Los Angeles: NTT in Thai Town [Pics]

Noodle Thai Town is located in the same small strip mall as the more widely known Vim Restaurant, towards the eastern end of the Thai Town Strip.

At all hours of the day, a mostly Thai clientele drops in NTT to sit at the lunch counter, or at one of the few tiny tables, and enjoy a bowl of noodles or a simple stir-fry, and perhaps one of the grilled or fried specialty snacks that are on offer.

Below are pictures from a lunchtime visit that I made to NTT, last week:


signage


kũay tĩaw tôm yam thúk yàang - "tôm yam" rice noodle soup with "the works"*


aahãan thai - "thai food"

I know that it does not seem like much, but I can explain: A glance at the Thai Language Menu board and a few words with my waitperson had me set up with the kũay tĩaw tôm yam thúk yàang, pictured above. Within moments of receiving my order I was joined by some local Thais who insisted that we move inside. And, it was at this point that I was officially retired from shutter patrol.

But, let me stick with the kũay tĩaw tôm yam thúk yàang for a moment ...

This bowl of noodle soup turned out to be one of the very best that I have ever had in Thai Town. "The Works" scored me a soft coil of sên lék noodles in the most wonderfully pungent and spicy, sweet/sour broth. In addition to the fish balls which form the basis of the standard seafood version**, my bowl was loaded with minced pork, chopped bbq pork, and bits of pork liver. And, as it is customary with nearly all of the noodle soups in L.A.'s Thai Town, the broth also contained bean sprouts, leaf lettuce, chopped chile, chopped scallion, and cilantro. But, it was really all about that broth ...

In a large Thai population center like L.A.'s Thai Town, where many Thais content themselves with a steaming bowl of noodle soup on an almost daily basis, specialty shops such as NTT cook big batches of various broths to use as the base for dishes such as this. In a place like Chicago, however, with its significantly smaller Thai population, very little restaurant kitchen "real estate" is given over to such labour- and space-intensive productions. Here, soup bases tend to be fashioned "on the fly," and they so often lack the profound depth and flavour of the traditionally-fashioned broths.***

Quite sated with my noodles, I just picked at our group's subsequent order, though I can say that what I tried was very, very good. Various soup noodle dishes and a BBQ pork and rice plate notwithstanding, we ordered sôm tam plaa ráa, or "papaya salad with fermented fish paste," mũu yâang yam, or "grilled pork salad," and nãem sii-khrong, or "fried 'nãem'-style pork ribs."

This last item was worth discussing at greater length: Short lengths of bone-in pork rib had first been seasoned and "conditioned" in the style of nãem****, and then quicky fried. Just like "raw" nãem, these “riblets” were served alongside slivers of ginger, roasted peanuts, and fresh chile.

Here is my translation of the Thai Language Menu board pictured above:

LEFT COLUMN

01. khâo phàt mũu, kûng, kài, néua : rice fried with pork, shrimp, chicken, or beef
02. khâo phàt “khawm” : combination fried rice
03. khâo phàt nãem : rice fried with Thai “pressed” ham
04. khâo phàt sàppàrót kûng, kài : pineapple fried rice with shrimp or chicken
05. khâo phàt tháleh tâi : rice fried with assorted seafoods in the "Southern-Thai-style"
06. khâo phàt phrík : rice fried with chile seasoning
07. kài krà-thiam râat khâo : chicken and garlic stir-fry, over rice
08. kûng krà-thiam râat khâo : shrimp and garlic stir-fry, over rice
09. kûng khâo phôht àwn : shrimp stir-fried with baby corn
10. krà-phrao râat khâo : basil, chile, and onion stir-fry, over rice
11. khâo kha-náa mũu kràwp : Chinese broccoli and crispy pork stir-fry, with rice
12. kài phàt phèt má-mûang râat khâo : spicy chicken and cashew stir-fry, over rice
13. phàt prîaw wãan râat khâo : sweet & sour stir-fry, over rice
14. khâo mũu daeng + khài : BBQ pork rice + egg
15. khâo mũu kràwp : crispy pork, with rice
16. phàt phrík khĩng râat khâo : “dry” curry fry, over rice

CENTER COLUMN

01. kũay tĩaw náam tòk mũu, néua : rice noodle soup with “rare” pork or beef
02. kũay tĩaw “Phitsanulok” : rice noodle soup in the "Phitsanulok-Province-Style"
03. kũay tĩaw lûuk chín náam sài : rice noodles with meatballs in a light, clear broth
04. yen ta fo: rice noodles in a thin, “pink,” sour and spicy broth
05. kũay tĩaw nâwng kài tũun : rice noodles with chicken thigh stew
06. kũay tĩaw tôm yam tháleh: rice noodles with seafoods in a hot, sweet/sour broth
07. kũay tĩaw làwt : rice noodle rolls with pork and vegetables
08. kũay tĩaw phàt khîi mao : stir-fried “drunkard’s” noodles
09. kũay tĩaw phàt thai : stir-fried rice noodles with shrimp and beansprouts
10. phàt sii-íw : rice noodles stir-fried with soy-based sauce
11. bà-mìi mũu daeng : egg noodles with bbq pork
12. râat nâa : rice noodles with “gravy” sauce
13. “chow mein” : stir-fried egg noodles
14. kũay tĩaw lûuk chín plaa “duu duu” : rice noodles with fish balls in the "Duu-Duu-Style"

RIGHT COLUMN

01. lûuk chín pîng mũu, néua : grilled pork or beef skewers
02. néua tàet [dìaw] : beef “jerky”
03. mũu tàet [dìaw] : pork “jerky”
04. sâi kràwk isãan : Isaan-style fermented pork sausage
05. nãem sii-khrong : fried "nãem"-style pork ribs
06. mũu yâang yam : grilled pork salad
07. mũu má-nao : lime-dressed pork salad
08. lâap, náam tòk : spicy minced meat salad or grilled meat salad
09. sôm tam pũu dawng, pũu khẽm, plaa ráa : papaya salad with pickled crab, salty crab, or fermented fish paste
10. khâo nĩaw : sticky rice

555/DDD, Press Rat Bizzles.

Erik M.

Noodle Thai Town
5136 Hollywood Blvd.
Hollywood, CA
323.661.0260


* This item is not listed on any menu per se. It is instead available by request. Simply telling the waitperson that you would like kũay tĩaw tôm yam, "with everything," should suffice.

** Kũay tĩaw tôm yam tháleh: #6 in the center column of the Thai Language Menu board, pictured above.

*** Here, in Chicago, there are a few restaurants which serve kũay tĩaw tôm yam. To mind mind, though, the very best version can be found at TAC Quick. I have written about TAC Quick's version of kũay tĩaw tôm yam at some length, here. [If you expect an apology for the fubar formatting that you find there, look elsewhere. ]

**** I have discussed nãem at some length, here.

Update:

I returned to Noodle Thai Town once on my most recent trip to Los Angeles and was surprised to learn that it is now under new management:



Anyway, Noodle Thai Town is still serving up some of the most authentic noodle dishes in Thai Town, but the offerings are now vastly different. Here are photos of the new Thai language menu boards:


noodle soups and rice plates


drinks

And, here are my translations of the same:

(pink board // noodle soups and rice plates)

1. kũay tĩaw reua “Rangsit” (ko-ha) jâo kao: “Rangsit-style” “boat” noodles
2. kũay tĩaw reua náam tòk néau, mũu : “boat” noodle soup with “rare” beef or pork
3. kũay tĩaw tôm yam má-nao mũu : rice noodle soup with lime juice and minced pork in a hot, sweet/sour broth
4. kũay tĩaw plaa kraay song khréuang : rice noodle soup with homemade fish balls
5. kũay tĩaw yen ta fo rót dèt : rice noodles in a thin, sour and spicy tomato broth
6. kũay tĩaw pèt tũun : rice noodles with stewed duck
7. kũay tĩaw néau tũun, ehn tũun, mũu tũun : rice noodles with stewed beef, beef tendon, or pork
8. kũay tĩaw kài chêuk tôm yam : rice noodles with shredded chicken in a hot, sweet/sour broth
9. kũay tĩaw “Shanghai” tháleh náam, hâeng : “rice flake” noodles with seafoods, served “wet” (i.e., soup), or “dry”
10. kũay tĩaw bà-mìi mũu daeng, bà-mìi pèt yâang : egg noodle soup with bbq pork or roast duck
11. kũay tĩaw phàt thai kûng sòt : stir-fried rice noodles with fresh shrimp and beansprouts
12. kũay tĩaw phàt thai “Boraan” : house special stir-fried noodles
13. khâo râat krà-phrao : c/o/m stir-fried with holy basil, served over rice
14. khâo krà-phrao mũu : crispy pork, served over rice
15. khâo kha-náa mũu kràwp : stir-fried Chinese broccoli and crispy pork, served over rice
16. kũay tĩaw “Sukhothai” : rice noodles with minced pork, shredded long beans, and chopped peanuts (in blue)

(blue board // khréuang dèum, or “drinks”)

1. kaafee yèn : Thai iced coffee with milk
2. oh-líang : iced coffee with sugar (no milk)
3. chaa dam yèn : Thai iced tea (no milk)
4. chaa yèn : Thai iced tea with milk
5. náam kràjíap : Hibiscus drink
6. náam lam yài : longan fruit juice
7. náam keh-kawy : Chrysanthemum drink
8. “boba” : tapioca pearl smoothie

Oh, and here are photos of the noodle soup which I enjoyed on my recent visit:


kũay tĩaw néau ehn tũun, a rice noodle soup with stewed beef, beef tendon, and meatballs*



E.M.

* One of Noodle Thai Town's signature rice noodle soups, which is not listed on the menus pictured above, but is instead shown between them.