Tex-Mex Lunch

As I'm getting my teeth repaired later, Nathalie and I took the opportunity to take a walk in the neighborhood to see what the more upscale part of the city looks like. 

We wound up walking up the road for about an hour until we reached a shopping center.  As we were entering the heat of the day, we decided to take refuge in the mall and explore modern Bangkok.

The mall, called Terminal 21, is a 6-story shopping center themed as an airport with each floor being a different destination.  It's the exact opposite of what we saw yesterday in the Khao San road district with brand name stores and a food court spanning two floors.

The Western influence here is apparent but with a subtle nod to Thai street markets.  On each floor, next to the big brand name stores are little pathways where small retailers setup shop to sell boutique products and specialty goods.

Boutique side shops 

Looking down from level two of the food court

Overall, the place could be defined as kitsch and a bit over-the-top, but what kept me from walking out the door after 15 minutes was the prospect of a) air conditioning and b) Mexican food.

I'm sure I don't have to profess the supremeness Mexican food holds on the measuring stick of international foods to the American readers.  However for the Belgians, who are so cruelly without wide-spread access to one of the best foods from North America, Mexican cuisine, and it's American cousin Tex-Mex is by far some of the best cookery you can find on the planet.  It's a damn shame that we don't have proper establishments in Belgium that serve this cuisine.   As we're in Southeast Asia for seven-plus months, we don't want to burn out on local cooking.  Since we're in Bangkok, we feel that we should take the opportunity to diversify what we're eating while the options are there.

In the food court, we found a place selling all sorts of Tex-Mex and Mexican dishes.  Being  the gringo that I am, I went with a quesadilla starter made with Kobe (!!!) beef and had a main course of  grilled chicken tacos.  Nathalie split the quesadilla with me and had a Mexican-style pizza (refried beans spread on a tortilla with melted cheese, topped with tomatoes, lettuce and jalapenos.

Grilled Chicken Tacos

The meal was exactly what we needed!   Given that I'm about to have a root canal, I felt like treating myself to a big lunch.   Mission accomplished; now bring on the Novocaine.