By Tana Kosiyabong
After a few days in Bangkok, I decided to take a trip to Ayutthaya, an ancient capital of Thailand. Located just an hour north of Bangkok, the old city is perfect for a day trip. Ayutthaya Kingdom (sometimes spelled Ayuddhaya) existed from 1351 to 1767. According to Wikipedia, the city was once comparable to Paris in both size and wealth. Sadly, the once glorious kingdom was reduced into ruins and debris by the Burmese invasion in the last year of its existence. [...]
By Tana Kosiyabong
The Vancouver 2010 Olympics are over. It’s time to move on. During the next two months or so, I will alternate between my Thai culinary adventure stories and Vancouver restaurant reviews. With no further ado, here’s my first installment on Cheap Appetite in Thailand.
I landed on the Suvarnabhumi Airport, the new Bangkok international airport, at 10:30 pm. It was a breeze getting through the Thai immigration and custom. So I had to wait a bit for my brothers to pick me up. By the time we got near our house, it was almost midnight but we did stop at the Sukhumvit 38 Road for some midnight snacks. [...]
By Tana Kosiyabong
It was freezing when I woke up in a three-tatami-mat room at JuYoh Hotel. So I decided to go to the top floor to take a Japanese hot bath in the communal pool. Fortunately nobody was there. The bath was so relaxing I could have stayed submerged for hours, but I had a Cheap Appetite mission to complete before I left Japan at 5:30 p.m. [...]
By Tana Kosiyabong
I woke up around 8am on Christmas Eve, and after a short morning routine, I went off to work in Coal Harbour. Whether liked it or not, I did stay at the office until 1pm. “Thanks G-D,” I murmured to myself while heading out of the building. I was now officially on holiday for the next ten and a half days! This special time called for a special lunch. And I knew exactly where to go. [...]
By Tana Kosiyabong
It was the night before Christmas eve. While many shoppers still scrambled for last-minute gifts, I had no shopping left to do. So I headed to Chambar, a fancy Belgian restaurant in downtown Vancouver, to celebrate the holiday spirit. Don’t worry. I wasn’t out of my mind. I knew exactly what I was doing.
Normally Chambar was way out of my reach in terms of price. However, [...]
By Tana Kosiyabong
“Holy crap! It’s almost eleven,” I cried as I jumped out of bed in panic. I had a Cheap Appetite mission to tackle today. The plan was to survive a whole day at the Vancouver Public Library with only $10 food budget. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but I sure loved the challenge. Unfortunately, by the time I had made it to the library, it was already noon. I had missed the breakfast altogether. [...]
By Tana Kosiyabong
When I was young, authentic Western food in Thailand was hard to find. Nonetheless, some Chinese and Thai restaurants had concocted their own version of Western dishes. Most cooks/chefs had little or no training in European cuisine. They were forced to cook with locally available ingredients. Few people had ever heard of either extra virgin olive oil from Tuscany [...]
By Tana Kosiyabong
I love meat. It’s a staple in my diet as far as I could remember. Veggies, however, aren’t always my buddies. As a kid, I was a picky eater. I had all the patience in the world to pick out even the tiny pieces of veggies on the plate. Fortunately (or unfortunately?), my perseverance had diminished [...]
By Tana Kosiyabong
I have had a hard time classifying Dae-Ji. It is definitely Korean by name. However, most dishes are either Japanese or Western inspired. Only few dishes, like Kimchi fried rice, are traditional Korean cuisine. Dae-Ji is pretty much like a teenager suffering from an identity crisis. Because of this, the restaurant is rarely on the top [...]
By Tana Kosiyabong
I first heard about Yummy Sushi when I posted my Bon’s off Broadway breakfast link on the Chowhound.com forum a while back. Grayelf, a fellow food lover, had suggested Yummy Sushi as an alternative to Bon’s. I jotted down the name in my notebook along with many other suggestions for cheap breakfast joints in Vancouver. Unfortunately, I hadn’t had a chance to check any of them out yet. [...]
By Tana Kosiyabong
It was the lunch hour on a cold and rainy afternoon. My stomach was growling. I was desperately searching through my drawers and locker for any sign of edible items so that I could stay inside. Unfortunately, I got nothing to fill my empty stomach. It was do or die time. I must defy the spine chilling rain to grab something to eat. [...]
By Tana Kosiyabong
My love for Mexican food started in Lincoln, Nebraska. It was the combination of cheap prices and great tastes that had won me over. The most delicious fish burrito from D’ Leons was priced less than $5. Or an awesome “Big Nacho” chicken at Oso was $6.50 with a free drink on a certain day of the week. They are so good, I still miss them to this day. [...]
By Tana Kosiyabong
I’m not a morning person. And I normally don’t have time for breakfast. I just drink a glass of milk or soymilk and run out the door. On the weekends, I wake up around 10 am to let my pet parrotlet “Giant” out of his cage for a couple of hours or until he gets on my nerves. It takes me at least an hour to collect myself and be more social. I prefer not to [...]
By Tana Kosiyabong
I was born and raised in Thailand, so I’m well aware of the authenticity of Thai cuisine. More often than not, Thai food in North America tastes remotely like the authentic siblings. Sometimes I don’t even recognize them, especially those frozen dinners at the grocery stores. Thai chicken this. Thai noodle that. I had tried [...]
By Tana Kosiyabong
When I first saw the promo sign – $2.99 Shrimp Wonton Noodle Special – at the International Village, I did a double take (actually triple). It sounds like a great case of the Cheap Appetite. So, I walked into the East Fusion Food and ordered myself a hot bowl of shrimp wonton noodle soup, and a veggie spring roll. Fifteen minutes later, [...]
