Counting Sheep Corner Bangkok – a “progressive” lunch
Bangkok is an unusual city in that it doesn’t really have a “centre”. Sprawling far and wide either side of the Chao Phraya river, it’s divided into various precincts. Given Greedy Girl and gluttonous husband can’t speak Thai, we need to take a cue from Uncle Google, discovering the area we stay in is called Watthana.
It’s home to a lot of great places to eat, drink and be merry – as well as some of the best coffee you’ll have anywhere (see the blog Best coffee in Bangkok). Of course, given we’re in Thailand, micro food stalls line the pavements for most of the day. Local food is everywhere, from amazing curries in the executive lounge at the Bangkok Marriott Sukhumvit to the humblest skewers getting their char grill on in the street.
It may seem like sacrilege but there’s only so much local food Greedy Girl and gluttonous husband can take. We have a Thai breakfast (not as spicy as the locals would enjoy it) and the local delicacies in the evening. One humid lunchtime, we decided we needed some comfort food as Westerners would describe it – and headed to Counting Sheep Corner.
This is on Sukhumvit 61, about midway between the Thong Lo and Ekkamai BTS stations. A number of our favourite coffee haunts, including Ink and Lion and Phil’s are nearby. The menu is written on the front window and proclaimed hamburgers and BLTs. Sold.
And so one enervating lunchtime, we headed down to the cafe, which features quirky mis-matched furniture and a retro vibe. The clientele was a mix of locals and expats. All good. What was a little unnerving was having the waiter hover nearby until we decided what we were going to order. We attempted to get a little breathing space by ordering a banana smoothie but, as soon as that was registered with the bar staff, our friendly chap was back, eagerly awaiting our food order.
A very nice banana smoothie, served in an old beer stein
That was, perhaps, the only ‘quick’ aspect of our lunch. Everything else took a fair while to come – and it came out in dribs and drabs. The smoothie took a long time to prepare – although it had to be said blended drinks were very popular at this time of the day. It was quite decent but didn’t have a particular banana flavour hit.
Greedy Girl ordered the dish featured at the top of this post, a BLAT. Avocado isn’t something she has seen a lot of in Bangkok so she was relishing the opportunity to have some. The sandwich also included aioli, a couple of rashers of reasonably crispy bacon, a slice or two of tomato and a profusion of leaves. Sadly, the bread slices were rather mismatched – the layer on the bottom of the sandwich was about a third smaller than the top. C’est la vie.
Gluttonous husband insisted Greedy Girl make a start – it was a good call. Slowing herself down markedly, she had about a quarter of the sandwich left before his hamburger arrived.
A different take on the hamburger
Again, hidden under the profusion of leaves was a burger made from pulled beef. This was an unexpected but not entirely unwelcome take on a burger. Gluttonous husband heartily tucked in, enjoying the beetroot (well, he is an Aussie), cheese and tomato. He pronounced it entirely edible.
When the burger was delivered, the waiter said fries would be following. They arrived at the table well after the burger had been consumed.
A small serving of fries
These were in desperate need of salt. A bonus is that they were quite dry (i.e., not greasy) and crispy. We polished off the small serving in no time at all.
And we were done. It seemed odd that each of the items we ordered were served individually – especially as the Thai style is to bring everything to the table at once.
Counting Sheep Corner is a decent enough local cafe and if you’re in the area, a potential bonus should you be needing a Western food hit. Is it worth a special trip to this area of Bangkok? Not really.
Counting Sheep Corner
26/1 Sukhumvit Soi 61, Bangkok
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