We were looking for a lunch spot while salivating after walking past several Bangkok street food vendors. They seemed a little intimidating day one in Bangkok. We must’ve looked a bit lost as a smartly dressed nice Thai lady stopped to ask us where we were going. She worked at a local hotel and offered her help. We said we wanted good local cuisine. She directed us to the food court in a luxury mall nearby that features all types of street food at discount prices. This provoked memories of a former Bangkok-born-and-bred co-worker who explained to me how important the “mall culture” is to locals. Anyone who knows me knows I abhor shopping malls but we heeded her advice (especially after she helped us safely cross the busiest intersection I’d ever faced in my life and Amy and I agreed she had no skin in the game). It took us awhile to find this place. Escalators up to the 6th floor where we meandered past several fine looking but pricier restaurants featuring both local and international cuisine. We were a bit disappointed with the recommendation then came across a super market. Wandering through just to peruse the aisles, in the rear of the store, we stumbled upon the actual local foodcourt and hit the jackpot. We enjoyed the most amazing Thai food (pad Thai w squid and panang curry w pork) I’d ever had in all my life for less than $1.50 each. The foodcourt caters to the locals who work in the mall and we were certainly the only non-locals present. We now refer to this lovely woman as our “Thai guardian angel” as we’ve since hit another one for lunch and enjoyed Tom kha kai chicken curry soup (the best thing I’ve ever put in my mouth) & an amazing spicy papaya salad. I love Bangkok malls.