Lad Naa

Although you can find lad na everywhere in Thailand, there is only one which really takes the prize for being the best out of all of them.

Lad na: 30 baht (0.89 USD)
Drink: 10 baht (0.29 USD)

Lad na is a classic Thai dish found in every corner of the kingdom. At its essence, its thick gravy sauce with kale and marinated pork, poured over wide rice noodles.

There are a whole variety of different versions and variations. There are normally three varieties of noodles to choose from: the wide rice noodles, tiny rice noodles (a bit smaller in size to spaghetti) and deep fried crispy noodles. The recipe has also been adapted and at restaurants, different types of meat or seafood can be added while the kale has been replaced by cabbage, carrots and even broccoli.

You will be offered a series of condiments, including chilli, sugar, vinegar and soy sauce for you to flavor the food the way you like it. I’m quite happy with the taste made by the chef though.

The taste differs from store-to-store. The typical food court lad na often has very thick gravy and is often too salty. The road side stall here, despite its location, offers a lighter gravy and with fresh kale, cooked so that it’s still fairly crunchy with pork that’s marinated overnight so the flavor truly comes out when served with everything else. The taste is unparalleled in all the lad na’s I’ve had throughout the country.

This particular stall receives my personal recommendation. At 30 baht per bowl, or 35 if you want additional noodles, it’s certainly a cheap and filling meal. There is also a whole range of drinks from fresh rambutan juice, chrysanthemum tea and of course, Pepsi, for around 10 baht. I usually order ka jeap, which is this sweet but slightly sour fruit drink as you can see on the left.

It's open from Monday to Saturday, from around 10:30 am to 3:30 pm, depending on how fast they sell out. Although it's underneath the freeway, all food is freshly cooked so it's quite safe to eat. The closest MRT station is Queen Sirikit National Convention Center, and the store is located opposite Talad Penang.

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