Navigating Huai Kwang, Bangkok’s new Chinatown

Dongbei means ‘northeast,’ and applies to the remote region between Russia and Korea historically known as Manchuria. Tasked with staving off temperatures that regularly drop below -20°C, the food is characterised by rich flavours and a heavy use of soy, vinegar and garlic, with an emphasis on wheat-based staples, notably dumplings. Portions tend to be big and are generally shared amongst diners. 

There are several Dongbei restaurants dotted around Huai Kwang Chinatown, some of which specialise in iron pot stew (tieguodun) whereby meats like pork or goose are stewed together with potatoes in a large cast-iron pot.

Located on the corner of Pracharat Bamphen Road and Ratchadaphisek Road, Old Dongbei Mother’s Dumpling House is one of the first Chinese restaurants you’ll see as you emerge from Huai Khwang MRT station and also one of the best to sample Manchurian fare.

Ordering is made easy for the average farang via a digital menu, which has English translations. Some of the Burmese wait staff also understand Thai and English. 

Dumplings are steamed outside in a portico; the leek and egg dumplings (15 per portion) are a best-seller. Another classic dish is disanxian, literally  ‘three-treasures of the earth’ – a stir-fried dish comprised of aubergine, potatoes and green bell peppers coated in a savoury garlic-based sauce that embodies the hearty taste of North China.   

Time Out Tip: The restaurant stocks Thai and international beers but you can also try Snow, a popular Chinese beer brand. 

Chinese Name: 东北老妈饺子馆 Dongbei Laoma Jiaozi Guan

Lanzhou hand-pulled noodles, or lamian, are a type of soft wheat flour noodle known for being stretched and folded by hand. Although this style of cooking originated in the city of Lanzhou in northwest China, hand-pulled noodles have become ubiquitous in Chinese cities, particularly around transport hubs, where they serve inexpensive dishes to customers on the move.

Crucially, unlike most Chinese restaurants, they sell dishes designed for individuals rather than groups.

There are two restaurants specialising in Lanzhou hand-pulled noodles in Huai Khwang: Le Ha Ha and Xin Xin. 

Mr Han runs the latter, an ethnic Hui Muslim from Qinghai Province who has been dishing up northwestern staples in Bangkok for two years. 

Seats are green leather, organised around tables like booths in an American diner. There’s an open-kitchen in the back where you can watch noodles being pulled by hand.  

All dishes come with a complimentary broth and cold pickles. As portions are massive, it pays to order modestly. 

The classic hand-pulled noodles with beef is served in consommé broth with tender beef, coriander, garlic shoots and dash of chilli oil. Also highly recommended are the fried noodles with tomato and eggs. Both should be mopped up with a classic Silk Road import, namely, naan bread. 

Xin Xin also vends barbeque skewers. 

Time Out Tip: This is a halal restaurant and alcohol is not served. They do stock a range of Western and Chinese soft drinks, however.

Chinese Name: 鑫鑫中国兰州拉面 Xinxin Zhongguo Lanzhou Lamian

Hunan restaurants are almost as numerous as Dongbei restaurants in Huai Kwang, although the food they serve is radically different from that of frost-bitten Manchuria. Hunan is a landlocked province in south-central China just beyond the Nanling Mountains. The humid climate is mitigated by bold and spicy flavours, which are often combined with sour or fresh tastes. 

Ren Ren Xiang operates two branches on Pracharat Bamphen Road. The restaurant name is a tad poetic: Ren Ren means ‘everybody’ and Xiang refers to the main river that runs through Hunan, symbolising the province’s culture. 

Inside, you’ll find more poetic food-related idioms written on the walls in big characters. The decor is purposefully rustic, with wooden seats and red table clothes employed to invoke the ambience of a predominantly agrarian province. However, it’s not all old-school, as, just as in Old Dongbei Mother’s Dumpling House, Ren Ren Xiang uses digital menus with pictures and English translations.

Specialities tend to be meaty, including beer duck and fried pork with chillies, although there are plenty for vegetarians to enjoy including aubergine and green beans with chillies and egg-fried bitter gourd (one of the few dishes not marinated with chillies on the menu). 

Ren Ren Xiang also dishes up some fine cold dishes including fuzhu, cold dried rolls of soybean curd marinated with Hunan spice.  

Time Out Tip: Southern Chinese portions tend to be smaller than in northern-style restaurants, so it’s wise to order more.

Chinese Name: 人人湘小碗菜 Ren Ren Xiang Xiaocai

Sometimes rendered Schezwan cooking in English, the flavour that defines the bold and complex eating culture native to Chongqing and sister-province Sichuan is mala – the combination of chilli pepper spice and the numbing effect of Sichuan peppercorns. Arguably no other form of Chinese cooking has made such inroads in Thailand over the past few years with native ‘mala’ restaurants appearing across all major towns and cities.

Sichuan cuisine is well represented in Huai Kwang. Next to Xin Xin Lanzhou Hand Pulled-Noodles, Chongqing Mianzhuang vends bowls of mouth-numbing soup noodles and on Ratchadaphisek Road, Er Xiao Ye is a two-storey, upscale hot pot specialist. 

Located on Pracha Uthit Road, a short walk from the Pracharat Bamphen Road, the bamboo decor and panda logo of Tongwei Noodle Restaurant might be designed to evoke rural Sichuan but the restaurant’s open-plan is more akin to a typical Southeast Asian eatery than anything you might find in China. 

Spicy snacks as well as some standard noodle dishes are available from the menu, which has Thai and Burmese translations and pictures, but no English. But primarily, it’s all about malatang – a Sichuanese-style street-food where customers select skewered meats and vegetables from the fridge that are then cooked in a spicy broth in the middle of the table. 

Time Out Tip: Tongwei Noodle Restaurant is open 24-hours a day, and is popular with late-night diners.

Chinese Name: 北味春成都小吃 Beiweichun Chengdu Xiaochi