When I was up in Chiang Rai I had excellent northern-style noodles at a place called Paa Suk. It wasn't until I needed to come up with an interesting eating destination here in Bangkok that I recalled that they also have a branch here in Bangkok.
The occasion? Friend and Thai Food author David Thompson was in town:
David, being a Michelin-starred chef, demands only the finest cuisine and wine, and noodles at a greasy table while seated at tiny wooden stools seemed to fit this category. The restaurant is called Kuaytiaw 12 Panna, and serves the same repertoire of northern noodles as the Chiang Rai branch, with the addition of khao soi. The signature dish is khanom jeen nam ngiaw:
which I thought was pretty much identical to the version in Chiang Rai: rich and meaty. Unfortunately we were all disappointed by the restaurant's khao soi, which not only was rather bland, but seemingly also prepared incorrectly. Hock and I liked the khao kan jin (rice and blood wrapped in banana leaves and steamed), pictured here.
While eating, I asked David about the book he's been working on. It is as of yet unnamed, but will focus on Thai street food, and should be in the shops in about a year from now. It will be considerably thinner than Thai Food, spanning 100 recipes that took, in his words, 'a f**** lot of testing.'
His next book, which he has yet to begin, will focus on the historical and cultural origins of Thai food.
Kuaytiaw 12 Panna Soi 3, Thanon Silom 08 6334 1489 7am-3pm Mon-Sat