Prawn foie gras

Overall, the Sicilian red prawn (gamberi rossi) is still my favourite prawn of all time. But the river prawn, especially the big ones found in Thailand and Myanmar, are not too far off, especially when it comes to what's inside the head. The Sicilian red prawn's head is sweeter and has a more intense prawn flavour, whilst the river prawn's head fat is creamier and more comforting, almost like crustacean foie gras.

 In Bangkok you can find giant river prawns at various locations throughout the city, but at P'Aor, you can get them with a prawn-fat enriched tom yum noodle soup. Flavourful and aromatic, sweet and sour, the soup of this bowl of noodles is incredibly addictive. I did expect it to be a tad more spicy, though that would be my only criticism.

Also highly recommended is the river prawn with prawn fat-infused egg on rice. A really ingenious creation – the oily goodness inside the head is used to scramble eggs which is then dumped in a big river prawn and steamed rice. In fact, if the river prawn wasn't there, I would be perfectly happy eating eggy, prawny rice. Damn good.

But then again, all is so much better with the giant river prawn, especially when you scoop out the foie gras-esque head fat. Here is a blurry picture of this amazing substance:

P'Aor's drinks are not too bad either; I washed down this feast with some refreshing roselle flower juice.

Price: 100 – 150 baht per person (2 people sharing 3 dishes and a drink each)

P'Aor

68/51 Soi Petchaburi 5, Between Soi 5 – 7, Phaya Thai, Ratchathewi, Bangkok

Phone: 026129013

Open Tues – Sun 10am to 10pm. Best to go during lunch before all the river prawns are eaten up

Not only for ramen

In many big cities around the world, when people think of pig trotters and asian food, they think tonkotsu ramen. And for good reason, it is up there with Penang Hokkien Mee as one of my favourite noodle soups.

But let's step away from the world of soup-noodle slurping. There is another way to eat pig's trotters – that is, slowly braised for aeons in soy and spices and served over rice with pickled veggies. Chiang Mai is known for this dish but a very good version is available in Bangkok in the foodie hotspot of Bang Rak, at Khao Kha Mu Trok Sung.

I really, really like how they cook this dish here. The rich, gelatinous trotter balances perfectly with the fleshy leg meat (make sure you order this combination), and all this richness is cut through with pickled vegetables and washed down with some homely radish soup. The sauce is light and not too salty, and complements the pork flavour rather than overpowering it. Dangerously addictive, and dangerously cheap.

Price: See prices in the picture

Khao Kha Mu Trok Sung

106/5 Charoen Wiang Road

Phone: +6622354930

Open: Mon – Sat, 10:30am – 7.30pm

Lazy man's crab

I love sweet, juicy crab meat. The act of smashing through the arthropod's armour and retrieving the meaty flesh within has to be one of the most rewarding gastronomic activities known to man. As much as I love this act, there are some days when I am feeling a bit lazy and wish the crab meat would just come to me.

And at Krua Apsorn, it can come to you. We opted for the crab meat cooked with yellow curry powder, which was pretty sensational. Sweet, delicate, juicy crab meat married beautifully with the subtle spice of the curry-based sauce; an extremely well balanced combination of flavours and textures.

The kingfish and green mango salad is also very good too; meaty-on-the-inside crisp on the outside kingfish, crunchy green mango slithers harmonised by a sweet, spicy and sour fish sauce dressing. My only criticism of this dish is that the kingfish was sliced too thickly, and thus as a result there was insufficient green mango dressing to go with all the meaty flesh.

Dessert at Krua Apsorn is pretty simple, yet simply stellar. Coconut sorbet might not sound like much, but when it is made from the juice and flesh of incredibly refreshing young coconut, it is pretty hard to beat.

Price: Around 300-350 Baht per person incl drinks

Krua Apsorn

Samsen 1 Alley, Wat Sam Phraya, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok 10200

Open: Mon – Sun 9am - 8pm