Kuaytiaw Sukhothai: The best Thai dish you've never heard of
You don't need to go to the old capital for a bowl of these delicious but underrated noodles. Here's where to find them in Bangkok
A bowl of Sukhothai noodles with broth, at Auttarod Cuisine.
Sukhothai is most commonly associated with ancient civilization, but among food-obsessed Thais, the city also inspires thoughts of noodles.
Kuaytiaw Sukhothai, literally Sukhothai-style noodles, combines rice noodles in a slightly sweet pork-based broth, slices of roast pork, thinly-sliced green beans and toppings of ground peanuts and deep-fried pork rind.
In Sukhothai, the noodles are often served with offal, but the handful of Bangkok-based vendors that sell the dish opt for lean slices of pork.
And unlike most noodle dishes in Thailand, you don’t need to specify which noodles you’d like; Sukhothai-stye noodles are almost exclusively served with "sen lek," thin rice noodles. Here's where to find them in Bangkok:
Somsong Phochana
A bowl of "dry" Sukhothai noodles at Somsong Phochana.
This shophouse in Banglamphu may be one of Bangkok’s longest-standing vendors of the dish, but this doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best.
The broth here verges on dessert sweet, but you can counter this by ordering the "tom yam" version, in which a generous amount of chili and lime are added to the dish.
Unusually, the noodles here come served with crunchy bits of salted radish, in addition to the standard toppings of peanuts and pork rind.
If you haven’t already filled up on noodles, Somsong also does excellent central Thai-style curries and lauded desserts.
Soi Wat Sangwet (off Phra Athit Road). +66 (0)2 282 0972. Open daily, 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Price: 30 baht/bowl.
Auttarod Cuisine
A fried version of Sukhothai noodles, at Auttarod Cuisine.
This garden-style restaurant deep in Bangkok’s ‘burbs does tiny bowls that combine a slightly sweet broth, thin slices of lean barbecued pork and ground pork. Garnishes include finely sliced "phak chee farang" (sawtooth coriander) and hearty chunks of deep-fried pork rind.
There’s also a fried version, in which the noodles and green beans are served wrapped, phat Thai-style, in a thin omelet. Auttarod also does a variety of "khanom jeen" (curries served over rice noodles) and Thai-style desserts.
15/126 Soi 36, Ratchadaphisek Road. +66 (0)2 541 6577. www.auttarod.com. Open daily, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Price: from 30 baht/bowl.
Coconut Palm
A bowl of Sukhothai noodles in broth at Coconut Palm.
If the noodles at this modern, air-conditioned restaurant near Wat Pho seem familiar, it’s because Coconut Palm is owned by the same family as Somsong Phochana.
The broth here verges on sweet, but doesn’t require as much additional seasoning as other vendors’. Unusually, the noodles here are served without the topping of deep-fried pork crackling, but Coconut Palm seemingly makes up for this by using rich roasted pork and lots of peanuts and dried chili.
A version using "bamee" (wheat and egg noodles) is a tasty variation on the standard.
392/1-2 Maha Rat Road. +66 (0)2 622 2246. www.coconutpalmthaifood.com. Open daily, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Price: from 30 baht/bowl.
Sri Samorn
Sukhothai noodles and broth at Sri Samorn.
This tiny shophouse of six tables run by a middle-aged couple from Ayuthaya serves one of the more unusual bowls in town.
The noodles here are slightly sweet and tart, and come topped with lots of crushed fresh chili, flecks of sesame and tiny dried shrimp.
Instead of the standard roast pork, the dish includes ground pork and pork balls (“They’re cheaper,” explained the owner).
Deep-fried bits of pork fat and garlic provide the dish with a rich undertone, and a "dry" order is accompanied by a side of well-seasoned broth.
Accompany your bowl with a glass of the restaurant’s deliciously sour tamarind juice.
Thanon Nakhon Sawan (near Talat Nang Loeng, across from Siam City Bank). +66 (0)2 282 0540. Open Mon-Sat, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Price: 30 baht/bowl.
This is the seventh part in an ongoing series that highlights some of Thailand's finest but underrated dishes. Click to read part one, on the delicious khao khluk kapi. In part two, we explore the adventurous kuaytiaw luy suan. In part 3, we head north for a taste of khao soi’s underrated partner, khanom jeen nam ngiaw. Part 4 rounds up the best kaeng karii Bangkok has to offer and part 5 introduces the finest chicken and egg mash-up you're ever likely to taste, kuaytiaw khua kai. Part 6 covers Kuay jap nam sai.
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