Resto-Rants: Lang Suan Road, Bangkok
There's something about discovering little-known holes-in-wall that makes one feel a sense of accomplishment. Lang Suan Road in Bangkok is a veritable treasure trove of such places. The whole stretch is full of these unassuming little cafes and restos, all eager to serve the huge expat community staying in the area, as well as the locals who venture here. And since I'm staying here for two weeks, I am gonna sample as much as possible. :-)
On my first night, I tried the old-fashioned Mokka Bar, where the interiors are dark and foreboding. It's like entering an antique shop with the old furniture and decor, which makes the place homey.
I especially liked the glass chandelier (as in made of wine glasses!).
The food is reasonably priced and quite good. I had the Rice Noodle with Roasted Duck for the main course. This was fantastic! The dish was almost 33% noodle, 33% vegetable and 33% roasted duck. The rice noodles were fluffy and not too oily, and provided a good base to the fresh vegetables and the yummy roasted duck.
Next stop was Ninth Cafe, which also has a branch at the Paragon basement. This is my second time in this trendy little cafe, and it did not disappoint. I skipped the Thai menu and ordered the Mini Tacos with Beef, which had 4 generous servings. The taco shells were hardly Mexican though, and it tasted more like wonton (no complaints though!). The desserts were equally irresistible, and I had the Bannoffee Pie. It tasted quite different from the other Bannoffe Pies I'm used to in Manila (in Segafredo or the now-closed Area Cafe), but it was satisfying nonetheless. It wasn't exactly a pie, as it looked more like a cake with a flat crust. The bananas were plentiful, but the toffee was just a little layer. What redeemed it though was the Oreo cookie crust. (Drools)
Last, was Pan Pan, a very simple Italian restaurant. From the outside, it looked deceptively small and crowded. Upon entering, I was surprised that it was a huge place, but still crowded (for good reason). The place doesn't have much fanfare (ie. mukhang carinderia), but the food is the true highlight here. I had the Spaghetti with Italian Bacon and Tomato Sauce, which was simply that. The serving was huge (can be shared by two people), but I finished it all because the huge bacon morsels were so good. For dessert, I had the Tiramisu, which was rather uneventful.
On my first night, I tried the old-fashioned Mokka Bar, where the interiors are dark and foreboding. It's like entering an antique shop with the old furniture and decor, which makes the place homey.
I especially liked the glass chandelier (as in made of wine glasses!).
The food is reasonably priced and quite good. I had the Rice Noodle with Roasted Duck for the main course. This was fantastic! The dish was almost 33% noodle, 33% vegetable and 33% roasted duck. The rice noodles were fluffy and not too oily, and provided a good base to the fresh vegetables and the yummy roasted duck.
Next stop was Ninth Cafe, which also has a branch at the Paragon basement. This is my second time in this trendy little cafe, and it did not disappoint. I skipped the Thai menu and ordered the Mini Tacos with Beef, which had 4 generous servings. The taco shells were hardly Mexican though, and it tasted more like wonton (no complaints though!). The desserts were equally irresistible, and I had the Bannoffee Pie. It tasted quite different from the other Bannoffe Pies I'm used to in Manila (in Segafredo or the now-closed Area Cafe), but it was satisfying nonetheless. It wasn't exactly a pie, as it looked more like a cake with a flat crust. The bananas were plentiful, but the toffee was just a little layer. What redeemed it though was the Oreo cookie crust. (Drools)
Last, was Pan Pan, a very simple Italian restaurant. From the outside, it looked deceptively small and crowded. Upon entering, I was surprised that it was a huge place, but still crowded (for good reason). The place doesn't have much fanfare (ie. mukhang carinderia), but the food is the true highlight here. I had the Spaghetti with Italian Bacon and Tomato Sauce, which was simply that. The serving was huge (can be shared by two people), but I finished it all because the huge bacon morsels were so good. For dessert, I had the Tiramisu, which was rather uneventful.