Bangkok, Thailand - Day 2 ( Platinum Fashion Mall - Pratunam Night Market - Saen Saep Canal - Big C Supercenter - Central World - Erawan Shrine - Siam Square

It's a sunny Monday, and we start it off with Hainanese chicken rice from Go-Ang Chicken Rice. We left Krit Thai Residence before 9am and took a Grab ride to Pratunam (Grab fare - THB 142), then walked to Go-Ang Chicken Rice. We ordered a plate of stir-fried water spinach, Hainanese chicken, their signature braised pork and some skewered meat.

We also ordered a glass of Thai milk tea and it tastes good. It's rich, smooth, creamy, not overly sweet, with a hint of bitterness. There's a stall outside the chicken rice shop selling skewered meat and sausages. My partner ordered chicken skewers, pork skewers, chicken wings and two different types of sausages (THB 115). The chicken skewers and sausages were well-marinated. One of the sausages is filled with vermicelli, while the other one with lemongrass, which is very spicy but flavourful.

Overall, the chicken rice is good. The rice is fragrant, soft and chewy. Besides that, the chicken is tender and juicy. Stir-fried water spinach is young and fresh but slightly spicy. In contrast, the braised pork and chicken wings taste average.

(Total bill - THB 464)

Platinum Fashion Mall

The Palladium World Shopping

Go-Ang Chicken Rice Pratunam

Soup and sauce

Thai milk tea - THB 25

Stir-fried water spinach

Hainanese chicken

Signature braised pork

Hainanese chicken rice - THB 50

Skewered meat stall

Sausages and skewered meat

Spicy sausage

Address:

Go-Ang Chicken Rice Pratunam

No. 962 Phetchaburi Rd, Makkasan,

Ratchathewi, Bangkok 10400,

Thailand

Opening hours: 6am to 2pm / 3pm to 10pm

Wilson was feeling under the weather, so we went to the Platinum Fashion Mall to get some over-the-counter medicine. The mall is a six-story complex that sells clothes, accessories, souvenirs, bags, shoes and other items. It's only an 8-minute walk (550m) from Go-Ang Chicken Rice Pratunam.

Stalls outside Platinum Fashion Mall

Fried bugs

Platinum Fashion Mall

Nokkajib in front of Platinum Fashion Mall

Address:

Platinum Fashion Mall

No. 222, 1398 Phetchaburi Rd,

Thanon Phaya Thai,

Ratchathewi, Bangkok 10400,

Thailand

Opening hours: 9am to 8pm

After You Dessert Cafe is located just next to the mall. It is a popular dessert shop in Bangkok, noted for its Shibuya honey toast and shaved ice. We were still full from our previous meal, so we got baby mango sticky rice kakigori and baby Thai tea kakigori. Yuan wanted to try their custard buns, so we ordered one as well.

The pandan coconut custard buns are soft bread with creamy pandan coconut custard, topped with salted coconut cream and toasted sesame seeds. The bread is very soft and chewy, but the custard is a bit sweet for my liking. The mango sticky rice kakigori comes with mango cubes, sticky rice, mango sauce and coconut cream, whereas the Thai tea kakigori comes with grass jelly, soft bread and concentrated Thai tea sauce. The shaved ice has a smooth texture and is slightly on the sweet side. The Thai tea kakigori tastes better with the concentrated Thai tea sauce.

The cafe also provides self-service complimentary cold drinks in tiny paper cups. I like that they have this baby-size kakigori. It is more expensive than the standard one, but it also allows you to try different flavours as well.

(Total bill - THB 585)

After You Dessert Cafe

Buns and complimentary iced tea

Pandan coconut custard bun - THB 165

Pandan coconut custard bun

Baby mango sticky rice kakigori - THB 215

Baby Thai tea kakigori - THB 205

Address:

After You Dessert Cafe

No. 222, Platinum Fashion Mall Building,

512 Phetchaburi Rd, Ratchathewi Subdistrict,

Phaya Thai District, Bangkok 10400,

Thailand

Opening hours: 10am to 9pm

We walked to the Pratunam Night Market, which is around an 8-minute walk (550m) from After You Dessert Cafe. The market is open from 9am to 11.30pm. There are plenty of stalls selling clothes, and I noticed several people buying in bulk. Wilson was craving pomegranate juice, so we all had some. This is my first time trying, and I'm not too fond of it. The juice tastes sweet and tart, with a mild astringency that stays in your mouth, which I dislike.

Bangkok street

Pratunam Night Market

Disorganized cables

Pomegranate juice - THB 100

Bangkok street

On our way to Big C Supercenter, we passed by Saen Saep, Thailand's longest man-made water canal. It connects the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok with the Bang Pakong River in Chachoengsao. The canal was built by King Rama III in 1837 to transport goods during Thailand's war with neighboring countries. After the war, the canal served as both a commercial and public transportation route. Just next to the canal is Pathum Wananurak Park.

Saen Saep Canal - longest man made water canal

Pathum Wananurak Park

Address:

Pathum Wananurak Park

No. 5/1-5/40 Ratchadamri Rd,

Pathum Wan,

Bangkok 10330,

Thailand

Big C is a huge hypermarket with all of the local goodies you could possibly need. There is even a packing section with free carton boxes to use, as well as a tax refund counter in the store. I tried the original bento squid seafood snack, but it's not as good as I expected. It's sticky and chewy, with a slight spicy flavour.

Big C Supercenter

Durian

Bento snacks - THB 19 each

Bento Namprik Thai Original

Tasto original salted egg - THB 87 each

Drinking water

Address:

Big C Supercenter Ratchadamri

No. 97/11 Ratchadamri Rd,

Lumphini, Pathum Wan,

Bangkok 10330,

Thailand

Opening hours: 9am to 2am

We walked to Central World and had our late lunch at Sanyod. Four of us shared a plate of stir-fried rice noodles with shrimp and water mimosa, as well as roasted duck with egg noodles and shrimp wonton soup. The vermicelli's texture is soft and chewy. Apart from that, it's slightly spicy but full of flavour. The shrimp wontons are fresh and the duck is tender. The soup is clear and tasty. Overall, we enjoyed our late lunch very much.

(Total bill - THB 489)

Central World

Sanyod (6th floor, Central World)

Stir fried rice noodles with shrimp and water mimosa - THB 180

Roasted duck served with egg noodles and shrimp wontons soup - THB 265

Shrimp wontons soup

Pop Mart

Central World is the ninth largest shopping complex in the world. It has everything, including apparel boutiques, gadgets, bookshops, cinema, cafes and restaurants. The Pop Mart craze still continues as we spotted people queuing outside the store.

We had a hard time finding this Yenly Yours mango stick rice in Central World and are glad that Wilson found it for us. It has several branches in Bangkok and this is one of the best mango sticky rice places I've ever tried. We ordered a cup of golden mango jelly and mango sticky rice. The mango sticky rice is served with two half-cut fresh mangoes, coconut cream and toasted mung bean seeds. I like that they served the sticky rice hot. It is best beaten with the coconut cream and mung bean seeds. Besides that, the mangoes are fresh and sweet.

(Total bill - THB 348)

Yenly Yours (7th floor, Central World)

Golden mango jelly - THB 129

Sticky mango rice (big) - THB 219

Central World

Tuk tuk ride outside Central World

Address:

Central World

No. 999/9 Rama I Rd, Pathum Wan,

Bangkok 10330,

Thailand

Opening hours: 10am to 10pm

Erawan Shrine is just a 2-minute walk (130m) from Central World. The shrine houses a statue of Phra Phrom, the four-faced Thai representation of the Hindu god of creation, Brahma. The shrine is said to grant wishes and bring good luck.

Erawan Shrine

Address:

Erawan Shrine

No. 494 Ratchadamri Rd, Lumphini,

Pathum Wan, Bangkok 10330,

Thailand

Opening hours: 6am to 10pm

Siam Square is a shopping and entertainment area in Bangkok. It is approximately a 13-minute walk (900m) from Erawan Shrine. We walked around the square while waiting for Yuan to go shopping at Gentlewomen.

Siam Square

Address:

Gentlewoman Flagship Store Siam Square

430/41, 430/42, 430/43, 430/44 Siam Square Soi 7,

Pathumwan, Pathum Wan,

Bangkok 10330,

Thailand

Opening hours: 10am to 10pm

Taxi is the most convenient way to get to Chocolate Ville. However, we were unable to get a Grab car from Siam Square during peak hours. We ended up taking the BTS from Siam Station to Kasetsart University (THB 62 per person) and then a Grab car to Chocolate Ville (Grab fare - THB 390). There is only one open-air restaurant, and Chocolate Ville is known for its European theme town. Basically, it has nothing to do with chocolate. Since we were there in late November, the theme is Christmas Wonderland.

The entrance fee is THB 150 per person, with THB 100 exchangeable for ice cream, souvenirs, drinks, popcorn or dining at the restaurant. Since all of us haven't eaten our dinner, we decided to use the voucher to dine at the restaurant. We ordered fried squid, spicy seafood salad with fermented fish sauce, stir-fried beef with basil, crispy pork belly with chili and lime sauce, an omelette, catfish and a pork burger. The fried squid is good but slightly chewy. The seafood salad is quite spicy for me, and the fried pork is crispy but not really tasty. Overall, the flavour was fine, but it didn't leave a lasting impression.

Halfway through our dinner, they had a Santa boat show, a love bot display and a snow show. The wind was blowing in our direction, and our dinners were completely covered in artificial snow! We spent almost two hours at Chocolate Ville and left around 10.15pm. My partner had difficulty finding a Grab car, but luckily Allyssa had the Bolt app and was able to book a ride. In fact, the price is lower compared to Grab car (Bolt fare - THB 410). It was about 11pm when we arrived at our hotel. I suppose Chocolate Ville is worth a visit, especially if you enjoy taking photos but definitely not for the food.

(Total bill - THB 1,320)