The Ploenchit Fair, an annual fund-raising event held every November, is organized by the British Community in Thailand Foundations for the Needy (BCTFN). Traditionally, it was held in the compounds of the British Embassy but the location has been moved to BEC-Tero Hall at Suan Lum Night Bazaar since 2004. This year, it was held on November 18th  and as always, featured stalls and stalls of food, games, shops, and much more.

Every year when November approaches, I wait in anticipation for the day when Ploenchit Fair will be held so I can go indulge myself in all the food. Booths by different restaurants and hotels offer food from all cultures, from the British fish & chips, Mexican tacos, Indian samosas, American burgers to Asian noodles…the list is endless. You can also drown yourself in alcohol from all the beer, champagne, and cocktails available. Where else can you find such bliss?

Once we paid for the tickets (100 baht/person), we received a mini-booklet containing information on the fair’s layout, sponsors, and bits of details about each booth. We also got foldable paper visors, which we immediately donned (and looked quite dorky but the boiling heat was too much to bear) and we were set.

The first booth I always head to once I enter the fair (not counting middle J’s booth – she works for Nancy Chandler, a map-making company who also has a booth at the fair every year) is the fish & chips booth by Bobby’s Arms. The big white fish coated in soft batter with big fries come wrapped in a paper cone (180 baht) and it’s so good with red wine vinegar sloshed all over it. To wash down the oiliness of the fried fish, little J and I shared a margarita (150 baht) from Coyote (I’m a light drinker and just a bit of margarita can leave my face tomato-red) that left us feeling slightly refreshed in the sweltering heat and we were ready to resume our eating escapade.

The next stop was at the Indian food booth hosted by Indus Cafe & Restaurant. At this point, middle J took a break from her shift and joined us for some samosas and curries. There were three types of samosas: chicken, mutton, and vegetable. We decided to try all of them and they were all good, although my personal favorite was the mutton samosa. We also shared mutton curry and paneer curry over naan and chapatis. I can’t remember the names of the curries or their exact prices (I’m sorry, I was a little buzzed) but I do remember that they were fabulous! I was always a fan of Indian food and since M couldn’t come to the fair, I decided to buy back some samosas (2 of each) for him to sample.

And thus, with a box of samosas and bags of other souvenirs from the fair swinging gaily from my arm, I left the fair with a full tummy and a slight dent in my wallet.

HOWEVER….

However, this is not the end of my story. So I was a bit (a teeny bit, I promise you!) tipsy from the half glass of margarita but that didn’t mean I didn’t get a good review out of all the food I ate. Remember the samosas I brought home?? Well, here they are, a samosa taste test, if you will:

Vegetable (Sabz) Samosa: had the mildest flavor among the three and contained mostly potatoes, which gave a creamy texture.

Mutton Samosa: very salty but balances nicely with the sour tamarind sauce and the coriander-mint sauce.

Chicken Samosa: the meat was too dry, with very strong flavor of cumin. It’s flavorful enough to eat on its own without the dipping sauce.

Needless to say, the only samosas M laid eyes on were the ones seen from my camera! HAHAHA! (I’m sorry M, but you said I could have them…)

Categories: About
1 Comment »