The Noodle Soup Series: Thai Boat Noodles at Sapp Coffee Shop

Below, a bowl of what many say is the best Thai Boat Noodles in the City.

I told Mr. Taste of Thai that he had to have a dinner at Sapp Coffee Shop before eatdrink&bemerry's episode of "No Reservations" with Anthony Bourdain airs and all of the guai loh (that's foreign devil ghosts to you) descend onto the place. Since he's a November Scorpio and I'm an October Scorpio, he complied.

And boy, were we glad he did! If you are sick and tired of the same ole, same ole that you get at practically every Thai restaurant in the City, you must make your way to Sapp Coffee Shop. Ok, ok, it has a C rating but I always say, "the lower the grade the better the food!" I think that the C rating might have to do with the fact that momma, who cooks, hangs out in the restaurant with slippers and a quasi bathrobe.

Now, there are two kinds of Thai Boat Noodles one the menu: one has just beef, and the other has moltissimi offal in it. I ordered the beef (and pointed to it on the menu) so when the waitress said, "with everything?" I said, "Sure!" Well, apparently that means you get the second Thai Boat Noodles with not only beef but beef ball, plenty of liver, tripe, chicharrones (crispy pig skin for my Dear Readers who do not live in LA), and other stuff that I couldn't recognize. There is one thing to say about all that stuff, it sure gives the soup a lot of flavor!

Below, for the faint of heart there is Jade Noodles. A typical Thai broth with roast pork and duck and the addition of crab. I will be holding a Jade Noodles dinner here in January.

Below, a very beautifully presented bowl of Tom Kah Kai (spicy/sour coconut milk soup usually with chicken). This had so much coconut milk in it! It was like drinking a milkshake (albeit a weird one.)

More noodles! Below, Pad See Ewe. I liked this though it was a tad too sweet for my taste, but I would still eat it (with a ton of the chile vinegar on top.)

Below, my ground chicken with bamboo shoots and two kinds of chile. On the side was served some type of chile sauce that I poured over the dish. Damn!

Below, squid with basil. This was deceptively the hottest dish that night. The guy who ordered it would say, "hey, want some squid?" and you're like "yeah!" and then five seconds later you are gurgling, "help me!"

Below, some pretty good Pad Prik King. I kept eating Mr. Taste of Thai's green beans. Yummy.

So the only way that I could "borrow" $20 from mumsy was if I promised to bring her back something. So what does a dutiful daughter get her mumsy with funky tastes? Below, Spam Fried Rice!

After you go to Sapp, make sure that you stop by the Thai snack place next door. They have some interesting snackies. As the young girl who worked there said, "you eat when you sit and watch movie." I bought some chicken curry pastries (mumsy ate them all so I never got to try them.)

Sapp Coffe Shop
5183 Hollywood Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90027