เกาเหลารวมแห้งก๋วยเตี๋ยว

If I live in Thailand, I'll pile on pounds and balloon. I love its food. Took the man once to check out this shop with its really good beef noodles, and he's forever hooked. He insisted on having his first lunch at Wattana Panich (วัฒนาพานิช) at Soi Ekkamai. (Check out the full review by Deadly Bunny & Chubby Penguin.) The shop's been around for like...50 years and legend has it that they never stop boiling the broth and the stock.

I used to seriously love the broth. It's so rich. Tough to find a replica. The man loves the shop's 'assorted stewed beef' with kway teow. Tripes, tendons and all, he slurped it up, and ordered another bowl of just soup and ingredients. He also gobbled a bowl of pork with rice. The portions are really small, even by my standards. But they can keep me well fed. So for a person with a regular appetite, you might actually need 2 bowls to be full. It's so good anyway.

The menu is full of one-dish items, but they can do slightly fancier stuff. There's a beef sukiyaki thingy too. Beef hotpot, I guess. This trip, I asked for simple stir-fry vegetables with rice. Not on the menu, but they can do it. They've got mushrooms too, and random green vegetables. Mine was mainly cabbage and carrots. Quite tasty. They've got a wicked version of phad thai too. Only if you ask (preferably not in English) them very very very nicely. :)

The ground floor is honest-to-earth serious eating in the heat and humidity. The second floor is air-conditioned and you pay slightly more for the food. They've a menu in English, but they don't exactly speak it. But it's not difficult to point and order whatever you want. Unless you want specifics, then perhaps get another table to translate for you. It's popular with locals, expatriates and tourists.

That amazing giant cauldron of bubbling broth.