Sometimes the best street food in Bangkok is found down the narrow backstreets of the city. Plab Phlachai Noodles, a default title given to the stall which doesn't actually have one but sets up near a street of the same name, is one of the those places.
You'd struggle to find this old school noodle dish anywhere else in Bangkok, the recipe having been passed down from the grandmother who sold the same noodles 50 years prior. Wide rice noodles laced with dried shrimps are steamed and tossed in fried preserved radish, shredded spring onions, crispy garlic, more dried shrimps, blanched bean sprouts and a healthy splash of dark soy sauce. It's salty yet sweet from the radish with a pleasing mélange of textures - crunchy bean sprouts, soft noodles and chewy dried shrimps.
It's a simple arrangement - just a metal pushcart outside a shophouse laden with a few pots and pans, the mise en place, and a small collection of tables under the alleyway's awning. Bar the noodles which are kept warm in a steamy bamboo baskets, the rest of the plate's elements have already been cooked so serving is quick.
They are usually open between 12.30pm and 7.30pm, though like much of Bangkok's street food, they'll shut up shop if they sell out so don't arrive too late. Unless you tip arrive at the peak lunch hour there'll likely always be a table or you can get it packed to go. Plates of their noodles are 30 THB (around US $1), 10 THB more for a larger plate.