At this long-standing hole-in-the-wall, inexpensive Thai fare with a Hainanese twist is served in a no-frills dining room. Named after the owner, Ko Yuan, Mitr Ko Yuan sits across the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, near Mon Nomsod. Several generations of neighborhood diners continue to flock here for the home-style cooking that has made Mitr Ko Yuan, through word-of-mouth, one of the best-known grandpa eateries. But while your cash-strapped friends might appreciate its good value, some of your image-conscious buddies may not approve of the bare-bone settings. The ceiling in the air-con dining area is swathed in off-white, pale blue tiles cover the floor, menus are plastered on the worn-out walls, your spoon and your fork might not match and the food is served on colorful plastic plates. The food at this locals-only joint is admittedly not the greatest, but the prices are low and the service is quick and competent. Mitr means friend, and at Mitr Ko Yuan, you’ll be treated as a friend, if not family. Ko Yuan and his sons occasionally double as servers and chat it up with the regulars. When asked for the bill, the staff, in their attempt to be funny, may add a couple of zeroes on. So don’t be shocked when they say an exorbitant price—it’s just a joke. Actually, a meal for two here can be expected to run well. The 10-page menu can be overwhelming, though, so hesitant diners can just stick with the best-sellers on the first page. (There are 27 dishes to choose from on that page alone.) As mentioned, the Thai fare here is executed with Hainanese touches, so the flavors might not be entirely familiar, but it’s still all tasty. The yum goon chiang (spicy Chinese sausage salad), for example, was jazzed up with black soy sauce, while the khai yat sai (stuffed omelet) substituted minced pork with red barbecued pork, which was stir-fried with chopped tomatoes and onions. We can’t recommend the ox tongue stew, however, as it didn’t live up to its usual standard during a recent visit, as the chewy tongues were bathed in a syrupy tomato-based sauce. The tiny grilled cockles also failed to impress. But other recommended dishes succeeded more often than not. We loved the generous serving of stir-fried squid with salted egg yolk and the tom yum, which was sufficiently hot and spicy. Is it worth traveling to? Maybe not, but it’s a good bet if you are in the neighborhood.
