Post by BlueDragon on Aug 19, 2006 14:38:32 GMT 7
Must try when making a trip to Chinatown for dinner.
Reviewed by VANNIYA SRIANGURA of Bangkpost.
Do you want fish or fish?
At this humble little eatery, deciding on dinner is as easy as flipping a coin. The "khao tom pla kaphong" has sweet, odourless white meat with delightfully chewy skin. Crispy pork is also offered as the dish's garnish. The pomfret meat is firm but has fine bones intact.
Sieng Kee, 54 Charoen Krung 12 (Soi Bamrungrat), Off Yaowarat Road, Open daily 5-11pm : A ramshackle, non-air-conditioned shophouse in a small soi behind the Grand China Princess hotel in Chinatown is a place where you may find yourself enjoying a deliciously soothing khao tom pla this weekend. But let me warn you, the sweat you'll have might not come from the piping hot soup nor the warm weather that night. If you are at the right place, a meal for two should cost no less than 500 baht and credit cards aren't welcomed.
The 70-year-old Sieng Kee restaurant has been well cherished by local foodies for decades. Yet, amazingly, this hole-in-the-wall has received very little attention from the media.
We checked out Sieng Kee over a long weekend when most people seemed to be out of town. The streets were quieter than usual and luckily there was a parking space right in front of the eatery. Seeing a Chinese grandma and pair of grandpas busy over a boiling pot, we were sure we were at the correct spot.
Seven tables along the pathway in the front were all occupied so we took the seats inside. The tiny shop was clean but undecorated. On the wall were framed photographs of Bangkok's mayors during their visits. The meagre furniture - tattered wooden cooking stations and round marble tables - evoked the spirit of Yaowarat in the old days.
Don't bother asking for a menu. It's not that the shopkeepers are inhospitable - even though the grandma and two grandpas might look mean and continuously bicker among themselves, they are the most genial people in Chinatown.
If you can't see the menu which is posted - or should I say "hidden" - on the wall, remember this: The only thing they serve is khao tom pla or boiled rice with fish, and your choices of fish are only snapper (kaphong) and pomfret (jaramed). There are also two prices: 250 baht for a small order and 300 baht for a large portion. Actually you can also have the dish without rice which is called kao lao for the same price but I'll tell you later why there's almost no difference.
Despite their rather grim expressions, the shopkeepers are cordial and sociable. — Photos by ANUSORN SAKSEREE
I was told by a friend that the pomfret was not to be missed. The shop uses only deep-water pomfret which is usually big and meaty. While for snapper also comes from the deep-sea and weighs over 20 kilogrammes.
We ordered both. My khao tom pla jaramed (250 baht) arrived with a generous portion of fish. The meaty pomfret offered a firm - never mushy - texture and naturally sweet taste. The soup was clear, aromatic and delicious. And the rice... hey, where's the rice?
We took it as real generosity on the part of the restaurant to give its customers very little rice but lots of expensive fish. But shouldn't something called khao tom pla come with lots of khao tom and less pla? Anyway, the same with our khao tom pla kaphong (250 baht) which presented abundant slices of snapper.
The fish came with awesomely thick, smooth and crunchy skin as well as sweet, odourless white meat. Personally I think that night the snapper beat the pomfret in terms of the taste and the quality - not just because the boneless snapper was easier to eat.
It was a contented and impressive dinner, I must admit. And with some 50 baht notes left in our pocket, we decided to head toward Wat Mangkon Kamalawat and explore the Yaowarat area for some desserts.
To access, use Yaowarat road and go straight at Ratchawong intersection. Sieng Kee is right behind Grand China Princess hotel in a small soi (Charoen Krung 12). Parking is available along the street but it's better to check the traffic sign for parking hours and regulatio
Reviewed by VANNIYA SRIANGURA of Bangkpost.
Do you want fish or fish?
At this humble little eatery, deciding on dinner is as easy as flipping a coin. The "khao tom pla kaphong" has sweet, odourless white meat with delightfully chewy skin. Crispy pork is also offered as the dish's garnish. The pomfret meat is firm but has fine bones intact.
Sieng Kee, 54 Charoen Krung 12 (Soi Bamrungrat), Off Yaowarat Road, Open daily 5-11pm : A ramshackle, non-air-conditioned shophouse in a small soi behind the Grand China Princess hotel in Chinatown is a place where you may find yourself enjoying a deliciously soothing khao tom pla this weekend. But let me warn you, the sweat you'll have might not come from the piping hot soup nor the warm weather that night. If you are at the right place, a meal for two should cost no less than 500 baht and credit cards aren't welcomed.
The 70-year-old Sieng Kee restaurant has been well cherished by local foodies for decades. Yet, amazingly, this hole-in-the-wall has received very little attention from the media.
We checked out Sieng Kee over a long weekend when most people seemed to be out of town. The streets were quieter than usual and luckily there was a parking space right in front of the eatery. Seeing a Chinese grandma and pair of grandpas busy over a boiling pot, we were sure we were at the correct spot.
Seven tables along the pathway in the front were all occupied so we took the seats inside. The tiny shop was clean but undecorated. On the wall were framed photographs of Bangkok's mayors during their visits. The meagre furniture - tattered wooden cooking stations and round marble tables - evoked the spirit of Yaowarat in the old days.
Don't bother asking for a menu. It's not that the shopkeepers are inhospitable - even though the grandma and two grandpas might look mean and continuously bicker among themselves, they are the most genial people in Chinatown.
If you can't see the menu which is posted - or should I say "hidden" - on the wall, remember this: The only thing they serve is khao tom pla or boiled rice with fish, and your choices of fish are only snapper (kaphong) and pomfret (jaramed). There are also two prices: 250 baht for a small order and 300 baht for a large portion. Actually you can also have the dish without rice which is called kao lao for the same price but I'll tell you later why there's almost no difference.
Despite their rather grim expressions, the shopkeepers are cordial and sociable. — Photos by ANUSORN SAKSEREE
I was told by a friend that the pomfret was not to be missed. The shop uses only deep-water pomfret which is usually big and meaty. While for snapper also comes from the deep-sea and weighs over 20 kilogrammes.
We ordered both. My khao tom pla jaramed (250 baht) arrived with a generous portion of fish. The meaty pomfret offered a firm - never mushy - texture and naturally sweet taste. The soup was clear, aromatic and delicious. And the rice... hey, where's the rice?
We took it as real generosity on the part of the restaurant to give its customers very little rice but lots of expensive fish. But shouldn't something called khao tom pla come with lots of khao tom and less pla? Anyway, the same with our khao tom pla kaphong (250 baht) which presented abundant slices of snapper.
The fish came with awesomely thick, smooth and crunchy skin as well as sweet, odourless white meat. Personally I think that night the snapper beat the pomfret in terms of the taste and the quality - not just because the boneless snapper was easier to eat.
It was a contented and impressive dinner, I must admit. And with some 50 baht notes left in our pocket, we decided to head toward Wat Mangkon Kamalawat and explore the Yaowarat area for some desserts.
To access, use Yaowarat road and go straight at Ratchawong intersection. Sieng Kee is right behind Grand China Princess hotel in a small soi (Charoen Krung 12). Parking is available along the street but it's better to check the traffic sign for parking hours and regulatio