I've previously blogged about the other location of this restaurant, but the original branch, located near the National Library, is apparently the more famous of the two, and has hosted the likes of the Thai royal family and was previously named as one of the Bangkok Post's best restaurants in Bangkok a few years back. Because of these accolades, the place has a something of a reputation, and some visiting friends were keen on stopping by.
At my last visit, nobody was interested in ordering the most expensive item on the menu: crab fried in yellow chili oil (pictured above). I finally got my chance and quite enjoyed the dish, particularly its generous chunks of crab and its pleasantly oily texture.
Once again we ordered the house special dork khajorn, a type of domestic flower, flash-fried with minced pork and oyster sauce:
Hock ordered miang khanaa, expecting it to be served in the traditional manner with bai miang (sometimes known as wild tea leaf):
but as the name suggests, the dish is served here with the crispy, slightly bitter leaves of khanaa, Chinese kale.
One of the best dishes of the meal was mussels fried (or were they steamed?) with fresh herbs:
I think it was the first time either Hock or I had eaten tender, perfectly-cooked mussels in Thailand.
And finally I ordered the house green curry with freshwater fish dumplings:
The curry itself was pleasantly bland (as is the intent), but the fish balls were rubbery and flavourless.
I think we all felt it was generally a solid, satisfying meal, as is the case with of much of the Thai food in Bangkok nowadays, but nothing profoundly delicious or revelatory (which is also the case with much of the food in Bangkok).
Other reviews can be seen here and here.
Krua Apsorn Th Samsen (near corner with Soi 9) 02 668-8788, 02 241 8528 10.30am-7.30pm Mon-Fri,10.30am-6pm Sat, closed Sun
View Thai Eats in a larger map