subject: A Dining Tour Is A Gateway To Heaven [print this page] You have landed in Bangkok and plan to relax and entertain yourself. You could possibly go for a Thai massage a must for many or view a traditional dance. On the other hand you have to eat, that is one activity you are surely not going to miss out on. So you can plan to eat out at various restaurants offering diverse cuisines and be a little adventurous.
It goes without saying that Thai cuisine is available in every nook and corner. You can enjoy Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese and Indian food. You will discover that Korean and Vietnamese food have their own tastes and flavors. Chinese food you would doubtlessly have tasted but here it is different.
Indian food has made it big in many parts of the world in the past 10 years, it will not taste the same as what you get in Delhi, Amsterdam or London. You can obviously find pizzas these are no longer Italian but a world food. You can even find American, Lebanese, French, Spanish and other foods. You may have to search around for restaurants serving these foods but they are there.
Prices vary from restaurant to restaurant so you could well plan in advance if you are slightly more than a budget traveler. Alternately you could subscribe to the Asian Cuisine Menu Tour a company started by Ann Aikins. This tour takes you through 10 meals in as many restaurants over the course of 5 days.
What is the benefit of such a tour? The greatest benefit is that you are guided into eating. The staff at restaurants often with limited English may not he able to assist you conclusively.
Further Ann who is Thai, has put her husband Tom an American on the job. He has reviewed over 400 restaurants in Bangkok and can tell you not only the origin and background of each dish served but also how it varies from the original. He is not a foodie or a gourmet, he is a walking, talking and eating encyclopedia. Without him this Dining Tour pales.
You could very well set up your own dining tour but Tom who has lived in Bangkok for well over a decade makes all the difference. If you are staying longer you can ask for tips on where to eat, hell overload
you with suggestions.
The restaurants in the dining tour are Arirang - Korean , Suda - Thai, Red - Indian, Xing Fu - Chinese, Thien Duong - Vietnamese, Lok Wah Hin - Chinese, Blue Elephant - Royal Thai, Sri Ganesha Indian and the only vegetarian one in the list, Ten Sui - Japanese, Kalpapruek - modern Thai.
Remember when you go in on your own, prices are going to staggeringly high compared to when you latch on to the Aikins for a package deal. Also when you go as a group you get to taste many more dishes. Bon Apetit.
