Suppose you live or work in the McCormick Hospital/Payap
University neighborhood on Kaew Nawarat Road. It’s lunchtime, and you’re
really busy. Where do you go for a quick but tasty bite? Or your work is done
for the day, and you’ve promised your roommate that you’ll pick up dinner on
the way home. Maybe you’re new in town, and love the smells emanating from the
sidewalk vendors. Where do local Thais as well as farangs go?
Try this scenario: You want Thai food but the younger members
of your household prefer cheeseburgers and fries. Now what do you do? Don’t
despair. You have plenty of choices without resorting to fast food chains,
multiple stops or even leaving the neighborhood. And your choices are not only
tasty, they’re downright inexpensive by anybody’s standards. Do what you do
when trying to navigate across Thapae Road in rush hour traffic - just go with
the locals and step out boldly!
One place you’re likely to find the locals is named “Fast
Food”. Located just across from Siam Commercial Bank on Kaew Nawarat Road,
it’s in a pale green building on the corner. Downstairs is open-air seating,
but for air conditioned comfort in hot weather just walk to the back of the
restaurant and take the stairs to the second floor. It’s open everyday from 8
a.m. until 9.30 p.m., reservations are never needed, parking is on the street,
and it really does serve “Fast Food”. It usually takes 10 minutes from the
time you place your order until your meal is on the table. Western style dinners
of pepper steak, pork cutlet and fried chicken start at 60 baht, small
cheeseburgers served with French fries cost 30 baht, and there is a selection of
spaghetti dishes at 45 baht. The macaroni with shrimp is a tasty dish, an East
meets West recipe – macaroni, tomatoes, onions and shrimp stir-fried together.
But don’t forget the Thai dishes. Fried rice starts at 25 baht and noodles
start at 20 baht. Fruit and ice cream are on the menu, but so is a banana split
at 35 baht. With a menu listing 87 items, you can usually find something for
everyone.
If
you don’t find what you want on this menu, though, just go across the street
towards McCormick Hospital to the collection of open-air restaurants and food
vendors there. This is a place to explore. Don’t make up your mind too
quickly. There are many large and small restaurants along this stretch, all
serving home style Thai food in the most casual of atmospheres. At night, the
number of motorcycles and double-parked automobiles makes a strong statement for
the taste, freshness and value of this food. The chicken and rice is
particularly good, and I love the duck. But walk on down the street further from
the hospital and you’ll find outstanding Pad Thai in a little caf้ that
seats no more than a dozen people. Much of the business done at night is take
away, but you will find many people joining you on plastic stools under
circulating fans if you eat in. Most dishes are priced at 20 to 30 baht. You can
buy soft drinks and beer, too. The little bakeries have nice single serving
cakes, but traditional Thai and Chinese sweets are sold right on the sidewalk by
vendors. And don’t forget to pick up a bag of fresh fruit for a snack later
on. I have never found a good cup of coffee in this neighborhood, though, so
please let me know if you do.
Keep walking and you’ll run right into Bud’s of San
Francisco, which offers excellent ice cream, sundaes and shakes at reasonable
prices. You can have the special flavor of the day for 15 baht or the Super
Bowl, enough ice cream and goodies to feed a small village for 175 baht. Don’t
forget to take some home. You can always rationalize eating a little ice cream
when you consider the fresh and healthy Thai food that you had for dinner.
Remembering that every meal is an adventure, but not necessarily an expensive
or formal one, we may see you in your neighborhood soon.
