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Thursday, January 22, 2015

eatBANGKOK: Delicious Boat Noodles @ Doy Kuay Teow Reau & the "best" Pad Thai @ Thip Samai

There are simply too many places to eat in Bangkok and this trip I dined at some really delicious places in town, some popular while others are hidden treasures! Writing this post has got me drooling again!

Doy Kuay Teow Reau at Victory Monument
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Looking for breakfast? Maybe Bangkok’s hidden boat noodle place might tickle your fancy!  First introduced by Mark Wiens from eatingthaifood.com, I was super pumped to be here.  The trek from Victory Monument BTS Station is little more than 10 minutes through a back alley, but the Boat Noodles at Doy Kuay Teow Reau is definitely worth coming for. Getting here is a little tricky though, so see the map below!  I personally prefer the river route!  Feels more of an adventure through those little lanes!  FYI  it is just behind Phra Mongkut Klao Hospital!


15 Baht (RM1.80/$AUD0.60) gets you a serve of boat noodle where guests have have a choice between the beef and pork version. I reassure you that both noodles are equally tasty. First up, the Pork boat noodle. (Pork crackling and fried wanton skins are served at the side and can be added for a couple of Baht extra)
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The pork slices are thinly sliced, noodle cooked just right and the top was sprinkled with freshly chopped coriander and morning glory (kangkung).  But putting details like these aside, the best part was none other than the rich broth and bugger it was good. Mildly sweet, salty and potent with spices, the broth was to die for. The heat was mild and most eaters would not even mind it!

The  Beef Boat Noodle at Doy Kuay Teow Reau was again an experience of thick, dark and rich broth that was equally mind blowing.  Whilst this broth was not as thick as the pork one, it had a better balance.  The soup felt a little sweeter and beef slices more tender.  But other than that there is little difference between the two.  To some extent, I thought they were the same!
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Verdict?  Class!  Two bowls for breakfast was all I could spare in my busy eating schedule!  Come on any other day, and 10 bowls would be about right for me.  The boat noodles at Doy Kuay Teow Reau near Victory Monument was really yums.

Pad Thai Thip Samai, Maha Chai Road
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Sitting high in the ranks amongst the foodies; some even say that this place serves the best Pad Thai in the world.  This is Pad Thai Thip Samai. Located 3-4kms away from the city on Maha Chai Road, a taxi easily gets you here for around 150 baht.  But transportation is the least of your concerns because when you reach Thip Samai, a queue hold you a back a little longer.

A queue of 20 odd people took us no more than 15 minutes so do not be put off by the long queue.  The turnover here is quick thanks to their super quick cooking.  Once the noodles are cooked, it heads over to the egg station where all they did was fry a thin layer of egg wrap, dump the noodles in and put its back on the plate.  The average time needed to cook was only like 1 minute per plate!
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With so many choices of Pad Thai to choose from, I chose the one with the edible shrimp oil, jumbo prawns, Chantaburi noodles and spices wrapped in a thin layer of omelette.  It is the most popular and I can understand why. To start, the presentation here was stunning for a Pad Thai.  Even more so when it only cost us 80 Baht (RM9/$AUD3.50) for a decent serve.
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The Pad Thai here gets its strong flavours from the shrimp oil and Thip Samai is not afraid to share its secret.  The slow cooking of these shrimp heads slowly extract the flavour of the brilliantly orange roe to produce the best shrimp oil.  But no one ingredient can make a whole dish delicious by itself so Thip Samai also  seasons its noodles to make sure it is mildly sweet and fragrant.  To cook,  it employs the use of a fiery charcoal to keep things traditional while lacing the noodles with a delicious wok-fried fragrant.
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The Pad Thai here comes naked which means you get the chance to top it with whatever you want.  I go no further than adding a little chilli flakes, crushed peanuts and of course a few wedges of lime, all of which makes a Pad Thai a Pad Thai.  

Do not forget the vendor outside the shop that sells some serious orange juice!  Its super sweet and high pulp content means the longer it sat in the ice, the more its flavours become apparent.  
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Verdict?  The Pad Thai here is really good.  Its noodles were nicely cooked with each piece separated from one another while being coated with a really tasty sauce.   The shrimps flavours were noticeable when I drew the chopsticks near my nostrils and it was very fragrant!  That novelty jumbo prawn was really fresh and was a nice touch to what is an already amazing plate of Pad Thai.   But does it qualify as the best Pad Thai ever?   At the moment, I believe that the title of “Best Pad Thai” is still a claim too farfetched for Thip Samai.  There has got to be a place out there that is even better!

WenY

About eatBANGKOK

I am no expert in eating but I have no hesitation in claiming Bangkok is easily one of the top cities for eating. In this mini series called eatBANGKOK, I bring you what my homeboys Yobi, ZS and I ate through this bustling city.  Everyone boasts to present the cuisine in this Royal loving city best so the quality of food here can quite easily get diluted.  But are you really eating Bangkok’s best? This is WHAT, WHERE and HOW to eat Bangkok’s  popular and hidden eateries.  Keen on a Bangkok food itinerary?  Look no further.