Yesterday was quite interesting… Why? Because I learnt about cooking authentic Thai food 😀 Apparently many restaurants especially the ones outside Thailand that serves Thai dishes in Thai restaurants do not follow the actual procedure of cooking Thai dishes. This was shared by the head chef of Naj Thai Cooking School.

I noticed how important certain ingredients are to make a good Tom Yum Goong. Oh, for your info, Goong means prawn or shrimp. So when you order Tom Yum Goong, you are ordering Tom Yum with Prawn 😀 Apart from the ingredients and spices, it is also important to apply the right technique for a better tasting experience.

So the dishes we prepared and cooked were Pad Thai, Thai Beef Salad, Spring Roll and Tom Yum Goong. I have to say among the lot, I was impressed with my Tom Yum Goong and a few of my friends already requested me to cook for them to test my culinary skills. Perhaps the taste won’t be the same to begin with because of the local Thai spices that will be hard to get in Brunei. Then again, I will just use what’s available in Brunei and make the best out of it.

So if you happen to be in Bangkok and have time to spare, I highly recommend you to try out the Naj Thai Cooking School. The going rate is 2,500 Baht per person which is roughly BND 100 and it is a four hour program and they offer it twice a day. The venue is located near BTS Station (Sala Daeng). For more info, you can view their website. A hundred dollars is definitely worth it to invest your time learning make Thai cuisine 😀

The head chef of Naj Thai Cooking School, Watpusit Ayasanond

The ingredients and spices for our cooking materials

Preparation for the media

There’s also a technique for the pounding bit

Observing the head chef on the techniques

Making Pad Thai

Pui showing off his culinary skills

I’m impressed with my Tom Yum Goong 😀

Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has a bigger obligation to reach and that is to revive the tourism industry in Thailand. Following year 2013’s lifting of the nationwide curfew, TAT is confident that the Amazing Thailand Grand Sale 2015 will boost its tourism industry and the campaign will end by 15th August 2015.

Even before the launch, most of the shopping outlets are already offering major discounts at popular malls. This is a good sign for Bruneians who love to shop, shop and shop. You will also be surprised that the prices are cheaper than Malaysia and Singapore if you know how to hunt. Just imagine that more than 15,000 of shopping places that offer discounts and you will have a hard time, compromising your excess luggage by the time you fly back home.

The Amazing Thailand Grand Sale 2015 launch was held at Gaysorn Mall yesterday. It was launched by Mrs. Vilaiwan Twichasri, TAT’s Deputy Governor for Tourism Products and Business and Mr. Somboon Krobteeranon, Country Manager, Visa Thailand.

This year campaign will return with “Travel 365 Days in Thailand” grand prize, whereby The winners are entitled to bring a friend to visit Thailand for up to 10 days in each month of the entire year, with round-trip air tickets and hotel accommodation provided. Awesome!! This is applicable for those paying by Visa and you will entitled for a draw for every 500 baht you spend.

They have added some twist to the Amazing Thailand Grand Sale 2015. If you wear traditional Thai dress to shop at selected participating stores, you will have the privilege to get major discounts up to 80%. This includes places like Siam Paragon, Siam Center, CentralWorld, Gaysorn, Amarin, Terminal 21, Emporium, Mega Bangna, Central Chidlom, Central Embassy, ZEN, EmQuartier, Platinum Fashion Mall, MBK Center, River City Mall, Krung Thong Plaza, and Intra Square in Bangkok.

So peeps from Brunei, what are you waiting for? Fly to Bangkok and shop, shop, shop. I’m coming back again in July for another shopping experience. Who’s coming with me? 😀

Group photo after the launch of the Amazing Thailand Grand Sale 2015 at Gaysorn Mall. Image courtesy of Richard Lim.

Group photo with Mr.Wiboon Nimitrwanich. Director Department of Tourism Invest, Tourism Authority of Thailand (4th from left) with the media from Brunei and Malaysia. Image courtesy of Richard Lim.

Guests registering for the event

The most comment picture on my IG post yesterday. He’s a celebrity in Thailand and one of the models for the Grand Sale launch.

Some of the models of the Amazing Thailand Grand Sale 2015 launch and they are local celebrities

The media from 11 different countries to spread awareness of the campaign

The short press conference before the launch

The fashion show to showcase the products and services from Thailand

Swinging in action. Image courtesy of Richard Lim.

Posing for the crowd. Image courtesy of Richard Lim.

Some of the participating outlets of the Amazing Thailand Grand Sale 2015