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Misc.

Heads up: New taqueria coming to Bangkok

Share photos on twitter with Twitpic

Bangkok-based foodies, take note: A new Mexican restaurant is coming to town — the soon-to-open La Monita Taqueria. I dropped by today, and though I’ve yet to sample the food, the establishment seems promising.

A few weeks back, I noticed that @LaMonitaBkk was following me on Twitter.

I did a little poking around, and the La Monita Web site says the place is located in Mahatun Plaza, near the Ploenchit BTS station.

As it happens, I was in the area around lunch time today, so I dropped by. La Monita isn’t open yet, but I spoke with the owner. He told me that they plan to open on Friday (Nov. 27).

Try our "Mexi Grilled Fish Taco" from La Monita Taqueria - So... on Twitpic

Arroz a la Cubana: Original Cuban rice dish with a twist of M... on Twitpic

A sample dish — the grilled fish taco — is pictured above, along with an arroz a la Cubana. And here’s a photo of the storefront. (Note that these aren’t my images. They’re taken from the La Monita Twitpic account.)

If you make it to La Monita, leave a comment to let us know how you like it.

La Monita Taqueria
888/26 Mahatun Plaza (about 100 meter down, on the left)
Bangkok
Tel. 02-650-9581

And here’s a map:


View Larger Map

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Misc.

Krispy Kreme: coming to Thailand

Some food news that will be of interest to Thailand-based gluttons lovers of calorically dense American snackfoods: Krispy Kreme doughnuts are coming to the Kingdom.

AP: “Krispy Kreme expanding into Thailand

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Krispy Kreme Doughnut Corp. said Thursday it has reached a deal to expand into Thailand with 20 new franchise locations over the next 5 years.

Reuters has the press release: “Krispy Kreme Awards Franchise Development Rights for Thailand

The official Krispy Kreme site is here. There’s more on Wikipedia here.

There are currently Krispy Kreme stores in South Korea, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Indonesia. No word yet on when the first Thailand store is due to open.

Question: How will Krispy Kreme do in Thailand, which has many Dunkin’ Donuts and Mister Donut shops? For the history of Krispy Kreme in New England — Dunkin’ Donuts territory — see this Boston Globe story.

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Misc.

Matt Gross on The Splendid Table

Foodies with wanderlust, take note: Matt Gross, the Frugal Traveler for the New York Times, is featured on the Oct. 10 episode of the Splendid Table, a podcast about cooking and eating. ((Related posts: My favorite podcasts (June, 2007) and My favorite podcasts: updated (Nov., 2008).)) You can find the episode here, where you can listen to the entire show or scroll down to hear Matt’s segment.

Matt, whose work I’ve praised before, tells host Lynne Rossetto Kasper about his tactics for finding tasty food while on the road. I especially enjoyed hearing about how he discovered the best dishes in Ho Chi Minh City.

(Thanks to A for the tip.)

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Misc.

Journey to America, trip report number 1: American food and drink

Okay, first things first: Let’s talk about the food in America. If, as the saying goes, absence makes the heart grow fonder, then let me say that after spending just one year in the US since 2002, I have a renewed passion for American foodstuffs.

Here are a few notes and cell phone pics ((I snapped these images with my trusty Nokia E71, which I’ve blogged about before.)) of various items we consumed during our three-week visit to the US.

In retrospect, I must say that our culinary conquests seem rather…calorically dense. Beer, burgers, chocolate, cheese grits, pecan pie — and large portions of it all.

Let the games begin…

  1. High-quality beer:

    In Thailand, our beer options are restricted to a few unremarkable Thai brews and some standard imports. I’d forgotten how much high-quality beer is available in the US. Here’s but one segment of one aisle of the beer section at a Wegmans supermarket in central Pennsylvania. Amazing. ((For an in-depth look at the vibrant microbrew industry in America, check out this New Yorker story from November 2008 by Burkhard Bilger. My takeaway, among others: I’m justified in liking Budweiser! Just ask the Belgian brewmaster…))

  2. Classic burgers:

    Two snaps from one of two trips we took to Five Guys, purveyors of some of my favorite burgers in the world. Enough said. ((Related post: The best burger in Bangkok.))

  3. Hershey’s Chocolate World:

    Yes, we visited this monument to American confectionary innovation. It was…fantastic. Don’t miss the Kit Kat Cafe. Here’s a snap of the factory’s daily production of Hershey’s bars, Kisses, KitKats, and York Peppermint Patties:

  4. Side note: Portion sizes:

    I am a large man with a healthy appetite, but if American restaurants offered children’s portions to adults, I’m quite certain they’d be enough for me to subsist on — and have some left over to take home. I’m not sure that I finished a single restaurant entree portion that I ordered during the entire three weeks.

    Check out the size of this soup-and-salad lunch combo from the otherwise reasonable Panera Bread:

    Or this cobb salad, which I ordered at a restaurant in PA:

    Wow.

  5. Indian food:

    I was treated to some top-notch Indian food, thanks to the incredible Mrs. S. Here’s a memorable home-cooked breakfast of samosas, an aloo gobi-like dish, and dahl puri:

    And here’s Mrs. S at work in the kitchen:

  6. Southern food:

    We ate some incredible food in my latter-day hometown of Beaufort, South Carolina. Namely, my Aunt Cece’s ((Hugs and kisses to you, Aunt Cece! I’ll do my best to replicate your recipe…)) pecan pie, which I’ve mentioned before:

    We also did some Southern cooking of our own at home. Here’s an unabashedly artery-clogging breakfast we whipped up one day: sausages with gravy, cheese grits, fried eggs, and toast. Believe it!

    Up next: a Newley.com exclusive video of a visit to Duke’s BBQ in Beaufort, SC, an establishment my brother C has raved about before. Stay tuned…

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Misc.

Souse-Vide take on Korean french fry encrusted hot dog

John and My Brother with French Fry-Encrusted Corndogs
The image that launched a culinary meme

Austin explains:

Here in Bangkok were so taken by the inherent genius of the dish, not to mention Lees’s breathtaking reverse engineering feat, that we decided to attempt our own ‘modern’ interpretation of the French fry-coated hot dog on a stick.

Our contribution to the genre? The dish pictured above: sous-vide potato confit with panko crust and hot dog foam. Unlike Lees, Hock has a modern kitchen at his disposal, and he took full advantage of this to apply cooking techniques that would best highlight each of the dish’s individual ingredients while not losing sight of the dish’s street origins. I think you’ll agree that we succeeded in this.

Don’t miss the excellent images that accompany Austin’s post.

So there you have it: Culinary innovation and cultural diffusion in action.

(Thanks to SeriousEats.com for the links and summary.)

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Misc.

Top 5 Restaurants in Beaufort, SC

I asked my little brother C, who’s a serious foodie, to list his five favorite restaurants in our home town of Beaufort, South Carolina ((Beaufort, SC is my adopted home town; I moved around a lot growing up, but I spent more time in Beaufort than anywhere else. C, on the other hand, was raised in Beaufort and went to college in nearby Charleston, SC. So he knows what he’s talking about. Trust me.)) Here’s what he wrote:

Beaufort, South Carolina isn’t known for gourmet dinner options or haute luncheons. This coastal town does provide options a-plenty for those seeking local comfort food and a healthy dose of southern charm. Here are my picks for must have Beaufort fare.

  1. Blackstone’s Deli — A popular downtown spot, Blackstone’s sticks to tried and true American breakfast favorites. Think blueberry pancakes with a side of sausage patties. For a local touch, try a cup of stone ground grits alongside fried eggs and bacon.

    Blackstone’s Deli
    205 Scott St.
    Beaufort, SC
    (843) 524-4330

  2. Alvin Ord’s — Clearly a favorite among Beaufort’s lunch break crowd. Alvin Ord’s does lunch right, serving classic deli style sandwiches on fresh baked round buns. Be sure to try the Salvation — ham and salami all the way with four cheeses toasted onto the bun.

    Alvin Ord’s
    1415 Ribaut Rd
    Port Royal, SC
    (843) 524-8222

  3. The Shrimp Shack — If you’re interested in going a bit out of the way, The Shrimp Shack is well worth the drive from town. Family owned and operated, the folks at the shrimp shack serve the only shrimp burger I’d ever eat. Because the docks are literally across the highway, fresh local seafood is the standard. Call ahead to inquire about seasonal operating hours.

    The Shrimp Shack
    1925 Sea Island Pkwy
    Saint Helena Island, SC
    (843) 838-2962

  4. Taqueria by Berto — Forced to move from his downtown location, Berto has reopened in Shell Point with a streamlined menu and restaurant. Simplicity is key here; good value and strong flavors make this Mexican eatery stand out. The tacos are an obvious choice though I would recommend an alambre — a mix of sautéed veggies and meats with a hint of pig oil (lard) topped with fresh soft cheese and served over flour or corn tortillas.

    Taqueria by Berto
    Shell Point Plaza on Parris Island Gateway

  5. Duke’s Barbecue — Last, but certainly not least, is my personal favorite. Once a chain across South Carolina, the Duke family barbecue restaurants now operate independently to bring traditional meat and fixins to anyone hungry enough to partake in the twice weekly buffet experience. The Carolina chopped pork is unmistakable and the pork hash will make you forget about any issues you might have with “everything but the oink” cooking. There isn’t a healthy choice on the buffet, so load up on fried chicken, fried okra, fried corn fritters, or anything else that could conceivably be fried.

    Duke’s Barbeque
    3533 Trask Pkwy
    Beaufort, SC
    843 524 1128

Got any restaurants to add to the list? Add ’em to the comments. Thanks, C, for the write-up. Happy eating, all.

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Misc.

Pok Pok’s Andy Ricker on The Splended Table

If you’re in America’s Pacific Northwest and you like Southeast Asian food — specifically Thai cuisine — then you’ve got to make your way to Pok Pok Whiskey Soda Lounge. That’s the name of Andy Ricker’s restaurant in Portland, Oregon. I haven’t been there, but it sounds like my kind of place: simple, savory Thai food served in a casual atmosphere.

Pok Pok isn’t a conventional Thai restaurant like you’d usually find in the US. It’s a “food garden” with indoor and outdoor seating. And the menu doesn’t include Thai staples that are common in the West, like pad thai and green chicken curry, but rather regional food from Thailand’s north and northeast. Pok Pok was voted The Oregonian‘s 2007 restaurant of the year. (Click here for a YouTube video tour of Pok Pok compliments of the Oregonian.)

Owner Andy Ricker — who learned about Thai cuisine during his travels here — was recently interviewed by Lynne Rossetto Kasper for the excellent Splendid Table radio show. You can find the episode here, and here’s a direct link to the mp3.

The segment starts at 14 min., 40 sec. and goes to about 24 min.

(Thanks to Austin Bush — an Oregonian who knows a thing or two about Thai food himself — for the link.)

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Misc.

Best Burger in Bangkok

If you ask me, dining on an authentic krapow moo kai dao — stir fried pork with chili, basil, and a fried egg — can be a near-religious experience. I firmly believe that a fiery som tam (papaya salad) is one of the world’s greatest dishes. A well-executed gaeng keow wan gai (green chicken curry) has moved me, in times past, to the brink of tears. In short, I can’t get enough of Thai food.

But as an American living in Asia, not only do I appreciate creatively-conceived Western junk food, but I also harbor intense cravings, from time to time, for hamburgers. My god, hamburgers.

Over the past couple of years, I’ve sampled burgers at some of Bangkok’s most popular pubs, in addition a few speciality restaurants that claim to serve “Bangkok’s best burgers.” But I’ve been, by and large, underwhelmed. I’m a minimalist, favoring simple burgers like those served at Five Guys, on the east coast of the US, and by Dick’s in Seattle.

Enter Triple O’s by White Spot, a franchise based in Vancouver, BC. (Yes, Canada.) The joint opened in Bangkok about a year ago — the ones in Hong Kong are popular among foreigners — but I’d yet to visit the establishment, as it’s hidden in the rafters of Central World Plaza.

Having heard of Triple O’s from A (via S, who heard of it through R and J), I was pleased to find a tasty and fresh — though not needlessly gargantuan — patty, a toasted bun, and fresh toppings that included lettuce, tomatoes, and cheddar cheese. I also found the famed Triple O sauce to be a nice touch. The fries were pretty good, too. I’ve heard grumblings that Triple O patties can be thin and lifeless, but mine was substantial. Highly recommended — if you ever get sick of Thai food, that is.

Triple O’s by White Spot
Central Food Hall, Central World Plaza, 7th floor
Telephone: 02 613 1640

For further reading, I suggest “Searching for Bagnkok’s Best Burgers” (written, as best I can tell, before Triple O’s came to town, though the author is knowledgeable and thorough).

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Misc.

I’m Back in Bangkok

I’m back in Bangkok. My marathon return trip included a car ride, a taxi trip, a four-hour Amtrak ride, 21 hours of flights aboard Singapore Airlines, and nine hours of waiting for planes in airports that steadily improved as I journeyed east: JFK, Frankfurt, and then Singapore.

I may write more, in future dispatches, about my month at home in the US. But for now, let me just say to the friends, family, and colleagues I saw: ole uncle Newley is happy to have caught up with you.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some eating to do. First up, I shall attempt to consume my body weight in krapow moo with extra fish sauce. I’ve really missed the food here in Bangkok.