CHUENG UNG LAK : Local Chinese-based Thai food worth trying on Rama IV Street.

CHUENG UNG LAK is another local Thai-Chinese restaurant worth trying which is located in the heart of Bangkok.  It is a small restaurant in one block of a town home on the busy Rama IV Street, not so far from Lumpini Park and MRT Lumpini Station. 

Once you reach the front of the place, a delicious scent of grilled pork and soup invitingly touches your sense until you cannot resist to walk in. 

CHUENG UNG LAK has 6 menus available, and all of them offer delicious, local, and unique taste, especially Moo Satay or Pork Satay with Peanut Sauce. It is made of pork marinated in Thai herb, curry powder, coconut milk, and other ingredients, then grilled until cooked looking yellow and smelling so mellow. When eating, people usually dip it in the peanut sauce and eat with toasted bread & sour salad (mainly cucumber.)

Well, you may see Pork Satay a lot in Bangkok, but I would say this one is distinctively one of the best I can find.

The second menu is Praram Long Song or Pork cooked with vegetables with special Gravy on rice. This is the old kind of food that is super difficult to find these days in Thailand. Actually, I have not seen anywhere selling it but here, so if you visit Chueng Ung Lak, you may wanna try once.

Another menu to try is Chinese-based Thai food called Krapoh Pla or Fish maw in Red Soup. This restaurant uses real fish maw serving it in a big pot which could have filled my stomach for 2 meals. It costs 80 baht. I said it's real because some sellers use pork skin instead of fish maw and sell it in a cheap price, so be careful!

The soup is sticky and a little dense with salty & sour tastes that go along so well together. I really recommend it.

If you travel by MRT, get off at the Lumpini station and walk straight toward the Rama IV high way. The restaurant is almost at the end of the road connecting to the high way.
 I put a location here. >> CLICK

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Restaurant review:"Juni Sushio" Affordable sushi restaurant in Nonthaburi, Thailand

In Thailand, eating out in a nice Japanese sushi restaurant can be money-consuming, yet it does not always have to be so.

If you are a fan of salmon sashimi and sushi, Juni Sushio, is a place worth trying. It is a small but busy restaurant located near Central Plaza Chaengwattana, Nonthaburi province. The owners, at first, started the business in a tiny townhouse block without an air-conditioned. After a short period of raving reviews, they grew and opened another branch which is where I am writing about. Overall, to give a clear picture, it is not a fancy Japanese restaurant that offers the best premium quality of salmon, but, as a customer, I feel they are very delicate about their service and food, and the food quality you get is really worth the money you pay. I guess this is why they always have a lot of regular customers coming again.

The food

Their main dishes are salmon sushis, both raw and slightly grilled. A variety of menus are available in single dish and sets. The fish is fresh and tasty. I have nothing to complain much. They have created their signature menu, like Juni Sushio grilled salmon sushi, which is slightly grilled salmon topped with mayonnaise and sweet & sour sauce. If you are not a fan of sushi, you can opt to try bento set menus, those that come with meat, rice, Miso soup, and salad.

Price

Reasonable. One person can be full with affordable price of 6-8 $. 4 bites of sushis can cost only around $6 (may be higher or lower depending on what you order and of course, how much you eat.) No service charge. They have a member card which collects points every time you pay and you can use it to get discount or exchange for another dish.

Atmosphere & service

The restaurant is a room on the first floor of the building which looks ordinary from the outside. Inside the place is very clean and organised. They have around 10 tables, and a sushi bar for customers to see. Decorated in simple style with some Japanese decorations.

Location

Located in a small street right next to Central Plaza Chaengwattana.

Soi 24, Khao Mu Ban Si Chai Thong 3/2, Pak kret, Pak kret District, Nonthaburi 11120

Click here for the location

I get no sponsorship for writing this. I just love the restaurant and gotta share :)

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Kaotommad is the underrated Thai dessert.

Kaotommad is the underrated Thai dessert.

Thailand is said to be a heaven of food for its various reasons. Be the street food you can find anywhere just within your sight, plenty of choices to choose, or the unique taste you cannot find anywhere else.

if you happen to visit Thailand, don't miss Thai desserts I would introduce here.
Countless Thai desserts use coconut milk as a main ingredient which gives them such a mellow taste. One of these is Kao-tom-mad.  It is made of sticky rice fried with fresh coconut milk, added with banana and black beans inside. Wrapped in young banana leaf, it will be steamed until cooked, coming out with a fresh, rich coconut scent.
Similar food like Kaotommad can also be found in the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries, since we share a lot of mutual food cultures.

It is easy to find in street markets. However, my tip is look for old lady peddlers with stuff carrying on their shoulders. They tend to be very well at cooking traditional Thai desserts.