Nara

So from Phuket, we headed toward Bangkok.  Here we would partake in the wedding festivities of my dear friend Bruin Bear.  Bruin Bear is NOT Thai, but she got married in Thailand.  Awesome, I know.  Awesome for us guests, since we got to eat and party for a couple days straight.  Because the wedding took up most of our time in Bangkok, we didn't eat out much.  On our one night when we were on our own for dinner, I managed to find a pretty good restaurant that was just walking distance from our hotel.  Nara was reviewed on Trip Advisor as being liked by tourists and locals alike.  It was a pretty hip trendy looking restaurant with pretty good prices.  My only complaint is that the portions were on the smaller side but we just ordered more food.

Papaya Salad with Crispy Fried Pork
This was a pretty standard, but delicious papaya salad, topped with some crispy, fatty, tender cuts of pork.  I wish there was more of this to go around.  The spoiled brat in me was upset I had to share.

Tapioca Balls with Ground Pork
Panda Bear felt a special bond for the "blue balls" so he just had to order them.  We were all very suspect of the possibility that any "blue balls" could be good "blue balls" but these were in fact very tasty.  It consisted of ground seasoned pork encased in mochi like goodness.  Again, they were so small and I wanted more!

Crispy Fried Chicken
When someone decided on fried chicken, I sorta scoffed inside.  It just seemed soo ordinary, but these were delicious!  They were so tender and juicy.  They were piping hot and just a bit spicy.  It had only a light battering on the outside which I appreciated.  

Pad See Ew
Probably one of the better versions on the trip.

Yellow Chicken Curry
Nothing too special here.

Fried Rice with Chili & Basil
I liked the subtle basil fragrance that wafted through each bit of this rice.  It was especially delicious when eaten with some curry.

Stir-Fried Chicken & Basil
Pretty standard, but still pretty good.

Beef Massaman Sweet Curry
I will have to ding this place on their artifically over tenderized beef.  Therefore, this dish was not my favorite. 

Fried Soft Shell Crab in Sweet Tamarind Sauce
Still a bit hungry after the aforementioned onslaught of food, we decided to order just a bit more.  We tried to go for things that were a bit out of the ordinary.  It's a good thing we did because these were my 2 favorite dishes of the night.  The soft shell crab was fried to a golden crisp and tossed with a sweet and tangy tamarind sauce.  I give it 2 thumbs up.  Care Bear could not stomach the thought of whole legs and bodies in her mouth, let alone even near her plate.  No loss there, it just meant more food for me! 

Stir-Fried Eggplants with Minced Pork, Black Beans, Basil
I love Chinese stir fried eggplant, and this was sort of like a Thai version of that.  I loved the use of green eggplants, which seemed a bit firmer in texture.  I could have eaten this whole plate with a bowl of rice and been happy.  By this point in the meal I was seriously stuff.  It's a good thing I was wearing a really loose flowy dress.

Mango Sticky Rice
Duh!

Nara is a great place for a casual meal.  The waiters all wear skin tight one piece leotard looking things.  We debated their sexuality for some time and we came to no unanimous conclusion.  In any case we were amused and happy with the food.


Nara
Lower Ground Floor, Erawan 
Ploenchit Road 
Bangkok, Thailand