Exploring Chinatown the other day, Khun Suthon tipped me off to a tiny restaurant that he said made the best hoy tawt, fried mussels/oysters, in Bangkok. This caught my ear, as hoy thawt is a dish with such potential--who doesn't love eggs, oysters and oil? But it's also a dish that has disappointed me nearly every time I've ordered it (who likes ill-prepared eggs, oysters and oil?). Finding myself in Chinatown again recently, I made a point of stopping by.
The restaurant is called hoy thawt jao kao plaeng naam, meaning that it was previously located on Thanon Plaeng Naam. After 11 years at that location they moved directly across the street, where they've been for four years now.
The hoy thawt made here are of the crispy variety, which basically means they fry the crap out of them:
You have a choice between oysters or mussels, and I chose the latter. The plump, fresh-looking mussels were fried with egg, batter and lotsa garlic until bordering on burnt. This was then broken up and served on top of bean sprouts that had also been fried in oil. The result was predictably very, very oily, but undeniably delicious, and was served with a really nice spicy/sour sauce. Cholesterol issues aside, I think Khun Suthon just might be right.
Hoy Thawt Soi Plaeng Naam
Corner of Charoen Krung and Plaeng Naam roads (near the Cantonese shrine)