Bangkok is fueled by noodles. Office workers grabbing a quick lunch, teenagers heading out for a snack, taxi drivers on the go – a bowl comes together in a few minutes, and is likely to go down the hatch in a few minutes too.
And of the many varieties of noodle in Bangkok, wheat-based egg noodles, or banmee, are perhaps the most iconic, standing in contrast to the various gauges of rice noodle in the vendor’s display case.
Like many dishes in the Bangkok street food repertoire, they trace their origins to China’s Fujian and Guangdong provinces, making way to Thailand alongside mass Hokkien and Teochew immigration from the 19th Century onwards, and soon became popular as a quick, inexpensive meal for all.
For the uninitiated (tourists we see you!), a typical bowl of banmee is served either dry (haeng) or with broth (nam), and topped with some combination of meats, wontons (gieao), and greens. Typically served in classic combos like wonton, barbecued pork and crabmeat, or shredded chicken and bitter melon, and seasoned to taste at the table. It’s as ubiquitous as it is delicious.
Unfortunately, with ubiquity comes mass-produced mediocrity – industrially processed meats, flavourless noodles and stock indistinguishable from dishwater (we won’t name names, but you’ll find them in parking lots all over Thailand).
However, it doesn’t need to be that way! To that end, here are six of our favourite spots to remind you that egg noodles can be so much more than a quick and easy meal.
