Puyai Lee Restaurant
Luke Farrell, the chef who grows Thai cultivars in a Dorset nursery to supply London's Plaza Khao Gaeng, names this Old Town curry-rice shop in his Bangkok guide for one plate: the catfish belly curry.
Why go
Khao gaeng is point-and-choose curry over rice, and the shops live or die on their pans. Farrell's line in Service95's chef's guide carries the whole case: This curry rice joint has a crash of tables all over the street nearby, get there early for catfish belly curry.
The shop sits at the Old Town end of Charoen Krung near Wang Burapha, a family operation by reputation, with a steady popularity signal on Maps (around 4.3 stars, labeled as a trending signal only). Registry press is otherwise silent, so this entry stays an honest stub until more surfaces.
Order this / avoid
- Order: the catfish belly curry, per Farrell, plus whatever else is still full in the pans.
- Avoid: a late arrival. Curry-rice shops cook once and sell through; the rec itself says get there early.
What locals & experts say
- Service95 (Nov 2024, Luke Farrell):
get there early for catfish belly curry.
1 - Popularity signal (Google Maps, labeled): consistently around 4.3 stars for a long-running family shop; a trending signal, not an opinion source.
Good to know
- Timing: khao gaeng rhythm, morning into early afternoon; exact hours unverified, check Maps at trip time.
- Booking: walk-in, street tables.
- Getting there: 7 Charoen Krung Road in Phra Nakhon, near the Old Town cluster with Pad Thai Fai Ta Lu and Jay Fai a short walk north.
Verdict
listed — A decades-old family curry-rice shop with tables spilling onto the street and one on-record chef endorsement for the catfish belly curry, from the man who built London's khao gaeng temple. That is a real signal and exactly one signal. Until more surfaces, it is a good-to-know pin for an Old Town morning rather than a detour: real, competent, cheap, unverified beyond the single quote.