Best Pad Thai in Bangkok

November 26, 2019

Pad Thai was actually invented for about 60 years as part of a marketing campaign to introduce more noodle dishes to the people of Thailand during a rice shortage. A contest was held to come up with the best noodle dish, and Pad Thai was the winner, hands down.

Pad Thai is a dish of wok-fried, wun sen lek noodles. To the noodles, tamarind paste, shrimp, spring onion, tofu, bean sprouts, chili flakes, chopped peanuts, and sugar are added. The result became a hit with locals and foreigners alike. It’s now considered to be a must-try for visitors to Thailand. Here are the top three restaurants in Bangkok that specialize in Pad Thai.

Baan Phadthai

This unassuming little restaurant near Sapan Taksin BTS station has devoted itself to the preparation of an excellent Pad Thai by using high-quality ingredients. It also offers some twists on the classic dish that substitute crab and grilled pork for shrimp.

This retro-decorated restaurant in an old shophouse takes you back to the Thailand of the past, with wooden tables and cabinets, and old Thai folk tunes mixed with popular cover versions of the hits of the sixties serenading you as you eat your meal.

Pad Thai Thip Samai

This famous restaurant among the locals has been in business for almost 50 years. The place is located on Machachai Road, near Wat Saket and if you miss it’s bright, red sign, look for the queues of people outside waiting to dig in to plate of their famous versions of the dish.

Portions at this restaurant are generous. So take it slow and don’t over-order. Their signature dish of egg pad Thai includes an omelet covering the noodles that are cooked over a fragrant wood fire.

Pad Thai Ekkamai

Head up Ekkamai Road, and just before Soi 19, look for the red sign in Thai on your left. There you’ll find the Pad Thai Ekkamai restaurant specializing in large portions of succulent seafood with your Pad Thai.

You can order basic Pad Thai for 45 baht, but be adventurous. Oder their signature dish of ‘Pad Thai Ekkamai.’ This is a rich and filling dish of fresh squid, mussels, and two large king prawns cooked to perfection.

The Growing Availability of Electric Vehicles in Thailand

September 18, 2019

The Growing Availability of Electric Vehicles in Thailand

The British and car manufacturer, MG, which is Chinese-owned, recently announced they were launching their MG ZS EV model in Thailand. This is the first electric car that has broken the 2-million-baht cost barrier for Thai consumers.

Previously, several well-known auto manufacturers, including Audi, Hyundai, Jaguar, Kia, and Nissan, offered EVs. Some lesser-known EV manufacturers, including BYD and FOMM, also sell their products in Thailand.

But all of these EVs cost over 2-million-baht, making them unaffordable to the average Thai. With the launch of the new MG ZS EV, the gauntlet has been thrown down to begin manufacturing lower-priced EVs and open up the EV market in Thailand to more consumers.

Homegrown EV Manufacturers

There are some homegrown, Thai EV manufacturers in operation. The similarly named companies of Electric Vehicles (Thailand) Public Co., Ltd. (EVT) and Thai Electric Vehicle Co., Ltd. (TEV) are both busy developing public buses. They’ll give cities in Thailand an alternative to the black smoke belching, diesel buses the cities currently use.

But perhaps the brightest star on the Thai EV horizon is Energy Absolute Plc. (EA), nicknamed the “Tesla of Thailand.” They plan to have their model of an EV on Thailand’s roads by 2020. They’re also taking two giant steps to ensure the infrastructure for the electric vehicle is firmly in place in Thailand.

They’re investing 100-million baht into a lithium-ion battery manufacturing plant in Thailand. They’ve also entered into an agreement with Robinson department stores, Caltex petrol stations and 7-11 to install public charging stations at their facilities across Thailand for EVs.

With such forward steps being taken by companies such as MG, EVT, TEV, and EA, there is little doubt that the future of electric vehicle looks bright in Thailand.