Saturday, January 10, 2015

Bangkok 2014 - Victory Monument Boat Noodles

Boat noodles and Bangkok are two things that have always gone hand-in-hand and Victory Monument is the heart of boat noodle feasting in Thailand's capital city with its famous Boat Noodle Alley and one of the most easily accessible by public transportation.

We decided to indulge in our noodle craving on our way to the Husky cafe in the morning and found ourselves spoiled for choice with three different boat noodles shops along the canal at Victory Monument. 

 
Forgetting which was the recommended one, we just went to the middle shop, Ruathong Noodles where the staff wore pink and had the most locals eating there. (yes, we used the Malaysian method to pick the shop)


Ruathong Noodles fortunately had a menu in English for us to view and to simplify things, we just ordered one of every noodle dish available for each of us plus a bowl of fried pork skin with garlic. In total we had 19 bowls between the three of us.




They had a limited but interesting array of noodles with either beef or pork and in different broths or just dry. The portion were bigger than anticipated and definitely much more than the boat noodles in Malaysia. I believed one bowl offered about two spoonful of noodles which were rich in flavour and condiments.

pork noodle in pink sauce
Dry spicy Thai noodle
Spicy Thai noodle with pork

My favourites were the pork noodle in pink sauce, dry spicy Thai noodle and the spicy Thai noodle with pork although my sister vouched for the Thai noodle with beef. Well, you won't know which ones you like until you try them all. However if you are allergic to nuts, be mindful that a couple of the noodles are topped with crushed peanuts if not drenched in sesame oil. Best to check if uncertain.

Thai noodle with beef
Thai noodle with pork

Dried Thai noodle with pork
The boat noodles are quite spicy and eating six different combinations at one go was not my best eating idea. I was ready to call it quits by the fourth bowl because I was so damn full and was sniffing from the spiciness. But thankfully the crunchy fried pork skin with garlic we ordered made for a lovely palate cleanser and means of neutralizing the spiciness.


Each bowl is 12baht (RM1.20), well worth its value I felt although my stomach disagreed and rebelled in the later part of the day. Note to self, spicy food in the morning, not a good idea. Bottled water was also provided on the house.


To get there via BTS, disembark at Victory Monument station and exit through Exit 3. With Victory Monument in front of you, turn right and continue along the elevated walkway. Boat noodle alley and the canal it is along will be on your right and cannot be missed. Take the stairways down to get to the alley. Ruathong Noodles is the second shop from the front. 


I have also heard that if you successfully finish a fixed number of bowls, you would win a free something. Either way, boat noodles in Bangkok were definitely an experience.

Restaurants along the canal open at about 9am to 9pm so you can go either for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Just remember not to get too greedy and tempted to eat as many boat noodles as you can.

2 comments:

Henry Tan said...

thanks for the info! wait i go bkk i wanna try the real boat noodle! hehe

this is how you should order!

Tania said...

Hi, Henry!
Definitely do try Bangkok Boat Noodles. They are really good.