Krua Khun Puk is an energetic restaurant in the heart of Sukhumvit 11, near Nana BTS station, Bangkok, that stays open till 4 am.
A traditional open-style eatery, it has seating at tables in the middle and at high counters on the side that look out onto the street.
If you opt for the high stools with streetside views, you can either watch, at stalls that are part of the restaurant, waiters doling out portions of a steaming dumpling soup with assorted trimmings, or a woman gracefully putting together mango sticky rice in a kind of ceremony that is fascinating to watch.
And, of course, there's the streetlife to photograph from this vantage point -- popcorn carts, fruit hawkers, lotterywallahs all pedalling/peddling past.
I had the most tasty vegetarian Pad Thai meal, ending it with the Mango Sticky Rice for less than 200 bahts. More on the Pad Thai and its recipe later.
Noisy, cheerful, friendly welcoming servers, with wonderful fragrances emanating from within, Krua Khun Puk was very representative of everything I encountered in Bangkok on my first trip.
It is the Warm Happy Energy of Bangkok that strikes you immediately.
The city has nothing to do with slow motion.
It's a fast, 24-hour megapolis, full of joie de vivre and buoyance that you are instantly smitten with, like I was. Full toss pyaar happened at once.
Humming. Electric. Brightly lit. Yet Bangkok brims with old-style rhythms and mood, via its gracious hospitality, culture, religion, food and landmarks.
Establishments, all lit up and lively, stay open till all hours, from massage places, salons to restaurants, bars and clubs, thumping with live music and cranking out the tunes... the tamasha never seems to stop.
You can get your hair washed at 1 am, a foot massage at 2 am, a hearty meal at 3 am either from the carts or a restaurant, a drink at 4 am and, well, sex at any hour, marijuana too.
Everything is possible, with a smile, that's Thailand!
Totally geared to tourists, arriving and exiting the country was a cinch. So was getting around (tuktuks, cabs, overground trains, metro).
As was shopping too for the umpteen delightful things available (three-piece suits made in 24 hours at Sindhi-owned tailoring setups), either at gorgeous, glittering palatial malls (I have never seen malls like that in my life) or streetside stalls and bazaars, after a pleasant haggle.
Our rupee made the prices a little stiff for us, but generally it was a pretty reasonable place, with plenty of bang for your buck. Stay was cheap and comfy; so was the food.
The sleaze of its nightlife can be jarring but was also totally mesmerising. Women, with the most translucent, glowing skin, shiny black hair and baby doll looks, perpetually scrolling on their phones, lounged about, standing in pairs or solo at every five steps. Have never seen such attractive, tall transvestites before either (the sales staff of Victoria Secret hires quite a few).
Sex was sort of gleefully on offer like it's a bazaar. The more sordid part were the takers, mostly aged, faded Westerners in their dotage (the power of the little blue pill) and mildly forlorn Southeast Asian men, who knew how to ogle big time, but seemingly without much final success.
Four blurred, busy days was definitely not enough to truly get under the skin of this amazing buzzing metropolis, drunk on its own vitality, but I accomplished plenty.
I did a tour of two of its most notable temples -- Wat Arun and Wat Pho.
The reclining golden Buddha and its serene environs should make Wat Pho the first stop on your list.
An even quieter annexe of Wat Pho was quarters for monks.
It was the parade of beautiful women posing, sometimes with their mates or family, dolled up in typical Thai costumes to create a portfolio of pics with their own private photographers, that made Wat Arun an intriguing place.
They seemed to like to choose that gorgeous temple for their photographic outings.
I popped in for a look at the sprawling Grand Palace -- magnificent, twinkling with jewels and gold. A place of fantastic murals from the Ramayan or Ramakien, the Thai edition of the epic.
Enjoyed several leisurely rides down the lazy muddy Chao Phraya river.
And dinner on its banks at the classy Mandarin Oriental as gaily-lit boats sailed by.
Half a day was spent at ICONSIAM, a mall of 7,000 shops and eateries, the most wonderful were the handicraft (awesome silk scarves and cotton wear) and the virtual bazaar of food stalls.
My mall visit was enlivened by the arrival of K-pop and a T-pop stars.
As suggested, I invested in a foot massage and later a back massage with the fierce lady masseurs of Sukhumvit; truly invigiorating.
Several hours were happily whiled away at Chatuchak -- a weekend street market that has the best deals on clothes, jewellery, art, gifts.
A chakkar of the lively Pak Khlong Talat flower market, near Wat Pho, was duly executed.
Decorations for weddings, flowers shaped into dragons and tonnes of marigolds dominated the bazaar.
Added to my itinerary was a spin around the quaint canal town of Amphawa, about 100 km west of Bangkok, known for its floating market, cute waterside hotels and souvenir shops.
Homes were built on the water around there and amidst the greenery, largely fruit and coconut plantations that had a Kerala air about them.
Added to that: I squeezed in lots of great Thai meals, the freshest pina coladas and grocery shopping in and around Sukhumvit.
The Thai green curry Gaeng Khiaw Waan Phak I had at Mandarin Oriental, with sticky jasmine Hom Mali variety rice, was the best I had ever had before (and maybe the recipe for another day), with the meal closing with a mascarpone gelato with cherries, meringue and a puff pastry cookie.
It was the Pad Thai of Krua Khun Puk that I was most keen to replicate when I returned home.
I have made Pad Thais before but there was something so earthy and yum about the dish I had at Krua Khun Puk.
It's pretty easy to make, but do locate thick, well-grown fat bean sprout shoots and soft enough tofu.
Krua Khun Puk Pad Thai
Serves: 2-3
Ingredients
- 100 gm cauliflower, cut into small florets
- 100 gm broccoli, cut into small florets
- 3 tbsp oil
- ½ of a large carrot, peeled, julienned
- 50 gm soft tofu, cubed
- 5-6 stalks spring onions
- 100 gm bean sprouts
- 2 eggs
- 150 gm peanuts, roasted, roughly crushed
- 250 gm 5 mm rice sticks for Pad Thai
- 5-6 tbsp Pad Thai sauce
- 1-2 tbsp Tabasco
- 1 lime, cut into wedges
- Salt to taste, about 2 tsp + 3 tsp for the noodle water
Method
- Chop the white bulbs of the spring onions.
Cut the greens separately into 2-inch sticks.
Keep both aside. - In a saucepan bring 4-5 cups water with the salt to a boil over heat.
Take off heat and add the rice sticks (Pad Thai noodles) in.
Leave to soak till soft (about 10 minutes) and drain and keep aside. - In a large saucepan or a kadhai, heat the oil over medium heat and add and fry the broccoli and cauliflower florets and the white of the spring onions till just cooked.
Add in the noodles and the tofu.
Crack the eggs over the noodles and keep tossing.
Add in the Pad Thai sauce, Tabasco, salt and keep tossing.
Take off heat after about 10 minutes when the egg is cooked. - Add in the spring onion green sticks, julienned carrots, crushed peanuts, bean sprouts.
Serve hot with wedges of lemon.
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