Funny Food Names @ Smiling Bangkok

would you eat ‘half giraffe half tiger’, ‘monkey magic’, or ‘gremlins’? or how about ordering more raunchy dishes like ‘viagra for papa’ or ‘i like big butts’?! yes, these are the names of the dishes you can get at this cool little thai place called ‘smiling BBK’ or ‘smiling bangkok’!

they don’t really serve zirafah goreng - ‘half giraffe half tiger’ is actually steamed then deep-fried minced chicken in crab shell, the ‘monkey magic’ is actually thai herbal salad, ‘gremlins’ is spaghetti with chilli paste, while ‘viagra for papa’ is really deep-fried fish with sweet sour sauce and ‘i like big butts’ is actually deep fried marinated minced prawn.

even normal steamed rice is called ‘snoop doggy dog’ – this place is crazy with weird humorous names for their dishes!

 

our tantalizing thai lunch

 

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‘smiling BKK’ or ‘smiling bangkok’ is a humble little place on al-wasl road. here’s a more comprehensive direction to the place, taken from the blog of my dubai buddy fairus (she has been back in malaysia for quite some time now, miss you fairus!)

located on al-wasl road area just behind the emarat petrol station. if you're from jebel ali direction, turn right at the empost al-wasl, and then take the 1st left, until u found an open place just next to the emarat. Now you should be behind the emarat. there will be small shop building, walk straight to the right side of the building, you should pass a beauty saloon, a stationary shop and a laundry shop and the restaurant should be at the end of the row.

click here to read her review on ‘smiling bangkok’.

don’t judge a restaurant by its quiet location or the run-down narrow lane that leads up to the restaurant. it has one of the funkiest interior i’ve seen in a restaurant! heck, its signboard has a picture of monalisa with a moustache drawn on her – i rest my case!

 

the black ceiling and walls (even the seats and tables are black!) give the place a gothic look but the colorful lights of various sizes that hang from the ceiling contribute to the really gorgeous glow to the all-black interior. notice the majestic monalisa ‘painting’ on the right-side wall – look closer and you’ll see that this monalisa has a moustache!

 

i love this part of the wall – white T’s with cute colorful prints on them, surrounding a flat-screen tv showing MTV, liven up the place with current pop hits rather than thai songs!

 

this other wall is filled with framed pictures of various sizes – and the pictures also vary from thai-themed pictures like thai girls in traditional thailand costume, thai monks, and of course pictures of thai food. there are also other unrelated pictures like random models, pictures of flowers and even kermit the frog!

there is even a ridiculous joke on the black board at the top of the wall – ‘if you marry one girl, she will fight with you. if you marry two girls, she will fight for you.’ ha. ha. tak lawak pon!

 

 

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this is given to us once we were seated. it’s a long musical instrument with cymbals that go ‘ka-cing ka-cing ka-cing’. what is it for? to call the waiter if we need plates, or the bill, or extra bowl of rice! interesting, huh?

 

another interestingly amusing idea – just use pages of magazines at the place mat! cheap and no fuss! haha.

 

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funny names for yummy dishes!

 

the menu is extensive, offering all the richness of the glorious thai food. from the must-have tomyam to thai curry, soups and all sorts of noodles. fried, steamed or grilled – chicken, beef or prawn or mussels and even ducks – they have it.

only the names are funny and ridiculous at times, but the description of the food sounded delicious!

 

 

i like the menu, not only the names are creative, but there are complete description of the dishes (for easy choosing) and there are also pictures of the dishes. senang nak pilih and tengok nampak sedap ke tak kan?

 

of course, without even thinking, we went for seafood tomyam first. i mean, you can’t go to a thai restaurant and NOT order tomyam! that’s just wrong! haha. my hp-quality picture does not do justice to the delicious spiciness of the tomyam. you can choose to have it with or without santan (coconut milk).

we took the medium portion, which is enough to be shared between the two of us.

 

we also took ‘the temple of doom’ which is really stir fried beef with onions and chilli paste – which is actually macam paprik daging je! it taste good but mr. khairul thought it should be spicier.

 

the kangkong belacan is highly recommended. crunchy fresh and tasty. what more can i say?

 

for the boys we got them the chicken soup with mushroom and clear noodle (sohun). hot, filling and not-at-all spicy just for the kids. licin!

 

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my overall experience at ‘smiling bangkok’ was a nice one – loved the interior – which reminds me of an actual questionable brothel in bangkok! haha. the food was good, and the waiters were friendly and helpful in suggesting food.

if you like thai food, you should give ‘smiling bangkok’ a try. we left there ‘smiling’, and would definitely come again.