Bangkok Street Food - Grilled Fish @ Pratunam

Third and last (LAST?!!!) day of the 3-Days-Long-Weekend here in Perak. Time flies when you're minding your own business, chomping on some good grubs here and there (delightful Big Tree Foot/Dai Shu Geok's  Fried 'Liew' aka Yong Tau Foo comes to mind, naturally. Just had 10 or so pieces of those absolutely scrumptious stuffed fish paste deep-fried to oily/greasy perfection!), attended a "Thankfully-we-survived the 3 years in service" feast over at Mun Choong Restaurant in Pasir Puteh , Ipoh yesterday night, and mentally preparing myself for the impending doom (aka work+travels+meetings) on the subsequent 4 days. 

And the much-dreaded thought of working during Raya, which to our dismay, might come into fruition after all, and high probability of shattering our dreams of a 4 days long weekend on the week after next. Shucks, BIG time .....

Grilled Tilapia, rubbed with salt and wheat flour, and served with a side dipping of fiery & tangy dipping sauce

Highly recommended by both Jason and sc, this was without a doubt, one of the top must-try in our itinerary. And the strategic placing of the rows after rows of stalls lining the side of the street between Central World and Platinum Shopping Mall in Pratunam, made it all better, since we're staying somewhere around the area and dining at eateries inside the malls can be a rather taxing affair.

If you're wondering how to locate these stalls, selling delightful and cheap grilled seafood and meats when for one, you probably can't read Thai, and two, the stalls do not even have any signboards for a start. Don't worry, as this glutton row of Bangkok cheap eats is directly outside of Central World Shopping Centre, coming out from the Isetan exit, walking towards Platinum Shopping Mall, which is directly behind Central World, across the river.

Our order consisted of a grilled whole fish (tilapia), which was encrusted with sea salt and wheat flour on the outer layer of the skin, then subsequently grilled over charcoal-fuelled fire. The skin is not meant to be eaten (who would, after some serious charring over the grill?!), but the sweet and firm flesh underneath is the glorified loot, to be dipped into the fiery dipping sauce concocted from cili padi (bird eye chillies), lime juice, etc. Though came with a mild earthy tone, typical characteristic of a river fish, we devoured the tilapia like a hungry pack of wolves. All the while sipping/guzzling on some much-needed Coke. (The soft drink, mind you).

The other dishes paled in comparison, with notable exception of the kerabu chicken feet salad, otherwise known as glass chicken feet salad, referring to the translucent, gelatinous layers of skin incorporated into the piquant appetizer. 

The Tom Yum was a meagre affair, lacking in both taste and presentation departments. A little too bland to our liking, as we expected a more robust flavour, given the fact that this is after all, a thorough street food feast. The fried rice was passable, being at the right balance of fluffiness, though a little more ingredients thrown in would be a welcoming touch.

The meal came to 540 baht/RM54 for the four of us, a reasonably-priced feast, and we were eating alongside the locals which were considerably more than the number of tourists/foreigners dining there, which is a good sign in itself.

Appreciate the remaining hours of the holiday, fellow bloggers/readers .....

For it's almost unheard of in other countries, to be granted with so many public holidays back to back, within the span of a month.