Thursday, August 12, 2010

Pa-Ord Noodle: Out of the Ordinary

Pa-Ord Noodle (5301 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood) is Sapp Coffee Shop's biggest rival.
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I may surprise some folks when I say this, but I think I like Pa-Ord more than Sapp.

Thai iced tea and Thai iced coffee.
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The usual sweet and creamy stuff you expect. You'll need these. I'll tell you why soon.

Pad se-ew -- fried noodles, Chinese broccoli, beef ($6.00).
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A familiar noodle staple in popular Thai cuisine. Very nice version.

But we're not really here for these. We're here for the legendary noodles in soup. We're here for fire.

Our server asks us how spicy we want our noodle soups. He laughs when we say hot. He continues to laugh when we reconsider and say, "Hmm. Ok. Medium then?" He tells us he is going to give us all "mild."

We are dismayed by his lack of confidence in us. We can handle the heat, damn it.

The noodles come.

Heed the advice of your server. "Mild" will fucking sear your intestines. Like wreck you.

It hurt so good.

Large tom yum noodles -- ground pork, BBQ pork, pork balls, dried shrimp ($5.50).
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Incredible. The flavors are brilliant, powerful, and complex. Pungent, tangy, even a tad sweet. This is the one that is fire in a bowl. It may not hit you right away, but it will hit you. It's worth it. I was in pain, yet I still wanted more. (This is when you reach for your Thai iced tea or Thai iced coffee for intermittent relief!)

Large boat noodles -- pork, liver, tripe ($5.50).
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More oomph than Sapp's version. And you know I love Sapp. Such a rich and meaty broth.

Large boat noodles -- beef, liver, tripe ($5.50).
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Same as above but with beef instead of pork.

Sliced crispy pork and Chinese broccoli ($7.50).
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OH-MY-GOD-SO-GOOD. SOOOOOOOOOO GOOD. This wasn't spicy at all. But it was fried and crisp and melt-in-your-mouth freakishly delicious. We all agreed that we could eat this every day. Mr. Monkey almost ordered a second dish. You absolutely must get this. You wouldn't think to choose it at a noodle shop, but it is crazy fantastic -- one of the best things I've eaten this year.

At Pa-Ord, you can opt for any of three types of noodles in your soups. See?
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I favored the thin rice noodles, but Mr. Monkey liked the thin firm egg noodles the most. My brother and father were too busy eating to answer my queries.

I do still love Sapp Coffee Shop. The consistency of all of Sapp's noodles is top-notch, admittedly superior to those at Pa-Ord.

But Pa-Ord packs a punch that Sapp sorely lacks. Call me a masochist, but I kinda liked having my ass kicked by the tom yum.

And the crispy pork, people. Your life is not complete without this crispy pork.

22 comments:

  1. Now I really want Thai for lunch. The not spicy version for this bland mouth.

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  2. Your brother looks cute in that pic.
    lol Food looks cute too.

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  3. I am also on Team: Pa Ord. Sapp didn't rock my tastebuds like Pa Ord did!

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  4. Hurt so good! Glad you had the iced tea + coffees in hand.

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  5. I have a growing internet crush on BroMo. He is a hottie.

    I like SE Asian food so spicy it burns my intestines. But I want some of that crispy pork, too!

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  6. I really want that crispy pork dish and I haven't wanted to eat any meat in weeks! That's how good your photo and description are. :)

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  7. Hi weezermonkey,

    Nice! I still haven't made it out to Pa Ord yet (I know, I'm slacking :). I can't wait. Thanks.

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  8. mmm. that is all i'm allowed to say on the internets on this topic. sigh.

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  9. Shit, I gotta try this crispy pork! And of course, the boat noodles.

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  10. I drooled a little bit over the noodle pics. I have a serious love affair with noodles.

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  11. I really like boat noodles. And I really like crispy pork w/ Chinese broccoli. And I like spicy foods. And I like Sapp. But can you believe I haven't been to Pa Ord yet?! All roads seem to point to me loving Pa Ord...must go now!

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  12. now all i want is a big, intestine-wrecking bowl of noodles!! :)

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  13. Haha. Looks like BroMo has quite a fan club going on. :P

    I haven't been to either. But then, I'm totally behind on restaurant trends so oh well.

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  14. YUM. That crispy pork does look good! But I don't know about my insides being torn a part with those noodles. I had a hard enough time with the three bites I mustered of the "mild" catfish dish from Jitlada. It hurts just thinking about it. :-/

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  15. need to try this place. the crispy pork w/ chinese broccoli sounds omfg.

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  16. I just can't believe you have to go all the way across the country to hear a server say "Mild" will fucking sear your intestines! That's exactly what I look for in a meal :)

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  17. Mmmmmm! I strongly dislike super spicy things though. Maybe they would make me a weakling version. Heh. ;)

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  18. Yummmm this sounds like heaven. I have a thing for noodles.

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  19. Pa-Ord is definitely very good, but I still think Sapp is better, at least with their boat noodles. The tom yum noodles at Pa Ord was quite tasty. I can't wait to go back!

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  20. that pork looks to. die. for. damn.

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  21. I agreed with you about the Jade Noodles at Sapp (which I got bcs of your post, btw) so I may just end up liking Pa Ord more too! We shall see!

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