Himali Cha Cha

Our tastebuds went Indian again and this time our dining gang joined us in exploring Himali Cha Cha at Sukhumvit Soi 35. We Hobbits had been wanting to go to this place long time ago but never had the chance to. So this time we finally made it to this place.

Himali Cha Cha actually has three branches and is one of the oldest names in the town. It is quite a well-known place consider that it has been operating for decades. As we looked through the menu, this place serves a wide variety of exotic North Indian cuisine in a traditional style.

HCC restaurant is actually a house. If you are coming from Sukhumvit road, it is hard to miss this place because the sign is one of the first signs you will see. If you are walking or driving from Sukhumvit road, turn to Soi 35 and it is on your right hand side. It is surely impossible to miss on the sign. The parking space is very limited but this place is not always crowded. The quite atmosphere was the first to capture my attention. The inside is well-decorated with Indian portraits and tables are nicely set. If you happen to come in the afternoon where the weather is a little humid, remember not to sit too far from the main counter. What happened to us was that we sat way behind and the weather was humid. The air cond was off and we had to eat like sweaty cows!

Since I am just learning about Indian cuisine, I don't know the exact name of most of the dishes we ate. So let me show you some pictures of the food!

See this bowl of water with lime? It's for washing your hands and NOT for drinking. A story was told that a friend who was a first timer in India drank the whole bowl in an Indian restaurant he visited, thinking it was drinking water. :)

Sukhumvit Branch: 2, Sukhumvit soi 35; Tel: 02 2588843

Convent Road Branch: Convent Road, Silom; Tel: 02 2381478

Charoenkrung Branch: soi 47/1, Charoenkrung Road; Tel: 02 2351569

Sesame Steamed Broccoli

I almost forgot about the broccoli we purchased last week and it was sitting in the fridge waiting to screaming for us to do something with it before it rots. I, in moments of recipe block, couldn't think of any recipe for it. So many times, again, google became my resort.

Steamed Broccoli Recipe Ingredients:

1 tsp. oil
1 tbsp. sesame seeds
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. sugar
Steamed broccoli

Steamed Broccoli Recipe Cooking:

Heat oil. Brown sesame seeds in oil. Add the final three ingredients. Pour on top of steamed broccoli. Cover for a few seconds and tadaa!

source: Vegetable Recipes Cooking

Vientiene Kitchen

We visited Vientiene Kitchen yesterday out of desperation for Thai food. Five years ago, Hobbit lived and worked at the same road (Sukhumvit 36) where this restaurant is situated but nothing ever gave us a reason to stop by since there were several other good Thai restaurants around. This time around, the ones that we frequent was close when we arrived and Mac, our friend was desperate for some "khra pao kai" (Thai basil chicken fried rice). As soon as we stepped in, we fell in love with the Thai Northeastern style ambiance almost immediately.

The moment you step in, the waiter will ask if you prefer to sit the Thai style way while dining, which is to sit side ways on a sitting pillow or sit at the normal table, we chose the latter. The menus listed varieties of authentic Thai-Esaan and Laos cuisine. You can order almost anything Thai here and some Laos of course for this restaurant specialized fusion food from these two countries. Aom, our Thai friend made the order and ordered crispy shrimp cake, papaya salad, grilled chicken, basil chicken fried rice, sticky rice, and mix vegetable. I was happy for I've been craving for khao niaw and gai yang this week.

The food was glorious! If I knew this place served yummilicious gai yang, I would have recommended it to my parents. Oh well, maybe I should plan for their next visit. Since it was around early evening, the performers were getting ready with their traditional instruments for their show. Yes, they have a mini stage where according to the waiters, Thai classical dance and traditional music are performed to entertain customers. Not only that, they have karaokes too! Now, how authentic is that?

We spent almost 2 hours enjoying the atmosphere plus the food. It was indeed a good way to just sit and spend time with visiting friends. I noticed their website from the front cover of the menu. So here it is: Vientiane Kitchen

This place could be crowded during lunch time and in the evening, so I suggest that you make early reservation to cut the cue!