Boat Noodles (Kuaytiaw Reua) are a bit of a legendary food item to me. I love the history and the story behind it. Noodles sold on light, narrow boats at floating markets. The noodles are usually thickened with pig or beef blood and sold in small bowls to prevent spillage when the seller passes it to the customer. While you can still get it at floating markets, you can also eat boat noodles on land now, making it much more accessible. And its reputation now is as a quick and affordable lunch for many locals and tourists alike.
Coming to Bangkok for my first time, I had to try it, and from the recommendations of friends, I headed down to Victory Monument, well known for its boat noodle alley just nearby. It's a short distance from the BTS, pretty easy to find, and I'll provide more information at the end of this post. :)
Boat noodle alley is so nicknamed because the whole alley (which is quite short) is comprised only of boat noodle shops. For a detailed comparison of the various shops, I found this article (link) helpful. But for my lunch that day, I decided to go to The Best of Noodle Boat, upon the recommendation of a friend and other blogs. In Thai, this shop is called สุดยอดก๋วยเตี๋ยวเรือป๋ายักษ์ Sud Yod Kuaytiaw Reua Phayak.
This must be one of the most famous places to go to for boat noodles and is frequently featured on tourist blogs. This place is not just popular with tourists, but also popular with locals too. I even came across a Thai TV programme featuring this place (link here). Wish I could understand Thai!
But, how was the food?
A variety of boat noodles are offered here, at 12 baht per bowl. On the English menu, there are 4 different types of soup base: soup thickened with pig blood (pork namtok), soup thickened with cow blood (beef namtok), yentafu noodles, and sour and spicy soup.
The staff don't speak much English but a combination of pointing at the menu and gesturing with your fingers works easily. Aside from choosing your soup base, you'll have to choose the type of noodles you want as well, much like when ordering from a noodle stall in Singapore. There is a small container with the different types of noodles that you can choose, and you can just point at which noodle you want to tell the staff what you want to eat. If you want to read more about the different types of noodles commonly served and their names in Thai, this article (link) is a good read.
We tried three kinds of soup: pork namtok, beef namtok, and the sour spicy soup. On the advice of a friend, we skipped the yentafu noodles as it would probably not be to our tastes.
The sour spicy soup is very appetising. The sourness really opens up your appetite and the spiciness makes it very addictive. It's really quite spicy so if you can't take spice, remember to ask them for not spicy (in Thai: ไม่เผ็ด Mai Phet). The sour spicy soup comes with beansprouts, some minced meat and crispy wonton skin. I loved the crunch the beansprouts and wonton skin added to it.
The pork namtok soup comes with some vegetables, pork slices and pork meatballs.
The beef namtok soup likewise also comes with vegetables, beef slices and meatballs.
My favourites were the beef and pork namtok soups. I've never had namtok soup before so it was a very delightful experience. The broth was packed with so much flavour, that likely comes from the pig/cow blood. It's also slightly sour, which makes you want to eat even more. When I first had it, I wasn't quite aware that the soup was thickened with pig/cow blood (it doesn't say blood on the English menu), and just happily gulped it down, amazed at how flavourful it is. And now that I know it, it still won't stop me from happily ordering more bowls of namtok soup.
They also sell pieces of pork crackling on the side as well, which is a popular addition to boat noodles that adds crunch and texture. We skipped that for the sake of being somewhat healthy.
The one thing about boat noodles is that they are conventionally served in small bowls with small serving sizes, and you'll need many bowls to feel full. Two slurps, and it was all gone. So naturally, we ordered even more. I saw a table next to me that had their empty bowls stacked in towers, as high as their shoulders.
Boat noodles shops traditionally also sell Khanom Tuay as a side dessert. Khanom Tuay, its name meaning dessert or snack in a bowl, is coconut milk custard. If you're familiar with nyonya desserts, the bottom part of the bowl has a similar consistency to kueh, soft and sticky. The top part has a softer consistency, creamy and full of coconut flavour. In this place, they leave a tray of it on your table, and it's almost impossible to stop yourself from snacking on them in between bowls of noodles. Sweet and slightly salty, its flavour is refreshing and light compared to the full-bodied soup of the boat noodles.
Was it worth it?
Very worth it.
At 12 baht a bowl, that's about SGD 0.50 only. You'll probably need at least 6 or 7 bowls to feel remotely satiated. If you're a big eater, you'll probably need 20 or so. Still, that comes down to a very affordable price. You'll probably spend about 100 to 250 baht (SGD 4 to 10) per person here, depending on how much you eat.
Do note that the khanom tuay and iced water are not free, but they really don't cost much, so don't stop yourself from enjoying them as well.
How do I get there?
Boat noodle alley is a short distance away from Victory Monument BTS (metro).
Walk until you go over the canal, then go down the stairs. In this photo taken from the skybridge, boat noodle alley is the alley on the left, right beside the canal.
After you go down the stairs, turn right. Right at the corner, you'll see the first shop selling boat noodles. Turn right and walk down the alley to check out the rest of the shops.
If you're interested in the same shop I ate at, The Best of Noodle Boat is right at the end of the alley, next to the bridge. Once you see the shop with the orange shirts, you'll know you're at the right place.
Hi! How do you pay after eating at Pa Yak?
ReplyDeleteJust signal to the service staff, they will calculate the total bill for you and tell you how much it is. We paid in cash. :)
Delete