Break From Fry Ups
Most mornings start the same, fire up the coffee machine and get some bacon under the grill, and some eggs in a pan. Toast. Alongside some baked beans, mushrooms, and a heap of baby tomatoes go all in one pan and simmered tender - my biggest brekky innovation in a while, a big time saving and washing up hack :)
Alas, it's somewhere between healthy and not healthy, and it's not what I want everyday. Sometimes just toast, cereal, juices. Today, I thought for once I'd go out around 10am and hunt down some noodles. Rich broth, fresh veg, flash cooked pork and chilli was my craving this morning. A typical choice for breakfast of Thai people, along with various rice dishes. Here's what I found.
Breakfast at the Noodle Shop
This is a great little spot on the mainroad through the Sattahip area, and faces the Navy base with it's big imposing gates opposite. However, we're not going there today, here is on the public highway and area.
Glorious Simplicity
There's a menu on the wall around 20 items long all in Thai, but pretty much quickly I discover that they're just all variations on a bowl of pork noodles. With my poor Thai speaking skills, I manage to order a coke and 'pork noodles soup'. Dry is also an option, I always like mine in a bowl of broth. Fairly certain I got the basic 'house signature' dish, and nothing wrong with that. Next time I might just point to something random on the menu instead, it will be pork noodle soup with something else chucked in, could be fish, prawns, or other goodies.
If you examine the row of tables, they have the same setup as most every simple fast restaurant like this. There's cutlery and the 4 flavor seasoning usually chilli powder (hot) sugar (sweet), pickled chili (sour) and maybe fish or soy sauce of some kind (umami). No salt pepper and ketchup here, these condiments are for you to tweak the dish to your liking. Too hot? throw in some sugar to neutralize. Not hot enough? Throw some chili in there ... etc. There's chopsticks, spoons, forks, tissues, and maybe some 'up sell' items like drinks or homemade crackers you can help yourself to and will be added to the bill later. Oh, and a small waste basket next to each table ... for whatever. Convenient and labor saving, utilitarian. The waitress can't forget your chopsticks, you don't need to ask when you suddenly need tissues or a bottle of water, and you can even help them clear up. It's efficiency and simplicity in essence.
Notice to the left of the scene is what looks like any other street food noodle cart. That's because it is. That is the kitchen, and every dish comes off it in about 30 seconds flat. The broth is rolling and all mis-en-place is ready to go. Out the back seemed only to be for WC, stock and staff room. The difference here is you get to sit al-fresco under a very high roof. It's an open air building, just a large and really well laid and raised concrete deck, then welded steel tubing frames the entire space and lifts all the way up to hold the corrugated roof which is 20 feet high. Very well sheltered from sun or rain, yet they'll never need worry about an air conditioning bill. Keeping the price way down!
Seating is made to be comfortable for a 20-30min sit down meal, with wooden stools. This isn't a place to get comfy and hang out all day, it's a place to grab a cheap bite and get out of there! Hence the firm seating, it's one of the oldest fast food establishment tricks in the book. Table turnover is top priority, if close to full you want tables to be becoming available, room for patrons to spread out, and space for one table clearing whilst another is being seated and another is checking out..
Sponsored by Coca-Cola
The restaurant, not this post lol.
You'll note the coke logos spattered around the place. The cutlery receptacles on the table, signage, the shop fridge. Run this kind of small restaurant in Thailand and Coke will give you a heap of stuff for free - just sign the contract to sell their drinks exclusively.
Supercub Cafe Racer
Nicely tying in to some of our favorite things, the owner had a selection of motorbike related pictures and a very funky modified Honda C70 Supercub! The noodles were delicious, I think I might have to have breakfast here more than once a week. Perhaps brunches and lunches also... see the pictures for the rest of the observations!
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This is what I was served in 30 seconds from ordering, I barely had time to unlock my phone and open a feed whilst I was waiting ...
Notice the Coca-Cola accessories, and far left, this is the kitchen - actually just like a mobile noodle kitchen you might find on the street. This is after all, really a street food restaurant. Just it has a nice permanent spot and good seating.
Small kids play area, nice touch for parents and there were some moms grabbing a quick noodles with toddlers, this clearly works well for trade! Included some of the decor, all of a retro theme
pictures on the wall, these are really popular in Thailand and can be found at many markets for a few dollars.
The menu chalkboard and owners' cool supercub. Looks to be a 'no book' bike, no plates, not road legal. However around the village back lanes seems a lot of locals don't let this bother them - or just keep them for collecting.
Menu was all in Thai, but just ask for noodles ...
Larger then standard wheels, LED lighting and other accessories adorn this vintage scooter.
It sure looks like a fun little bike, yellow headlamp is unique touch. Whether it would be practical? That would be missing the point. Road legal? Outlaw more like ...
Entrance, notice how open air it is with extended awnings so it's always dry and very cool and shady. The very high ceiling makes for excellent air movement.