Honking Hanoi

I’ve always thought Bangkok was chaotic but it’s not a patch on Hanoi. From the second you walk out of the airport you are surrounded by free flowing traffic, with most drivers honking their horns continually, and often for no apparent reason! Once you hit the old town the craziness increases further with scooters, often laden with the most insane quantity and variety of goods, whizzing in every direction.

But somehow as you get used to it, unlikely as it may seem, the apparent chaos reveals some kind of order and the crazy appears more systematic. You have to re-learn how to cross the road though, something everyone is keen to make sure you understand. The best explanation I’ve heard is to imagine that the vehicles are ants and that you are free-flowing water. If you keep moving at a steady and continual pace, the traffic will just avoid you. And it works! Well, as long as you preserve enough wits about you to be aware of the random directions things are coming at you from and don’t step out straight under a tyre!

Keeping your wits about you is easier said than done though because there are just so many things to look at! Every inch of street (and most of the pavement just to add to the road navigation fun) is packed with fascinating things: traditional hatted hawkers; stalls laden with stunning fruit and veg, brimming with dried mushrooms, or even piled high with plastic chickens!; shops overflowing with scarves, paper products or lacquerware; tiny off-lead dogs or fluffy cats on leads; snaking cables; sign covered surfaces – you get the idea!

After an hour of navigating the streets, we decided the best thing to do was settle down with a beer and just watch the world go by. Happily, we happened upon Beer Corner, whose name alone demonstrates its suitability as a location for the task at hand. Saving Bai Hoi (street beer) for another time, we sat back to sample a couple of the Vietnamese bottled brews, relaxing in the relative calm and quiet (until they turned the techno on!) to take it all in through a well placed door.

With so much to see even when static, I’m happy we’ll be in Hanoi for a while to try and see all the incredible city has to offer. I’ve not even started talking about the food yet, but I think it’s safe to say I’m going to like it here!

Cabbages and Condoms

A trip to Cabbages and Condoms, a quirky (now chain) restaurant that’s used to promote family planning and fund development projects, has become something of a tradition whenever we are in Bangkok. It’s my husband’s favourite place, in part because of the delicious food but also because of the cool, relaxed outdoor seating area.

Knowing that we had a big meal to come, we avoided eating properly for the rest of the day, instead relaxing by the pool with another staple when we’re in Thailand, the (no doubt sugar filled) yoghurt drinks that are available in every 7-Eleven. Somehow, being unable to read the labels, I can pretend to myself that they are healthy!

The downside of going to Cabbages and Condoms is that it means leaving my favoured riverside location and heading to Sukhumvit. I love Bangkok, but it can also be challenging and Sukhumvit puts under my nose many of the elements of the city that I prefer to avoid. My love of the city is based on life along the majestic Chao Phraya river and if I’m honest, that’s where I’d prefer to stay!

But for my husband, who had ‘saved’ his birthday meal to go to C&C, to Sukhumvit we went and were rewarded, as ever, by the ambience and food. Now, when I say quirky I mean it, and that includes numerous decorations made of condoms. Light fittings, life size human figures, even an after dinner condom in place of a mint. It’s a very entertaining concept!

If I’m honest, going to C&C with a larger group is preferable as the portion sizes and large and that means you have to resist ordering too much if you are a two. But everything is so good that what you really want to do is order everything on the menu! We have some old favourites, Pomelo Salad with Chicken and Prawns being my absolute favourite – it’s fresh, zesty and light, with deep fried garlic providing a rich little crunch. We also ordered Beef Massamun Curry, which is a favourite for the husband, but then wanted to try some new things too. So we started with Chaw Muang, purple little dumplings stuffed with slightly sweet chicken, and also ordered Deep Fried Cotton Fish with a Fresh Mango Sauce. I have no idea if we know Cotton Fish by another name, but it’s got lovely soft flesh and the hot, sour sauce made it delightful.

Climbing back on the very busy Sky Train from Nana Station to head back to Saphan Taksin, where we’d meet our hotel shuttle boat, was rather a shock after the tranquility of the restaurant and I was very glad to get back to my beloved Chao Phraya.

Asiatique

Somewhere between a night bazaar and a shopping mall, Asiatique is a riverside complex that offers an enjoyable evening, particularly if people-watching is your thing.

The actual riverside restaurants aren’t my favourite on the dining front, but they provide an excellent opportunity to relax with a drink and watch the world go by. Last night, that included a procession of Thai dancers and drummers. I have absolutely no idea what that was in aid of, but it provided an interesting interlude as we enjoyed a cocktail and a few beers. In fact, we discovered a Thai beer, Phuket, we hadn’t had before and that I, being a fan of beers on the citrusy side, absolutely loved.

When we’d found our appetites, we headed further into the complex to a restaurant I’d found on an earlier visit, and which offers plenty of classic dishes, including Fried Morning Glory with Oyster Sauce, which is a particular favourite of mine. It’s a bit on the ‘green’ side for my husband, but I adore the garlic and chilli-loaded dish and can quite happily demolish most of the plate on my own!

When faced with a menu full of delicious food, choosing is always tough. We added Shrimp Omelette, Chicken in Chilli Paste and Mud Crab with Curry Powder (something of an accident, which I’ll come to in a moment) to our table, along with plenty of rice of course.

Back to the crab. It was DELICIOUS, although what I had meant to order was Softshell Crab in Curry Powder. The Mud Crab was much more messy, but that kind of added to the fun! The bulk of the crab meat is dissolved into the sauce, but the whole broken up crab is in there too, so you can enjoy the remaining sweet white meat if you’re happy to get involved in a bit of sucking and slurping! My intended order would be much better for anyone who prefers to get less involved in the anatomy of their food.

We did a pretty good job of demolishing our feast, which required a good wander around the stalls and a stroll back to the hotel to walk off.

Thai Comfort Food

Purists may dispute the title of this post because the food I am going to talk about is not technically Thai, but Hainanese. However, it’s also my comfort food when I’m in Thailand and a common street food, so the title works for me!

After a long flight and a change of time zones, appetite is a funny thing, and what I generally crave is something simple and tasty. I was, therefore, delighted to happen upon delicious-looking Khao Mun Gai just a short wander from my hotel, along the haphazard Charoen Krung Road.

Not only do I love to eat Khao Mun Gai, but it also raises a smile every time I do because it triggers fond memories of a friend for whom Thai food was often too spicy and this was the safe bet! But don’t be fooled; like many Thai foods, this comes with accompaniments that can give it added punch if ‘safe’ is not your thing.

Khao Mun Gai is essentially poached chicken and rice, which I accept may not sound like a food worth blogging about! The stock from poaching the chicken is used in the cooking of the rice and is also served on the side as a light soup. But the magic really happens when you add the delicious sauce that comes with the dish, a sauce that varies in form but which is always strong with ginger and garlic. Learning to make a version of this sauce that’s as tasty as the one I had last night is definitely on the ‘to do’ list. This version also came with a huge bowl of grated ginger and fresh chillis so you could adjust the spicing to your taste, which was a brilliant addition.

If you’re exploring the streets of Thailand and fancy giving this a go, just look for whole poached chickens hanging in the windows of stalls and shops, a sure sign that you are in the right place (if something that I forgot to photograph).

Airport Appetite

Airports are hellish, and are probably (perhaps with the exception of the tube journey across London to Heathrow) the worst thing about travelling. So I’m a firm believer that you have to make the best of a bad situation, and for me that means food and wine!

Today’s airport experience is probably one of my least favourite – the disorganised chaos that is Heathrow’s Terminal 2. The only saving grace is that, whilst restaurants aren’t in abundance, there are some really good places to eat!

Today we selected Heston Blumenthal’s The Perfectionists’ Cafe. I mean, the man can even use an apostrophe correctly so how could you not? We’re not talking haute cuisine here, but it’s quality, tasty and the service is good.

Since we’re on our way to Asia, pizza seemed like a good choice for a final farewell to a VERY grey and gloomy England. Truffles Culatello and Mushroom pizza sounded far too fancy for me to ignore and let me tell you, it was good! What’s not to like about truffled salami? And washing it down with half a bottle (perhaps more, so the husband lost out!) of Montepulciano D’Abruzzo was the perfect start to a much needed holiday. A pound even went to Street Smart, which seems appropriate since a good friend did a Centrepoint Sleepout last night to raise funds for a similar cause.

Anyway, I am now on board my Thai Airways flight, so I’ll tell you more about that later. Until then, wish me safe travels!