Dining in Bangkok | Hua Seng Hong - MBK Center

It's always amazing when you sample Thai food.  Each time you turn, every restaurant has a new thing to offer.  Culture very diverse and true to its roots somehow.  Even when you are in a mall, you will see their food from the streets to your table.

One such restaurant that we found to be exciting was Hua Seng Hong.  We were looking around MBK Center (known to be a shopping haven) when hunger strikes this poor traveller.  Unlike in Manila where food stalls or restaurants can be found in all nooks and crannies of a mall, in MBK Center, they are located at its ends.  The other end was laden with fast food brands, but of course we didn't come to Bangkok to try out KFC or McDonalds, so went to the other end which housed a number of Thai brand of restaurants.  And one of those that tickled my fancy was Hua Seng Hong.

I was drawn by their Pineapple Fried Rice.  I learned early on that Thai people is very fond of fried rice.  They have lots of spin of this dish and this one tops it all during my short stint in Bangkok.  Another thing that caught my fancy was their dimsum and the duck.  The last two I adore and I got to try them as well.  Lucky for me, they have these here in one sitting.

Similar to our other dining experiences in Bangkok, language really is the major stumbling block.  Thanks to big menu books with lots of pictures, ordering is easy.  Simply point to the picture, message received.  Off they will process your order with their kitchen.  Even with this scene, ordering is a charm as their server or waiter is always smiling.  This truly makes Thailand amazing, truly the land of smiles.

I know I ordered a lot so I know it would take some time to be served.  I was surprised it didn't take too long as my orders start arriving.  First up was my shrimp dimsum.  Still smoking hot from the steamer, I immediately took a bite of one.  Juicy, sweet and tasty and I can really feel the shrimp in them.  I was only given three pieces of this dimsum so I have to really chomp them down slowly.  Tasting each one feels like an eternity as I was savoring each one of them, together with the great dining area ambiance, I really felt something special with this dish.  Next up was the pair of the duck and the fried rice.

The fried rice was placed inside that of half a pineapple.  My order was huge as I saw it.  I shouldn't have ordered the duck, as it alone will make me very full.  (Later I brought home half of the rice and duck for tomorrow's breakfast).  The pineapple fried rice was very nice to look at I do not wish to touch it all.  But the smell emanating from it tells me to dig in right away.  The fried rice was heavenly.  It was my first time to try such and I love it (I hope to replicate it soon).  Then pairing it with the duck, ohhhhhh really you should try them.

The duck is normally greasy as duck fat is oozing whenever they are served.  Now its up to the chef how to combat it with flavour so that the diner wouldn't feel the greasiness of it.  Kudos to their chef for creating such a dish served before me.  Grease was evident here but when you bite into it, it doesn't feel its duck but the flavours are still in them.  How? oh how so?  Aside from loving mutton, next I love is duck.  These two are rarely served and seeing one truly makes my heart skip a beat.  Its just a gamble really to check if the chef can really deliver a great dish with these two.  In Hua Seng Hong, their duck really flew the coup so to speak.

My dinner wasn't budget meal if you ask me, but I did splurge from time to time and this one really is worth it.  My whole meal costed me less than THB500 (PHP750) but this could have been easily shared by two people.  Not bad for the price if you are on a date or with another.  Place was nice, very calming dining experience, tasty food, with large servings.  I don't think its expensive the more I explain why I liked this place so much.  Selling points for me were 1) it feels like Thailand and 2) the pineapple fried rice and the 3) the duck.

MBK Center in Bangkok is a popular mall so taking a cab is not a problem.  The only problem is the Thailand traffic especially during rush hour.  If you are not afraid of motorcycles, I suggest getting a Grab Bike to MBK Center.