Pe Aor

When in Bangkok, you should make sure to at least have the local Tom Yum Goong at least once before leaving. Before this trip, I have always drunk Tom Yum Goong at restaurants or foodcourt but it never crossed my mind to try the Tom Yum noodles until my friend introduced Pe Aor to me

Touted as the best Tom Yum soup in Bangkok, Pe Aor has been around for years and is a hidden gem even to local Thais. Located in the Phetchaburi area, it is not easy to reach Pe Aor by train as you need to walk at least 10 to 15 mins in the hot sun from the nearest BTS station

I took a grab to Pe Aor and nearly missed the restaurant until the giant lobster and giant signboard caught my attention. Along a row of shophouses, Pe Aor is visibly the most busy and crowded shop along the entire street. The entrance is plastered with loads of photos of celebrities and influencers, so the popularity of the shop is evident

They cook the tom yum noodles right at the entrance and other dishes in the back kitchen. The big pot of tom yum soup is the same for all the noodles with the addition of condiments of parsley, lemongrass and seafood

The interior of the shop is simple and cosy and kept very clean. As the majority of Thai people are Buddhist, you can see many Buddhist statues ornamenting the shelves of the shop. There are also multiple photo frames of celebrities visiting the shop. The shop is not huge so it can accommodate only up to 25 people each time. The space is limited so try not to visit with big bags or luggage as there will hardly be space for storage

The menu is extensive with pages of different variations of tom yam noodles. You can choose different types of seafood to go with the noodles and the base price is from THB60 onwards. The popular one appearing in many social feeds is the most expensive one with lobster and many kinds of seafood at the price of THB 1,500. Personally, I was there to try the soup and not so much the seafood so I opted for one of the basic seafood and pork versions at THB120

The interesting part of the whole meal was the different types of bowls used for the different price points. The ones over THB1,000 came served in a super huge bowl which is good for sharing and the one I received was a huge western soup plate bowl which had a deep center but wide circumference. My friend had a more traditional round soup bowl and another friend had a shell-shaped bowl. My selection was the seafood with pork slice with instant noodles while my friends had different noodles like egg and rice noodles

The serving might not look much but is quite filling and since we had multiple meals, this was more than enough. The noodles were cooked perfectly with a springy texture and complemented the tom yum soup very well. The noodles came with 1 large prawn, squid slices, mushroom and pork slices. Now the soup, I must say it is the best tom yum noodle soup I have ever had in my life. They are totally deserving of the best tom yum soup. The soup was rich, milky with a balance tinge of sour and spiciness and most importantly, it was savoury and addictive. The soup was so good, I almost finished it all before eating my noodles. It is clear that the soup is the champion and the seafood and noodles are just the side garnishes

I ordered their Thai milk tea as I was afraid the noodles will be too spicy but I did not need the milk tea at all as the soup was perfect. The milk tea was thick and milky and decent but not as nice as the one I got at Icon Siam which was brewed with pandan sugar water

Overall, Pe Aor is the best tom yum noodles I have tried so far and yes I will travel to this godforsaken location again whenever I am in Bangkok just to have a taste of the wonderful noodles. I loved the soup so much that I bought their instant tom yum powder home to cook my own noodles but I have not cooked them yet and I am not sure if I can achieve the same delicious flavours. If you are in Bangkok, do not hesitate, this is a MUST-visit place

Address: 68, 51 Phetchaburi Rd, Thung Phaya Thai, Ratchathewi, Bangkok 10400, Thailand

Operating hours: 10 am to 9 pm ( Closed on Mon)