Entree Kibbles: Pad Thai Fai Ta Lu @ Siam Square Soi 10 in Bangkok [Thailand] #michelin

Having no dinner plan on the last night of our week-long holiday in Bangkok means relying on Google Maps to see if there is any good reviewed eateries around; search words were "pad thai".

I would have gone for Thipsamai but the mere thought of a long queue was a major deterrent and Google brought me to Pad Thai Fai Ta Lu near Siam BTS station instead. That logo, featuring a bearded man wearing a cap, was eye-catching as it appeared traditional yet contemporary!

For a Michelin Bib Gourmand eatery, I was expecting a line but this was one of the newer branches back in July 2022. Furthermore, the award was likely given to its original store at Dinso, near Democracy Monument.

Stepping in; an open kitchen with bar counter seats.

Now, that's very little seats for such a large frontage!

Of course, there was a second floor.

Much more seating here although still devoid of customers. I wasn't sure if I had made the right choice as it was quite disturbing to see no customers. There were two initially and one of them came to speak to us halfway through our meal; turned out to be the boss. Yes, the same gentleman on the logo! No wonder I found him familiar.

Pad Thai Kode Moo Yang - I am familiar with Pad Thai yet this would be the first time I am having it with pork loin, said to be from Berkshire, and fermented in cilantro enzyme and natural soy sauce. Frankly, I was skeptical but since this was the signature pad thai; I had to give it a try.

Sweetness with a touch of spiciness, this was epic flavorfulness with my taste buds bombarded by wok-hei infused noodles surrounded by a smoky aroma in every slurp!

The pork loin was sinfully good; fatty, chewy with goodness in every bite! It was worthy of the high price this pad thai commanded. There was an accompanying spicy tamarind sauce, which I tried and decided it's better off avoided. Well, guess some people might like it.

Pad Thai Goong Kode Sod - the conventional pad thai people are accustomed to. Featuring the same delicious noodles, I guess the selling point for this dish would have to be the prawns.

This dish was more expensive than Pad Thai Kode Moo Yang and I guess these three pieces of large, fresh shrimps must have cost a lot of money!

We did enjoy the shrimps which was grilled to the perfect state whereby the meat wasn't too tough and you can still savour its fresh juiciness. For me, however, Pad Thai Kode Moo Yang would still be the preferred option.

I thought this would have been the end of our meal and I was ready to ask for the bill. The waitress came over and told us the owner would like to offer us a complimentary dish. To be honest, I wouldn't mind another Pad Thai Kode Moo Yang.

Upon enquiry, she pointed to the standing placard on our table. Now, I was scratching my head as I didn't know what it was. "Meat?" I asked and the waitress shook her head. Whatever the case, it's free.

Seeing this in front of me, there were still a lot of question marks and I took a few pictures to my Thai friend for help. Alex, being non adventurous, isn't likely to eat much of it. To me, it appeared to be shredded meat, somewhat like pulled pork.

Checked out this short clip! Known as yum kra ton in Thai, I think it's known as sentul fruit which is native in Southeast Asia although I have never seen it in Singapore! It's sour like green mango and served cold. Sauce was like a blend between rojak and hae bee hiam (dried shrimp sambal) and the overall experience was like having fruit rojak.

While the exterior meat was like green mango, those surrounding the seeds tasted like rambutan! It's an interesting dish and for S$10, well worth the try!

p.s. it was quite spicy and having a glass of water in close proximity would be strongly recommended!