Bangkok is dotted with so many eateries. Since the economic bubble busted in 1997, more and more people have turned to restaurant businesses in hopes of getting a better return on their money than from their saving interest. The logic behind investing in the restaurant business is that even though nothing else seems to sell, exports market is shrinking, nobody is buying anything but everyone has to eat. Food still sells. New restaurants are popping up like mushrooms. Some survive and some close down within the first year. There are however, many restaurants that have been with us for the longest time.

           These old restaurants, large and small, have survived the ups and downs of the economy and Thai politics. They have become almost institutions for each generation that has eaten there. The secret to their longevity is simple. Plain good food at a reasonable price. Consistency in the taste and quality of the food is also a must. It heartens me to see these old places still going strong when so many of the younger generations have opted for fashionable food. Where image is more important than substance. Where to be seen at a certain restaurant is more important than the food. I feel sadness for this group because they have missed out on what is real.

           There is a restaurant, or should I call it a Guitiew shop (Noodle shop) that was opened over 25 years ago and is still selling the same thing today. This cook shop sits right on Sukhumvit Road, a little way pass On Nut BTS station, pass Tesco Lotus on your right, if you were going out of town. It has a Chinese name and everyone knows it. Teng Chai Huad is a noodle shop, which specializes in fish balls; Yen Ta Fo and a noodle, which is getting harder to find called Giem Ee. They first opened its door over 25 years ago by making the fish balls themselves. It was very springy and did not taste at all fishy. They used only the meat of the fish to make them. These days there are imitation fish balls, which are cheaper but tasted less fresh because in the process of making them, they have added flour and other additives to make it go further and cut cost. Consequently the fish balls we get now a days are of poor quality. At Ten Chai Huad, they still use the same ingredients as their father had done. It tasted good.

           There is a danger for these places to take short cuts by adding soup cubes to their broth and worse still they add lots of MSG to enhance the flavors. I am slightly allergic to MSG and can tell if they put too much in my food. My throat dries up and I become very thirsty. Most of the time I ask them not to put MSG into my food because many of the seasonings already have some MSG in it.

           The second element is the quality of the noodle and the way you blanch or cook it in the hot water before adding it to the soup bowl. Some times the noodle is hard, sometimes the cook did not shake off the excess water from the blanched noodles thus adding starch to the broth in the bowl or sometimes they give too much noodles for the amount of soup, all this will affect the taste of the dish.

           The last element, are the vegetable and the various kinds of fish balls that are blanched and added to it. At this shop, they make a very good Yen Ta Fo, which is a noodle soup with a sweet and sour red sauce added to it. As usual, with every bowl of noodle you order, you will have to season it to your liking. Add a little fish sauce for saltiness, sugar for sweetness and for sourness and spiciness you can select from various kinds of chilis, slices pickled in vinegar or the spicier chili peppers blended with vinegar and ultimately red hot chili powder or flakes.

           Their plain rice stick noodle soup is very pleasant but tell the cook to go easy on the amount of noodles she gives you. They saw me coming and must have thought I was hungry. I got too much noodle for the amount of my broth in the bowl. The last noodle is called Giem Ee. This is basically a rice dumpling which looks more like a three or four inch white worm or thick spetzel.

           It is also cooked or blanched in hot water and served as pasta in a soup with fish balls and some vegetables. The texture of the dumpling is firm but soft and compliments the broth. It reminds me of eating chicken noodle soup, which I get sick in America. There is not much of an ambiance here because it is a noodle shop that ordinary Thais go to eat regularly. No air conditioning just stools and tables and waitresses wearing flip-flops. It is nice to come down to earth and actually do things that ordinary citizens do daily. This is truly Thai eating culture. You should experience it. The food is cheap and good and the atmosphere is real.

Address: On Sukhumvit road, near soi 54
Tel: 02 311 3106
Hours 9.00 am.- 6.00 pm.