The Story of Sherbie

Its been a while since I last posted, I've been swamped with work and personal stuff that I had to do. One of the things that kept me busy was Sherbie, our beloved dog/little brother. When our mom passed away a few months back, my brothers and I talked about getting a dog. We wanted someone that would accompany and amuse our dad. We knew our dad like dogs, we thought it would be perfect for him in coping with the pain and sadness. Little did I know, how Sherbie affected each and everyone of us.

Sherbie's Story

Timing couldn't be more perfect because the opportunity presented itself when a relatively of my brother's girlfriend was looking for somebody to give their 1 year old Shih Tzu to.  Luckily for us, that Shih Tzu landed on our hands, from being Herbie from his old home, we named him Sherbie. We had a new little brother and now there were four of us, Sherwin, Sherwon, Sherwan and Sherbie.

This is how Sherbie looked like before, his hair was all matted and unruly.

I must admit, it wasn't love at first sight. When my brother got him, he brought Sherbie to a dog groomer and was advised to shave all of Sherbie's hair since it was all matted and tangled. Moreover he wasn't perfectly healthy, he had fleas, a terrible visible ear infection plus he had lumps and scratches on his skin. In spite of his looks and health, I can still clearly remember the first time we met. He had this puppy look on his eyes as he stared at me. After letting him sniff my hands, I picked him up, laid him on my lap and that was the start of an indescribable bond I had with Sherbie.

All Shaved Up

Within a few weeks, Sherbie's health dramatically improved. His hair started to grow, ticks and fleas were gone and after getting used to his surroundings, he became more comfortable and became a little bit calmer. The joy and happiness Sherbie brought in to our home was so evident, we would hear our dad giggle and laugh again because Sherbie would lick and nibble his toes. Our home started to brighten up again because of him. From being an unwanted dog, Sherbie finally found a home where everybody loves him.

Sherbie sleeping beside his favorite stuffed tiger.

Dog owners would understand the fuzzy feeling of coming home to a dog's warm welcome. Sherbie has never failed to greet me every time I get home. As soon as he sees me enter the door, he would excitedly go towards me, jump up and down and try to reach for my hand. As soon as I sit down on the floor, he places himself on top my lap. He would proceed to lick my face, hands, legs and he would nibble my fingers. He also loves to have a rub down of his chest and belly.

A common scene in our living room.

On one very unfortunate morning, Sherbie decided to go on an adventure on his own, he stormed out of the front door, went down stairs and ran out of the building. Since I wasn't around, the people at home didn't know where to find him, he was last seen on the same street where we take our daily walks. Some mentioned that it seems that somebody might have picked him up. It broke my heart when I found out that he was missing, the pain of losing someone you love was again sinking in. As soon as I got back home, we went all out to search for him, went to dog pounds, animal welfare centers, printed a total of more than 700 posters and  posted everyday, I even consulted a psychic. It felt so hopeless and it was a long shot but still we pursued. The mood at home drastically changed, our dad started crying again and sadness started creeping in fast. I was thinking that if it's really meant to be this way, all I was hoping and praying for is that Sherbie is fine and being well taken care of.

The house felt empty without Sherbie around

After almost a month of continuous searching, a miracle happened. We got a text from someone saying he wanted to show a picture of a dog that they bought on the street. He claimed that after buying the dog, the dog was brought to Camarines Norte, Bicol (more than 350 kilometers away from our place). After a week, they passed by the same street and he noticed one of the posters. He tore the poster down, brought it back to Camarines Norte to compare the picture with the bought dog. He saw the resemblance and as his wife told me, he would look at the poster every night and feel sad about it. Written on the poster were the words, 'Lost Family Member'. Upon being egged on by his wife to tell his boss about the dog, he did so. When the boss who also was a dog owner and lover (he owns Dalmatians) found out about the poster, he asked him to confirm and return the dog to it's rightful owner.p

The Poster

The kind man was Noel, he works as a driver of a politician in Bicol. I met him in our sgreed meeting place and the first picture he showed me was a close up shot of the dog's body, I immediately knew it was Sherbie. And as I browsed on the different pictures Noel took on his camera phone, I felt my knees weaken. Alas! We finally found him!!! Noel told me the exact details on how they got hold of Sherbie and he admitted that he wasn't really well taken care of but he promised me that he'll make arrangements to take Sherbie back to Manila.

The last picture I took before he went missing.

After waiting for a couple of days, Noel texted and told me that Sherbie is on his way back to Manila. For the whole day I was anxious, excited, worried, paranoid and restless. When I was still posting around, I've always wondered if  Sherbie will still recognize me if we see each other again. My answer came when I went to fetch him in one of the bus terminals in Cubao, Edsa.

With me was Noel, his wife and their baby daughter. When I saw Sherbie from a few feet away, I immediately called him. As soon as he heard me, his head spun around and like a lightning bolt he dashed towards me. As I crouched down to hold him, he turned into a energizer bunny that's been set to turbo mode. He became wildly ecstatic as he kept on jumping up and down, kept on licking my face, hands and kept on nibbling my fingers As I was holding him close to me, people passing by started to look at us and I kept on hearing the words, "Grabe! tuwang tuwa yung aso, grabe!. (Wow! the dog looks so happy).  I just kept on holding him, on my mind I was telling him, you're safe now and we're going home. I felt my chest lighten up and my eyes started tearing up, our lost little brother is finally back in my arms.

Dirty, full of ticks and fleas after traveling for more than 350kilometers.

After being gone for almost a month, after traveling back and forth for more than 700 kilometers and after going against all odds, he is back where he truly belongs. Sherbie is now happily back to his usual ways, he has gained his weight back and is now again ticks and fleas free after being infested when he was gone. In behalf of my family, I would like to thank Sir Noel for bringing our beloved little brother back to us. Your name suits you well as you've given us the best Christmas present we'll ever wish for.

He had a haircut and bath the day after he came back...feeling fresh and brand new.

 Merry Christmas and a Happy Prosperous New Year to Everyone!!!

Spices: People's Palace

Still reeling with the wonderful and delicious food I've tried in Bangkok, we decided to have dinner in People's Palace to relive the experience in Bangkok. I've dined in this resto before but it was ages ago. After being in Bangkok, it's a good way of telling if this restaurant institution really captures the flavor of Thai food.

To go with our meal, we had a bottle of the Wild Rock Infamous Goose, a nice fruity Sauv Blanc from New Zealand. The white went really well with the spicy and herby flavors of Thai food.

Wild Rock Infamous Goose Sauvignon Blanc

To start, we had the resto's version of the Som Tam. It was fresh, crunchy and spicy but the dressing leans towards the sweeter side. Not as good as the one in Soi 38 but I still enjoyed it.

Som Tam - Php290

Presented beautifully, the Phad Thai was really good, the flavors and textures were spot on. Every forkful bite brought me back to Bangkok.

Phad Thai - Php420

The Thom Yum Goong also tasted like how I remembered it in Bangkok. Sour, sweet, herby and spicy. The broth was savory and the prawns were perfectly cooked.

Thom Yum Goong - Php360

Flavor wise the Crispy Lapu Lapu Fillets with Red Curry and Basil was really good, I enjoyed the flavor of the curry and Thai basil. But my only gripe is, the fried lapu lapu fillets were not crunchy enough. Maybe they should serve the curry on the side instead rather than dousing it on the fried fish fillet.

Crispy Lapu Lapu Fillets with Red Curry and Basil - Php480

People's Palace has stayed strong and long in the restaurant business. When people think about having Thai food,  People's Palace is one of the favorites that is on top of the list. After being in Bangkok, I can say that from all the times I've dined here before, it has consistently served authentic Thai food. This place has become more of an institution, a restaurant that surely will stay for good.

People's Palace
Adddress: Level 1, Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center, Makati City
Tel.No.: 729 2888
Webpage: www.peoplespalacethai.com

Spices: Nahm - Dining at Asia's Best Restaurant for 2014

For the past couple of years I've always used the Miele Guide as my basis for the best restaurants in Asia but sadly the publishing body has ceased operation. Before going to Bangkok, I researched on good restaurants that we can eat at. Nahm appeared as the best restaurant in Asia for that year, 2014 in S.Pelligrino Worlds 50 best website Upon reading that the restaurant serves Thai cuisine, I purposely scheduled our meal there on our last day in Bangkok to be able to compare it with our street food experience.

Nahm - Asia's Best Restaurant for 2014

It was a choice between going ala carte or having their set lunch menu. We would usually go for different set menus but the server told us that we could only choose one set menu for the three of us. This is because the resto serves the dishes in family sytle bowls and plates meant for sharing. Diners can also have as much rice as they want. We decided to have one set meal and just order two other ala carte dishes in order to try out more.

Dishes are meant for sharing

To start we were given a triangular piece of Pineapple topped Minced Pork and Peanuts as our amuse bouche.
It looks really simple and it was just perfect to excite our paletes, refreshingly sweet and savory salty.

Pineapple topped with Minced Pork and Peanuts

We wanted something to cool us down, we asked the server for his recommendations and we ended up having the Thai Sabai and the Tom Yumtini. Among the two cocktails, we favored the Tom Yumtini more because of its uniqueness. It tasted weird at first cause it exactly taste like the tom yum soup. But the more we took little sips, the more we grew fonder of it.

Tom Yumtini and Thai Sabai

I would start off with the set menu, its a 6 course meal that consist of canape, salad, soup, curry, 'stirfried, steamed & grilled' and dessert. The lunch set cost 1,300 Baht (price has increased to 1,500 Baht as of the moment.) There were two choices for the Canape course but I the resto was generous to us because they served us both. Prawn and Coconut Wafer with Ginger and Blue Swimmer Crab with Peanuts and Pickled Garlic on Rice Cakes.

Prawn and Coconut Wafer with Ginger & Blue Swimmer Crab with Peanuts and Pickled Garlic on Rice Cake

The ingredients that were used for the Salad of Fresh River Prawn and Pork with Asian Pennyworth was so fresh but I found the dressing lacking in flavor.

Salad of Fresh River Prawn and Pork with Asian Pennyworth

All of us didn't like the Hot and Sour Soup with Chicken, Prawn and Wild Mushroom. The soup has a strong fishy scent and taste. It seems that they put too much fish sauce in the soup, it was totally off putting.

Hot and Sour Soup with Chicken, Prawn and Wild Mushroom

The Jungle Curry of Chicken with Wild Ginger, Green Peppercorn, Madan and Thai Basil tasted good but I it was missing a certain flavor that I tasted in the curries of the streets stalls in Bangkok.

Jungle Curry of Chicken with Wild Ginger, Green Peppercorn, Madan and Thai Basil

I enjoyed the Stir Fried Pork with Dried Prawns, Apple, Eggplant and Chillies the most. The combination of the textures and flavors are really interesting, I just wished this was spicier.

Stir Fried Pork with Dried Prawns, Apple, Eggplant and Chillies

For dessert, we were served Sweet Thai Wafer with Poached Persimmon and golden duck egg noodles. Simple and really refreshing.

Sweet Thai Wafer with Poached Persimmon and Golden Duck Egg Noodles

We had two additional Ala Carte dishes, the first one was Green Curry of Beef with Thai Basil and Eggplants. The beef was exceptionally tender but again there was something missing in the curry.

Green Curry of Beef with Thai Basil and Eggplants

The other dish we had was the Pak Warn Stir Fried with Garlic and Mushrooms. Pak Warn is a kind of green leafy vegetables that translates to sweet leaves in Thai. The vegetables was stir fried with  light soy sauce and it had the beautiful scent and flavors of garlic. A dish that tasted very familiar, it reminded me of the local dish of Adobong Kangkong.

Pak Warn Stir Fried with Garlic and Mushrooms

As I've mentioned before, we ate here at our last day in Bangkok. We've already tasted and experienced the amazing flavors of Thai food in the streets and in restaurants. Nahm uses top notch ingredients, the way they prepare and cook each dish is exceptional. But taste wise, I felt that they down play the flavors a bit. All of the dishes were good but lacks the oomph and umami goodness compared to local dishes that we've tried. If we've dined here on our first day in Bangkok, I might have a different opinion. If asked if dining here is worth it, it's still a yes. Will I come back? Maybe not because I'll head to the streets of Bangkok to eat, Soi 38 specifically.

Nahm
Address: Inside Hotel Metropolitan,  27 Sathorn Road, Thung Maha Mek, Sathon, Bangkok
Tel No.:  +662 625 3333
Webpage: http://www.comohotels.com/metropolitanbangkok/dining/nahm/reservations

Spices: Open Kitchen

Late last year, Chris Urbano of Maputing Cooking and I decided to meet up again and this time around, he suggested that we dine in Open Kitchen, a restaurant in Kapitolyo that he supplies wine to.

There were four of us that night and we decide to share everything amongst us. To start we had the Steamed Bamboo Shells, the shellfish was served with croutons and side salad. The shell fish was delicious as it was so fresh and perfectly cooked.

Steamed Bamboo Shells - Php165 / 15 pcs

The Pumpkin Vanilla Soup looked really promising, it was served table side. On the center was a scoop of vanilla ice cream, the server poured out the soup into the bowl and told us to make sure that we mixed the ice cream together with the soup before eating. The soup was kind of runny and it needed more pumpkins in it as it didn't taste much of it.

Pumpkin Vanilla Soup - Php155

I liked the Chorizo Fussili with Tuna as it was really a simple dish done really well. Chorizo was salty and tasty, pasta was al dente and the tuna. Even though it was kind of thin, it was perfectly cooked, it still had a nice blushing pink center.

Chorizo Fusilli with Tuna - Php420

Cooked Tuna with a Nice Pinkish Center

The Grilled Wahoo was served with black coconut rice, lemon grass cream and potato alumettes. Fish was cooked perfectly though I found it a little bland even with the lemon grass cream, we had to add more salt on it. I was expecting the potato alumettes to be crispy as it is how it should be but the potato strips were pan fried instead.The crispiness would have been a plus for the dish's texture.

Grilled Wahoo - Php455

The Ribeye was of decent size and the way it was prepared and cooked was perfection. Served with a side of mashed potatoes and vegetables, the beef had nice pinkish center and the addition of the beef au jus was a nice touch. I'm guessing that the meat comes from the local market as it wasn't as tender compared with the imported ones but still it was good, a dish that I would order again.

The Ribeye - Php920

Perfectly Cooked to Medium Rare

My favorite dish for the night is the Anise Pork Belly. A huge chunk of melt in your mouth pork belly cooked with the aromatic and flavorful sauce that consist of honey-mustard, star anise, onion leeks and nori. I truly enjoyed the fusion of flavors of the sauce. The sweet honey mustard is very western, mixed with the Asian flavors of the anise, onion leeks and nori, everything compliments each other so well.

Anise Pork Belly - Php460

Chris and I each brought a bottle of wine. I brought a dry Viura from the Rioja region that complimented the seafood dishes. Chris brought one of his wines that he sells on line, the Chrismont Lazona Sangiovese from King Valley, the 2012 wine was excellent with the steak.

Chrismont Lazona 2012 Sangiovese

With 4 of us dinning, two bottles of wine weren't enough. On each table, you'll find recommendations on which wines will pair up well with the dish you'll order. We ordered two more from the restaurant, the All Saints Cabernet Sauvignon and the All Saints Sangiovese Cabernet. I've ordered and tried the All Saints Sangiovese Cabarnet before, I love how the wine is so versatile and savory at the same time. Both of the wines can also be ordered on line, www.maputingcooking.com.

Wine Pairing Menu

All Saints 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon - Php1,940

All Saints Sangiovese Cabernet - Php1,940

Majority of the restaurants in Kapitolyo are the bar/resto type where people go to down beers, eat grilled dishes, get tipsy and be merry. Open Kitchen is different, it's a place to have a nice quiet meal. Dishes are more 'refined' but still relatively affordable. The food is not mind blowing great but good enough to be visited regularly to eat well.

Open Kitchen
Address: 71-B East Capitol Drive, Kapitolyo, Pasig City
Tel No: 738 0102
Website: www.openkitchen48.com

*For orders or to find out more about the wines, you can visit,  www.maptuingcooking.com

Spices: BANGKOK THAILAND'S Burst of Flavors

The main reason I wanted to visit Bangkok was to try out and experience the food in Thailand's capital. I've seen, read and heard wonderful stories about how Bangkok is one of the best cities in Asia to eat. With this in mind, I have nothing but high expectations about what we're about to taste and experience.

Bangkok Thailand's Duck Curry

We arrived really early in the morning and as soon as we settled in our hotel, we were off to find a place to eat. We passed by  Tesco Lotus supermarket and saw that there was a food court. Being so hungry, we look around and started ordering. We order a bowl of Thai Kway Teow , or Thai Noodle Soup. It consists of rice noodles,an assortment of balls, vegetables in a simple and hearty broth. Coming from a food court,  the noodle soup was already pretty good.

Thai Kway Teow

I expected a bowl of stewed chicken when I ordered the Thai Green Curry Chicken, what was given to me was a piece of chicken with thai fried rice doused with the sauce of the stew. The chicken was just ok, I wanted more flavors and spiciness on it but I give them credit for the chicken's moistness and tenderness.

Green Curry Chicken

The Pad Thai we had looks pretty and tasted great as well. Wrapped inside the scrambled eggs, the stir fried noodles was savory and piping hot. We enjoyed it and this was the first dish that we finished.

Pad Thai

We saw people lining up in one of the food stalls, I took a look and saw that the stall was preparing what looked like fresh rice paper wrap. You can pick from the assortment of fillings such as mushrooms, corn, bamboo shoots and vermicelli. On its own, the rolled up treats didn't have any flavor, you have to dip it in the sweet chili sauce or the soy based sweet sauce or you can eat it with the mint leaves.Nothing really special about these.

Freshly Made Rice Wraps

Hungry after having a nice Muay Thai session, we went to the best placed we had our best experience with Thai food, Soi 38. There are a lot of places in Bangkok to feast on street food but this was the most accessible thus we found ourselves in this street. Compared to other Asian food streets that I've been, Soi 38 seems to have a few stalls. But the quality makes up for the quantity. Almost everything we had here was so good that after the dining here the first night, we knew we had to come back.

Soi 38

Som Tam or Green Papaya Salad is one of the iconic Thai dishes. I've tried Som Tam in different places in Bangkok but nothing beats the Som Tam that we had here. I didn't get her name because I wasn't sure if she could speak in English, the only word I told her was "Aroy Ma Kap!" which means delicious. I'll just call her the Som Tam lady.

The Som Tam Madame of Soi 38

Her salad dressing had the right balance of sweetness, saltiness, sourness, zesty-ness and it was filled with so much umami flavors. Being really spicy was a big bonus for me. The strips of green papaya, cabbage, string beans tasted so fresh as it had a nice bite into it, the chopped peanuts added another layer of flavor and texture to the salad. So good, something to die for!

Som Tam

Beside the som tam lady we saw a stall grilling different kinds of meat. We ordered a plate of chicken sate, the sate was pretty good. Grilled to perfection, moist and tender,  beat eaten with the peanut dipping sauce.

Grill

Chicken Sate with Peanut Dipping Sauce and Side Salad

While walking around we saw a small resto that was filled with so much locals and foreigners. The place looked promising so we decided to see what they have to offer.

One of the Restos in Soi 38

We saw a number of motorcycles stopping over to buy what looked like fried bread. It was Patonkhoo or fried dough, the texture and taste was very similar to bicho-bicho.

Patonkhoo

We saw locals slurping down bowls of noodles, we followed suit and ordered a bowl of Khao Soi Kai or Noodles in Curry with Coconut Milk Soup with Chicken. This has to be the tastiest bowl of noodle soup I'll ever eat. I'm not sure on what and how many kind of herbs and spices they use to make the stock because it has layers and layers of different flavors, it was amazing.The fried noodles that was placed on top was a nice way of adding texture to the soup dish.

Khao Soi Kai

The Pad Thai we ate here was more delicious and flavorful. The pieces of shrimp and squid were perfectly cooked and tender. The noodles wasn't soggy as it has still a good bite to it and we enjoyed how we had to mix everything up before eating.

Pad Thai

Another well known Thai dish is the Tom Yum Goong, we had the seafood version. I've tried different version from different restos back at home and other Asian countries but nothing compares to what we tasted here. It was an unforgettable treat for the palete since every spoonful of broth triggers every part of your taste buds. Sweet, Sour, Salty, Bitter, Umami plus a bonus for us, it was really spicy. It was the first time for me to see somebody's face literally sweating from slurping down the hot and spicy soup.

Tom Yum Goong

We washed everything down with a cold bottle of Thai Singha Beer each.

Sigha Beer

When we saw the salted whole fish being grilled, our mouths started watering and we wanted to try it out. We asked the lady what kind of fish they have and she told us that she only had one sea bass left for grilling. Even if we're already so full, we ordered one. She went back in the kitchen and brought out of what looked like a block of salt, the whole sea bass was salt crusted. She broke the salt in half and took the fish out for grilling.

Grilling Fish

The Grilled Sea Bass was served with a plate of vermicelli, dipping sauce and basket of different green leafy vegetables. We were told to get a piece of lettuce, put some vermicelli, place some fish, top it with mint, wrap it and take a bite. It was wonderful, fish was so moist and it literally melts in your mouth.

Grilled Sea Bass

For dessert, we crossed to the other side of the street to have some Mango with Sticky Rice.I'm really not a fan of rice desserts but what I liked about this is it taste of coconut plus it wasn't all too sweet, that little pinch of salt also made a big difference.Thai mangoes are pretty sweet but not as sweet as Philippines mangoes.

Mango with Sticky Rice

With our bellies full to the brink, we decided to walk around the red light districts of Bangkok. We found ourselves in one of the restaurants in Soi Arab and decided to have some Turkish Coffee and try out the Sisha.The coffee was really good, bold, sweet and aromatic. Looking at the super fine coffee ground residue at the bottom of my cup,we knew we had the real deal.

Turkish Coffee

Super Fine Ground Coffee

Having tried Turkish ice cream in KL before, we weren't too keen on trying it out again since the ice cream we had was very rough as it had a lot of ice crystals. When the resto's manager recommended to try out their ice cream, we hesitantly agreed. After tasting it, we were so thankful that we did, the Turkish ice cream was so good, so dense and yet so creamy. It was totally different from the usual airy ice cream that we are used to having. I'm looking forward to having this again in the future.

Turkish Ice Cream - Strawberry, Vanilla and Chocolate

We found ourselves in one of the touristy areas and decided to dine in Sip. Since the resto caters mostly to tourists, all the dishes tasted subtle and less flavorful. Quality wise, all the ingredients were of great quality though we wished that we ate someplace else.

Sip

Here's what we ate..

Fried Spring Rolls

Pad Pak Boong or Stir Fried Morning Glory

Fried Catfish with Side Salad

While floating along the Damnoen Saduak Market, we bought food from the boat peddlers to serve as our breakfast.

Paddle Boat Vendor selling Noodle Soup

I didn't have any expectations on the food and I got pleasantly surprise how good it turned out to be. In spite of the really small portion of the Chicken Curry Rice, the quality and flavors made up for it. One notable thing that's worth mentioning about is the fragrant long grain Thai rice that was used.

Chicken Curry Rice

It was a typical bowl of Chinese noodle soup. Rice noodles, slices of tender pork in a warm and hearty pork broth.

Noodle Soup

I was really surprised to see someone grilling on top of a paddle boat.When the lady passed by I quickly hailed her to look at what she was grilling. She was grilling chicken wings and I couldn't resist to try out some. The chicken was really good, smokey, sweet and salty, I would have ordered more if the paddle boat was still around.

Grilling atop the Paddle Boat

Grilled Chicken Wings

When we went to one of the malls in Sukhumvit road, we ate in one of the food court. It was sort of a high end themed food court where the different stalls serves food from all over Asia. Of course we opted to for Thai food, first up was Tom Kha Gai or Chicken Coconut Soup served with plain white rice. Seeing the snow colored bowl of soup, I initially thought that it would taste bland. But I was wrong, the broth was very fragrant and it had the usual flavor profile of Thai food, it had the balance of all the five taste. To me it was more like a chicken stew as the broth was deliciously thick.

Tom Kha Gai

One of the dishes that caught my eye was the  Kaeng Ped Pheng Yang or Roasted Duck Red Curry. The curry stew was beautifully presented and what's more important is how it tasted, it was a stunner. The duck was so tender, the curry was thick and filled with so much layers of flavors. We spooned every drop of curry and didn't left anything behind.

Kaeng Ped Pheng Yang

Super Tender Duck Meat

After having lunch in the food court, we passed by a row of stalls making and selling Kanom Bueang or Thai sweet pancakes.The treats looks so colorful as each of it has different combination of fillings, it consists of beaten egg whites and sugar, dried coconuts, herbs and persimon. The paper thin pancake was crispy and it's the same as the local barquillos. It's a dessert treat that people with a sweet tooth will love.

Stalls Selling Kanom Bueang

Kanom Bueang

One of the major reasons why I decided to watch in Rajadamnern Stadium was the infamous chicken place beside it. When we went in, 90% of the diners were locals but I think they have a menu in English. Already knowing what to order, I just raised three fingers and said Gai Yang, which means Roast Chicken. Three pieces of half slabs of chicken were placed in front of us. It was love at first bite, aside from being so tender,  every part of the chicken was packed with so much aromatic flavors.It has a strong taste of garlic, lots of it, lemon grass, cilantro and other herbs and spices that I can't pinpoint what. It was one of the best if not the best tasting roast chicken we've ever tasted.

Grilling Chicken

Gai Yang

To go with our chicken, we had a side of Som Tam. I was disappointed with the green papaya salad from this place since I was expecting it to be really spicy. As Bourdain said when he ate here, "my pubes are burning..." It was spicy but not as spicy as I wanted it to be. The Som Tam in Soi 38 still reigns supreme.

Som Tam

I purposely scheduled our reservation in Nahm on our last day in Bangkok to compare how Asia's number one restaurant in 2014 fare against the Thai dishes we tried around Bangkok.

Nahm

Before heading for the airport, we wanted our last meal to be as authentic Thai as it can be. We were walking around and found a small resto/carinderia/turo turo type of place. No foreigners around and all locals,  a good sign of authenticity.

First up was Phad Kra Prow Pla Meuk or Stir Fried Squid with Thai Basil. Perfectly cooked squid, aromatic, flavorful....Delicious!!!

Phad Kra Prow Pla Meuk

Next up was Wild Boar with Pepper. I was suspecting that they would use ordinary pork but I was wrong, it was really wild boar. Having tried it before, it was exactly how I remember it to be, tough and very rubbery plus the meat has a rich bolder flavor than ordinary pig. The dish was stir fried with pepper and chillies, I like how the whole peppercorns has that sweetness flavor to it. It may be tough to eat but we enjoyed every bite of it.

Wild Boar with Pepper

For our last dish, it was another huge bowl of Tom Yum Goong but this time around we had chicken in it.It was the perfect dish to remember Bangkok by. Sweet, salty. sour, bitter and spicy.

Tom Yum Goong with Chicken

Bangkok ranks high on my list as one my favorite cities to dine in, the food scene is so colorful and bursting with so much flavors. What's more incredible is how the dishes here are so well balance, usually there will always be a dominant taste in dishes. But here you can taste each flavor profile. I've dined in different Thai restaurants in the Metro but nothing compares to what I've tried and experienced in Bangkok. The food itself is enough reason why I would love to go back.