And that's also why I am sure it can also be called pork satay rice.
Maybe it's not very clear from the photo above (since it looks like a huge big mess!) but the dish is actually made up of thin slices of grilled pork, with steamed morning glory and white rice drowned in a sea of satay peanut sauce. Plus, a tablespoon of chili-garlic sauce (see that red oval shape thingy?) plopped on top! Oh my, are you salivating yet?
Where can you find this simple yet unique dish? At Cafe Boran Hat Yai opposite the famous Or Tor Kor Market in Bangkok.
Yes, there is no English name on the signboard. You just have to memorise how the signboard looks like if you plan to go looking for it.
So, after a long hiatus, I am back blogging and this time, I am going to blog about my Bangkok trip back in February 2014. Yes, that's how backdated I am in my blog posts. LOL!
This was a short 3-day Bangkok trip, but instead of starting from Day 1, I have decided to do it randomly this time, and start with Day 2. And in between, maybe I shall throw in some posts about my more recent trip to Taiping. Hopefully, you will not be confused between Bangkok and Taiping haha! (I really hope not, because they are so different)
Anyway, back to my story. It's Day 2 of my Bangkok trip and both my friend and I took an early morning MRT ride from our hotel to Or Tor Kor Market. It was my first time visiting this fresh market.
There's a Black Canyon Coffee restaurant opposite the market.
Although this post will not be about Or Tor Kor market, I thought I just share a little bit about it before we go back to that Swimming Rama dish.
My first impression of the market was wow! How clean! And bright! Looks more like a supermarket than a fresh market, don't you think?
The market is actually not very big but they sell fresh produce like fruits, vegetables and seafood. There is also a food court where you can eat to your heart's content. However, I did notice that the prices here are slightly more expensive than other markets in Bangkok. But then, the quality of the products sold here are better, so I guess it depends on what you want.
I almost wanted to buy the durians but my friend stopped me. Luckily he did, because honestly, I think Malaysian durians are nicer, although the durians at this market were very fleshy!
OK, that's about as brief as I can get regarding Or Tor Kor market. Do check it out if you have never visited it before. By the way, did you know that Or Tor Kor market is listed in CNN's Top 10 of the world's best fresh market? Read it HERE.
Back to Cafe Boran Hat Yai. To locate this cafe, just exit from the back of Or Tor Kor market and you will easily find this cafe along the road.
It was not lunch time yet, so there was no crowd. Only two or three customers when we were there. The cafe looks slightly more upscale than the average street restaurants in Bangkok but the prices were reasonable.
Some condiments on our table. I did not touch them as the pork satay rice we ordered were tasty enough on its own. The cafe also sells noodles and buns but mostly had to do with pork as the main ingredient. We skipped all that, because all we really wanted to try was the pork satay rice or Swimming Rama as it is popularly known.
I enjoyed this dish as the pork was tender and the peanut gravy which also contains coconut milk was more savoury than sweet. Yummy! Price was reasonable at only 40 baht.
Cafe Boran Hat Yai (opposite Or Tor Kor market, Chatuchak)
Opens : Daily 8am - 5pm
Direction to Cafe Boran Hat Yai : Take MRT to Kampheng Phet Station, exit #3 (look for signboard that says Marketing Organization For Farmers), walk up the stairs and turn right to Or Tor Kor market. Walk inside market till the back and exit, walk across the road. Cafe Boran Hat Yai is one of the shops along the road facing the market.
