This restaurant closed in March 2021. Thanks for the memories!
Slurp-worthy boat noodles and other lesser-known Thai noodles
Delightfully ungrammatical name aside, Boat King of Thai Noodles is the place to get a wide range of Thai noodles. Everyone knows about pad thai. Some know about pad see ew (ผัดซีอิ๊ว) and pad kee mao (ผัดขี้เมา). This restaurant offers lesser-known dishes that only Thai food enthusiasts will recognize. For example, its signature and namesake is boat noodles. It’s the best version in Toronto. Then again, there aren’t a lot of competitors. Nana used to offer this before the pandemic. Kiin used to offer it when they had lunch service. Now, Thai Noodle is the only other place near downtown that has boat noodles.
Kway tiaw reua—the unsung emblem of Thai noodles
I have a confession to make. I don’t like pad thai. This after eating it all over Thailand and seeking the best restaurants. It’s too boring for me and strikes me as a leftovers dish. Even though pad thai is identified as the iconic dish of Thailand, it should be boat noodles. Just like how green curry is unique to Thailand, boat noodles are quite different from its noodle cousins in China and Southeast Asia.
Boat noodles are known as kway tiaw reua in Thai (ก๋วยเตี๋ยวเรือ). It also goes by other English transliterations like kuai tiao reua or guay teow rua. I use the least ambiguous spelling here. Boat noodles gets its name from vendors rowing on boats through Bangkok’s canals. The food was prepared in the boat and handed off to customers on the shore. In modern times, restaurateurs have moved to dry land.
The defining characteristics of boat noodles are its small serving size and its blood-infused broth. Yup, you read that right. There is some pig and cow blood to thicken the broth. It doesn’t taste strong like Chinese or Vietnamese blood cakes but it darkens the brown broth and adds to the texture and richness. Most people wouldn’t even notice it. The bowl is small because historically, vendors wanted to minimize spillage when passing it to customers. Nowadays, it has become a tradition to order multiple bowls and stack them up like some kind of trophy to gluttony.
There are several varieties of boat noodles. You can mix and match the type of noodles and broth. Common noodles are sen yai (เส้นใหญ่; broad, flat rice noodles), sen lek (เส้นเล็ก; thin rice noodles also used for pad thai), and ba mee (บะหมี่; yellow egg noodles). Broth choices are beef blood, pork blood, yen ta foo (fermented red bean curd), or tom yum. The blood choices, called nam tok, are representative of boat noodles.
Toppings include meat slices, meat balls, liver, leafy vegetables like morning glory, bean sprouts, fried garlic, and pork crackling. Diners add peanuts, sugar, chillies, and other condiments to taste. It’s a comforting dish. The broth packs meatiness and umami that makes you want to order more.
The food
Boat noodles outside of Thailand are supersized, probably because it is a hassle to clean up multiple tiny bowls that make up a full meal in Thailand. It’s the same at Boat King of Thai Noodles. There were also no noodle and broth choices. Just sen lek noodles and beef blood broth. They did have sen yai and may be able to substitute for it if you ask nicely.
The rendition here looked authentic. My only nitpick is that the takeout format could be improved by placing the beef slices outside the broth so that they don’t overcook. They were very generous with pork crackling and I was happy that it was packed separately to maintain crispness.
The broth was rich with beef flavour and had the perfect dose of saltiness. It tasted almost the same as the ones in Bangkok. The blood was barely perceptible and functioned to add grit to the soup.
Beef balls tasted home-made and were springy. Beef slices were not choice cuts and were rather tough. Slicing them thinly would have helped.
The rice noodles were fairly standard. No complaints. The surprising hits were the pork crackling and fried garlic chilli condiments. The crackling was fresh, light, and had no hint of greasiness. It ranks as one of the best cracklings I’ve had. The fried garlic with chilli flakes was crunchy and savoury. Personally, I would have preferred more sugar and heat but it does the job of exciting the taste buds. 8/10.
Boat King of Thai Noodles has standard Thai dishes like green curry and other noodle dishes. Obviously, I went for less mainstream options like lad na (ราดหน้า). This is a dish that diffused from Southern China, through Laos, then to Thailand. Cantonese food lovers will recognize this as sha hor fun (沙河粉).
Lad na is a stir-fried noodle with a viscous gravy. Or you could call it slimy. Tapioca or corn starch gives it its texture. Unlike boat noodles, there is only one correct noodle type to use: broad, flat rice noodles (sen yai). Diced garlic is also a must. The protein and leafy vegetables are variable.
Honestly, it was an average dish. There was some wok hei (smokiness) but not as pronounced as good Cantonese hor fun. Garlic fragrance was there and the amount of salt was just right. But it could use more umami.
Noodles were al dente but a few pieces clumped together. Beef slices were on the tough side, as with the boat noodles. The accompanying chilli vinegar sauce was average too. While traditional, it could do with more bright and bold flavours. 6.5/10.
The place
The interior is loosely inspired by Bangkok boat vendors in days of yore. Lamps are shaped as straw hats worn by boatpeople. Bamboo and wood accents proliferate. I think it appeals more to farangs (foreigners) than Thais. The containers of condiments at each table is authentic though, just like at boat noodle restaurants in Thailand.
Verdict
Don’t come here without ordering boat noodles. Give pad thai and khao soi a rest for a while. 7.5/10.
Practical information
- Name
- Boat King of Thai Noodles
- Rating
- 7.5/10
- Recommended dishes
- Beef boat noodles
- Prices
- Beef boat noodles: $15.82 ($14.00 excluding tax)
Beef lad na: $14.69 ($13.00 excluding tax) - Address
- 770 Bay Street, Unit 105
- Hours
- Monday to Saturday 1200h – 2100h
- Date of visit
- September 2020, November 2020