Upmarket Boat Noodles in a strip mall - a bit disappointing
If you spend any time in Thailand you will at one point or another be subjected to "Boat Noodles." The stands are all over the place and it isn't a chain per se. However, the flavor is very similar as is the cooking process.
I had previously mentioned the MeeChock plaza (or mall) as being a bit disappointing, but that was only due to the lack of air conditioning. I have come to appreciate the wide variety of food options that are available here and for that reason I can definitely recommend coming here, but I don't know if I can recommend this Boat Noodles place.
This one is called Ayutthaya Boat Noodles (Ayutthaya is a city in Thailand and a long time ago was the capitol.) Since I am not a specialist in this kind of thing, I can't say for sure if this is a genuine regional difference but basically, boat noodles tend to have a stronger flavor than other types of noodles and unless you specifically ask for it not to be, there is an element of pig blood that is in the broth. Ayutthaya and Ransit are the two areas that are generally considered to have "the best" boat noodles. This is why this location has chosen the name but like I said, I have no idea if it is authentic.
The flavor was good, and you can spice it to your liking. I was a bit disappointed that instead of having a big pot of shredded peanuts at the table, you had to ask for them and then they were quite stingy with the amount they let you have. I like to pile them on.
The shop itself is nothing to get excited about, but to be fair, almost all "boat noodle" places are decorated with just whatever the owner happens to have, and the cooking area has to look like a boat. There doesn't seem to be any other real requirement.
At 50 Baht a bowl (around $1.75,) I'm certainly not going to complain about the price and I only call it "upmarket" because even though it looks basic, the presentation and dining area were considerably more fancy than most boat noodle places would offer.
Myself and my friend had never been here before and it is our objective to eventually eat at every place that this strip mall has to offer. We both agreed that while the food was pretty good, it wasn't special enough for either of us to ever really be interested in returning.
While I can't really recommend this specific boat noodle place, I do think that the experience in a general sense is something that you definitely should do if you are visiting Thailand. At this particular restaurant, no one spoke English and they only had a Thai menu. I suppose you could point and grunt if you don't understand Thai. :P
Yes, but how do you tell them you don't want pig blood if you don't speak Thai! That would be the real hang up for me :) That is a cool idea to try and eat at every place a strip mall has to offer. Where I live most of the strip malls only have one or two places in them, so that would be pretty easy.
Interesting. Some day I will go to Thailand and these posts will come handy!
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What a nice read!
My Khmer wife and I just immigrated to Suriname from Cambodia. It's a culture shock here after 10 years in Cambodia, but it's nice to see some posts from SE Asia on here. I do miss the variety of fruits and vegetables. If you like, take a look at my blog sometime and follow/upvote/comment if you find it relevant or interesting. Steem on!