Bangkok – Best Pad Thai @ Thipsamai, Lamphu House & Khao San Road
July 21, 2009 | 4,908 views
Frying up a storm! Whipping up plates after plates of delectable, addictive Pad Thai.
The sweet, orange/tangerine juice @ 90baht/RM9 per bot, the Frozen/Iced Coconut Juice @ 15baht/RM1.50, the almost compulsory condiments to go along with one’s Pad Thai, and the various certificates/newspaper cuttings on Thipsamai, on the wall
Wedges of lime, and raw vegetables (bean sprouts, spring onions, and banana flowers) to be served at the side, for that extra shot of fibre.
Been in operation since 1966 (yup, 43 years ago!) at a stall on the same road (Mahachai Road – address to come later), Mrs Samai and husband had a grand vision of promoting the simple Thai national dish (aside from the ubiquitous Tom Yum) to the world, and at the same time preserving the original, authentic Thai-style stir-fried noodles. Hence the fruition of Thipsamai Restaurant until this very day.
The original Pad Thai with shrimp edible oil and egg @ 40baht/RM4
If you’re not a fan of noodles, or Pad Thai in particular, then Thipsamai offers nothing more for you. They serve ONLY Pad Thai, in various forms (from 40baht to 150baht!). In case you’re wondering, the 150baht/RM15 version comes fully-equipped with squids, crab meat, shrimps etc. A poor man’s dream, a rich one’s delight.
Pad Thai with Shrimps – Thai style fried vermicelli (Chantaburi rice noodles) with shrimps, shrimp edible oil and eggs @ 60baht/RM6
Superb Pad Thai – Pad Thai wrapped in egg omelette, almost resembling our very own Nasi Pattaya. 60baht/RM6 per plate.
A squeeze of lime juice, a dash of vinegar and fish sauce, some extra red chilli pepper, finely-crushed peanuts, and a pinch of sugar from the condiments tray, and your plate of Pad Thai is good to go. Toss them up real good, and savour the delightful burst of flavours. Had it not for the premium price (in comparison to street fare, of course), I would’ve ordered seconds.
No signboard in English, therefore memorize this front facade of Thipsamai, or follow the crowd ….. or your foodie instinct!
The freshly-squeezed orange/tangerine juice was concentrated, a little tangy and not artificially sweetened. Best to down all the grease. If citrusy drinks are not your preference, try the frozen coconut juice. A little too sweet, but a perfect complement to the savoury Pad Thai.
Location : Thipsamai Pad Thai Restaurant @ 313, Mahachai Road, Samranrat, Pranakorn, Bangkok 10200. Phone No : (662)-221 6280. Opens from 5.30pm – 2.00am. Here’s a MAP to Thipsamai.
After dinner treats – Bubur Cha Cha ala Thai (with a whole poached egg!) @ 25baht/RM2.50 and funky flavours Ice-Cream @ 40baht for two scoops, plus 2 toppings(Sweet Basil Coconut and Thai Tea, anyone?)
Lamphu House @ 75-77, Soi Rambuttri, Chakrapong Road, Pranakorn, Bangkok 10200, Thailand. (http://www.lamphuhouse.com/)
With air-cond, attached bathroom and hot shower. Twin sharing rooms @ 680baht/RM68 per night. Other options include single/double/triple rooms, with fans/air-cond.
The beautiful, clean and cozy environment of Lamphu House had our votes, and kept our $$$ (or baht, to be exact) in tact, for more shopping and eating escapades!
Here’s a MAP to Lamphu House. Even if you do not manage to get a room here, don’t despair. As there are plenty more hotels/guesthouses around the area. But do remember to PREVIEW YOUR ROOM FIRST, before checking in. They do not mind one bit, just ask. And bargaining IS allowed for certain budget guesthouses/hotels. Especially if you’re travelling in a large group.
Khao San Road in broad daylight …….
And Khao San Road at its MOST NOTORIOUS FORM! (just kidding …. the atmosphere is very lively come night time. A definite must-see, for first-timers)
Democracy Monument, Bangkok – Within walking distance (about 15 mins) from Khao San Road. Feeling lazy? Grab a tuk-tuk and rest those feet. Remember to bargain!
i'm a newbie but if the next 12 posts are as informative as this, then roll them out! 😀
i lurve pad thai (though i have no idea where to get a great one in kl), and the original one in your pic looks fab … though not quite like the typical pad thai. hmmm maybe it's cos the noodles are barely visible…
[Reply]
Really enjoy looking the pictures in this post!
Yumm… love pad thai!
[Reply]
I miss khao san road!gain weight after the trip?haha!any heong nam tis time:P
[Reply]
*drools* all over the floor… I want to go on a holiday and eat Pad Thai too!!!….
*drools*
[Reply]
let me think,,how many years i havent been to bangkok.. 1988.. were u born yet? 🙂 my goodness, i must make a trip to bangkok again.. seeing yr posts liven me up, must call my "gang" to make a free and easy trip there.. no chaos or street demo? and now with the latest scare, i put off trips this year but thinking of the food, i might change my mind.. 🙂
[Reply]
Noooooooooooooo… i mean.. yes………
LOL, it's not so bad wat.. beginning to look fw to the longwinded ramblings if us ask me, haha
i am a fan of padthai. I like the ones outside the chatuchak market – fried on the spot .. u stand there eating ur chewy noodles (oh.. they are never overcooked, if anything just shy of cooked!) with loads of 'grass' and chili and fish sauce and a bit of sugar (with in thailand, do as the thais) and think "what a good girl am I!" haha
[Reply]
wow, you really are makan king la….even went all the way to Bangkok in search of the famous pad Thai….
[Reply]
I was there January for the first time to Khao San road. I loved the place. There's quite a number of pubs there, a good place to chill. Alcohol also cheap in Bangkok. There's clothes to shop there but must heavily bargain…
[Reply]
What a coincident! I also had Phad Thai on my first day. It was 50B in Phuket and I am sure your Phad Thai beat mine. Your post made me feel like I had gone to the wrong place. 🙁
Anyway, I once stayed at Khao San road for 5 days. But did not able to get a room in Lamphu House. You were lucky.
[Reply]
Sean : hahaha, informative? gee, that's NEW! 🙂 in KL? I dare not try Pad Thai in Thai outlets in KL, for I'd rather stick to the same old Tom Yum and Green Curry, to be safe. whoops, now that you mentioned it, I did not upload pic of the noodles in full glory. They're strands of rice noodles, the typical one.
Selba : me too, LURVE them to bits!
Suwei : yeahloh! this time even lazier, cz we took taxi most of the time! less walking. no need ask for Hong Nam, as we ventured to shopping malls mostly.
msihua : lemme mop da floor ….
reana : i was born, but merely a toddler then. heheheh ….no demos, no scare of H1N1 there. just be cautious urself, and avoid overly crowded areas. we only wore masks at Chatuchak market, for it's stuffy.
cumi & ciki : hehe, thanks. i guess people from the same profession knows best. (we talk nonsense all the time)
Simple Girl : nah, so happened we stayed somewhere nearby only. and taxi fare's rather cheap.
superwilson : yup, agreed. but Tshirts for guys at khao san sell for merely 120baht each. unless buying in bulk, I wouldnt bother to bargain!
soo sean : phuket more for tourism, and heard that food there is pricey, is it not? I'm awaiting my Krabi trip. soon. =P
[Reply]
no pad thai in kl worth eating either..so sad..got to go bangkok for the quickest fix!
[Reply]
oh oh oh, this is the one you were talking about! and now you got the name and the map.. thanks dude! now, just hope i have the time to pop over to makan…
[Reply]
woh! just a glimpse of your stay makes us wanting to be there now! please release me now! 🙂 opspssss!
[Reply]
Wow pad thai with shrimps looked simply fantabulous! RM6 huh? Almost equivalent to Penang's CKT price. Quality indeed is not cheap 😛
[Reply]
Joe : really? as expected then. lemme know if you found one worthy in KL.
sc : yup! near to Khaosan Road, or ask taxi stop over at Democracy Monument loh, then walk over. if you're in town, might as well concentrate on eateries there. Banglamphu area doesnt house that many restaurants.
BBO : granted! go fly now to the north!
iamthewitch : true. it's a little commercialized, i guess. but you'll still see the locals dominating the shop, rather than 'farangs' … the SPECIAL version comes at RM15 per plate!
[Reply]
Gorgeous and enticing POST! Well done 🙂
I miss Thailand, NEARLY as much as I miss KL …
[Reply]
Hi there
Great collection of thai fisherman pants-meditation pants
cotton silk linen and hemp
one size fits all
http://www.fishermenpants.com
thank you
[Reply]
Was the bubur cha cha with egg nice?? RM68 per night per room or per person?
[Reply]
Khao San Rd, how I miss thee .. glad to hear it's still as friendly & 'happening'.
[Reply]
I love this road and hope it is as it was. My wife and I spent some time here in 1993. The food, the people, the fake student cards… The Thai Bubur Cha Cha with an egg, yummm. Miss it.
[Reply]
I used to stay in Lamphu Hse all the time too!! 😀 Its quite the sanctuary tucked away from the rest of Khao San madness eh? And as for the multiple posts, BRING IT ON!! No better way to REALLY get to know a place inside out!
[Reply]
Khao San Road! Man…I miss bangkok 🙂 didcha manage to experience river taxi ride?
[Reply]
damn… never had the chance to explore bangkok before… I only went to those famous places but not to those streets that you mentioned here… foods look delicious just by looking at them!
How did you manage to find those places? u fluent in thai???
[Reply]
"show mercy upon all"
hahaha, u da man la. 😛
wasnt it just yday that you departed for bkk??? gosh, u r really fast in posting la. respect!
[Reply]
I absolutely love Khao San Rd – I stayed at the Joe's guesthouse previously. What I miss the most about it I'll have to say is the street side bars where you'd sit on plastic stools and your drink would be served in a little plastic bucket – then when you get tipsy just dance on the corner of the road at the blasting music. Classic Asia 🙂
[Reply]
luv bangkok la. makes KL look positively lame.
[Reply]
Julian Si : NEARLY as much as you miss KL? wah … second home ah? 🙂
Bangsar babe : it's RM68 per ROOM. it's budget guesthouse. and the bubur cha cha is nice, almost like ours.
Tummythoz : there's just something about Khao San Rd huh? very homely, very lively.
worldwindows : previous trip, we stayed there the entire trip! almost 7 nights, i think.
550ml jar of faith : last time we stayed at Rainbow House, even cheaper, at about 200baht per person! rundown, but who cares when the feet's so tired, you wont mind sleeping on the streets?!!
UnkaLeong : yeah, we took the river taxi to Wat Arun. last trip we took it to town even. not bad eh? though rocky and confined space.
thule : nah .. I don't even speak Thai language. except the usual. and the numbers (useful when bargaining, trust me!)
Nic : wei, what yday .. i've even came back and quarantined self for a good 3 days. good boy eh? 🙂
sugar & spice : those bucket of STRONG cocktails? never tried them, for it may take us forever to finish one!
FBB : how true. the malls for one, are incomparable!
[Reply]
I never visit Khaosan Rd for my past 2 visits to BKK~~
[Reply]
so how did u manage to find those wonderful places to eat??? how do u get around Bangkok city?? Taxi? LRT? Tut tut???
[Reply]
mimid3vils : really? it's actually off the tourists' track. unless you're a gwailo, or looking for cheaper places to stay, like us. 🙂
thule : erm, some recommended by friends, some from the net. we travelled around in taxi mostly, as we were in a group of four. quite cheap, as most rides came under 100baht.
[Reply]
Ur photos are BEAUTIFUL. What camera do u use ? GREAT PHOTOS !! Great great photos of FOOD
[Reply]
Chinese Albumart : hi, I'm using Panasonic Lumix LX3 for the shots. a handy digicam.
[Reply]
shit.. *hoppin over to Airasia.com* NOW.
[Reply]
TNG : so fast? 🙂 wait til they have offers. more worthy, save those $ for the shopping n food!
[Reply]
I've visited this place with my friends and we were really delighted with the food presentation (and food taste itself). You can look at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nENrmz39vDs
[Reply]
mira : ok will be sure to check it out. a video presentation? 🙂
[Reply]
First of all, this is a really informative article! I’ve got a little question bothering me, I really like the theme of your site and tried to install the same theme on my WP website. Anyhow, there is some kind of weird coding error in the footer. Do you have any hints, what version are you using? Please PM me on Twitter @ThaiStuz or via e-mail.
[Reply]
Hello, Interesting post
[Reply]
[…] shrimp, egg and bean sprouts), and you know it’s fairly impossible to find one that’s just as good as Bangkok’s, we went […]
I have already been browsing on-line in excess of 3 hours not too long ago, nevertheless My spouse and i certainly not observed almost any attention-grabbing write-up like your own house. It can be beautiful benefit sufficient for me. I think, in case virtually all online marketers and also bloggers created superb articles just like you does, online shall be far more valuable than ever before.
[Reply]
whoah this weblog is wonderful i really like reading your articles.
Stay up the great work! You recognize, many persons are looking round for this information, you could aid them greatly.
Feel free to surf to my weblog: Wrinkle Cream worth
[Reply]