Nokban Cafe – A Hidden Gem that You Have to Visit

During our visit to Hua Mum Night Market in December, we were a little anxious and reached a little too early. Most of the stalls were still in the midst of preparation. We scoured the night market looking for something to keep us warm from the chilly gusts of wind (I think it was about 20 degrees). It was then we came across Nokban Cafe.

Unassumingly simple in deco, Nokban Café sits near the center of the market and boasted quite an interesting menu. The food seemed to be really well liked by the locals. 

Nokban café serves a plethora of food including local delights, and familiar favourites such as spaghetti with tomato sauce, Thai green curry with rice, and fried rice! They also have a dedicated counter which dishes out their famous Thai pandan custard bread. We ordered their signature Thai pandan custard bread, a bowl of spicy pork bone soup, iced milk tea and a plate of fried macaroni!

The Thai pandan custard bread features cubes of soft white bread served with a separate bowl of warm pandan custard. Much to our amusement, the Thai pandan custard tasted like kaya, albeit with a more watery consistency. Dip those cubes of white bread into the pool of kaya and wipe up as much of it as you desire! This reminded me a lot of the kaya toast from Yakun.

Definitely, not for the faint of heart, the seemingly harmless spicy pork bone soup was the star of the meal for me. The murky soup came with meaty hunks of tender pork, and was dressed generously with green coriander, kaffir leaves and green chili. The rich pork broth boasts a pleasant sweetness with a fiery spice that grows on you. If you’re looking for something to keep warm on a chilly night in Bangkok, this is a must-try. Warning : it is really spicy.

Despite the chilly weather, the overwhelming spice of the soup resulted in us downing the 2 cups of iced milk tea quickly. The tea is fragrant, and a tad too sweet as you might have expected, but it certainly cooled down our burning mouths. 

For those that prefer to stick to something more familiar, you can go for the fried macaroni like we did. The fried macaroni is a mushy mess of macaroni, tomato sauce and bits of pork. It is a pretty safe choice that everyone will enjoy. 

Out of all the stalls at Hua Mum Night Market, Nokban Café stood out the most with its relatively large seating area, and good selection of food choices. While Nokban Café might not be the star of the Hua Mum Night Market, it certainly is popular with locals, and you might want to pop by if you’re visiting the market!

MissTamChiak.com made an anonymous visit and paid its own meal at the stall featured here.

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