Grab Meal Review: Tonk Yum Ban Suan - "Miang Fried Tilapia" & "Fried Pork Belly with Fish Sauce *Side Dish"

Ordered from:
Tonk Yum Ban Suan Branch Sukhumvit 18

Price breakdown (2 items):
Tilalia 189 Baht
Fried Pork Belly Side 148 Baht

The fish is crispy and not overly seasoned. Tasted good, though. Tad dry? Came as two separate dishes as if for leftovers or sharing, with one on sticky rice and lettuce, and the other just on lettuce. Amount of fish was the same for both portions. It's a boney fish, so be careful.

The pork belly (ordered as a side yet is more expensive the a full meal of the same item) comes with less then expected, and is fatty (I should have expected that). It's quite plain but is very good for what it is. It came with a thin batter layer on many which is not all sides per piece (it was sliced after battering); I do not know what is in the batter, but it doesn't taste breaded (the frying may have changed the consistency however). The fattiness and oil made it difficult to eat all of it in one sitting, despite the small amount.

One of these items – presumably the fish – came with enough leafy greens (lettuce, green cabbage, and an unidentified thin long leaf which tasted grassy in a pleasant way) to make a salad, with leaves to spare. This paired very well with the pork belly, even undressed. These leaves had two dressings in the container, plus a crushed nut / sesame substance; all of these were well separated for those uninterested.

Additional to the salad were two more items. A raw salmon salad with spicy peppers (not tried), and a bag of thin white noodle which tastes rice-ish. I can presume these are rice noodles. They would pair very well with a sauce, such as soy sauce.

I did not try either of the dressings. One is a green coloured thicker dressing, and one thin one that looks like fish sauce and is orange. The fish came with an optional and well separated spicy sauce, which was not tried.

No items were spicy (ignoring separated sauces). All items including the noodles (besides the leaves and salad) arrived warm.

Ordered together the value is very good, and this could probably be shared between two people (although it wouldn't make both people full).

Better value may be possible, especially as the full meal version of the pork belly item costs less, if I understand the menu correctly. I had assumed with it being listed as a side it had meant it would only be the meat (which is might have been) and would be notably more, but it is also possible that being listed as a side means "with sides", such as the noodles and leafy greens (I am unsure).

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Attribute to review author "Nicolete Lovejoy".