Cathay Fish Maw @ Chinatown in Bangkok [Thailand]

It's drizzling in Singapore right now and such cool weather makes me crave for something that I had in Bangkok back in July 2022; the fish maw soup I had in Yaowarat (Chinatown)!  

Name is Cathay Fish Maw and it's one of two eateries I penciled to try out after 2.5 years of not visiting the capital of Thailand (before the pandemic, it's at least a once-a-year affair). I tried visiting on day three of the trip and it had already sold out! 

Luckier this time; the first thing I did upon arrival was to see if there were any "stock". The pots were about half full, which means I still have plenty of chance to finally secure a bowl of fish maw soup.

There were five different pricings and the menu was in Thai, which is foreign to me. So, the younger son of the stall-owner explained to me that as they didn't have crab, the 120, 130 and 150 baht items were unavailable. So, we went for the 70 baht tier fish maw soup as above.

Fish maw aside, this 70 baht version had vegetarian abalone. Basic 60 baht had just chicken and egg. First thing we did; took a sip of the soup. Thick and gooey like shark's fin soup, the flavor was sweeter, with a strong herbal taste doused with spiciness from the strong pepper! Fish maw was large and spongey (soaked in the goodness of the broth).

Only one chicken drumette but it was delicious! Soaked in the soup, it tasted incredibly flavorful and it helped that the meat remained juicy and tender. The mock abalone didn't result in any surprise though; don't get me wrong, it added texture when you are drinking the soup but its unique taste means you can always eat it on its own. But for just 10 baht extra, no harm especially if you have never tried vegetarian abalone before. 

Crunchy slices of hor-fun looking stuff in the soup that I was super curious with. I had to ask and they turned out to be bamboo shoots, which I never thought I would like as they had tasted and smelt funny in the past few decades of my life! 

Satisfied although I can definitely have a few more bowls given that the serving wasn't big in the first place. However, it's an advantage as there were so many other things to eat at Chinatown in Bangkok. Aside from Jek Pui, Cathay Fish Maw would be on my list for my next visit to the City of Angels.

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Address

625 Mangkon Rd, Khwaeng Samphanthawong, 

Khet Samphanthawong, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10100, 

Thailand

Map

As above.

Operating Hours

From 7.30am.

While stocks last.

Menu

As above.

Click here for my 7 Days 6 Nights Papazao Itinerary to Bangkok