After visiting the Suan Pakkard Palace (see previous post) I headed a few blocks north to the Victory Monument (a big roundabout to the north-east of the old town) for something to eat.
The street vendors in the alleys north-west of the monument are famous for Kuaitiao Ruea or Boat Noodles, a type of noodle soup once sold from small boats on the canals.
Sam-Ang Kulap (Elementary B+), Ratchawithi Road, Khwaeng Thung Phaya Thai, Khet Ratchathewi
If you can’t use my Google map or read Thai, then this place is just by the canal bridge on Ratchawithi Road (really an alley), opposite this modern temple.
It’s a fair sized space with several long trestle tables under a tin roof. My order was taken by a little girl who spoke excellent restaurant English!
As seems appropriate, the food is served from a boat-shaped counter.
The soup also contains a seasoning called Nam Tok which is cow or pigs blood mixed with salt and spices.
Other ingredients might be both pork and beef meat, dark soy sauce, pickled bean curd, meatballs and pig’s liver.
Which along with morning glory, fresh garlic, fried garlic, cinnamon and chilli flakes makes for quite a powerful flavour as you can imagine. The noodles here are thin rice noodles although this can vary from place to place. On the side comes a bowl of fresh beansprouts and sweet basil leaves and another of fried wontons.
My only complaint was that the bowls were very small, but that’s down to tradition as the larger bowls were dangerous for the vendors to handle on a boat. I’ll order two next time.
Besides that it was a good experience and I’m glad I made the trip.
Some high-end food next…