A Bite Out of Thailand: Soei and Thip Simai

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During my visit to Thailand, I noticed two different types of Thai food. There is the street fare consisting of stir-fried noodles, skewers, soups and the like and there is, what I like to call, "fancy" Thai food. The latter consists of dishes that can be very spicy but incredibly flavorful. To get a taste of what spicy Thai food consisted of, I visited Soei.

Soei came with high recommendations; one described it as "the best Thai food she's had in her life." I had to give it a try. Find this banner of Andrew Zimmerman and you've found the right place. If visiting with a large group, make a reservation if possible.

The food does take time to prepare so don't come starving!

Soei has a large menu but all of the dishes I've tried were equally incredible. The soup on the left is tom yum pla too (spicy sour fish stew). Although the broth is clear, it is very spicy! Still, I found myself wanting more and more. The top right is crab fried rice and bottom right is basil mackerel, both very tasty.

Basil pork with just the right amount of spice.

Boo neem pad pongari, soft shell crab curry. I could drink that curry right up.

The dish on the top of the picture is grilled shrimp and the dish on the bottom was my all-time favorite, yam kai dao or fried egg salad. When I heard egg salad, I was not expecting a fried egg with shallots, cilantro, chilies, and a savory sauce. Break open that egg, stir around the sauce and dig in. Amazing. I would gladly visit Soei again and again; I would even say this restaurant the best Thai food I've had during my visit.

For the best shrimp pad thai, look no farther than Thip Simai. Everyone knows about Thip Simai including the locals and tourists. Tell any cab driver to take you to Thip Simai, and they will know exactly where you're talking about.

Only open for dinner, expect about an hour wait. There is also the option of ordering take out.

The dish to order? Shrimp pad thai of course! You can order the pad thai wrapped in egg, with jumbo shrimp, or vegetarian.

Was it the best pad thai? Yes, it absolutely was.

While you're in the neighborhood, check out the neighboring stalls. The soup noodles received praise as well as the mini cart with chicken or pork satay.

I know I've been saying that everything is the best, but this cart had the best pork satay I've ever had. Marinated in a coconut milk mixture and grilled, the pork was tender, juicy and full of flavor.