[Bangkok] The air-conditioned and homely comfort of the Krua Apsorn ร้านครัวอัปษร space has food fit for royalty – literally.
The restaurant was opened by Khun Chanchawee Sakunkan, or Aunt Daeng, who made food so good that it impressed the Princess Mother Srinagarindra, who is King Bhumibol’s mother.
In fact, her cooking skills was excellent enough for the royal household to appoint her as their royal chef.
Now, the family recipes have passed through the generations until now, keeping to Thai traditions and sticking to the best local ingredients across Thailand.
The restaurant has been listed in the Michelin Guide Thailand with a Bib Gourmand. But when your cooking skills have been approved by the royalty, what is the Michelin guide to you?
(If you are looking for Thai style Michelin-recommended eateries, Khua Kling Pak Sod at Thonglor and Sanguan Sri at Phloen Chit should be good choices.)
There are a couple of Krua Apsorn branches around – the Dinso outlet is rather popular, but I wanted to try the original branch at Samsen Road (at Dusit District).
Not the easily place to get to (even the cab drive wasn’t that familiar with this area), the Samsen Road eatery has retained the quality and popularity since its opening, except with a more spacious seating arrangement.
Even though the queues are accordingly packed with government officials (because their offices are nearby) families and locals at meal times, they move in and out fast enough.
Here, the seafood and vegetable dishes are the paragon. Many famous Thai dishes found in other award-winning places can be had here, arguably done at an even better standard.
The spread includes Yellow Curry with Young Lotus Roots (145 THB), Stir Fried Crab Meat with Yellow Pepper Chilli (530 THB), Stir Fried Tasty Pork with Bird’s Eye Chilli (135 THB), Fried Chicken Wings (120 THB), Prawns Tom Yum (180 THB), to Stir-Fried Cowslip Flower with Minced Pork (120 THB).
One of the signature must-try dishes is the Fluffy Crab Meat Omelette (120 THB). The omelette was fried to the shape of a neat circle, with its grease kept to a minimum.
The golden-brown package was stuffed with chunky crab meat, which you can enjoy with the fluffy egg or on its own.
This is a good omelette, although you may leave craving for more crab meat, but I found it very worth it for its price (equivalent of SGD4.70).
Lucky us (and lucky you), because the Stir-Fried Crab Meat with Curry Powder (530 THB, SGD20.65) has a bunch of mouth-watering pieces of crab on the plate, resting in a pool of savoury Thai curry.
You would really taste the chunkiness of the crabs – which were sweet with a part-firm texture, and I liked the combination of spicy curry and slightly sweet crabmeat. This is one dish that would go well with Thai rice.
Talking about rice, this came in a heart shape – isn’t it cute in a way?
The meal will not be complete without some sort of green curry.
I went for the Green Curry with Clown Featherback Fish Balls (135 THB), something you have to come earlier for because fish balls are not commonly seen in this combination.
While I liked the handmade bouncy and tender fish balls, I wished that the curry would come much hotter (seemed a little lukewarm), and that the gravy could be richer and thicker.
When you leave Krua Apsorn after your meal, if you are not already satisfied enough, remind yourself that you just had the same food that the royalty did.
Krua Apsorn – Samsen
503 Samsen Road, Dusit, Dusit District, Bangkok 10300, Thailand
Opening Hours: 10:30am – 7:30pm (Mon – Sat), Closed Sun
Google Maps – Krua Apsorn Samsen
Krua Apsorn – Dinso
169 Dinso Rd, Wat Bowon Niwet, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok 10200, Thailand
Opening Hours: 10:30am – 7:30pm (Mon – Sat), Closed Sun
Google Maps – Krua Apsorn Dinso
Other Bangkok Entries
Khua Kling Pak Sod (Thonglor, Bangkok)
Sanguan Sri (Phloen Chit, Bangkok)
Arunwan (Ekkamai, Bangkok)
Jok Prince (Bangrak, Bangkok)
Nai Mong Hoi Thod (Yaorawat, Bangkok)
Click HERE for more BANGKOK Food Entries
* Written by Daniel Ang @DanielFoodDiary and Dean Ang. DFD paid for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.
