During a midday break between lunch and dinner, I found myself wandering through the historic district of Tha Phra Chan, where numerous time-honored eateries beckoned. A sudden craving overcame me, and I decided to indulge in a pre-dinner snack at one of these venerable establishments. Among the many options, Louis Tha Phra Chan stood out as a top choice, given its long-standing reputation and traditional offerings.

On a typical weekday, the restaurant is relatively uncrowded. We opted for a table on the air-conditioned second floor due to the sweltering heat. Now, let's place our order.

The first dish, a crispy meat samosa, features a flaky pastry crust filled with fragrantly spiced minced meat. While the flavors are enticing, the presentation is rather plain, simply placed on a plate without any embellishment.

The next dish was a mistake: a golden needle mushroom salad. When the mushrooms were tossed with the dressing, they released a lot of oil, making the salad greasy and diluting the flavor considerably.



The stir-fried crispy morning glory dish today was quite disappointing. While it used to be abundant with crispy, batter-fried morning glory leaves, this time it was mostly hard, batter-fried morning glory stems.

The dressing is still acceptable. Mixing it with the water spinach stems is still edible.

This dish was quite satisfactory, making it a worthwhile experience. The Emperor's spring rolls remained crispy and delicious as always, and the accompanying basil leaves provided a refreshing contrast in flavor.

This dish was a major disappointment. The "radish cake" tasted like nothing more than stir-fried flour and bean sprouts, completely devoid of any radish or turnip flavor.

The crispy wonton sheets, soaked in the floodwater, were a soggy disappointment. The water level at Tha Phra Chan hasn't receded yet, and the wonton sheets, cut unusually small, were far from crispy. This experience will likely lead to the removal of this restaurant from our list.

#bangkok
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