Exploring Bangkok part 2- Union Mall (Fashion mall) & Central Plaza Lat Phrao

Today is Mike's off day so we decided to go to Bangkok for a day trip. We have decided to go to the Union Mall as I have heard a lot about it that there is a lot of fashionable thing over there and more varieties than Platinum Mall.

We set off from Kanchanaburi at 7am and reached Bangkok at 9.30am, as it was still early we parked our car at nearby Big C supermarket (free parking) and walked over to Union Mall. 

Please note that Union Mall open at 11am so we went to Central Plaza (the shopping mall beside Union Mall) first and look for Cinema. Long time never watch English Movie so we decided to watch GI. Joe 2 at Central Plaza and it cost 200 Baht (less than SGD$8) each for good spacious seat. The movie is abit disappointing but still not too bad. Kindly note that watching movie in Thailand, there is a short clip on the King and please stand up when you see that as this is their practice over there.

There is Krispy Kreme at the mall, so please get it when you are there. Please try the original Glazed donuts.

  

We walked pass a dessert shop call "after you Dessert Cafe", there are a lot of people standing in front of the shop taking queue number. We also went to take the number, we waited for approx. 45 minutes until our number is being called.

The lava cake is so soft and the chocolate is not so sweet. Nice. Please try it when you are there.

There are other outlets too.

Those people who love Platinum Mall, you will love Union Mall. The shop layout is about the same as Platinum Mall but is more spacious walkway. There are a lot of varieties (fashion, shoes, bags, make up and even IT stuff) as compared to Platinum Mall, you will not see the same thing all over the mall. It is more expensive as this is not a wholesale mall but the clothes there is so pretty. As I do not really need to dress up here so I give up a lot of clothes that I LOVE.. It is quite big and has a lot of shops that you may shop here for a day.

Location of Union Mall

54 Lat Phrao Road, Chom Phon, Chatuchak, Bangkok, 10900

You can take the MRT to Phahon Yothin station as it is beside the MRT.

Map- indicate Union Mall

Location of Central Plaza

Ho Wang, Chatuchak, Bangkok 10900, Thailand

You can take the MRT to Phahon Yothin Station as it is beside the MRT.

Map- indicate Central Plaza

Is shrimps time...

During Mike friends' stay at our house, I have cooked 2 shrimp dish on 2 different days. Both dishes received good comments so I would want to share with you all.

1st dish (stir fired shrimp with chilli and spring onion)

Ingredients:
12 shrimps or prawn (depend on you)
2 stalks of spring onion (cut to thin slices)
2-3 spoons of dark soya sauce
3 small chilli (cut to thin slices)
5 small onion (cut to thin slices)

How to:
1. Put some salt on the shrimps before fry.
2. In a pan, heat oil and stir fry the onions.
3. Add the shrimps and stir until 3/4 cooked.
4. Then add the dark soya sauce, chilli and spring onion together, mix well. 
5. Cover the lid and simmer for about 2-3 minutes.

2nd dish (shrimps with lot of garlic)

Ingredients:
12 shrimps or prawn (depend on you)
1 stalk of spring onion (cut to thin slices)
lots of garlic (chopped or grinded)


Marinade:
2 spoons of chinese wine
1 spoon of light soya sauce
1 spoon of sesame oil


How to:
1. Cut a opening on the shrimps shell (as shown in the picture)
2. Mix the garlic with the marinade.
3. Stuff the garlic on the opening of the shrimp.
4. Put the spring onion on top of the shrimp and put to steam for 5 minutes.

Pork with lot of onions....

These 5 days I have being cooking for Mike and his friends as his friends stay at our house for 5 days due to Song Kran festival (water festival). Ha ha as they are my guinea pig to taste my cooking. Sorry that some of my food is abit salty as I overlook the amount of salt and the salted soya bean. Sorry about that.

Today I cook this pork belly with lot of onions and it received good comments so this is one of the successful dishes.

This is created by my mother in law and everyone love it. so please try it and give comments.

Ingredients:
300 grams of pork belly
2-3 packets of onions (chopped into thin slices) that is enough to cover the entire pork belly when cooking
3 spoons of dark soya sauce

Marinade:
2 spoons of oyster sauce
1 teaspoon of pepper
1 teaspoon of sugar

How to:
1. Combine pork belly with marinade for at least 1 hour.
2. In a pot, heat oil and stir fry the onions.
3. Add the pork belly and stir until cooked.
4. Then add the dark soya sauce together, mix well. 
5. Cover the lid and simmer for about 30-45 minutes.

sorry if it look unpleasant but it really taste good. 

Pork Noodle at Kanchanaburi (K Town)

When I explore good food at Kanchanaburi, I will also let you all know about it.

I am sitting at one of the cafe ( Cafe de' PARADISO) drinking mango smoothie while waiting for Mike's friend. During the Song Kran festival, we saw people pouring water at people with pail of water and water gun, this is their tradition to do it once a year. Everyone is having fun even though people pour water on them.

mango smoothie

After meeting his friend, Mike bring me to this small cafe which just serve pork noodle either dry or soup noodle. It is quite run down, if Mike did not bring me in, I will not step in. But after I taste it, it is really nice and it cost about 30-40 baht. Please try it when you at Kanchanaburi.

Pork noodle at K Town: the soup is so nice, full of pork taste and meat ball is chewy, love it.

Location:

U Thong 2 Soi, Mueng Kanchanaburi, Kanchanaburi

open from 7am to 6pm

Steamed chicken with black fungus and mushroom

Cook this for mike's friend and received good comments so like to share with you all.

Ingredients:
300 grams of chicken leg or chicken wing
some dried mushroom- to boil it first and cut away the stem
some black fungus
6-7 slices of ginger (cut to thin slices)
1 tablespoon of oil

Marinade:
2 tablespoons of oyster sauce
1 teaspoon of pepper
2 tablespoons of chinese wine (Hua Tiao)
1 tablespoon of sesame oil

How to:
1. Combine chicken with marinade for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour.
2. Place the chicken in plate together with the dried mushroom, ginger, black fungus and oil.
3. Steam it for 45 minutes.

Exploring Kanchanaburi- Muang Sing Historical Park & Sai Yok Noi Waterfall

Mike is off again due to Songkran festival in Thailand and we decided to explore Muang Sing Historical park and Sai Yok Noi Waterfall with his friends.

The journey is about 1 hour car ride from our house, but I hate long journey. During the journey, you will see vegetation, hill and river, so still not too bad.

We reach Muang Sing Historical Park first at 9am, the first few tourist to reach there as the park open at 9am. Muang Sing is actually a ancient city located in Tambon Sing of Amphoe Sai Yok, can be dated to 13th and 14th centuries. There are 4 monuments in side the city wall of Muang Sing.

The Monument No 1 and 2 is quite big and frankly speaking I have not go to such historical place before so I am amazed by the building, like how they build it and how they still standing strong.

Monuments No. 1

One of my favorite photo that I took 

One of my favorite photo that I took 

 One of my favorite photo that I took 

Monument No.2

Kwae Noi River

After which, we went to Sai Yok Noi water fall, is another 30 minutes car drive from Muang Sing Historical Park. As that day is a public holiday for the Thai, thus it is very crowded at the water fall.

Sesame oil Chicken with mushroom

I have revised the recipe that I took from my mother in law and it taste good. I am too engrossed in cooking and eating that I forgotten to take photo, will take the photo when I cook this dish again. 


If you do not like mushroom, you can replace it with potatoes. Please use clay pot to cook this dish as it really taste different when I use steel pot to cook it.


Ingredients:
300 grams of chicken leg or chicken wing
some dried mushroom- to boil it first and cut away the stem
6-7 slices of ginger
2 tablespoons of sesame oil
1-2 spoon of dark soya sauce
1 cup of water

Marinade:
3 spoons of oyster sauce
1 teaspoon of pepper
1 teaspoon of sugar
2 spoon of chinese wine (Hua Tiao)


How to:
1. Combine chicken with marinade for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour.
2. In a claypot, heat sesame oil and stir fry the garlic.
3. Add the chicken and stir until cooked.
4. Then add the mushroom and dark soya sauce together, mix well. 
5. Add the water, mix well , cover the lid and simmer for about 30-45 minutes.

Exploring Kanchanaburi- Tiger Temple & Erawan Waterfall

As Mike is off for several days, we are going to explore Kanchanaburi with his friend, Kumar, Doctor and Jacky.

We went to Tiger Temple and Erawan Waterfall on 12 April 2013 as I think this is the few attraction place to go in Kanchanaburi.

It is quite sad to see the tiger being chain up and the people are so rough with them like pulling their tail and get them to position for us to take photo. We saw the monk giving them medicine like sleeping pill that why they are so tame and have that sleepy look.

On the way to the attraction, I can see hill and river, how I wish I could stop over to take some photo, will do that soon.

 on the way to the attraction

  Asian bear

 tame tiger

 first time so near with the tiger..

can't go near the 3 tiger cos they are not drug yet.

sawadii ka from Kanchanaburi

 Erawan waterfall- just only manage to reach the 4th level waterfall, will try again next time..

view from the top

Location of the tiger temple

Lum Sum, Sai Yok

Location of Erawan Waterfall

Mu 4, Tha Kradan sub-district, Amphur Si Sawat, 71250