After visiting a Muslim Restaurant & Holy Temple, we were informed by our guide from Bangkok Food Tours that our next food stop Charoen Wieng Pochana (Traditional Roasted Duck Served on Rice) was unfortunately closed for the day. However, she has resourcefully replaced it with another food stop – a rather shabby looking noodle stall operating from a narrow strip of space in between 2 buildings.
Not wanting us to make quick judgement, she hastily brought our attention to the numerous media coverage garnered by the stall.
In fact, this stall is so famous that it was patronised by the great grand daughter of a Thai Monarch! It’s noodles fit for royalty!
The Tom Yam Noodles that we were about to try were not the usual that Singaporeans are familiar with. The noodles are fine, slightly translucent and served with an assortment of meat balls.
A spoonful of secret Thai Chilli Sauce was added for participants who preferred their noodles ‘Ped’ – Thai word for Spicy. Without the chilli, the noodle soup base tasted pleasantly sweet with a hint of sourness.
You can get the same noodles and ingredients from other roadside stalls but the differentiating factor was the unique soup base. I asked the guide if I am able to get the exact same soup base by ordering Tom Yam Noodles at other noodle stalls. Her answer was Yes … But I have tried twice at other stalls after the tour and never succeeded getting the same soup base. Arrghhh….
Our next feast was waiting for us across the Chao Phraya River and we will be heading there the local way via a small non commercial jetty.
If not for the blazing sun, the boat ride with its gorgeous river scenery would have been perfect.
The boat ride took us to a rustic village where we would be introduced to Northern Eastern Thai Cuisine from Isan Culture.
As we walked past homes of the local residences, our guide explained to us that most traditional Thai Houses will have a spirit house placed in an auspicious spot, most often in a corner of the property. The spirit house is normally in the form of a miniature house or temple, and is mounted on a pillar or on a dais. Can you spot the spirit house in the picture?
The restaurant was just a quick 5 minutes walk away from the jetty. Our guide will be revealing our tour ‘Secret Dish’ here!
The secret dish turned out to be just Som Tam (Papaya Salad) which Singaporeans are pretty familiar with. Shredded unripe or green papaya are used for its fresh, crunchy texture.
We were also introduced another item which was not on our itinerary – Muu Nam Tok or Waterfall Pork. It was a spicy concoction of grilled pork, mint leaves, onion, parsley, basil and finely crushed toasted rice. The meat was chewy and gave a unique mixture of sweet, sour, salty, and spicy taste with every bite.
Yum Pla Dook Foo – Crispy Catfish Green Mango Salad was served in a beautiful golden brown, airy bee hive like structure. Everyone was surprised when no catfish was found underneath! Where was the catfish?
The catfish was steamed, had its flesh removed and spread neatly like a veil before it was deep fried. A true marvel of Thai cuisine – we love its crispy texture and it goes really well with the accompanying fish sauce.
Our next stop will bring us back to Bang Rak where we get to savour the legendary Thai Style Green Custard & BBQ Pork Bun. Stay tuned to Part 3 of the tour!
We hope you enjoyed Part 2 of our Food and Cultural Tour. You can catch up on Part 1 of Historical Bang Rak Food & Cultural Tour, or move on to Part 3 of Historical Bang Rak Food & Cultural Tour. Else You may also like to check out my posts on other exciting travel destinations here
