Ask any international traveler to name one Thai dish and the majority will resoundingly respond with the most well known outside Thailand: phadthai. To those unfamiliar with Thai history, phadthai with its global renown must seem like an ancient dish tied to centuries of Thai cuisine development. The reality is that phadthai is actually very young. It was created in the 1930s as a tool for nationalism by then Prime Minister Plaek Phibunsongkhram to instill a stronger sense of Thai identity and improve the populace’s diet. Phadthai generally consists of rice noodles, meat or tofu, peanuts, egg, and bean sprouts with vegetables sautéed with a phadthai sauce, which gives it an all rounded nutritional value. And not to mention its comfort food flavors. In Thailand, phadthai has to compete with so many other local foods that it gets lost in the pantheon of many delicious Thai dishes. Enter Baan Phadthai, established in 2016 in historic Bang Rak, to help elevate phadthai locally.
Fred Meyer, a local restauranteur responsible for many famed Bangkok eateries, partnered up with ever rising Thai chef Sujira Pongmorn to tackle one mission: to make the best phadthai in Bangkok. The result is Baan Phadthai where Sujira flexes her culinary skills and creativity. Phadthai is a deceptively simple dish. To make it absolutely delectable is another matter. Using inspirations from eastern Thailand, Sujira created an 18-ingredient phadthai recipe and from there, built a menu dedicated to the dish. Sujira also uses crab stock instead of shrimp stock in the cooking process. Phadthai Poo is a chef recommendation, with blue crab meat taking the dish to a new level.
Baan Phadthai is located in Creative District, where much of the old is meeting the new. Old shophouses are being flipped to retrofit new businesses. Baan Phadthai turned two shophouses in food lane Soi Charoenkrung 44 into a vibrant classic space. The original structure is untouched, making it architecturally harmonious with the timeless soi vista. The rich blue hues of the exterior however instantly draws attention to it. Inside, Thai wooden shutters and antiquated styled furniture accent the space to bring back memories of bygone interior designs.
