Blown away, Bo.lan, Bangkok

It's a big call but I'm going to stand by it..... Bo.lan is the hottest new place in the world to get amazing traditional Thai food and flavors mixed with a smattering of international ideas ( don't read con - fusion, think amuse bouche, palette cleansers and petit fors). After being given the tip off to eat here before it became impossible (thanks Austin and Paul) we had to go. I'd like to apoligise now, as a result of being so slack at blogging as well as being totally unprepared for the experience there will be a few gaps.....sorry.



Started by Duangporn Songvisava (bo) and Dylan Jones with the belief that the best Thai restaurant should be in Thailand, armed with this belief, years of experience from working with such great chefs as David Thompson and Amanda Gale and doorstep access to the amazing produce offered from the markets in Bangkok you know they are onto a winner. After a quick taxi ride down Sukhumvit and only one missed turn we find ourselves outside Bo.lan a renovated thai house with a big beautiful balcony,



as it's raining we slip inside to find the interior is just as beautiful.



The menu is seperated into the traditional Thai divisions of salad, soup, stirfries, currys, relishes and desserts with a couple of choices on each. You can just order a la carte or as we did go for the Bo.lan balance where the chef decides on the dishes to created a balanced Thai meal, perhaps also with some dishes not offered on the menu.

We started off with an amuse bouche of pandanus juice with rice wine, a Thai whisky sour, chilli salt and some other little thing (told you sorry). The raucous flavous of the whisky as well as the sipping smooth pandanus rice wine definitly amused our taste buds and had us raring to go.



This was followed up by a plate of delicious tidbits to keep us going till the meal arrived.



On a long white plate we had a son in law quails egg; depp fried soft quails egg topped with a salty fish sauce caramel and deepfried shallots. Well balanced and delicious.



A thin slice of steam pork wapping something delicious (oh please forgive me)



A small puffed rice cake topped with a spicy fresh lemongrass salad



A small bowl which Kat seems to think had a betal leaf wrap inside.

And finally on the end nahm makam boran (ancient tamarind relish) atop a sliver of pineapple (thanks for the correction anon)

After swooning our war through the first two courses our meal was ready and in usual Thai style all brought to the table at once.

We were asked if we would like jasmine rice or red rice from the north. Of course we both the red rice, it had much more body than regular jasmine but not as much fragrence.

Moments after the rice arrived the table was covered in a delicious feast.



A salad of river prawns and grilled eggplant, all tossed in a garden of fresh herbs a soft boiled egg on the side and topped off with a cloud of fluffy prawn floss and several wickedly hot deep fried chillis. Yum.



Our stirfry was one of fresh squid and garlic chives with a few orange chillis thrown in for the fragrance. Of course it was delicious and of course I tried one of the fragrant chillis to find out it was also tounge meltingly hot (though we may have just been away from Thailand for to long)



Luckly we had a rich, soothing, tounge coating coconut curry at the table. The mon style gaeng khi lek with fall apart braised beef. The mon being one of the hill tribes living in Thailand and khi lek a leaf for which I know no other name. The curry was mild and loaded with coconut cream and with the beef super rich.



The relish we were given has from the first mouthful become my favourite lon of all time as well as one of my top ten farvourite things ever eaten. House made naam (fermented sour pork sausage) gently simmered in coconut cream, expertly seasoned and topped with shredded galangal to create a master piece. The artistic arrangement of the assorted garnishes only highlighting this dish was a work of art. I especially loved the little prawm mince stuffed dok kee flowers and the, well and all of it. Unreal.



Our final part of this awesome meal was the soup as we had ordered we were asked if we would both like the same soup, as it was we had both had our eye one the muslim style beef shank soup so we ended up the same, but I loved that you could get your own one person size soup.



Feeling very happy well fed we were just sitting bach going "ahhhhh" when a little pre-dessert arrived. An elegant martini glass of deseeded lychees and rambutans topped with shaved ice and a perfumed syrup, drapped across the top candied pomelo peel. Just the pre-dessert, wow.



And the spectacule was still going with two plate of three different dessert brought out.
Plate one; Mango sticky rice, palm sugar agar and a light and crispy palm sugar meringue.



Plate two; A cute little paper bag of sweet taro chips, a candied coconut ball and a bowl of sweet coconut cream and banana.



By now were swimming in a delirious haze of contentment but there was still more to come as if just to really let you know you were somewhere really speacial.

We sat and just stared at the petit for plate for a good five minutes. It was so beautiful.
With mangosteens (favourite fruit ever) wafers, tuilles, hand made candies and caramel puffed rice, really incredible.



If we were to have eaten any of that meal as an indivudal piece we would have been happy to .. to have it all in one meal was amazing!!

Bo.lan is well on their way to creating one of the finest Thai restaurants in the world, and doing it in Thailand.

Bo.lan
42 Soi Pichai-rongnarong-songkram
Sukhumvit, Soi 26
Klongteoy
Bangkok
10110

Night markets, Thongsala

We had borrowed a jeep from Suti, one of the always accommodating hosts of Tommy's, for the day as we had heard the night markets in Thongsala were quite good. After a hair raising drive around the cliff side road of Phangan we arrived. There's not really much at Thongsala though this means that the likelyhood of great local eats is increased due to the lack of tourists. We had arrived a little to early so spent a little time stocking up on some more gaijin size clothing for our return to Japan. Got some great shirts @ Phanganer. Anyways we headed back to the gathering point for the night markets just in time to see all the carts being wheeled in and stalls set up.



Giving the market the once over we start of with a plate of school prawns marinated in a thin curry and tossed with rice flour before being deep fried into a super crunchy disk of prawny goodness.









It was one of those moments where we were seriously torn between trying more things and satisfying our hunger with more of the deliciousness in our hands right now. As the markets weren't quite set up yet we headed off so Kat could do a quick nail colour change pit stop from the newly aquired rainbow and Kim could have a wee nap. Stopping for a few cute little banana leaf wrapped coconut custards on the way.



On our return we started up with some great pork on a stick and nam so good we went back for more.









After a little more circling we finally shared a plate of beef mussaman and nice and spicy stir fried beef.



On the way out we couldn't help but stop for a rocket fuel filled cup of red sala.



All in all the Thongsala night market is definitely one of the foodie highlights on Phangan and worth tearing yourself away from the beaches at least once for.

Hirafu transforming and Thai green curry

It was amazing seeing Hirafu transform. We arrived early October and there was still green all around. The rolling fields were being harvested for sugar beets, potatoes and everything in between. Then in just a few short weeks, my first real Autumn. The leaves were turning from a brilliant yellow, to sunshine orange and fire engine red, before finally falling to the ground.



But then there was the village transforming from a quiet little community into a bustling hub for skiiers the world-over. The beginning of December saw everyone open ready for the season ahead and day-by-day the transformation was evident. On this particular day we arrived at work rather early. It was about mid-morning glancing out from the Café window when I noticed 2 van’s park across the road. But not just any van’s, food van’s! There was one complete with Japanese red lanterns and plenty of flags blowing in the breeze. In the distance I could just make out the sign on the second one, ‘Thai Green Curry’.



So, it was back into our gumboots and over the road we went. The one adorned in red was a Japanese ramen noodle van. But today it was a taste of Thailand we were both after. Japan is an amazingly beautiful and diverse country, but, we really do miss the smack-you-in-the-face flavours and spice of Thai cuisine. The van did just that, Thai green curry. There was regular for 500¥ and the large for 800¥. While waiting for our 2 large, we happily frollick with the 2 dogs tied by the front.



On the long walk back across the street in our gumboots, we can already smell what lies ahead … Once the lid is removed that smell just permeates and excites our nose. There are two compartments, one with white rice which also has some un-polished rice added to the mix which gives a great texture. As for the curry, well, after a few months already in Japan it was a very welcome experience. There were chunks of tender chicken, some vegetables and even basil in a nice spicy soup.



Sure it was packaged curry paste, but hey, for a ski resort in the middle of Japan it was aroy-maak.