Bangkok Trip (Day 9)

So we were back in Bangkok and the first morning, my mother-in-law made fried rice (with naem – the soured pork) and Yam Wun Sen (Thai Glass Noodle Salad) for breakfast. The fried rice was very delicious, and again I confirmed that one of the very reasons that I love Thai food is because the pork are just basically everywhere! It’s amazing because in Indonesia, we rarely find pork dishes because it’s an Islamic country. The salad looked appetizing because of the big prawns which gave colors to it (I thought it was kinda blah judging from the unappealing white color), but in fact it was soooo good. I wouldn’t think of that as salad though, because I can just grab this as heavier meal for lunch or dinner.

Naem Fried Rice – get extra pork kick for your fried rice.

Yam Wun Sen (Thai Glass Noodle Salad)

It was Saturday morning and we decided to go to IKEA. Of course the first part that we went to was the infamous IKEA cafe. It was very crowded, maybe because it was weekend, or maybe because it is the only IKEA in the country.

IKEA gigantic 43,000 sqm warehouse and showroom space in Bangna, Bangkok.

Modern minimalist theme of the interior design makes the cafe looks chic and trendy.

Well-organized queueing system makes guests comfortable.

Cakes Galore!

That day, they didn’t have the Swedish meatballs, although I really wanted to give it a try. ;'( The other food looked so tempting, though, especially the cakes because they were sliced so beautifully and looked so colorful. Everything looked so irresistible so here are what we got:

Asian Chicken Rice (THB 49 = IDR 18.000)

Black Pepper Pork Steak (THB 85 = IDR 31.000)

Marinated Salmon (THB 120 = IDR 44.000)

Chicken Sausage Croissant (THB 45 = IDR 16.500)

Salmon Wrap (THB 55 = IDR 20.000)

Salmon Chive Sauce (THB 155 = IDR 57.000)

Pasta with Tomato Sauce – vegetarian food (THB 55 = IDR 20.000)

The IKEA food are simple, yet fascinating. It would be strange to say that the food is hygienic or something, but at least they looked like that. If you have been to IKEA before, you would probably know that they also have food market section which sells packaged food products, from biscuits, chocolates, even bottled jams. I always wonder whether they use those products for the cafe, too.

My personal favorite that day was the pork steak, followed by the chicken from the Asian Chicken Rice plate. The meat were so well-cooked, but still soft and tender. The sauces were also perfect and they complimented each other. The salmon dishes were rather expensive and I didn’t really like them because they were too salty in my opinion. I would love to have another one of the marinated salmon, though, because it was so refreshing.

By that time, we were already too full but there is always room for dessert, yes? Our picks that day were the gorgeous looking blueberry cheesecake and ever-so-cute almond cake. Both of these cakes are my ultimate favorites, so whenever I find trouble choosing from variety of cakes in front of me, I would just pick these two. The cheesecake was heavenly delicious, the cheese just melted in the mouth right away. The blueberry sauce was sweet with a hint of sourness, very enjoyable experience, indeed. The almond cake didn’t fail me, either. Being an almond lover I am, I never want to miss any opportunity to eat anything almond, and I wasn’t disappointed. The savory cake left me wanting another slice, but my tummy was just too full to handle anything more. But you get the idea, the cake was superb.

Blueberry Cheese Cake (THB 65 = IDR 24.000)

Almond Cake (THB 65 = IDR 24.000)

After spending hours walking around the warehouse and showroom in IKEA, we moved forward to Wang Burapha, another section in Bangkok, which looks like old Chinese area (Pecinan) in Jakarta. The area is full of old buildings, lots of interesting shops (including gun shops!) and many street food stalls that have been operating for generations.

Wang Burapha area reminds me of Jakarta’s Kota Tua area.

Walking around at slow speed because of temptations like this everywhere.

We stopped by a noodle stall, which apparently has been there for hundred years or so. I am always interested to try this kind of place! Although we were technically still very full that time, I just couldn’t miss this. By that time, I had already tried some boat noodles but this one was the best! The noodle is soft yet chewy, the meat was tasty and the soup was delicious. Since they also serve the crispy noodle, I also got to try that and I loved it! I always like crispy noodle (or i fu mie in Chinese cuisines), so it was awesome to be able to try the Thai version.

Boat Noodle – nothing can go wrong with this.

Crispy Noodle with Pork and Vegetables

How the noodles were cooked

Looking so old yet original.

As if our stomaches were not fed enough, we continued our journey to The Nine Center Rama 9 shopping mall. After walking around (actually there wasn’t anything interesting except Daiso), we stopped by a Japanese cake shop to have some drinks.

Cute funky cow is the mascot of this shop.

Farm Designs was founded in Hokkaido, Japan in 1987 and the main ingredients of the products are Hokkaido cows milk, which are made into cakes and drinks. The main attractions are the cheesecakes but they also have pound bread, croissant and brownies; also pudding and yoghurt. We didn’t try the cakes at all but the drinks were very nice. I am not into milky stuffs but I could enjoy my drink as it didn’t smell so milky and tasted lighter than any regular milky drinks. I would really love to come back again to try the cakes someday.

The biggest turn-off for me is the price. I mean, I know it’s supposedly brand from Japan, and I am almost sure that they import all the ingredients right from Japan to maintain the quality of the shop, but come on, the prices are way too high for a casual cake shop like this, no?