ATW – Yummy Thai food

My first big meal in Bangkok was at the Thai restaurant at the Shangri-La Hotel. I normally don't like eating at the hotel, but I was worn out and this place looked good. I wasn't disappointed. The spices in every dish were top-notch. I got the 6 course chef's sampler and each item was a new dish to me, or at least they tasted so different from any Thai dishes that I had had before that they effectively were new. The standouts were Yam Woon Sen, a very spicy noodle salad with pork and shrimp, Tom Kha Koong, a spicy coconut soup with shrimp, and then there was a spicy dipping sauce with the Pla Thod Kratiem Prik, a piece of fried fish. I almost exploded from all the food. The next day I made the mistake of buying a sausage from a little street market. It was all gristle and god-only-knows what kind of meat. One bite and I realized that if I ate the whole thing I'd fall in the river dead. So I did the smart thing for once...I tossed it.
The last major meal was supposed to be at a highly recommended Thai restraint in a slightly seedy part of town. I couldn't find the place, or anything that seemed close, so I stopped into a British Pub and had some of their food. The Thai shrimp soup that I ordered was quite good, Tom Yam Kung. Breakfasts (at the hotel) overall were nothing special, but the very fresh fruits, and especially the orange juice, were great.