Thai Boat Noodles Battle

Last month was National Noodles Month but The Noodles Partner and I celebrate nearly every week of the year. We have hit 5 Thai joints for Thai Boat Noodles in the past few months.  I’ve been calling these outings Thai Boat Noodles FACE OFF. So far, my favorites have been Sapp Coffee Shop and Thai Town Noodle.

The broth is aromatic with spices and a little blood goes a long way. I enjoy the versions that include a bits of innards and a fine shower of deep-fried pork skin.

We heard about Pa Ord opening up recently with boat noodles to rival our favorites.

The Noodles Partner heard their tom kha noodles were great as well so we ordered these two bowls. We were shocked how shallowly filled the bowls were. Even though we also ordered a seafood salad, we were still hungry. So we decided to go with some more noodles, the beef drunken noodles.

We asked for everything to be “mild” since I don’t have a high tolerance for spicy food though the Noodles Partner can handle it. The mild turned out to be EXTREMELY spicy for me and perfect for her. I started eying her Thai iced tea but eventually was okay. This was bad because while I wanted to enjoy the broth more which was indeed good, I couldn’t take the heat.

The tom kha soup was less spicy. Both noodles seemed to have all the noodles and ingredients added to the bowl when served. This meant the meats and the veggies didn’t have any real taste. Yes, I loved the soups but my thing is noodles so I needed them to taste as good as the broth.

The seafood salad was interesting since every piece of seafood seemed to be marinated in a different vinegar to me.

The beef drunken noodles were all right. Like a revved up beef chow fun. There was a faint sweetness to it that I thought at first came from the dark soy but now I suspect something closer to ketchup if not actual sugar.

I’m fairly certain the next time I order noodles here, I would not order it with any spice at all. The poor Noodles Partner will have to add chili sauce to the noodles herself!

I’m looking forward to our next Noodles FACE OFF though.

Pa Ord

5301 Sunset Blvd. #8
Los Angeles, CA 90027
(323) 461-3945