Streets of Bangkok

We spent alot of time strolling the streets of Bangkok. We hardly walk around in Malaysia, but ironically even though it was really humid and hot we walked alot in Bangkok. I think its just a very tourist thing to do.



One thing i didn't fail to notice were the numerous street food stalls. A whiff of the freshly cooked food is all you need to distract you from shopping.In keeping with the "philosophy" of "doing what the Romans do when in Rome", it's a great way to be like the locals when it comes to meal times.




Crispy Pancakes with Fillings (Khanom Buang) is one of the popular snacks you can find. It looks very alike to Mexican tacos. These pancakes are topped with coconut cream before various toppings are placed on them.


The two common toppings that one can choose are the sweet filling: containing shredded coconut and golden threads (egg yolk strips) and the salty filling: shredded coconut and chopped spring onions.

Crispy deep fried chicken is also another rather common street snack. Even though it sounds really unhealthy AND is really unhealthy, its really tasty and you would crave for more after you've had one.





I realized that on the contrary,most of their street foods are rather healthy,besides the fried chicken of course. Take for example,these bbq bananas !! yup its barbecued and not your ordinary deep fried banana fritters you get or more commonly known as goreng pisang in Malaysia. The bananas are barbecued and then caramelized.

While walking in China town, i came across this little stall that caught my attention. Fried quail eggs anyone???? Interesting eh?



Everywhere in the city you will see street vendors selling fresh fruits, guava, pineapple, papaya, and lots of other exotic fruits. It was the best refreshment on those hot tropical days. Another strange thing that i saw while walking along the streets was this:

HAHAHA how funny is that, the anatomy of the brain in the middle of nowhere!!!Oh well, medical students will always be medical students :)

Dome in Bangkok

Like always, I did my research on where to dine for the best food places in Bangkok before leaving. And knowing my *ahem*..expensive taste, i came across a blog that raved about Dome. Dome at the state tower situated atop Lebua Hotel, which is one of the tallest skyscrapers in Thailand.



There are 5 different restaurants in Dome.




1. Sirocco
Jutting into the city skyline like the deck of a flying ship, Sirocco has a lovely entrancing glow Sky Bar.Sirocco serves Mediterranean food of excellent quality.





2.Distil
Part DJ bar, part smoking lounge, part restaurant, Distil combines the comforts of the casual with the distinction of the upscale .




Located on the 64th floor of State Tower, it features the most amazing view of Chao Praya River and Bangkok 's city.

They have quite a few desserts to choose from. After our exhausting shopping spree , we decided to stop by for a drink and dessert. A girl never says no to dessert!!!

































Granny smith apple 'tarte' with caramel ice cream and balsamic , and Strawberry shavings was what i had. It was unique i must say and i've not had anything like it before.



They also have an oyster bar that serves fresh imported oysters which can be accompanied by a selection of champagne.

3.Mezzaluna





Mezzaluna serves top quality Italian food. Everything from the fresh vegetables to the aged cheese, from the unfrozen meats to the unprocessed grains and pasta flour, are all genuinely Italian in origin, assembled by the skilled hands.

4. The State Room

It is located on the 67th floor and caters for special cooperate functions. It has its on independent gourment kitchen, menu and staff.

5.Breeze

It's a newly open restaurant and serves fresh, delicious seafood.

My truthful opinion about this place- the view is spectacular, and its a must visit place. However, one small down fall -i was quite disappointed with the cutlery they used( i know its not a big thing to some people, but one would expect good cutlery to be used in such a well known place) + you can't take photos of the view or settings..hmmph!

Top 3 Things That amused Me in Bangkok

Guess who's back?? I know all of u missed me..but what can i say..the princess needed a break and was off to Bangkok for 4 days. It was a GREAT holiday and i got pampered heaps...just like a princess...hehe :)

Bangkok was better than i expected it to be. I thought it would be really dusty, dirty and not as developed as it is at present.

These are a few things that amused me:





1. The cabs
I was awoken by my excited mother way earlier than expected..but why am i not suprised.. :) Therefore, i was having a lil siesta in the cab from Savarnabhumi Airport to bangkok city. However, every time i woke up when the driver braked or honked other cars, this weird BRIGHT SHOCKING pink objects were seen zooming past from the corner of my eye. Thinking my contacts were playing up and cause i was still in lala land i ignored them and went back to sleep. And went we reached the hotel..guess what was parked right in front of it??... The bright pink object, which happens to be one of the popular colours of the cabs in Bangkok.




2. How much thai's respect their King

We were leaving the hotel on Monday and were engulfed by a sea of people in yellow walking around and we immediately assumed they must all work in the same place or something.



Not till a local thai person explained that with Monday being the day of the King’s birth, and associated with the colour yellow, to celebrate the King’s 60th year on the throne in 2006, everyone wears yellow shirts on Mondays. Although 2006 was the anniversary, the thai's still wear yellow on Mondays and probably will throughout this year.

And despite the political and social problems in Thailand, as well as any negative aspects of being ruled by a monarchy, it is great to see one thing draw all the people together. The King's picture can be found hanging in front of most buildings and can also be found on round-abouts in Bangkok.


3. College girls uniforms



I was really amazed at the uniforms the Thai girls were dolled up in. I must admit that almost 90% of them look really good and look like they just finished doing the catwalk down a runway. The standard uniform is a black skirt and white blouse just like any other uniform you find around the world. But let me assure you that it isn't. The girls have turned the mundane uniform into a very sexy fashion statement. Parading around with white tops that a at least 2 sizes too small ,their micro mini skirt, impossibly high 6 inches heels, little tiny handbags( only things that can possibly fit in there are a mobile phone, purse and a micro sized note pad) and not to forget fully rebounded straight hair- these almost identical looking girls can be found roaming around in Siam square
( one of the most famous shopping malls in Bangkok). And to top it all, can you believe that there is in an annual Bangkok award given to the college with the 'Cutest Techno girl uniform of the year!!

No Ordinary alley

This ain't any ordinary 'shortcut' mind you. And this is a classic example of 'looks can be deceiving! This little hidden alley lies right smack in the middle of Georgetown city and situated in between 2 large high-rise towers on Beach Street.



If you're daring enough, you'll walk through it to discover that its a famous kopitiam especially among the working force people. I doubt this alley has a name so i can't really give you more details.



A kopitiam or kopi tiam is a traditional breakfast and coffee shop found in Malaysia and Singapore in Southeast Asia .The word is a portmanteau of the Malay word for coffee (as borrowed and altered from the Portuguese) and the Hokkien dialect word for shop.Menus typically feature simple offerings: a variety of foods based on egg, toast and kaya plus cofee, tea and Milo.



Recently a new breed of kopitiams have sprung up. The popularity of the old fashioned outlets along with society's obsession with nostalgia and increasing affluence has led to the revival of these pseudo-kopitiams.



The new kopitiams are fast-food outlets which are reminiscent of the old kopitiams in terms of decor, but are usually built in a more modern, hygienic setting such as a shopping mall rather than in the traditional shophouse.






As for my family and i, we try our best to steer clear of the whirl of people and visit original kopitiams like this. This place serves toasted bread which is toasted the traditional way- which is done on charcoal. Better known as roti bakar among Malaysians this toasted bread is normally served best with butter and sugar.




This lilttle kopitiam allows you to bring outside food. Therefore, my family and i usually drop by for the excellent coffee. My dad reckons they have one of the best kopi-o (black coffee) in Penang! If u're daring enough WALK into the alley and be adventurous!!!!!

There's Nothing like Home

After 18 long weeks(but somehow felt like 100 years) of paediatrics and O&G all i was looking forward to was to return home. I reached back home last night after being entertained by my fellow Malaysian-classmates on the flight in one piece but with a stomach which was yelling' FEED me FEED me! And of course being in malaysia, where food stalls are open 24/7 i fulfilled my demanding stomach's wishes with a big plate of nasi kandar.

The day started off today by being awaken by the rosters crowing outside..YES real rosters and not my alarm clock that sounds like it. For those of you who haven't heard my annoying hp alarm that wakes up the whole house every morning..trust me its ANNOYING. As soon as i heard it and like what i do every morning, was to search franticly in the dark to turn it off!After pushing practically everything off my bed, the annoying sound was still there. I suddenly jumped out of bed thinking i was really late and lost 2 hours of my study time and being really upset that i ruined my study plan. (yea, yeah..i know what u're thinking..WAT A NERD..but with practically 1/2 the topics still left to cover in only 3 days u'll be desperate too)Then i thought to myself,' Wait a minute, my exams are over and i'm home!' After a big sigh of relief i tried to sleep but all i could think of was 'What should i have for breakfast?' :)





i ate practically everything you can think of today and can endlessly keep ranting about my food adventures but will settle with just telling you about the highlights.
The highlight of my day today was tea- time. Pa and ma wanted to take me for high tea today and we did actually go into a hotel to check the menu out but something just didn't feel right. I just knew all those lovely cakes on display will not satisfy my taste buds.
































I was in an eating mood but just couldn't pin point what exactly i wanted. And all of a sudden i DID! i didn't want to eat in any fancy hotels, all i wanted was my sup kambing( mutton soup) by the roadside!!!

If you're from penang and haven't noticed that every single mamak restaurant has started serving an array of soups then all i can say is..are you blind?????




However, no big mamak restaurant can keep up to my favorite 'SUP HAMEED' stall. The weather was quite bad today with a few 'spitting sessions' but was just right for a soup day. I ordered just a normal sup kambing and nothing fancy-smancy.




I'm really not into eating 'other' parts of an animal besides just its meat. No tails or testicles or brains or what ever part you can think of will be the same as just the plain meat!




Normally, the soup is served with 2 slices of bengalli bread but i had a craving for roti telur. It wasn't the best i must say but the soup sure was!