Isan – Northeastern Thai Cuisine at Asiatique, Bangkok

After shopping for 2 hours in Asiatique The Riverfront Night Market, my parents and I called it a wrap. We were tired, and we were hungry, so we decided to eat dinner in Asiatique and then go back to the hotel after for an early night’s rest.

Because we were in Thailand, we ruled out eating other types of cuisines and stuck to spoiling ourselves with only authentic Thai food. However at Asiatique we had a little bit of a dilemma. There were so many of food stalls offering Thai cuisine. Which should we choose?

If I remember it correctly, we just singled out the stall with a free table, and with a good seating view of the human traffic passing by. So this is how we landed at this food stall offering northeastern Thai food. Isan or Isaan Thai cuisine as it is called. I can’t figure out the name of the food stall in English because it is written in Thai.

Isan or Isaan food may not be popular internationally, but it is very famous locally in Thailand.

My dad and I settled for the menu set whilst my mom had a special order. I must say that the food here was good, although, I personally thought it could have been better. I don’t know why but I wasn’t really very much impressed with Thai cuisine in this holiday. I understand that people rave about how delicious Thai food is, but for some reason, the whole fare is not resonating with my tastebuds and expectations. I don’t have any explanations really but it’s just not getting through to me?

The best Thai food I have ever eaten so far in Thailand was 15 years ago. It was a coconut chili crab I ordered in a streetside restaurant in Bangkok. The funny thing is, the waitress forgot about my order that I have to remind her about it. So the Dutchman had to go ahead and eat his chicken with cashew nuts since my coconut chili crab is still being cooked. As you might have known already, I forgave the waitress because this was one of my unforgettable Thai dishes.

I wish I can find a similar enjoyable meal when I go back to Thailand.

You can see the senior citizen parents on the right side corner. That is our table, quite strategic for people watching.

The foodstall we ate at in Asiatique.

So here’s what we had for dinner at Asiatique: Isaan food. And of course, in typical Asian fashion, we as a family share all the food with each other.

Grilled Chicken (Gai Yang).

Green Papaya Salad with Pickled Crab (Som Tam).

Spicy Fruit Salad (Som Tam Ponlamai).

Marinated Pork Jerky (Moo Dad Deaw) and Coconut Juice.

Pad Pak Ruam Mit (Stir Fried Vegetables).

The eating area of Asiatique.

Travel Period: November 2015
Destination: Chao Phraya (Bangkok), Thailand

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