Ran Ahan Sua Tao (ร้านอาหารซัวเถา), for excellent Chinese food in Bangkok


Chinese restaurants in Bangkok
I wanted to give you the info on what’s been my favorite Chinese restaurant in Bangkok lately.
Chinese food, or shall I say non Thai-Chinese food, is not as easy to find as you might think it is in Bangkok.
But there are a few good spots, and Ran Ahan Sua Tao (ร้านอาหารซัวเถา) is probably my current favorite.

Hot pot broth
On the menu, you’ll find a range of dishes, the hot pot section being quite popular.
My first time I had the hot pot, which was indeed excellent, but I personally prefer stir fried dishes over hot post style (unless it’s of the Sichuan variety).

Thin fish for the hot pot
But anyway, if you order hot pot, you get a nice herby pot full of soup, and then you can order all sorts of ingredients to toss in and cook at your table.

Baby bok choy
There’s also a bunch of green vegetables like bok choy which you can order and it will be delivered on a plate for you to boil up in your hot pot.

Incredible sauce
The greatest part of eating hot pot is the glorious garlicky sauce made with soy sauce, and maybe a hint of vinegar or rice wine? Not sure exactly, but it was amazing. I could drink the sauce!

Wonderful mapo tofu
Like I mentioned before, I’m more of a stir fry kind of guy.
And one of my all-time world favorites is a mapo tofu… that is when it’s done well.

It’s so good!
I was quite happy with the mapo tofu at Ran Ahan Sua Tao (ร้านอาหารซัวเถา).
It wasn’t as greasy as it can be sometimes (a good thing), and it still had the miraculous red chili garlic paste mixed in, paired with silky soft tofu.
Over rice, it was pure pleasure. It’s a must order dish.

Pork spareribs in plum sauce
We also ordered the pork spare ribs in sour plum sauce – the ribs were tender, fragrant with garlic and sour plum gravy, and very porky flavorful.
It was one of those dishes that makes you feel like you’re wearing lip gloss from the pork grease, but it was so worth it.

Eggplant
On to the eggplant, another absolute stunner at Ran Ahan Sua Tao (ร้านอาหารซัวเถา).
Like mapo tofu, Chinese eggplant is another one of my all-time favorite dishes, and while it’s normally cooked in red chili oil, this one wasn’t… but it was delicious.
The eggplant was cooked until slimy soft with minced pork, and flavored with a hint of vinegar. It was unbelievably good.
I would easily go to eat at Ran Ahan Sua Tao (ร้านอาหารซัวเถา) just for the mapo tofu and eggplant.

Foo jook bean curd dish
Foo jook, or bean curd, with pork ribs, was also quite tasty. I’m just a lover of these chewy bean curds!

Kailan
Finally, if you like kailan (Chinese broccoli), it’s extremely good at Ran Ahan Sua Tao (ร้านอาหารซัวเถา).
They cook it soft but still crisp, and stacked with garlic and oyster sauce.

Ran Ahan Sua Tao (ร้านอาหารซัวเถา)
The Bottom Line
I think the food is excellent. If you’re in need of good Chinese food in Bangkok, this is the spot.
Ran Ahan Sua Tao (ร้านอาหารซัวเถา)
Address: 491/39-40 Silom Plaza, Thanon Silom, Bangrak, Bangkok 10500
Open hours: 4 pm – 3 am daily
Phone number: 02-635-3261 , 081-345-6470
Prices: I have to be honest here and say that I was so happy with the food, I failed to take notes on the prices in the menu. But I think most of the dishes were about 150 – 200 THB. Overall, you’re going to pay about 200 – 300 THB per person.
491/39-40 อาคารสีลมพลาซ่า ถนนสีลม แขวงสีลม เขตบางรัก กรุงเทพฯ 10500
เปิดเวลา 16.00-3.00 น.
โทรศัพท์ 02-635-3261 , 081-345-6470
How to get there:
The restaurant is within Silom Plaza, which is on the southwest corner of Silom Road and Naradhiwas Rajanagarindra. It’s just a 5 minute walk from Chong Nonsi BTS.
Walk into Silom Plaza (it’s kind of a nold looking plaza), and the restaurant is on your left hand side.
View Bangkok Eating Thai Food Map in a larger map
Tara
10 years ago
Hi, Mark. I’m newly resident in Bangkok, slowly teaching myself Thai including how to read but it will be years before I’m fluent. Your website has been indispensable for getting out of Farangland. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
“Sua tow” is Teochew-Chinese meaning “mountain head” or Shantou in Mandarin-Chinese, a prefecture in Guangdong province. Teochew is mutually unintelligible with the Cantonese dialect, the dominant dialect of Guangdong. Many ethnic Chinese Thai are from there, or rather, their ancestors were. The dishes you have shown here are NOT Teochew.
I see quite a few Thai street food dishes are Teochew in origin, like kuay chap (pig’s innards with noodle squares), or suan (oyster omelette), bak mee, muay (Teochew version of khao tom but plain with dishes), chwee kueh (steamed rice cakes with sprinkled with preserved radish), soon kueh, koo chai kueh (radish and chive soft ‘pasties’ in Lumpini Park). I’m mixing and matching here as I’m not sure of the Thai names though some sound close enough to the Teochew original.
Common Teochew restaurant dishes are the charcoal steamboat fish head soup with yam, braised goose web, prawn with very pale green chives, steamed pomfret Teochew-style with preserved plum (“tau-tey” is a different league of pomfret, the flesh is exquisite and creamy), oh nee (yam paste with gingko nut). I will get you the name of the restaurant we have been going to for years on family holidays to Bangkok. I still find driving out of Suk rather terrifying but I will get there, eventually. My Father is pure Teochew and grew up eating this food in Singapore, almost always at home since his family was poor.
Teochew food could be an enquired taste for some used to more heavily masked foods like what passes for Cantonese food. It’s straightforward peasant food with an emphasis on freshness and ‘cleanness’.
Mark Wiens
10 years ago
Hey Tara, wow, thank you so much for sharing this information about Teowchew food. I have a lot to learn!
Are you originally from Singapore, and just moved to Bangkok? Yes, I’d love to get the name of the authentic Teowchew restaurant in Bangkok if you can get the name – that would be great!
Thanks again!
Tara
10 years ago
Hi again, Mark.
I was born and raised in Singapore, years in London and spent some time in Israel. I can relate with your far flung background and your accent is peculiar to international schools around the world. My daughter is a TCK as well (Third Culture Kid). Tibetan father.
The name of the Teochew restaurant is New Peng Chieng in Chan 27, quite near the top of the soi as you turn in from Thanon Chan. If you’re coming from that direction, it would be the right hand side of the soi, no more than 100 metres in.
Tel: 022117614
Not sure of opening times but Teochews can have dinner as early as 5pm.
For anyone who wants to go, please bring a Thai or Teochew speaker along as the menu is in Thai and Chinese only. Khun Maag – the umpteenth generation of the family who owns the place seems to be there these days in the evenings. I like him – elegant, helpful and speaks perfect English.
With thanks again for your great blog.
Mark Wiens
10 years ago
Excellent, thank you so much Tara. I’m for sure going to check this place out when I have a chance, I’m excited!
Mark
10 years ago
Great Pictures and delicious food! I love the chinese cuisine especially the sichuan style like mapu tofu and gong bao chicken. do you know if this restaurant also has several typical sichuan diches? Or do you know maybe another sichuan restaurant in Bangkok?
Mark Wiens
10 years ago
Thanks Mark! Yah, this place, I’m not sure exactly what part of China the owners are from, but they definitely have some Sichuan items on the menu. Other than this place, I’ve tried some Chinese restaurants in Bangkok and haven’t been overly impressed.
Paul
10 years ago
Oohhh, nice pics. Foo jook is one of my favorite things to eat.
Mark Wiens
10 years ago
Thanks Paul!
Mike
10 years ago
Everything looks delicious. I’ll definitely have to check it out next time I’m in Bangkok.
Excellent photos as well!
Mark Wiens
10 years ago
Thanks Mike, this place is great!