Yen Ta Fo JC
The JC is St. Joseph Convent, the school around the corner, and for decades this Sala Daeng Soi 2 stall has fed its students and Silom's office crowd one thing: neon-pink yen ta fo.
Why go
Time Out's framing is the menu: "Yen Ta Fo JC is famous for one thing: yentafo noodles or chewy boiled noodle soup with a delicious sweet red sauce." The pink comes from fermented red tofu, and the bowl arrives loaded with fish dumplings, fish cakes, shrimp balls, fried tofu, morning glory and pickled squid. BK Magazine calls the stall "a landmark for St. Joseph Convent students and office types alike," serving "Silom's most demanding yen ta fo lovers," and prices its bowls at B40-45. Jeff's list adds the Eater map nod, confirmed at snippet level.
Order this / avoid
- Order: the yen ta fo with crispy squid, the add-in BK singles out (
amazing crispy squid in a slightly spicy broth
), and order two bowls up front; assembly is unhurried and the second round takes as long as the first. - Avoid: arriving after Time Out's 11:30am cutoff, Sundays, and the assumption that the Michelin plaque nearby is this shop; the Bib belongs to Yentafo Convent, a separate operation.
What locals & experts say
- Time Out Bangkok (Apr 2019, Phavitch Theeraphong, 4/5):
famous for one thing,
with the peak-hour warning attached.1 - BK Magazine (Apr 2011):
a landmark for St. Joseph Convent students and office types alike.
2 - Eater (snippet only): on the map of Bangkok essentials; the full entry could not be fetched.3
- Local rec: Jeff's list: "Eater rec."
Good to know
- Timing: mornings and lunch only: 6-9:20am and 10am-1:30pm, Monday to Saturday per BK (2011); some reporting says weekdays only. Either way, no afternoons, and sell-outs end service early.
- Booking: walk-in; expect to share a table, solo diners get seated fastest.
- From voco Surawong: about a ten-minute walk via Convent Road to Sala Daeng Soi 2; BTS Sala Daeng and MRT Si Lom sit alongside.
Jeff's take (his words)
- Note: Eater rec
Verdict
could-visit — The yen ta fo that Silom's hardest graders queue for, a bowl BK priced at B45 under a landmark reputation dating to the St. Joseph Convent school run, and a ten-minute walk from the hotel. The shop cooks one dish, opens mornings only, and treats brusque service as part of the format. On your way through Silom it is close to mandatory; nobody crosses the city for it, which is exactly the rung below.