Tweet

Mr. Lung is an older man today and have left the day to day work to his daughter Ya. The stall still have his name and it’s a bit of a hidden gem, known by locals for their boat noodles. Unless you know there’s gold down here, one floor below the street level, you will turn your back to this underworld. But please, continue, as Lung Prathunam Boat Noodles is a lovely spot for anyone who has a dedication for the dish. I know I have.

There’s plenty of boat noodle stalls around Bangkok, most of them rather ordinary at best. That said, you have a few vendors separating themselves from the crowd. Lung Prathunam Boat Noodles is one of them. Lung means anchor and is used by the community around the Prathunam area. Anchor becasue it’s on the riverside (khlong send saep), leading to the sea, but also because Mr. Lung is a well respected personality in the neighborhood. The store have been runing for more than 35 years, the last few with his daughter in charge.

Most workers here are Burmese (Myanmar), but Ya is keeping it all together. The boat noodles are as Thai as they can be. And they are delicious, especially prime time lunchtime. Best time to show up is around 1 pm as that’s about when the stock is at it’s best. A lovely concentration of tastes. And of course there is no slander on the making of the noodles and the ingredients either. Just a lovely bowl filled with great texture and good tastes.

Prathunam can by the way be divided in prathu meaning door and nam meaning water. Talking with locals, they are not sure where the name comes from, but there are some indications that it was considered a door too the sea and therefore the name.

Boat noodles is a Thai styly noodle dish that has a string flavor. It contains both pork and/either beef: Common ingredients in the broth are dark soy sauce, pickled bean curd and cow or pigs blood (nam tok), together with som other spices. The blood is salted and give the broth a delicious and deep flavor and some other spices. It normally comes with minced meat, meatballs and pig’s liver.

It is 60 bath for two bowls and water. The stock is full bodied. They serve the same Stock for both pork and beef. Persoanlly, I add roasted chili flakes and a few drops of fish sauce (read salt in western terms) to get the full falvor through. But as always with noodle soups, taste the broth before adding anything as we all have our priorties. There is no short cuts here. Good handcraft.

I have only tested the boat noodles, but if the rest of the food is even close to quality of the boat noodles, it should be good.

Name: Lung Prathunam Boat Noodles

Food: A range of dishes, but mostly known for their boat noodles.

Open: 8am – 5pm

Phone: +66 85 919 1994

Address: 958/3 Phetchaburi Rd. (see details below on how to get there as it is not obvioous)

How to get there: You can access it both from the corner of Petchaburi road and soi 30 or from the stairs on the bridge. Coming from Petchaburi road you walk in to soi 30 and pass all the street Food vendors to the right of the bridge and you see a hairdresser on the corner to your right. Then turn left and continue for 20 meters an you’re there. If you cross the bridge from the other side of the river, take the stairs at you left before you enter the other side of the bridge. Go down and turn right and walk for 20 meters and you’re there. For those that have been here before, be aware that Lung Prathunam have moved 100 meters closer to soi 30.