I know it’s been a long time since my last post – almost two months – but I’m ready to get back to a more regular posting schedule. We’ve been incredibly busy with the sale of our current home, buying a new home, traveling, and planning for the move. 

However, I still think of our Southeast Asia honeymoon frequently and have so much more I want to share. Being the foodies that we are, we went on a nighttime food tour while we were in Bangkok and it was a great way to experience a bit of the city during our very short visit there. We had a funny, lively and charming guide who was passionate about food and excited to share traditional Thai dishes with our group. The cool tuk-tuks that drove us from place to place and by popular sights added a nice touch of culture to the outing. 

In this post, I’ll go through a few of the dishes we had that we loved and became the best things that we ate in Bangkok.

#1: Khao Man Gai (Thai Chicken and Rice)

Our first stop was at a small, busy and brightly lit restaurant several streets and corners from any resemblance of a main road. (Read: We never would have found this place on our own.) Our guide told us that this was one of the best places to get Khao Man Gai in the city and as we judged the line of mostly locals waiting for tables, we believed it.

We had never heard of this dish before and had no idea what to expect. When it arrived, I’ll be the first to admit it looked rather…well, boring. Our guide told us the chicken is cooked with salt, sugar, ginger and garlic to give it a wonderful flavor and the rice is cooked in the chicken fat, garlic, ginger, shallots and galangal leaves. It was the most flavorful chicken and rice combination I have ever had. 

The Thai eat the dish with a soup of chicken broth and winter squash to help digestion and move the food down the throat. This was pretty mild in flavor, but it was there for purpose not for taste.

As delicious as all this was, the addition of the sauce to the dish made it quite possibly the BEST dish we ate on our entire trip. Soybean paste, ginger, garlic, vinegars, and chilies combined into a perfect combination of savory and spicy to pour over the already flavorful chicken and rice.

The “no frills” atmosphere of the restaurant and the street food vendors outside on the street just added to the charm and enjoyment of this great example of simple, fresh food done right.

#2: Guay Tiew Kua Gai (Thai Fried Noodles)

When our guide told us we were going to have fried noodles, I was expecting thin, crispy ones. Instead, we received bowls of wide noodles, quickly breaded and wok-fried with egg, chicken (mine – Sean got ham and octopus), scallions and cilantro. We topped it with a sticky, sweet sauce.

It was love at first bite for me. In fact, this was so close to being the #1 food I ate in Bangkok for how different and unexpected it was. It was like Thai comfort food – warm, rich, filling and delicious. It was also served with a soup of chicken broth and winter squash but with an extra ingredient that our guide challenged us to guess. I identified it correctly as lemon – fermented lemon, to be exact.

After we finished eating this dish (and already being full on only our second stop of 5!), we went into the “kitchen” to see how the dish was made. I wasn’t expecting to be ushered to the alley behind the restaurant, but that’s where they made the food. Under canopies, with the women pulling the noodles apart and the men working over the heat, this unique and memorable dish was created. What an experience!

We took a break from food to see some sights and have a drink. The tuk-tuks drove us to Wat Po temple then on to the nighttime flower market, one of the largest in the world. It was incredible – all types of flowers, especially orchids.

Our outstanding tour guide with an orchid bouquet at the nighttime flower market.

We made another stop at the “secret bar” where we climbed 6 flights of stairs to a rooftop bar with sweeping views of the river and temples, before going to the next restaurant for what was the third best thing I ate in Bangkok.

#3: Traditional Pad Thai

How could one be in Thailand and not eat traditional pad thai? One cannot. 😉

This restaurant was as busy and bustling as all the others, with small plastic tables and chairs set up on the sidewalk and workers cooking in large woks for all passersby to see.

They made two kinds of pad thai – special and traditional. Sean had the “special” which included large shrimps and was completely folded inside an egg to look like an omelette. Quite impressive!

I had the traditional pad thai which was made with dried shrimps and tofu. We added all our accoutrements – scallions, peanuts and red chili flakes – and dug in. While seemingly more “simple” or “basic” than the special pad thai, the traditional pad thai was by far the better of the two dishes. The dried shrimps gave the dish a wonderful depth and interest that was lacking in the other one. 

#4: Mango and Sticky Rice

We ended up having this dish on many occasions during our trip, but this one was by far the best. It was served to us at the same place where we had the Khao Man Gai. The mango was perfectly ripe and the rice was soaked in salt water overnight, then cooked in coconut milk for a delectable salty-sweet combination. The mango melted in our mouths and coated the sticky rice in what might be one of the best desserts I’ve ever had. 

It did not matter in the least that it was served on plastic plates and with plastic spoons.

If you are ever in Bangkok, I highly recommend a food tour as a unique way to experience the city. Bangkok Food Tours company incorporates sights and attractions into these tours, so you are sure to cover a lot of ground. Check out more photos from our tour in the gallery below.

I have more about the amazing food we had on our honeymoon. Check out the best foods I ate in Cambodia.