Siam Paragon Food Hall

Siam Paragon Food Hall

Given the fact that Siam Paragon has proclaimed itself as the 'Pride of Bangkok', its Food Hall accordingly lives up to the hype. Covering a good half of the mall's huge ground floor, the Food Hall is divided into three different zones: Food Hall Food Court, Food Hall Gallery, and Food Hall Take Home.

Food Hall Food Court is arranged in a crescent-like fashion with a sizeable aquarium standing in the middle (a sneak preview perhaps of the much larger tank one level down at Siam Ocean World?). Taking a walk around here is an experience in itself, and determining what to have for lunch is nothing less than a daunting task you're faced with.

A quick browse along the bend reveals an astonishing array of nothing else but food and more food. The first joint serves 'Isaan' (Northeastern Thai) food to the soundtrack of mortar and pestle colliding into one another, yielding a pleasant result: a mouth-watering 'som tum' (spicy papaya salad). Don't miss the fragrant 'moo satay' (grilled pork kebab, marinated in a yellow curry sauce and served with peanut sauce). If you want an easy start, try healthy boiled rice along with a variety of toppings. All kinds of noodles - be it Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese, or Italian - are also readily available.

Further away from the Food Court is the Food Hall Gallery, a slightly more up-scale food venue with a chic setting and a cornucopia of culinary delights. The procedure here is just a tad different because, upon entering the venue, you'll be given a card to be used like a credit card. Food Hall Gallery offers only the best of local and international cuisines all in one place.

Cake, anyone?

Nobody would be able to resist the Food Hall Take Home section. You're drawn in by the kaleidoscope of colours, shapes and sizes of cakes on display. Highly recommended is the 'kanom kui chai', steamed paper-thin dough stuffed with Chinese chive, bamboo shoot, and dried shrimps, eaten with tangy black sauce. Fruit smoothies and Italian gelato parlours abound as well as pastry shops, whose irresistible aroma of freshly baked patisseries tantalizes everyone walking by. Favourite Thai desserts like 'look choob' (mung bean paste in miniature fruit shapes) and sticky rice with mango are big favourites. Before you leave, don't forget to visit the promotional area, where food-related events are held regularly. Recently featured were the tastiest 'pad thai' (stir-fried noodle) you'll ever taste, and grilled shellfish straight from Hokkaido, Japan.