KUALA LUMPUR, April 13 — Sometimes you have to explore new spots and I'm glad I made a trip to this hidden Thai restaurant inside Sungai Buloh New Village.
The draw was their beef noodles and it didn't disappoint.
Since I had not visited the new village for a long time, it was an eye opener with the development of high rise condominiums just before you turn inside the main commercial area.
As usual, driving through the village requires patience since the roads can be clogged up by lorries from the nearby factories.
Use Waze to get to 168 Thai Restaurant as it's well hidden from the main area. Your patience is rewarded as this bowl of beef noodles is completely worth it.
The eatery is run by a local married to a Chiang Mai native. For many years, they have been cooking up their mix of Thai and Chinese dishes. About a month or so ago, they expanded their offerings to include noodles. This is served in the mornings since they usually offer dishes for lunch and dinner.
The menu is a small one. There's beef noodles, chicken noodles, char siu wantan mee and Cantonese style noodles. As they didn't have char siu that day, I only managed to try the two soup noodles.
For their beef noodles (RM8) or ngau lam as the Chinese boss calls it, this is essentially their version of boat noodles since it uses dark soy sauce in the broth that is brewed with various herbs and spices.
The fragrant, deep flavoured broth is absolutely delicious. It's the type of broth you don't leave any in the bowl.
There's a choice of various types of noodles but I prefer the Thai kway teow with its slight bouncy texture. They're also thinner compared to the local kway teow.
Inside your bowl of noodles, there's lots of goodies. My favourite is always the white radish, perfectly stewed to a soft, melting consistency. The beef is tender to the bite and there's also a few pieces of tripe for you to enjoy.
They also add Thai beef balls. These are tinier than the local versions but just as tasty. You also have a generous portion of kangkung or water spinach and bean sprouts.
In contrast, the chicken noodles (RM7) pale by comparison. That's because the beef noodles are exceptional with that full bodied broth.
If one is objective and rates the chicken noodles on its own, it's still a very well executed dish with that light, sweet chicken broth. You have shredded poached chicken, fish balls, white radish, kangkung and bean sprouts.
The noodles are also served with the usual Thai condiments. There's chilli flakes, ground peanuts and vinegar infused with red chillies. Since I wanted that sweet, spicy and sour trinity taste for my noodles, I added sugar from my pantry.
I prefer omitting the condiments for the beef noodles but the chicken noodles can do with a heavier dose of these condiments to amp up their flavours.
If you visit for the cooked dishes, they serve lunch from 12pm to 3pm. Dinner is served from 5.30pm till 9.30pm.
168 Thai Restaurant, 24, Jalan Kati F U19/F, Taman Medan Mas, Section U19, Sungai Buloh New Village, Sungai Buloh, Selangor. Open: 7am to 2.30pm. Closed on Friday. Tel:+6017-3632206/+6010-3822672.
