I arrived in Bangkok excited to try some authentic, delicious Thai dishes. But in a city with a dizzying array of eating opportunities, it was hard to know where to begin. When a quick online search revealed that Bangkok Food Tours offered small, tailored tours of Bangkok’s famous food scene and received consistently good reviews, I was sold. The hardest part was deciding between a day walking food tour, or a nighttime tuk tuk food tour. I opted for the night tour to avoid Bangkok’s oppressive heat and truthfully I fancied zooming around the city after dark!
Best Eats Midnight Tuk Tuk Food Tour
At 8pm, I found our meeting place outside at an easily accessible BTS (Bangkok Transit) Station. Our intimate and friendly group consisted of a couple from Scotland, a couple from Colombia, two friends from the States and a solo Thai woman as well as our lovely local guide. Since I was also travelling alone, I was paired in a tuk tuk with the Thai lady who turned out to be a guide from a food tour company in Chiang Mai! It was lovely having the opportunity to learn a bit more about Thailand from a local.
Before I delve too deeply into the details of the belly bursting array of delicious food we sampled that night, I have to admit that I wasn’t the best budding blogger on this particular tour. While I furiously scribbled notes as we whizzed around the city, I failed to capture many key details like the names and locations of the restaurants (oops!). While I tried to artistically capture alluring photos of the food, the combination of a low light and rush to keep up with the group left me with blurry, unflattering photos. Alas, I will strive to improve and for now the restaurants featured on this tuktuk food tour will remain a secret!
Khao Mun Gai: Hainanese Chicken
Our first stop was at a restaurant known for it’s Khao Mun Gai, which translates literally to “chicken oily rice”. Khao Mun Gai is an example of Thai Chinese fusion that is very popular in Bangkok. Our guide tells us that upwards of a third of Thais have Chinese ancestry and that Chinese customs are deeply integrated into Thai culture including food. Interestingly, this is also a common dish in Singapore and Malaysia under the name Hainanese Chicken (named for the Hainan province in China).
When the dish was served it seemed somewhat plain at first glance, but our guide explained that its beauty lies in its simplicity. The dish consists simply of boiled, salted chicken and jasmine rice cooked in chicken stock. Accompanying the dish is a spicy dipping sauce composed of ginger, thick soya sauce, garlic and chillies. Additionally, it is served with hot, rich chicken stock apparently to refresh the palate. To start, I try the chicken and rice without the sauce and find that while the flavours are subtle, they are absolutely delicious. Our guide notes that the best versions are made with the highest quality chicken, a fact that is true for most food but is magnified here as the flavours of the chicken are not masked. I can see why many Thai consider this dish comfort food.
Khoa Mun Gai can be found all over Bangkok from street vendors and restaurants at pretty much any time of day or night. While the exact recipes can vary slightly, the overall meal is consistently the same – chicken, rice, sauce, soup. A plate of Khao Mun Gai will run you about 40B ($1.10 US).
We also got to sample Som Tam a delicious, spicy, raw papaya salad. As I would learn during my cooking class in Chiang Mai, it is made with green papayas, tomatoes, green beans, roasted peanuts and chills. Somewhat strangely and without explanation we also got to share a whole, baked Tilapia. It was stuffed with leaves, baked in a salt crust and tasted lovely but I was never clear on the connection to Bangkok’s food culture. Unfortunately, in this instance, our guide was busy ensuring everyone was served simultaneously and was not available to provide an answer.
Guay Tiew Kua Gai: Thick Fried Noodles
After all that eating, you wouldn’t be amiss in thinking that the tour had concluded, but this was only our first stop! We piled into our tuk tuks and rushed off to Yaowarat, also called Chinatown. The next restaurant was by far my favourite as it combined an exceptionally delicious dish and a behind the scenes look at how the meal was made. As soon as we arrived we were lead through the restaurant and right out the back door! We found ourselves in an alleyway where three large, open charcoal fires were blazing. It soon dawned on me that we were in the kitchen and we were about to watch the creation of Guay Tiew Kua Gai, a fried noodle dish. We cozied up as close as we could to the huge, fiery braziers and watched with rapt attention as a chef prepared our dishes to order.
He started by ladling a dollop of pork belly fat into the steaming wok. To this he added chopped chicken coated in a secret spice, closely followed by a large helping of fresh, wide rice noodles. This was left to sizzle until it began to smoke, at which point a cracked egg, a dash of soya sauce, a handful of chopped green onions and cilantro were added in quick succession. It was served to us steaming hot and with the usual Thai condiments of soy, sugar, chilli & vinegar so we could customize the level of salty, sweet, spicy & sour in our individual dishes. Yum!! A bowl of Guay Tiew Kua Gai is available on the street for about 40B ($1.10 US) and I highly recommend you try it!
[bctt tweet=”The best meal of my life cost $1.10 in an alley in #Bangkok. Find out what it was!” username=”globallocavore”]
At this point, we’d eaten two full dinners and I wondered how we’d be able to continue. Luckily, we were in for a break and some time to digest. What came next on our tuktuk food tour will have to wait for another post…
Have you ever taken a food tour and what delightful dishes did you get to try? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!
Now It’s Your Turn! To find out more about Bangkok Food Tour‘s offerings, visit their website. I paid 1700B ($45US) plus tips to both guide and drive for my four hour tour. Considering the wealth of knowledge and huge quantity of food provided, I’d say it was money well spent. This includes transportation for the evening, more than seven foods to try and one alcoholic drink. After that one tour I had a better understanding of Thai street food and how to order so I was able to get most of my meals for less than $2 which led to big savings overall.
Not in Bangkok any time soon, why not sign up for a local food tour in the city where you find yourself. Food is a great way to discover new areas even if you call that area home!
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Lolo says
The food certainly looks interesting but yummy! I hated trying new foods for such a long time until I met my fiance, now I love all kinds of cultural foods! #MondayEscapes
Lolo recently posted…The Blissful Belgian Coast: Blankenberge Beach
Noemi of Pinay Flying High says
I have tried the Hainanese chicken in Singapore before but my tongue didn’t approve of it. Lol. It was too bland for my soy-loving Filipino taste but thick fried noodles looks absolutely delicious! :p
globallocavore says
Yes Hainanese chicken definitely has a subtle flavour. I think the better quality the chicken, the more delicious it is – but overall it wasn’t my favourite. But speaking of Filipino food I did like Ube desserts!
May {A Million Little Echoes} says
Aren’t you adventurous to go on a food tour in Bangkok! We travel to Bangkok often because it is near to home but had never been to these places you went. But hey! Hainanese Chicken Rice? You’ve gotta come to Singapore for a try! #citytripping
globallocavore says
Isn’t it so random that a Bangkok food tour had Hainanese Chicken, I’d always associated it with Singapore too! I actually was lucky enough to try it while in Singapore as well. Still not my favourite dish, but it is a tough comparison against all the amazing hawker food in Singapore. Thanks for commenting May!
Isabel says
Right the kind of tour I would to take!! Thanks for linking up! #WanderfulWednesday
Isabel recently posted…Visit Lipica, Slovenia – The Birthplace of the Lipizzaner
globallocavore says
Definitely! So yummy! #noodles
Rebecca says
I have one foot out the door to go to the supermarket so I can recreate these dishes! Great experience watching the food being cooked for you too. #wanderfulwednesday
Rebecca recently posted…The 200 year-old Hospital for Dolls in Naples
globallocavore says
It was SO fun watching them whip up the dishes in a back alley! I never would have imagined that I’d get to see that. Actually, I took a Thai cooking class and included some very simple recipes. If you want to check it out, it’s here: http://globallocavore.com/midnight-food-tour-bangkok-thailand
Marcella ~ WhatAWonderfulWorld says
This looks like such a fun food tour, especially at night as I think that’s always when you get the best atmosphere! I have still never been on a food tour, but it is definitely something I am really keen to try out! 🙂
Marcella ~ WhatAWonderfulWorld recently posted…The Most Local Adventure
Bethan says
Love this post!! My favourite dish was at a random food cart of a traditional pad Thai and it was soooo delicious!!
Cathy (MummyTravels) says
Oh I love taking food tours – such a fun way to try lots of different dishes, get the best tips from locals and you always find out so much about the culture and history along the way, it seems. And you have so much to eat, you struggle to finish in my experience! Sounds absolutely delicious and something I’d love to try in Bangkok. Thanks for linking up with #citytripping
Cathy (MummyTravels) recently posted…A love letter to the Great British seaside
Leah says
This sounds absolutely amazing! I would love to go to Bangkok one day.
Nina says
I got hungry by reading this post! I cant believe one can still find meals for one dollar!
Nina recently posted…Ultimate Guide to Zanzibar Beaches
Bumble Bee Mum says
Umm.. Okay… I think the chicken rice that’s 2 min walk my home here in Singapore looks nicer. Hahaha… I wasn’t expecting to see Hainanese chicken rice on a post on Bangkok food! Maybe coz none of my friends from Singapore would waste their stomach space on chicken rice when they go to Bangkok… I would go for the guay tiew. I love guay tiew! #CityTripping
Bumble Bee Mum recently posted…Froth – Artistic Fusion Dining @ Ascott Raffles Place (Singapore)
Kerri says
I did a 4 day food tour through Bangkok and Ayuttaya and absolutely loved it. I wish I had known about the tuk tuk tour at the time. Love the Hainanese chicken too.
Toni says
What a great piece! I haven’t made it here yet, but this kind of tour is right up my alley. The food looked amazing, even the basic ones like you said. Really enjoyable read!
Arzo Travels says
I love Thai food and was so happy when I visited. Now, as I have become a veggie it might be a bit trickier but I am sure it would still be a food heaven for me.
Different Shores says
That Khao Mun Gai looks like the world’s most tender chicken chunks – gorgeous! This tour sounds amazing; as long as I could get the food without too much heat (chili!) I’d be fine – I’m a wuss with spicy stuff. Good to hear that you could customise the levels of salty, sweet & spicy, that always helps. I’m terrified of those mad fiery dishes where you can’t even taste what it is. That price does sound like a good deal, for what you learn on the tour.
#WanderfulWednesday!
Melissa Douglas says
A great post! The food was one of my biggest highlights of my trip in Thailand and this sounds like an amazing experience. Yum!
Johna says
Never been to Bangkok before but its on my list! Would love to go on a food tour, I’m a big foodie ???
Van @ Snow in Tromso says
Both of these dishes look delicious! I’ve never gone on a food tour before but it seems like a lot of fun!
Van @ Snow in Tromso recently posted…Life in the Arctic – Expectations vs. Reality
Cass says
Holy cow this looks like a dream! Food tours and Thailand and Tuk Tuks all wrapped into one. Count me jealous!
Naomi says
I think that is the beauty of these tours, you don’t have to worry about where to go or what to order, you just show up and they give you the best what the foodscene has to offer at that particular moment. Great tour!
Elizabeth (Wander Mum) says
I adore Thai food, my mouth is salivating! Great idea to do a food tour sounds really helpful. I’ve had Hainanese chicken rice in Singspore. YUM! #citytripping
Elizabeth (Wander Mum) recently posted…City Tripping #38
Laura Nalin says
Awesome! I really wish I’d tried scorpion or any bugs while I was in Bangkok.
carrie says
Thailand is one of countries i’ve spent the most time traveling in, and I have to agree that my favorite and most amazing meals were usually purchased on the street or from a local street market and were less than $2 american. I still crave mango sticky rice soooooo terribly. and I miss all the amazing fruits available there, especially mangosteens!
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Lauren says
Food Tours are my absolute favorite!!!! I love Asian food, so this would be right up my alley. (Actually I love all kinds of food .. ) The Khao Mun Gai looks so good!! I had a “really authentic” one in Portland, Oregon last fall at a food truck that is super famous only for this dish. They literally don’t sell anything else. You can buy a bottle of the sauce (which I obviously did) but I could never recreate it just right. Can’t wait to read about what came next on the tour! 😀
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Cynthia says
Ooh all the food sounds amazing! I’ve only had Hainanese chicken in Toronto so I’d love to see how the flavours compare in Thailand. I’m actually on a Japanese Airline plane right now and tried miso soup from Japan for the first time!
Cynthia recently posted…I’m Going to Indonesia!!
Packing my Suitcase says
I think I would looove do take this tour too. I love Thai food and I’m always excited about a food tour 😀 Can’t wait to visit Bangkok someday!!
Thank you for joining #MondayEscapes 😉
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Tamara Warner Minton says
Fantastic! I loved Bangkok and its food!