Bangkok Food Trip: 10 Euro experiment

After a 3- week holiday in Australia, which was as  fantastic but as expensive as I expected,  Thailand's   general expenses  is like a breath of fresh air. I can almost feel my wallet sigh in relief. Don't get me wrong, eating out in some restaurants in Bangkok can be pricey too! But if you want to get eat cheap but not necessarily bad, go out in the street  and be adventurous!  Just be careful what food you put in you mouth though, sushi which was lying in 35°c temp. might the risk not worth taking. Trust be, nothings worst than  spending days   making out with a toilet seat during a holiday. So eat well but eat smart.

Since making a 10 dollar experiment in Australia is close to impossible, a bottle of water cost 5 dollars in some convenient stores! I decided to take my 10 euro to Thailand with me.
Let me show you what you can get and how far can you stretch a 10 euro/ 520 Phil. Pesos/ 11 US Dollars  which is about 390 Baht  in Bangkok.

Bangkok is truly a foodies' paradise, there are foods prepared and for the taking literally everywhere!

Grilled Sweet Bread: 10 Baht/ .25 EUR/ 13 PhP/ .28 USD

Just few minutes walk from our hotel, are arrays of street food vendors , each selling something different. It's like walking on a buffet spread. This very friendly auntie, sells grilled white bread. The sweet toasty smell is so inviting, I ate from her stall many times.   The grilled toast are topped with either chocolate, sugar of condense milk. Yum!

 Kanop Krop/ Coconut Pudding: 30 Baht/ .75 EUR/39 PhP/ .85 USD

Most Thai Sweets are coconut based and this pudding is just as addicting as the others.

Traditional Thai snacks:  20 Baht a pack/ . 50 EUR/ 26 PhP/. 56 USD

We bought 2 packs. One was a pack of  fried sesame balls with custard filling and other pack of taro, pandan and rice flour  dumplings with caramelised coconut filling. 

Satay: 10 Bath/piece/ .25 EUR/ 13 PhP/

Chicken, pork, beef satays are being grilled all over Bangkok. They come in different sizes and shape.  We ate 3 of these babies. It was addicting. 

Thai Fruit sorbet: 15 Baht per scone/.37 EUR/ 19 PhP/.42 USD

Ice creams and sorbets to cool you down is all over the place. This one is packed with corn kernels, strips of coconut and panda jelly.

Steamed/Fried chicken rice set: 50 Baht/ 1.26 EUR/ 65 Php/1.4 USD

My lunch! Chicken cooked 2 ways, steamed and fried served with strips of cooked coagulated blood ( yup, blood as in type B!  It was yummy so get over it already. ) It also comes with a bowl of tasty clear chicken soup. 

Rice Crispy with Green Chicken Curry lunch set: 60 Baht/ 1.50 EUR/ 78 PhP/ 1.6 USD

When the heat  and humidity is getting to much, FF and I often seek shelter in air-conditioned food halls and cafeterias. This  small food court is located in Siam Area. The cool air provided some much appreciated relief against the harsh heat, plus its filled with locals which means food is be good and cheap.

Spicy stir fried Pork on rice 40 Baht/ 1 EUR/ 52 PhP/1.1 USD
Fish dish  30 Baht/.75 EUR/ 39 PhP/ .85 USD

 Sometimes, we buy something and have it  packed and bring it with us to the hotel. There is a stall right beside our small hotel that cook freshly Thai dishes .

Fried siomai in skewer: 20 Baht/. 50 EUR/26 PhP/. 56 USD

Meat, bugs, fish, poultry, fruits, vegetable on a stick. A perfect grab and go nosh.

Kick Ass Crepe: 20 Baht/. 50 EUR/26 PhP/. 56 USD

I saw this auntie making some crepe for a relatively long queue of anticipating costumers. I don't intend to be a snob so I joined  the line. Choices of filling is abundant, from savoury to sweet. I went for the classic. First,she smeared enough margarine on the cooking crepe, spread nutella over it, then add thinly sliced banana and lastly drizzle it with thick chocolate sauce.
























She let the crepe browned and cook til it's crunchy! I can eat this every day for breakfast, snack or midnight snack! So delicious!

Coconut water/ Thai soft drink: 20 Baht each /. 50 EUR/26 PhP/. 56 USD

The  heat and humidity can get unforgiving and uncomfortable. In most days,  we were  probably sweating like the devils in hell. Fortunately, convenient stores are all over the place and a bottle of water cost less than 15 baht. We spent the rest of our money hydrating ourselves with cheap coconut water. Just a reminder, 1 coconut husk of coconut water cost 120 bath or more in some restaurants, so drink it up straight from the street!

After a week in Bangkok, FF and I still felt that we  barely scratch its food scene surface. There's still a lot of delicious and cheap treats we've missed and left untried. On the positive side, this just another reason to comeback here again one day.  Thank you Bangkok for expanding our girth!

10-Euro Foodtrip Singapore 2015

It's amazing what 5 years could do to a growing metropolis such as Singapore. Compare to the sleepy and stagnant   town where I'm living for almost 10 years in Germany , Singapore's progress  and development  is just astonishing . Everything  looks  familiar yet new . We spent almost a week here in 2015 and although our favourite spots  still linger,  new  and upscale establishments now stand along with it .

The towering buildings in the commercial district could now rival Hong Kong,

Revamped attractions such as the Garden by the Bay offers scenic stroll by day .

 And with its jaw dropping and extravagant light shows, it  attracts tourists and locals like moth to  flame at night .

Locals and visitors alike still flock in Sentosa . The gondola ride offers a birds eye view of the island. It's like a riot of all things green and growing , silently tussling  for space and attention.The island mirrors the rest of the spruced up city .


The changes is not only visible, it's also palpable especially to our wallet. The hotel where we stayed at five years ago, now cost almost twice as much! Since my mother and aunt will be joining us this time , we settled for a more reasonably priced  lodging near Clarke Quay, still my favorite hangout at night in SG.

One thing that we did not manage to visit five years ago were the hawker centres. The only thing that seems unchanged and unfazed by the glitz of modern world. Like an old tradition that stubbornly clings to every Singaporean soul . It also warmly welcomes any outsider.

The Old Airport Hawker centre in your typical local eatery. It's open aired and sultry, thanks to SG all year round hot weather, buzzing with people  and activity. The smell and sight of all things cooked and eaten gives an impression of  orderly chaos. This is the place to be. The old Singapore.

Masters at work, most doing exactly the same stuff for years if not decades, perfecting whatever recipe they discovered or handed down by older generation. This is one tough business to venture, with thousands of stalls out there, each competing  for attention and loyal patrons, only the good one stays and the  best of the best flourish.

I took 10 euros with me, that's about 15 Singapore dollar, which could get you 1 simple dish in a restaurant  or a mere appetiser in more opulent places in the city.

So what can you actually buy with 15 SG Bucks/ 10 Euro /500 Phil. Pesos  in this hawker centre? Surprisingly, enough!

These babies are about the size of my fist, freshly baked, it almost burned my tongue! The filling is abundant , meaty and spicy. Not bad.

First stop: Curry Puff :SG$: 1,60  /1 EUR / 53 Phil. Pesos. 

 I found a treasure! Wang Wang Crispy Curry Puff Stall in my favourite so far. I came back for dinner after tasting ONE curry puff and I should have stayed longer and eat my way through all those flavoured puffs! They got tradition curry , sardine, black pepper chicken and yam.

I ordered black pepper chicken puff and it was sensational! The shelled puff is buttery and flaky, it literally crumbles in my mouth. The filling is juicy and generous with huge chunks of well seasoned meat. It's highly addictive.

Second stop: Black Pepper Puff SG$1,60/ 1 EUR/  53 Phil. Pesos

FF's been craving for satay so we ordered some from an  Indonesian stall for 50 cent a piece. I tasted better ones in Bali but I'm not complaining.

3rd stop : 10 pcs. Beef and Chicken Satay with peanut sauce

 5 SG$ / 3,30 EUR /166 PhP

Bought 2  Paus, each the size of a baby's fist and cost about 50 cents a piece. There's variety of filling to choose from.

4th stop: 2 Mini Pau for 1 SG$ / 0,66 EUR/ 33 PhP

Considered as Singapore's national dish. This is Hainanese chicken rice. There's a loooong list of hawker stalls and restaurant to choose from and an equally long discussion of which is the best . There are few joints recommended and praised by big named TV hosts such as Bourdain and Zimmerman. While many locals readily approve of  their choices, others disagree  thrusting another unheard hole- in- the -wall eatery in the spotlight. I don't want to be in the middle of this debate since I'm no expert and there's a lot more to consider in this simple dish than meets the eye. Way lot more before one can actually proclaim it as good, bad or average. There's the chicken skin, the texture, the flavour,  the chili sauce , the rice, the condiments and more. Tackling these issues is as complicated as my Algebra subject in college and I hate math! It also shows how obsessed and how serious Singaporeans are when it comes to their food.

Among many stalls in the old airport, this place sells one of the cheapest  chicken rice. For 2.50 dollars, I got a serving of steamed chicken, a bowl of steamy soup, fragrant rice and the usual condiments of chili, sweet soy  and ginger sauce. FF wiped the whole thing off in minutes, came back for dinner and ordered it again. That's from somebody who do not like steamed chicken!

5th stop: Hainanese Chicken Rice for 2.50 SG $/1,66 EUR/ 83 PhP

One can not be in Singapore and not eat Durian! Many foreigners , including FF shy away from this fruit because of its pungent smell and less than appetising sticky consistency. Fortunately, Singaporeans are rather creative in masking both and in making this exotic fruit more pleasant to the eyes and palate. My family is crazy about Durian along with probably 80  percents of the Phil. population. I  convinced FF to give it a try. He did, and still did not like it. Oh well.

6th stop: Durian Monchi 2 pcs for 3.80 SG$/ 2.50 EUR/ 26 PhP

That's 6 different nibbles and gnaws for 15.5 SG dollars, 10,33  Euro or 515 Phil. Peso.  If you want to eat cheap and eat good, look for the nearest hawker centre when you are and Singapore and be prepared for a one of a kind gustatory adventure !

1. Old Airport Road Food Centre
   

   Directions
2. 4.420 Google reviews
   
3. Food Stall
6. Address: 19 Old Airport Rd, Singapore 390019

   
   

   
   

Just a reminder: Other hawker places sells  more expensive stuff. 

10 Euro Food Trip in Istanbul

Turkish foods is one of the cheapest you could get here in Germany. A decent sized  Döner_Kebab cost 5 EUR , more or less. My favourite döner joint offers mini yufka döners for 2.50 ,which is a perfect sized nosh after a tiring day at work. Count up a bottle of soda, both your wallet and tummy will not be complaining once you're done stuffing your face silly.

With that in mind, FF and I went to Istanbul! We're going to make this cheap, we promised ourselves. Shopping and dining will be affordable , even my Turkish colleague guaranteed. It was not the case.Actually, everything about the city is expensive . 
It's either we've been to the wrong places, or   just been duped. 2 boxes of Turkish Delight, both weighing about 1.5 kgs cost us an astonishing 80 euros! A silver ring  , which is supposedly  adorned with white sapphires, cost me 60 euros, only to find out it was just zirconia crystals that I could probably get for 6 euros in Germany! The same thing goes with the food. I've eaten cheaper, if not better foods in Spain this summer. Our cheapest meal was actually a simple lunch of chicken kebab for FF and a bowl of stewed unidentified creatures and their organs for me. It was filling for 35 Turkish Lira. ( about 12 euros). I still feel I could get more for my money somewhere else. The most expensive meal was a dinner that cost us a whooping 230 Turkish Lira ( about 85 euros), spent on a portion  of tomato soup, 2 grilled mains and 2 deserts. Price could have doubled, with alcoholic beverages thrown in. Luckily,  FF and I, developed a liking for Turkish cays or teas. A healthier and thankfully, more  affordable alternative.

After 3 days of  prancing and dining in Sultanahmet or the old city, my wallet got alarmingly thin . I realize we were spending more than we have expected.  I decided to venture somewhere else  for some value- for-money noms. Our friendly hotel receptionist  encouraged us to try the Asian side of Istanbul. Kadiköy Iskelesi, in particular. It was the smartest decision FF and I made in Turkey.
We took a ferry from Eminönü  and payed 4 TLY each to go to Asia. Oddly the cheapest  fare we've  ever spent while crossing a continent. Hah!

So what can you eat for 10 euros /12, 44 USD/ 556 Phil. Pesos in Turkey?

That's around 27 Turkish Lira by the way. So,  let's find some chow!

First stop: Breakfast. FF remembers eating freshly baked Börek every day when he was in Turkey years ago. This buttery, flaky   baked pastry is often filled with cheese, vegetable, minced meat or just plain and dusted with powdered sugar. We got cheese börek, 2 glasses of turkish cay  and a bottle of water.

Börek , Teas and bottled water: 7 TLY/ 2.5  Euro/3 USD/ 140 PHP 

 Morning Snack. Simit,   a circular, sesame or poppy seed crusted bread which was often sold by men with push carts or on a tray carried on top of their head. It looked like a bagel and tasted like Germany's bretzel . It is visible all over the city and some are sold , still pipping hot .

Simit: 1 TRY/ 0.36 EUR/ 0.44 USD/ 20 PHP

Lunch time. I saw lots of locals queuing at this Döner shop so I joined the line. Got FF a freshly baked, straight from the oven Lahmacun and Ayran to drink, fresh salad on the side which you could just dump into the bread before rolling it all up.

Lahmacun and Ayran : 2.7 TRY/ 0.9 EUR/ 1.20 USD / 54 PHP

A hole in a wall diner just few meters from the fish market is frying some fish fillet. Smells delicious. Thick, fresh and succulent  fish filet, with greens, onions and good dose of lemon juice.  So I got myself a fish sandwich the size of a half a football. Beats Mc Donalds  any day.

Balik Ekmek/ Fish sandwich : 3.9 TRY / 1.4 EUR /1.75 USD / 78.45 PHP

Dessert. While sharing a table with a group of turkish boys, stuffing myself with fish sandwich, I saw this stall frying balls of doughs before dunking it in a syrup.   Greasy and sugary. What's not to like?!

Lokma or Turkish donuts: 2.5 TRY/ 0.90 EUR/ 1.12 USD/ 50 PHP

After suffering from a nasty food poisoning in Rome from eating seafood risotto, I'm weary eating seafoods of unknown origin. But this shop is right in the middle of a fish market, with sea creatures so fresh, it could come back to life when  tossed back into the sea. Plus, locals and lots and lots of them are eating and buying it. And they all looked well..

I gave it a try. It was delicious! Tasted better than I expected. The mussel was stuffed with savoury and spice- laden rice. No wonder Anthony Bourdain also risked his digestive tract for these babies! I could have wolf down the entire tray but I'm so full, I only manage to eat 2 big mussels. 

 2 pcs Midye Dolma:  1.5 TRY/ 0.5 EUR / 0.67 USD / 30 PHP

Afternoon Tea. Just when I thought I could eat  no more. A spotted a tray of glazed churros-like treats just across the street. I heard it calling my name. So I went to say hello.

All those munching and eating made me thirsty. So FF and I went inside a cozy and almost toasty cafe. Ordered an un-Turkish and non -traditional tetra pak lemon  ice tea . From Lipton.. (^-^)

Turkish Churros: 1  TRY/ 0.36 EUR/ 0.44 USD/ 20 PHP

2 packs of Ice Teas: 6 TRY/ 2.9  EUR / 3.5 USD / 160 PHP 

FF and I spent almost 7 hours eating our way through Kadiköy. We went back to the European side of Turkey, tired but rapturously sated we completely skipped dinner.  By the way, all those eating and drinking cost us a mere    25. 6 TRY / 9.25 EUR/ 11. 5 USD/ 514 Philippine Peso!" Awesome! Should have done it on the first day.