This street leads uptown

IT MIGHT be ensconced in luxurious surroundings at the EmQuartier mall, but the new restaurant Eat Rice and Noodles takes its cues from the everyday quick meals served by street vendors, though in this case every item is healthy, every ingredient is top quality and every taste is authentically Thai. 

The simple open kitchen adds to the sense of dining streetside, with the chefs in full view in kinetic action. No plastic chairs here, however – you settle into thrones of light-toned oak that give the place a modern and casual feel. The relaxing atmosphere makes this a great spot for tucking into krapow beef on rice, crabmeat fried rice or radna senyai-grob with seafood.

Managing partner Tatchai Nakapan explains that Eat Rice and Noodles is the latest restaurant under the umbrella of Supanniga Eating Room, but distinct because of its “Thai-style daily meal” concept that’s lifted to another level with premium ingredients – absent the MSG that spoils street food for a lot of people. 

The jasmine rice comes from Thung Kula Ronghai in Surin, the province that raises the best in Thailand. Rice-bran oil, rich in nutritional benefits such as lowering your cholesterol, is used in every wok-fried dish. Pinkish Himalayan salt is a key addition to many dishes, and the fish sauce from Trat is pure as well as tasty.

“To ensure authentic Thai flavour we also use old-school tricks in the kitchen,” says Tatchai. “The chef, for example, ‘burns’ his Chinese iron pan every morning so the stir-fries get that smokiness from the screaming-hot wok. And, to complement each dish, we serve a cup of clear soup with steamed egg in it, which has a sweet taste from the vegetables boiled to make the stock.” 

Choosing one of the house specialities can be quite a challenge, but it’s every bit as fun as deciding what you want at any street stall offering wide diversity. It’s part of the charm of Thai food culture, after all. You have more than 20 menu options, and then you pick the meat and vegetables to be added. Your krapow on rice – the fiery-hot all-time favourite with dried chillies and red holy basil leaves – might be topped with Thai-French beef, pork loin, chicken breast, sea bass, squid, jumbo sea prawn or chunky crabmeat. 

Now you get to choose your rice. Will it be jasmine white rice or brown rice? Noodles? You have flat rice noodles, crispy flat rice noodles, thin rice noodles, rice vermicelli, glass vermicelli and seaweed extract noodles for weightwatchers, plus crispy shrimp wontons. 

Wait, you’re not done yet. How spicy do you want the dish? And how about extra toppings, such as a fried egg, a Thai-style omelette or a salted fried egg from Chaiyaphum?

The prices are all calculated according to the type of meat. With chicken, pork or beef, you pay between Bt135 and Bt195, and for seafood it’s Bt175 to Bt345.

Recommended as an appetiser are the Penang Fresh Spring Rolls with Crabmeat, from a family recipe passed down through the generations. The slight spiciness of the chilli and garlic is perfectly matched with tasty tamarind sauce. And the Himalayan Salt Chicken Wings are marinated in “the purest salt on earth”. 

Among the main dishes, Crispy Shrimp Wonton Pad Thai offers a fun twist on the most famous of Thai treats by adding the crunchy texture of deep-fried shrimp wontons and mixing in the house pad thai sauce.

Crabmeat Fried Rice with Himalayan Salt is certainly a must-try. Extra-large chunks of meat sit atop smoke-scented wok-fried rice that’s sprinkled with that pink salt for a truly flavourful experience. Crispy Flat Rice Noodles in Gravy Sauce with Premium Seafood is just as mouth-watering.

For dessert you should pair Organic Black Sesame Ice Cream with Rice-flour Custard (Kanom piek-poon) with Organic Ceylon Tea Ice Cream with Black Glass Jelly (Chao guay). 

And for a drink, there’s the rich and milky Thai Tea Smoothie or the refreshing Mahachanok Mango Shake, or maybe the Cola and Plum. 

 

SO MANY CHOICES!

Eat Rice and Noodles is in the Food Hall on B Floor at the EmQuartier.

Vook a table at (02) 261 0428, www.Facebook.com/eatriceandnoodles or instagram@eatallthai.