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STREET RESTAURANTS
Anywhere, anytime in Thailand,
street restaurants are opened. Many street restaurants can be found in markets.
Street restaurant
Many foreigners don't dare to try street restaurants
because they are afraid of being ill. Anyway it is cheap and good.
For example the price for noodles soup is around 20-25 Baht.
When eating in a street restaurant, it is possible to see the cooker
choosing the ingredients and making the food.
In Thai restaurants, people use a
fork and a spoon. Thai people don't use knife because
ingredients are already cut when preparing the food. The fork is used to push
the food into the spoon. Chopsticks are used to eat the soup because
Thai soups contain noodles, fish balls, seafood and so on...
The custom to eat with spoon and fork was brought by
King Rama V from a trip of Europe
in the 19th century. In
Thai street restaurants, toilet paper is used as paper
napkin.
Street restaurant
Small street restaurants offer delicious food ready in a few minutes.
Some specialize in a few dishes such as as rice chicken
("KHAO MAN KAI" - ข้าวมันไก่) or offer
a small menu card to order dishes.
Before Thai people used to eat sitting on the
floor. Up-country this friendly custom is still remaining, especially for
family gatherings. Once again the custom to eat while sitting on a chair
was brought from Europe by King Rama V.
Baan Khun Mae
Many restaurants feature so called family home made food and stress to
offer delicious food same as home.
Beer and whisky are the Thai favourite
alcohols. In Thai restaurants as soon as the glass is hardly
half empty, then the waiter fills it again and adds ice. Without saying
a single word, bottles are opened again and again. At the
end of the meal, it happens frequently to have a bottle hardly started. A
tip at the end of the meal is of course welcomed by waiters.
Street restaurant
Many street restaurants offer grilled food such as
"MOO SATAY" (หมูสะเต็ะ), i.e. grilled pork
to be eaten with a peanut sauce and cucumbers.
In Thailand there is a fantastic variety
of restaurants : floating, on beaches, in market and so on... There are
American restaurant chains such as hamburgers chains, donuts
chains, pizza chains and ice-cream chains.
There are also Thai restaurant chains
like "SUKI YUKI" chains, "banana leaf" chains. Bangkok
has got the biggest restaurant in the world so that waiters and waitresses
must wear roller skates to get from one spot to another to serve
customers. This restaurant is called Tam-Nak-Tai (Ratchadaphisek Road).
Kiaw Tiaw reua restaurant"KIAW TIAW" (ก๋วยเตี๋ยว) is a Thai soup
with noodle, meat or fish balls, vegetables. "KIAW TIAW REUA" is
another type of Thai soup. The restaurants featuring this meal
always have a boat (i.e. "REUA" - เรือ)
as a symbol.
Take away restaurant
A Buddhist temple fair always has dozens of stalls selling delicious
take away food.
Some restaurants close during Buddhist holy days
(วันพระ) especially if they are selling beef.
Old Restaurant
Some restautants can be very old and feature a Kitsch architecture.
This restaurant in Nakhon Pathom city's main market is selling signature dishes
since decades.
Some popular restaurants are located in food
courts in department stores or malls. It is often a big hall surrounded by small
shops. Each shop can cook some different dishes but is specialised in
one. Prices are ranging from 20 to 35 Baht a dish. There is a little
stall where tickets are bought. If all tickets are not used, money
is refund.
Outdoor Restaurant
Thanks to the nice weather in Thailand, customers can often enjoy food
in outdoor locations. Mosquitoes can then become an issue...
Outdoor Restaurant
Such typical street restaurants can be found everywhere in Thailand along the
roads. Such places are often "cooked-to-order" restraurants
(อาหารตามสั่ง).
THAI MOBILE STALLS
Sweet cake hawker
Mobile hawkers wander through villages and cities' small streets
("SOI" - ซอย) selling
delicious sweet cakes, ice-creams or pancakes.
Mobile restaurant
Many small mobile stalls, offering one dish only, go through
the neighbourhood calling potential customers and giving off a delicious smell.
Roti
The "ROTI" (โรติ) dish
is coming from India. It is based on flour paste then the cooker adds
milk and egg.
Snacks
Many small mobile stalls selling desserts can often be found near Thai wet
markets. This one is selling ขนมบ้าบิ่น, dessert made
of coconut, rice flour, coconut milk, sugar and eggs.
THAI CAFES
Local cafe
Since a few years due to popularity of coffee shop chains such as Starbuck, many
small cafes open all over Thailand. They sell coffee, tea, chocolate...
Everywhere in Thailand on the street, it
is possible to buy refreshments such as soda (the vendor fills a small bag with
ice, soda, adds a straw and closes it with an elastic), milk, tea, Thai cafe
("OLIENG" - โอเลี้ยง).
Local drinks
Popular drinks are Thai Iced Tea with milk (ชาเย็นใส่นม)(on the left)
and Chocolate drinks (เครื่องดื่มรสโกโก้)(on the right).
Cafe Amazon
Cafe Amazon is a popular chain of Thai cafes located mainly in gas stations. There are around
2000 Cafe Amazon shops in Thailand.
Local drinks
Such mobile Thai cafes can be found everywhere in Thailand. Especially
in Thai markets, in front of houses (small own business), in touristic areas...
Cafe Amazon
Most of Cafe Amazon places feature a small patio to enjoy chilled drinks outdoor.
Local drinks
Another popular drink is Thai tea served chilled and sweetened ("CHA DAM YEN" -
ชาดำเย็น).
