"Zing" would be the word I'd use to describe Thai cuisine's definitive characteristic: the barrage of bright and zesty flavors in each dish, overwhelming the senses and stimulating the taste buds to the max through a chaotic interplay of sweet, sour, and spicy elements.
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There's much less emphasis here on the ingredient compared to Japan. The techniques are not refined like the Japanese, as the pursuit of perfection is replaced by a strive for 'playfulness'. Different aromas and techniques are easily combined to create an array of dishes with vivid, explosive flavors. Most of the cuisine centers around earthy flavors from the inland Thai jungles, spices from China and India, and Chinese stir-frying. The result of this fusion is never boring or monotone, but always impactful and memorable.
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In my short Bangkok trip, I found Prai Raya to be the restaurant that showcased traditional Thai cuisine the best, serving exemplary dishes to educate your taste buds on the wonders of the Thai culinary culture. I had my first meal in Thailand there, which was so impactful that it made me return for a second time to have my last one, desperate not to leave before tasting their remarkably flavorful dishes again.
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The dish on the cover photo, stir-fried crab meat with lemon chili sauce, exemplifies the three components of Thai cuisine very well. Earthy flavors like lemongrass intermingle with the hot and sour sauce to create a stimulating experience. The stir fried crab itself is delicious, but it is not allowed to be in the center stage, wrapped in a barrage of flavors in each bite. This was the most memorable dish of my trip.
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Other classics I've tried include their Tom Yum Goong, an iconic Thai Soup dish which was head-spinning with its impactful spicy sour flavor. The milky green curry was yet another blast, and I would recommend ordering the glass noodles next to it.
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While my experience with Thai food is obviously limited, Prai Raya would be my first recommendation to any serious food-lover going to Bangkok. I'll talk about the city's vibrant bar scene in the next post.

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