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Bangkok has it’s fair share of Halal food restaurants, especially in the old Bangkok area. Some are good, some ordinary and some easily forgettable. Home Cuisine Islamic Restaurant is one of those you eager to come back to. It’s close to what I would call a gem for Halal food in Bangkok, and definitively one of the better once. But it’s not an easy find unless you have a tip and map on how to go there.

It’s a couple of years since I ate here last time so I decided it was time to do a revisit. It’s a full fledged restaurant with a mix of Thai-Muslim and Indian cuisine on the menu. I only had stomach for one dish this time, but I’m rather certain that you want be disappointed with whatever you order. But the best way to take advantage of a good chef is to be a small group of people that can order to share.

This time I went for the Mutton biryani, or goat if you like. The meat was absolutely delicious, tender and tasteful with all it’s herbs. The rice was fragrant and cooked to perfection, the ingredients are fresh and of top quality. I was told that they don’t use MSG and that the selection of spices are handpicked. Lovely and yellow rice with tender goat meat spiced with cumin, sweet raisins, crispy and fried shallots. The biryani was served with a lovely sour and sweet mint and coriander sauce.

Home Cuisine Islamic Restaurant is family run and everybody makes sure you have a good time in their house. It’s not formal and falls under the categorie good family service. For a street eating westerner like me it’s nice to once in a while eat in a room that has character as well withou being to formal. It feels good to sit down here, with an interior made around booths in green leather and with plenty of green plants around. Not to forget the green lamps and table clothes. Might sound to green, but it actually has a nice atmosphere. It’s definitively not modern style, but decorated with a purpose. Let’s call it 1970s retro, but with a plan behind it. A relaxing atmosphere is something I find difficulties to complain about.

They also have samosas, made with a very thin pastry before being deep fried. Indonesian influenced dishes is also on the menu. Chicken biryani is also on the menu. Not to forget the khao Kluk Kapi, a Thai dish that consists of stir fried rice in aromatic shrimp paste with slices of fried egg, raw shallots, green mango, dried shrimp, diced chilies, and in this case, sweet caramelized chicken. It’s up to you to squeeze the lime, but I suggest you do, and the result will be a flavorful dish. It’s not on the menu, but on their rotating specials. In other words you need to ask if it’s available. They also have different noodle soup. If that isn’t enough and you’re in for something more filling curries is an option. Thai curries are mostly originating in the south of Thailand, the Muslim regions of Thailand, so they know how to make it.

The owner is very kind and they make you feel like you’ve gone to eat at grandma’s house. My only regret is that I didn’t come here with an empty stomach.

Other good street food options nearby is Muslim Restaurant for great Biryani, Joke Prince for rice porridge, Boon Sap Thai for mango and sticky rice. To find plenty of other good eats in the area, click on my area coverage on Bang Rak

Name: Home Cuisine Islamic Restaurant

Food: Halal food. Thai Muslim dishes like chicken or mutton (goat) rice biryani, curries, soups and salads together with Thai noodles. 

Price: Mostly from 60 Bath to 100 Bath, but Mutton Biryani 150 Bath.

Open: Monday to Saturday 11am – 10pm and Sunday 6pm – 10pm

Address: 186 Charoen Krung 36

How to get there: A small one-way street off Charoen Krung road, opposite the French Embassy and nearby Haroon Mosque. When walking down Charoen Krung Soi 36, continue for like 15 meters after you pass the small alley leading into the Haroon Mosque.

Phone: +662 234 7911 or +662 6308766

 

Insiders tip: Strolling the area on a Friday

Charoen Krung Road (meaning the new road) was the first paved road in Bangkok and the survey and mapping of the road was headed by a British diplomat, Henry Alabaster. You find the old customs house down here, and the area was were most Europeans settled. Some parts is still quite European with school and churches.

The area is worth a stroll. Bring a bottle of water and take an hour to just walk around. Soi 36 is a good starting point where you also find the Haroon Masjid (Mosque) and a vibrant Muslim community, especially during the Friday prayer. It is just 30 seconds walk away from the French embassy.

It is also the old European quarter and is the heart of the Thailand’s Catholic Community with the Romanesque Assumption Cathedral.

You also find the old customs house designed by the Italian architect Joachim Grassi and built to collect the import taxes of 3 % if you walk down Charoen Krung Soi 36. It was build between 1885 and 1890. It is symmetrical in it’s architecture with arch-shaped facades. It was abandoned by the Customs Department in 1949 and was then used as the Bangkok Fire Station. Today it stands mostly on good will. Bang Rak still has a kind of European atmosphere with many exclusive colonial-style hotels and old abandoned warehouses.