Eathai Food at Central Embassy in Bangkok

I always enjoy eating Thai food because I like their use of fresh ingredients as well as strong natural flavours and aromas from herbs and spices. I also like it that Thai food has many interesting textures and colours, not to mention that it is also rich in vitamins ;-D



Unfortunately, my visits to Thailand are never long enough to enjoy all the food that I like to try. There is so much to eat, buy, do or just gawk see in Thailand. Also, there are many regional variations in Thai food as Thailand is a large country with many provinces. It's simply impossible to truly appreciate the diversity, breath and depth of Thai cuisine in a short visit.

I was excited about visiting Eathai at Central Embassy because the eatery brings all Thai cuisine together in one accessible, comfortable location. It's a life saver for foodies visiting Bangkok ;-D

Eathai brings the vast world of Thai cuisine into a 5,000 square metres village square.



Eathai is located at Central Embassy, Bangkok's newest high end shopping mall. (A huge Botero horse stands at the entrance of Central Embassy mall. I love all of Botero's classy distinctive rotund sculptures ;-D  )



At Eathai, I could feel the excitement of all the colours, tastes, flavours and aromas of Thailand from the buzzing streets and family home kitchens, in a comfortable setting. During peak hours, the banter of customers adds to the cheerful atmosphere of the Eathai experience. What's missing are the dust and fumes of Bangkok traffic. Also absent are the stifling humidity and sweltering sun ;-p



Eathai has a local produce and food products section known as "Talad Eathai". Overseas patrons who like to take home a bit of the tastes of Thailand to share with their family and friends can get them here. The range of fruits and foods here changes regularly with the seasons.



An idea of Eathai is to bring together delicious traditional Thai street food and let patrons enjoy Thailand's zesty street food culture in a comfortable environment.



Eathai also plays a role in the preservation, promotion and appreciation of Thai cuisine by conducting Thai culinary lessons at ISSAYA Cooking Studio.



Eathai further features "Krua 4 Pak" which is centred around kitchens representing the 4 major regional cuisines of Thailand. The 4 realms of the Kingdom of Thailand are Central, North, Northeast and South, each with their distinctive Thai cuisine.



Each regional Thai cuisine has their own section within Eathai. This is the Lanna or Northern Thai cluster with their distinctive umbrellas with round wooden tables and benches.



Patrons are free to choose any food they fancy and sit at any available section, all with their own unique regional designs.



The stalls and regional kitchens are manned by chefs from the respective regions of Thailand, so patrons will get the authentic regional tastes and flavours.



Ordering protocol is straightforward. Make your order at the respective stalls or kitchens (with the friendly staff's help, if you need) and the staff will just record your purchase on this card (which is handed to you at the entrance). Wait staff will serve your orders at your table. Prices are slightly premium but reasonable for the food quality, service and environment. We just need to pay once for all our purchases at the exit ;-D

Neat and simple.

There were just too many enticing dishes to try in a single sitting, so here are just what we sampled today.



Somtam salad from Southern Thailand.

I think there are few salads as delicious and appetising as somtam. Made with shredded young green papaya with various vegetables and nuts, and generously splashed with freshly made dressing of fruit juices, spices and nuts. Sides of crispy fried pork skin add to the interesting textures.

Must try. 

The flavours are a blend of tangy, sweet, nutty, savoury and spicy hot.



Kva Kling is a popular fried pork dish, also from Southern Thailand.



First a warning.

Seriously.

Kva Kling is insanely spicy hot as the minced pork is stir fried with a few different kinds of chili peppers as well as young green pepper corn.

It's my favourite dish today ;-D



Wok fried wide rice noodles (like Cantonese hor fun 河粉) with crab meat and eggs. This is a staple comfort dish from Central Thailand. Mildly savoury flavours with slight smokiness from searing in hot wok, this dish appeals to friends who are still unaccustomed to spicy food.

There is something for everyone to enjoy at Eathai ;-D



Khao pad namprik lon rva from Thailand's Central region.



A wholesome dish complete with carbs, protein and vitamins in one delicious package. Fried catfish floss, braised belly pork, vegetable omelette, pumpkin fritters, salted egg, and fresh greens with fried rice. Sweet, savoury and salty all in a plate.

If I need a quick filling meal which is also satisfying in flavours, textures and nutrition, I'll pick this.



If you are game to ratchet the spiciness level up a few notches, then the fiery tom yum goong is for you.



Actually, tom yum goong is probably one of the most recognisable Thai signature cuisine from Central Thailand. I always order a tom yum goog whenever I eat Thai ;-D  It's a great tangy, very spicy appetiser. The tom yum goong I had today had fresh river prawns. You can choose beef, pork, fish, chicken or even vegetarian versions.



Hoi Tod is a street food commonly found in the streets of Bangkok. It's seafood, usually fresh oysters and squid (calamari), and juicy bean sprouts fried with a crispy egg and tapioca flour batter.

I liked it that Eathai's crispy hoi tod was not overly greasy, which is a common concern of friends who don't like too much grease in their food.



My Thai friend Som brought this to our overflowing spread at the last minute.

A rice roll dish with minced pork and crunchy vegetable fillings from Esan Viet or Northeast Thailand. It's similar to Cantonese chee cheong fun but the spicy dips are separate (not splashed over the rolls). The rice rolls are topped with creamy ham pate which is cut into strips.

This is a nice blend of mild flavours with a mix of soft and soft-crunchiness folded into a paper thin velvety smooth, soft rice skin. 

This was my second favourite of the day ;-D



Of course, eating Thai is incomplete without rounding up with Thai desserts. Most Thai desserts are sweet and some have slight hints of tartness. Coconut, palm sugar, tapioca and bananas are often used in Thai desserts.

Those with a dessert stomach will be thrilled by Eathai's wide range of Thai desserts from all regions.



I tried this "Butterfly juice" which is new to me.

It's mostly sweet like a still syrup ;-D  I prefer a bit of fizz and zing in my drinks ;-p



The attractive, simmering wall and roof cladding of Central Embassy is inspired by the roof shingles of Thai Buddhist temples.

Eathai is an exciting, one stop for eating Thai. It's conveniently located within walking distance of Phloen Chit and Chit Lom BTS stations. The 10 minutes walk from the BTS station is via the Skywalk - a godsend elevated covered walkway for Bangkok's scotching heat on sunny days ;-D

If you are visiting Bangkok and have time for only one good meal, it has to be at Eathai.

Acknowledgement: My visit to Bangkok and Eathai was graciously hosted by Central Group.

Restaurant name: Eathai
Address: Eathai is at the lower ground level of Central Embassy, 1031 Ploenchit Road, Pathumwan, Bangkok, Thailand
Map: http://bit.ly/Eathai
Hours: 10:00am to 10:00pm

Non Halal

Date visited: 26 Feb 2015

Return to Johor Kaki homepage.

V6 Food Court Ah Boy Chicken Rice near Yew Tee MRT Singapore

Makan buddy Croc King Tony Tee alerted us to this humble chicken rice stall at Choa Chu Kang Crescent near Yew Tew MRT station in Singapore. Singapore Celebrity Chef Eric Teo posted in his Facebook Page that this "Ah Boy Chicken Rice" is one his personal favourites in Singapore.

Fortunately, I was on an errant nearby today, so it was the right time to check out this chicken rice stall.

It sure brightened my day.



As I was alone, I ordered this single person portion poached chicken rice with extra chicken liver hehehe ..... It came to SGD3.50 which I felt was reasonable.

The lady boss was very friendly and polite. She was wishing every customer Happy New Year. I was a total stranger and she wished me just as warmly as a regular customer.

Look at the nice plating. There was so much pride in the food they served.



The chicken breast meat was tender. The meat was not stringy or fibrous but smooth and moist. Not much flavouring sauce was used, so I am able to taste the chicken flavour. I like the taste of chicken flavour in my chicken rice.

For customers who prefer more intense flavourings, and many do, the stall provides sesame oil and house blended soy sauce which customers are welcome to help themselves to.

Chicken breast is probably the hardest part of a chicken to get right because without much, if any fat, it is generally fibrous and bland unless skilfully prepared.

After this small sampling, I can't wait to come back with the eat gang to try out a whole chicken; thighs, drumsticks, wings, bishop's nose and all.



The chicken liver was nicely done too. Clean tasting, tender and creamy with the distinct liver flavour.



The rice made with mostly quality grains was lightly flavoured and aromatic with chicken flavour, loose, had a soft nutty bite and not overly greasy.

The little clump of achar (pickled vegetables) side was fresh, juicy and nicely balanced sweet, salty and tangy. I like this achar (and dislike the overly sour type that makes me cringe ;-p ).



The chicken rice comes with a small bowl of simple and nice soup. Today, it's black bean soup. Other days it could be Szechuan vegetable soup, cabbage soup and others.



The simple chili sauce was a blend of tangy, sweet, slightly salty and had a quite sharp spicy sting.

As it was not yet the busy lunch time when I finished my meal, I took the opportunity to speak with the friendly boss.



Friendly Mr. Chai hails from Kluang (Johor, Malaysia). He had worked in the kitchens of Raffles Hotel and Concorde Hotel in Singapore before striking out on his own 8 years ago to start this chicken rice stall.



This chicken rice stall is inside V6 Food Court which is actually a kopitiam.



I came back to V6 Ah Boy chicken rice a few more times with more kakis (buddies).



The quality had been consistently high. The chicken was always tender, juicy and flavoursome.



V6 Food Court at Blk 678A Choa Chu Kang Crescent is about 10 minutes walking distance from Yew Tee MRT station.



Sexy right? This simple looking but high quality chicken rice.

When I previously lived in Choa Chu Kang, I used to grumble that there is not much good food here hehehe ;-p

Can't really say that anymore.....

I'll be back for more.

Next time, if I am alone again, I will order the SGD4 set that comes with leafy greens. Better still, if I come with makan kakis, I want to try their whole chicken ;-D.

Restaurant name : Ah Boy Chicken Rice Stall (at V6 Food Court)
Address : Blk 678A, Choa Chu Kang Crescent, Singapore.
Map : http://bit.ly/V6Chicken
GPS: 1.401471, 103.744712
Hours : 7:30 am to 8:00 pm (Closed on alternate Thurs).
No pork, no lard, no Halal cert.

Date visited: 24 Feb 2015, 28 Feb 2015, 12 Apr 2015

Return to Johor Kaki homepage.

Old National Library Nam Seng Wanton Mee Noodles in Singapore 南生云吞面

I still remember this counter at the entrance of National Library

✍ Update 7 Feb 2024. Mdm Leong Yuet Meng founder of "National Library wantan mee" passed on on 6 Feb 2024.

Rest in Peace, thank you and always in our memories.

✍ 5 Dec 2020. Founded in 1962 at the National Library at Stamford Road, Nam Seng Noodle House called it a day in Nov 2020 after 58 years. Owner Mdm Leong Yuet Meng was still full of feist and zest at age 91 but the drastic drop in business since Apr 2020 due to social distancing requirements to stem the spread of Covid-19 virus meant Singapore's oldest wanton mee stall was no longer sustainable.

We will miss Mdm Leong and her infectious cheerfulness. We wish her the best of health and lots of wonderful times with her family and great grandchildren in her well deserved retirement.

A BIG thank you! for the wonderful memories.

Mdm Leong is not ready to quit! She is now looking for a new location for her business. We wish Mdm Leong the best in her endeavours.

✍ 23 Feb 2015. When I was at Club Meatballs along China Street last month, I noticed Nam Seng Wanton Mee 南生云吞面 directly opposite across the road. It's like bumping into a long lost friend and I immediately made a date for a reunion.

Today, I paid my old friend a visit. As I walked towards Nam Seng in great anticipation, I tried to recall what my old friend was like. Frankly, I couldn't remember exactly much. The only thing that stuck was the good feelings that I had when I was with this old friend. Then, my thoughts turned to, how is my friend today?

Needless to say, the circumstances are completely different now. (Image of National Library in 1967 courtesy of NAS. This was the time my dad started taking me to the library.)

Credit: Source of photo is unknown

When we first meet, Nam Seng was a corner wanton mee stall at the small, dingy "food centre" under the cooling shade of a big tree just beside our National Library at Stamford Road. It was there since 1958, before I was born.

I remember beside Nam Seng wanton mee was a drinks stall with lots of bumble bees buzzing around it. Does anyone here remember this and the other stalls at the old National Library hawker centre?

Today, Nam Seng is in a prettily dressed up pre-war shop lot under the shadow of glass towers in Singapore's Central Business District.


Nam Seng Wanton Mee SGD5

I couldn't really recognise this old friend of mine, when we reunited. My memory of things is bad, really. The last time we met was in the mid 1990s when I brought my kids there; that's at least 30 years ago. At that time, we just slurped and ate. Thankfully we didn't have the modern bad habit of analysing or photographing our food and posting on social media before we ate.



The egg noodles were quite thick and heavy. It had a slight crunch but the type that lacked spring. My memory is bad (so don't take my word for it) but my impression was that Nam Seng's noodles of old were the lively, well oiled, slender, angel hair type.



The sauce was mainly soy, oil and chili plus others I don't know. There wasn't much of it and it crossed my mind to splash in some of the soup to moisten things up a little. I refrained as I wanted to taste the noodles as it was.

The chili seemed familiar, slightly tart and quite spicy; it's like a distinct birth mark I remember of my old friend. Mixed together, it was a blend of salty, sweet, tart and spicy. It lacked the aroma of lard and sesame oil.



The char siew looked like it had been sliced and left around for a bit of time. It's almost all lean meat. Quite dry and quite bland except for the sweet tasting marinade.



The soup had a slight anchovy flavour and was quite sweet, maybe sugary.



The wantons were stuffed with minced pork which was a blend of fat and meat. The wantons had the traditional sesame oil flavour which I liked. The wanton skin was thick though.

After my meal, I struck up polite conversation with a gentleman helping to run the shop. He told me that the lady boss is still at the shop.



I was thrilled and in awe to meet Mdm Leong, the grande madame of Singapore food heritage. (Mdm Leong prefers me to address her as Ah Po 啊婆, the respectful way to address a senior lady in Cantonese.)

Ah Po was friendly, sharp and alert. She had a charming, impish, cherubic smile. We chatted a while and Ah Po graciously offered me a drink. Of course, Ah Po don't know me personally. She laughed heartily when I joked that that is because she is famous and I am not 😂

But Ah Po remembered vividly the little school children from all around the Stamford Road area and the National Library, buzzing like bumble bees around her busy stall. Sometimes, when a child comes to the stall with insufficient or no pocket money, Ah Po will just let the boy or girl eat without paying. To Ah Po, I am just one of those children who later brought our own children to eat at her well loved stall. To this day, Ah Po still remembers us kids and our kids fondly. We are all, in a way, her kids too.

In the 2004, the little food centre where Ah Po's wanton mee stall was at was demolished along with the National Library to make way for a road. Ah Po moved her stall to a few places including to Joo Chiat and also stopped work for a while, before finally settling down here at China Street at the invitation of the developers of Far East Square.

Ah Po's three sons are all grown up and she has grand children, and great grandchildren. Ah Po said she enjoys the routine and life of selling wanton mee, and it was obvious that she did. Wanton Mee is her life and she is full of zest for life!



As today is the 5th day of Chinese New Year, I wished Ah Po Happy New Year and she in turn wished me and all her fans happiness, prosperity and good health.

To say Nam Seng has a special place in our hearts is not a hollow cliche. Many Singaporeans had their first dates here. We don't know how many hearts melted or were given away over a plate of Nam Seng wanton mee under the shady big tree at the hawker centre - there must have been more than quite a few.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you Madam Leong for all that you have done for us.

If you had been looking for Nam Seng wanton mee and wishes to say hello to Ah Po, you know where to find her.

Restaurant name: Nam Seng Wanton Mee 南生云吞面
Address: 25 China Street, #01-01 Far East Square, Singapore
Tel: +65 6438 5669
Hours: Mon-Fri: 8:00 am-8:00 pm | Sat: 8:00 am-3:00 pm (Closed on Sunday)

Non Halal

Date visited: 23 Feb 2015

Return to Johor Kaki homepage.

Atmosphere Bistro Bar at Parkland Green, East Coast Park, Singapore

Opened only in Oct 2014, Atmosphere Bistro Bar at East Coast Park is already packing in the crowds, especially on weekends. If you like a seaward facing, breezy al fresco table, do call ahead to reserve a table as otherwise you will likely be assigned indoor seating. Atmosphere's tel: +65 6440 9705.



Atmosphere is a sports bar.

There were widescreen TVs at many points around the bistro and a large screen in the middle. Atmosphere will be an excellent place to watch your favourite teams while enjoying your drinks and the sea breeze.

The food we had was competent and reasonably priced. The bar had an extensive drinks menu which were also competitively priced.



Ordering was via an iPad menu, which was quite user friendly. The food came quite quickly once we confirmed our orders, though one dish did come a lot later than the rest. Overall, an efficient, easy to use system.



Caesar's Salad SGD6.80++.

The powdery grated cheese was very salty and the dressing was sourish. The salad wasn't appetising.



Atmosphere's Rib Eye Steak SGD25.80++



I asked for my rib eye to be done medium rare. The steak came nicely pink and moist but there was not much flavour and it was quite chewy. The watery brown sauce wasn't of much help either. (The bluish hue is due to the blue tint lighting in the bistro.)



Lamb Rack SGD20.80++



Looked nicely pink and juicy but the lamb didn't have much flavour and was a little chewy.



Miso Salmon SGD18.80++

I didn't taste this dish.



Scallop Baked Rice SGD16.80++

The rice buried under the blanket of salty melted cheese was soft and soggy. The scallops were not fresh.



Blue Lagoon cocktail SGD13.00++. 

We also had a bucket of 5 beers in bottles at SGD33++ (generic imported brand, so no pic ;-p ).



I like the happening atmosphere at Atmosphere and can see myself coming here to catch major sports events. I'll stick to drinks and some finger food to go with it, for the time being.



Atmosphere Bistro Bar is located right opposite Parkway Parade shopping centre across the East Coast Parkway. There are ample parking spaces available.



Atmosphere is within the Parkland Green cluster of restaurants in East Coast Park.



The view of Atmosphere Bistro Bar from the car park.

Restaurant name: Atmosphere Bistro Bar
Address: 920 East Coast Parkway, #01-25/26/27, Singapore
Map: http://bit.ly/AtmosphereBistro
Hours: Mon – Thu: 6 pm – 12 midnight | Fri: 6pm – 1am | Sat & Sun: 10:30 am – 1:00 am
Tel: +65 6440 9705

Non Halal

Date visited: 22 Feb 2015

Return to Johor Kaki homepage.