Name: No.6 Restaurant
Address: 186 Tambon Patong, Amphoe Kathu, Chang Wat Phuket 83150, TH
Price range: €
Rating: 4.7

Thailand

No.6 Restaurant

Flat rice noodles stir-fried in a wok with egg, dried shrimp, firm tofu, garlic chives and bean sprouts, seasoned with tamarind, fish sauce and palm sugar, and served with crushed peanuts, chilli flakes and a wedge of lime: pad thai is the dish most of the world orders first in a Thai restaurant, and it is younger than it looks. It was promoted by the government of Plaek Phibunsongkhram in the late 1930s and 1940s as a national dish, partly to reduce rice consumption and partly to give the new nation of Thailand a food of its own, drawing on the Chinese noodle-frying tradition already in Bangkok. Its name means Thai-style stir-fry. In Thailand it is street food cooked to order in a single wok over a charcoal or gas burner, often wrapped in an egg net, and it is sweeter and more sour than the versions most restaurants abroad serve, which lean on ketchup or extra sugar.

The noodles are sen chan or sen lek, thin flat rice noodles soaked in room-temperature water until pliable but still firm, never boiled. The sauce is made ahead: tamarind pulp soaked and strained, dissolved with palm sugar and fish sauce into a thick brown liquid, balanced so none of the three dominates. In a very hot wok, shallot and garlic are fried in oil, then pressed tofu and dried shrimp, then the noodles with a splash of water and the sauce, tossed until they soften and take colour; the noodles are pushed aside, an egg is cracked and scrambled in the gap, and everything is turned together with garlic chives and most of the bean sprouts. Prawns or chicken go in early if used. The plate is finished with crushed roasted peanuts, a lime wedge, raw bean sprouts, more chives and a small pile of dried chilli, and the eater adjusts it. One portion per wok is the rule, because a crowded wok steams instead of fries.

Judge the balance first: sour from tamarind, salty from fish sauce, sweet from palm sugar, each present and none in front, with a faint smokiness from the wok. The noodles should be separate, chewy and lightly coated, not clumped, not swimming, not mushy. Mark down a dish that is mainly sweet or tastes of ketchup, which is the most common failure outside Thailand; noodles that have broken into short pieces from overcooking; a greasy plate; peanuts ground to dust or missing; and a version with no dried shrimp or tofu, which removes two of its defining flavours. The egg should be in visible pieces, not a uniform coating. Lime should be fresh and on the side so the sourness can be adjusted at the table. Prawns, when present, should be cooked just through.

Pad Thai

No.6 Restaurant in Patong Beach, Phuket, is a long-standing establishment known for its affordable and flavorful Pad Thai. The original location on Ratuthit Song Roi Pi Road has been serving customers for over 20 years and is popular among both tourists and locals. While the food is generally good, the restaurant is often crowded, leading to long wait times and a bustling atmosphere . 

No.6 Restaurant

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