At least once a week, (sometimes more if I’m taking people on a food tour) you can find me scoffing roast duck at the Bangkok famous Prachak Roasted Duck on Bang Rak’s Charoen Krung Road. It’s my favourite place in the city for roast barbecue duck. Anytime I eat duck anywhere else, I’m generally disappointed by comparison, until now!
About a month ago I was strolling around one of my favourite little markets near me, called Khlong San Plaza. It’s on Charoen Nakhon, which is on the Thonburi side of the river, right by the Hilton Riverside. I got a bit peckish, so I decided to have a walk up Thanon Charoen Rat to one of the many off the track street food joints that I frequent so much, when I noticed a little place I hadn’t noticed before called Phun Loet (The sign is in Thai, but this is the translation I’ve been given), I thought I’d give it a go…….
I’ve since been back on numerous occasions, and have enjoyed it every time. This particular day, I ordered egg noodles with wontons, bbq pork, and roast duck (bamee giow moo dang bped) and a plate of roast duck by itself (bped yang).
The duck is what really makes this place worth coming for. It’s got a great smokey flavour that you just don’t get in most places. Soft, tender, and juicy, it’s the star of the show. It comes with a salty, sweet homemade sauce which is great. I probably prefer the sauce at prachak, but this sauce is delicious in its own right. However, the duck here at Phen Loet is dare I say better!
The wontons are lovely, the only thing that slightly put me off was the fact the pork was bright red, which always makes me think ‘food colouring!’. It tasted great, don’t get me wrong, but I just personally prefer a more natural looking bbq pork. If possible, the duck actually tastes better in the noodles, which is what I usually order. Today, though, I wanted to order the duck by itself, so I could make a comparison with the numerous other duck places I’ve eaten at in Bangkok.
The two dishes set me back a whopping 150 baht (£3.50)!
There a really friendly bunch at Phun Loet, but they don’t speak much English at all. Don’t let that put you off, though, you can usually get by with some pointing, smiling, and some Google translate. If you get stuck just repeat the translation in the description a few paragraphs back!
This place isn’t going to win any awards for decor or ambiance, it’s pretty much just a hole in the wall, but it gets packed with locals who know how good the food is here!
To get there just take a tuk-tuk or taxi to Khlong San Plaza, on Charoen Nakhon, and Charoen Rat is directly opposite. Phun Loet is about 15 meters up on the right. The writing is in Thai, so look for the red sign and the hanging duck!
Open every day early till 16.00.
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