Noorur Choudhury
Google
After staying in Silom by the Maha Marianman Temple for two months, I can't believe I just discovered this place, and it was purely by chance when I googled best places to eat in Bangkok that isn't considered 'fine dining' but rather standard eatery. This was amongst them on the list, on a website. Though I almost passed this restaurant almost 4-6 times a day on average since I stay so close, it was hiding in plain site directly opposite the (busy) Temple, with street stalls in front of the premises hence was difficult to see or take much notice of.
I was greeted by the owner, she explained to me, one of the reasons as to why this business was famous was because of the massuman curry, though I came here with the intent of trying the Chicken Green Curry. I took her advice and ordered the Chicken Massuman Curry and she gave me a free sample of the Chicken Green Curry as a gesture of good will (didn't expect it). The lady spoke very good English like she lived in the UK or USA/Australia or maybe accustomed to so many tourists visiting the business, and she did mention she gets so many Japanese customers come, maybe famous amongst the Japanese community in Bangkok. She went as far as explaining the history of the massuman dish, how it originated from southern Thailand near the border to Malaysia hence the curry flavour.
Massuman goes best with the chicken thigh, not the breast, wing or the leg, due to the texture of the meat, except for that, this place cooked it for so long that the meat just comes off the bone so easily. I had to order a second portion of rice, as the curry portion was big enough for two servings. The massuman curry sauce did have a sweet underdone, whether if you like it or not is a preference thing, I loved it.
As for the Chicken Green Curry, I felt it was overshadowed by the massuman, though it was still great none the less.
The lady came across as someone that loves to engage with foreign customers, thereby making it all the more easier to accommodate for my inquisitive nature, so I asked how long has she run the business for, she explained for 26 years (as of 2024) and have not altered the recipe much over the years, remained consistent. Even the chefs have remained throughout the life of this business, which led me to question, with all the years of experience they've accumulated over the decades, they could have easily went away to open their own business(es) and be their own bosses, the lady explained that the chefs aren't going anywhere and they're here to stay, as the owners do profit sharing with the chefs as they acknowledge chefs are highly detrimental to the success of this business, so it's all fair play here, which made me happy to hear, not to mention the chefs also live in the same building, being upstairs and they're treated like 'family' and not having to pay a penny for rent, the owners cover the cost as them, as owners rent the entire building.
I genuinely feel this business has alot more potential, especially towards foreigners looking for the best 'eats' the city has to offer and so far, it may have just been Japanese bloggers/vloggers doing it, maybe more English speaking bloggers/vloggers ought to check this place out and advertise it more. But at the same time, I feel with so much success, they might just end up upping prices thereby making it more difficult for the locals to enjoy it here too.
