Ask any Singaporean living overseas what Singapore food they miss and we can bet with you that the majority of them would say chicken rice. Chicken rice holds a special place in many of our hearts and it is no mystery why this simple yet flavourful dish has always been a crowd favourite.

We aren’t the only place in the world that has chicken rice though; Bangkok has its own rendition of the dish and while they both may look pretty similar, they do have their differences too.

We tried out Bangkok’s famous Go-Ang Pratunam Chicken Rice on our recent trip to Bangkok and here is how we feel it compared to Singapore’s Hainanese Chicken Rice.

Go-Ang Pratunam Chicken Rice is a Michelin Bib Gourmand awardee and it started out in 1960 as a simple pushcart stall by a Hainanese immigrant in Bangkok. Today, it is bustling eatery in the middle of Pratunam and it never fails to attract swarms of both tourists and locals alike. 

We ordered one large plate of chicken (120baht) to share amongst ourselves as well as some rice (10baht). The serving size is pretty generous and definitely very value-for-money, especially if you come with a big group of people. Aside from the fresh slices of chicken, the dish also came with a cube of blood pudding.

The meat served to us was very lean and some of the slices were covered in slithers of chicken skin which added more flavour and texture to the chicken. While the chicken was fragrant and flavourful, its flesh was not quite as tender and as succulent as the ones you can find in Singapore, which we found a tad bit disappointing.

To enhance the flavour of the chicken, we recommend smothering it in some of their signature chilli sauce which consists of fermented bean paste, ginger and fermented chilli. The chilli added a lovely spicy kick to the chicken and definitely enhanced the flavours of the overall dish. We have to admit that if we had to choose between Singapore’s Chilli and Bangkok’s we would have a pretty hard time!

All in all, we still prefer Singapore’s Hainanese chicken rice over Bangkok’s chicken rice as we prefer our meat to be more on the tender side. However, Bangkok undoubtedly serves up some pretty solid plates of chicken rice as well and we highly recommend that you give it a try if you’re ever in Bangkok!

Go-Ang Pratunam Chicken Rice
960 962 Phetchaburi Road
Khwaeng Makkasan, Khet Ratchathewi
Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10400, Thailand
Tel: +66 2 252 6325
Daily: 6am – 2pm, 5pm – 2am

It is no secret that Bangkok is a food and shopping paradise that is full of dirt-cheap deals, and we always make it a point to come here at least once a year to get our fill on affordable food, shopping and massages.

For those of you who are visiting Bangkok for the first time and you need some ideas for your itinerary, we recommend you pay the Pratunam area a visit. The place is chock full of endless shopping, food and even more shopping and once you’re done with all that, you can give your body a break by heading over to one of the many massage parlours that are scattered around the area.

If you want to visit Pratunam but you are absolutely clueless about what you should do there, here’s our guide to give you some ideas.

WAKE UP EARLY FOR CHEAP WHOLESALE DEALS AT PRATUNAM MORNING MARKET 

You can forget about scrolling through Taobao for the next few months after visiting this gargantuan wholesale paradise. The market is filled with hundreds of vendors selling trendy pieces for dirt cheap prices. We recommend coming here with a group of friends because you can get even cheaper prices when you bulk buy!

Ratchaprarop 1 Alley
Khwaeng Thanon Phaya Thai, Khet Ratchathewi
Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10400, Thailand
Daily: 5am – 6pm

HAVE BREAKFAST AT LUNG PRATHUNAM BOAT NOODLES 

There are multiple places in Bangkok that serve up decent bowls of boat noodles but one of our absolute favourites is Lung Prathunam Boat Noodle. Here, they have 6 different broths and 8 different types of noodles to choose from. Each bowl costs a mere 30 baht and an upsized version would be 40 baht. For those of you who are in a rush, you can also do a take away for 50 baht.

960/14 Phetchaburi Road
Khwaeng Makkasan, Khet Ratchathewi
Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10400, Thailand
Tel: +66 85 919 1994
Daily: 8am – 5pm

GO SHOPPING AT PLATINUM FASHION MALL OR PANDTIP IT MALL 

It is impossible to not have heard of Platinum Fashion Mall and this shopping paradise is home to a plethora of stalls that sell cheap and trendy clothes, accessories and shoes. With 6 floors housing over 2000 stalls, the place will keep you busy for hours! If you aren’t keen in fashion, you can also head on over to Pandtip IT Mall to check out some of the tech stuff that they have available.

GET A MASSAGE ALONG PETCHABURI SOI 15

While shopping may be fun, it can also be pretty exhausting. To ease those muscles and give yourself a break, we recommend heading over to the row of massage parlours at Petchaburi Soi 15 to treat yourself to a good session of kneading and back cracking. While all the parlours there are pretty decent, our favourite is Number One Massage!

Number One Massage 
1/7-8 Pratunam
Phetchaburi soi 15
Thanon Phaya Thai, Ratchathewei
Bangkok 10400, Thailand
Tel: +65 +66 2 653 9967
Daily: 9.30am – 12am

HAVE LUNCH AT GONG TONG CAFE 

Gong Tong is a charming and quirky cafe that dishes out themed homemade dishes revolving around different historical periods of Thailand. They serve up both sets and à la carte options and each and every dish here will take you to a completely different era. While the prices here are on the steeper end, we can assure you that it is well worth every cent.

Thanon Phaya Thai
Ratchathewi, Bangkok 10400, Thailand
Tel: +66 64 879 0149
Daily: 10am – 8.30pm

PAY A VISIT TO BRAND NEW MALL ‘THE MARKET’

The shopping scene in Bangkok just keeps getting better and joining the slew of malls is The Market. Located just across the road from Central World, The Market is home to plenty of stalls like boutiques, blogshops, cafes and massage parlours. The prices here are a little on the steeper end as compared to the markets but we feel like the things sold here are of better quality.

111 Ratchadamri Road
Khwaeng Lumphini, Khet Pathum Wan
Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10330, Thailand
Tel: +66 2 121 8888
Daily: 10am – 10pm

HAVE TEA AT BOYY AND SON CAFE 

Located conveniently at the recently renovated Gaysorn Village, BOYY & Son is a chic, stylish and incredibly Instagram-worthy cafe that sells coffee, tea and an interesting array of pastries. We absolutely love their croissants which are flaky, buttery and fragrant all at once!

BOYY 127 Unit L00-01 GAYSORN Tower2 Lumphini
Pathum Wan, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
Tel: +66 2 253 8300
Daily: 8am – 8pm

VISIT CENTRAL WORLD SHOPPING MALL

Like we said, the shopping never ends at Pratunam! Another mall to check out is the famous Central World Shopping Mall. While it is similar to many Singapore malls and the stuff here isn’t as cheap as the markets, it’s still a great place to do some window shopping and enjoy the air-con!

HAVE DINNER AT GO-ANG PRATUNAM CHICKEN RICE

If you want to try a different variation of chicken rice aside from Singapore’s Hainanese chicken rice, we recommend that you pop by Go-Ang Pratunam Chicken Rice. These plates of Michelin Bib Gourmand chicken rice certainly live up to its name and we can see why it’s so popular with both the locals and tourists. Brace yourself for some really long queues!

960 962 Phetchaburi Road
Khwaeng Makkasan, Khet Ratchathewi
Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10400, Thailand
Tel: +66 2 252 6325
Daily: 6am – 2pm, 5pm – 2am

CHECK OUT PALLADIUM NIGHT MARKET 

As the sun sets for the day, all the night markets come out to play. Pratunam has its own share of night markets that come alive when the sky turns dark and one of the more popular ones is Palladium Night Market. Here, you can find rows of stalls selling things like clothes, accessories and random knick-knacks.

487 Phetchaburi Road
Khwaeng Makkasan, Khet Ratchathewi
Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10400, Thailand
Daily: 6pm – 12am

END THE NIGHT WITH TALAD NEON NIGHT MARKET

If you still have time, you can also hop on over to Talad Neon Night Market for even more shopping and feasting. We prefer this place to Palladium Night Market as we feel that the things sold here are catered more to the youths. They also have a larger array of stalls that sell food so it’s a great supper spot!

1087, 167 Phetchaburi Road
Khwaeng Makkasan, Khet Ratchathewi
Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10400, Thailand
Daily: 5pm – 12am

For those of you who have small appetites or just need something small to munch on before your next meal, boat noodles are a perfect meal option. Tiny yet incredibly hearty and substantial, don’t underestimate these little bowls of goodness that pack a powerful punch.

There are multiple places in Bangkok that serve up decent bowls of boat noodles but one of our absolute favourites is Lung Prathunam Boat Noodle. Located right smack in the middle of bustling Pratunam, its convenient location makes it a great pitstop for ravenous shopaholics who need to refuel after a tiring day of shopping.

The menu here at Lung Prathunam Boat Noodle is pretty straightforward. Here, they have 6 different broths and 8 different types of noodles to choose from. Mix and match to get your desired bowl of boat noodles; the combinations are endless!

Each bowl costs a mere 30 baht and an upsized version would be 40 baht. For those of you who are in a rush, you can also do a take away for 50 baht.

We decided to try a combination of Thicken Beef Soup with Rice Noodles. The beef soup was outrageously robust and packed full of umami. For such a small bowl, they were rather generous with their serving of beef slices which were chunky and not too tough on the teeth.

For something a little lighter, you can choose to have their Clear Soup with Minced Pork and Fish Ball. We had our bowl with glass noodles. The soup was less heavy on the palate as compared to the Thickened Beef Soup, yet, it still was satisfyingly flavourful. The minced pork also added a nice meaty bite to the dish as well as enhanced the flavour of the soup.

Other soup flavours that you can try are Dark Soy Sauce with Pork or Beef, Dry Tom Yum, Yong Tau Fu and Tom Yum Soup.

Lung Prathunam Boat Noodles 
960/14 Phetchaburi Road
Khwaeng Makkasan, Khet Ratchathewi
Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10400, Thailand
Tel: +66 85 919 1994
Daily: 8am – 5pm

]]> https://www.ladyironchef.com/2019/11/lung-prathunam-boat-noodle/feed/ 0 https://www.ladyironchef.com/2019/09/pondtip-pratunam/ https://www.ladyironchef.com/2019/09/pondtip-pratunam/#comments Tue, 17 Sep 2019 23:09:14 +0000 Melissa Teo https://www.ladyironchef.com/?p=187425 Continue reading →]]>

While we love Singapore’s duck rice, we admittedly prefer Bangkok’s duck rice a tad bit more. We don’t know how they do it but most of the ducks that we have tried here have turned out more succulent and tender as compared to the ones that we have had in Singapore.

While there aren’t as many stalls in Bangkok that sell duck rice as there are that sell chicken rice, we know a handful of good ones to recommend to you. One of them would be Pondtip Pratunam, a humble stall that sells an array of scrumptious Thai food which includes duck noodles and rice.

Conveniently located right smack in the middle of busy Pratunam, Pondtip Pratunam is the perfect pitstop for ravenous shopaholics who need a mid-shopping perk-me-up.

We recommend getting the Soya Duck Rice (60 baht) which comes with succulent duck slices atop a mound of white rice and a side of blood pudding and chilli sauce.

What we love about the duck here is how it is so outrageously moist and tender despite being cooked for such a long period of time. In similar cases, the duck usually ends up dry and tough, so having such well-cooked duck is certainly refreshing.

We also recommend dunking the duck into the provided chilli for an extra spicy kick. To be honest, we don’t feel that the duck needs any more enhancement as it already is good on its own but if you love to have your food with a little spice, you definitely need to try the duck with their chilli.

Our absolute favourite dish here would hands down be the Stewed Duck Rice (80 baht) which features a massive stewed duck leg accompanied with white rice, pudding blood and their signature chilli.

The duck meat here is the definition of fall-off-the-bone as it was so easy for us to tear off strips of meat due to the duck flesh being so tender. We find the duck in this dish significantly more succulent and flavourful than the one we had for soya duck rice and each bite was packed full of umami.

If you’re a duck lover who happens to be popping by Pratunam area, please try the duck here! If you aren’t a fan of rice, they also have a few noodle dishes on their menu for you to choose from.

Pondtip Pratunam 
922, 924 Phetchaburi Road
Khwaeng Makkasan, Khet Ratchathewi
Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10400, Thailand
Tel: +66 2 650 4023
Daily: 6am – 8pm

]]> https://www.ladyironchef.com/2019/09/pondtip-pratunam/feed/ 0 https://www.ladyironchef.com/2019/09/pratunam-food-guide/ https://www.ladyironchef.com/2019/09/pratunam-food-guide/#comments Sat, 14 Sep 2019 16:01:26 +0000 Melissa Teo https://www.ladyironchef.com/?p=187866 Continue reading →]]>

While Pratunam is known to be a shoppers paradise filled with an endless array of stalls, it is also a gluttons idea of heaven.

The streets and malls of Pratunam are packed with a smorgasbord of stalls that serve up a tantalising selection of food that ranges from hearty local bites to delectable cafe nosh. Each and every nook and cranny of this area is crammed with surprises and we can promise you that you will never run out of new things to try here.

If you are overwhelmed by the wide selection of goodies to tuck into, here is a quick guide to 9 of our favourite places to get some great grub after a tiring day of shopping in Pratunam.

BAMEE SAWANG

While people hear more of the famous Sabx2 Wanton Mee, there are better places in Bangkok to get a scrumptious bowl of roast pork noodles and one of them is Bamee Sawang. We love the wanton mee here and we also recommend that you give their Stewed Pork Leg Over Rice a try too.

982 Phetchaburi Road
Khwaeng Makkasan, Khet Ratchathewi
Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10400, Thailand
Tel: +66 2 056 0663
Daily: 9.30am – 11pm

BOYY & SON

Located conveniently at the recently renovated Gaysorn Village, BOYY & Son is a chic, stylish and incredibly Instagram-worthy cafe that sells coffee, tea and an interesting array of pastries. We absolutely love their croissants which are flaky, buttery and fragrant all at once!

BOYY 127 Unit L00-01 GAYSORN Tower2 Lumphini
Pathum Wan, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
Tel: +66 2 253 8300
Daily: 8am – 8pm

GO-ANG PRATUNAM CHICKEN RICE

If you want to try a different variation of chicken rice aside from Singapore’s Hainanese chicken rice, we recommend that you pop by Go-Ang Pratunam Chicken Rice. These plates of Michelin Bib Gourmand chicken rice certainly live up to its name and we can see why it’s so popular with both the locals and tourists. Brace yourself for some really long queues!

960 962 Phetchaburi Road
Khwaeng Makkasan, Khet Ratchathewi
Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10400, Thailand
Tel: +66 2 252 6325
Daily: 6am – 2pm, 5pm – 2am

GONG TONG CAFE

Gong Tong is a charming and quirky cafe that dishes out themed homemade dishes that revolve around different historical periods of Thailand. They serve up both sets and à la carte options and each and every dish here will take you to a completely different era. While the prices here are on the steeper end, we can assure you that it is well worth every cent.

Thanon Phaya Thai
Ratchathewi, Bangkok 10400, Thailand
Tel: +66 64 879 0149
Daily: 10am – 8.30pm

Photo Credit: seeintear

KHAO KHA MOO TRUK SUNG (PORK KNUCKLES)

For those of you who love anything and everything pork-related, you’ll absolutely love Khao Kha Moo Truk Sung. This humble stall specialises in outrageously tender pork leg over rice that simply melts in your mouth. Aside from that, they also serve up other dishes such as rice with crispy pork and bowls of hearty soups.

LUNG PRATHUNAM BOAT NOODLES 

There are multiple places in Bangkok that serve up decent bowls of boat noodles but one of our absolute favourites is Lung Prathunam Boat Noodle. Here, they have 6 different broths and 8 different types of noodles to choose from. Each bowl costs a mere 30 baht and an upsized version would be 40 baht. For those of you who are in a rush, you can also do a take away for 50 baht.

960/14 Phetchaburi Road
Khwaeng Makkasan, Khet Ratchathewi
Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10400, Thailand
Tel: +66 85 919 1994
Daily: 8am – 5pm

Photo Credit: midnightkaiton_pratunam

MIDNIGHT KAITON CHICKEN RICE

If the queues at Go-Ang Pratunam Chicken Rice are way too long, you can check Midnight Kaiton Chicken Rice out instead. Here, they serve up hearty plates of chicken rice as well as crispy fried chicken which is perfect for supper. The only gripe we have is that they only open after 7pm.

986 Phetchaburi Road
Khwaeng Makkasan, Khet Ratchathewi
Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10400, Thailand
Mon to Sat: 7pm – 4am
Sun: 7pm – 12pm

PONDTIP PRATUNAM 

There aren’t as many stalls in Bangkok that sell duck rice as there are that sell chicken rice but if we had to recommend one, it would be Pondtip Pratunam. This humble stall sells an array of scrumptious Thai food but they’re famous for their duck dishes. We recommend the Soya Duck Rice and the Stewed Duck Rice!

922, 924 Phetchaburi Road
Khwaeng Makkasan, Khet Ratchathewi
Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10400, Thailand
Tel: +66 2 650 4023
Daily: 6am – 8pm

THE PLACE 168

The Place 168 is a little Thai restaurant tucked away at a rundown building near Pratunam Market. The small shop has a pretty extensive menu filled with authentic Thai dishes but they are most famous for their gargantuan bowls of Tom Yum Koong Soup which are great for sharing.

1/49 Phetchaburi Road
Khwaeng Thanon Phaya Thai, Khet Ratchathewi
Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10400, Thailand
Tel: +66 2 657 0880
Daily: 10.30am – 9.30pm

Local Thai delights are a dime a dozen in Bangkok and there is always something to eat at every turn. While we love our pad thai and tom yum soup, we thought that it would be interesting to try something that belonged to a completely different era for a change.

Tucked away along a street at Pratunam is Gong Tong, a charming and quirky cafe that dishes out themed homemade dishes that revolve around different historical periods of Thailand.

You can choose either à la carte options or sets. They have a really thick and extensive menu for you to flip through and we were thoroughly spoilt for choice.

While the prices here are on the steeper end, we can assure you that it is well worth every cent.

After much deliberation, we finally settled on the Rattanakosin Niyom set (255 baht) which comes with a bowl of Chicken Mussaman Curry, Stir-fried Sweet Peas, a plate of rice and Toddy Palm Fruit in Scented Syrup.

We absolutely loved the Chicken Mussaman Curry which featured superbly tender, fall-off-the-bone chicken that was doused in a mildly spicy and full-bodied gravy. Slather the provided rice in all that umami-filled gravy and eat it with the chicken for a flavour bomb that’ll keep you hooked to your very last bite.

We initially thought that there would be nothing special about the Stir-fried Sweet Peas but boy, were we wrong!

Despite being stir-fried, the dish was not very oily and the vegetables still remained surprisingly crisp and crunchy. The sweet peas added a subtle sweetness to the overall dish as well as a lightness that was a good contrast to the bold flavours of the curry.

We ended off our sumptuous feast with a bowl of cooling Toddy Palm Fruit in Scented Syrup which certainly helped to combat Bangkok’s sweltering heat.

Gong Tong 
Thanon Phaya Thai
Ratchathewi, Bangkok 10400, Thailand
Tel: +66 64 879 0149

Read: Bangkok food guides on the best places to discover in the city.

 
Daily: 10am – 8.30pm

It’s a crime to go to Bangkok without trying anything tom yum related. Milky, tangy and addictively spicy, it is no wonder that this hearty Thai staple is a hot favourite amongst locals and tourists alike.

Tom yum soup is readily available almost anywhere in Bangkok and it isn’t hard to chance upon a stall that sells it. However, if you’re on a tom yum hunt with a group of ravenous friends, we recommend that you pop by The Place 168 to share their massive Tom Yum Koong Soup.

The Place 168 is a humble Thai restaurant tucked away at a rundown building near Pratunam Market. The small shop has a pretty extensive menu filled with authentic Thai dishes but they are most famous for their gargantuan bowls of Tom Yum Koong Soup.

At just 195 baht, each colossal bowl of this piping hot goodness comes brimming with ingredients such as pork belly, squid, prawns, meatballs, spring onions, two runny eggs and lime slices.

All these lie atop a bed of springy noodles which is then doused in ladlefuls of hot and tangy tom yum broth. We’d say that a bowl of this could easily feed 2 to 4 people.

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We love how generous they were with the ingredients and each and every one of them added something special to the bowl. The pork belly had a decent fat to meat ratio and was fried to a crackling crisp, providing the dish with a nice crunch. On the other hand, while we thought that the squid and prawns were a nice addition, they were disappointingly stale.

The noodles, on the other hand, were springy and cooked to a nice al dente and we love how it soaked up all the spicy goodness of that full-bodied tom yum broth. However, we recommend that you slurp up the noodles fast as they do become soggy rather quickly.

The Place 168
1/49 Phetchaburi Road
Khwaeng Thanon Phaya Thai, Khet Ratchathewi
Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10400, Thailand
Tel: +66 2 657 0880
Daily: 10.30am – 9.30pm

Read: Bangkok food guides on the best places to discover in the city.