[Bangkok] Happened to chance upon Fa Pla Tahn when looking for food at EmSphere – Bangkok’s new lifestyle mall near Phrom Phong BTS station.
My friend calls this Thai-style Bak Chor Mee or Fishball Noodles cheekily.
Fa Pla Tahn was actually first established as a delivery-only restaurant specialising in Khao Tom Pla, or boiled rice soup with fish.
After gaining popularity, you can also find it at Central Chidlom Tower and Marché Thonglor.
While the EmSphere outlet has its own seat-down area, you can also choose to dine at the common area (like a food court).
There is service charge, but I would say the service is straight-forward and without fuss.
It can get rather crowded during peak hours, and you feel slight pressure to finish your food fast.
The fish-focused menu at Fa Pla Than is diverse, but the signature dishes include their Fish Rice Porridge and Fishball Noodles.
Other recommended dishes include the Noodle with deep fried fish fillets and spicy sauce (THB 199), Boiled rice with fish fillets, prawns, and squids (THB 359), and Spicy Seafood ‘Tom Yum’ in Red Sauce (THB 189) for those who enjoy vibrant, tangy flavours.
I decided to go for the Fish Ball & Marinated Minced Pork Noodle (THB 179) which does sound similar (on paper) to our Bak Chor Mee with Fishballs.
You can choose from thin rice noodles, wide rice noodles, rice vermicelli, glass noodles, fish noodles, flat egg noodles (similar to our mee pok), and round egg noodles (mee kia).
The difference is each bowl came with a mixture of ingredients, from fishball, fish dumpling, minced pork, fried wanton to a deep-fried fish fillet.
This variety ensured that each bite offered a mix of textures.
The fish balls were firm yet bouncy, though nothing really to shout about.
But there was some components which I enjoyed better, like the fish dumpling and fried fish.
The sauce though looking non-existent, was pretty fragrant which worked when tossed with the noodles.
Garnishes such as fresh herbs, green onions, and possibly a sprinkle of fried garlic add freshness and a bit of crunch, enhancing the taste with additional layers of flavour.
I realised many noodles in Bangkok are like that – they look deceptively simple, but are actually tasty.
For appetisers, there is the Deep fried Shrimp Mousse in Tofu Skin (THB 179), combining the softness of tofu with the crispiness of fried shrimp for texture contrast.
Straight forward stuff.
Oh yah, I also had an interesting Lotus Root Drink (THB 89) which was surprisingly refreshing with a subtly sweet flavour profile.
The lotus roots lent a light, earthy undertone that was quite distinctive. Worth a try.
Fa Pla Than ฟ้าปลาทาน
EmSphere G Floor, 440 Sukhumvit Rd, Khlong Tan, Khlong Toei, Bangkok 10110, Thailand
Opening Hours: 10am – 10pm (Mon – Sun)
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