A national monument to noodles

Kuaytiew Nua Khao Wang J Din is quite possibly the best place in Thailand for beef noodles.

There's a picture on the wall at Kuaytiew Nua Khao Wang J Din in Hua Hin showing TV connoisseur McDang, the Xpress columnist, savouring the beef noodles. But never mind that - the real guarantee that the food here is tasty is the logjam of motorcycles parked out front.

Known in English as J Din's Beef Noodles, the little shop near Chatchai Market is often crowded with locals, but this is a place that shuns trendiness.

It's hot and unpretentious, and the food here doesn't pose for photos - it just tastes great.

Crowds there are, but you never have a long wait. The beef noodles are the most popular dish, and they're already waiting for you.

Served in a thick namtok - beef broth with blood - the noodles are swimming in savoury meat. The meatballs in the bowl aren't extraordinary, but the fresh sliced nua-sod is lovely and tender, and the long-stewed nua-puay is a treat to get your teeth into.

And there's not a whiff of the off-putting aroma that sometimes comes with boiled beef.

Among the other specialities at J Din's are yentafo - noodles in a red beancurd soup - and, taking a little longer to prepare, the one-dish servings of pad thai and kaprao, fried sweet basil and rice that comes with a choice of meats.

And none of these terrific meals is going to hurt your wallet: The prices start at Bt25.

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You can get there from here

>> If you're coming from Bangkok, turn right at the second traffic light as you enter Hua Hin town. Turn right again at the waterworks T-junction, and 10 metres along, on your left, is Kuaytiew Nua Khao Wang J Din.

Call (089) 996 5073.

By Sirinya Wattanasukchai

Daily Xpress