Charoenkrung 44 was a just small alley with no distinguishing feature – at least until an eatery dedicated to Thailand’s most beloved noodle dish recently opened within its narrow confines. Fred Meyer, the restaurateur whose portfolio includes Issaya Siamese Club, Namsaah Bottling Trust, Kom Ba Wa and Pizza Massilia, aims to turn this small lane into a food destination, starting with his new pad Thai parlor, Baan Phadthai.
Done up in vivid blues, and decorated with wooden pieces from old traditional Thai houses, Baan Phadthai is an aircon-free space that seamlessly blends in with the neighboring community.
Chef Sujira “Aom” Pongmorn, who takes precedence over kitchen proceedings, reinvents the national noodle by using 18 homemade ingredients following a secret recipe from the eastern part of Thailand. Instead of shrimp stock, Chef Aom insists on using crab stock as the key ingredient. Thus, the pad Thai puu (pad Thai with crabmeat) offers a double whammy of mouth-watering crustacean goodness in every bite. There’s also vegetarian pad Thai (B160) for meat- and seafood-free diners. All pad Thai are served chili-free for the sake of foreigners who can’t take the heat of authentic Thai fare, although locals are welcome to ask the waiter to pile on the spicy prik.
Other note-worthy dishes include mieng khana (Thai-style hors d’oeuvres served with condiments such as sweet and sour sauce, B150), kai tod kluea (deep-fried chicken wings, B190), nua dad diew (sun-dried beef, B240) and yum khana koong sod (spicy shrimp salad, B290). Kill your thirst – and the spice – with
a glass of Thai iced tea.