Street Food (Patongkoh & fresh soy milk)

Early in the morning in front of my office, there are many street vendors selling different breakfast for all the office workers to take back to their office. One particular favourite of mine is the Patongkoh (Chinese doughnut) vendor and the fresh soy milk vendor. I like eating both together.


Now, I know it is a bit contradictory that I eat something so unhealthy for me like patongkoh and at the same time something so healthy for me like fresh soy milk. But, I believe in balancing out things in life. The patongkoh has its origins from China and from the Cantonese name 'yauhjagwai' which literally means "oil-fried ghost".















They are little bite size dough which are attached in the middle and then deep fried. What's so amazing is that they make the patongkoh right on the sidewalk. Rolling the dough and deep frying them. You order by the amount of money, for example, 10 baht, or 20 baht, etc.















To accompany the patongkoh, right opposite the the vendor with fresh & hot soy milk. There is something very soothing, satisfying and tasteful about hot fresh soy milk early in the morning.


You have a choice to add extra condiments into the soy milk, like red beans, jelly (in different shapes), mung bean, tapioca, etc. As well as liquid sugar. I normally do not take anything with my soy milk, not even sugar.



This is how my mini-breakfast looks like when I get to the office and put the soy milk from the plastic bag into a cup and the patongkoh from the plastic onto a plate. You always dip the patongkoh into condensed milk to give it that extra sweetness. A really nice breakfast.

Tum Tum

A great little place opened up recently near my office. It is serving northern style or Isaan food. As I love Isaan food, it was on my agenda right away to try the restaurant. I forced my department to have lunch together. The restaurant is on the second floor of a newly built building. The decor is a bit funky due to that they have live bands playing on weekends. The tables and stools are typical of Isaan restaurants. They want to be very easy going and relaxed.


The first dish was moo yang (marinated grilled pork). An easy but very tasty dish.


The second dish was seafood tom yum soup. It was a lovely and well balanced tom yum; spicy & sour.


The third dish was som tum Thai (green papaya salad). This is the one without the fementing crab. I always stay away from that one. But this som tum was fresh and refreshing. Spicy, sour, sweet, salty & tangy. Full of textures and flavours.


The fourth dish was grilled pork neck. This is a much more tender and juicer part of the pig. I am sure this is deadly for my cholesterol, my arteries and my heart. But it is so yummy.


The fifth dish was som tum sapparot (som tum with fruit). One of my collegues is a vegetarian so we ordered a som tum with fruit instead of the usual, dried shrimp and fish sauce. Very interesting dish since I am used to som tum Thai. Of course, this som tum is much sweeter do to the fruits. It is refreshing and tasty but I still prefer the original.


The sixth dish was another vegetarian dish, mushroom salad. A good dish, though boring compared to the other salads.


The seventh dish was deep fried chicken wings. Yes, I have a weakness for fried foods. The Thais really know how to deep fry things. The chicken wings were so crispy but not oily. How do they do that? So good.


The eighth dish was bamboo shoot salad. A very nice dish. I do not find this dish often. For people who love the flavour of bamboo, this is the dish for you. The bamboo was so fresh.


The ninth dish was Ma-Ma noodle salad. A popular dish because of the Ma-Ma noodles. The Ma-Ma adds an extra texture to the salad. A typical salad with the usual flavours of spicy, sour, sweet and tangy. The salad also had minced pork, mushrooms and onions.


With Isaan food, you can never eat the main courses without the famous sticky rice. The rice always comes in a dried banana basket/ box to keep the rice moist. I love taking some rice, forming it into a ball and dip it into many of the sauces from the main courses. Oh, so good!


I know, we do eat a lot. But the food is good and incredibly cheap. I am really happy that this place is next to my office. I just have to worry about my waist line.

Nuam Complex, 2nd floor, 8/1 Sukhumvit soi 33, 02-261-7848

Six Senses Hideaway Breakfast & Lunch

A beautiful day at the Six Senses. It was time for breakfast, so we went the Six Senses breakfast area. It was an open air space with stunning views.


The breakfast area is part of that 'Organic' concept of Six Senses, made from local materials again like bamboo. It is very comfortable with huge cushions and the detailing of the colours and materials they use were amazing.

















The breakfast idea is that you choose one hot main dishes consisting of either western food like pancakes or eastern food like congee. But everything else is buffet, such as pastries, bread, fruit, etc. Since I spoiled myself too much at the wine tasting dinner the night before, I decided to go easy on my waist line and have a light breakfast. So I decided on the conjee (Chinese rice porridge). The conjee was paired with side dishes, such as chili, fried minced garlic, thousand year old egg and salted egg, ginger and fish sauce. A hearty breakfast and tasty as well.

















The other choices for breakfast. If you wanted to have cereal, fresh juices, cheese, hams, etc. You had to go to an air-conditioned area where the food was being prepared for the guest.

















If you wanted breads, pastries and home made jams, that was another room. The jam selection alone was a sight to behold. They had wonderful flavours to choose from like ginger & strawberry or lemon grass & pineapple, etc.


A great breakfast. A great atmosphere. A great place.

I will also be talking about my lunch because it was such a rush. We had to catch the Six Senses boat to get us back to the mainland, where a van was waiting to take us to the airport for our flight back to Bangkok. There was a huge storm approaching and the staff wanted us to get on the boat soon so that we would not be riding the boat in the middle of the storm. I ordered and shoved the lunch down my throat and then we were off.


I ordered something very strange being on an island from in the south of Thailand. I ordered Khao Soi or Soy. It is a dish made famous from the northern part of Thailand with Burmese influence. But, this is one of my favourite dishes to eat. It was a yellow curry soup like dish with egg noodles. Normally, it comes with chicken and boiled egg, then topped with deep fried egg noodle to add extra texture & crunch. The side dishes that you need to add into the khao soy was lime, pickled cabbage, shallots and nam-prik. I was not disappointed. It was so tasty. But I could not linger and enjoy it very much. We rushed down to the pier to catch the boat.

Six Senses Hideaway Wine Tasting Dinner

The wine tasting dinner was help at the Six Senses incredible jungle like dinning area. The restaurant was like a giant upscale tree house. There is a water fall behind the restaurant that runs under the restaurant. The floor of the restaurant is made of glass so that you can see the water rushing by. Quite spectacular.





The wine tasting dinner stared with aperitif and canapes on second floor of the restaurant's mezzanine. When the guest arrived, Alain started opening the 2006, Rose Tremier, Mourvedere-Grenach. A well structured rose, not heavily sweet and with hints of red berries.



















The canapes were very tasty and went very well with the rose.

















The sun disappeared and the it was getting dark. It was the sign for the guest to go downstairs and find their tables.

































The first dish was Cauliflower soup with sauteed scallop, micro cress and golden trout caviar. The wine that was paired with the soup was 2004, Trelans, Vermentino-Chenin Blanc. The soup was a creamy and delicious. The scallops added a nice taste and texture to the soup. The Trelans was amazing this evening. A very complex & unusual white wine with hints of honey and citrus fruits that has an incredibly long finish.


The second dish was Risotto with shredded duck confit, wilted rocket & grano padano cheese. The wine that was paired with the risotto was 2003, Le Petit Merle aux Alouettes, Merlot blend. I swear, the dish was better than the photo. The risotto was cooked perfectly and had a nice creamy texture from the tasty cheese. The duck confit paired very well with the risotto. The Le Petit has been a favourite of mine and it did not disappoint this evening. Smooth tannins, easy to drink and well balanced.


The third dish was Roasted beef tenderloin with truffled mashed potato, manchego butter and beef jus. The wine that paired with the beef was 2003, L'Esprit de Font Caude, Syrah-Mourvedre. The beef was a perfect medium-rare, when you stuck the knife into the beef, it cut like butter. It was of very good quality beef so it was very tender and tasty. The L'Esprit was spectacular. A deep red colour, cassis & plum nose, dense and drinking well.


The fourth dish was 3 cheese selection with walnut bread, apple, grapes and quince paste. The wine that paired with the cheese was Le Merle aux Alouettes, Merlot-Mourvedre. I am very often disappointed with the cheese selection from restaurants in Thailand. But, I was pleasantly surprised that the cheese selection for the dinner was runny, gooey and yummy. I also liked that they gave a small tasting portion; knowing that we were getting very stuffed from the dinner. The Le Merle was rich, white pepper notes, dark fruit, chocolate palate & good concentration. Brilliant.


For dessert, it was warm sticky plum pudding with butterscotch sauce and vanilla ice cream. The wine that paired with the dessert was Le Villar MLL, Chenin Blanc. The pudding was amazing. Sticky and gooey. Very sinful. The butterscotch sauce was not too sweet which was very good. A nice idea for a dessert because it was not too heavy. The Le Villar was a dinner favourite. Dark apricot colour, not heavy and not too sweet, subtle and well balanced. Very nice with the dessert.


The dinner was a huge success. Alain and the chef walked to each table after the dinner and the guest were pleasantly stuffed with delicious food and beautiful wines. We decided that we need to do more of these wine tasting dinners in Phuket. Who would not enjoy eating and drinking wonderful wines in a tropical paradise?

Six Senses Hideaway (Koh Yao Noi)

We arrived at the eastern seaboard pier to catch the Six Senses Hideaway boat that would take us to the new resort. When our van arrived at the pier, there were boat staff waiting for us to take our bags, lead us onto the boat, offer us water and explain how long the trip would take.


The ride took about 40 minutes and the views of Phang Nga Bay were absolutely stunning. It was a beautiful day to take a boat ride.


Six Senses Hideaway is an unbelievable resort. Words cannot describe the beauty of the resort. All the rooms are villas and the best ones are facing the ocean.


When the boat arrived the staff were ready to greet us and show us to our villas.


The concept of the Six Senses Hideaway is 'Organic'. Meaning from the materials they use to build the villas, from the cotton they use for the linens or uniforms, from the foods they serve, or even from the mosquito repellent they use, the Hideaway believes all thing used should be from natural and found locally. That is why Alain Chabanaon's wine were selected to be available on the resort. The reception and bar has a beautiful design. All local bamboo.



The villas are all pool villas. Each villa has an open air lounge and the bedroom. The bathrooms are amazing, sucken tubs and outdoor showers. Stunning views of the ocean from the villa.





















The stunning view from the room.


We needed to prepare for the for the wine tasting dinner. The next post will be the dinner.