When a lot of people think of Chidlom, they think of an upscale neighborhood full of luxury malls, Japanese omakase bars, and lavish coffee shops. But walk down to the corner of Talat Jay Varee, a hidden market around Soi Tonson, and you will find cheap cuts of high-quality beef at the shophouse noodle restaurant Pa Taek Chad Hai. 

 

The brains behind this noodle stall is Apiradee “Taek” Tevit, one of the partners of Wine Bridge in Langusan, who first opened the restaurant during the start of the pandemic in 2020 and dished out B19 bowls of noodles to hungry diners in financial need. 

 

You won’t find those ridiculously cheap noodles at her place anymore, but Taek now boasts a new menu starring khao tom haeng (dry rice porridge) that she devised in collaboration with chef Randy Noprapa from Fillets, who lends some of his high-wire Japanese omakase skills to her menu. 

 

 

That collaboration brings some high-end twists to the dishes, like the Japanese wagyu beef khao tom haeng (B195), a rice bowl topped with all-meat delicacies (from pink wagyu slices and tenderly braised beef cuts to generous piles of meatballs) topped with a soft boiled egg and fresh bird’s eye chili peppers. Mix them together, or add a bit of soup to mellow the flavors.   

 

You don’t have to spend big on specialty cuts of beef, though. Taek’s regular menu is wallet-friendly; the non-special version of khao tom haeng starts at B90, while her noodles will set you back B50.