The best Pad Thai at Thipsamai

Having been hooked to Korean variety shows, I saw on these travel programs where the cast visited the famous Thipsamai Restaurant in Bangkok, Thailand. I remembered scenes where there were lines outside, so it got me curious as well. My palate easily adjusts to local flavors and Thai cuisine is among the top in my list of favorites when it comes to international food. Plus, I’ve read that Thipsamai has received a Bib Gourmand Award from the Michelin Guide for its good value for money, meaning it’s good quality food at an affordable price.

We were at Wat Saket on a late Monday afternoon and as I checked on the map app on my smartphone, it was only 400 meters or a five-minute walk from the temple’s West Gate to Thipsamai since it’s just at the other side of the canal. We walked the length of Boripat Road and crossed a small bridge to the Samran Rat Junction to Maha Chai Road.

It was quite early when we got there, around 5:30 pm but there was already a line outside. Thipsamai opens at 5:00 pm and closes at 1:00 am. A few doors away is Raan Jay Fai, another eatery that was given a Michelin Bib Gourmand rating. There was a take-out counter at Thipsamai’s façade so our line had to give space for take-out customers and passers-by. A local show seems to be shooting a scene at the neighboring eatery as we waited for our turn. Streetlamps, signages and buildings started to turn their lights on as darkness was slowly enveloping us. After 20 or so minutes, we were ushered inside the eatery.

There was a small dining area where the kitchen is visible to the diners. We entered what seemed to be their souvenir shop and cashier and led into a bigger dining area, one that I recall seeing in the variety shows I watched. However, the tables were all filled and we were seated at a small table near the entrance and kitchen area.

History of Pad Thai and Thipsamai

The posters on the wall and the menu they gave us indicated that Thipsamai has been around since 1939 during World War II. Pad Thai came about when then Thai Prime Minister Plaek Phibunsongkhram heavily promoted nationalism and thought of having a national dish. Consequently, there was a shortage of rice due to the high cost of production because of the war. He encouraged the people to eat noodles and sen chan noodles were introduced at that time. These are thin rice noodles originally from the Chanthaburi province. That is how Pad Thai came about, a noodle dish using domestic products. It used to be called Kuay Tiew Pad Thai until the people started calling it Pad Thai.

Before the original restaurant, Thipsamai Paratropee, was established, the grandmother of the current owner, Dr. Sikarachat Baisamut, used to sell pad thai and other Thai food on a boat along Phasi Charoen Canal. Baisamut’s mother, Samai, would tag along until she learned how to cook pad thai. Eventually, Samai got married. However, after the couple experienced some financial difficulty, they decided to put up a pad thai stall at the Pratopee intersection in Bangkok. People referred to it as Pad Thai Pratopee. Every night, they would set up tables on a footpath and prepared pad thai on a small charcoal stove. Then-Prime Minister Phibunsongkhram complimented their product as the true and authentic flavor of pad thai, his national dish.

The stall grew and Thipsamai became the name of the restaurant on September 9, 1966. Apart from being the oldest pad thai restaurant, Thipsamai prides itself as the first to cook pad thai using sen chan noodles with shrimp oil, deep-sea prawns and wrapping egg. Later on, Baisamut took over the business. Now, there are about five Thipsamai Restaurants in Bangkok.

Thai Flavors

Because pad thai uses local ingredients, others might have tasted pad thai in other countries where the taste is often altered to suit the preference of that place. For my taste, I liked Thipsamai’s pad thai. My sister who is not even a huge fan of pad thai has come to love the food. In fact, we made an additional order halfway through our meal. One can say that the serving may be modest, which is usually good for just one person.

Their menu includes the following:

• Pad thai with dried shrimp and egg (basic pad thai)
• Vegetarian pad thai
• Pad thai with shrimp oil and egg
• Pad thai with shrimp oil, fresh deep-sea prawns, and wrapped with egg (superb pad thai)
• Pad thai with shrimp oil, fresh deep-sea prawns, and egg
• Pad thai with shrimp oil, fresh deep-sea prawns, and egg (without noodle)
• Pad thai song-krueng – Pad thai with shrimp oil, fresh deep-sea prawns, crabmeat, sliced squid, and sliced mango (sen chan or glass noodle)
• Pad thai with shrimp oil, big tiger prawns, and wrapped with egg

We ordered the one wrapped in egg, the pad thai with shrimp oil and egg, and the vegetarian pad thai. The Icy Coconut Juice was really refreshing, but we couldn’t resist not trying the Fresh Orange Juice, so we got a big bottle to bring to our hotel. The juice is delicious and I could feel the pulp bits in it.

I’m glad to have tasted their pad thai and have my dining experience at Thipsamai Pratopee, their original store.