VIP meal in Bangkok

Several months before our trip to SE Asia, Carl and I watched every Anthony Bourdain and Andrew Zimmern episode filmed in SE Asia that we could catch on out DVR. On the "Bizarre Foods" episode filmed in Bangkok, Andrew Zimmern visits a remote restaurant hidden deep in the annals of Bangkok's Chinatown called Jok's kitchen. Zimmern mentioned how Jok's Kitchen is one of the hardest tables to get in town, with reservations often made months in advance. The restaurant has two tables, and the chef, Jok, speaks only Thai. He prepares for his patrons whatever dishes he feels like cooking up on any given day. Carl was determined to go to Jok's Kitchen, and I laughed at his aspirations knowing that two non Thai speaking Americans would likely not be able to secure two seats at this remote restaurant in faraway Bangkok. Much to both of our surprise, our hotel called the restaurant on a whim and was able to fit us in that evening! After sketching a hand drawn map, complete with instructions from the hotel in Thai, our taxi cab dropped us off as close the restaurant as he could, and we were greeted by a young gentleman who escorted us down several tiny alleyways leading to a small room with two large round tables. As soon as Carl and I were seated, the waitresses began bringing out the food.

The first dish we received was a plate of Gingko nuts. They were absolutely divine. Yellowish in color, they had a soft consistency with a semi-sweet flavor. They were each about the size of a small acorn and they were served with crispy onion strings that complimented the slight sweetness of the nut with an even balance. As we were ogling over the Gingko nuts, the waitress brought out a heaping portion of shrimp dumplings accompanied with dark vinegar. Luckily for us, a chipper English speaking Thai woman was dining at the second table with her family and was happy to help us decipher what each dish was, and how to properly eat each dish. She told us that we were meant to dip the dumplings in the vinegar. The vinegar was not strong in flavor and when the dumplings were dipped with the vinegar, the flavor danced on our tongues! In China we had several dumplings, and somehow Jok figured out how to make a dumpling like none other! Trying to save space for an unannounced number of entrees to follow was nearly impossible as each dumpling just whet my appetite for another! Luckily for me, the next dish was just as appetizing as the dumplings. The servers brought out huge chunks of a white fish which our Thai friend told us was called Snow fish. The fish was slightly firm in texture, but easily flaked off with the flick of a chopstick. It was apparent upon first bite that this fish was as fresh as could be and as Carl and I had never eaten this particular fish before it tasted as if Jok had experimented with it enough to know the absolute best way to prepare it. Following the Snow Fish was my favorite dish of the entire evening, crab! A rather healthy portion of crab meat was delivered to our table with two giant crab claws containing juicy white crabmeat that tasted as if it was swimming in the waters of Thailand that morning. Alongside the crabmeat was a unique sauce prepared specifically for the crabmeat. The sauce had more of a Mexican flavor to it rather than Chinese or Thai. The most dominant flavor in the dipping sauce was what tasted like a spicy fresh jalapeno married to fresh cilantro. Providing just enough heat, the sauce enhanced the freshness of the crabmeat without overpowering it. After the crab, the pace with which the food came out began to slow. We were brought a plate of Morning Glory, a green vegetable that I can best describe as resembling broccolini, as well as a heaping serving of duck fried rice- complete with slices of duck.

After the vegetables and rice, we watched the waitress bring a steaming bowl of soup out to the Thai family sitting at the other table and anxiously awaited our soup. After several minutes the soup never came, which prompted our outspoken Thai friend to proclaim that the soup has too many "strange" tastes and since we were American we would not like it so therefore they were ot bringing us any soup! Carl and I immediately knew this was something we had to try! It just wasn't a possibility to be left out of the soup experience so Carl told our friend to tell the waitress that we wanted soup! Sure enough, about ten minutes later a hot pot of soup was brought to our table. We didn't hesitate before digging in, and we were glad we got to sample it because it was divine! The soup was a ginger flavored broth with very little complexity. Besides the ginger flavored broth there was not much more to the soup other than some chicken and a few vegetables, but it was a perfect end note to a giant meal. The soup seemed to calm our full stomachs and leave us with even larger smiles on our faces.

Our Chinese meal in the heart of Bangkok at Jok's Kitchen was definitely a highlight of our trip. The complexity of his dishes and the intricate pairing of flavors was top notch, and we felt like VIP superstars sitting in the tiny restaurant tasting dishes made with intelligence and love. All for 30 US Dollars per person, it was an overall steal of a deal and the memory if sitting deep inside of Thailand's Chinatown in a two table restaurant will last forever!



The first course-Ginkgo Nuts



The Snow Fish


The best part of the meal- the crab!


A photo of us with the chef

My favorite Thai treat!

Much to my surprise, my absolute favorite Thai dish was not Pad Thai, although those delectable street noodles will forever hold a special place in my stomach. Rather, my favorite dish turned out to be the tantalizingly spicy Tom Yum Ga which roughly translates to "hot and sour chicken soup". When I say "hot and sour soup" I am not referring to the Americanized Chinese version of spicy soup but rather the magical concoction including lemongrass, golangal (a close relative to ginger), mouse shit chilis(as the Thais lovingly refer to them),chili paste, and chicken. Even in the humid summer heat of Bangkok, this spicy soup has a tangy edge that makes it oh so refreshing. The sweat dripping down my face due to the intense heat only heightens the slurping experience. With every sip, the first flavor to hit the taste buds is the lemongrass and golangal tang, followed by a mouth numbing spice that causes the lips to tingle, the tongue to burn, and the back of the throat to cry for more!

Let me clarify, Thai spicy is not like Mexican spicy or even Cajun spicy. The Thais seem to prefer the sort of spice that singes one's taste buds into oblivion, which means the spicy soups I consumed were probably about a two on the Thai spice scale, but a seven or an eight on the fabbie foodie spice scale! My absolute favorite Tom Yum Ga experience was at a small makeshift street restaurant down the street from our hotel. It was prepared in an outdoor "kitchen" that likely would never pass any American health inspection. However, due to the fact that soup must be thoroughly heated and boiled prior to consumption, this delicious soup seemed perfectly fine for my tummy to consume! I'll also admit that after the most delicious version of this soup on the street, I did indeed eat it again later that evening in the high end restaurant in Bangkok called Nahm just to see how the street version compared to the restaurant version. It was a close tie, but the Nahm version was so exceedingly spicy that I unfortunately could not taste it thoroughly. I now know that prior to any future Thai meal I eat, it will be tough to pass up an appetizer of this delicious Thai soup-I'll simply have to request it to be made "white girl spicy"!

After sweating it out during an afternoon of sightseeing, I decided to torture myself even more with this deliciously hot and spicy soup!


Just to make sure the soup was really the most delicious soup I've ever had, I ordered it again the same evening. Turns out it wasn't a fluke, this stuff is awesome!

A taste of Thailand

Before leaving for our trip to Southeast Asia I was, hands down, most excited about the food in Thailand. In Austin, one of my favorite spots has always been a hole in the wall eatery called "Thai Kitchen" where I was first introduced to the ever popular Pad Thai. However, as I got older and more brave in my foodie adventures, I began straying from the noodles and tasting other dishes.

I can honestly say that from the moment we stepped into Thailand, the food did not disappoint! Tasty morsels and seducing smells can be found in every nook and cranny of the Thai capital of Bangkok. The most common eateries are the hundreds, if not thousands, of food stalls located throughout every neighborhood of the city. Unlike the street food in Myanmar and Beijing, the food stalls along the streets of Bangkok seemed less intimidating, and somehow safer for us white folks from the west to stomach. Between shopping and sightseeing in Bangkok, Carl and I sampled tons of street food, sophisticated restaurant food, and a few things in between. The next few posts are dedicated to some of our favorite finds in Bangkok and the rest of Thailand.

Chowing down in China

Beijing had some delectable eats. Here are some photographs of our culinary journey through the capital city of China. The two highlights of our trip were the Peking Duck and the traditional Chinese style hotpot. We were treated to a wonderful evening out by our friend Haowei in Beijing at the upscale and famous Da Dong duck restaurant just off of second ring road in Beijing. I had never had authentic Peking Duck and was unfamiliar with the process. The duck is cooked in a special broth which is saved and served alongside the meal as a soup. Similar to an American moo shoo pancake, the pieces of duck are eaten in smaller pancakes. Alongside the pancakes are condiments to be wrapped with the duck including onion strings and lettuce as well as a sweet Hoisin sauce. The waiter delivers the entire duck to the table and artfully carves the cooked duck in front of the patrons. The most surprising part of the meal was the duck skin. It is common to dip the skin in large grains of sugar and pop it in the mouth. The skin is like cotton candy- once it's in the mouth, it just melts. The savory skin and the sweet sugar make for a sumptuous treat.

The hotpot experience was a mixture of great fun and lovely food. Carl and I were still a bit nervous about our bellies in Beijing so we chose a more upscale hotpot restaurant called Din Din Xiang, or Hot Pot Paradise. We were overwhelmed with the huge menu, and had to first figure out how the proccess worked before making ourselves comfortable. The Hot Pot is all about a steaming hot broth served over a lit fire which is used to cook finely cut slices of meat. First, we selected a mushroom broth to serve as the cooking medium as well as the soup base. Then, we selected sliced Mutton and sliced Sirloin. The server dropped two hot pots in front of us, lit the fire under the pot, and pored the broth. As the broth just began to bubble he laid down the two platters of meat alongside vegetables and mushrooms which we added to the soup broth. Gently, so as not to splash ourselves with boiling broth, we picked up the slices of meat with our chopsticks and dropped them into the soup. The meat is sliced so thinly that it cooks in seconds. The sirloin was tender and flavorful but the mutton was a bit tougher and more gamey. I think it had too stroing of a game flavor for my taste, I preferred the sirloin!

Something even food cannot fix

I realize that this is a forum for food, but my recent week long trip to Myanmar (better known to many of you as Burma) opened my eyes and my heart to a sad reality. I have visited many countries in the world, and some are what we call " developing" but I have never been to a country gripped by a military dictatorship like Myanmar. Upon my arriva,l my biggest fears were beng robbed, being held up at gunpoint, or even being caught doing something the government didn't approve of and ending up imprisoned. What I found was the complete opposite. I found a land of the most humble, gracious, and generous people I could have imagined. The country is seemingly cut off from most the world because of sanctions meant to constrain the harsh government. I must admit, I have marched on Capital Hill in Washington urging my congressmen and senators to vote in favor of economic sanctions against equally grueling regimes in the Middle East, and never once thought of the horrendous impact those sanctions have against the poorest and most vulnerable members of that society. Myanmar showed me the effects. Yangon, their previous capital city, is a city of 5 million people. The buildings are crumbling, the taxis are from decades ago, and there are no American (or European for that matter) products in sight beyond the occasional grossly inflated Coca Cola bottles imported into Myanmar from Thailand and Cambodia. What they call sidewalks are a sad excuse for a broken ankle waiting to happen. Uneven square slabs of concrete are placed on the dirt which mildly protect the pedestrians from the mud and filthy sewage water flowing beneath. Tourists can be spotted wandering the markets and streets, but they are few and far between in comparison to Myanmar's neighbors Thailand or even Cambodia. When westerners walk down the streets and alleyways, they are greated with huge smiles and curious questions of where they come from. Amongst the few toursists in the city, even fewer are American. When the locals hear we come from the USA they inquire about our dark skinned president who makes them so proud bc he looks like them. Beyond Obama's dark skin, they know little about our country or our politics beyond the fact that we are a Democracy, something they long for.
A common occurrence in Myanmar is hushed conversations when they are sure they are in a safe area about their "situation". Upon several occasions we had our Burmese guides or taxi drivers look around, scoot close to us, and in near whispers discuss the harsh government who rules over them with an iron fist. "We are in a bad situation here, but I think soon it will change" was a phrase we heard several times. Their hope of change, true democracy, and human rights is inspiring. I wonder how long they have been telling themselves "soon it will change" and I wonder if they actually believe it will change.
Myanmar is home to some of the most fascinatingand breathtaking historical sights I have ever laid eyes upon. I believe some of their sights can easily rival the pyramids and the great wall of China. However, I had never heard of any of these incredible sights prior to my trip here, which I think is similar of many Americans. I debated, and still question, whether visiting Myanmar was a good idea. The majority of the hotels and airlines in Myanmar are government run, and even those that are independently owned and operated likely have to share a percentage of their income with the government. During our time in Myanmar, we tried our hardest to avoid all government owned venues, opting to give our patronage to the locals who need it the most.
Education in Myanmar is not compulsory, and oftentimes families cannot afford to pay for their children's education. We learned that one year of university in Myanmar is around 250 euros a year, a fortune to most. Without proper schooling, the Burmese remain in the exact position their governemnt wants-simple, uneducated, and unable to better themselves and their situations. Many of the Burmese live as they did hundreds of years ago, in shacks without electricity or clean water, relying on the river as their lifeline. As an American, I cannot fathom what it is like to not have clean drinking water, or even a cold shower. For the people in Myanmar, something as simple as a shower as we know it is a foreign concept.
It was after seeing the controversial comedy troupe called "The Mustache Brothers" that my yearning to raise awareness of the situation in Burma was born. The three mustache brothers are no longer able to perform to locals after one of them, Par Par Lay, was arrested for simply talking aout the government in an "unfavorable" way. He spent hard time in a Burmese prison for many years on more than one account. They hardly speak English, but their entire family now performs songs and dances to tourists every night of the week. When we saw them in the basement of their small home, there were no more than ten of us from all over the western world, yearning to get a glimpse into the controversiality of their act. We received nothing more than a viewing of a year's old DVD of an American celebrity PSA campaign attempting to raise awareness of Burma's political situation, and some singing and dancing. We had never once seen any of the pieces from the PSA in America. I was unaware of the Burmese military's use of human shields to protect themselves from mines in the fields, and I was unaware of the Burmese government's policy of raping women.
At the end of the day, the people in Myanmar are simply trying to survive. They smile, and they eat deliciously simple curries and foods cooked on the streets. They work to learn English so that they can read books and communicate with the western tourists, and they fear that being caught speaking negatively about their government, and possible change, will ruin their simple lives by landing them in prison. They have so far to develop, but due to the sanctions and the harsh government which spends roughly 40 percent of the country's budget on the military, developing appears to be nearly impossible. It seems to be a vicious cycle, and I hope that some time in my life I will see it change.

An ode to Austin, Texas

There is no place better than Austin, Texas. That's, in my opinion, a fact. Last weekend I returned home to Austin for my friend Christina's wedding. I've been traveling back and forth between Dallas and Austin a lot for the wedding planning, but it was during this trip that I really saw the "renaissance" that seems to have taken place in Austin over the last 3 years. Austin has always been "weird", but Carl and I spent a pretty significant amount of time in South and East Austin over this trip and I was truly envious of my friends who still get to live in Austin. Yes, Austin is "weird" but it's real. At the bars and restaurants throughout Austin there were signs for the local city council election runoff coming up. People were aware of the local politics as well as the local events going on every week and weekend in Austin. There are the "hipsters" that gather throughout southeast Austin at new bars that seem to be opening up everyday East of 6th street, as well as down home Texas cowboys that frequent the historic places like the Broken Spoke. The food scene in Austin is also "weird". One of the biggest trends to take root in Austin over the last 3 years is the emergence of the trailer eateries. Throughout all of Austin there are several clusters of trailers parked in high traffic areas that serve cuisine ranging from Korean tacos to Thai and Vietnamese, to gourmet desserts, to the famous Hill Country BBQ.

Carl and I had a hard time figuring out which food truck to try, and after finding a few of our first choices closed, we ended up at a trailer located behind the famous Sno Beach snowcone stand called A Touch of Fire. This trailer is run by a wonderful Vietnamese woman and her husband who were very excited to discuss Southeast Asia with Carl and me. She cooks all of her dishes to order. Carl and I were the first patrons of the morning so the dishes that contained rice or noodles may have taken longer as she rice and noodles weren't ready. We ordered spring rolls and a Vietnamese Banh Mi (Vietnamese sandwich). The sandwich was on a perfectly chewy French Roll that was definitely large enough to split. The sauce on the sandwich must have been a mix between mayonnaise and a Sriracha style hot sauce that complimented the delicately fried shrimp perfectly. After a few bites, our mouths were as hot as the scorching temperature that afternoon. There's nothing wrong with a little facial perspiration while eating Vietnamese food though! The delicious mixture of shrimp, spicy mayo, lettuce, and the other accountrements got Carl and I excited for our upcoming trip to Southeast Asia where food trucks and street food are commonplace. If the Vietnamese Banh Mis are anything like the sandwich we had at A Touch of Fire, I may have trouble fitting into my clothes when we return!

Barbeque for Breakfast

This past weekend, Carl and I went to Austin. As per tradition, every time we go to Austin we must try at least one barbeque joint somewhere in the Hill Country or Central Texas. On this trip, we decided our barbeque of choice was going to be from Snow's barbeque in Lexington, Texas. In 2008, Texas Monthly selected Snow's barbeque as "The Best Barbeque in Texas". For those of you non-Texans, winning this award is equivalent to winning the Triple Crown or Miss America. In case you didn't catch the importance, winning that title by Texas Monthly is a big freakin' deal! Snow's barbeque is only opened on Saturday's, and barbeque crazies like us flock from all over Texas to try this stuff, so they typically run out of meat before noon!

Snow's Barbeque has been a topic between Carl and my father for some time now, but the idea of voluntarily waking up at 7:00 am on a Saturday morning to eat a meat feast always made me wince. My father cajoled Carl into it by sending him article after article from Texas Monthly to the New York Times all about Snow's, and that's how my Saturday morning fate was sealed!

The three of us woke up at 7:00am and hit the road by 7:45 to make the hour-long drive to Lexington, Texas. As we turned onto Main Street in Lexington, my expectations where shattered. I had imagined a large market like Kreutz or Smitty's in Lockhart with a DisneyWorld sized parking lot and a line curling around the door. Boy was I wrong. Snow's is quite literally a shack, and Lexington is a town that didn't even appear to have stoplights. At most, Snow's can probably hold up to 30 patrons. Luckily, since skyrocketing to barbeque fame they have built a fabulous outdoors area with several picnic tables overlooking the smoker so barbeque aficionados can blissfully view the barbeque as it is being prepared.

Keep in mind, it wasn't even 9:00am by the time we arrived at Snow's, but their barbeque operation was in full force. We stood in a short line and after about 3 minutes we were up. Sticking to our normal routine, we ordered brisket, sausage, and ribs. I knew as I watched the meat master carving us the moist brisket that this place was going to be above and beyond what our stomachs were expecting. As she carved the brisket, juices were flowing all over the counter. The morning was unusually brisk, so we decided to eat at one of the 6 picnic tables inside. Each of us more eager than the next, we all grabbed for the brisket immediately, and then silence ensued. It is not often that I agree with all the hype surrounding certain foods, but all the hype about Snow's isn't enough hype! Their brisket is perfection. The juices from the brisket are a smoky cocktail that burst in your mouth and make you dismiss every piece of brisket that came before. This is one of those barbeque places that offers sauce on the table, but doesn't actually intend for their meat to be eaten with sauce. This meat didn't need anything extra, because Snow's figured out the perfect equation for smoking their brisket to absolute perfection. The bar has been set very high, and this is the brisket that I will now use as comparison for the rest of my life in determining whether or not I'm consuming decent brisket.

Now onto the sausage. For me, sausage is hit or miss. I sometimes think that for some places sausage is an afterthought, but not as Snow's. They serve a jalapeno sausage (which is common in Central Texas). This sausage hit all the right flavors. It was spicy, but not overwhelmingly spicy. The texture was not crumbly like some sausages I've tasted, and upon biting into the sausage, juices bursting with flavor exploded. The owner of Snow's confirmed to us that they do not make their sausage on site, but that it is a special recipe that they've been tweaking for quite some time, so it is unique to Snow's.

Now onto the mediocre part: the ribs. I tend to favor ribs over brisket, but I've learned that ribs are tough to perfect. Personally, I'm a sauce kind of gal and if the barbeque sauce is great and the ribs are cooked in the sauce, I'm usually a fan (hence my love for the Salt Lick). Since Snow's is one of those "no sauce needed" type places, their ribs have a whiter appearance as opposed to the deeper red appearance of ribs cooked with sauce. The ribs were slightly plastic in appearance which is usually a red flag for me. When I bit into the ribs, they were tough and didn't fall off the bone. I chose to skip the ribs and focus my calories on the succulent brisket and spicy sausage! However, don't let my unflattering review of the ribs deter your from trekking out to Snow's. Their brisket and sausage are by far the best I have ever tried in the great state of Texas!

I would be lying if I said the ambiance and the people didn't positively sway my experience at Snow's। The people at Snow's were friendly, and treated us like old friends. The woman who served us our meat insisted that we try the pork, and before we even had a chance to say "yes" or "no" she had already cut us a big slab of pork and encouraged us to eat it with our hands. This, of course, did not go onto our bill. We chatted with the owner, and made friends from Houston and College Station. On the walls, they have pictures of people ranging from Major Applewhite of the Texas Longhorns to Andy Samberg from Saturday Night Live which made me feel like I was eating somewhere truly special. If you ever find yourself in Texas with several hours to kill, making the drive out to Lexington, Texas to eat Snow's is not a bad choice. Just remember to rise and shine early because if you get there too late, they'll be out of meat and you'll be out of luck!

Snow's isn't completely devoid of all kitchy touristy items, but aside from this side the place is entirely authentic!

A view of Snow's from the outside

Carl and the judge sampling some of Texas' finest


I am clearly one happy eater!

The lone picture of the untouched meal. Staving off our eagerness to dig in was tough, but we knew we'd want this picture afterward!