One of the best things about Thailand is the amazing food. Thailand is with deservedly famous for its cuisine, but what many people don’t know, is that there are various distinct kinds of Thai food, which you will probably not get to try unless you decide to explore a bit. The best part is that Thai food generally isn’t very expensive, so there is every reason in the world to go out and experience what Thailand has to offer.

I have been living in Thailand for over 10 years and, like most people, I tend to always end up in the same few places where I somehow end up ordering the same dishes over and over again. But this week I decided that I would try three different kinds of Thai food and, being a single mum to an always hungry, food loving, teenage daughter, at a budget around 500 baht per meal.

So, armed with my teenage daughter as my photographer and fellow taster, I set out to learn and experience more about the different kinds of Thai food Bangkok has to offer.

Ruan Songnaree - The Thai House of 2 Ladies

The first place we went to is a cozy Thai restaurant I have wanted to try for a long time. The place is decorated in a traditional Thai style with wood carvings and small statues, and the staff is dressed up in traditional Thai costumes.

Carved fruit

The food is, like the restaurant, traditional Thai which means it’s the same kind of food you would have been served even a few hundred years ago. The place is famous for their carved decorations so every dish is a true pleasure to behold, served in coconuts and pineapples with carved vegetable flowers on the side. The nice owner told me that they only use local products, no MSG, and they support local farmers, buying the produce directly from the farms.

Golden cups with herb minced pork

We started out with an amazing appetizer called Gra-tong-thong, which were small flour cups filled with a mix of minced pork, herbs and vegetables. The portion was generous and it was a delicious dish, fragrant and slightly spicy.

Tom kha kai

After that we had a Tom Kha Kai, a coconut based chicken soup, which was served in a fresh coconut, beautiful and delicious and again a huge portion, as was the Chicken Cashew that followed shortly after. To accompany our main courses we had fried rice with shrimps and pork, served in a pineapple.

Chicken cashew

The price for the whole meal, including soft drinks, was within my budget, we were both so full that we could hardly walk and the food was really tasty. Definitely a place I am planning to visit again! For those who like a glass of wine or a drink with their meal there is a big selection of wines and spirits to choose from.

Ruan Songnaree

Address – 7/4-5 Sukhumvit soi 33 - Klong Ton Nua, Bangkok 10110, Thailand

Sri Trat - Rustic Eastern Thai Cuisine

The next day we decided to try something we have never tried before – Eastern Thai food. The restaurant is a cozy villa, located in the heart of Sukhumvit and although I thought I had tried everything here in Thailand, I found out that I have really missed out by not trying this kind of Thai food before.

Eastern Thai food comes from the area around Trat and Chantaburi, which is unique because of its proximity to the ocean from where they get their fish and seafood and the mountains, where they grow fragrant herbs and spices. The food therefore is totally different from what most of us think is Thai food.

The restaurant is run by a wonderful young couple, who speaks fluent English, and all the recipes are original Eastern Thai recipes collected over many years by the mother of the male owner. The mother is also depicted on the logo, since she was Miss Trat many years ago. She is still alive and well and comes to the restaurant on a regular basis to check out the food.

Barracuda cheviche

Since we were beginners in this kind of cuisine, we asked the owners to choose some dishes for us and we were definitely not disappointed. Our favorite was a barracuda ceviche served with a crispy peanut brittle sauce. The zesty flavor of the barracuda, combined with the sweet and spicy peanut sauce on a bed of aromatic herbs and lemongrass was so delicious that I thought I could hear the angels sing for a moment.  Unfortunately my daughter loved this dish as well so I didn’t get nearly as much of this heavenly dish as I would have liked.

Fish with three kinds of onion

The next dish was a massaman curry with durian, which was also a new experience to us both. Durian has never been my favorite fruit due to the very pungent odor, but cooked in the delicious curry sauce it tasted really nice and no, it didn’t smell at all. After that we had a delicious clear soup with Thai cinnamon root in, yet another unknown dish for us, followed by a juicy fish fried with several kinds of onion and garlic.

White crab curry

Then another surprise was served – a white crab curry. I have eaten my fill of yellow, green and red curries over the years but I have never even heard of a white curry. It’s a coconut based curry filled with sweet bamboo shoots, crab meat and crab roe, and seasoned with Chantaburi-grown black pepper. It was a really nice dish, fragrant and not spicy like most Thai curries.

We had a couple of more things but these three dishes stood out and have now made me a huge fan of Eastern Thai cuisine.

The bill was slightly over budget, mostly because we had to try the herb infused cocktails, but it was worth every baht. The place is both a restaurant and in the evening hours, also a bar and has a huge variety of cocktails, wines, and spirits so that was also a pleasant change from most local Thai restaurants, where you can only get served beer or Thai whisky.

Sri Trat Restaurant and Bar

Address – 90 Soi Sukhumvit 33, Klongtan-Nua, Bangkok 10110, Thailand.

Broccoli Revolution - For all the vegans and vegetarians out there

The last place we visited in our search for different kinds of Thai food was a vegan restaurant. As most women I am on an eternal diet so after two huge meals we decided that we needed something healthy and light.

Broccoli Revolution opened up 3 years ago and the focus is healthy, organic, and sustainable vegan food. They also support various charities so by eating here you can truly eat with a clean conscience since not only will you be getting healthy, delicious food but a percentage of the bill is being donated to various causes, like children in Cambodia.

They don’t use any plastic, all food is organic, and they also don’t use any MSG.

The menu is a mix of Thai, Vietnamese, and international food but, since this article is about Thai food, we only chose from the Thai section.

Satay

We started with a traditional Thai starter – Satays, but in a tofu version, served with peanut sauce and a zesty cucumber and onion salad. I have never been a huge fan of tofu but grilled and with the sauce it actually tasted delicious.  

Chia seed phad thai

Then we had the surprise of the day – a vegan Phad Thai. Phad Thai has sort of become Thailand’s national dish but to be honest, I often find it too oily and haven’t eaten one in years. This version was light, the noodles, made of some sort of soybean, were cooked perfectly and I honestly didn’t miss the meat at all.

Green curry

Lastly we had a vegan green curry which was delicious as well. It was spicy, aromatic, filled with veggies and grilled tofu, and served with jasberry rice, which apparently is the healthiest rice on the planet.

All in all it was a really nice dinner and well within budget.  Although we will probably never become vegans, trying this food definitely makes me consider having a few meatless days a week.

Broccoli Revolution

Address – 899 Sukhumvit Road, soi 49 – Khlongton-nua, Bangkok – Thailand

So as you can see, Thai Food comes in many variants and there is something for everyone, regardless of whether you want the traditional and, often spicy Thai food, vegetarian, vegan or the aromatic Eastern Thai food. So if you are visiting Thailand, go out and try as much as possible, you definitely won’t regret it and with a budget around 500 baht per person, everyone should be able to try the many amazing kinds of Thai food.