Review: Bharani@Thailand Creative Design Centre, Bangkok, Thailand

The Thailand Creative and Design Centre (TCDC) is a really interesting centre at the top of the Emporium shopping mall in Sukhumvit area of Bangkok.  I headed over for a wonder round after visiting the Jim Thompson House, also well worth a visit.

The centre is home to exhibition space, a shop, film gallery watching space, a resource centre, a restaurant - Bharani and café.  I had heard good reports about the café and hadn’t eaten all day so when I arrived I did not hesitate about grabbing a table to eat!  Unfortunately I did not realise that there was also another restaurant so didn’t end up eating in the one I had been recommended.  However, I was not disappointed with the food at Bharani, even if it was a little pricier than my usual meal in Bangkok!

The restaurant is lovely and you can see into the open kitchen which is nice.  I ordered some salmon with rice and it was really tasty.  I gobbled it down!  I have to say the salmon portion was definitely stingy – it should have been twice the size, and the rice portion was huge!  However, both were cooked really well, crisp fish skin but succulent inside and the flavours were lovely.  It was really relaxing to sit and enjoy food and a drink here and so I would definitely recommend.  Although I’d still like to try out the café near to the resource centre so anyone who has been let me know your thoughts!

Review: Cabbages and Condoms, Bangkok, Thailand

Cabbages and Condoms is born out of the Population and Community Association’s (PDA) desire to raise awareness about family planning and birth control in Thailand.  The restaurant’s name is designed to seek acceptance and refers to the PDA’s desire that condoms and birth control be as accessible as vegetables.  The PDA, founded in 1974, is one of Thailand’s largest, most successful private, not-for-profit development organisations.  At the time 7 was the average number of children per family and at 3.3% population growth the country would not live up to its development potential if it continued at this rate.

Initially the PDA organised distribution of birth control methods through local volunteer representatives across the country and an integrated approach of working alongside communities has remained central to their approach.  Today the restaurant has a strong reputation and is a thriving restaurant in Bangkok attracting tourists, ex-pats and locals.

From the moment you enter you are confronted by condoms in a range of ways!  There are figures including that of Tiger Woods, made entirely from coloured condoms, light bulbs decorated with them, and every customer is given a free condom.  In addition there are numerous information posters around the restaurant, from detail about their work, to research into population and birth control and posters showing different positions!

The menu here is extensive and has every Thai dish you can think of.  We ordered a spicy papaya salad (Som Tum Thai) and a green curry.  Both were pretty spicy!  The salad was fresh and tasty, and the curry was pretty good although a little small on serving.  The service was slick although the bill was confusing as you are just told a total rather than given an itemised bill.  The setting for the restaurant is really pretty and atmospheric and overall it was an interesting eat and nice to be supporting the cause.  The prices were a little high but I don’t think the crowd minds as it remains busy.

Review: Prata Saga Sambal Berlada stall, Little India, Tekka Market, Singapore

In the heart of Singapore city’s Little India is the Tekka food market.  Inside are hundreds of food vendors each in small stalls and cooking up a range of aromas.  It is not just Indian food you can find inside the market, but it is the reason we went so we choose a prata/murbartha stall.

Prata bread is one of my favourite Indian small meals that I fondly remember enjoying whilst visiting India on work trips a couple of years ago.  I have tried to find it in England ever since but have had no luck.  So this market made me really smile and excited about the prospect of having some of the tasty bread once again!

We had a chat with the friendly owners of the Prata Saga stall whose family were from beautiful Kerala in South India.  He showed me step by step how he made the bread and we ordered fresh juice to accompany our meal from the next door stall.  I had the chicken murbatha which had egg, chicken inside and James had the egg and cheese prata.  Both were served with a delicious curry sauce for dipping the bread in.  the meal was perfect and left me craving more despite being full!