Soi 38

38 Mcilwraith Pl, Melbourne, open Mon- Sat from 11:30am to 4pm  

Rating: 8/10 Delicious Thai noodles for a good price!

Soi 38 is a hideaway Thai noodle shop located in the CBD. Finding this place is part of the fun- it’s located on an alleyway off Bourke street but you will have to navigate through a carpark to get to it. (Just follow the smell of Thai broth and you won’t have any troubles.) Soi 38 was set up to replicate the experience of purchasing food from a Thai street vendor and it delivers! The restaurant decor includes mismatched tables, low stools and a genuine food cart where you go to order. Expect to be eating from brightly-coloured plastic chopsticks and bowls.

To place an order you will need to complete a tick-a-box form. There are five dishes available: boat noodles with beef, boat noodles with pork, Tom Yum noodles, Braised Duck noodle soup and Thai Laksa with beef. You can then select your preferred type of noodles and style – ‘soup’ is your standard style, or you can select half-soup or dry. All noodle bowls at Soi 38 are $10, or you can choose to upsize for an extra $5. The restaurant also served a basic selection of soft drinks and beer.

I tried the Tom Yum soup base on egg noodles. The noodles were topped with sliced pork, crispy fried tofu and a prawn wonton. The dish was delicious with a good balance of flavors and a perfect amount of spice (Ideal for clearing blocked sinuses if you are suffering from Fresher Flu!). I was also able to sample my friend’s order of beef boat noodles. The boat noodles are somewhat similar to Vietnamese pho, but the beef stock has a richer flavour with a mix of soy sauce, star anise, cinnamon and lemongrass.

I must admit that I’ve never actually travelled to Thailand and am certainly no expert on Thai cuisine, but these noodles seemed to be very authentic. I can definitely conclude that they were delicious 😊 I’d recommend trying this place if you’re after a cheap and satisfying lunch in the CBD or a break from the mainstream restaurant experience!