Motormouth From Ipoh – Asian Food & Travel Blog

Once again, if you haven’t been following, here are the rest of the stories – Bangkok 2013

Pattaya in broad daylight – A heady mix of sun, sea and sand. Come sundown, the town comes alive much like the famous Phuket Island, although for Pattaya; being the second most visited city in Thailand after Bangkok, is also notoriously renowned for its sex industry. 

This was my second visit to Pattaya, after a good 7 years since the first one. As far as I could remember, the town has not changed much but slightly more congested with traffic and people, and definitely lived up to its notorious red light district reputation. Well, since we had more than ample time to spare within Bangkok city, might as well embarked on a short detour to Pattaya; about 150km away from Bangkok.

The journey by chartered van took us a good 3 hours though, with a stopover at a gas station for refilling and toilet break, plus an unfortunate incident whereby the driver got summoned for some reason after passing the toll. Anyhow, here’s the brief rundown of what transpired from a relaxing 2 days, 1 night stay in Pattaya.  Read the rest of this entry »

This story is part of the Bangkok 2013 chapters

The iconic Buddha statue head embedded between overgrown roots of this Bodhi (sacred fig) tree in Ayutthaya @ Wat Mahatat

First and foremost, Happy Friday dear hungry souls. May your food endeavour this weekend be filled with much satisfying finds, sloppily-delicious eats and accelerated digestion to allow space for more. Motormouth will be back to Ipoh again this weekend, after last week’s filming of Discover Perak Season 2 around southern Perak (Tanjung Malim – Bidor – Sungkai – Kampar – Teluk Intan!); one manic marathon of food extravaganza spanning two full days; encompassing more than 12 hours per day! (this follows the Discover Perak Season 1 filmed 4 years ago).

Needless to say, everyone of us was thrown into a food comatose stage; partially compounded by sheer exhaustion of eating, talking, and traveling as well. But all in all, the experience was priceless.

Ayutthaya; the ancient capital and now modern city in the central plains of Thailand is situated about 85km north of Bangkok; and can easily reached by chartered transport, public buses or even through a more scenic route by train from Hualamphong station in Bangkok. The town is a labyrinth of ruins from ancient kingdom and temple grounds; some populated by the infamously atmospheric headless Buddha statues; remnants of the Burmese invasion in the mid 18th century.

Take a deep breath and savour the shots taken during this half a day trip to Ayutthaya.  Read the rest of this entry »

Pratunam Famous Chicken Rice Shop with all soldiers decked in pink T-shirt. Not many refers to the shop as “Go Ang”, a name I picked up from TripAdvisor. But more popular recalled as the chicken rice shop opposite of Platinum Fashion Mall in Pratunam, Bangkok

When the shopping gets a wee bit out of control, trust some sane minds in the group to lead the deviant souls back to the right path. And so, the hours spent at CentralWorld or Platinum Fashion Mall in Pratunam area must be intermittent with good food; not random snacks, ice-cream or fast food in the malls. After all, the Thai street foods lining up the perimeters of the malls deserve a mention. Surely some of you must remember THIS POST on salt-grilled fish in the evenings?

A challenge for most visitors is the lack of English language signboards; especially the famed street food champions hidden within nooks and crannies; and emblazoned across their signboards are Thai words that you can barely tell them apart.

Luckily, Go Ang Chicken Rice Restaurant across the road from Platinum Fashion Mall has two very distinctive features; the shocking pink shirts donned by the workers; and a heavy crowd during lunch hours.  Read the rest of this entry »

A theme surrounding eco-friendly, sustainability and fresh, real good food, Cafe Bicycle near to BTS Ploenchit serves all day breakfast fares with pretty good beverages to boot

Have you read about The Fat Beagle off Thanon Sukhumvit? If you have the time and your limbs listen to you early in the morning (okay so they open from 11am onwards … but still, the partying can get a wee bit crazy in Bangkok, no?), then by all means make your way there for the exceptional cakes and cookies.

If walking ain’t a popular search in your dictionary, then take the sky train to BTS Ploenchit (between Chit Lom and Nana, really within walking distance to all shopping districts) and upon alighting, you will notice Cafe Bicycle near to Novotel Bangkok Ploenchit.

Since they open from 7am onwards on weekdays, this cafe makes for an ideal stopover for a hearty and homely breakfast before the rat race begins for the day. Read on to find out why Cafe Bicycle (affectionately referred to as ‘cb’ on their website) deserves a try despite jostling for your attention amongst the sea of Bangkok’s famous street food around the area.  Read the rest of this entry »

After a good seven months forward from this original teaser post on Summer in Bangkok July 2013, here I am revisiting the highlights (food wise, of course .. no shady stories on this blog lah, sorry!) of the seven days of bliss in Bangkok, Ayuthaya and Pattaya.

The Fat Beagle Cafe & Bake Shoppe is located on a relatively quiet lane off the main road of Sukhumvit in Bangkok; it takes a bit of effort to reach here from the nearest train station though. But the cakes are well worth the walk .. 

Rather unconventionally, instead of doing the Bangkok Street Eats, let’s take a detour off to Sukhumvit area for a brunch of lovely cakes, cookies and coffee at The Fat Beagle; a barely one-year old establishment.

It’s so common to be greeted by mouthwatering whiffs of freshly grilled meats by the street side, and sights of dark-skinned, friendly hawkers frying up a storm with their rendition of ‘pad thai’ – the ultimate icon of Bangkok’s street food. But to look beyond the stereotyped spicy fares, there is so much more to Bangkok than being a street food haven. The Fat Beagle excels in their freshly baked cakes and cookies; served with a selection of coffee in a tiny space suited for no more than half a dozen of people.  Read the rest of this entry »

Bangkok Street Food – Don’t limit your imagination to Pad Thai or Tom Yum when in Thailand.  

Coming back refreshed, rejuvenated and recharged, the seven days of summer (yeah yeah .. it’s always summer here in this part of the world) have taught me quite a few of things in life.

That for one, there is still more than meets the eye when it comes to Thailand. On the surface, the country seems to be nothing more than a land of smiles, Tom Yum and shopping. Oh, and not forgetting bad traffic and the punchy red light districts.

But underneath the layers of obvious to the naked eye, therein lies a plethora of interesting elements; from food to culture, temples to arts and the people; the 7 days of summer just blazed through with barely a moment of boredom.

Read the rest of this entry »