The 5 best things I ate in Thailand

In this series, I round up the five best things I ate in a particular city or country. On the 15th of each month I feature a destination from my past travels; on the last day of the month I recap the best of the last thirty days. Today’s 5BTIA comes from Bangkok and the islands of southern Thailand.

It’s no secret that Thai food is one of my favorite cuisines. In fact, it’s a large reason why I miss Asia so much, and a great contributor to my Paris blues — I can find decent pho here at least, but I’ve yet to find a solid pad thai.

So not surprisingly, this month it was incredibly hard to narrow the list down to just five — perhaps I’ll have to do a part two someday. If you’ve never been to Thailand, put it on your to-do list right now; for those who may be heading to Thailand soon, and to the lucky travelers who are already there: please eat as much of these dishes for me as you humanly can.

1. Pad Thai

If I ever moved to Thailand, my body would become 70% pad thai. No matter which city we visited, and despite my best attempts to diversify my diet, I would always end up eating this noodle-peanut-sprout dish at least twice a day. I would eat it off a street cart in Ao Nang, I would eat it at an expensive guesthouse in Koh Lanta (#4). I would eat it chock-full of seafood, I would eat it from a vegetarian restaurant with faux-scallops. I would eat it in a house, I would eat it with a mouse.

2. Mango Sticky Rice

Another quintessential Thai dish that I could easily overdose on, mango sticky rice is as simple as it sounds: It’s just mango slices, some sticky sweet rice, and coconut milk. If you are someone like me — that is, someone who used to dump sugar into their rice porridge as a kid (okay fine, and as an adult), then this dish is made for you. Even if you don’t have a sweet tooth, you should still try mango sticky rice at some point in your life. It’s like eating bliss.

(Note: Most mango sticky rices don’t look this delicate; usually I just ordered them off the street and ate them from styrofoam cartons with a plastic fork. This particular mango sticky rice comes from the fantastic Soul Food Mahanakorn — one of my favorite places to eat in Thailand that isn’t a food cart; I’d book a Bangkok hotel room for just one night to eat here again.)

3. Tom Yam Soup

Just typing out “tom yam” made my mouth water. I am in love with this spicy soup — there are several variations, but my favorite is when it’s especially sour and full-to-brimming with prawns, mushrooms, and a hearty helping of cilantro on top. The only reason I didn’t order it more while in Thailand is because my spice tolerance levels aren’t that high…yet. (Fun fact: When I’m feeling not-so-hot after a night out, this is the only thing I’ll eat. Sweats the toxins out — alright, even if it doesn’t, it’s still a darn good meal.)

4. Time For Lime, Koh Lanta

I can’t rave about Time for Lime enough. Charming bungalows, incredible food, world-class mojitos, relaxing oceanside views — and the Norwegian owner, Junie, is so obviously passionate about her work. Not just towards food — all her profits go to the Koh Lanta animal shelter, which she founded. While we didn’t manage to partake in a cooking class when we stayed there, we at least got to experience a fabulous meal from the menu (which changes daily).

From left to right, top to bottom: Possibly the best mojito I’ve ever had, papaya salad, pad thai, Time for Lime soup (pumpkin, lemongrass, red curry, lime); marinated snapper with a sweet-sour-spicy sauce, spring rolls, a bitter-yet-sweet fruit dessert; lemongrass margarita. Yes, this was all ONE meal.

5. Fresh Seafood

While in Koh Phi Phi and Ao Nang, I loved the beachside restaurants that would let you choose your fish, then its method of preparation: grilled, barbecued, fried; with garlic, black pepper sauce, spice — the combinations were overwhelming. And delicious. After a long day of snorkeling, kayaking, hiking or rock-climbing (life is tough when you’re on holiday in Thailand), there was no better way to wind down than finding a table near the beach, enjoying a fresh seafood dinner, and watching the sun set over the sea.

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11 Comments

  • Reply
    baconbiscuit212
    July 16, 2012 at 03:30

    This is a dangerous post! I actually drooled on my desk!

    If I lived in Thailand, I would be 70% pad thai too ;-)

  • Reply
    Lucy Dodsworth
    July 16, 2012 at 12:27

    Mouth-watering photos! And thanks for the tip about Time for Lime, I’m hoping to fit a Thailand trip in soon and will look it up.

  • Reply
    Susan
    July 16, 2012 at 18:59

    I love that price and quality are not necessarily positively correlated for Thai food. Price and service/atmosphere/hygiene certainly are, but not pure tastiness. Knowing that you can score some perfect pad thai off a street cart makes walking around Thailand a treasure hunt!

  • Reply
    Erica
    July 17, 2012 at 04:35

    I do miss eating some of the best food ever while sitting on plastic furniture.

  • Reply
    travellingmo
    July 17, 2012 at 04:59

    Reading this when hungry was such a bad idea!!! I am now absolutely starving and salivating. I went to a thai restaurant last night and had the same dilemna: pad thai, or something new. Needless to say the pad thai won.

  • Reply
    GQ
    July 18, 2012 at 05:09

    Really wished we did a visa run and made time for Koh Lanta. I miss Thai food!

  • Reply
    Steph
    July 20, 2012 at 06:53

    PLEASE keep these posts coming! Everything looks so yummy!

  • Reply
    Lauren of Spanish Sabores
    July 25, 2012 at 10:15

    I just discovered your site from Michi’s (I Heart Mondegreens) and I love what you are doing! I dream of going to Thailand soon, and always wondered if they really eat the same stuff they serve in the US restaurants– I guess so! I love Pad Thai and Mango sticky rice, so I can only imagine how amazing they are straight from the source. If you are ever in Madrid, get in touch and I’ll show you around town!

  • Reply
    Shey
    August 10, 2012 at 05:51

    pad thai!!!!! yum!

  • Reply
    The Runaway Guide
    August 25, 2012 at 09:13

    I just got so hungry >< Sticky mango rice goodness is godly.

  • Reply
    Fears for Tears | Budget Nomad
    November 19, 2015 at 15:07

    […] The 5 best things I ate in Thailand […]

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