My new bride and I honeymooned in Thailand. We landed in Bangkok in late-April, and already, the heat and heavy humidity made it feel like walking with a wet blanket
Jet-lagged and sweating through our clothes, we had the time of our lives. We walked through Bangkok’s bustling streets and ate anything and everything we could: Green papaya salad, fried chicken, young coconut juice, stir-fries of all manner
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For five days it was complete sensory overload. I think that’s the appeal of Thai food, beyond the deliciousness of the food. The sound, the colors, the tactile sensation of spice on your tongue and sweat down your back — it’s all part of the package
For years, I’ve been chasing that high back home. Most Thai restaurants in Chicago feel like, well, a Thai restaurant in Chicago. No matter how great the cooking comes out of the kitchen, it’s still lacking the full sensory experience
Noodles Party, located at 4205 W. Lawrence Ave. in Mayfair on the Far North Side, is the exception. Its charismatic owner and chef, Aomjai Phumpardit, has recreated her room — from the colorful Thai bric-a-brac to the vinyl table covers — to resemble sitting under a canopied food stall on Bangkok’s Khao San Road
The ‘party’ in its name earns its moniker. Even on a Saturday afternoon, lines ran out the door, waiting for an open stool inside
But what makes Noodles Party one of my new favorite spots in Chicago is that the food is uncompromising to its Bangkok street food roots. If you’re expecting pad thai, feel free to visit one of the city’s 100 other Thai restaurants. Its signature boat noodles are a savory, assertive, big-flavored noodle bowl with liver, meatballs, and thickened with pork blood, as is the tradition of Thai boat noodles. It’s tremendous
