Khao Soi is a delicious dish made with hand cut rice or egg noodles, coconut milk and a curry base, to which chicken or other meats can be added. It originates in Northern Thailand, with influences from Northern Laos and the Shan state of Myanmar.
My very good friend Gavin and his lovely wife Khae own and operate a delightful little Bistro in Bangkok called 'Eats Payao' where they specialise is Khao Soi and other Northern Thai dishes.
Khae, Gavin's wife is from the Payao District in Northern Thailand and the recipe she uses to prepare their Khao Soi is one that was handed down to her by her grandmother, which explains why it is so good!
So now you have a basic idea of what Khao Soi is, let me tell you more about this delicious dish and my friend's charming Bistro, so that you can come to Bangkok and taste it for yourself.
The entrance to Eats Payao
You can easily spot 'Eats Payao' by its vibrant pink frontage and the large pink umbrella which they've setup outside. Here they've put some seats for people who want to smoke (no smoking inside of course), or simply sit out with a beer and watch the world go by.
Inside the restaurant
When you enter the restaurant, you will see a charming little place with a number of small wooden tables. The ceiling is decorated with traditional old style umbrellas, the walls on one side are bright pink and grey on the opposite side and the chairs have lovely bright coloured cushions from Northern Thailand.
Here is another view of the inside, but this time looking towards the entrance. That is Gavin you can see in the photo, I think he was about to get me a nice ice cold beer ;-)
As the restaurant is very popular for lunch my Thai girlfriend and I chose to visit a little after the usual lunch rush, that way we knew we'd be able to chat to Gavin and Khae without disturbing them during their lunch time rush. That is why the place looks empty. But it still didn't stop Gavin from leaving a note on the table to show that it was reserved for me :-)
The Food
Now you've seen what the restaurant looks like, it's time to talk about the food. Lets start by showing you what we ordered from the menu. Seeing as their speciality is Khao Soi that was obviously what we had come to eat.
We chose two different versions, the Khao Soi with chicken which costs a mere 80 Thai Baht (US$ 2.40) and the Khao Soi with beef which was slightly more at 120 Thai Baht (US$ 3.60).
There are many other delicious dishes on the menu, but they will have to wait for my next visit before I can tell you about them.
Khao Soi with Chicken
Khao Soi is characterized by having 2 types of noodle. In the sauce/soup base you will find hand cut egg noodles, and at Eats Payao they use only the freshest egg noodles made each morning. The second type of noodles are placed on top and these are crispy fried noodles. The combination of soft cooked noodles in the broth and crispy noodles on top gives this dish a wonderful combination of textures.
The noodles were cooked to perfection and the gravy was absolutely divine, rich and tasty with the curry base and thickened with fresh coconut milk.
The portions were really generous and I'll admit that we didn't actually finish either bowl, simply because despite being delicious this Khao Soi was also very filling.
Here you can see that I made a pretty good effort to finish off the Khao Soi chicken I ordered.
I highly recommend you try Khao Soi if you ever see it on a menu, although the best place to try it is of course in Thailand and if you are ever in Bangkok then my recommendation is that you find 'Eats Payao' and try their Khao Soi, you won't be disappointed that is for sure!
For more information about 'Eats Payao' I suggest you visit their Facebook Page
https://www.facebook.com/eatspayao/
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