Having looked at the picture on the menu and with a slightly delicate stomach I thought the chicken soup would be perfect. The picture showed what looked like a chicken leg, that’ll be fine, I could manage that, it was really the broth I was after. It was suggested some stirfried noodles (vermecilli) were ‘very nice’ with it…a few minutes later a bowl overflowing with what appeared to be little childrens hands plus the fingers was put down in front of me…chicken claws, not a leg in sight. With spoon and fork I lifted the wee pleading hands and gently placed them on a plate. The broth proved to be very firey and so I abandand the lot and reordered barbeque chicken.
Pad Thai is safe, full of gentle flavours, herbs and spices (spice intensity depends on where you’re eating) and of course noodles and an egg. Eggs seem to appear on most dishes, either as a yellow beady eye or two perched on top of everything, or omlette like and broken up into the mix. Wandering down the back streets in Chang Rai we stopped at a small cafe for lunch. No picture menu, no translation but a smile, a nod and ‘few minutes’ at my Pad Thai question. Lots of chopping, mixing and sizzling and then, though enough to share, two generous helpings of delicious Pad Thai, fragrant, sweet and herby with a good pinch of spice. There can be posh versions like the one in a very cool and groovy bar in Chiang Mai. The sweet and sour flavour (lime, tamirind and sugar) of this prawn/shrimp version was delicatly spiced and slightly creamy with two astonishly intricatly twisted large semi shelled prawns on top. Should have taken a picture but just had to tuck in.
And not forgetting the amazing street food and the the night markets where one of you grabs a seat, the other gets the beer, then descision time…crispy pork, chicken with sweet basil, stirfried shrimp, pork, chicken, bits of grilled or stewed hearts, lungs, sinue, necks and other offal (nothing wasted) and chicken claws! The tempting flavours hang in the air and then get washed down by another cool beer.
