R. W. Apple Jr. continues his journey around Asia … “On the Streets of Bangkok, Two Guys Keep It Real,” October 12, 2005 …
He meets up with Robert Halliday, who says, “I decided I didn’t want to live anywhere that didn’t have durian.”

A few years ago, Mr. Halliday had promised me an eating spree for the ages, but he had taken ill shortly after my wife, Betsey, and I arrived. This time would prove to be different, as he led us into a hidden world of restaurants. At every stop, we were the only Western customers. And at every stop, the food was cheap, simple and delicious.

sounds like our kind of trip …

… mee krob, the sticky, sweet-and-spicy fried noodles found on Thai menus from Delhi to Des Moines. These were another matter altogether: subtler, tarter, zestier. The secret, Mr. Halliday quickly explained, was peel from a rare, sourish citrus fruit called som saa.

… wonderful tom yum pla, that eye-poppingly vibrant fish soup. Hot, rich and sharp, it owed everything to the liltingly fresh, vividly perfumed lemon grass, ka-prao or holy basil, coriander and kaffir lime leaves that flavored it, along with the obligatory chili.

we’ve had a similar soup, tum yum talay, and it is incredible … even with American ingredients …
and a chicken dish:

Brined and liberally dusted with black pepper, it is fried until golden-brown, crisp but not dry and papery, then showered with garlic, also fried. One of the marvels of this world-class dish is the succulence of the chicken; another is the sweetness of the garlic, unmarred by burned bits.

our mouth is watering …
read the whole thing …