Khao Moo Daeng Si Morakot sells one of Thailand's most beloved dishes - barbecued pork and fluffy steamed white rice smothered in a rich gravy made from meat stock, soybean paste, palm sugar, soy sauce and thickened with tapioca starch.
Khao moo daeng, literally 'rice red pork', is found across Bangkok, but it's often lacks flavour relying on being too sweet and sticky. Not so at Khao Moo Daeng Si Morakot where the barbecue pork is well marinated and roasted and a gravy which is thick and meaty.
The open-sided shophouse restaurant, which has been open for over 60 years, is particularly busy for lunch so try to visit in the afternoon when the day time crowds have eased. Service is brisk though and waiting times are never long enough to warrant skipping a visit. Almost all the seating is in the ageing lime green and orange-tiled interior, perhaps a hang-over from the '70s decor when they moved from street pushcart to a permanent bricks-and-mortar joint, and set below several ceiling fans behind the kitchen area and antique wooden and glass food display along the pavement edge.
It's good value for such meaty fare. Plates start from 40 THB (around US $1.25) for barbecue pork over rice, a few baht more for extras or larger portions. Khao Moo Daeng Si Morakot's position along the eastern edge of Bangkok's Chinatown make it a good first stop on a nightly food crawl through the district.