Foodies Alert: Baan Ying Cafe & Meal

This is another place which I love to go for a simple and delicious meal.

Baan Ying (บ้านหญิง) takes your normal home-cooked Thai meal to another level.  It's amazing.  Some people may say that its a bit of fusion Thai food rather than traditional.  All I know is that I love their food.

There are two branches that I know of:
1. Siam Square (moved from Lido to Siamkit building)
2. Terminal 21
(I heard there is also one at MegaBangna but I haven't been or seen it yet)

This is a bit of the atmosphere of the restaurant at Siamkit building.  It is located on the basement level near the escalator.  It is a wide open space.  However, it can get very loud and crowded especially during lunch time.

I started off with a Hazelnut Latte.  It's not too sweet or bitter for me which is good.  I usually take my coffee quite sweet to have the perfect balance with the bitterness of the coffee.

One of the most basic things to order is their omelette.  It is one of their most well-known dishes.  There are actually different toppings that you can pick from.  This one is 1. Meat Sauce, 2. Mushroom, and 3. Cheese.

Also listed under the Recommended list is another dish that I always order: shrimp stir-fry with garlic and chilli.  If you can't eat very spicy food, I would suggest asking them to put in less chilli.  Trust me, a little bit of chilli changes the taste and is a lot more delicious.

Honestly, I only managed to take 2 photos of the dishes I ate.  Everything else was gone in a blink of an eye.  From all the dishes I've had their so far, no one of them have disappointed me.  You just can't go wrong.

Anyways, what meal wouldn't be complete without dessert!  There is always room for dessert.

This is their green tea cake.  I would have to say that it isn't a 100% green tea cake because it has some brownie or blueberry type filling inside.  I can't remember exactly now but its not proper green tea cake.  One of my friends said that they don't make their own desserts so I would recommend just sticking to the food.

Overall, I love this restaurant and would recommend it to anyone.  The price is not bad too.  It usually comes up to about 300THB (USD10) per person, depending on how much you eat.  Each dish is about 100-200THB.  You can order to share or have your own individual dish.

Foodies Alert: Dakasi - Milk Tea with Pearl

Calling all bubble milk tea lovers...milk tea with pearls...milk tea with tapioca

Whatever it is called..... I love it!!

There are a ton of different chains out there but this is my #1 choice --> DAKASI 

 It is differentiated with its yellow star logo.  The brand is originally from Taiwan (as with a lot of other brands).

They have a lot of drinks on their menu but the most popular has to be (of course)... milk tea with pearl "Classic".  One of the reasons why I like Dakasi is that you can also pick the sweetness level.  I usually ask for 50% sweetness and with no ice.  Some brands don't have the selection of the sweetness level because of the drinks are premade.  Simply put, this is just way better :)

Lots of tapioca pearls.  Yummy!
I've just noticed recently that they have increase the amount of pearls they put in.  Otherwise, it could be that I took a long break from drinking this and now I feel like I chew a lot more than before.  Just a note:  I love the pearls so much that I usually try to drink the more milk tea and less pearls.  Now, the milk tea is all gone and I'm left with a lot of pearls.

Has anyone tried the cotton foam one?  I'm still too scared to try it.

Location: Chamchuri Square, Bangkok
Company website:  http://www.dakasi.com
It is in Mandarin and I can't read Chinese T_T

Foodies Alert: Cafe Amazon @PTT Life Station

Cafe Amazon is a coffee shop that is located is most PTT gas stations.  It is easy to find.  Although I've tried their coffee before, I will always order their Iced Cocoa.

I'm constantly searching for a coffee shop/ cafe which makes really good iced cocoa.  Seems easy right?  What I've discovered is that not many places get it right.  At least, according to my tastes.  Just like dark chocolate, cocoa already has its own sweetness so it's not necessary to add a lot of sugar.

Some cafes will call it "Iced Cocoa" but its actually "Iced Chocolate".  Can't tell the difference?  Its basically sweeter and more milky.

What is the perfect Iced Cocoa? 
- It must have a rich intense cocoa flavor (loads of cocoa powder!!)
- Not milky
- Just the right amount of sweetness

For iced cocoa, it is 50baht (less than 2USD) per glass.  It might be expensive for some people considering that you can also find it for as little as 15-20baht.  But then, you will have to gamble whether you are getting proper cocoa or chocolate. On a side note, another one of my favorite places to get iced cocoa is actually from a market stall near my office.  Only 15baht!  Sadly, they closed down a few months ago.  :(  I have yet to find a replacement.

Cafe Amazon: can be found in PTT gas stations all across Thailand

In My Footsteps: Early Morning Workout

Wakie Wakie... It's gonna be a bright sunny day :) 

It's been a long time since I've been working out of any sort and even longer since I've been to the park.  Today is a new day.  Woke up early and went for a morning stroll.  Managed to cover 4.5km which isn't bad for my first day back.  

Luckily, I was able to capture the sun rising over the lake.  Beautiful isn't it?  

What do you do after a morning stroll?  It's time for breakfast!

I love this coffee place.  It is actually in a market located in front of the park.  You get fresh roasted coffee and its inexpensive too. I'm having an iced cappuccino. 

Next is the food department.

Not exactly sure what its called but its basically fried eggs.  Healthy and filling too.  It has sausages, mince pork, carrots, corn, and other stuff that don't know what they call in English. Sorry :(

The market has lots of places where you can get breakfast along with fresh produce and other ready made dishes. 

Location: Suan Luang Rama IX Park, Bangkok, Thailand

Foodies Alert: Coffee Gallery @Mega Bangna

First thing I saw was the gigantic teddy bear. Isn't he a cutie? 

Considering that I've been walking around all day, why take a break :P

 The atmosphere of the cafe is really cozy.  Plus, there aren't a lot of people in there (unlike Starbucks which is always packed).  They have lots a magazines for you to browse through too.  Perfect time to catch up on some light reading aka fashion update.

The drink choice of today is green tea latte. Not much to say.  Some green tea lovers don't like the milk part.  I can do either.  The important part is whether its real green tea or diluted version.

Location: Mega Bangna

 

Foodies Alert: Dean & Deluca

Seriously I don't get all the hype with Dean & Deluca. Are what the other food bloggers say is true? Confirmed... disappointing.

Originally from NYC, Dean & Deluca opened cafe here in Bangkok.  Its located in the CBD and easily accessable by the BTS skytrain.  A bad point: never drive here.  The only parking they have is the road side (sad).

I forgot to take pics of the atmosphere (again).  Was more into catching up with my BFF who I haven't seen in a long time ^-^

Hot Chocolate with marshmallows

The food is expensive, service is poor and totally not worth it.  I can get better food from Au Bon Pain at cheaper price.  Specifically for the hot chocolate, Starbucks makes better.  I prefer the real tense cocoa taste and less sugar.  They put in too much sugar.

Red Velvet

 There were fruits in the red velvet cake.  Nothing amazing and  I've had better.

Sushi Cookies.  Really?

Saw this and thought it looked interesting.  However, the price tag for these cookies is almost what I paid for the entire meal for 2 people. **shocking**

Foodie Alert: Peppermint Frapp @Whittards

It is a hot summer's day and where do you go to cool down? 

Out of all the mint frapp places that I've tried, Whittard actually does the best job.  Definitely must try <3

Location: Whittard of Chelsea
Bag: Louis Vuitton - Speedy 30 

Don't know about you but its really hard to find places who get mint perfect.  Another place I love for my mint fix is Baskin Robbins.  They make the best mint choc chip ice cream!!

Foodies Alert: Pancake Cafe

Pancakes are more than just breakfast food 

Pancake Cafe would be heaven for anyone with a sweet tooth (me! me! me!).  The decor of the cafe is really girly and cute.  The main color theme is pink with some black decor. Sorry that I don't have actually pics inside the cafe (forgot :S)  They actually have both plain pancakes, choco pancakes, and waffles.  So, customers are able to select based on their likings.

Anyways, I ordered 2 dishes.
1) Sweet Dreams :: Pancakes with fresh strawberries, whipped cream, and vanilla ice cream.
First impression is that it was alright.  I got a flashback to Secret Garden's infamous Vanilla Crepe Cake.  Now that is really delicious.  It is delicious but it didn't find anything super outstanding.  The strawberry sauce on top was actually good but Secret Garden got the sauce spot on! Maybe it would have tasted better as a waffle?

2) Panoffee:: It is a pancake twist to the typical banoffee pie.  This one uses choco pancake batter with bananas, caramel, and whipped cream on top then vanilla ice cream to the side.  I actually expected it to be proper pancakes but the texture is more brownie or cake-like mix.  Not fluffy like pancakes.  Nevertheless, this is delicious.  They poured a bit too much caramel at the bottom but no problem.  I still wiped the plate clean.

There are actually lots of other stuff on the menu which looks absolutely yummy.  May come back here again so I can go through the entire menu once.  Thinking about it, the choco pancake seems to be like their chocolate lava mix (I had it the previous time I was here).

All in all, definitely a must try for people with a sweet tooth.

 Location: Paradise Park
Other branches: Nawamin City Avenue, The Circle Ratchapruk, Siam Paragon, Int Intersection Rama3

Foodies Alert: Starbucks Mocha Cookie Crumble Frapp

It's been released for a few weeks already ( at least for where I live) but Starbucks came out with a new frappuccino: Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino

What is in it?

It is your basic mocha frap but with cookie crumbles and chocolate whipped cream.  Too simple of an explanation right?  Out of all honestly, it is just like your typical blended drink with oreos in it.  Not an OMG drink that I need to have everyday.  There were too little cookie crumbles for my liking.  I would have preferred loads of cookie crumbles but that is just me.  Would I order this again at Starbucks?  Highly doubt it.  Though blended drinks are perfect for the hot summers.  (Its about 40C here. Dying in the heat!)

By the way, if you register your Starbucks card, they actually send a postcard in the mail for you to try it out for FREE! Yes this was a freebie drink :) happy me!

Foodies Alert: Cheesecake Lovers

A girl always has room for dessert 

I heard that this place has really good cheesecake but never had the chance to try it out myself until now.  The bakery's name is: Farm Design.  It is actually from Hokkaido, Japan.  If you don't know the geography of Japan, it is the big island on top of mainland Japan (that has Tokyo & Kobe).  Simple explanation :)  Hokkaido is known for snow, skiing, and their dairy products.

The atmosphere of the bakery is really nice with small seating area.  Though, I think it might be a bit too small. Luckily when I went it wasn't crowded so it wasn't an issue.  Just imagining if it was.

We ordered Choco Moo Cheesecake and Caramel Fudge Cheesecake.  For drinks, I had Iced  Cappuccino.

Let's just say, I went to yummy heaven.  The caramel fudge cheesecake was mine.  It looks like a small piece of cake but really filling.  Some people may think that the caramel fudge is too sweet.  Considering I have a sweet tooth, it was perfect.  Plus, I don't like anything too cheesecaky. (Then again, why am I having cheesecake).

I actually tried to find more out Farm Design before writing this blog but couldn't find out much. Sorry.

Location: Terminal 21

Yummy treats

Coffee addiction!!! Ok, I'm not that addicted to coffee to the sense where i "need" one to start off the day. BUT, the day is better when there is one :)
It's really easy to find coffee stalls. Probably one of every corner street. This is one of my fav coffee stalls near the BTS. Be prepared to wait in line because there is always one. Just to note: there is actually another coffee stall next to this one but no line! If I were you, I would queue for the one with a line. There must be a reason why people prefer to wait.

Most coffee stalls like this one use instant coffee. Some people may be put off by the fact it is instant coffee :( Please take a good look at the picture... All premium instant coffee. Everything from Nestlé, Davidoff to Japanese brand Maxim. Their most popular is Maxim.

What is not to love about cheap and yummy coffee? (FYI its just 25baht or less than $1 usd per glass)