[Bangkok] Those who frequent Bangkok will know that foodies in the city are always seeking out diverse sources of flavour from all around the world.
Sri Trat Restaurant & Bar pays its dues to Trat, a province on the border of Thailand.
Being on the coast, Trat naturally has a huge focus on seafood, with recipes that would satisfy even those with the spiciest palettes.
The restaurant is also listed with a Michelin Bib Gourmand in Thailand.
Located at Soi Sukhumvit 33, it is about a 12 to 15 minutes’ walk from Phrom Phong BTS Station – if you are up to walking.
Reservations via phone are recommended (I tried social medias and emailing but there was zero reply.)
The elegant restaurant is decked out in Eastern-Thai style, with sturdy wooden chairs and tables for a rustic feel.
What caught my eye immediately is unmissable to anyone who steps foot here, really.
There is a brick wall that spans the space from floor to ceiling, which has a beautiful mural painted over it.
It depicts a crowned woman, who is the owner’s mother – a former Trat beauty queen.
Under her watchful eyes, you know every dish (made from her recipes) will faithfully deliver some quality.
The menu spreads over several pages and it can be hard to pin-point dishes to try – with lots of unfamiliar items to pick from, it was a real struggle to make a choice.
There are some signatures here, such as Stir-Fried Chicken Thigh with Aromatic Siam Cardamon Chilli (190 THB), Pan Fried Patty of Mined Pork & Trat’s Salted King Mackerel (220 THB), Stir Fried Lump crab Meat with Sweet Yellow Chilli (450 THB), to Stir Fried Glass Noodle with Minced Pork and Cha-Om (180 THB) – I type of Thai herbal vegetable.
How about the lon Pu Kai (540 THB)? This is a dip with a coconut milk base, made with delicious lumps of crab meat, crab roe, and minced pork.
It comes with a basket of fresh vegetables to pair. With the amount of proper meat in the bowl, calling it a “dip” might not do it justice.
I had the Deep-Fried Curried Fish Cake (190 THB) and this was possibly one of the best renditions I have tried, boosting slight crustiness on the outside, with succulent and juicy centre.
Or else, try the Spicy Asian Sea Bass Soup (250 THB), seasoned with Trat’s savoury shrimp paste and Thai salacca.
The salacca is a fruit from palm trees, with a texture like apples and an appearance like garlic cloves.
It was supposed to be only slightly spicy, as indicated on the menu. It reminded me slightly of Tom Yum soup, except that this came with more sour and less spicy flavours. The fish slices were thick and fresh.
The waitress recommended me to have the Deep-Fried Boneless Sillago Fish (290 THB) with seasoned garlic and tumeric.
The Sillago is like a whiting, was crispy with fine flesh and didn’t really contain small bones that would make eating uncomfortable.
Indeed worth an order.
Of you would get the Deep-Fried Tiger Prawns (450 THB) topped with spicy and sour tamarind sauce and fried shallot, where the focus is on the freshness and quality of the juicy tiger prawns.
Moving on to desserts, ger yourself the “Turtle Egg” Dessert (100 THB). No, it is not a real turtle egg.
Instead, it is a chewy rice cake with a lightly salted mung bean filling. The cakes are soaked in a sweet coconut milk soup, served warm.
It was salty-sweet and quite indulgent, and the pieces reminded me of a mini Ang Gu Kueh, and to a smaller extent the Thai Luk Chup.
With the extensive menu, every order is a new experience. As the owner says, Sri Trat will cook you the food exactly the way they do in their hometown.
Sri Trat
90 Soi Sukhumvit 33, Sukhumvit Road, Khlong Tan Nuea, Bangkok, 10110, Thailand
Tel: +66 2 088 0968
Opening Hours: 11am – 10pm (Mon – Sun)
Google Maps – Sri Trat
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* Written by Daniel Ang and Dean Ang. Follow @DanielFoodDiary on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube for more food news, food videos and travel highlights. DFD paid for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.
