Sornthong Pochana

Bangkok is a destination many Singaporeans love due to its proximity and wide choices of great accommodations, restaurants, cafes, and other entertainment venues at great affordability. On my recent trip, I visited a Thai restaurant which is very popular with both locals and tourists

With 4 years of awards in the Michelin Guide, it is no wonder that getting a table at Sornthong Pochana is not that easy. We arrived before dinner around 5pm and were lucky to get a table by walking in. By the time we finished our meal around 7pm, there was a long queue outside waiting

The restaurant is quite spacious but as several round tables cater to big groups, the space is slightly cluttered. Many tables are catering to less than 5 groups and the turnover is fast as the speed in the service is really quick. The overall atmosphere is clean and bustling with conversations

In operation for over 20 years, Sornthong is a family-run business offering Chinese Thai cuisine which is popular for being delicious and very affordable. Unlike many other famous social media restaurants, you hardly see any reviews on Sornthong so tourists visiting them really seek them out because of the the Michelin awards or by pure word of mouth from other foodies

The menu was quite extensive and there wasn’t really anyone available to give us recommendations so we went with the usual Thai dishes we liked. The first was the lime chilli steamed squid which came in a heated metal plate and a lot of gravy and sliced cabbage. The squid is sliced into pieces and mixed up with the vegetables and chilli which was something I did not expect as I had this dish in other restaurants and the squid is usually in 1 piece. Even though the presentation was different, the flavour was still good with a good amount of sourness and a kick of spiciness from the cut chilli. The gravy was sweet and tangy at the same time and was extremely appetising

The next dish was a must-order which was the oyster omelette which was cooked together with beansprouts and garnished with green spring onions. The oysters were fresh, and huge in size and the serving was generous. The eggs were fluffy and creamy and the entire dish was full of umami flavour. This is one of the nicer oyster omelettes I have eaten in Bangkok

Commonly found in most restaurants is the stir-fried morning glory which is cooked in generic garlic and soy sauce with specks of red chilli. The vegetable is well cooked with the crunchy texture of the vegetable still remaining but without the raw taste of the vegetable. The flavours are simple but well-balanced to give the vegetables a light and balanced taste

We definitely need to order the Tom Yam soup since we are in Bangkok and I liked the fact that their version was not too spicy. The soup was more tangy and savoury with a light spicy punch. Packed with seafood and vegetables, the Tom Yam sum was substantial in flavour and generous in ingredients. The flavours were good and authentic but not the best Tom Yam soup I had in Bangkok from all my previous trips

The next item was something I really liked which was the yellow curry stir-fried crab or prawns. They actually offered the crab meat version which reduces the hassle of eating the crabs with shells. The version served here was creamy with a strong curry flavour which is infused into the egg as well as crab meat. I absolutely loved the convenience of eating the crab without any shells and I could enjoy the meat with the curry gravy and spring onions which is totally delicious with rice

Overall, I am quite satisfied with the meal at Sornthong, especially with the price of the meal of 5 seafood dishes and the total bill was slightly less than THB 1600. This meal would have costed me over THB 3000 with crab, squid and seafood soup. I would visit again to try out other dishes at their highly affordable prices

Address: 2829-2831 Rama IV Rd, Khlong Tan, Khlong Toei, Bangkok 10110, Thailand

Opening hours: 12 pm to 10 pm