COCONUTS HOT SPOT — When you think of Kao Soi, you probably think of an orange-ish colored soup with fried and boiled egg noodles and coconut milk.
But once you weave through a maze of small sois and alleys to discover Me’s Burmese-Shan style noodle shop, you will realize everything you thought you knew was all wrong.
This is not your Chiang Mai baby mama’s Kao Soi. The Shan style Kao Soi (THB40) is made with boiled rice noodles and a flavorful mix of tomatoes, fermented soybeans, garlic, chilis, coarsely chopped pork, and judging from how addictive it is, probably a generous dose of MSG.
The sensation in your mouth delivers all the oooh-ahh sensations of tom yum, but with less sour and no inedible objects.
At Me’s shop you can also order the Kao Soi without the pork, but the soup broth itself is not exactly vegan-safe, thus hardcore veggie-lovers best order it “salad” style which is everything mentioned above minus the soup.
Also mandatory and more famously known, the Lapetto, also known as Tea Leaf Salad (THB40), which is the national dish of Myanmar, mixes the colors of fermented tea leaves, tomatoes, fresh garlic, and chilies with the crunch of some fried nuts and sesame seeds. Each salad is made fresh when you order, so you can adjust the spice level.
Drink-wise, water is free, cola is cheap, and they’ll fetch some beer from the shop next door for you.
The truly converted will also appreciate that Me sells all the necessities to make Burmese and Shan comfort food anywhere, meaning we can finally pair tea leaf salad with a homemade lasagna or even with a bowl of Chiang Mai Kao Soi.
To get there, walk or take a motorbike from BTS Ratchathewi to Phetchaburi Soi 10, turn left and walk straight until you see an Oral B sign on the right side.
Turn right into the alley underneath the sign. Me’s is the seventh shop door on your right. The shop does not have a sign or a posted name, but you will recognize it when you see the blue tables and tiles. There is also no printed menu but Me speaks English, and the food speaks for itself.
FIND IT:
10am – 9pm, every day
Soi Phetchaburi 10
BTS Ratchathewi
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