There are some places in this world which pulls you back time and time again. Bangkok is one of those for me. This time around, I went on a four day three night free and easy trip. The food and sights were nothing but amazing.
Stayed again at Novotel but at the outlet at Ploenchit this time around. I loved this outlet for its convenience. It is located next to the Ploenchit BTS station and only two train stops away from famous touristic sites such as Siam and Sukhimvit.
With facilities like a swimming pool and fitness centre, the fitness buff fiance of mine was down at these places every day. I was more than happy to rest and relax in the comforts of the comfortable King size bed which the hotel provided.
I like how the hotel paid much attention to the small details in things. The electrical points came with a universal adaptor and hence I could easily charge my iphone and camera batteries. In the toilet, the bathing and bowel area were separated by a door. This allowed us to save time in the mornings and of course, the avoidance of that smell when your other half decides to do a very big business.
For most our meals we went back again to the places that we had earlier tried and tested. Thank goodness they did not fail on us.
Lek Seafood
We tried the morning glory, sea bass and extra large garlic fried prawns. The prawns with the generous amounts of garlic was the highlight of our meal. The food wasn't too spicy but yet tasty with all the relevant thai sauces. I had one concern though, and that was of the fish. The scales of the fish weren't removed and we had a hard time chewing on its meat.
Provence Restaurant
Located centrally at Peninsula Plaza, this cafe was again filled with Tai-tais when I went back here. It is a very pretty cafe that is beautiful decorated with lots of plants and flowers. Apart from its decor, the food looked and tasted equally good. We had their famous boat noodles, squid as appetizer and green curry to share. The green curry was so delicious that we ended up slurping up the entire bowl. I know, so sinful but tasty!
Limoncello Pizzeria
Came back here for the pizzas and they were just as tasty as before. So tasty that we ended up having two huge pizzas and a pasta to share. Of course, we couldn't end the night without our limoncello shots. Interestingly, there are many imitations of this original restaurant. So beware of the fakes!
I tried a few other new eating outlets and there were some hits and misses.
After You dessert cafe
Queued up at least 30 minutes just to get a seat at the highly raved about After You dessert cafe. I ordered a mini strawberry Shibuya toast and thai ice tea. The toast was awesome. Crispy on the outside and soft and buttery on the inside. But it did get a tad bit overwhelming after awhile. I struggled to finish the dish as the dish was getting too sweet for me to digest towards the end. Hence, this dish is best eaten shared.
Soul Food Mahanakorn
After all the raves about it, we were rather disappointed when the food was served. First, they had one of our orders wrong. And to make matters worse, our phad thai came rather soggy and tasteless. I struggled to finish that dish. The saving grace was however, the tom yum soup and beef curry. Both were cooked well and that covered up for the disappointing phad thai.
Apart from eating, the next activity we did very often was shopping.
We discovered a new place called Asiatique The Riverfront.
It is a big area consisting of a brick and mortar night bazaar and many food outlets. The food outlets reminded me of Clarke Quay as the place is situated along the river. The shopping is worth taking a good look at. They sold everything from clothes to household items. A major plus point of the place has got to be the good ventilation system. It was a breeze walking through the shops and a far cry from the hot and stuffy lanes along the Chatuchak market.
Siam Square One was another new shopping mall which we discovered. This shopping mall reminds me of platinum mall and union mall. It is filled with rows of shops selling trendy clothes targeted at the budget conscious. Those looking to get clothes sold in blogshops, this is a place that you may wish to check out.
We went to Siam Paragon and Centralworld too. These malls target a different type of consumer and prices here are way higher. But hey, you pay for what you get and the quality of the things here are definitely better. Plus, you would definitely shop in a more comfortable and cleaner setting.
Food checked. Shopping checked. What else did we do?
Most of our nights were spent having a good massage or just chilling and drinking beer while watching soccer at the hotel's bar. It was a very relaxing holiday which we took at our own pace. I definitely wouldn't mind another one of such trips.
Hotel: Novotel, Ploenchit
Airline: Jetstar
Food: Lek Seafood | Provence Restaurant | Limoncello Pizzeria | After You |
Shopping: Asiatique | Siam Square One | Siam Paragon | Centralworld |
