My friendD-Jin had wanted to visit “Talad Rod Fai Train Night Market” because thanks to famous foodblogger @migrationology, he had found out about the existence of a special version of “Tom Saab” (essentially pork ribs in a spicy and sour clear soup that isn’t unlike a clear Tom Yum). What makes theirs a little more special is that they use the spine instead of ribs. Gnawing on those massive pieces of pork bones to get at the sweet meat in the nooks and crannies takes work but it is also half the fun (I felt like Fred Flintstone while at it). Just don’t forget to wear the plastic gloves provided because with fresh chopped chilli padi as far as the eye can see, that broth is lethal. It is far from one-dimensional though as it’s also saturated with galangal, lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves and shallots. All those herbs guarantee that you get a good whiff of its heady bright fragrance once you walk close to the eatery.
We ordered the Medium size (good for 2 to share) but portions go up to the one-heck-of-a-mountain XXL.