Still hot on the Bangkok khao soi trail, I recently decided to go back to a vendor that I've long felt does the best khao soi in Bangkok. Lam Duan Fah Ham is the only Bangkok branch of the similarly-named, longstanding Chiang Mai institution. The original restaurant, located in Chiang Mai's Fah Ham area, serves what's arguably the best bowl in town, and the people who run it even claim to have 'invented' khao soi.
Dubious origin myths aside, the Bangkok branch of Lam Duan Fah Ham maintains the quality of the original, and is arguably the best bowl in Bangkok. The only real fault here is location: the restaurant is located in extreme northern Bangkok, not far from the former airport. Because of this, I hadn't been back here in at least a year, and upon arriving and receiving my bowl of beef khao soi (pictured above) felt a twinge of disappointment: the broth at Lam Duan Fah Ham can appear deceptively thin, almost watery. But a taste revealed that it's actually quite rich, with virtually zero bland/sweet coconut milk cloyingness and more dried spice complexity than any other bowl I've encountered in Bangkok. The noodles and condiments are of pretty good quality, and the serving size is also authentically northern (i.e. one bowl is never enough, two is more than enough).
Also laudable is the restaurant's khanom jeen nam ngiaw:
Although not quite as meaty and rich as the bowl at Kuaytiaw 12 Panna, the broth here is tart and spicy, with hearty chunks of both pork and tomato.
Lam Duan Fah Ham also serve a few non noodle-based northern Thai dishes.
Lam Duan Fah Ham Soi 58, Thanon Vibhavadi Rangsit 8.30am-3pm (closed last Sun of the month) 02 579 6403
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