. Impeccable balance of creamy, salty and mildly spicy. |
The most unusual dish of the evening was the... uh, the little clay covered thingys. I don't know what they're called, but they were absolutely sublime. I can't even describe how it tasted because everytime I think about it, I fall into a swoon. I would go back to Thonkrueng just for this dish.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd9TWIDlSVXO2Vq7PStokNf1KBnftGOt2i71VAqkRqG9fhrbLI_ouKZ3FCZF3zaKwYYu2FmjKw72AMwzugFVzqgcx_S8YpNvhtq4E0Q9LG7ptpj5fH7oYHcC_3A2DO83gbqvvpHb_gX2c/s1600/P1130401.jpg) |
I could have eaten all of them, whatever they were. So good, and not available in other Thai restaurants. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKkpy4SJ-EDKd12HOb8PzJeP4cUoXR8mlLnrlAn2r2xmDFAplLa1oxsaZKWw3V4l29RdIr1YmDnbOkYANGj0RI-Wqqix0ESn2ANCWztntAS8ypNiK4cEom1MKzIVowBXx6e4PCVACo80w/s1600/P1130403.jpg) |
ARRRGGGGHHHHH!!! I wanna go back. Right now! |
The second most unusual dish was the raw veggies with sweet and salty dip. Again, I don't know what this dish was called or what was in it exactly, but it was lip-smackingly delicious. I especially liked the fresh young lotus root. I had never eaten them that small before. They're usually much bigger and you can see the distinctive Swiss cheese holes when you slice them. These were only as thick as a finger, and had the most wonderful texture: crunchy but delicate.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEFTYo6k5mvuSx1IOgodMKlOQcoNVcpd3hnaikPLy7FtD1VupC1kFFYo9HAQn7j2A04XKZv2vT4RaHjRpBMZ0dTI95uw44M-4Y5DK3yQtoAO3i8jY2fAEJsMpEQRSpcFE4m0ZY2SKh1PI/s1600/P1130406.JPG) |
Yummy sliced young lotus root between the cucumber and the cabbage. |
By the end of the parade of dishes I was actually too full to eat anything else, but when someone said "mango sticky rice", I couldn't resist. Thai mangoes are more fibrous than the Philippine variety, but I find them to be consistently sweeter. It's like the farmers submerged them all in a vat of sugar syrup before they went to market. I did not have a single bad mango in Thailand.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW8N-FCsZHSbcZDfa0UYzmE1tLhUuuuN_zOt0zCTZU0nGtWn0B-7UCcQ3PxsZVMBRx_6luofQTbhHGG_JdnXsIFlgG2yFD_Dj7T11ZOKIaLutH3lCnJrdLgPTvB56UN33LWyVSS1i9LLg/s1600/P1130409.jpg) |
Whoever invented this simple dessert is a genius. Totally worth the extra calories. |
Verdict: Ah, Thonkrueng. You have become my favorite Thai restaurant. Never mind that you're out everyone's way, you look like a retro German beer garden transplanted to the tropics, and your wait staff are almost impossible to communicate with. When I go back to Bangkok, this will be my first stop. Fresh, fast, cheap, delicious. Three stars.
No comments:
Post a Comment