Go east, my friend told me some years ago. For a while I stuck to the east within the country, going to Calcutta and returning home to Delhi. Then, a few months ago, I was persuaded by my friends to venture a little further. I agreed on the condition that we’d go to a place known for its food. So we – a group of six – landed up in Thailand.
If you are a food lover, this is a place that you must visit. It wasn’t just a happy trip, it was a non-stop food festival. Each and every meal was memorable – starting right from the first day’s lunch at a road side restaurant where we were introduced to a bowl of what looked like pork intestines (we couldn’t quite tell, for language was a problem in the smaller eateries, where few spoke English). On some days we went to the local markets to pick up food – buying delicious beef curries and steamed shrimp at very low costs from smiling women at the stalls — who had thankfully put up signs in front of their ware, giving the rates to help clueless travellers like us.
On a few occasions we ate in restaurants, where the food was truly superb. One such restaurant was the famed Cabbages and Condoms in Bangkok (address: 10 Sukhumvit, Soy 12).
I had, of course, heard and read about the restaurant, which is quite a landmark in the Thailand capital. A few people living in Bangkok had recommended it as well. And one afternoon, while just sauntering around our hotel, we found to our surprise that the restaurant was right next to it.
So two of us – a breakaway group that had rebelled against shopping – went there for lunch. We asked for a plate of khao phad nam prik long reua – fried rice with shrimp paste and sweet pork — and gaeng ped pedd yang — hot and sweet roasted duck cooked with coconut milk and green pepper. I loved the duck, though it didn’t wow my friend. And I thought the rice dish was excellent. I mixed all the ingredients and had a very nice lunch indeed.
We were back there that evening – this time the full contingent. The teenager with us was missing dimsums, so when we found that the restaurant served kha nom jeeb – Thai styled dimsums with steamed minced chicken wrapped in rice sheets – we quickly asked for a plate. This was wonderfully moist and light. We went on to ask for one of the specials of the day – duck with tamarind sauce – which was really very good. The meat had been roasted well and yet was soft, and the tangy tamarind sauce was just what it needed to give it a pleasant kick.
We had some phad phak ruam mit – sautéed mixed vegetables – and gang kiew wan — a wonderfully aromatic Thai green curry with pork, cooked with round eggplants. There was a spicy prawn dish, and I thoroughly enjoyed the meek rob – thin, crisply fried noodles with shrimp.
The food was superb, but the place is magical, too. The name seeks to demystify condoms, so that people buy them as they would cabbages. The restaurant came up as part of a movement to promote safe sex and family planning in Thailand. Instead of mint, it offers condoms with the bill, there are posters on the wall promoting the use of condoms and at the entrance there are some quirky statues made only out of condoms. And the place, even on a weekday, is bustling with life.
This sort of brought our food-and-fun fest to an end. West is west, but east is best, I told myself as we boarded our flight to come back home.
Rahul Verma is a seasoned street food connoisseur.
