We went to the must-visit gastro destination, tried the most viral dishes and returned with the delicious details.
A trip to Thailand was a lifelong dream - in the end reality was even more thrilling and far more delicious. The country is a foodie’s joy, an authentic and unpolished mecca of gastronomy that lives around pots, rice, noodles, broths and soups. Both the capital and the other regions and islands share a common point of reference, food, expressed with dishes that have deep flavor, plenty of spices and an umami character.
Everywhere, wherever you are, there are people cooking dream food on the street. In every alley you might come across a makeshift market with delicacies made in pots, in pans and on grills and in every neighborhood you’ll see restaurants popping up that don’t look like much at all but have the awards and gourmet distinctions of the Michelin guide stuck to their windows and lines of people waiting for a seat.
The following restaurants belong to this category. Three spots you would pass by if you judged by aesthetics but you would return again and again if you tried their menu. Among their suggestions are the most famous Thai dishes, not because they simply learned to do them well, but because this is where their story started, their recipe was born and their flavor took off.
Boat Noodles at Pa lek
If you’re in Bangkok it’s worth going as far as Ayutthaya just to try this rustic dish. Boat noodles were traditionally served from small boats and that’s how they got their name. They usually put them in small bowls with a little broth so it wouldn’t spill. The broth is the whole secret and the whole essence, as it’s made from pork with five-spice, dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, pickled garlic and is bound with an unexpected ingredient, pork blood.
Into its thick body go egg noodles or rice noodles and pork or beef meatballs. At Pa lek the food list includes only boat noodles or kuatio the name in Thai. And you have to fight for a seat to order your bowls. In the middle of the shop there are huge pots that never stop boiling and all around are tables that are constantly full of locals and visitors.
When the waitress comes it’s enough to tell her how many bowls you want. This detail matters because you can’t stay at just one. When we went the neighboring tables were making a tower with the bowls. The soup is delicious and so are the meatballs, which have an incredible, full flavor.
Tom Yum Mama at Jeh o Chula
This is the place where this dish was born. Jeh o Chula is in the area with the universities which is why it also has a lot of young people (pre Covid it was a late-night spot and closed at 6 in the morning). The woman who owns it, Muay Sae, had a son who studied in the area. Every time he went out and got drunk, he would then go for food with his friends to his mother’s restaurant.
She would bring them a huge bowl of Tom Yum soup that she had simmered together with Mama instant noodles. Then she would throw in absolutely everything - from eggs, shrimp, pork to crab. Her son and his friends told her that she absolutely had to put it on the menu. One day she did and it went viral. After nights out everyone went to eat Tom Yum Mama. After Covid the late nights stopped and now it operates in the evening 17:00 to 00:00.
Quite a few restaurants have copied the soup today, even Speedboat in London. The magic Muay has done is that she makes a proper Tom Yum soup with lemongrass, kaffir lime and galangal and then adds the noodles and rockets it. It’s a combination of quality with junk food.
To go you need to book online, get a number and go earlier to the restaurant, wait in line until you hear your number. The day we went it was chaos. As soon as the soup came I was impressed. It really is big and has seafood, meats, everything. The tasting protocol dictates you first mix it very well so it spreads properly, egg included.
At first the first bite was hesitant, then I didn’t want to share it. Its flavor is unique, everything is balanced, everything has intensity it’s magical. The highlight beyond the soup in the restaurant is Muay’s husband, who comes at the end with the bill and while he doesn’t have a calculator or anything, he calculates the total on the spot.
Mango Sticky Rice at K.Panich
The first thing you should do when you go to Bangkok is go to this place for this dish. I believe it’s the best initiation into Thai culture. Head toward the old city and near the palace is the family-run Panich business, which for 80 years has been making Thailand’s most iconic and widespread dessert, mango sticky rice.
It’s sticky rice steamed with coconut milk and pandan (that is, aromatic leaves used in sweets, something like the vanilla we use). The rice comes with pieces of mango, crunchy mung beans and a bound coconut milk and pandan sauce. K.Panich is renowned for Mango Sticky rice but it also has various traditional sweets such as coconut cookies, coconut jelly and meringue cookies.
We sat at its little tables and along with the mango sticky rice we also got mango juice. Starting with the juice, it’s an experience as you feel like you’re chewing the cool and fresh fruit. Now the dish is very special and to understand its tastiness you need to take a bite that marries the rice with the pineapple. It’s amazing how well they go together and what a lovely and sweet aftertaste they leave.
Source: Reader.gr
