Thai me up, Thai me down

Cabbages & Condoms
6 Soi 12, Sukhomvit Road
Bangkok 10110, Thailand
+66 02 229 4611

In the same way that cheap Chinese food is often easy to find wherever you travel in the world – more often than not one is also likely to find decent approximations of Thai food. In DC, Regent Thai was a perennial favourite for lunch, as was Thaiphoon right by Dupont Circle. I was grateful for this global culinary colonialisation, grateful for Thai chefs exporting their native cuisine to the far corners of the earth – for from time to time these places satisfied my cravings for spice, and for my hometown flavours like coriander and tamarind.

But for the best (and certainly the cheapest) Thai food, there is no doubt that one has to go to Thailand. This is not a difficult thing to manage if you live in Singapore – it is not that far away, and weekend getaways to resort destinations like Phuket and Koh Samui are relatively affordable. This past weekend a gaggle of us made a trip to Bangkok, the nation’s capital, for a weekend of drunken debauchery, a male ritual otherwise known as the bachelor party.

Warren is getting married in January, and I have known him and his bride-to-be for a long time now. I must say that they are both wonderful people and seem like a great couple together, and I wish them nothing but the best. But before he is lost to the rest of us, there were fun times to be had over the weekend. Those times will not be retold on these pages – for what happens in Bangkok stays in Bangkok – but we did have a couple of good meals worth mentioning.

The tailor that we visited gave us a strange recommendation for dinner – and with a name like Cabbages and Condoms, we had to try it. We had absolutely no idea what to expect, and as we peeled off the main drag of Sukhomvit onto one of its darker, dustier side alleys there was a little feeling of trepidation. But there it was a little ways down, its welcoming and well-lit entryway drawing us in like moths to the fire.

The restaurant was started by former Thai senator Mechai Viravaidya, who believed that “birth control should be as cheap as vegetables”. The result is Cabbages and Condoms – part restaurant, part sex shop, and part functioning clinic for communicable diseases: wholly dedicated to raising awareness of birth control and sexually transmitted diseases like AIDS. In fact, you can get a free vasectomy from the clinic next door after your meal. All proceeds go to the Population & Community Development Association, which organises and funds these community awareness programs.

In addition to its lofty ambitions C&C is also a darned fine restaurant and an excellent showcase of traditional Thai dishes. It is certainly curious walking in and being greeted by life-size statues made entirely out of condoms, or walls draped with birth control pills. We were led to a table in the outdoor garden terrace, the pillars and trees adorned with lights that upon closer inspection turned out to be lanterns made of condoms.


There were five of us at the table, and we each chipped in with selections for a dazzling array of dishes. C&C caters to both locals and foreigners – in addition to the Thai names there were not only English translations but also pictures – and there were the globally ubiquitous dishes of pad thai, tom yum goong and green curry. Yet we eschewed all but the latter in favour of what we could only imagine to be more traditional Thai dishes.

Kevin ordered a dish of fried chicken wrapped in pandan leaves, a dish that my maidservant used to make when I was young. It was very time-consuming so she did it only when she was in the mood for it; but she also smartly used it as barter in exchange for our best behaviour. Pieces of deboned chicken are marinated in milk, with garlic, peppercorns, chillies and coriander; and then individually wrapped in pandan leaves and then pan-fried. Because the leaves seal its juices in, you get very moist and tender pieces of chicken – made impossibly aromatic by the distinctive fragrance of the pandan leaves. The version at C&C was not as aromatic or flavourful as the version I remember from my childhood, but then again, what is? It was nevertheless very, very good and definitely a standout among the other dishes we ordered.

Another standout was a dish of hor mok, familiar to Singaporeans as a Thai version of otak. Pieces of fish, squid and other seafood are ground with herbs and spices into a paste and bound by coconut milk, then wrapped in a banana leaf and steamed to doneness. The version at C&C was freshly steamed, and had a texture somewhat shy of solid, that defied chewing and which can only be described as gooey. It was just spicy enough, seasoned very well, and so nice that we ordered it twice.

Rather less satisfactory was the herbal duck in red curry, which lacked the punch I expected and also was overcooked to a point where the meat was not only falling off the bone but also falling apart. It had lost whatever texture it had had, and most of its flavour.

Despite its little missteps (the service was a little spotty, especially after all our food had been served), Cabbages and Condoms is a rather delightful place, with an atmosphere that can unequivocally be described as romantic. But what the restaurant appears to be saying is that if the mood and the moment do strike, then remember to be safe. Instead of breath mints, the hostesses press condoms into our hands as we leave; smile sincerely, and bid us goodbye.