My little guide to Bangkok’s Sao Ching Cha area

Just a ten minute walk from Khao San road will reveal a haven of some of Bangkok’s best street eats in the charmingly old-school Sao Ching Cha area. The map below will hopefully guide you to some of the treats that I've had the privilege of indulging in.

Sometimes places aren’t actually overhyped

Chote chitr (Map: No. 3) was catapulted into the spotlight when the New York Times featured this seemingly unassuming hole-in-the-wall restaurant in their Bangkok street food feature. I’m not normally one to frequent places visited by the masses, but since so many other foodies have been raving about it on their blogs, I thought I’d give it a try.

And yes, I was not disappointed. My first port of call was their sublime Mee Krob (written on their menu as crispy noodles, a name that certainly does not do it justice). Sweet, tangy, crispy and somehow incredibly addictive deep-fried to perfection rice vermicelli are accompanied by prawns, chicken, beansprouts and chilli in what has to be one of the best fried noodle dishes my tastebuds have ever been graced by. The secret to these masterful noodles, flavoured with palm sugar, lemongrass and ginger, is the addition of som saa, a very tart version of an orange which you’d be hard pressed to find elsewhere in this city of angels.

Accompanying this was another one of their famous dishes, the banana flower salad, which, again, was truly excellent. Shredded banana flower, juicy prawns and slices of moist chicken breast are enveloped in a dressing of coconut milk, lemon juice and chilli amongst others, to create a dish whose tartness is expertly mellowed by the presence of coconut milk to provide a soothing and refreshing flavour combination.

Truly local ice cream

Just down the road from Chote Chitr is the perfect spot for dessert, another hole-in-the-wall famed for one thing; traditional Thai-style coconut ice cream (Map: No. 4). Nattaporn seems to be constantly packed with locals – telling you straight away, it’s good.

Unlike Western ice cream or gelato, it’s not creamy at all, and is incredibly light, kind of like an icy powder which instantly melts in your mouth to give way to a really unctuous hit of coconutty tones. The toppings aren’t bad too; but really, it’s all about this ice cream, a snippet at 30 baht per bowl.

Hainan noodles: noodle soup not to be missed

I think this was one of the best noodle soups I’ve ever had (Map: No. 6). At first glance, it doesn’t look that special, but trust me, this is a truly brilliant display of culinary prowess. Firstly, let me start with the Hainan-style noodles themselves – they look a bit like udon noodles, but with one key difference – they are incredibly light and dare I say it, even more slurp-able than udon noodles.

Secondly, the broth. Chicken-and-pork bone based, packed full of flavour but not overly rich, with a ever-so-slightly sour edge provide by Chinese sour cabbage. Really refreshing stuff. Lastly, there’s the toppings; with crispy belly pork the standout star here – somehow, the belly pork skin stayed crispy-ish in the broth. Must’ve been magic.

And if all this wasn’t enough, this little eatery on Thanon Mahannop offers another broth, slightly yellow-ish (possibly indicative of a curry-type influence) in colour for which unfortunately I had no time to try. On my hitlist for my next Bangkok visit.

Smokingly sweet rice noodle goodness

Phat see eew, or stir fried flat rice noodles with pork, vegetables and a slightly sweet soy-based sauce, is the type of street food staple I wish I could have access to more often.

At Radna 40 years on Thanon Tanow (Map: No. 1), you’ll find a truly awesome rendition of this dish, for just 40 baht. Smokeyness, induced by the incredibly huge wok and matching dangerously large flame, is married perfectly to the sweetness of the dish. To help guide you to this phat see eew specialist, here’s a picture of the shop front. 

Also worth noting that they apparently do a mean radna (flat rice noodles in a gooey seafood gravy).

Pork in all its glory

Thong Lo Soi 38 is a mix n match of excellent Thai street food stalls (note this is far away from the Sao Ching Cha area), often frequented by clubbers looking for their fill. My favourite without doubt is this shop doing a superb pork noodle soup.

It has an English menu, so it’s not hard to order their yellow noodles with crispy and roasted pork. The broth is saltyly moreish with a hint of sweetness from pork bones, and the crispy pork, well is self explanatory. The clever addition of Chinese celery adds a deliciously refreshing hit to round off a superb bowl of noodles.

At that time, even this outstanding bowl of noodles didn’t quite satisfy my hunger for more pork; so I nosily peered inside to see what else was on offer. Standing before me lay a huge pot containing a pork stew of all the flavour-packed offcuts, whose aromas were just too enticing, so I asked for a small bowl. The stew was incredibly rich and yet so incredibly good, and the meat that lay within was unctuously tender. Based on this, I’d say it’s worth being nosey every now and again.

Nearby, also on Soi 38, you’ll find a stall which does so called award-winning Phat Thai. I tried a bit of their Phat Thai Goong, and whilst it’s a pretty good rendition, I’d still say there’s room for improvement.