Elvis Suki is one of those rare places that both foodies and cab drivers wax lyrical about. It’s hardly a restaurant, though. Even with an air-con room on the second floor, this shophouse has taken over a big chunk of Soi Yotse (which runs parallel to Bamrung Muang Road, roughly across from Huachiew Hospital) with a dozen outdoor tables and a fruit smoothie bar (B30-40). Due to Elvis Suki’s immense popularity, they’ve even laid claims to a second small shophouse across the street. The suki, both with or without soup, truly is some of the best in Bangkok, which is a big deal given that this is something of a national dish. The fried woon sen noodles are just moist and oily enough and the crunchy cabbage and green onions are super-fresh. The accompanying sauce, spicy but also a bit tart, is just as exciting. And while the seafood option (B70) is the most commonly ordered, the beef (B60) is even better: lovingly marinated and tender, but not overly so. In the end, what really makes the suki is that secret eggy sauce, the details of which Elvis Suki, “the king of suki,” guards as jealously as Coca-Cola does its recipe. While Elvis is ideal for a quick bowl of noodles—their stir-fried egg and chicken noodles are pretty amazing, too (B50)—it’s also a great place to bring friends for a full-on dinner. Two of their specialties are particularly noteworthy: the scallops with butter and ground pork (B150) and the seabass grilled in a banana leaf (B290) with a thick crust of minced lemongrass. Just ask the French: seafood and butter get along very, very well. Throw in a bit of lemongrass to cut through the fattiness, and you’ve got some perfect combinations. The tradeoff, of course, is that Elvis Suki’s seafood isn’t as light as what we’re used to (even the simply grilled squid, B200, comes with a slightly greasy marinade). But hey, lightness isn’t always such a good thing, is it? (Note: for dessert, head across the street to Tongue Fun Ice-Cream. You won’t regret it.) No credit cards. No corkage charge.
