Food Nostalgia: Krung Thep Street Eats

I was fortunate enough to be able to spend some time living in Bangkok some almost ten years ago. And one of the great things I loved about living in Bangkok was (and still is) the inexpensive, fabulous food. Sure there are lots of nice restaurants serving Royal Thai Cuisine and the like but for everyday fare I'd be extremely happy with the street food. While you get a whole lot of guides and blogs telling you to go to places as Sukhumvit soi 38 for a whole array of street food carts, I never really felt the need to go there as I had a lot to choose from within the vicinity of my flat alone. Here are just a few examples:


Service with a smile. Freshly fried tod man pla or fish cakes. The fish paste is made on-site daily (maybe even a few times a day), infused with fresh herbs and shaped into patties. These are then served with a sweet cucumber relish.


The shorter sausages at the rear are called sai krog isaan, a slightly fermented pork and rice sausage popular in Northeast Thailand. The longer sausages are called sai ua; also made of pork and usually loaded with chilies, coriander, garlic, kaffir lime leaves and other aromatics. These are all grilled on coals and are fabulous eaten with som tam (papaya salad) and sticky rice.

Roti's also available on the streets. Super thin elastic dough whipped and stretched then fried in oil. Only its not served with the usual curry or gravy on the side. These are filled with either shredded chicken (roti gai) and a freshly cracked egg and served with a vegetable chutney on the side; or sliced bananas and an egg (roti gluai) then drizzled over the top with condensed milk. I favor the latter with the slightly crisp, slightly chewy roti on the outside with the rich, gooey bananas and soft cooked eggs on the inside.

Every block in Bangkok probably has its own cooked food market. Large covered structures with independent stalls offering their own specialties. Depicted on the top frame is a typical vendor's setup; cooking food to order. And below is an ambulant vendor selling, if I remember correctly, something like laarb or ground meat salad with herbs and toasted rice powder. Food is within reach anywhere.

Thailand has a lot of varieties of noodle dishes. From the ubiquitous pad thai to gwaeytiao ruea (boat noodles) to pad see ew (noodles fried in soy sauce), my favorite seems to be one of the most basic ones called ba mee haeng or literally "egg noodles, dry". There are as many versions of this as the number of people who make it but my favorite "aunt" who runs this shophouse not far from my old apartment satisfies the most. She makes this by blanching some springy egg noodles, bean sprouts and a handful of greens in some broth, drains them and tops with fishballs, sliced meats, you tiao and fried wonton skins then drizzles some lard on the top. I then fine tune this with some nam plaa (fish sauce), chili flakes, sugar and vinegar on the table. To this very day, whenever I'm in Bangkok, which I try to do every year, I swing by for this particular bowl.

Fruits are big in Thailand. Big and sweet. The mangoes I love, especially eaten with sweetened sticky rice cooked in coconut milk and then topped with salty crispy beans. Thai variety mangoes have this flavor and texture profile similar to what we locally refer to as "Indian" mangoes, but like three times the size. Farangs or guavas are as huge as softballs. I miss eating the slightly pickled variety called farang dong sold along with other fresh fruit on ice, typically carted along everywhere in the metropolis.

What's interesting to point out is that most vendors are one dish ventures; cooking only one type of food day in and day out, with perfected recipes and an insistence of using only fresh ingredients. It really is quick service with fine dining kitchen mentality. And with most street treats being in the Bht20 to 50 range, its exactly the type of fast food I wouldn't mind eating every day.

Food Nostalgia: Ding How Dim Sum House

Cebu is a place that has always held many good memories for me. Growing up, I spent many a summer vacation with my grandparents, aunts and uncles who lived there. It was a carefree existence spent watching movies, reading, swimming, playing basketball with the neighbors, and, of course, eating. The whole family loved to eat. Trips to the beach would never be without the famous Cebu lechon (roast pig), as well as roasted fish, kinilaw (ceviche), barbecue and a whole host of other typical beach food. When the family decided to eat out, arguments would ensue, as everyone had his or her favorite restaurant. My choice then was always Ding How Dimsum House. Up to today, if I had only one day to spend in Cebu, and I were given choice as to where I would have one meal, there would be no contest. Ding How would win every time.

Established in 1969 by the Uytengsu Family, Ding How has stood the test of time. It started with one location and it has since metamorphosed into the Harbour City Group, composed of two Harbour City Restaurants and smaller Dimsum Break outlets that offer a smaller menu and delivery service.

Various Fried Goodies

I still remember the first time I went to Ding How. I must have been five years old. My mom took me to the original branch at the intersection of Colon and Juan Luna Streets. It was my first time to witness a restaurant that had (and still has) uniformed waitresses wearing face masks who push around carts with different little plates of food. My mom called one of the ladies and ordered a plate of fried lumpia (spring rolls) for me. I watched with fascination as the lady used a pair of scissors to cut the spring rolls into bite-sized pieces. She then pulled out a plastic squeeze bottle and added a generous amount of sweet and sour sauce. Then she served the dish to me with a fork. I used to be a very finicky eater (yes, Chinkee, it's true). My parents would have a very hard time feeding me, as it would literally take hours and major drama before I would finish a meal. So here's my mom, once again forcing me to eat. I take a bite and...I was hooked. Thus began a lifelong love for Ding How, dim sum and food in general. You could say that it was my first food-related defining moment.

Shades of yesteryear: Uniformed server with steamed assortment

Fast forward to 2010. I am in Cebu to attend a family wedding at the Shangrila Mactan Resort. I make sure that I find the time to go to Harbour City, the latest incarnation of Ding How. The place has a more modern feel to it, but in essence it's still the Ding How that I remember. The menu has remained the same. The old favorites, like asado siopao (char siu bao), hakao (steamed shrimp dumplings) and other types of typical dim sum fare, are ever present and cost P50 per serving. Very reasonable, don't you think?

Spring Rolls. Notice the plastic squeeze bottles and the pair of scissors

My favorites are what I call the holy trinity. Steamed fried rice, cucumber salad and fried spring rolls. These are the three dishes that I have ordered during the countless times that I have eaten at this restaurant through the years. Steamed fried rice is very similar to the Fujian fried rice that is now available in many Chinese restaurants. Its wet and saucy consistency makes it a meal on its own. Ding How's version is unique in the sense that the rice is fried, then placed in individual ceramic bowls and steamed for a short amount of time. After steaming, the rice is topped with a rich meaty sauce. This version of fried rice is not to be missed. Very tasty indeed.

The cucumber salad is a simple dish of pickled, sliced finger-length cucumbers. I feel that this dish is quite significant to me, as it brought out my love for all types of pickles. To this day, when we go to markets or bazaars, my wife always keeps me away from the booths that sell different types of pickles and atchara (pickled vegetables), as our refrigerator is full of bottles of pickles that have been amassed during previous visits.

Steamed Fried Rice and Cucumber Salad

An order of spring rolls now look exactly like how it was always served. I love the sweet and sour sauce that comes with it. Its syrupy consistency and tangy flavor, with hints of red vinegar and, possibly, pineapple juice (?) is something that has and will always be one of my all time favorites. I take a crunchy, sticky bite and immediately I am awash with memories: having a lumpia eating contest with my cousins... reading the last letter that my Grandfather wrote while he was on a trip to Manila and was suddenly taken ill and had to be hospitalized. Sadly, he never recovered. I happened to be in Cebu at that time and he specifically singled me out in the letter by reminding me, jokingly, not to eat to at Ding How all the time because the Uytengsus might adopt me.... Taking my own wife and, subsequently, my kids to Ding How for the first time. I cannot believe how a single restaurant can evoke all these special memories.

Everyone I know always asks me about whether I would recommend Ding How to them when they visit Cebu. And to be honest, I say yes. Then they ask, "Why, is it that good?" I say it's different. Ding How has a distinct flavor that is all its own. Eat in any other dim sum place around the world and you will not find anything quite like it. Although I must admit that my opinions are a little biased given the personal history involved. It is still a place worth trying out, if only to get a unique taste of Chinese food, Cebu style, in a restaurant that has been around for the past forty one years.

Harbour City Dim Sum House has branches at the Ayala Center Cebu or at SM Cebu. Dimsum break has various Branches around the city.

On the Table: Chef Andreas Gillar

Austrian executive pastry chef Andreas Gillar has been in the exacting pastry business for more than two decades and running. After his studies in Vienna and managing pastry kitchens in major hotel groups all over Asia, including the executive pastry chef post of The Peninsula Manila, he now joins Enderun Colleges’ esteemed faculty.

Fresh off a highly successful one-night only 8-course dinner at Restaurant 101, Master Chef Gillar ingeniously showcased an infusion of pastry techniques to savory dishes; churning out exotic fare as foie gras macarons, lobster panna cottas and black olive and cured tomato baklavas. Topping off the dinner was not one, but three decadent dessert courses; including a 68% bitter chocolate mousse I’m still suffering withdrawal from.

Did you grow up with food? Any particular food related memory as a child?

Yes, I grew up with food, also we Austrians love to eat! None in my family or relatives was really into the food business but as a child at the age of 12-14 I helped my mom in baking the Sunday afternoon teacakes.

What made you decide to be a professional cook?

Well, maybe it was by accident. Back in Austria, next to our school was a small cafe house and they had a show kitchen. From the sidewalk you could see the chef decorating cakes and it looked so nice! Probably this can be one reason why I chose pastry. When I started to apprentice, I found out the hard way that it wasn’t that easy to make nice pastries because it needed a lot of effort and patience. But I started to love my chosen business. I learned fast and studied hard. At the age of 22 I went to the Master School for Pastry in Vienna to attain the highest level of pastry knowledge.

Any advice you could give to home enthusiasts/home bakers?

Start simple. Be open to learn the basic methods (even I still need to stick to basic methods). When the basics are learned well it’s easy to build up on it after.

Stay only with natural ingredients and flavors.

Being a sort-of home baker as well, you have a long list of products to offer clients. I’m sure you have your popular items but what is your favorite among them and why?

Green Tea Opera Cake: its basically a classic cake, but the green tea flavor gives a nice touch to the product

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Chocolate Raspberry Cake: its a chocolate mousse cake (with a strong chocolate taste) with raspberry jelly. I love the combination of chocolate and the sourness of the raspberries, its goes beautiful together

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What I basically try in many items is not to bring in different tastes alone. I also focus on different textures…crunchy, creamy, foam, jelly, etc. And even spices I use from time to time like chili with chocolate and pink pepper with berries.

Do you like any Filipino sweets?

There are plenty of nice desserts in the Philippines. Sansrival, ube (like sticky rice) and halo-halo.

You’re at home, hungry; what would you have as a midnight snack?

Here in Asia I got used to midnight snacking. Usually it’s a homemade ham, egg and cheese sandwich and a beer. With cheddar cheese and sour cream flavor Ruffles- that is the real fat maker!

Anything you would not eat or never eat again?

Durian. Yuck. In Indonesia they made me eat durian. I’d rather have a balut than durian.

If you didn’t end up as a chef, what would you be?

A ski teacher. Back in Austria I was a great skier. I even got offered a job once.