It's not that it has never happened before. Eating from dawn till dusk with an airplane ride in between. Then, go for midnight supper π° My stomach was well past full and I was physically, mentally exhausted. But, we already made reservations and promised to go to Jeh O Chula, so we dragged ourselves to supper. It turned out that it was one of the highlights of the entire day and not only because of the excellent food π
Our taxi cruised past familiar landmarks (like MBK) and through quiet streets (which would invariably be gridlocked during the day). Then, it turned into a street lined with eateries and milling crowds. I was delighted and awoke from my food coma induced daze.
Once the taxi halted, I jumped out like an excited, hungry child. Big local crowds at street side eateries always excite, energise me. When I travel, I like to eat and experience hyperlocal.
People on the right eating on the sidewalk were spillover crowd from the restaurant. Folks on the left were waiting for a table (which often takes more than an hour).
Jeh O Chula is the alias of owner madam Muay Sae-Chua (Mdm Chua). The restaurant name is officially Jae Oh Khao Tom Pet. In the Bangkok Michelin guide, it is Jay Oh π€π€·
Anyway......, Jae Oh Khao Tom Pet in the third generation now, started 60 years ago as a Teochew braised duck stall (the dish is still on the menu as "Golden Brown Duck"). Jeh O Chula also serves traditional Thai cuisine though it is most famous for their tom yum Mama noodles.
π Note to self: Next time, order their braised duck also.
Thanks to Sock Peng's reservation and pre-payment, we were quickly ushered to our table in the fully packed restaurant. I like the energy, friendly vibes and youthful buzz inside the spacious and bright space.
Mostly locals here, as this was May 2022 when Thailand just partially opened its borders (the world just emerging from the Covid-19 global pandemic).
Jeh O Chula has a 25-page menu. Fortunately, we had Sock Peng who is a Jeh O veteran to help do all the ordering. Everything arrived minutes after we were seated. I like the unpretentious way which the food were served. The tom yum noodles came in a little steel
Looking at the crowd and the speed in which we were served, Jeh O's kitchen is obviously a battle hardened well oiled outfit π
The centrepiece - tom yum Mama noodle. It's seafood (prawn & squid) with crispy deep fried pork, homemade pork balls, raw eggs and Mama instant noodles in a steel basin of fiery looking tom yum soup.
I thought this is Thailand's answer to Korean army stew. Instagrammable comfort dish!
The tom yum was thick and creamy after mixing the two raw eggs into the stew. The concoction was a wild riot of flavours with robust savoury, salty, sour and spicy taste from the tom yum dominating all the other ingredients.
The mama noodles at the bottom of the basin were soft spongy and tasted savoury sourish spicy from the tom yum soup clinging to its slurpy limp crinkly strands.
Spicy Salmon Salad.
Thick salmon sashimi marinated in a savoury sourish spicy sauce zested up with spicy raw garlic, lime and refreshing mint. The sauce drove away the characteristic taste of salmon (which I don't like). So, I love this by Jeh O.
Crispy Pork. Savoury fried pork which is crisp chewy outside while tender, moist inside.
I like this stir fried kang kong (water spinach) because it was crunchy and enveloped in savoury spicy sauce. The healthy greens helped assuaged some of the guilt of a whole day's indulgences π θͺζ¬Ίζ¬ΊδΊΊ π
Everything you need to know about Jeh O Chula π click
Written by Tony Boey on 26 May 2022
The must visit makan place in Bangkok π€
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