i agree with all of this, but i fall a bit more on the acid/lime side. that’s the beauty of pad thai, though. i haven’t been in a few years, but there were(/are?) a couple vendors at Wat Thai that let you do what you want with a base of what you described.
just out of curiosity, what do you think about Rad Na Silom? i think they hit all the marks that you’re describing, but maybe they also go too far in acidity
Theirs is fairly saucy, verging on sweet. I also don’t love the size of the dried shrimp.
You should check out the pad thai khron khen at Yai, the pork cracklins version at Mae Malai, and the version at Mesa Thai.
You know Thai Town!
The KK pad thai at Yai’s is Isaan style. Be sure to tell them KK or Khon Kaen. Less sweet more spice! I can’t remember I think either one of the owners or cooks is Isaan. They are otherwise a Central spot. Great crispy pork Chinese broccoli if I can recall.
Rad Na Silom definitely runs on the sweet side staying true to Central/Bangkok tastes. I think all of their noodle dishes are the best. When they are on fire there is not a better plate of pad see ew, pad thai, and radna. Their krapow is also very good.
Have you tried the boat noodles at Mae Malai? What do you think?
eh, i personally like that amount of sweet. my mom made it that way when i was a kid; she was born and raised in Bangkok so i’m fairly conditioned to that. (i also very much like the size of the dried shrimp.)
i enjoy khon kaen style, just not as much. i haven’t been to Mesa Thai, so i’ll definitely give that a shot. thanks for the rec!
+1 for the pad thai from Mesa Thai Cuisine! Here is the blurb I wrote about it for an article:
The English menu offers a “choice of meat” but order the pad thai ผัดไทย (10.95, below) as it is meant to be eaten with only the dried shrimp that make for its unique taste. It is deep and dark with fermented flavors, almost as if it was cooked in front of you in Bangkok.
Add the fresh vegetables and squeeze the lime wedge over the plate when it arrives, and once again the tastes and textures create a symphony in each bite. Pad thai is often written off as an overload of sweetness created for western palates, and rightly so, but when made in its original styles it is supremely enjoyable.
Haven’t been to the brick and mortar yet, went multiple times in the pop up phase. I liked the tom yum and boat noodles. Need to revisit Sapp before I compare/contrast!
And thanks for the compliment. I like the chinese broccoli with crispy pork there too. Also the kao moo pa krapow. I go back and forth whether I prefer their version, Ruen’s, or Rodded.
And I agree @hamburgertuesday, I do like Radna Silom, though I’m used to smaller dried shrimp that are maybe cooked in the wok? I’m not Thai though, so my index is trying this stuff at various places.
This is the way. Find the place that does the combination of the essential 4-5 flavors you like. Thais don’t agree on this, either. It’s why I generally don’t trust Thai food reviews; and also why I don’t yuck someone else’s yum on it.
Haven’t been there. Thanks for the suggestion!
