Monday, January 3, 2022
Another Day of Khao Soi

A short post today. I got out this morning, but not a photographic opportunity. Mainly I wanted to get the button on my walking shorts re-sewn. I could do it myself, but for some odd reason, the needle and thread that is normally in my bag did not get packed. I do know of a lady down Prapokkloa Soi 4 near Wild Rose Yoga who actually re-stitched the sides of my Keen Walking Sandals a couple of years ago. So I went in search of a simple button repair. The door was open, no one in sight. As I stood there, a traffic policeman nearby walked over and said something into her building. (Why there was a traffic policeman there, I surely do not know – there is almost no traffic on this soi.) It is not a shop per se, rather the front part of what appears to be her home. And inside was one of the foot-operated Singer sewing machines, so I was hopeful. A couple minutes and she appeared. She does not speak any English, I speak only a bit of Thai, but with hand gestures, we communicated. She got a her scissors, a needle, thread, and set to work. In short order she was done, and it was a very good job – better than I could have done. She asked for 10 baht (about 30 cents), and I paid her 20 baht. Excellent!

I spent a good part of the day catching up on some work and also updating my blog. By mid-afternoon I was getting hungry, and thought it time to head up to Khao Soi Khun Fai. This translates to grandmother’s khao soi.

Khao Soi Khun Fai

I was eager to try Khao Soi Khun Fai because this has been mentioned as a favorite by many people with whom I have discussed my khao soi challenge. And on the Mark Wiens video, they said it was a bit creamier, and they really liked the chicken there. Being another hot afternoon, I got a tuk-tuk, and the driver knew the place. We headed north and soon arrived, but Khao Soi Khun Yai is closed until January 10.

Now I was faced with a dilemma. Today is actually the official holiday for the New Year, like it was Friday in the U.S. I did not want to go up to Khao Sio Maesai and find them closed also. And, I discovered that when I went to Khao Sio Islam, I actually went to the wrong place. There are two khao soi restaurants next to each other. I chose the one that was not in the Mark Wiens video, called Khao Soi Fueng Fah. So I asked the driver to take me back to that soi to try out the actual Khao Soi Islam. He told me both were good. I already knew I liked the one at which I ate, and the other was on Mark Wiens’ list of the top five bowls of khao soi in Chiang Mai, so I was hopeful – actually more than hopeful, confident.

Khao Soi Islam

Back to Khao Soi Islam, this time choosing the restaurant on the right. Below is a picture of the entrance to Khao Sio Islam:

The man in the Hawaiian style shirt is the apparent manager. He takes orders, and you pay him.

One thing to note, these restaurants are only a few notches above street food. Almost no inexperienced tourists go to these places, and I seldom did in the past. The food is good, the people nice, and the prices almost too inexpensive for the quality. They work because of quantity. They have all been busy, even crowded.

As I was sitting down, he came over and I ordered one bowl of khao soi beef. The bowl was placed in front of me in about two minutes. I was sitting a couple seats from an Irish fellow, and we started talking. Like me, he visits Chiang Mai almost every year, but he stays two or three months. He has been visiting Chiang Mai for at least 12 years. And he agreed with the list of khao soi restaurants in Chiang Mai; he had been to all of them. Here is my bowl of khao soi at Khao Soi Islam:

This was as good as the bowl at Khao Soi Fueng Fah. The sauce spicy but not overpowering, the beef tender with no discernable fat. This is a very delicious bowl of khao soi. I can see why it was on Mark Wien’s list. And the bill came to 60 baht, about $2 for the khao soi and a bottle of water.

For those counting, my rankings so far are:

1. Khao Soi Islam
2. Khao Soi Fueng Fah (almost tied for first)
3. Khao Soi Lung Prakit Kaat Gorm (a very distant third)

Not sure I’ll be getting khao soi tomorrow. John (husband of Rose, owner of Wild Rose Yoga) asked me if I was free for a late lunch tomorrow. He had in mind another place similar to the khao soi places that serves a what he calls a chicken stew – chicken in a broth with noodles and a some vegetables. And, I’m going to defer starting yoga practice until Wednesday morning. Tomorrow the teacher is May, and Rose told me her class is fairly intense. I’d rather start with Annie on Wednesday for a class described as slow flow.

Next: Walking to Wararot Market, the Flower Market, Wat Kate Karam, and the Iron Bridge